Spirituality, Philosophy, Religion and Life from a Post Mormon Perspective

Spirituality - Post-Mormon

If this is the first page of this website that you have seen, I suggest that you read the summary on the Spirituality page to gain an understanding of why this website exists, and for some assistance in deciding what to read.

If you are tired of the usual ex-mormon rants (I hope that is not what I am doing, but some may perceive it that way), you might find "Out of My Faith" an interesting read. Also, some of the shorter, more creative pieces (found in the "Creative Writing, Short Stories and Poetry" section) and the essays respecting "renaissance", "metaphor games" and "perspective" may be more appealing to those who are still firmly connected to Mormonism.

I am told that, in particular, the "First Letter to Elder Holland" and the essays titled "How Denial Works", "Religious Belief: Enlightening or Blinding?", "Out of My Faith" and "Do Smarts Mormons Make Mormonism True?" have been helpful to many people who have visited here. And, in the various pieces titled "Dialogue with My Daughter" I have attempted to summarize in more accessible form some of the concepts that are developed in greater detail in some of my longer essays. The long essays were, as noted above, mostly learning or therapeutic exercises for me that I have preserved. A friend who edits a newspaper calls my long essays "scaffolding" - the kind of notes writers make to themselves as they are getting ready to publish something. That, in my view, is a fair description. And perhaps some day I will be prepared to do the extra work required to publish something. For the time being, this will have to do.

New Content

A Message For Mormon Apologists (14 page; no abstract) - For the most part, when I re-enter the Mormon world (or even its fringes) I experience vertigo. This is the world Lewis Carroll wrote about - a postmodern place where words mean what anyone wants, we must pretend nonsense is sense, and probabilities are ignored. Hence, we can prove anything, and nothing, to those who've passed through this looking glass. This essay describes the apologetic encounter and how it makes me feel.

Mormon Apologetics - A Guide for the Perplexed (26 pages; no abstract) - This is my most comprehensive attempt to outline the tactics used by Mormon apologists to obscure, confuse and do whatever else will work to keep Mormons in the fold.

Why We Believe (88 pages; no abstract) – This is my analysis of a five day series on spirituality that appeared in the Edmonton Sun during Easter week, 2006. I was interviewed extensively for the article, as were a number of people to whom I referred Jeremy Loome, who wrote it.

Cognitive Dissonance at www.fairwiki.org (18 pages; no abstract) - www.fairwiki.org is a wiki (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki) set up for the purpose of countering any information produced about Mormonism that Mormons don’t like. That includes a lot of what I write. So, the Mormon apologists who set up fairwiki have flattered me by dedicating some print to me. This essay is a partial response. The fairwiki title, when compared to the context of the article, shows a remarkable lack of appreciation for irony as well as an amazing capacity for self-parody. I have not revisited cognitive dissonance – one of my favorite topics – for quite a while so this is as good an excuse to do so as any.

Lies and Self-Contradiction at www.fairwiki.org (6 pages; no abstract) - www.fairwiki.org is a wiki (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki) set up for the purpose of countering any information produced about Mormonism that Mormons don’t like. That includes a lot of what I write. So, the Mormon apologists who set up fairwiki have flattered me by dedicating some print to me. This essay is a partial response. The fairwiki title, when compared to the context of the article, shows a remarkable lack of appreciation for irony as well as an amazing capacity for self-parody.

Why I No Longer Rage Against Mormon Idiocy (4 pages; no abstract) - This essay summarizes the connection between attachment theory and some of the difficult changes required for those who undergo fundamental changes in belief.

The Risks of Leaving Mormonism or Living on its Fringes (27 pages; no abstract) - This essay considers the hypothesis that Mormon culture is set up to sabotage those who will not play by its rules

Long (16+ pages)

Out of my Faith (178 pages; includes a 4 page abstract) – This is my meandering, ongoing effort to reorientate myself in spiritual terms. The research and writing that has gone into this and some of the other documents that follow have produced some of the most exciting, wonderful moments of my life. There is so much more of the good and beautiful around me than I had been able to see.

How Denial Works - Denial in General and Mormon Denial in Particular (113 pages; no abstract) - After I found the historical and other data that clearly indicated Mormonism was not what I thought it to be, I was still deeply troubled by the “spiritual experiences” I had while Mormon, how it was possible that I could have felt so certain that Mormonism was “true”, and why so many intelligent people also professed to have had similar experiences and continued to be (apparently at least) devout orthodox Mormons. As I came to understand how denial works, I saw my Mormon spiritual and social experience in a different light, found parallel experiences in many other religious cultures, found extremely intelligent people who were literalist believers in many religious and other ideological traditions that I had no trouble dismissing as irrational, and so came to feel comfortable trusting my rational faculties over my emotional faculties as far as Mormonism was concerned. Hence, the purpose of this essay is to examine both denial’s roots and branches or implications for those of us who wish to understand as much as possible about where our own blind spots are likely to be.

Religious Faith: Enlightening or Blinding? A Look at the Origins of Mormonism’s Professed Pursuit of Truth and Simultaneous Inculcation of Ignorance (99 pages; no abstract) - Albert Einstein said "The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge." There are many types of faith, but for purposes of this essay, I will divide them into two categories – those that enlighten us and help us to progress, and those that blind and hence retard us. The first type of faith is wonderful. It is what gets us up in the morning, keeps us learning about our world and pursuing the things we value. The second type of faith – which I will call blind faith – makes people feel comfortable but at a high cost. It causes those who possess it to become certain in their beliefs respecting things that are not certain. Thus, it robs them of the chance to understand reality, to learn, and to grow. And so it slows progress and causes bad decision making. I will argue that, regrettably, much of religious faith is blind and so has the retarding effect just indicated and that Mormonism is much closer to the bad end of the spectrum in that regard than those faithful to it will likely be comfortable admitting.

Do Smart Mormons Make Mormonism True? And Answers to Other "Tough Gospel Questions" in Reply to a Faithful Mormon Scholar’s Defence of Mormonism (90 pages; no abstract) - In a June 13, 2004 article on page B7 of the Observer/Faith & Reason section of Calgary Herald ("Mormons See Joseph Smith as genius, beloved prophet"), Dr. David C. Wright, a Professor of History at the University of Calgary and a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly referred to as the “Mormon Church”) provided a classic example of the kind of defence well-educated Mormons mount in favour of their faith and its founder, Joseph Smith. I empathize with Dr. Wright's indication that the feeling in his men's group at a Mormon Church was somewhat depressed while considering David Hedley's May 30, 2004 Herald article ("Leaving the Fold") that described some aspects of Mormon history and belief, and included an excerpt from a written interview I provided to Mr. Hedley. One of the things that fascinates me about the Mormon and other similarly authoritarian, information suppressing cultures is how scholars such as Dr. Wright (or me as I was for many years as a practising tax attorney who was also a faithful Mormon), whose minds are proven to function well in contexts away from religion, have such a clearly demonstrable inability to deal in what outsiders to their faith would likely consider a rational manner with matters concerning their religious beliefs. Another way to frame this issue is to wonder how different groups of intelligent, honest, well-intentioned people could consider the same body of data and come to radically different conclusions, and why those within a faith tradition have a predictable tendency to put much less weight on evidence that convincingly disconfirms their faith on grounds that are rational to almost all outsiders, whether interested in religious matters or not. It is the nature of this insider – outsider dichotomy that has held my interest for some time. In this essay, I will attempt to shed some light on this and other topics related to Dr. Wright’s article.

Second Letter to Elder Holland (80 pages, of which the first 24 are the body the letter and the remainder is additional relevant information) – To my great surprise, Elder Holland responded to my first letter with a three page, warm, conciliatory reply. However, he did not address any of the substantive issues I raised, and seemed to hold the view that my return to active participation in the Mormon Church was inevitable. This letter is the result.

Van Hale's "Mormon Miscellaneous" Radio Talk Show ( 61 pages; no abstract) - Van Hale has operated a Mormon issues talk radio program in the Salt Lake City area for more than 20 years from a "pro-Mormon" point of view. He was kind enough to invite me to initially appear on his show on September 5, 2004 and the exchange was enjoyable enough and listener response strong enough that I was invited back for a return visit. That occurred last night, on September 19. Recordings of both shows can be found at www.mormonwiki.org. This essay addresses the principle issues that were discussed during the second show, with some reference to issues discussed on the first. They are, primarily, how logic can be used to understand religious issues; how culturally induced perspective affects our understanding of things related to religion; and how religious beliefs affect our ability to find meaning in life, and to live what might fairly be regarded as a "good" life. The most important point discussed was Van's assertion that people who do not believe in the kind of god he and other Mormons do are likely to end up in the kind of immoral situation that prevailed under certain communist and Fascist regimes.

Should I Join (or Leave) the Mormon Church?: A Summary of Considerations (54 pages; no abstract) - The "join" or "don't leave" side of the debate is dominated by the Mormon indication that regardless of whether its history is true or false, Mormonism produces good families and people, provides a great atmosphere in which to raise kids, etc., and therefore it is on balance a good thing and that we should ignore its problematic past. The "leave" and "don't join" position presented by the post-Mormon community is, essentially, that Mormon culture is far from as good as advertised, and Mormons pay a high price in terms of time and other resources to procure benefits in a life after death in the Celestial Kingdom that Joseph Smith (JS) taught existed. JS's credibility is hence very important in a decision to join, or leave, Mormonism. I will discuss the reasons for which the "leave" question is exponentially more complicated in most cases than the "join" and the psychological forces that often make it impossible for believers to perceive the reality of their belief system. Finally, I will suggest that as the "faith" of those who have left Mormonism matures, they will be less threatened by and will become more compassionate toward those they left behind.

The Effect of Mormon Temple Ritual (50 pages; no abstract) – Obedience to authority is the lynchpin of the Mormon system, and the temple ritual is one of the keys to that. This essay explores primarily the marriage aspect of Mormon temple ritual, connects it to a variety of other ritual practices of other belief systems, and offers some commentary respecting the manner in which Mormon social, family and even sexual practices are controlled to an extent through temple worship and related "worthiness" rituals.

Does Mormonism Cause Irrational Belief? (49 pages; no abstract) - These are notes prepared for a set of podcasts that can be accessed through http://www.thechurchisnottrue.com/. The basic idea is that a lot of objective data can be marshalled to support that idea that Mormonism and other forms of literalist religious belief impair the ability to rationally perceive and work with evdience about the real world, and in that regard are comparable in some ways to taking a drug that is known to impair judgement.

"I Know The Church Is True!" - The Origins of Mormon Monism and Its Defence Against Pluralism (44 pages; no abstract) - A belief that is critical to orthodox Mormonism as it is now structured is that the Mormon Church is God's one and only true church on the face of the Earth. That is, Mormon leaders and only Mormon leaders communicate with God in such a way that they hear and understand His will, so only they are able to provide His guidance to human beings. All people who do not follow the dictates of Mormon leaders live in various degrees of ignorance, innocent error or sin. And it is the duty of all Mormons to spread the message I just outlined so that others can come to know "the truth", and enjoy all of the blessings God wishes to confer upon His children. God can only give these blessings to people who believe as Mormons believe and obey the dictates of God, as communicated by Mormon leaders. This belief is something philosophers have termed "monist". That is, there one and only one "true" or "right" way to live. While reading about how monist belief systems are created and maintained, I learned a number of things that were helpful to me as I continue to try to understand my Mormon roots while deciding which parts of them to keep and which to attempt to get rid of.

Daniel Peterson’s “Reflections on Secular Anti-Mormonism”: An Off-the-Cuff Reaction (42 pages; no abstract) – Daniel Peterson is a BYU professor who takes an active interest in the doings of the post-Mormon community, and is infamous for his strained defence of Mormonism. I have never corresponded with the man, and never responded to the many requests and invitations I have received to start participating on bulletin boards where he and other “defenders of the faith” hang out, because in general I believe that to be a pointless exercise for me. Back when I was trying to make sure I was not making a huge mistake by leaving Mormonism, I spent a lot of time at a place called Zion’s Lighthouse Message Board, which was the Mormon apologists' lair then. And I corresponded privately with a number of people who were well known Mormon apologists, BYU profs etc. But once I had done my "due diligence", there was no more reason to communicate with those people. They had told me all they had to tell (many times), and they did not have enough to teach me to justify continuing to interact with them. They had become, for me, just like the Young Earth creationists, JW apologists etc. However, when a couple of faithful Mormons forwarded Peterson’s essay to me with what I interpreted to be a “look at this brilliant piece of work” attitude, I decided that I should not let it stand unchallenged. Peterson’s essay reminded me of the FARMS reviews I read while I was still a faithful Mormon of Todd Compton’s book “In Sacred Loneliness”. That book deals with the Joseph Smith’s plural marriages and is still one of the best scholarly sources of information in that regard. FARMS tore the book apart. I had read a troubling review in a local newspaper, and heaved a sigh of relief when I saw that the scholars at BYU had panned it. Years later while beginning to investigate Mormonism using real scholarly sources instead of the garbage the Mormon Church sponsorsI I found Compton’s rebuttal to the FARMS reviews (See http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/7207/rev.html). In a few minutes of reading Compton I realized that his approach was reasonable, and that I had been duped. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach as I realized that as a result of trusting FARMS I had not bothering to read Compton myself and had simply been manipulated by people who were taking advantage of me. That is, by the way, the objective of much of what FARMS produces - to persuade Mormons not to bother looking at sources of information that question their point of view. So I know how even well-educated Mormons tend to believe people like Peterson, and how some of them will react when they see almost anything that presents a broader point of view with regard to the same subject matter. So, I decided to say my piece. At some point hopefully someone will see this and react as I did when I read Compton's rebuttal of FARMS. That was one of about three crucial moments for me - reading Compton and feeling accute vertigo.

Mormonism: Personal Experience and Religious Context Religion and Sexuality – Lecture Notes (36 pages; no abstract) – These are the notes I prepared for a lecture that I presented in November, 2005 as part of a course at the University of Toronto course titled “Religion and Sexuality: Creation, Transcendence, and Rules”.

Should the Mormon Church Come Clean? (33 pages; no abstract) – One of the things that has amazed me during the past couple of years as I have wrestled with the reality of my faith is the manner in which the Mormon Church has been able to prevent well-educated, intelligent people who are active Church members from becoming aware of a wide range of information directly relevant to the Church's foundational claims. This essay addresses how the Church has done this, and its moral propriety.

The Creation and Erosion of False Faith - A Timeline (30 pages; no abstract) - I was doing some file cleaning today and ran across a number of letters I wrote while leaving Mormonism. This prompted some thought with regard to how my Mormon faith was created and eroded, and I decided to record them since I have not thought about the details of this process for a long time and the perspective I have now allowed me to see some things that I had not previously seen. Most of this has to do with the principles on which this process operates, and how pressure was building that I could even perceive until I was at the end of the process and could look back. I have included several letters in full because I want a record of them in this format. To make the timeline easier to follow, I have noted these letters and attached them at the end of the piece.

Christ's Moral System v. Institutional Religious Behaviour: Do As He Said, Not As We Do? (29 pages; no abstract) – In this essay I review various types of moral reasoning and using various religions and social parallels attempt to identify the forces that cause the Mormon Church to, for example, make honesty one of its highest values (members are required to solemnly attest to their personal honesty before being permitted to enter a temple, for example) while at the same time actively misleading both its members and others with respect to its history.

Answers to the Most Common Questions I Am Asked About Leaving Mormonism (29 pages; no abstract) - I receive a fairly steady flow of email and other communication related to my experience with Mormonism. The following is my attempt to answer some of the most common questions that are put to me in this regard.

The Risks of Leaving Mormonism or Living on its Fringes (27 pages; no abstract) - This essay considers the hypothesis that Mormon culture is set up to sabotage those who will not play by its rules

Mormon Apologetics - A Guide for the Perplexed (26 pages; no abstract) - This is my most comprehensive attempt to outline the tactics used by Mormon apologists to obscure, confuse and do whatever else will work to keep Mormons in the fold.

Martha Beck’s “Leaving the Saints” - A Review (26 pages; no abstract) - Beck’s father, Hugh Nibley, is so important to Mormonism that faithful Mormons have about as much a chance of objectively assessing the damning things Beck has to say about him as they do of objectively assessing the merits of The Book of Mormon or that Joseph Smith was quite possibly a charismatic, carpet bagging, treasure seeking, ladies’ man who found that his road to success was smoothest if he travelled as a religious leader. When I heard about Beck’s book my ears perked up because Nibley was one of my idols while I was Mormon. For many years, my attitude (which is a common Mormon attitude) was that Hugh Nibley was so smart that if something was good enough for him, it had to be good enough for me. Almost three years ago I came to the realization that many smart people defend ideological positions that are patently ridiculous from a rational “outsider’s” point of view, and came to conclude that Hugh Nibley was mere one of these. Nonetheless, my former admiration for him made me await Martha Beck’s book with anticipation. The issue that overshadows all else in “Leaving the Saints” is Beck’s allegation that Nibley sexually abused her as a child. This allegation is tragic from many perspectives, as well as so bizarre that some will dismiss it on that basis alone. My purpose in this essay is to outline the case Beck has put to the public, indicate that in my view it is strong enough to be taken seriously but should not be accepted at this point, and to place this controversy in the broader Mormon context. In my view, the Beck – Nibley dispute is a microcosm of many things Mormon.

The Mormon Conception of Freedom (25 pages; no abstract) - Isaiah Berlin starts by asking the question “Why should anyone obey anyone else?” He then provides a classic definition of freedom or liberty that involves balancing my right to do things against how my actions may impact on the similar rights of other individuals. Underlying this analysis is the notion that all individuals have the same rights. Oddly enough, while I was a faithful Mormon that is how I thought of freedom, and I saw nothing in the Mormon system that was inconsistent with it. However, even a casual inspection of the Mormon system of governance discloses that both the thinkers Berlin profiles in his book “Freedom and Its Betrayal” and Mormon leaders believe that there are certain individuals (the "leaders") who by virtue of their wisdom, ability or authority, have more rights than the rest of humanity, and as a result a double moral standard exists that justifies their doing things to control the “lesser” beings by whom they are surrounded. This essay explores this and other related ideas, largely within the context of Terry Warner's book "Bonds that Make Us Free".

Mormon History in a Nutshell - And How to Deal With It: A Message for My Children (20 pages; no abstract) - I am not an historian, but have come to have great respect for those who research, and write, solid history. After having read more Mormon history than I can imagine over the past couple of years, I have decided to condense my understanding of the important facts into a bite sized document before "closing the book", as it were, on that aspect of my study respecting Mormonism. I will summarize the trends of Mormon history that are in my view most important, and incidentally those that are not likely to be mentioned to my children by loving family and community members who are faithful Mormons. Such a summary will necessarily gloss over many things, and distort others. But, I have done my best to produce something teenagers will be able to understand, and that is accurate in terms of the trends it portrays. I am certain that many will disagree with my point of view, and am not troubled by that. The primary purpose of this essay is to encourage my children, and anyone else who happens to read it, to ask questions; to expand their perspective with regard to their Mormon heritage; and most importantly, not to simply accept what they are told by their well intentioned, but largely misinformed, Mormon friends and relatives.

The Mormon Use of Belief Shaping Technique (17 pages; 2 page abstract) - A summary of persuasion theory in general terms, followed by an analysis of how certain well known sales or persusion technigues are employed within Mormon culture. I will agrue that this usage falls at the unethical end of the "sales" spectrum at which emotion is used to manipulate behaviour often against the interest of members of the LDS Church. This is compared to "ethical" sales technique that educates and matches legitimate needs to helpful, reasonably "priced" products, which I will suggest is the kind of assistance the Church holds itself out as providing to its members, and that the members are accordingly entitled to expect from it.

Art Therapy for Recovering Mormons (17 pages; 1 page abstract) – The DSM – IV (the manual psychiatrists use to diagnose mental dysfunction) defines the type of trauma recovering Mormons often experience within a disorder known as “religious or spiritual problem”. Recovery from spiritual trauma, such as that caused by discovering that basic religious beliefs are false, requires that we “restory” ourselves. That is, through ingesting new kinds of information, talking with people we trust about both our old way of perceiving ourselves and reality (our “personal mythology”) and new possibilities in that regard, we eventually become comfortable with a new way of seeing ourselves and our place in the world – we find a new personal mythology or narrative. Some psychiatrists recommend that it is useful from a therapeutic point of view to develop our creative abilities while going through the restorying process. I have found drawing helpful in that regard. And during a recent trip to France, my wife and I enjoyed creative writing classes, painting classes and cooking classes. Each of these in different ways required the suppression of the rational, linear left brain so that the creative, gestalt right brain could both perceive what was before us and resurrect memories in ways that the left brain cannot. We both experienced a minor rebirth as a result. It is not surprising to me that this kind of activity would be recommended by psychiatrists as a useful aid to those who are attempting to reorientate themselves after leaving a belief system like Mormonism.

"The Sacred Depths of Nature" - A Review (16 page; no abstract): This is the single shortest and most lucid big picture analysis of "reality" I have found. Goodenough starts with the big bang and then flips through how life might have come into being and evolutionary theory in a few short chapters. She reviews a lot of material with which I was familiar using novel examples to explain concepts I do not remember grasping before as I now do thanks to her, and breaks lots of new ground for me. The book is well worth reading for its scientific content, and is pitched at a level that is easily understandable for those who like me do not have an extensive science background. And some of the book's best parts are in the "meditations" found at the end of each chapter. That is, Goodenough lays out a scienfitic concept in a chapter, and then follows it with texts from hymns, philosophers, literature and her personal experience that connect the theoretical to the emotional foundations of life.

Review of April 2003 Sunstone Article by Keith Norman Entitled “The ‘T’ Word: Trading our Birthright for a Mess of Certainty” (16 pages; no abstract) – Norman's thought provoking article is critical of the Mormon tendency toward certainty and away from what he believes is a "real" testimony. I agree with much of what he says, but cannot go all the way down the road he is on.

Creative Destruction - Or, How to Renovate Your Religion (16 pages; no abstract) - Changing one's religious perspective is difficult. The concept of creative destruction from economics helps us to understand how that process works, and why the pain it causes is worthwhile. Useful analogies can also be drain from evolutionary theory.

A Glimpse Into the Mormon Apologetic Mind (16 pages; 1 page abstract) - The role of Michel de Montaigne's role as a Catholic apologist in the 16th century Counter Reformation bears a striking resemblance to that now played by many Mormon apologists. The problem is the same: Certain traditional beliefs have been exposed as likely false by new information. And, the apologetic solution is similar: Allege that we cannot be sure of anything so we should stick with our traditions because they have always "worked" for our social group; and we should not change until God makes it clear that we should. Hence, in both current Mormon apologia and the Counter Reformation, the status quo wins by default.

Medium (6-15 pages)

A Few Thoughts About Mormon Marriage (15 pages; no abstract) - I recently attended a Mormon wedding reception. It's unusual feature was a ring ceremony likely included because one of the newlyweds is a recent convert to Mormonism and had many non-LDS family members in attendance. This ceremony caused me for the first time in a while to think about the basics of Mormon marriage. I deal with this at length in an essay at http://mccue.cc/documents/temple%20marriage.pdf Here, I will look at the topic from a different angle, including a summary of recent divorce related research and a comparison of Mormon marriage to both typical North American marriages and those of more traditional social groups such as the Hindus.

Undeception and the Second Birth (15 pages) – The idea that finding the truth is often painful – so much so that we hide from it – and the wonders that can be available to us if we submit to that pain and allowed ourselves to be "reborn", are the staples of mythologies of all types. In this essay I consider these concepts in general terms, and then apply them to certain historical questions related to the relationship between the Mormon Church, and the Communities of Christ (former known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or RLDS), which were created at about the same time. The CC has come to grips more effectively with its history, and is trying to re-invent itself.

A Conversation with a Mormon Leader (15 pages; no abstract) – This is a lightly edited transcript of part of an email exchange in which I recently engaged with an old friend who is a Mormon leader. I generally resist the temptation to use my time for this kind of thing, but for a variety of reasons that I will not go into here, I did not resist in this case. My friend's initial letter to me, among other things, took me to task for not leaving people alone to walk their path as I walk mine; for persecuting the Saints; for being too sure of myself; and he expressed the hope that we would continue to be friends.

The Springbank Middle School Grade Seven Band at Camp Caroline: A Few Reasons to Introspect and Meditate (14 pages; no abstract) - The following is a stream of consciousness that emerged when I sat down to write this morning about a simple walk in the woods. It deals with the way in which life seems to open up to introspection and why that may be, and some insights recently gained by someone who is just learning the joys of meditation.

Goodbye, Lenin! - A Review (13 page; 3 page abstract) - This is a review of the recent movie that is in large part about the effect of well intentioned falsehood, and the manner in which context conveys meaning. And, it is also a veritable clinic as to how cognitive dissonance functions. It is both funny and gut wrenching. It generates enough momentum to get past its weak spots, and ends with an intestinal twist. It feels low budget by Hollywood standards. But the acting looks good to this inexperienced movie goer. Leaves lots of unresolved questions and conflict. A great flick. I recognize that there is no "right" way to read a metaphor, and I make no attempt to the explore the length or breadth of this one. I will limit myself to an analysis of how it may shed light on the Mormon experience.

"How to Deal with Inherited Irrationality" (13 pages; no abstract) - Rational forces have consistently throughout human history overcome magical thinking and other forms of irrationality. However, it often takes a depressingly long time for the majority of even the best informed human groups to accept what with the benefit of hindsight appears to be an obvious best practise, and humans are particularly obtuse when it comes to seeing the irrationality in ideas or behaviors that are foundational to their own social groups. Both history and current social reality relative to this point provide eloquent testimony to how the individual perception of reality tends to bend to group opinion. Our evolutionary history as small group animals who were dependant on a safe place within a social group for our survival is likely responsible for this. The struggle between rational and irrational forces in the religious world has been nicely chronicled by many scholars, and we find in the Mormon group a microcosm of this conflict. Many Mormons are at a tipping point with regard to this issue as a result of the ongoing collision between irrational Mormon beliefs and the information rich perspective provided by the Internet. The experience of other groups throughout history suggests that the direction those who remain faithful to Mormonism take on this issue will largely determine the richness of life their descendants will enjoy for generations to come.
I will conclude that individual Mormons who become aware of these issues have a choice to make of unprecedented importance as a result of what we know about how individual decision making behaviour tends to be largely determined by the behaviour supported by our dominant social group, and how slowly the behaviour of social groups tend to upgrade toward best available practises in this regard.

Perspective Expansion - A Reading List (12 pages; no abstract) - Several people have asked me for my reading list and how I would use it were I doing this all over again. This is my attempt to provide what was requested.

First Letter to Elder Jeffrey Holland (11 pages; no abstract) – I was so upset by a few things Elder Holland and President Gordon Hinckley said at the LDS Church's April 2003 General Conference that I sent this letter to both of them. President Hinckley's only differed in terms of salutation and a few minor details. I did not expect a response, but am still connected enough to the LDS Church by virtue of my wife's membership that I hear what is going on, and felt that something needed to be said.

Dialogue with a Prophet (11 pages; no abstract) – This short piece works through my imaginary encounter with one of the larger than life authority figures that dominate the Mormon psyche. It responds to several things that members of the current slate of LDS prophets have either written to me, or said to others respecting my current circumstances.

An Agnostic in a Foxhole: The Story Behind "Heaven in My Hand" (11 pages; no abstract) - The following are posts I made to the Recovery from Mormonism and View from the Foyer bulletin boards on the dates indicated. They deal with the experience of having a child in intensive care and discovering the extent to which I missed my faith in God. As they say, "there are no atheists (or agnostics) in foxholes".

A Week on Star Island: An Overview of the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science 2005 Conference on Spiritual Transformation (10 pages; no abstract) – This is the first of what will hopefully be a series of notes I made to myself with regard to a conference that I attended with some members of my family last week at Star Island (off the coast of New Hampshire – see www.starisland.org) hosted by the Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS – see www.iras.org). The 2005 IRAS conference was, by far, the richest intellectual banquet to which this humble traveller has been invited. This note is an attempt to explain why my experience with this conference, and more importantly, the community of people who one generation after another have made it happen each year for over 50 years, was so moving. I have decided to post this aspect of my notes here because my experience in this regard will likely be relevant to many who read here and are also looking for communities and sources of information that will help them reframe their worldview and feel connected (as most of us seem to need) to groups of human beings who share our sense of reality and purpose. I do not suggest that Star Island or IRAS are the only (or even best) purveyors of this kind of experience. Rather, I hold them out as great examples of the kind of social groups and places that exist in abundance out there for those of us who are at the moment stumbling out of cloisters of various kinds.

Personal Renaissance and Angst - Can the "Centre Hold"? (10 pages; no abstract): A consideration of the wonderful process by which we individually and collectively renew ourselves, and the stress this produces.

Constructive Anger (9 pages; no abstract) - As a former Hugh Nibley fan, I am enjoying the writing career of his daughter, Martha Beck. She is publishing a book next spring entitled “Leaving the Saints – How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith”. Martha has written a couple of other books, has a PhD in sociology, used to teach at BYU, and is a regular columnist with The Oprah Magazine. Her article on anger and its uses in the October 2004 edition of "O" is likely based on the content of her forthcoming book, although she does not mention Mormonism. It was thought provoking enough that I will summarize and comment on a few of her key ideas.

The Metaphor Game and Depression (9 pages; 2 page abstract): A few examples of the wealth of useful information that can be gleaned from Mormon scripture stories and other mythological resources when they are considered metaphorically instead of literally.

How Do We Decide What to Believe? Who Should We Trust to Guide Us? (9 pages; no abstract): A review of the way in which we form basic beliefs and how humans often behave in ways that hide their beliefs and motives from others, and in many cases from themselves as well.

Cognitive Dissonance and Fear - A Case Study in Marital Miscommunication (9 pages; no abstract) - One of the fascinating, frustrating aspects of leaving a fundamentalist religious group such as Mormonism, and then having to deal with loved ones who remain behind, is the impossibility that those who have left will be able to communicate their new understanding of “reality” to most of those who have not. Those on the outside say that those who remain are in denial and have been deceived. Those on the inside say that those who have left are confused, deluded etc. and often attribute that to sin – either of the flesh or of pride, intellectualism, greed (not wanting to pay tithing) and what have you. Since the most common, and most difficult, situation in which this arises is between spouses, I will outline a few principles in summary form, provide a few graphic examples of extreme cognitive dissonance induced denial, and then walk through what might be called a typical spousal case study that works with those principles.

Mormon Relationships - It’s About Time (8 pages; no abstract) - I attended the funeral of a business associate the other day. At his funeral were members of his hockey and fast pitch teams as well as many other friends and business associates. But the sports guys were special. He had played on the same teams with a core of the same guys for over 20 years, gradually drifting down through the divisions from “open” to “old fart” over the years with the athletic activity gradually being replaced by social relationships as the team’s focus. This made me ache for what might have been, and decide to pursue the same kind of relationships at my relatively advanced age (47). Long term relationships of the kind my deceased friend had are more rare within Mormonism than in other contexts, unless your ward boundaries and callings don’t change for over 20 years. That is, personal relationships of all kinds are determined not by personality, what you like to do, etc., but by the way in which the Mormon Church functions. This is only one of countless ways in which the Mormon Church inserts itself into our most intimate relationships with the result if not the intent that our relationship to Mormonism remains primary and all other relationships subsidiary. This social structure is not accidental. It is derived from Mormonism’s primary objective – to create the strongest possible institution. Relationships are powerful personal and social forces. They can either be aligned to strengthen, or weaken, institutions. Mormonism goes out of its way to line up as much of this force as possible in its own interest. And by so doing, it impoverishes many of the important relationships in the lives of its members. This essay explores the matrix of issues around this concept.

“The Gospel is perfect but the people are not”: A Critique (8 pages; no abstract) – The theoretical bedrock of Mormonism is the perfect Gospel of Jesus Christ that Mormons presume Joseph Smith restored to Earth. Mormons freely admit that none of them are perfect, not even their prophets. Joseph Smith’s life puts an exclamation point behind the admission that Mormon prophets are imperfect. But that is not what this essay is about. Our most important assumptions are seldom questioned. So this essay questions the Mormon assumption that it is wise to embrace the imperfect nature of their organization and themselves as an important part of the “school” that will help them to learn to be perfect. And what about the assumption that “the Gospel is perfect”? We will find that Churchill was not far off when he said that. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”

Zen in the Zone (8 pages) – A summary of recent reading I have done respecting the athletic "zone" and how it connects to various currents of scientific and spiritual thought.

Is There a Modern Super or Meta-Myth? (8 pages) – This essay examines the nature of myth and its connection to religion, and considers the oft asked question as to whether there is an overarching mythological structure that would be used to unify all religious traditions, and could be expected to work for an indefinite period of time.

Does Religious Belief Affect Creativity? (8 pages; no abstract) - A consideration of an idea from James Joyce's book "The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man". I suggest that those religious influences that employ the forces of fear or desire to elicit behaviour from us also stunt out creativity.

Mormon Polygamy, Chaos Theory and the Law of Unintended Consequences (8 pages; no abstract) - I suggest that Joseph Smith's classic alpha male behaviour within the early Mormon population resulted in his having sex with many women. His status as a religious leader necessitated an excuse for this behaviour that was consistent with that role. Polygamy was a creative response to this dilema, which set off a long chain of events that has shaped Mormonism ever since.

The Book of Mormon DNA Controversy: A Case Study in How Not to Think (8 pages; no abstract) - There is at the moment within the LDS community a debate respecting how much doubt the current evidence respecting DNA casts on the belief JS and most other Mormons have held that the American Indians descend from the House of Israel. I will provide its outline and then use it to illustrate what in my view is one of the primary ways in which Mormon and other religious thinking runs off the rails. This involves the neglect of the principle of parsimony which states that we should always choose the simplest explanation of a phenomenon – the one that requires the fewest leaps of logic. This is one of science's basic decision making rules. It is fair to say that there is much DNA based evidence to suggest that JS and all those who have followed him were incorrect respecting the ancestry of Native Americans. That is, it appears that they did not descend from the Israelites. The Church's response to recent summaries of the scientific evidence in this regard has been to indicate that "all is well" on its official website, followed by a reference to articles from the "Journal of Book of Mormon Studies" respecting DNA and the Book of Mormon. But those articles do not conclude that all is well with the Church's theory. If fact, the most reasonable scientific conclusion that can be drawn from them is that while the best evidence today indicates that the Church's theory is incorrect, it is still possible that at some future time more evidence will be found to support the Church's theory. This illustrates the most common Mormon response to evidence that seriously questions its position - if you can't prove with 100% certainty that Mormonism is wrong, then it is right. This "reasoning" is rooted in emotion, not reason.

Dialogue With My Daughter: Part I - Cognitive Dissonance; Institutional v. Individual Interests; The Refiner's Fire (8 pages; no abstract) - A few people have contacted me and indicated that while what I write is interesting and useful, it is far too long and uses language that is too technical. Accordingly, I am experimenting with recording some of the conversations I have with my kids and am as a result finding a more accessible presentation style. This piece deals with the basics of how cognitive dissonace works in the religious context to shape our perceptions of reality.

Dialogue With My Daughter: Part II - Personality Types; Institutional v. Personal Interests; Theocracy v. Democracy (8 pages; no abstract) - Another simple dialogue piece. This one summarizes some aspects of how personality type appears likely to affect an individual's probability of challenging her religious leadership, and how the interests of a religious institution are often placed by religious leaders ahead of the interests of individual members.

Mythology v. History (8 pages; no abstract) – The connection between history and myth is notoriously difficult to disentangle. And, this is particularly important to Mormonism because Mormonism is one of the few religions to which history is of foundational importance. This essay is an attempt to shed some light on the connection between myth and history in the Mormon context, and to propose a test for use in determining whether Mormons or other people are engaged in a mythic or historical exercise when they tell as about things they believe to have happened in the past.

Dialogue With My Daughter: Part III - Present v. Future Orientation (7 pages; no abstract) - Another simple dialogue piece. This one summarizes how religious believe influences people in different cultures along the "present v. future" orientation spectrum and how this process tends to operate in opposite directions in wealthy and poor countries.

Dialogue with My Daughter: Part IV - Emotion v. Reason (10 pages; no abstract) - Another simple dialogue piece. This one uses my recent experience with laser eye surgery to illustrate how those who seek to persuade us, or sell us things, use our primitive emotional forces to their advantage. It also summarizes a famous short story that shows how we often misinterpret the emotional experience other people have in order to justify our own actions and beliefs.

What the Bleep Do We Know - A Review (10 pages; no abstract) - What the Bleep? is a hybrid of documentary/melodrama. Marlee Matlin stars as an unhappy, divorced photographer wandering the streets of Portland who stumbles into a mind-bending Alice-in-Wonderland adventure. Her journey from mopey singleton to inspired human is intercut with documentary interviews with scientists sporting academic credits up the wazoo waxing eloquent on such matters as alternate reality, neuro-networks, and, as one interviewee puts it, "the wacky, weird world of quantum particles." The nature of God makes an appearance from time to time. I went to the movie on the recommendation of friends with high hopes, and am disappointed. While I learned a few useful things and was reminded of a few more, my dominant feeling is that I was tricked into subjecting myself to an exercise in propaganda on a scale comparable to many Mormon Church produced films I have seen. That is, a person who does not know quite a bit about the subject matter in question could reasonably draw a set of potentially influential and deeply misleading conclusions from that movie. And in fact, it seems clear that the intent of those who produced the movie was to cause precisely that.

A Conversation with a Faithful Mormon (9 pages; no abstract) – This is a lightly edited transcript of part of an email exchange in which I recently engaged with a faithful member of the Mormon Church. His questions concerned mostly why I was so sure of my own beliefs, and how I could be sure whether Satan or some other supernatural entity had not deceived me. I answered in both cases was that I was not certain, but had done my best to use evidence and probabilities to make my decisions as to how to proceed through life.

Dialogue with My Daughter: Part V - The Magical World and Weirdos (8 pages; no abstract) - Another simple dialogue piece. This one uses a modified version of a discussion I had with one of my daughters about an odd fellow she ran into to launch a discussion of the nature of charismatic religious leaders and the magical world they inhabit.

Chaos and Forging the Self: The Nature and Function of the "Recovery from Mormonism" Bulletin Board (7 pages; no abstract) - What follows is a lightly edited post I made at http://www.exmormon.org/boards/w-agora/w-agora.php3?site=exmobb&bn=exmobb_recovery around August 21, 2004. I dug this out of my archives after having forwarded to me recently the kind of complaint I regularly hear about that board from active Mormons. That is, the RFM board is perceived by Mormons as great evidence for the folly of anti-Mormonism. It allegedly shows anti-Mormons’ true colours: ignorant, angry, bigoted, sacrilegious, etc. My experience and views are quite different. As usual, perspective makes a huge difference in perception.

A Return to Plato's Cave (7 pages; no abstract) - This is a lightly edited note that I sent to my faithful Mormon father during an email exchange a little over a year ago. He had told me that he thought he understood my current experience and excitement about the world as I now see it and was glad I had discovered things he thought I had understood all along about the “real” world. I, on the other hand, was trying to explain what this discovery felt like to me.

Tithing - The Mormon Tax System (7 pages; no abstract) - Tithing has been paid off and on by members of the Mormon Church throughout its history. As is the case with most concepts related to LDS history, the perception of members is that things have always been as they are now perceived, whereas reality is much more interesting than that. This essay summarizes some of the ideas that I have had respecting what tithing is and how it should or could be calculated. I am recording here some advice I provided to members of my Ward near Vancouver, B.C., Canada while serving as Bishop a number of years ago, as well as things that occurred to me as I started to write essay.

Multi-Level Marketing and Mormonism (7 pages; no abstract) - The vast majority of MLMs are disguised Ponzi schemes that use the same kind of pyschological tricks as does Mormonism to prey on the unsuspecting. The forces of cognitive dissonance are also at work in MLMs in ways similar to Mormonism. That is, those who benefit from their participation in MLMs are generally not fraudulent, but their personal stake in the MLM enterprise is so significant that they screen all kinds of evidence that may be put before as to what MLMs are not eithically sound business models.

Early Mormon Polyandry (7 pages; no abstract) – While preaching a sermon in 1844 in response to accusations that had been swirling around him for years with respect to his sexual practises, Joseph Smith said, "What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one." At the time, he had numerous wives – likely over thirty – and for that reason is thought of as a polygamist. While early Mormon polygamy is something most Mormons these days are aware of and have rationalized in one way or another, it is much more disturbing for them when they hear that Smith caused himself to be "married" to a number of women who were already married to other men. "Polyandry" is the correct term for this kind of relationship. That is the state of a woman who is married to more than one man. The purpose of this essay is to provide some basic background regarding Smith's sexual practises, to consider the best arguments that Mormon apologists mount in defence of those practises, and then to ask some questions to help bring this issue into focus for those who are still inclined toward acceptance of the Mormon justifcation for these events.

Conversations with My Kids: Food, Alcohol and Becoming More Aware of Present Experience Generally (7 pages) – This summarizes a conversation I had with our two youngest children about how the same kind of culture that encourages fast, thoughtless eating also encourages binge drinking and a host of other problematic behaviours that are all linked to an inadequate awareness of ourselves and our connection to what surrounds us.

Eternal Companions (7 pages; no abstract) - A recent visit with one of my cousins caused me to recall a number of things about my maternal grandparents, and re-evalulate some aspects of their relationship and my way of seeing them and their contribution to my life.

Patriarchal Blessings - A Case Study Respecting Some of Those Who Would Guide Us (6 pages; no abstract): A review of some of the positive and negative aspects of Mormon patriarchal blessings.

Perspective and Mormon Testimony (6 pages; no abstract): A consideration of the manner in which beliefs are formed, and the fundamentally important role that perspective plays in this regard.

The Mormon Mask (6 pages; no abstract) - Joseph Campbell used the "mask metaphor", which he borrowed from Yeats, to elucidate the often difficult relationship between the individual and the group. I briefly sketch that, and then indicate how I see this drama playing out within Mormonism. Most of what follows is summarized from an essay titled "Out of My Faith" that can be found elsewhere on this website.

The Book of Mormon - A Review (6 pages; no abstract): This review was first posted on Amazon.com in November 2004, and then lightly edited for reproduction here. I gave The Book of Mormon two stars in Amazon’s five star system.

The Perils of “Social Mormonism” (6 pages; no abstract) – This is a lightly edited version of a post I made to a thread on to the Recovery from Mormonism board (see http://www.exmormon.org/boards/w-agora/w-agora.php3?site=exmobb&bn=exmobb_recovery) in reply to a fellow named “Maturin” who advocated remaining connected to Mormonism on a social basis because of the turmoil that it would case him as well as members of his family if he announced his state of disbelief. I suggest that while it is impossible to judge anyone else’s choice in this regard, those who go this route impose a heavy burden on their children and others. This makes social Mormonism hard to justify, though the desire to avoid the difficulties changing belief entails is understandable.

Short (5 pages or less)

Are Mormons Free? (5 pages; no abstract) - When we ask “are Mormons (or anyone else) free?” we step onto a huge playing field. I will stay in one corner while commenting on three questions: First, what is the Mormon conception of freedom?; second, where does that likely find its roots?; and third, why do questions such as “What is the nature of freedom?” on the one hand cause war (both real and intellectual) while at the same time being assiduously ignored by the vast majority of most human groups? I will conclude that Mormon freedom has been narrowly defined, likely as a result of ideas regarding freedom that were popular in Joseph Smith's day and were adopted by Mormon leaders because they maximize leadership power, and have been uncritically accepted by Mormons. The Internet is changing this, as well as lots of other things relative to Mormonism, so look for lots of fireworks.

Peter Berger’s Approach to the Conflict Between Religious and Secular Society - A Few Thoughts About Religious Naturalism (5 pages; no abstract) - Swenson (“Society, Spirituality and the Sacred – A Social Scientific Introduction” (Broadview Press) (1999)) at pp. 347 – 384 summarizes the academic literature with regard to the secularization of society, including various ways in which the tension between science and other secular forces and institutional religion have been described. One of the scholars whose thought Swenson reviews is Peter Berger. Berger builds on some of Max Weber and others’ foundational concepts related to religion’s changing role in society. After summarizing various ways in which religion has been marginalized by forces of secularization, Berger observes three responses at work in the religious community, as follows: The deductive; the reductive; and the inductive. I think this is a useful analysis, and provide some comments.

Leonard Arrington on Myth and Symbolism (5 pages) – Leonard Arrington is the only Mormon who was a professional historian to act as the Church's official historian before that office was practically speaking abolished in the early 1980s. He is a thoughtful scholar who was careful not to step on toes, but appears to have held views that would not have endeared him to Church leaders had they been well known. This essay examines some of those views, and indicates how far I am prepared to walk with him and where we part company. I wish he had felt able to be more frank respecting his personal beliefs.

Excessive Future Orientation - A Side Effect of Mormonism's Controlling Culture (5 pages) - A review of the psychological concept of present v. future orientation and how Mormonism affects its members in this regard. I conclude that Mormonism's strong focus on the importance of the afterlife and linkage of real life actions to after life consequences orientates Mormons toward the future in an unhealthy fashion.

What is Sacred? (5 pages; no abstract): I suggest that the best way to find out what is sacred to an individual or society is to ask "how do you know that" to any series of assertions until a source of unquestioned authority is found. Whatever "just is", is sacred.

The Blessing Chair (5 pages; no abstract) - This is a piece of creative writing that explores the emotional dynamics of individuation within a Mormon family setting.

Reality is what it is! What a Relief! (5 pages; no abstract) - Many of my watershed and most joyful events as a Mormon were related to signposts on the road to the Celestial Kingdom – marriage in the temple; goings and comings from missions; baptisms and other covenants made; etc. Signs that loved ones were making progress toward these things were big joy producers too – testimonies born; obedience shown; prescribed routines being followed; etc. Joy comes to me much more spontaneously now as I accept reality as it is instead of trying to control it.

Mormonism and Misdirection - What Magic Can Teach Us About Mormonism (4 pages; no abstract) - Humans tend to consistently misperceive certain types of phenomena. Theories abound as to why this is the case. Rather than explore those, I want in this essay to look at a type of misperception that has been exploited my magicians – misdirection – and ask what this can teach us about how Mormonism and other social phenomena functions in our lives. Magicians have learned to harness the same human foibles that social groups unconsciously use to manipulate their members.

The "One True Church" ( 4 pages) – The idea that the Mormon Church is God's one and only true Church on earth is central to Mormon ideology and theology. This essay explores the origins of this idea, its current use and why it should be abandoned if not by the Church, then by individual members.

“I Was Healed of Rheumatism at the Banff Hot Springs!”: On the Nature of Certainty and Testimonies (4 pages) – While in Banff recently I noticed an interesting history of the long-held belief that the hot springs there could cure people of various illnesses, and began to think about the parallels between certainly held beliefs of this type and Mormon testimonies.

Happy Birthday Joseph Smith (3 pages; no abstract) - Joseph Smith Jr., Mormonism’s founding prophet, would have turned 200 years old on December 23, 2005 which accounts for the current flurry of Mormon news articles. Most of this shows Mormons at their clean-cut best, and Mormons generally deserve a hardworking, pleasant image. However, the more we know about history, the better we can understand the present. This makes examining Mormonism's foundation important. In the early 1800s, Joseph Smith claimed that God appeared to him and commanded him not to join any church because all were “abominations”. We are told that Peter, James and John gave Smith God's exclusive authority and angelic visitors and the voice of God guided Smith as he led God’s Kingdom on Earth. Add to this lots of sex, deception, a run for the U.S. Presidency, a claim to be “King of the Earth”, several mass migrations and millions who today revere Smith as second in importance to only Jesus Christ, and we have quite a story. While there are many ways to interpret Joseph Smith, one simple question takes his and Mormonism’s most important measure: Was he reliable? This essay briefly treats that question.

Changing Seasons (3 pages; no abstract) - Some thoughts about the wonderful nature of fall, and why it has always been my favorite season.

Why Don't You Leave the Church Alone!? (3 page; no abstract) - This essay answers a question I have been asked a number of times.

Conflict v. Harmony (3 pages; no abstract) - What is conflict at one organizational level is often essential to maintain harmony at another. Here are some ideas relevant to reframing conflict in life.

On Remaining within or Leaving Mormonism: Different Perspectives (3 pages; no abstract) - I recently read Linda Hoffman Kimball's article "Staying Power" at http://www.beliefnet.com/story/132/story_13219_1.html and wrote the following in response. Her point is, basically, that it is a shame that more people who doubt don't remain within Mormonism – that this is a viable option. My point is that the emphasis for people like her should be on encouraging people to explore instead of giving them excuses to cave into the fear that ideologies like Mormonism are designed to engender.

Knowing (2 pages; no abstract) - This was written on our 24th wedding anniversary to my wonderful and long suffering wife, Juli. It deals with the effect of a certainty oriented mind-set on relationships.

Spiritual Bedrock (2 pages) – A short musing respecting the relationship between science, religion and the dogma that tends to inflict both.

Using Science to Double-Check Faith (2 pages) – More Musings with respect to the science and faith relationship.

Brainwashing v. Education (2 pages) - A summary of recent research respecting the difference between these two modes of "value engineering", and a suggestion as to how they may be considered to apply in certain religious contexts.

Spiritual Transformation (2 pages) – A description of the process that has changed my life so significantly during the past couple of years.

Killing The Buddha: Exodus Reconsidered (2 pages; no abstract) - There are few things I prize more than perspective. Since I have found a nice little perspective expander, I will share a few tidbits relative to it. Killing The Buddha can be described as a book of Gen X spirituality. Killing The Buddha goes through various books of the Bible and "re-writes" them in contemporary terms. The chapter on Exodus I recently read notes the genocidal nature of the lesson being taught there, and questions its wisdom.

The Honour of God v. The Honour of Men (2 pages; no abstract) - Mormons are councelled to seek the honours of God instead of those of men. This idea fall apart on even a casual scrutiny.

Breath (1 page) - This is a modification of a piece already posted here that is called "Harmony". I bought a painting a while ago for my office that reminded me of the feelings I had at the beach and on the prairie that I was trying to capture in "Harmony", and have cut it down to one page so that I can frame it and put it with the picture.