As far as I can tell, religion’s function, up until about Christianity, was basically to hold a culture together with a unified narrative. In other words, it gave meaning to workings of a group of people. No one thought to question it. That would be like questioning air. The people’s belief in the religion (or […]

I watched The Merchant of Venice a few weeks ago, the one with Al Pacino (Shylock) and Jeremy Irons (Bassanio). It’s really an outstanding film. I just wish it didn’t have period prostitutes in it so I could show it to my class.
I had forgotten just how tautly Shakespeare draws the tensions in that play. […]

Ever since I joined the Association for Mormon Letters email list the main author that has been held forth as a model for good Mormon writing is Chaim Potok. We like him because he managed to take an insular, idiosyncratic community (Hasidic Judaism) and craft novels that can speak to a wide audience.
A few days […]

Buying new underwear is always a good idea. So I bought some underwear last weekend. I found my favorite neck cut (round) and material (cotton-poly ribbed), made sure the bag was blue, and took my basket up to the cash register.
I’ve always derived a mischievous pleasure from purchasing my underwear from nice old ladies who […]

I was in charge of the priesthood lesson today. It took me a long time to get it together. In fact, I had to write it down to get it out. So I thought I’d share.
Getting ready for this lesson was very difficult. I couldn’t quite get a grasp on how to present it. After […]

This last Saturday it suddenly occurred to me that it was 6:30 and that the priesthood session of conference was already well underway.
Even though I admit somewhat shamefacedly that conference doesn’t do much for me, something inside me wanted to pull on my tie and walk over to the stake center (it’s right out my […]

The stake we live in had a fast at the beginning of July. Apparently we hadn’t been getting enough “moisture” (Mormon parlance for rain). So we were all supposed to repent and fast the next Sunday so that God would send moisture to our parched valley.
Well, I forgot to fast, but I did want to […]

One of the reasons Richard Dutcher’s films appeal to me so much is because of how he can take familiar concepts and uncover new depths of meaning in them. States of Grace, for example, brings a deeper meaning to the concept of individual forgiveness, while Brigham City explores the concept of communal forgiveness. The reason […]

And it came to pass that I did look up and beheld a sea of vans called mini encircling a great and spacious building. And lo, inside I beheld multitudes clinging to a rod of iron. And the rod led them through the foyer, past the rooms of rest, and up unto two angels that […]

It was kind of ironic. I was assigned to teach the lesson on obedience this Sunday. The word obedience makes me cringe in any context, but especially in a Mormon one. I still remember that mission conference where our leaders told us, “If you don’t want to be obedient to that which the brethren have […]