I learned something interesting today. The Bill of Rights (1789) was based heavily on the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776). The Second Amendment was derived from this section:
Section 13. That a well-regulated militia, composed of the body of the people, trained to arms, is the proper, natural, and safe defense of a free state; that standing ( Read more... )

California Prop 37 is on the ballot for this November. I'm concerned that I'm writing this too late - some of you may have already filled out your early voter / absentee ballots. For the rest of you I think this is bad legislation, and that you should vote no. This is why.

18 years of study : zero cause for concernThe first GMO food product was ( Read more... )

(I've tried to keep the rest of this overview relatively fact-based and editorial-free. In this last section I'm summarizing my personal thoughts and opinions.)

Joseph Smith was an intelligent religious man, understandably bothered by the self-contradictions of the Bible. Without knowing the Bible's true origins, and because God is similar to ( Read more... )

The Temple Recommend

Day-to-day religious practice is well summarised by the Temple Recommend. Card-carrying Mormons literally carry a physical card which is required to enter Mormon Temples. To maintain their temple recommend their Bishop gives them a multi-question interview at regular intervals. The temple recommend questions are changed every ( Read more... )

The rituals and practices that Smith restored are called ordinances. Saving ordinances such as full immersion baptism and receiving the holy spirit are required prerequisites for exaltation, eternal increase, and godhood. Sealing ordinances such as marriage and adoption preserve relationships in the afterlife. Endowment ordinances such as the ( Read more... )

Father in Heaven (Elohiem) and His wives live near the star called Kolob on a pair of magic stones. They were once mortal humans just like we are and have retained their physical bodies of flesh and bone, but instead of blood they have “spirit matter, a substance which is more refined and pure and glorious than blood”. At the time of creation ( Read more... )

Mormon Scriptures are the various books which have the authority and power of the Holy Ghost. The King James Bible is considered authoritative, although Joseph Smith also “translated” his own version of the Bible. Smith’s “translation” was not actually a translation from a different language, it was more of a series of edits to the King James Bible ( Read more... )

Mitt Romney is sewing up the nomination for President. Mormons are excited about the first modern Mormon candidate. (Joseph Smith announced his candidacy for President of the United States in January 1844, but was killed several months later.) Everyone else is curious about Mormons. Unfortunately, most people only seem to know they don’t drink ( Read more... )

Sometimes, old films will make a big deal out of something that that was a big deal back in its day, like interracial couples. Modern films sometimes feature interracial couples but they're no longer a big deal - they're just another unremarkable part of the contemporary cultural background. Same-sex couples are beginning to turn that corner. "Oh ( Read more... )

Poll Yakety Sax

Background: This poll is actually the result of a brief Twitter exchange with @ hungry_joe. While both may be true to some extent, I've intentionally constrained the survey with radio buttons to judge which is more true.