tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68146662011-08-17T10:45:01.909-06:00Brought to you by the creator of the BloggernacleChristopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.comBlogger861100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-63860739273155630652010-05-31T10:26:00.000-06:002010-05-31T10:26:17.932-06:00

It can be difficult to maintain boundaries of sacredness without being accused of a lack of transparency. The LDS Church has come up with a very smart solution: a scale model replica of the Salt Lake temple, showing the interior rooms in detail and accompanied by video and narration explaining the purposes of the various rooms, much like an open house: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-33337234971223246102010-05-30T12:16:00.005-06:002010-05-30T15:24:50.108-06:00

The New York Times published an insightful article by Elizabeth Rosenthal a couple of days ago entitled "Our Fix-It Faith and the Oil Spill." The thrust of the article is that we place an inordinate amount of faith in the ability of technology to fix problems and have a too-rosy picture of the benefits of technology compared with its risks. I think this is frequently true. The question is, how

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-62350402726266035362010-05-15T20:07:00.002-06:002010-05-15T20:09:54.611-06:00

Wow. Over five years since I last blogged. Hopefully I have accumulated some worthwhile things to contribute. Here goes...

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1107573272132574272005-02-04T20:10:00.000-07:002005-02-04T20:14:32.133-07:00

What does this lady do at Halloween?

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1107538707306924772005-02-04T10:33:00.000-07:002005-02-04T10:38:27.306-07:00

Over at The Millennial Star, the new group blog I participate in, Jeffrey Giliam has commented on the thread on evolution. I followed his link to his blog -- a newcomer to the Bloggernacle: (Issues in) Mormon Doctrine. His blog looks promising; welcome, Jeffrey!

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1106612472990177292005-01-24T17:19:00.000-07:002005-01-24T17:21:12.990-07:00

Man, this guy is lucky he doesn’t live in Utah.

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1106581980952306212005-01-24T08:45:00.000-07:002005-01-24T09:04:55.586-07:00

Justin Butterfield had an interesting Book of Mormon Stories post at Mormon Wasp, with a discussion of the hand motions associated with that Primary song. Through those hand motions, Primary children are taught to associate “Lamanites” with “American Indians” -- something that limited geography theories dispute. Reading his post, I was reminded that there is another audience that receives a

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1106111288413977522005-01-18T22:00:00.000-07:002005-01-18T22:08:08.413-07:00

Let us assume that some person (let’s say, my next-door neighbor) has infallible foreknowledge of the entire future. He knows everything that is going to happen, down to the tiniest detail -- and his knowledge is infallible: it is impossible that he could be wrong. What use would this knowledge be? It’s easy to think that he could become rich by betting on winning horses at the track or

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1106009614481743032005-01-17T17:53:00.000-07:002008-01-17T16:17:35.663-07:00

I have been invited to guest blog at Times & Seasons. You can find my posts here.

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1106001699497988512005-01-17T14:47:00.000-07:002005-01-17T17:50:47.443-07:00

One of the most famous incidents from Joseph Smith's boyhood is the leg operation he underwent when he was seven years old. He refused to take brandy as an anesthetic, insisting instead that his father hold him while his leg was cut open and pieces of bone broken off. This incident was brought up by our Gospel Doctrine teacher yesterday as an example of how Joseph Smith was prepared for his

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1105725648100756912005-01-14T12:05:00.000-07:002005-01-14T12:07:50.256-07:00

In Gospel Doctrine two Sundays ago, the teacher asked what makes the Doctrine & Covenants different from other scriptures we have. The answers centered on the fact that the Doctrine & Covenants is not a translation, that it is revelation specifically for our day, and that it is an open book of canon -- all very fine answers. But for me, the most distinctive thing about the Doctrine & Covenants

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1105593368068876172005-01-12T22:10:00.000-07:002008-01-17T15:49:13.306-07:00

6And the sons of Moses, according to the Holy Priesthood which he received under the hand of his father-in-law, Jethro; 7And Jethro received it under the hand of Caleb; 8And Caleb received it under the hand of Elihu; 9And Elihu under the hand of Jeremy; 10And Jeremy under the hand of Gad; 11 And Gad under the hand of Esaias; 12And Esaias received it under the hand of God. 13Esaias also lived in

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1105502674599220042005-01-11T20:52:00.000-07:002005-01-11T21:06:00.923-07:00

37And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things. 38And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God. (3 Nephi 11:37-38) We spouses were invited to (Home, Family, and Personal) Enrichment tonight

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1105401173425659262005-01-10T16:45:00.000-07:002005-01-10T16:52:53.426-07:00

Yesterday, in sacrament meeting, we had a brother who is in our stake, but not in our ward, attend our sacrament meeting. I don't know this brother at all, but have seen him on several occasions. He appears to have some kind of behavioral disorder, though obviously I don't know whether he does or not. He sat a few rows behind me and, during the sacrament, spoke with his friend next to him (

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1105400619790443992005-01-10T16:37:00.000-07:002005-01-10T16:43:39.790-07:00

What I do not to-day, when the sun goes down, I lay down to sleep, which is typical of death; and in the morning I rise and commence my work where I left it yesterday. That course is typical of the probations we take. But suppose that I do not improve my time to-day, I wake up to-morrow and find myself in the rear; and then, if I do not improve upon that day, and again lay down to sleep, on

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1100129423170353122004-11-10T16:25:00.000-07:002004-11-10T16:30:23.170-07:00

Wow. Where did the time go? It's been a while since I posted anything. I haven't even been able to read much online lately. But I have been reading some good stuff offline. One of my recent favorites is Most Moved Mover, a decent (though somewhat repetitive) assertion of the value of the open view of God. The repetitiveness is probably due to the fact that it's a compilation of lectures, which

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1097859212791883602004-10-15T10:42:00.000-06:002004-10-15T10:53:32.793-06:00

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God (Ephesians 2:19) Last night I accompanied the youth on a temple trip to do baptisms for the dead. The temple president spoke with them briefly before we got started. He compared baptism with a naturalization ceremony for those who desire to become U.S. citizens. I

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1097689497411056792004-10-13T11:40:00.000-06:002004-10-13T11:44:57.410-06:00

11And I, John, bear record that I beheld his glory, as the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, even the Spirit of truth, which came and dwelt in the flesh, and dwelt among us. 12And I, John, saw that he received not of the fulness at the first, but received grace for grace. 13And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1097348462378889612004-10-09T12:56:00.001-06:002004-10-10T12:27:44.910-06:00

This isn't exactly a Mormon-specific topic, but since Derrida comes up frequently in conversations on LDS-PHIL, I thought it would be interesting to many in the Bloggernacle. He died today, at age 74, of pancreatic cancer.

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1097272340544525542004-10-08T15:49:00.000-06:002004-10-08T15:52:20.543-06:00

After some prodding, I've installed Ebenezer Orthodoxy's Blogger Comment Hack and Recent Comments Hack. I've also updated the template a little bit to tighten up the sidebar. The Blog Club seems to have gone the way of the dodo, so I've removed it. I plan to update my Bloggernacle links any day now... really...

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1097158802447915432004-10-07T08:17:00.000-06:002004-10-07T08:21:00.683-06:00

A shout-out to new Bloggernacker Tyro, who has started up By Study and Also By Faith. Tyro has been an active participant on the Nauvoo.com forums for some time. Welcome to the Bloggernacle, Tyro!

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1097087399758784792004-10-06T12:24:00.000-06:002004-10-07T09:52:15.320-06:00

Scott Faulring, Kent Jackson, and Robert Matthews have edited a new book on the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible: Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts. From the description on the site I linked to: This volume – the work of a lifetime – brings together all the Joseph Smith Translation manuscripts in a remarkable and useful way. Now, for the first time,

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1096483283107850392004-09-29T12:37:00.000-06:002004-09-29T12:41:23.106-06:00

No, this is not a post about drinking games. Back in April, I asked about whether a bottom-up approach to things in the Church fits with our model of revelation. My recent reading has led me to consider this topic again. I'm reading The Price of Government: Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis, and enjoying it quite a bit. One of the principles discussed is

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1096059916157333172004-09-24T14:56:00.000-06:002004-09-24T15:05:16.156-06:00

Adam Greenwood started an interesting discussion over at Times & Seasons about how different approaches to “close reading” of the scriptures affect the conclusions we may reach from our reading. This brought up the question whether close reading is helpful, especially given the limitations of language to express revelation. On that thread, I commented: Perhaps the great value in close

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1095712466214838302004-09-20T14:30:00.000-06:002004-09-20T14:34:26.213-06:00

What good are prophets if they're not infallible? This is a question I have been asked many times, and a variant of this question has come up on Times & Seasons. Nate has challenged John H.: “The trick is to come up with some theory that doesn’t reduce the prophets to well meaning old men; some theory that still concedes to them some meaningful special access to the divine.” And his definition

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1095451868290019742004-09-17T15:25:00.000-06:002004-09-17T15:36:26.956-06:00

D&C 84:33-42 is often called “the oath and covenant of the priesthood.” But I don't think it is. It makes reference to the oath and covenant, and gives a description of the blessings associated with them, but I do not think they are contained in this section. Rather, I think they are administered in the temple. I think this section points us in that direction. Let's take a close look at portions

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1095276678153635012004-09-15T13:27:00.000-06:002004-09-15T13:31:18.153-06:00

I like to preach the gospel of risk. Not foolish risk, mind you, but simply the recognition of the adage, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” I believe the teachings of the scriptures and the Church advocate thoughtful risk-taking, and condemn an attitude of fear that drives the “better safe than sorry” approach. For example: We hear that, in the pre-mortal world, we were offered a sort of

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1095189310108035602004-09-14T13:12:00.000-06:002004-09-14T13:15:10.106-06:00

We've all heard the stories of people who approach a member of the Church saying something like, “You're always so happy. Why is that? I want to have what you have.” -- a golden opportunity to share the gospel. Well, that's never happened to me. I consider myself a pretty happy person; my life is going fairly well, I generally enjoy my ward and my job and love my family. I am excited by many

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1086377860614128512004-09-11T00:05:00.000-06:002004-09-11T09:11:59.670-06:00

I know that the Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews. (2 Nephi 25:5) Our church meetings switched from the 11:00 schedule to the 9:00 schedule this year. While, for practical reasons (I have

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1094676728828307582004-09-08T14:50:00.000-06:002004-09-08T14:52:08.826-06:00

My personal blog, GrasshopperMuse, is active again. Check out the first of a new feature: game reviews.

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1094660025068442502004-09-08T10:10:00.000-06:002004-09-08T10:14:19.726-06:00

There has been some discussion in the Bloggernacle about orthopraxy and orthodoxy, with some claiming that right practice is more important in the Church than is right belief, and some claiming the opposite. I ran across some interesting facts in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, in the entry titled “Activity in the Church” that seem relevant: When Latter-day Saints speak of being "active in

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1093884827837243252004-08-30T10:50:00.000-06:002004-08-30T10:53:47.836-06:00

I'm finally on the mend after two weeks of the worst sinus infection I've ever had. Not only did it wipe me out physically, but made it difficult to think very clearly, too. The physical and the mental are closely tied. With my improving health, I'll be back to regular blogging soon.

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1092073370028489372004-08-09T11:40:00.000-06:002004-08-09T11:42:50.026-06:00

Our congregational rest hymn in sacrament meeting yesterday was As Sisters In Zion. I was up front, interpreting for a Deaf member, so I got a great view of the congregation. Quite a few people, especially men, were having really hard time keeping a straight face. (This included the bishopric, who seemed to be surprised that we were singing it for a rest hymn.) It made me wonder whether the

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1092063549233931272004-08-09T08:55:00.000-06:002004-08-09T09:00:41.133-06:00

I just finished reading Kathleen Flake's The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle. It is an excellent, insightful discussion of the importance of the Reed Smoot hearings for the development of the limits of American religious pluralism, as well as the redefinition of Mormon identity within those limits. I highly recommend this book for anyone

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1091851917651708242004-08-06T22:04:00.000-06:002004-08-06T22:11:57.650-06:00

The Mormon grapevine is alive and well. I have heard a rumor that a new BYU campus is being started in Keokuk, Iowa, not far from Nauvoo. BYU has a Semester at Nauvoo program at the Joseph Smith Academy, but my rumor source says that construction has already started on a very large campus -- large enough for a full-size university. Take it for what it's worth, as it is just a rumor. But if it

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1091627776889734522004-08-04T07:52:00.000-06:002004-08-04T07:56:16.890-06:00

We believe in repentance in the spirit world, but, so as not to give people motivation to procrastinate their repentance, we teach that it's a lot harder to repent there than it is here. So you'd better take advantage of the easier opportunity now. On the other hand, I often hear sentiments to the effect of “We'll be so different in the next life, so we won't struggle so much with envy or all

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1091561340557409082004-08-03T12:50:00.000-06:002004-08-03T13:29:00.556-06:00

Well, since we have the meaning of life nailed down, let's talk about the meaning of death. In the Western world, death was, until recently (and still is in the developing world) a very common thing for people to experience -- not themselves, but the death of loved ones. Many pioneers lost children, spouses, siblings -- and far more frequently than I or most of the people I know do today. I

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1091545968980690222004-08-03T08:58:00.000-06:002004-08-03T09:51:21.533-06:00

This past weekend, we took a trip to Nauvoo for a “mini family reunion.” While we weren't able to spend a lot of time in Nauvoo itself, there were a few things that made a significant impression on me. The Nauvoo temple is, by far, my favorite temple. I love the rich architectural symbolism and wish it were more prevalent in the newer temples. The effort and craftsmanship that went into the

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1090625136400406982004-07-23T17:22:00.000-06:002004-07-23T17:29:27.016-06:00

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had recently finished reading Daniel Dennett's Freedom Evolves. The philosophy blog “Papers on Agency and Related Issues” has a collection of papers given at an APA symposium on Dennett's book, including critiques of Dennett and his response.

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1082635254444099672004-07-22T12:48:00.000-06:002004-07-22T13:05:02.113-06:00

In Dialogue 36:3, Janice Allred argues that punishment is evil (and therefore the scriptures attributing punishment to God are incorrect). She discusses common defenses of punishment: Defenses of punishment argue that although inflicting pain is generally wrong, punishment serves a higher purpose which justifies this infliction of pain. This argument is a form of the argument that the end

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1089985462294158522004-07-16T06:53:00.000-06:002004-07-16T08:01:15.410-06:00

O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm. (2 Nephi 4:34) What is “the arm of flesh?” I have often heard people equate it with human reasoning. But in the context of most of

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1089982263759445202004-07-16T06:45:00.000-06:002004-07-16T06:51:03.760-06:00

After a long hiatus, I'm back to blogging. I've updated my sidebar with new Bloggernacle links and an updated RPT Blog Club list. I've got a bunch of half-finished draft posts, so hopefully things will be back to normal -- well, as normal as I get, anyway...

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1088018251146878072004-06-23T13:04:00.000-06:002004-06-23T13:18:33.006-06:00

With all the discussion about war and peace that's going on lately, I turned to Doctrine & Covenants 98 to review its teachings on the subject. I was struck by verse 28: And now, verily I say unto you, if that enemy shall escape my vengeance, that he be not brought into judgment before me, then ye shall see to it that ye warn him in my name, that he come no more upon you... This

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1088007887870077162004-06-23T10:19:00.000-06:002004-06-23T10:24:47.870-06:00

Thanks to Parablemania for the link to an interesting paper on models of atonement (PDF), arguing for the value of a participatory model. This is the kind of model I favor, as should be evident from my earlier post on Atonement analogies.

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1086761460626278012004-06-23T08:30:00.000-06:002004-06-23T08:33:13.760-06:00

One of the questions I have been asked by those learning about the Church is, “Why did God wait so long to restore the Church after the ‘primitive church’ was lost?” And the “standard” answer is that God underwent a long period of preparatory work, including the Reformation and the establishment of the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing freedom of religion, before restoring the Church. This made it

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1088000156114284622004-06-23T07:57:00.000-06:002004-06-23T08:15:56.116-06:00

In a discussion at Times & Seasons about the moral responsibility of a soldier following immoral orders, Lyle Stamps commented: It isn't about loyalty to commanders. It is about loyalty to your own integrity, your own word...when you affirmed your allegiance to your country & promised to serve as a soldier. This reminds me of the famous statement by Karl G. Maeser: I have

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1087823242100428542004-06-21T07:02:00.000-06:002004-06-21T07:10:10.160-06:00

It seems that most people have chosen to use the Blogger comments here, rather than Haloscan, so I'm eliminating Haloscan comments. I'm going to go back and copy the existing Haloscan comments into Blogger; in the meantime, the existing Haloscan comments can be read, but new ones can't be posted. I've also updated the sidebar, as the Blog Club has split. I'm now a member of the RPT Blog Club (

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1087242274279857742004-06-14T12:48:00.000-06:002004-06-14T13:47:28.036-06:00

I was reading Romans 1 yesterday and noted this passage: Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (Romans 1:3-4) Biblical scholars have pointed out that Paul never mentions the virgin birth of Jesus in his

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1086633746403833892004-06-07T12:05:00.000-06:002004-06-07T13:06:30.560-06:00

I recently finished my first reading of Daniel C. Dennett's Freedom Evolves, so a few of my posts will deal with some of the topics he addresses. One of the theories he discusses is the idea of memetics: the idea that ideas or information (memes) evolve along the same lines as biological evolution: the fittest memes are replicated and survive. It's an intriguing area that I've heard mention of

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1086384365015267992004-06-04T13:37:00.000-06:002004-06-04T15:26:05.016-06:00

Over at Times & Seasons, Kevin Barney suggested that one could take advantage of ambiguity in official statements to one's advantage, and Melissa asked about whether this ambiguity might be intentional. I think one of the things Church leaders have learned by experience over the years is to make use of ambiguity. Compare, for example, recent Church statements on birth control, the quick

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1085776198112725962004-05-28T14:09:00.000-06:002004-06-01T21:52:41.430-06:00

When questions of historicity come up in Mormonism, the conversation often changes direction, from focusing on the historicity of the textual accounts to focusing on the historicity of the provenance of the text. The Semiotician quickly made that move in the comments on my earlier post on historicity. Terryl Givens does very much the same thing in By the Hand of Mormon. He claims that, contra

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1085774723395754542004-05-28T13:39:00.000-06:002004-05-28T14:08:04.326-06:00

I think one of the great strengths of Mormonism is its naturalism, FARMS criticism of “naturalistic” approaches to the Book of Mormon notwithstanding. The problem is one of equivocation. Dictionary.com gives (among others) these definitions of “naturalism:” Philosophy. The system of thought holding that all phenomena can be explained in terms of natural causes and laws. Theology. The

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1085426150812521452004-05-24T13:05:00.000-06:002004-05-24T13:16:41.553-06:00

This weekend we had stake conference. Elder Parmley of the Seventy presided. He spoke of the need to pray always in our hearts, and spoke of his own efforts to do so while practicing medicine. It's not clear to me that the kind of “prayer” we can have in our hearts continually is the same kind of prayer we utter vocally (or even silently, but formally). The latter seems to require a focus and

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1085061038201825472004-05-21T12:03:00.000-06:002004-05-21T12:05:13.680-06:00

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual (Mosiah 2:41, emphasis added). What are we to make of this scripture? There are many scriptures that teach that God will bless the obedient, but this is one that goes further: it claims

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1085108370258438022004-05-20T20:24:00.000-06:002004-05-20T20:59:30.260-06:00

That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be and often is, right under another. God said thou shalt not kill,–at another time he said thou shalt utterly destroy. This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted–by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1085025252072772612004-05-19T21:49:00.000-06:002004-05-19T21:54:12.073-06:00

A story on NPR's All Things Considered this afternoon focused on concerns about radical Islamist terrorism in the Phillippines. One of the concerns is that many of these extremists are recent converts from Christianity to Islam. The commentator noted that it is common, not just to Islam, but across all religions, that converts are more zealous than those born in the faith. Is this true of

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1082635268188956142004-05-18T19:52:00.000-06:002004-05-18T20:47:12.530-06:00

If you like folk music with a real international flavor, you may want to check out Enoch Train (their new website isn't so hot, but their music is great). This group focuses on arrangements of LDS hymn tunes, but not like you've heard them before. From harmonica to Native American drums to Vietnamese dan tranh to accordion to mandolin -- well, you get the picture: it's not something you're likely

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084680920079725512004-05-17T20:28:00.000-06:002004-05-17T20:29:07.523-06:00

The Church teaches that Jesus is Jehovah, the God of the Old Testament. But I have a hard time understanding what this means. It seems to me, for example, that Old Testament peoples worshipped the God of the Old Testament. Seems pretty obvious, except for what Jacob has to say about it: For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084769328577898022004-05-16T22:29:00.000-06:002004-05-17T11:35:34.486-06:00

During today's commemoration of the 175th anniversary of the restoration of the priesthood, this well-known scripture was cited repeatedly: And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matthew 16:19) The part about sealing/binding I

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084681472377544542004-05-15T22:15:00.000-06:002004-05-15T22:24:32.376-06:00

The scriptures counsel us to avoid “vain repetitions” when we pray. I understand the word “vain” in a manner consistent with its usage in the commandment not to take the name of the Lord in vain. I think this means something like what God condemned as generally true in Christianity: having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. As a practical matter, we typically say this means

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084563231202080082004-05-14T13:06:00.000-06:002004-05-14T13:37:55.530-06:00

Ryan Henrie has a great resource for LDS infobases. Folio Views Infobases are a full-text indexed data format for unstructured documents (like books). It's what all the LDS CD-ROM collections used before Deseret Book bought up the major players. Many CD-ROM collections use Folio Views, from Signature Books' New Mormon Studies CD-ROM to the Church's $3 LDS Church Magazines 1971-1999 CD. If you own

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084429296740775852004-05-13T20:21:00.000-06:002004-05-14T13:03:52.923-06:00

One of the things I love about the participatory nature of the Church is that we are given the opportunity at a young age to learn public speaking by giving talks in Primary. (Oh, you thought this was going to be about sacrament meeting talks? Nope.) I think learning to give a talk in Primary can be one of the most beneficial aspects of the Primary program. Some kids are uninhibited: they'll

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084426776880016492004-05-12T22:45:00.008-06:002004-05-12T23:48:06.446-06:00

A couple of years ago, President Faust and his wife separately made the same point during a Regional Conference in our area. They spoke of the fact that sometimes it is appropriate to turn down inspired callings. Sister Faust gave an example from her experience where she was inspired to call a sister to a position; this sister turned down the calling and was right to do so. This seems to me to

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084332953867073492004-05-11T21:13:00.000-06:002004-05-11T21:36:07.000-06:00

Why is the issue of scriptural historicity important? One answer I have heard is that it's a matter of truth: that it's important to know whether they are historical or not so that we don't believe something false. And yet, as a matter of truth, historicity generally seems pretty unimportant. For example, it doesn't much matter to me whether the story of the good Samaritan was just a story Jesus

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084227504047521462004-05-10T16:10:00.000-06:002004-05-10T16:19:08.546-06:00

A few years ago, I had a question of doctrine & practice that I took to my bishop. He informed me that it wasn't important, and that if it were, we'd hear about it from President Hinckley in General Conference. I was very unsatisfied with that answer -- it was (and is) important to me, even if nobody else considered it important. A few months later, I had a temple recommend interview with a

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084209556871064492004-05-10T11:14:00.000-06:002004-05-11T18:28:23.990-06:00

Blogger has recently added free commenting that doesn't have the same comment size limitations as Haloscan. The main disadvantage, as far as I'm concerned, is that it requires commenters to register in order to display their names, email, etc. The reason for this is to discourage spam comments. I'm going to switch over to Blogger's commenting system and allow anonymous commenting for now, so you

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1084150444457555842004-05-09T18:54:00.000-06:002004-05-09T18:54:04.456-06:00

Mothers' Day can be very hard for some people. I had that in mind when I gave a talk in sacrament meeting for Mothers' Day last year; hopefully it's meaningful for those who struggle with Mothers' Day. It's too long to post here, so I'll provide a link instead. Mothers' Day 2003

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083992885381327002004-05-08T20:57:00.000-06:002004-05-09T22:03:19.656-06:00

One of the misunderstandings some people have of revelation is that it should consistently reflect “the mind and will of the Lord.” After all, isn't the point of revelation that God reveals his mind and will to us? Yes, but sometimes that can only go so far because of our own situation and preparation. I use the analogy of peripheral vision to illustrate why the Lord might reveal something to us

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083968518986219422004-05-07T16:21:00.000-06:002004-05-09T22:03:38.160-06:00

Eugene England, in his book, Why the Church is as True as the Gospel, points out that the geographic organization of the Church puts us in contact with people we might not otherwise choose to serve or choose to serve with, and that this stretches and develops us. This practical aspect of the Church can transform us as much as the doctrinal beliefs can. However, as the country has seen formal

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-108387095214308782004-05-06T13:15:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:32:38.636-06:00

When I was on my mission, the idea of “covenanting” became popular for a while. The idea was that a companionship would set some goals and say, essentially, “Okay, Lord, this is what we're going to do, and in return we expect such-and-such results (usually a certain number of baptisms).” A member of the Area Presidency did a mission tour and forcefully put a stop to the practice. I have often

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1082656418893794772004-05-05T22:30:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:47:50.966-06:00

We seem to have an interesting tension in Mormonism (and traditional Christianity, too) between universalism and exclusivism. On the one hand, we have a very inclusivist soteriology, in which all except a very few sons of perdition will be saved in a kingdom of glory. On the other hand, there are exclusive ordinances that must be performed by an exclusive priesthood authority in order to receive

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083726835133339222004-05-04T21:13:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:53:09.030-06:00

Traditional Christian arguments against human evolution are unnecessary. As far as I can tell, human evolution poses no threat to traditional Christianity (except for literalistic and inerrantist scriptural interpretations, but there are plenty of other things that are at least as threatening to them as is evolution). The classic traditional Christian theological argument against human evolution,

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083614194297341332004-05-03T13:56:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:53:23.243-06:00

Steve Evans asks a good set of questions about “second chances” over at By Common Consent. Underlying some of the comments there, and underlying much of our common understanding about receiving according to our works and desires in the next life is the assumption of a “final judgment.” This is a term we hear relatively frequently, but where did it come from? The scriptures never speak of the “

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083552945569810362004-05-02T20:55:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:53:43.223-06:00

This may seem trivial, but as one of the priests was preparing to say the sacrament prayer today, he pulled too hard on the little pull-out microphone and it made a kind of popping sound. He was obviously embarrassed at not having pulled it out quietly enough. My wandering mind started to wonder: how did it come about that we have these little pull-out microphones at the sacrament table as

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083305506295386702004-05-01T22:13:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:53:58.276-06:00

Some years ago, my brother in law told me: When I was younger, I thought that college students really knew what they were doing. When I became a college student, I thought that business people really knew what they were doing. When I became a business person, I realized that nobody knows what they're doing; we're all just making it up as we go along. Recently, in the hall at church,

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083305558904491892004-04-30T20:46:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:54:18.516-06:00

President Hinckley tends, generally, to project a very positive outlook regarding the state of the Church and how we are perceived by the world. This was particularly evident around the time of the Olympics, but has been a consistent theme during his presidency. This seems intended to reassure the Saints, but seems to stand in sharp contrast to quotes such as this one from Brigham Young:

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083297445878960322004-04-29T22:35:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:54:50.256-06:00

The current issue of Sunstone has a number of essays on issues dealing with Book of Mormon geography. Brent Metcalfe contributed an essay (PDF) outlining some of the difficulties with the limited geography interpretation. The limited geography interpretation points out the difficulties with the hemispheric interpretation. Trent Stephens explains the difficulties with recent DNA-based criticisms (

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083207350581813392004-04-28T20:55:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:55:52.036-06:00

So, this is what I did to resolve the dilemma of my disagreement with the lesson manual: The manual had a story about a young boy who was given the charge to train a horse for farm work. They could accomplish much more together than either of them could separately, but only if the boy was in charge. I emphasized the idea that the body gives us far greater power than we would otherwise have, and

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1082635221752174562004-04-27T06:31:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:56:08.926-06:00

An interesting discussion was started in early March on the Nauvoo.com Forums, about what to do when you, as a teacher, come across something in the manual that you don't agree with. Specifically, the questions asked were: Suppose that you are a teacher in Church (whether of Sunday School, Primary, RS, MP or whatever). You are preparing your lesson for next week. In reviewing the lesson manual

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083026667552830082004-04-27T06:03:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:56:56.723-06:00

It's been a while since my baptism at age eight, and I don't remember my baptismal interview. My oldest son, Dallin, recently turned eight and will be baptized this Saturday. As I talked to him about his upcoming baptismal interview, I anticipated that the bishop would ask him what baptism meant, why he wanted to be baptized, if he was choosing for himself, if he had a testimony of Jesus, and so

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1083000646099856092004-04-26T11:30:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:57:14.100-06:00

I frequently hear the question, as Kim Siever wonders over at Our Thoughts, “Why is it that children are sealed to parents? What meaning can this have eternally if children are sealed to their own spouses?” While I don't have a definitive answer, the early Latter-day Saints apparently did. Orson Hyde drew up and published a Diagram of the Kingdom of God, with an accompanying editorial in which

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1082853098302620422004-04-25T20:52:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:57:31.220-06:00

Thomas S. Monson, in the priesthood session of October 2000 General Conference, said, “Remember that faith and doubt cannot exist in the same mind at the same time, for one will dispel the other. Cast out doubt. Cultivate faith.” How does one do this? Are there really people out there who don't doubt? (If so, have they really examined their faith?) How does one stop doubting? “Just believe”

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1082820952533958502004-04-24T09:44:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:57:52.160-06:00

Richard Bushman, over on Times & Seasons, asked about the classic questions of the nature of God and his power. I commented about a great quote from Charles W. Penrose (who happens to be my great-great-great-grandfather). The quote is too long to post in a comment there, so I'll post the relevant portion here. You can also read the entire discourse, courtesy of www.mormonfundamentalism.org (the

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1082744532549155242004-04-23T12:22:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:58:42.516-06:00

Steve Evans started a great thread on Atonement analogies over at Times & Seasons. One aspect of the atonement that I have thought quite a bit about that tends to distinguish Mormon approaches to salvation from others is that teaching that salvation is not merely individual, but communal. A few years ago I wrote the following mini-essay focusing on that aspect. Some of my thoughts are similar to

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1082609247864698682004-04-21T23:09:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:58:54.136-06:00

Having recently finished reading Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life, I was struck by the many references during General Conference to World War II. Nibley was among the first to land on D-Day and took away from his experiences there a firm pacifism that continued throughout his life. The several General Authorities who referred to (and served during) WWII in Conference used it as an analogy to the

Christopher Bradford (Grasshopper)http://www.blogger.com/profile/15570059391740402667noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6814666.post-1082606340678467432004-04-21T21:59:00.000-06:002004-05-10T12:59:06.476-06:00

After much reading and commenting in the Bloggernacle, I decided it was time to create my own blog. Online, I go by Grasshopper, but in the “real world”, I am Christopher Bradford. I was given the nickname “Grasshopper” at summer camp when I was about 12 years old, and decided to use it as my online handle when I began posting at Beliefnet in early 2000. I hope this blog will be a fruitful way to

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