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The Finite Cannot Comprehend the Infinite

Posted in Religion on Jul 28, 2013 | 1 Comment

A short account of Mormon painter Arnold Friberg’s dialogue with President McKay over his commission to paint illustrations for a number of Book of Mormon scenes.

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My Senior Project at Weber State

Posted in Technology on Dec 26, 2012 | No Comments Yet

I recently stumbled across the site I built for my senior project in college.

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Bob Bennett Says Harry Reid Furthers God’s Work

Posted in Politics, Religion on Nov 15, 2012 | 1 Comment

“…Harry Reid has done as much to further the work of the kingdom as any politician that has ever served in national office..”

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Choosing to Believe: Thoughts from the Givenses

Posted in Religion on Oct 17, 2012 | No Comments Yet

The following is taken verbatim from the introduction of an important new book from Terryl and Fiona Givens called The God Who Weeps: How Mormonism Makes Sense of Life. Whether and/or when belief is a legitimate choice is a fascinating topic to me.

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Good Music: Kathleen Edwards

Posted in Music on Aug 16, 2012 | No Comments Yet

Her sunny disposition betrayed the melancholy nature of many of her songs. Perhaps there’s a paradox at play—a hidden sense of optimism even in songs about deteriorating relationships and misplaced trust.

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Chocolates and Prophetic Succession

Posted in Religion on Jul 9, 2012 | 1 Comment

People unfamiliar with LDS leadership succession practices might be disappointed to discover just how, well, boring it is. No large scale voting. No top-secret colored smoke meetings. I think this has led LDS presidents to engage humor when addressing the topic.

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What Gratitude Is Not

Posted in Religion on Apr 16, 2012 | 1 Comment

Maybe we focus on gratitude because we feel guilty—and scared. We know at a deep level that we’re ludicrously wealthy and healthy. We’re also terrified of that ease and comfort disappearing. So we read books and articles about gratitude as a cardinal virtue not because we genuinely feel grateful, but because we’re afraid of how […]

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McKay and the Endowment Ceremony

Posted in Religion on Apr 14, 2012 | 1 Comment

The following is taken verbatim from Greg Prince’s biography David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. It recounts some of President McKay’s concerns with the temple endowment ceremony, particularly with how younger people might interpret it. Ever since the endowment was introduced by Joseph Smith, who adopted many symbols from masonry into it, […]

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Terryl Givens on Choosing to Believe

Posted in Religion on Mar 3, 2012 | 3 Comments

The following is a partial transcript I made of an excellent Mormon Stories podcast interview with Terryl Givens, one of the most intellectually interesting and thoughtful Mormons I know of. Here he discusses his view on how and why religious belief must be a choice and not simply something that’s obviously false or obviously true.

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Greg Prince – What Remains for You to Do

Posted in Religion on Mar 3, 2012 | No Comments Yet

The following is a transcript I typed of a speech Greg Prince made at a Mormon Stories conference in Washington D.C. in October 2011. This is the fifth segment, in which Prince gives advice for the current generation of Mormons on what is left to be done to help make Mormonism better.

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