In some ways, the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes comes across as more Buddhist than traditionally Christian in its outlook. Its emphasis is clearly on the here and now, and the world of Ecclesiastes is one in which there is no life after death; whether you’re good or evil, you’re…

Is it even possible to love God with all our hearts, souls and minds without loving our neighbors as ourselves? To judge from what I’ve read on social media, there seems to be growing sentiment in some circles that the two Great Commandments are at tension with other, that in…

In my religious community, we have no local paid clergy, so most Sundays two members of the congregation preach the sermons. This is roughly the sermon I might have given had I been asked to speak recently — if I were willing to be as self-disclosing and vulnerable in person…

Dear Gov. Cox: You said in a TV interview this weekend that you don’t know whether the Legislature’s decision to end the statewide mask mandate on April 10 is too early or too late. That’s too early, and I urge you to veto House Bill 294, which would, in effect…

The Jeep ad wasn’t for me. And I mean that in two ways: I’m not part of the target audience that the ad was made for, and neither am I likely to find any appeal in Jeep models similar to the one shown. I recently moved to a new neighborhood…

I never thought I’d be writing this, but yes, the First Amendment does allow the government to prevent churches from holding worship services — at least as it is being done now to limit the spread of the covid-19 virus. The headlines have been all across social media recently about…

I’ve always been a fidgety person; I think I was born biting my fingernails. I quit that habit years ago through little more than willpower, but I’ve haven’t done much about other fidgeting habits such as twirling my hair, stroking my beard and the like. No big deal — until…

To my future grandchildren: Right now, I wish I could be you looking back on the great pandemic of 2019–20, because then I would know how this all turns out. I don’t know how this ends, and for the moment it’s the uncertainty that bothers me the most. I am…

Every subculture has its own jargon, and Latter-day Saintism is no exception. For Latter-day Saints (the word “Mormons” has become taboo), the unique language usually takes the form of words understood one way in the culture at large being given different definitions. Thus, for the Saints, what most Christians call…