-
Welcome to Arras Theme!
Arras Theme is a WordPress theme designed for news or review sites with lots of customisable features.
-
Recent Posts
- Psaltery & Lyre’s New Site
- 123 Psaltery & Lyre: “Agricola Dreams of Flying” by J. Rose Lara
- 122 Psaltery & Lyre: “Communion: a love poem (a villanelle)” by Rachel Bollinger
- Book Review: Philip Metres’s Sand Opera
- 121 Psaltery & Lyre: Rachael Matthews, “Horsehead Nebula”
- Book Review: Monica Ong’s Silent Anatomies
- 120 Psaltery & Lyre: Rachael Matthews, “Return, pt. III” and “Gaia”
- Book Review: Claudia Rankine’s Don’t Let Me Be Lonely
- Book Review: Matthea Harvey, If the Tabloids Are True What Are You?
- Book Review: LoterÃa Cards and Fortune Poems: A Book of Lives
-
Tag Cloud
Book of Mormon books children church Cipher on a Wall creative death epistemology equality faith fakebook families family fear female ordination feminism gender Grondahl homeless humor Joseph Smith kids lds life love marriage memories mind mormon mormonism motherhood music nature ordain women parenthood parenting photography poetry priesthood religion service sex sexuality spirituality women
mormon Archive
-
Cost of Scouting (Equality is not a Feeling, 25.0)
Posted on May 21, 2014 | 80 CommentsToday’s guest post is by Nate Curtis, an endowed member with a current temple recommend. He is currently serving as the stake cub master in Phoenix, Arizona. Nate is an Eagle Scout and a forensic economist. In the past, he has served in bishoprics, as […] -
Unglorifying Motherhood
Posted on May 8, 2014 | 18 CommentsApril showers are over and May flowers are starting to bloom. This beautiful time of year has many people reflecting on the gratitude they feel for their many blessings in life. It is only appropriate, then, that we show this gratitude by celebrating […] -
Equality is not a Feeling, 23.0
Posted on April 2, 2014 | 7 CommentsToday’s Equality is not a Feeling post illustrates the gender of the people involved in church discipline processes. For the uninitiated, there are two levels of church discipline processes: one that occurs at the ward level and another that occurs at the stake […] -
Heber J. Grant, Beer and Sexual Morality
Posted on March 10, 2014 | 31 Commentsby Greg N. I like reading comments on the bloggernacle. Especially when the discussion gets into “heated” territory. With popcorn and drink in hand, I was enjoying the semi-intense back and forth dialogue last month surrounding Tad Callister’s Morality article when I stumbled onto this […] -
Paying it Forward
Posted on March 9, 2014 | 2 Commentsby Gabrielle Crowley Like many Americans, the day-to-day grind has taken a financial toll on our household. We have had to tighten our belts and cut back on non-necessities to help make ends meet. One of those necessities was being able to fly out and […] -
Equality is not a Feeling, 19.0
Posted on March 5, 2014 | 6 CommentsToday’s Equality is not a Feeling post comes to us from a Mormon mother of 11 children who compiled this list after seeing her sons get much more public recognition in church meetings than her daughters. Some of this recognition (or lack of recognition) is […] -
Equality is not a Feeling, 17.0
Posted on February 19, 2014 | 1 CommentToday’s guest post is a continuation of Equality is not a Feeling 16.0, by Laura C., and depicts references to deity (by verse) in our LDS hymnal. [For more posts in this series, click here to see the archive.] -
Equality is not a Feeling, 12.0
Posted on January 15, 2014 | 6 CommentsThe Equality is not a Feeling, 10.0 post teased out some data about the doctrinal density of General Conference talks given by male versus female church leaders. Today’s post is an extension of that post. Using the metric described in Equality is not […] -
Equality is not a Feeling, 11.0
Posted on January 8, 2014 | 14 CommentsToday’s Equality is not a Feeling post takes a quick look at the 2014 Primary Sharing Time outline. I printed out the outline and did a count of the following issues that are relevant to this series, which focuses on gender inequality in the […] -
Equality is not a Feeling, 5.0
Posted on November 6, 2013 | 29 Comments–From Laura C. This week’s “Equality is not a Feeling” post is an illustration of the people needed–according to the Church Handbook of Instructions (Volume 1, Section 9)–in order to establish official church units (e.g., branches, wards, stakes). So, I know this might not really […] -
Ride to Priesthood Session with Ordain Women
Posted on October 27, 2013 | 4 CommentsA couple weeks ago, I flew to Salt Lake City to attend the all-male priesthood session of the General Conference of my church. For the record, plenty of Mormons fly to SLC to attend General Conference. It’s kind of like taking a hajj […] -
80 Psaltery & Lyre: Deja Earley, “And I Remember He’s My Father”
Posted on October 24, 2013 | 1 Comment"I'm Mormon, and as such, long / to scrub babies in sinks, / deliver vegetable casseroles to wakes, / find a husband willing to unclog drains." -
Equality is not a Feeling, 3.0
Posted on October 23, 2013 | 10 CommentsHere’s another installment in my series, Equality is not a Feeling–in which I am trying to illustrate, visually, numerous ways in which (in)equality in the Mormon church can be measured. This one is similar to the first one (Equality is not a Feeling 1.0), […] -
Eshet Chayil
Posted on October 22, 2013 | 3 CommentsEarlier this year, I read Rachel Held Evans’s book A Year of Biblical Womanhood and hosted a Mormon Stories Book Club podcast with Rachel, who is fabulous. Rachel is an evangelical Christian blogger, author, and speaker whose expansive and inclusive worldview I appreciate immensely–especially […] -
An Economic Perspective on Female Ordination
Posted on October 21, 2013 | 7 CommentsToday’s guest post is by S. Mark Barnes, an attorney and a university law and economics instructor. He served a mission in Fukuoka, Japan. He comes from Mormon feminist stock, and is a committed supporter of Ordain Women. He has a profile on Ordain Women. […] -
Equality is Not a Feeling, 2.0
Posted on October 19, 2013 | 34 CommentsI have “equality” on the brain these days. What does it mean? What does it look like? How do you know when you have it and, more importantly, how do you know when you don’t? As Kate Kelly mentioned a couple weeks […] -
Ordain Mormon Women
Posted on October 1, 2013 | 5 CommentsDoves and Serpents just received word that the fantabulous Cate has penned a song for the women (and men) of Ordain Women, who plan to stand in line this Saturday, October 5, in order to get into the priesthood session of General Conference. If […] -
Ride to the Edmund Pettus Bridge
Posted on September 15, 2013 | 7 CommentsGrowing up, I only learned the “standard” stuff about the Civil Rights movement. Pretty much just what was in my Texas-state-adopted-history textbooks, which means that I missed a lot. It wasn’t until I began working on my Ph.D. in curriculum and instruction, in […] -
Ride/Walk to the Tokyo Temple
Posted on August 4, 2013 | 1 CommentOkay, so I’m a bit behind on this ride/walk to church that I’ve been meaning to do since we got back from Tokyo in March. Nonetheless, here it is: On the second day we were in Tokyo, Marin and Stuart went to school with […] -
June: A Tough Pull
Posted on May 31, 2013 | 12 CommentsThe June lesson line-up for the Young Women and Young Men of the church is a tough pull. First, in Sunday School, a whole month of Sundays (there are five in June) on the priesthood. My personal favorite bullet point is the first one: […] -
Parenthood Juggle: Twists and Turns
Posted on February 25, 2013 | 4 CommentsAs I was graduating from BYU with my MBA I got a piece of advice from the assistant dean, herself a single mom whose husband left after she put him through medical school. She was meeting with the women in our graduating class (all 13 […] -
Parenthood Juggle: Academic Freedom
Posted on February 15, 2013 | 3 CommentsDuring these first few years of adjuncting and mothering, my favorite time of day was the afternoon nap. Both of my babies took naps at the same time and sometimes they would both be asleep for several hours. -
Parenthood Juggle: “The Smart Girl”
Posted on February 13, 2013 | 2 CommentsIn my family, we were taught that education was the most important thing to pursue. My parents did not complete their college degrees and always struggled to make ends meet. I knew I never wanted to be in that position and that education was my […] -
Ride to Church in Antigua, Guatemala
Posted on February 10, 2013 | 2 CommentsToday’s Ride to Church comes to us from Emily (a “veteran” Ride to Church-er). In an interesting twist of life, I went on a mission trip with a group of Baptists this summer. We travelled to Antigua, Guatemala to spend a day preparing before […] -
Parenthood Juggle: Musings on Gender Roles in Mormonism
Posted on February 8, 2013 | 4 CommentsSo if you're a stay at home dad, awesome. I salute you as a brother. If you're a full time, cookie baking, stay at home Mom with a Master's degree? Very cool. I love white chocolate with macadamia nut cookies. -
Parenthood Juggle: Figuring It Out As You Go Along
Posted on January 30, 2013 | 7 CommentsHow have we taken care of our little ones? The first year of my son's life was a complicated, sleep-deprived blur, and I'll spare you the details. -
Parenthood Juggle: A Crooked and Twisting Path
Posted on January 23, 2013 | 2 CommentsAnd this is where I am now. I work part-time in my son's school and next year our youngest will join us for part-day kindergarten. The year after that, they will both be at school for six hours a day and I will have enough experience behind me to qualify for tuition support if I decide to earn a teaching certificate. -
How Much Does a Mormon Apostle Make?
Posted on January 8, 2013 | 178 CommentsFor the time being, I believe it is literally impossible to answer these questions appropriately, especially because the Church is far from transparent with its financial information. . . . -
Guest Post Invitation: The Parenthood Juggle
Posted on December 28, 2012 | 10 CommentsI want my daughters (and my son!) to be able to read about other women's struggles. How did they go about deciding what to do and when? -
On Being a Christmasist
Posted on December 19, 2012 | 11 CommentsIn the three years since I lost faith in Mormonism, I’ve tried on more than a few labels to describe my spiritual alignment: agnostic, atheist, humanist. I’m not content with any of them. It’s not that they are wrong, necessarily, but each fails to capture […] -
Pantsgate 2012: There Is Room Enough for All of Us
Posted on December 14, 2012 | 6 CommentsThere is room enough in Christ for all of us. -
Heather Wears Pants
Posted on December 14, 2012 | 28 CommentsI was pregnant with Stuart, my third (and last) child when I decided I wanted to get a Ph.D. By the time he was three months old, I had already started my coursework. It was invigorating. I was excited to be reading […] -
Friendless in East Texas
Posted on December 12, 2012 | 16 CommentsI was born and raised in East Texas and have spent most of my adult life living here or Louisiana. But my parents are originally from California, which means that I don’t really have the necessary social capital required to happily live here. […] -
Three Things
Posted on November 28, 2012 | 4 CommentsWe have two children together, ages 4 and 7, and they spend most of their time with me. Except for when I was attending the singles ward. -
Single Experiences: I, Me, Who is That? Identity and Emancipation as a Single Mormon
Posted on November 9, 2012 | 6 CommentsOccasionally older married folks attempt to throw lifesavers, but their attempts at rescue simply don't work, because the reality is, we are not drowning. We are not invalids. You think we are crazy, desperate, unhappy people. You are wrong. -
An Outsider’s View of the US Election
Posted on November 5, 2012 | 6 CommentsToday’s guest post comes to us from Geoff in Australia. Many Americans live in isolation from the world because your media does not cover stories from the rest of the world, only your local area, and during elections, perhaps the rest of the country. […] -
Though Hard to you, this Journey may Appear. . ..
Posted on November 1, 2012 | 17 CommentsToday’s guest post is written by Marilyn Mehr. One year ago today, I stood on the steps of the Bronx County Courthouse with my spouse, Betty Walker, celebrating our marriage. Filled with pride and wonder, I threw my wedding bouquet to the small party of […] -
Why This Mormon Woman is Voting for Barack Obama
Posted on October 23, 2012 | 17 CommentsToday’s guest post comes to us from Karin Olson of Huntsville, Texas. Yesterday I cast my vote for Barack Obama for president on the first day of early voting in Huntsville, Texas, wishing I lived in a swing state. I see him as the […] -
Single Experiences: Cost-Benefit Analysis from a Single Gay Mormon
Posted on October 21, 2012 | 6 CommentsOf course, there is a third way, which is to stay single and celibate forever. Here again, I'm fulfilling my need to stay in the lines drawn by the church, because this is the church-approved model for gay people right now. -
Richard Dawkins, you’re an ass. Brandon Flowers, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.
Posted on September 16, 2012 | 41 CommentsWhen we hear that a belief is ridiculous, the first thing we should ask ourselves is: ridiculous to whom? -
Unexpected Spiritual Experiences: Sacred Artifacts and Rituals
Posted on August 17, 2012 | 4 CommentsI'm a faithful skeptic, a doubting believer; this is why these spiritual experiences were so unexpected. -
Ride to Church (History Sites in Palmyra, New York)
Posted on August 12, 2012 | No CommentsIn June, we took a family vacation to New York. We spent 6 days in New York City and then rented a car and drove to upstate New York. We met my in-laws in Palmyra, where founding events of the Mormon church took […] -
37 A Mormon in the Cheap Seats: The 1800s Called
Posted on July 25, 2012 | 6 Comments. . . they want their magazine back. -
Teaching Sex: It Seemed Terrifying
Posted on July 2, 2012 | 6 CommentsWhen dating I thoroughly enjoyed cuddling, holding hands, and kissing. I felt guilty for just how much I enjoyed kissing and frightened by the emotions that were raging inside me -
35 A Mormon in the Cheap Seats: A Visit to the Grandin Printing Shop on E. Main
Posted on June 29, 2012 | 10 CommentsI'm in the Grandin Printing Shop on E. Main in Palmyra. An affable guide is doing his best to impose some structure on our visit, but I'm not cooperating. -
34 A Mormon in the Cheap Seats: Charity by Force?
Posted on June 24, 2012 | 9 CommentsAll those in favor of building a new sports stadium, please bring $100 cash and come down this Saturday and Sunday to help pour concrete. . . -
Ride to Pride
Posted on June 10, 2012 | 5 CommentsToday’s Ride to Pride is a slideshow of pictures from last week’s Pride Parade in Salt Lake City, UT in which nearly 300 straight Mormons marched in support of their LGBTQ brothers and sisters. I asked participants to submit pictures of the march and […] -
Teaching Sex: On Reframing Negative Assumptions
Posted on June 9, 2012 | 15 CommentsIt's time to get rid of the "sin next to murder" rhetoric: a closer reading of the text in Alma suggests that Corianton's real sin is religious hypocrisy, not simply sleeping around. -
Teaching Sex: Two Tables?
Posted on June 7, 2012 | 7 CommentsHe walked forward and thrust in his hand. He pulled it back out to reveal . . . the centerfold from the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue! -
Sunday Morning
Posted on June 4, 2012 | 17 CommentsToday’s guest post was originally published by Marion Jensen on his personal blog: The Open Author. Our gratitude to Marion for letting us share this with our readers and to Jennifer Bunker for allowing me to use the photo. ; This morning I marched […] -
32 A Mormon in the Cheap Seats: Wheel of Fortune & Evergreen International, Inc.
Posted on May 28, 2012 | 8 CommentsGroups like Evergreen International only practice science when it's convenient. Like my grandma, when presented with contradictory evidence, they simply turn off the TV, insisting that their answer is better. -
31 A Mormon in the Cheap Seats: Straining at Gnats
Posted on May 24, 2012 | 17 CommentsAah, yes, the "don't sweat the small stuff" argument. It's as familiar as Wonder bread in a sacrament tray. -
Guest Post Invitation: It’s SEX Guest-Post Month
Posted on May 23, 2012 | 9 CommentsIf we approach the question of sex from the perspective that it is our responsibility as parents to teach our kids how TO HAVE sex, how does that change things? -
26 A Mormon in the Cheap Seats: Joanna, Mr. Hancock, and Mormonism Lite
Posted on April 6, 2012 | 49 CommentsAs parents, what do we value more from our four-year-olds? A paint-by-the-numbers portrait identical to what's on the box, or a free-spirited "look, Mom, this is you and Dad in a rocket ship with a cow" masterpiece? -
Mormon Motherhood: Spiritual Buzzkill
Posted on April 4, 2012 | 48 CommentsI’ve been thinking lately about how interesting it is that Mormon church leaders place such high priority on getting married and having children. I mean, if you’re a Mormon girl, you know from a very young age that your primary mission in life is […] -
24 A Mormon in the Cheap Seats: “We know that. . .”
Posted on March 22, 2012 | 51 CommentsI pick it up, open it, and read this sentence on page 3: "We know that gender was set in the premortal world." -
Mind the Gap
Posted on February 1, 2012 | 20 CommentsI recently re-read Carol Lynn Pearson’s amazing No More Goodbyes: Circling the Wagons around Our Gay Loved Ones for the second time because a woman in my very-Mormon book club picked it for us to read. For me, it was at least as inspiring […] -
Mormon RUMPspringa: When Mormons Go Worldly
Posted on December 12, 2011 | 23 CommentsIn light of the silly controversy that occurred last week at BYU-Idaho wherein a female student was denied access to the testing center for wearing skinny jeans, we thought it would be fun and funny to create a place where we could post pictures of […] -
Ride to Affirmation Conference in Kirtland, Ohio
Posted on November 20, 2011 | 2 CommentsToday’s Ride to Church comes to us from Hugo Salinas of Oxford, Ohio, who shared pictures from the annual Affirmation conference in September. Hugo writes: On September 16-18, some 110 LGBT Mormons, along with partners and friends, gathered in Cleveland & Kirtland for our […] -
Around the Dinner Table: Do What You Are
Posted on August 10, 2011 | 9 Comments; [This is kind of cheating because it didn’t actually occur around the dinner table. It occurred in our mini-van, but it was dinner table-esque.] We spent 6 hours last weekend driving to and from our niece’s baptism (a beautiful family affair followed by hours […]