I did some bad things during my stint as a Mormon missionary in Japan.  I’d like to repent of one of them right now.
Some of my Japanese friends confided deep, personal spiritual experiences with me.  In several cases I coopted their experiences for my own ends, and using my words, contorted them so that they […]

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C. L. Hanson excerpts the following quote from the current Aaronic Priesthood manual over at the Latter Day Main street:
“We recommend that people marry those who are of the same racial background generally, and of somewhat the same economic and social and educational background (some of those are not an absolute necessity, but preferred), and […]

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CatGirl and I are training up to LA tomorrow to see the Amy Sol exhibit at the ThinkSpace Gallery.  She’s one of our favorite contemporary artists–she inspires CatGirl’s art and my stories.  We’ve been waiting for this for months.  We’re also planning to hit the Farmer’s Market and Little Tokyo (including a possible lunch with […]

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Note: This is the latest installment of “Leaving the Garden,” a weekly series in which we ask someone to reflect on their journey from religious conviction to uncertainty, from dogmatism to doubt. Religion is filled with stories of faith; here we collect narratives of unbelief. Some are lifelong atheists who have flirted with religion; others […]

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Romney waves goodbye
Mitt Romney will quit his bid for the presidency, according to the Washington Post.
I can’t say that I’m surprised, or that I’m sorry to see him go.  I have nothing against his Mormoness–I like Harry Reid, and would have found Romney more palatable if he had held on to his more tolerant, pro-gay, […]

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According to the Wikipedia article, which references a Deseret News article I can’t seem to load, President Gordon B. Hinckley, president and prophet of the LDS Church, died of “causes incident to age” at 7pm Mountain Standard Time.  He was 97 years old.
Note: This was announced on Wikipedia (about five minutes after his death) earlier […]

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Mormons believe that the Holy Ghost speaks to them in “a still small voice:”

Can you ask for any clearer evidence? What are you all waiting for–there’s a baptismal font and two young men in suits waiting for you!

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Elaine is a mostly-recovered Mormon who retains a great interest in belief systems of all kinds. She has a BA in Intercultural Studies (that’s what her university calls cultural anthropology), with a concentration in the anthropology of religion. In real life she takes care of her mother, writes for some websites in the […]

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I didn’t like Romney before. I’m close to despising him now.
In a bid to take the spotlight off of Huckabee, he has extended the full length of his shallow platitudes to fellow western monotheists–most especially to patriotic American monotheists who believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind. […]

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In the religion news world, everyone and their dog–hell, even their cats and the family hamster–are all buzz about Mitt Romney’s Big Religion Speech this Thursday. MSNBC calls it ‘The Speech’, and most blame Huckabee (gee thanks, Huckabee). Some, like this Times of London article, hint at subtle comparisons to Kennedy’s big […]

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