Knowledge

Restore FARMS

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Tevya

I wanted to tell you a story. Back in 1979 a great man named John W. Welch and some others got together and decided that there was a need for a place for LDS scholars could publish their findings about Mormon things, in a way that could be easily distributed to any members of the Church (and anyone else) who were interested. Shortly thereafter an organization called The Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies(FARMS for short) was born. Over the years this organisation published a great deal of scholarly work on topics ranging from Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon in a Mesoamerican context, the Pearl of Great Price and how it came about, and what modern archaeology has to tell us about the Book of Mormon, Bible, and Pearl of Great Price. They also contributed in a big way to publishing and preserving the works of Hugh Nibley.
An overarching theme and focus of the works published

Saturdayswarrioritis

Posted on March 29, 2012 by curtisross

Note from Tevya: this is another guest post from Curtis Ross. Curtis is an amazing web developer who’s put together an incredible webapp that makes scheduling home teaching and visiting teaching, super easy. He also likes to study the doctrines of the gospel and has kindly volunteered to post some of his thinking and the results of his study here.
Saturdayswarrioritis is a very common disease among members of the church. And by definition those who have it, don’t know they have it. The worst part about this disease is that it is hereditary; so many latter-day saints have been affected by it because their parents initially contracted the disease.

Ignorance of Christ, Ignorance of Gospel Scholarship

Posted on January 31, 2012 by Tevya

I posted the following today on Facebook & Google Plus. But because Facebook won’t allow people to reshare a post, I’ve decided to post it here, so people can reshare it, and hopefully to get the message outside of my circles of friends & followers.
I’m saddened & troubled today by ignorance.
On the one hand the ignorance and un-Christian attitudes of some members of my LDS faith troubles me deeply. If people leave our Church, are gay, or otherwise live in a way we don’t believe is right, we should still treat them with complete respect and love. It’s what Christ would want us to do.
On the other hand, I’m saddened by the ignorance that seems to surround Mormon scholarship. This recent article, written by somebody who left the Church states “While many faiths’ irrational claims are obscured by centuries of myth and rubble, the LDS church lacks the moderation and scholarship of its older peers.”

How Does He Know When You’re Ready?

Posted on January 8, 2012 by curtisross

Note from Tevya: this is another guest post from Curtis Ross. Curtis is an amazing web developer who’s put together an incredible webapp that makes scheduling home teaching and visiting teaching, super easy. He also likes to study the doctrines of the gospel and has kindly volunteered to post some of his thinking and the results of his study here.
When we chose to follow the plan of our Heavenly Father we then started on a path which has two goals: a physical body and knowledge. Here on earth we can learn in the most effective way possible, experience. When we experience pain, pleasure, temptation, and righteousness we gain a reference where we can access true knowledge. The problem is, that is not all it takes. In order for it to be true knowledge in the sense I am referring to, it has to have been provided by or testified of by a member of the