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Previous Posts
The meanings of Zion
This is the third post on Richard L. Bushman's Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2008). [See Part 1 and Part 2.] In Chapter Three, Bushman reviews the several meanings of the term "Zion" in LDS doctrine and thinking.
The Mormon sense of Zion has no real parallels in Protestant though
posted 11:00:37pm Jul. 29, 2009 |
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A statistical portrait of Mormons
The Pew Forum recently issued a detailed summary of survey information about Mormons gathered as part of a much larger survey of religious life in the United States. It is a very readable summary, noting that Mormons comprise 1.7% of adults in the US; 35% of Mormon adults live in Utah and 13% live i
posted 12:33:08pm Jul. 29, 2009 |
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July 24th: Pioneer Day in Utah
July 24th is a state holiday in Utah, designated Pioneer Day. It commemorates the entry of the first wagon train of Mormons into the Salt Lake Valley in the summer of 1847. They came down Emigration Canyon, somewhat north of the present I-80 corridor which comes down Parley's Canyon. Brigham Young w
posted 5:38:50pm Jul. 23, 2009 |
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Finding heretics in strange places
A very interesting post at Mormon Matters, reviewing a 1989 book titled "Will the Real Heretics Please Stand Up?" The book was written by an attorney who grew up a Jehovah's Witness, then became an Evangelical Christian. That lasted until he conducted a thorough reading the original writings of the
posted 6:27:09pm Jul. 22, 2009 |
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Reason and revelation in Mormonism
This is a second piece on Bushman's Mormonism: A Very Short Introduction (OUP, 2008). [See Part 1.] Every faith and denomination has an approach for balancing faith and reason. In Chapter Two of the book, Bushman briefly outlines the LDS approach.
The context, of course, is how a faith or den
posted 12:46:47am Jul. 17, 2009 |
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posted January 1, 2009 at 1:15 pm
What do you think, Dave, of the discussion of donations once you delete “mandated” offerings. (i.e. tithing to the Church) I can see it both ways. For one Mormons have already given a lot of their discretionary spending and there’s little left for other charities. (BTW – what counts as a charity? Does the NRA, the ACLU, the Sierra Club? Does it only count if you declare it on your taxes?)
posted January 1, 2009 at 10:32 pm
@ Clark
I think it might be reasonable to examine LDS donations net of tithing if certain other factors are controlled for. For example, does the sample includes only LDS people who all truly treat tithing as a “mandate” as opposed to a more realistic cross section of members including less-actives, non-full-tithers, and those described above.
Similarly, while other Christian denominations may or may not have a declared 10%, there may be unstated-but-generally-accepted contribution levels in many other; in other words, if we net out tithing for Mormons, some effort to net out a reasonable approximation of “mandated” donations in other denominations should be made.
posted January 5, 2009 at 4:01 pm
I have to say, I have never really understood this “mandated” thing. I mean, I understand tithing as a condition of temple worthiness, and all that means. It is a powerful incentive. But, during my adult life I have been a full-tithe memeber, a partial-tithe member and a no tithing member. All while attending church and participating pretty fully. No one ever “mandated” that I do anything. When wanted to pay, I paid. When I didn’t, I didn’t. No tithing police were dispatched. Where does the mandated tithes thing come from?
posted January 5, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Its amazing to find the differences between these marketing firms (churches) with the same product they spend most of their times/lives marketing…Jesus Christ, and one of them came up on top. The LDS.Church must be doing something right, isn’t it? Their TITHING I understand is basically building schools, chapels, temples, etc…but their FAST-OFFERING is aimed mainly to their welfare & their charity outreach. Don’t you think these other churches should learn from the Mormons & stop trying to compare themselves with them? “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free” I believe thats what the Jesus of the Bible said.