This is the final half of Elaine Frei‚Äôs two part review and reflection of Krakauer’sUnder the Banner of Heaven.
In Part I of this review, I explored the story of Ron and Dan Lafferty and how they came to murder Brenda and Erica Lafferty, the wife and daughter of their younger brother, Allen.¬† While that story […]

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I always look forward to Elaine Frei’s well-written, thought-provoking comments. Now she has graced us with her review and reflections of Under the Banner of Heaven, John Krakauer’s controversial expos?© of the murders of a mother and her infant daughter by Fundamentalist Mormons. What makes Krakauer’s coverage of these killings especially relevant for […]

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Temple worship is one of the most emotionally and socially complicated aspects of Mormonism.¬† It is generally spoken in the most sacred and spiritual terms, and there is no doubt that it is pinnacle of Mormon ritual life.¬† That said, many active, believing Mormons struggle with the temple experience (this is based anecdotal evidence, but […]

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In the comments to my previous post, there was some unrest at the portrayal of faith as unquestioning.¬† I read the diagram as a caricature, and I don’t think it was intended to be a balanced portrayal of science and faith (any more than¬† editorial cartoons are equitable).¬† I want to make it clear that […]

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For once, they’re not my confessions. I went with a friend to see the Steven Fales play in West Hollywood yesterday. We got off the freeway on Santa Monica Boulevard, driving past the massive angel-topped temple through Beverly Hills and finally to the tiny venue with “MORMON BOY” shouting from the marquee. […]

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When I was a missionary proselytizing Mormonism door to door in Japan, I sometimes used the following story to preach the benefits of religious obedience (tithing, sex only in marriage and the prohibition of tea, alcohol and tobacco were tough to sell):
A kite cannot soar without its string. Likewise, God’s children cannot ascend to […]

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Warning: This post is critical of and reveals details of aspects of the Mormon temple ceremony. If you feel that such open discussion is offensive, then do not read the rest of the post.
I was nineteen when I was initiated into the world of temple Mormonism. I was a bright but naive kid […]

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I turned thirty six today.¬† I joined the LDS Church eighteen years ago, the day after my coming of age.¬† I’ve spent half of my life enveloped by Mormonism.¬† In that time I:

Served a two-year proselytizing mission in Japan.
Met and married Jana.
Conceived two beautiful, beautiful children (still raising them).
Earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, […]

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Jana wrote about her fear (just prior to our marriage) of my “demonstrated…willingness to sacrifice relationships for the sake of [my] ideals.” A friend of ours subsequently asked if my loss of faith influenced Jana’s leaving the Church. It certainly appears that way, since I’ve been open about my doubts for long time now, and […]

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My first two academicky publications are in print now!
I’m the *second author on Maturing and Enduring: Dialogue and Its Readers after Forty Years in the Winter 2006 issue of Dialogue, for my help in collecting and processing the survey data. The data shows that the Dialogue’s subscription based has aged by two decades in […]

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