DevanJensen

Today I researched growth in the Pacific region of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed Mormons because they believe the Book of Mormon is comparable to the Bible). Manfred Ernst In  Winds of Change: Rapidly Growing Religious Groups in the Pacific Islands,  Lutheran researcher Manfred Ernst raises a voice of alarm concerning the rapid growth of Mormons and other "fundamentalist" new religious groups. He complains about the tithing and the time commitment required of its members. In response, John Barker of the University of British Columbia, cautions against some of Ernst's conclusion that these new groups are "largely unhealthy" with "oppressive and paternalistic" theology, American-style individualism, racism, and political passivity. He warns against Ernst's top-down assumptions instead of consulting with the indigenous people, who usually "adapt Christianity to their own cultural premises and political ends with...

The Andy Griffith Show  aired an episode called  "Opie's Newspaper" in which Opie's friend received a small printing press. The boys started a one-page newspaper, but business was slow. They gathered ideas from the gossip column, titled "Mayberry after Midnight," and then they began printing the gossip around town. After they delivered the papers, Barney noticed the headline "Barney Fife Says Sue Grigsby Blonde from a Bottle." Andy, Barney, and Aunt Bea are chagrined to read insider news about the people of town that would definitely hurt the feelings of those being gossipped about. After a desperate scramble, they successfully retrieve all the papers before scandal hits. All papers but one, that is. The preacher has already read Andy's comment about his sermons being as "dry as dust." Consequently, Andy receives the ironic assignment of teaching Sunday School to see if he can do any better.  This is a gentle episode that demonstrat...

The daily newspaper screamed the headlines: “Plane Crash Kills 43. No Survivors of Mountain Tragedy,” and thousands of voices joined in a chorus: “Why did the Lord let this terrible thing happen?” Two automobiles crashed when one went through a red light, and six people were killed. Why would God not prevent this? Why should the young mother die of cancer and leave her eight children motherless? Why did not the Lord heal her? A little child was drowned; another was run over. Why? A man died one day suddenly of a coronary occlusion as he climbed a stairway. His body was found slumped on the floor. His wife cried out in agony, “Why? Why would the Lord do this to me? Could he not have considered my three little children who still need a father?” So begins a powerful essay by Spencer W. Kimball. He thoughtfully concludes that these questions are unanswerable without a precise understanding of God's motives. Yet too often we grow angry with God for allowing problems to happen....

This weekend a mortuary ad stated, "Life is too short to hold on to grudges. It's time to forgive." This company saw the harm caused by grudges and wanted to help people let go of hard feelings.  The ad inspired a search for related quotes. This is my favorite: “They say it's good to let your grudges go, but I don't know, I'm quite fond of my grudge. I tend it like a little pet.”―Liane Moriarty, "Big Little Lies" Letting go of hard feelings can be so peaceful and liberating. Chris Williams shares a heart-rending story of how his family was hurt by a reckless driver. The story of letting go is shared here .

On May 8, 1861, Henry Wells Jackson began a journey from Springville, Utah, to Washington, D.C., during the Civil War. He later volunteered for the Union as a lieutenant. How did a Utah Mormon get involved in the Civil War? This is a surprising story involving the Mormon Battalion, the gold rush, Indian attacks, the Utah War, Camp Floyd, the overland mail service, congressional budget battles, and a skinflint postmaster general. Twenty-year-old Henry Wells Jackson completed service in the Mormon Battalion and then the Mormon Volunteers and traveled north to Mormon Island. On July 16, 1847, Henry was mustered out of the Mormon Battalion in Los Angeles. He reenlisted in the Mormon Volunteers while many of his comrades headed northeast to the Great Salt Lake Valley and some headed north to Sacramento and began working for John Sutter. In 1848, two events ten days apart triggered an avalanche of immigration to California: the January 24 discovery of gold at Sutter’s sawmill an...

The Utah War and Mountain Meadows Massacre together form one of the darkest chapters in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons). To help readers understand these events, this blog post gathers historical perspectives from historians both outside and inside the faith. Like a tapestry woven of many threads, the various accounts show us the complex issues and individuals involved in the Utah War. A Non-Mormon Perspective on the Utah War “So what was the Utah War?” asks William P. MacKinnon, an independent historian who happens to be Presbyterian. He then answers his own question: “In one sense it was President James Buchanan’s effort to replace Brigham Young as governor of Utah Territory and to install his successor with an army escort of 2,500 troops, a change that Young resisted with guerrilla tactics until a settlement was reached a year later in 1858. Over the years I have come to define it more formally as the armed confrontation over power a...