Category: politics
A Catholic Family Gets a Visit From the FBI: A Time to Carefully Follow Stories on Threats to Religious Freedom
The opening talk of the October 2022 General Conference, “Caring for the Poor and Distressed” by Elder Dallin H. Oaks, asked us to not only do more to help to…
Discussing Abortion With Your Children and Others: Please Include the Science on the Health of Women
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who understand the Church’s position on abortion or the reasons for its emphasis on the family and the sanctity of human life need to be better prepared to talk to our children and others about the issue of abortion. As we listen gently to sincere questions or concerns, we must also find the right moments to teach based on sound doctrine but also sound science.
Institutional Bullying and the Question of Religious Exemption from Vaccine Mandates
I received a call this week from a father with two children facing intimidation and bullying from the universities they are attending. As is common these days, those who have…
Zeal Without Data: Blaming the Church for Utah’s Allegedly Low Vaccination Rates
Romans 10:2 speaks of those who “have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” Psalm 19:2 in the NET (New English Translation) tells us that “It is dangerous…
Embracing C3ns0rsh1p: A Survival Guide with Helpful Input From China
I marvel at the shock and outrage of some conservative voices as their posts, tweets, and entire websites are progressively downgraded in search visibility, flagged as “fake news,” demonetized, deplatformed,…
Religious Liberty: Have We Forgotten the Pain of the Hutterites?
College students these days learn what a wise leader President Woodrow Wilson was, a good progressive. An example of the positive summary of his work is the historical summary of…
The Dangers of Censorship: Static Science, Diminished Liberty, and a Population in the Dark
A few weeks ago I made a post on Linkedin.com that cited a report on the apparent media censorship of information on a certain compound that many doctors were finding…
The Great War Against the Virus: Maybe It’s Time We Give Peace a Chance
I was saddened to hear the views online of some of the college students partying in Florida during spring break. Not just because they seemed so oblivious to the health…
Imagine Fewer Dragons (and More Data): Initial Reactions to the Film Believer with Dan Reynolds and John Dehlin
While returning to the US for Christmas, I looked at the selection of movies on my United Airlines flight and noted that one of their many films dealt with a…
The Town of Palmyra vs. the City of Helam: A Subtle but Meaningful Contrast in Communities and Culture
A couple days before Christmas when it was Joseph Smith’s birthday, I reflected briefly upon his life in rather small towns in New York and elsewhere prior to publication of…