Dave's Mormon Inquiry

Here's What Happens When You Sue God

You get thrown out of court. Not that God couldn't defend Himself, it's just that no mere mortal can effectuate service on the Almighty. I'm sure judges secretly pine for this sort of pleasant diversion. Sooner or later, we all face that Great Change of Venue to that final tribunal from which there is no appeal. Until then, service is required.

The Greatest Generation

Two posts looking back at the WWII generation: "Mover of History: Dwight D. Eisenhower" recounts some interesting tidbits. Eisenhower was raised a Jehovah's Witness, did not participate in any church or congregation as an adult, then later (as President) joined the Presbyterian church and attended a Presbyterian congregation. I suspect that if the press of 2008 were reporting on the Eisenhower of 1952, it would make headlines out of his earlier JW affiliation and make him out to be a religious extremist. Times have changed.

"A tribute to a great dad" gives a more personal account of a sailor's experience in WWII.

End of the Road For the Mormon Will

If the name Melvin Dummar means anything to you, you'll be interested in this story. The LDS Church won't miss its slice of the Howard Hughes estate, but Mr. Dummar will.

Private Little Tragedies

Some of which are preventable — see this very sad post about the perils of teen driving at Mormanity. Yes, kids should be taught there is nothing wrong with walking or calling for a ride rather than getting in a car with the local daredevil or a friend who has been drinking at the wheel. And yes, you're the one who should do the teaching -- who else will? The only hard and fast social rule I impose on my own kids is: Never get in a car with someone who has been drinking. For LDS kids, you can't say "with someone who is drunk" because they don't have enough experience with drinking to know it when they see it. So keep it simple. The teen or tween you save could be your own.

Fantasy and Science Fiction

At LDS Philosopher, a post I'll bet you missed: "Transcending Naturalism in Literature," a fine discussion of two genres of modern fiction and of what the author calls "scientific naturalism." There's an interesting paragraph suggesting Star Wars was more like fantasy in the original trilogy, then moved toward science fiction in the second (prequel) trilogy.

Some Wiccan Self-criticism

A Wiccan blogger laments that Paganism is becoming "much like Fundamentalist Christianity" (hat tip: Pastor Todd). The author decries what in the LDS community would be called zeal without knowledge: "Many people will fight hard and long to prove that Wicca is THE OLDEST religion when there is not a hint of archeological evidence to show that it was around before the mid twentieth century." Then there's this heartfelt plea to raise the Wiccan bar:

Also, some claim Paganism, Wicca or Witchcraft [is] a harder system to get into. Not true, as some places (not most, but a few) will make any idiot a priest or priestess. I know a few idiot priestesses and priests who shouldn’t have even been given a first-degree initiation. So there we make ourselves look like idiots.

What echoes lurk in Alma 41?

Take your listening ear over to "Alma 41 and the Wiccan Rede" at The Rains Came Down, which notes the similarity between the doctrine of restoration discussed in that chapter of the Book of Mormon ("for that which ye do send out shall return unto you again," 41:15) and the rule of three in Wicca. Lest ye jump to quickly to make some special connection here, note that the same likeness can be drawn to the Golden Rule. Surprising how, uh, mainstream Wicca has suddenly become.

You Should Write More Letters

You never know what they'll be worth someday: "Einstein Letter on God Sells for $404,000."

Mother's Day is Looming

And for thousands of Latter-day Saints who will be delivering a Mother's Day talk tomorrow, it is looming large. Expectations are high and scriptural sources are limited.

Love on Campus

It's just not what it used to be, even at the BYU, as shown in a day-before-Valentine's-Day BYU NewsNet article, "The Evolution of Human Love."

Teaching the Net Generation

It's easy to forget how much time LDS teenagers spend in LDS classrooms, roughly seven hours per week. Are they learning anything? That's a fair question, as the "classroom model" that governs teaching hasn't changed much over the years, but students have.