jchandle writes

And before he even argues, and before I even fill up There’s a spider on the counter And his lips are painted red.  And before he fills it backwards On the couch-ride to the city There’s a monkey three weeks backward With a cradle for his head.  Today I saw at least 200 Cedar Waxwings in the trees outside Isis, or rather, on the walkway between Isis and Heaven.  I remember when I had my interview day, they explained that we had the name first, and that we’re holding onto it in hopes that our building far outlasts the terrorist group.  The Waxwings were hopping from branch to branch, and chirping with little mini screeches.  I didn’t know what kind of bird they were, but I figured I’d be able to identify them since they were so distinctive looking.  They had bold, yellow bellies, and sharp little crests on their heads like faux-hawk hairstyles. And little black stripes on their faces that went out from almost their beaks and back to almost to where their win...

  That Jesus of Nazareth was crucified is the most well established fact about his existence. In fact, had he not been executed under the authority of Pontius Pilate, I’m not sure we would know of him at all today. His life and ministry would have been reduced to a few pages of obscure history, like the lives of other zealous Jewish dissidents of the time.  But he was crucified. And his followers were forced to understand his teachings in light of that unexpected reality. We can hypothesize that writings once existed which detailed the sayings of Jesus disconnected from any foreshadowing of a crucifixion. But all we have of them now is what we assume was quoted from these sources in the 4 canonized Gospels. If Jesus had not been crucified, it is unlikely that we could even hypothesize about these writings.  I’m not sure how strongly I believe that Jesus was physically resurrected. I oscillate between hoping he did and hoping he didn’t. And those hopes tip me back and fort...

  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...

One book of the bible is behind us, so I want to talk about the themes that stood out to me in the book of Genesis.  I’ve been using this post as a way to synthesize my learning, to struggle with the scriptures in writing, and to share my thoughts in case anyone wants to read them. I admit that it’s a messy blog full of half-baked exegesis (and probably some poorly crafted isegesis), but I do hope that if you read my posts, you find something insightful. If you do–or want to correct, discuss, or deny anything–please tell me.  God changes Some of the differences is God’s behavior in different parts of Genesis has to do with different source texts that are combined into a single narrative in what we now know as the Pentateuch (for a brief description of what I mean,  see this blog post  and for an example with a little more depth,  read here ). But it seems like even within what is considered the same text, as the story progresses, the God of Israel changes in...

An ambiguous sex story In Genesis 34:2 it’s clear that Shechem, son of Hamor has sex with Dinah, daughter of Israel.  What isn’t clear is whether the sex was consensual. The NRSV reads “he seized her and lay with her by force,” But the “by force” part of the verse is actually a third Hebrew verb, which the KJV translates “and defiled her,” which only implies that Shechem’s act brought uncleanliness upon Dinah, not that he raped her. It’s an important question, since if Dinah has been raped, Jacob has a strong family obligation to act swiftly in protection of his daughter. But if the act is consensual, he has an obligation to act with compassion in the situation. Perhaps that’s why Jacob “held his piece” in verse 5.”  Theologian Lyn M. Bechtel, writing in the Dictionary of Women in Scripture , sees two primary pieces of evidence that the sex was consensual. First, unlike the majority of other cases of rape in scripture, this instance is not coupled with other acts of violence p...

  Women shape the narrative (and the nations) Last week, I was impressed with the premier role that Rebekah played in the narrative. She is the only one in the narrative of Isaac who receives direct, specific, significant revelation, and she makes it happen by constructing the ruse through which Jacob receives the birthright blessing from his father.  In this week’s reading, the women of the text continue this pattern of shaping the story. In the description of the birth of each Israelite tribe’s namesake, Jacob is so marginalized by the strength of the female characters that it almost seems like an abusive matriarchy at work. In Genesis 30:1, Rachel tells Jacob, “Give me children or I shall die!” This is a manipulative tactic, a brash demand. Anyone who says that Rachel patiently waited upon the Lord has severely undercut what is written here. She turns to her handmaid–another marginalized person in the story–to provide heirs.  But don’t get me wrong. While it seems like...

  The danger of a little information I used to be really prideful about knowing a lot about the world. In high school, I competed in Policy Debate, which meant I maintained tubs-full of article and book snippets on every conceivable topic linked to an annual debate topic. I also competed in an event that required me to speak extemporaneously on one of three international topics with just 30 minutes of prep time. As an adult, I’ve consistently taken the time to be updated about current events, to use the tools of analysis I picked up in college poli-sci to figure out what makes the world tick in all it’s various ways, and to try to promote good public policy by voting, contacting officials, and writing into the void about my political opinions.  By “used to be” I mean that I was like this until about 6 months into the Biden administration.  The election of Donald Trump in 2017 and the way the Republican Party seemed to conform around him with cult-like passion around the m...