Diaries
April 18, 2018I keep diaries in my head
At night I write on sealed pages
In dream codes a sort
Of dot-dot-dash Morse himself
DiaBLOGue
A Rock, A Fir, and A Magpie
April 18, 2018Fern left Relief Society early. She had never done that before, but she had a headache. Or something. It wasn’t really a headache, but it was in her head. Or her neck, or back. It wasn’t…
A Reading Group
April 18, 2018I had just hung up my topcoat and scarf and tossed my jacket on the f unmade bed when the telephone rang. There was a time when I liked to hear that sound; it meant…
David and Bathsheba
April 18, 2018When I slid the damask
from its plastic sleeve
to spread it on the table,
the stain throbbed against crisp white.
Poetic Borrowing in Early Mormonism
April 18, 2018The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it seems, has had little ^ use for poetry that cannot be sung. The chief place of verse has always been the hymnal, and not without reason:…
Socialist Saints: Mormons and the Socialist Party in Utah, 1900-20
April 18, 2018In the early years of this century,” observed David A. Shannon, “the Socialist Party of America was a young and virile organization that could not escape notice. Far stronger than any contemporary party on the left,…
The Intellectual in the Service of the Faith?: How and Where is Intellect Needed?
April 18, 2018I’ve found it useful at times to think of Christ as an intellectual in the ser vice of the faith. I find that he assumes and champions the ability of persons to examine and revise…
The Intellectual in the Service of the Faith?: Prometheus Hobbled: The Intellectual in Mormondom
April 18, 2018I assume an intellectual is anyone who is guided more by intellect than by emotions—leastways that’s good enough for a country boy like myself. By Mormon I mean something like “faithful” Mormon, not smarty-pants intellectuals,…
The Intellectual in the Service of the Faith?: The Pursuit of Understanding
April 18, 2018A useful beginning for my comments may be found in a quotation from Richard Hofstadter’s Anti-intellectualism in American Life.
The Intellectual in the Service of the Faith?: Some Propositions to Consider
April 18, 2018There are different ways to look at the world; and faith and reason provide contrasting, sometimes complementary perspectives. Faithful people who equate their spirituality with Church loyalty often find themselves at odds with those who…