In an Ensign article titled “The Key to Opportunity,” Rebekah Atkin wrote the following about the LDS Church’s Perpetual Education Fund (PEF): . . . President [Gordon B.] Hinckley had seen poverty and lack of education and training prevent many young adults in the Church from achieving their potential.  He sought the Lord for answers. In general conference on March 31, 2001, Pres ... (More)

With Mitt Romney running for president, Mormonism may again have a racial problem.  In 1978, the LDS Church lifted its ban which kept blacks from holding the priesthood.  But the 1978 statement did not address the theological background behind the ban and left two issues unresolved: the LDS Church did not formally apologize for the priesthood ban and the LDS Church did not publicly repudiated ... (More)

According to Peggy Fletcher Stack writing in the sltrib (1 Feb 2012): Late last year, the [LDS] Church’s publishing arm, Deseret Book, put out No Weapon Shall Prosper:  New Light on Sensative Issues to address some of the hot-button issues of Mormon history and doctrine, offering members ways to answer critics. While Mormons should not be “consumed with provocative materials critical o ... (More)

Many have alleged that LDS Church is suffering from mass exodus of its youth.  According to an article written in the sltrib (1 Feb 2012) by Peggy Fletcher Stack: “I have heard that our overall activity, especially in the United States, is as good as it’s ever been,” [Elder Marlin Jensen, the LDS Church's outgoing historian] said.  “To say we are experiencing some Titanic- ... (More)

There was an interesting letter to the editor in the sltrib (2 Feb 2012) penned by Dave Cassity: Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention argues that –[by adding] the Book of Mormon — Mormonism [is] a fourth Abrahamic religious tradition:  as Christianity is to Judaism, Mormonism is to Christianity. [Arguing that Mormonism is an extention of Christianity is] right for the sho ... (More)

I need wisdom. More than anything in my life, I need to be able to see my way forward, to evaluate the choices ahead of me. I've always been a consumer of knowledge, someone who couldn't leave well enough alone, who had to tease apart the inner workings of things. That process leaves me with a huge gap - the gap between what is and what could be. And that gap requires wisdom. ... (More)

I'll bet many of y'all are saving up to use this one during the next thunderstorm.  I know I am. ... (More)

I don't have video for this geography fail/win, but it does seem to be in keeping with this week's pattern of failures in geography. ... (More)

Scientists Anders Sandberg and Stuart Armstrong are working on a paper that explores the relation between theoretical engineering capacities and colonization of the universe. Of course, this is not a new topic. For decades, scientists and philosophers have analyzed what has come to be known as the "Fermi paradox", named after physicist Enrico Fermi, who called attention to two apparently conflictin ... (More)

I know we've already done one epic geography fail video this week, but it's Groundhog Day tomorrow, so let's do another. This time it's from the now-cancelled Jeff Foxworthy-hosted game show "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?". Prepare for 3 minutes of cringe: ... (More)