jchandle writes

  I watch a TikTok account called @readingbom which features a born-again Christian reading the Book of Mormon for the first time. He has my rapt attention.  Never before have I had a stronger desire to share a copy of the Book of Mormon with someone–not because I feel a burning in my bosom, or even that I feel great swells of faith and an urgent need to share my beliefs with others. But  I want my very own @readingbom who sends his summaries, questions, and concerns with the text in real time as he earnestly studies the book that is central to my religion.  I find it so fascinating to hear what an intelligent person thinks as they read a book that is so second-nature to me and with which I continue to wrestle.  But while I listen to this guy’s comments and questions on TikTok, I find myself with thoughts about his methods: The frameworks he uses to approach the text, the assumptions he makes, the way he interprets certain verses.  But before I talk about ...

  In Exodus 1:9, Pharaoh worries that the Israelites as one ever-growing people would challenge Egypt’s authority. This reminds me of God’s reasoning for confounding the languages in Genesis 11:6. The structure is the same between these verses and the verses surrounding them as well. There’s a comment on the progress of the people, followed by an observation of their increasing strength and an expression of fear about what they might accomplish, and then action to decrease the risk of those accomplishments from taking place. The story of Babel in Genesis 11 is just one example of this kind of logic in Genesis though. There are lots of times when God works to prevent humans from reaching his status.  But then God, the LORD, a specific god with a specific name, makes covenants with Abraham and his children. We know there is an underlying assumption and acceptance of other gods in the Pentateuch, and one possible description of what’s going on in the saga is that the ancient auth...

  I don’t think very many people read this blog and that’s okay. I started publishing to it more heavily this year as a way to synthesize my learning as I study the Hebrew Bible from a translation other than the KJV for the first time. I also use it to publish thoughts that I find easier to think through in writing, whether they relate to the Bible directly or not–though most of my thoughts do have to do with religion in some way.  I haven’t published a post in a while, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking/writing. I have fallen behind on my Bible study, but I have started several posts in this time on a few topics. But none of them have felt very complete. But part of the purpose of publishing a blog, for me, is the possibility that I might get others to discuss these things with me, so I want to publish my thoughts even if I don’t consider them fully-formed.  In the spirit of that, I’m going to publish a few posts labeled “fragments.” If you see this word in th...

  In President Dallin H. Oaks’s April 2022 General Conference address he said: Fundamental to us is God’s revelation that exaltation can be attained only through faithfulness to the covenants of an eternal marriage between a man and a woman. That divine doctrine is why we teach that “gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.” The source of this fundamental doctrine he identifies in a footnote as D&C 131:1-4, which thanks to Early Morning Seminary, I have memorized. It reads:  In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees and in order to obtain the highest a man must enter into this order of the priesthood, meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage, and if he does not he cannot obtain it. He may enter into the other but that is the end of his kingdom. He cannot have an increase.  I actually really appreciate this part of President Oaks’s talk because I’ve banged my head against a wall...

A few weeks ago, I asked politically conservative friends on Facebook to tell me what, if any, of my liberal beliefs I likely need to give up in order to attain the kingdom of God. I was encouraged that no comments called me to political repentance. But I was also a little surprised. I actually do think that one’s beliefs have a major impact on one’s standing before God. And I do think that having an incorrect belief can disqualify a person from salvation. As the Doctrine & Covenants teaches, “It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” (D&C 131:6) While I do believe that we will all have time in post-mortality to correct our ignorances, I believe it’s important to use mortality to get as close as possible to the truth in all its forms.  That said, I want to elaborate on two beliefs that I think must be abandoned for salvation. For most of these, I think we are all guilty, irrespective of political orientation. But several of these are enshrined in conservative d...