My recent inactivity here notwithstanding, I am still proud of what I and others managed to write for SHAFT this year. Below are the top 15 SHAFT posts of 2011; I think this list compares favorably to last year’s.

Trends in General Conference talks: 1851-2010

The development of LDS temple worship

Gay marriage: A slippery slope to polygamy?

The loneliness of atheism

Jane Manning James: Latter-day Saint and Servant

A gay Mormon’s experience at BYU

Why I like (most) LDS temples

A new focus in the gay rights debate

Two displays of crazy at Sundance

Why it’s probable we live in a simulated reality

Did the Gold Plates exist?

In defense of religious brainwashing

Am I anti-Mormon?

My testimony: A response to Bruce D. Porter

An adult discussion about pornography

Nice work, everyone!

Stenger, a philosopher and physicist, is a among the foremost “new atheist” thinkers. He has written several books about atheism and science, including the bestseller God: The Failed Hypothesis and the critically-acclaimed The New Atheism.

The event, which is being organized by our sister group SHIFT, will be free and open to the public, with free parking available in the visitor parking lot just east of the Union building (just north of OSH). Seating will be first-come-first-served. The doors to the auditorium will be opened 30 minutes before the event.

Here is a campus map to help you find the event.

It promises to be fun and intellectually stimulating, so I hope to see you there!

Several groups, notably the National Academy of Sciences, are encouraging scientists to be more vocal politically and even run for office. Scientists have a lot to contribute to our political discourse, especially where it concerns issues like climate change and stem-cell research. But unfortunately, scientific literacy isn’t a perfect safeguard against believing in silly things.

The Standard-Examiner had an interesting history piece about Ernest L. Wilkinson’s ultra-conservative tenure as BYU president from 1951 to 1971. Wilkinson led a thuggish school spy ring that conducted witch hunts against suspected communists, atheists, homosexuals, and others.

Atheist writer Sam Harris spends another hour on YouTube to answer questions submitted by users of Reddit.com. Topics include science, morality, free will, and religion. Here is the first Q&A session he did back in June.

Dad’s Primal Scream poses some difficult questions to Mormons, many of which deal with the nature of progressive revelation and the role of prophets.

Steve Gershom explains how he’s “doing fine” as a gay, devout Catholic. His is an interesting perspective in that he maintains that homosexuality is a sin.

Fox News received over 8,000 death threats after Blair Scott of American Atheists discussed the group’s lawsuit to stop a cross from being erected at the WTC Memorial on the network’s “America Live”.

There is a growing rift within America’s evangelical Christian community, with an increasing number of conservative Bible scholars doubting the existence of Adam and Eve—something that is widely and uncritically accepted by the laity.

Secularism is gaining ground with every generation in the United States. Even reliably religious demographics like Hispanics, less-educated whites and women have seen a marked decrease in religiosity. That CFI has announced the first ever Women in Secularism conference reflects this trending.

A typo of Biblical proportions: A 1631 printing of the Bible read “Thou shalt commit adultery” instead of “Thou shalt not commit adultery”.

50 renowned (atheist/agnostic) academics speak about god. And another 50, for good measure.

Andrew S. of Irresistible (Dis)Grace explains why ex-Mormons appear to be so angry in an insightful two-part series (part 1, part 2). I addressed this subject in my post “Am I an anti-Mormon” as well.

4 good reasons not to read the Bible literally.

As the LDS Church became more racially sensitive, folklore about Cain and Bigfoot became less pervasive. I suppose the traditional image of Cain as a big black man became less palatable after members’ attitude and the church’s policies toward blacks changed.

A fun, instructional video on how to resign from the LDS Church.

Mormon blogger Joanna Brooks, writing for the Washington Post, debunks 5 myths about Mormonism.

NPR sparked a fury over its report last month on so-called “ex-gay conversion” therapies. Some felt the piece created a false balance and legitimized the discredited practice. Another shortcoming is that it failed to mention that the protagonist is LDS and that the ex-gay programs he attended also had Mormon ties.

A video on the strange powers of the placebo effect.

Doves & Serpents compiled a list of the worst LDS talks. Ezra Taft Benson, Dallin H. Oaks, and Boyd K. Packer are the most frequent repeat offenders.

Wikileaks accidentally released thousands of dangerous documents that revealed the identities of confidential agents and sources. Earlier this year, I wrote a post critical of Wikileaks for leaking similarly life-threatening information.

A US pastor calls for a national registry for atheists. His justification: “There are already national registries for convicted sex offenders, ex-convicts, terrorist cells, hate groups like the KKK, skinheads, radical Islamists, etc..” Here is The Thinking Atheist’s video response.

My friend Dan writes about his encounter with homophobia at a Logan physical therapy clinic.

New York Times editor Bill Keller asks us to “confront our scruples about the privacy of faith in public life—and to get over them.” He argues that we ought to ask tougher questions about candidates’ religions, and Joanna Brooks volunteers a few questions to ask Huntsman and Romney about their Mormon faith.

17 misconceptions about evolution and their responses.

Why we don’t need religion to be moral or have an objective moral worldview.

The Book of Morma is the feminine counterpart to the Book of Mormon. From the book’s site: “In this imaginary parallel universe, a female Goddess has established a plan of salvation and ordained her only borne Daughter to be the Savioress of the world.  Priestesses and prophetesses bring the heavenly messages to the people through a matriarchal order.” I love this project, because the real Book of Mormon has a curious dearth of women in it.

The Boston Globe gives a brief history of Mormons’ involvement in politics.

Salt Lake City ranks 3rd for same-sex couples among mid-sized US cities, behind Fort Lauderdale and Berkeley. The number of reported same-sex couples living together in Utah jumped 73 percent over the past decade, according to recently released Census data. And while Utah as a whole strongly opposes gay marriage, a majority of young Utahns support it.

Dr. Michael Coe, arguably the preeminent scholar in Mesomerican studies, talks to Mormon Stories about the ever-elusive Book of Mormon geography and archeology.

Mormon Stories also interviewed LDS scholar and apologist Daniel C. Peterson. I often disagree with Peterson on Mormonism, but I agree with much of his critical review of Christopher Hitchen’s book God is Not Great.

My friend Neal runs an amateur Mormon apologetics blog, and in his most recent post, he asks that Mormons abandon this popular but false argument for the Book of Mormon’s historicity.

Speaking of religious apologetics, philosopher William Lane Craig is among the foremost defenders of Christianity and a seasoned debater. Craig has requested a debate with Richard Dawkins, but Dawkins has not taken him up on the invitation.

Those atheists who have debated Craig have almost uniformly lost—including Hitchens, who is himself an experienced and spirited debater. Only Yale professor Shelly Kagan has soundly bested Craig, in my opinion.

FLDS leader Warren Jeffs was recently sentenced to life for child rape, and it seems he has been attempting suicide—perhaps hoping to be a martyr—while in jail. He is in serious condition, and is having to be force-fed to be kept alive.

With polygamy back in the news, some comparisons between Jeffs and Joseph Smith have been made. I don’t think the comparison is fair or apt, but then again, Smith had the benefit of not living in an age of video cameras and tape recorders.

An analysis of the LDS Church’s highly effective SEO practices. (SEO stands for “search engine optimization”; the church has been successful in dominating search results and driving traffic to its sites.)

100 facts every teen atheist must know. My list of must-know facts would’ve been different, but it’s an interesting and informative list all the same.

Girls locked up inside fundamentalist religious compounds. Kandahar? No, Missouri.

Michelle Bachmann recently hired Peter Waldron to her campaign staff. Waldron has been accused of and arrested for terrorism in Uganda. He was also a prominent proponent of Uganda’s internationally-decried “Kill the Gays” bill.

Contrary to many think, Muslim Americans are the staunchest opponents of military attacks on civilians compared with members of other major religious groups Gallup has studied in the United States.

Magician and atheist Penn Jillette has a new book out, God, No!. Something about practicing magic seems to lend itself to atheism.

Atheists generally have an aversion to the word “belief”, especially in the context of the evolution/creationism debate, because it has a religious connotation and is often confused to mean mere opinion. CFI blogger Michael De Dora argues that his fellow atheists needn’t harbor such reservations about “belief”.

Brandon Pearce shares his essay on why he left the LDS Church.

A concert event (“Rock Beyond Belief”) organized by atheist, agnostic and other non-theist soldiers has been cleared by the Army to take place next spring at Fort Bragg.

The Mormon blog Millennial Star compares apostasy to conspiracy thinking. The comparison may sound offensive or absurd at first blush, but the author’s discussion of the issue is thoughtful.

The New Yorker explains how a godless universe isn’t devoid of meaning and how secularism can be a positive affirmation of the here and now.

Arguably, an 800-page compilation of the best essays of Christopher Hitchens’ career, came out this weekend. It may well be his last book, as Hitchens was diagnosed with cancer last year.

Jack, you’re an incredibly courageous person. Thanks for sharing your inspiring story! I regret not having gotten to know you better while at USU.

Despite my being less prolific as of late, the site still enjoyed increased traffic this year. And, like last year, we also won several Brodies (the Oscars of the Mormon/ex-Mormon blogosphere) for 2010: “Best News Reporting”, “Best LDS Church Watch”, and “Best Science Piece”. SHAFT has won a total of five Brodies, more than any other website.

Here are some of the site’s stats over two years of activity:

• 161,792 visits
• 273,608 pageviews
• Traffic sources: Reddit.com (30%), direct/none (19%), Google (14%), Facebook (14%)
• Average time on site: 2:30 minutes
• 399 posts
• 4,330 comments
• Top content: Worst superhero partner ever, Why it’s probable we live in a simulated reality, BYU censors letters to the editor critical of Prop 8
• Viewed in 173 countries/territories (82% of the visits came from the US, and 39% of those from Utah)

And here are last year’s stats, for comparison.

Thank you once again for your continued support and readership! It has been difficult to maintain the blog this year with work and all, but I’ll do my best to update it at least once or twice a week. If you want to regularly write for us or contribute a guest post, please express your interest in the comments.

Let’s hope next year’s update reports similarly impressive growth. With your help, I trust it will.

The first issue of the revamped Student Review will create buzz across campus when it is published in September, but it will hardly be the first time that sort of excitement was felt at Brigham Young University over an independent student paper.

BYU’s first newspaper was created before it was even a university.  In 1891, students at Brigham Young Academy, as it was called at the time, read the BYA Student, a paper “managed exclusively by the students.” The paper lasted five months.

In 1897, the White and Blue published its first issue, running such controversial stories as words grandmothers would be shocked to hear their college-aged granddaughters say (Some of the phrases were “dog gone,” “rubber neck” and “hot time”).

The White and Blue soon changed its name to the Y News. In the early 1930s, conflict with university administration over a controversial story led to the resignation of the staff. For the rest of the year, the paper was run by the forerunner to today’s BYUSA. Editorial control was returned to the paper the following year, but editors were carefully screened. In 1948, the paper got a final name change—the Universe—and in 1955, slapped Daily in front of it when it began publishing five days a week.

In the 1960s, protest and unrest rocked college campuses across the nation. BYU President Ernest Wilkinson was worried about preserving the university from “the world,” and hoped it could be “an island of tranquility in a sea of violent turbulence.” Among the efforts put forth to ensure this was tightening control over the Universe.

In 1962, the student editor resigned after the paper was criticized for running stories about BYU students who committed crimes (they were pressured to write about the crimes, but make no mention the perpetrators were BYU students) and editorials critical of the student government candidates.

“If editorial comment is to be curtailed, there is no need for an editor,” wrote Paul Richards, the editor, after resigning. “An advertising staff can publish a bulletin board.”

In a 1969 administrative memo, topics deemed unsuitable for publication in the Universe were discussed including war, morals, economics, social problems, law, crime and punishment, housing and “other issues as may be identified by the Board of Trustees.” There was even talk of changing the paper from a student-run publication to one edited by the administration. The dean of the College of Fine Arts and Communications, Lorin Wheelwright, said if that course of action was taken, however, the university could “expect some form of underground student paper to arise with a tremendous following.”

Such independent papers had popped up from time to time. The Student Statesmen (1962), The Olive Lead (1968), Zion’s Opinion (1969), Logos (1969), and The Centennial Free Press (1975) were among the initial attempts, but none had a sustainable run. It wasn’t until 1981 that Wheelwright’s prophecy of a wildly popular underground paper came true. That year, the Seventh East Press was published and established itself as the most successful of the student-initiated independent newspapers yet.

The paper started when student Ron Priddis sold his car to initially finance the project. Surprisingly, the administration allowed the paper to be distributed on campus as long as it did not publish content that violated the honor code. Student subscriptions of $2.50 a semester and campus sales of a dime a copy bolstered the funding provided by donations and ads. After a series of controversial articles, however, the top advertiser, BYU’s  student government, cut ties with the paper in 1983, essentially killing it.

The Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges said that although the paper’s demise didn’t risk the university’s accreditation, it was worrisome.

“If the practice of banning conflicting points of view becomes widespread and [restricts] faculty and students in their pursuit of truth, the accreditation of an institution is jeopardized,” the organization said.

In 1986, the original Student Review began. More than 60 students showed up to an informational meeting after seeing flyers across campus that asked ”Tired of the Universe?” Learning from the mistakes of the Press and making the most of new technology like personal computers and desktop publishing software, the Review quickly became the biggest independent newspaper in BYU history.

The Review reached an off-campus circulation peak of 10,000 and was a hit with students. Its humorous columns and features kept the student body laughing, while articles on topics the Universe wasn’t allowed to touch kept them thinking. In 1990, the Review contributed to taking down the congressional campaign of Karl Snow, a BYU faculty member, when they published a story investigating his business practices. In 1993, Review staffers received threatening phone calls after running controversial story about BYU athletes and the honor code that the Universe rejected. Hundreds of papers were stolen in an attempt to keep the story from reaching reader’s eyes.

In 1997, the Review printed its last issue. Since then, various students have attempted underground publications or blogs, but limited or non-existent business plans and small groups of students working on them limited their run.

After 14 years without an independent newspaper with the same level of reach as the Student Review, a group of dedicated students have worked this summer to bring it back. Learning the lessons of their predecessors and aided by online publishing and communication technology, the revived Review promises to surpass previous publications in its readership and value it adds to the BYU student community.

Want to know more? Check out The Lord’s University: Freedom and Authority at BYU by Bkrkyan Waterman and Brian Kagel.

That said, the musical did get several things wrong about Mormonism, especially where its history and theology are concerned. The musical was guilty of the fashionable claim that Joseph Smith never let anyone see or handle the gold plates, instead (quickly and conveniently) returning them to the angel Moroni. The implication, of course, is that Joseph Smith never had the gold plates; a point Stone and Parker also belabored in the South Park episode “All About Mormons.”

The story of Mormonism’s origins and the gold plates is vastly more nuanced, however. In this post, I’ll argue that Joseph Smith actually had gold plates (or a passable substitute). Contrary to popular belief outside of Mormonism, Smith did reveal the gold plates to a number people—namely the 11 witnesses, but a few others as well.

In fairness to Stone and Parker, there are serious critics of Mormonism who contend that Smith never had the plates, and that the witnesses’ experiences were visionary in nature, not literal or material. Fawn Brodie in No Man Knows My History and Grant H. Palmer in An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins take this approach, for the most part.

I’m ultimately convinced this view cannot adequately explain all of witnesses’ accounts (for reasons I’ll make clear later), but it’s not totally unfounded. Frontier America in the early 19th-century was a hotbed of superstition and religious fervor. Reports of visions and revelations were commonplace, as were occultist practices and folk magic. As a young adult, Joseph Smith supplemented his family’s meager farm income by ‘treasure-digging’, whereby he would use seer stones to locate buried treasure (though he never successfully recovered any). Olivery Cowdery, a Book of Mormon witness, believed in the efficacy of divining rods. And Martin Harris, another witness, was incredibly susceptible to religious persuasion, having changed faiths at least five times throughout his life.

So for many of the witnesses, the line between the magic/spiritual and the real was blurred, and this is evident in their remarks about the gold plates. When Martin Harris was asked whether he saw the plates with his natural eye, he responded, “No, I saw them with a spiritual eye.” Other times, he claimed to have seen the plates with his “eye of faith” or in a vision. David Whitmer, reputed to be the most rational of the three witnesses, admitted later in life that he didn’t see an angel so much as feel an “impression” of it.

The testimony of eight witnesses found at the beginning of the Book of Mormon more clearly suggests a physical experience, as it claims that the eight handled the plates and inspected its engravings. It’s important to note, however, that the witnesses didn’t write the statement, they only signed onto it. And of the eight, only three reported having seen or touched the plates themselves. John Whitmer, one of the eight witnesses, stated that the plates were shown to him “by a supernatural power.” If the plates were a material object, what role need a supernatural power play?

It is for these reasons that some doubt the literalness of the witnesses’ experiences and the very existence of the gold plates. But despite all this, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that Joseph Smith had something physical, because several accounts of the gold plates cannot easily be explained away as wholly imagined.

The first account that challenged my former belief that the plates never existed was the following statement by Emma Smith:

The plates often lay on the table without any attempt at concealment, wrapped in a small linen tablecloth, which I had given him to fold them in. I once felt of the plates, as they thus lay on the table, tracing their outline and shape. They seemed to be pliable like thick paper, and would rustle with a metallic sound when the edges were moved by the thumb, as one does sometimes thumb the edges of a book….

I long knew about people having seen the plates hidden under a cloth, but never thought much of it. It’d be easy to hide something under a cloth and claim it’s the plate. That he’d have the covered plates unattended and in plain view is more interesting. Perhaps Smith felt secure that no one would take a peak at the plates, for he warned of spiritual calamity for those who did. No, what I find the most compelling about Emma’s account is her actually feeling the pages of the book through the cloth.

Martin Harris too, who usually cast his experiences in spiritual or visionary terms, claimed to have held the plates on his knee for half an hour, examining them “plate by plate.” In Whitmer’s last interview, he similarly reported to have handled the plates uncovered. His account is particularly impressive, because, while all of the three witnesses apostatized at some point, only Whitmer never rejoined. And still, he retained a testimony of the gold plates as a physical reality.

Another evidence for the plates’ physicality is that the reports of their dimensions, weight, and color are fairly consistent. It is largely agreed that the plates were 7 by 8 inches, had the thickness of a tin sheet, weighed about 60 pounds, and had the appearance of gold. It is difficult to make sense of this consistency were the plates merely the figment of others’ subjective imaginations.

The totality of the testimonies, notwithstanding the spiritual trappings of some accounts, then suggest that Joseph Smith possessed actual, material plates.

Let’s entertain the possibility that Joseph Smith had the gold plates. Does it necessarily follow that Smith was a prophet or that Mormonism is true? No. As I mentioned earlier, Smith made a modest career digging for buried Spanish and ancient American treasure. It’s remotely possible that he actually uncovered gold plates in one of his treasure-digging projects and might have mistaken them to be a history of ancient American peoples called Nephites and Lamanites, just as he mistook Egyptian funerary papyri to be the writings of Abraham.

Even if Book of Mormon is an accurate translation of the plates, it doesn’t mean that Smith was a prophet beyond that. Indeed, David Whitmer held that Smith’s divine commission largely ended with the translation of the gold plates, and that he was a fallen prophet with his subsequent revelations, especially polygamy.

Then there is the possibility that Smith and/or co-conspirators fashioned together a prop to pass for gold plates. This is an uncomfortable position, because the conclusion that Smith was, at least initially, a deliberate fraud is almost inescapable.

Why might he have done this? It’s impossible to know for sure. I suspect a slight financial motive, if not for himself, then for his destitute family. Yet I imagine there must have been easier money-making schemes than starting a new religion!* Consequently, the prevailing theory among secular scholars of Mormonism is that Joseph Smith’s primary motive was instead religious—that he was a “pious fraud” who sincerely hoped to bring people to Christ through the Book of Mormon.

The question of motives aside, would it have been possible to create a convincing enough prop to fool the witnesses? I think so; look to the historical cases of the Voree and Kinderhook plates.

During the 1844 succession crisis following Joseph Smith’s death, James Strang was able to convince thousands of Mormons to join his breakaway sect. Early on, Strang enjoyed the support of several Book of Mormon witnesses, prominent Mormon leaders, and all but a few of Joseph Smith’s family. Like Smith, he professed to have translated an ancient American document called the Voree plates by the power of god. But unlike Smith, he made these plates readily accessible for public viewing. The evidence points to Strang having manufactured these plates from ordinary tea kettle brass, but, even after close inspection, thousands believed in their historicity and Strang’s prophetic pretensions.

Joseph Smith himself was fooled by the fraudulent Kinderhook plates—a proven hoax intended to expose Joseph Smith as a charlatan. Smith was presented the plates and asked to interpret them. He never translated the plates, but he did erroneously declare them to be a history of one of Ham’s descendants. The LDS Church maintained that the plates were authentic well into the 20th century.

Because others were able to fabricate seemingly ancient plates, Joseph Smith could have done the same. And given the credulity of many of the witnesses, in addition to Joseph Smith’s charismatic and persuasive personality, a relatively crude prop might have done the trick. (Please note, though, that there is no hard evidence that Smith ever did create such a prop.)

Once we grant the physical existence of the plates, provocative questions remain, like, “Where are the plates now?” They could have been destroyed, hidden, or lost. The Kinderhook plates, for example, went missing for many decades, and the whereabouts of the Voree plates is still a mystery. According to LDS lore, the gold plates were returned to the angel Moroni or deposited in a cave within the Hill Cumorah.

Countless questions surround the origins of Mormonism, and I doubt we’ll ever definitively answer all of them. I think with this post, I probably raised more questions than I answered. But it is precisely this enigmatic and elusive quality to early Mormonism that interests me. Its history is often more complex than its believers and critics realize. That’s certainly true regarding the gold plates.

Needless to say, I don’t find the church’s explanation of the gold plates plausible, but neither am I entirely satisfied with the naturalistic account I’ve sketched here. And while it’s not my burden to provide an exhaustive explanation, it is an interesting subject to discuss. I look forward to your thoughts.

*A good point was raised in the comments. It’d be wrong to assume that Joseph Smith always intended to use the plates to start a religion. They might have been an extension of his treasure-digging at first and only later took on religious significance.

My favorite online course has been a series of lectures on morality by Harvard philosophy professor Michael Sandel. The first installment explores the “moral side of murder” and introduces utilitarianism. Other episodes discuss the role of government, gay marriage, economic justice, and countless other issues through the lens of various moral paradigms.

Harrison Ames argues that the frequent use of corrective words and phrases like “rather” and “in other words” in the Book of Mormon is more consistent with dictation than inspired translation.

A preview of this year’s Sunstone conference, August 3-6 in Ogden.

New rule: When you lose your religion, you must blog about it. In keeping with this rule, ex-Mormon Tyler Young has posted his essay “Why I Left” as a public Google doc.

Introducing the new Scientific American blog network, home to dozens of science-oriented blogs.

How Google is changing your brain and impairing your memory.

If non-Mormons in Utah were their own state, polls show that it’d be the bluest state in the union. And given that Mormons are the most conservative religious group in the country, that makes Utah the most polarized state.

The New York Times covers the Hill Cumorah Pageant, the Mormon spectacle you won’t see on Broadway.

BYU law professor Frederick Gedicks gives a lecture on the LDS Church’s demographic trajectory, noting that the church’s growth in the last decade has been stagnant and that nearly as many people are leaving the church as converting to it.

You Are Not So Smart reminds us that we’re bad at assessing and understanding our own feelings.

LDS scholar Grant Hardy lists 10 things everyone should know about the Book of Mormon.

5 myths atheists believe about religion. And by way of rebuttal: 5 faulty arguments religious people use against atheists.

How gay marriage became thinkable for a generation of young Americans.

Dalai Lama: “I am a Marxist, but not a Leninist.”

A Fox News anchor declares on air that Romney is “not a Christian”—a claim that went totally unchallenged by her fellow co-hosts.

Do atheists belong in the interfaith movement? This is a question of particular interest to SHAFT, as we occasionally get invited to participate in interfaith discussion panels.

Business Week on why Mormon missions produce business and civic leaders.

A University of Chicago study found that a person’s morality changes with age in large part due to evolving brain circuity.

Mormons aren’t known for their sense of humor, but this clip from “Latter-Day Night Live” is a pretty funny parody of church talk cliches. This Mormon cover of Cee-Lo Green’s “Fuck You” (retitled “For the Strength of You”) is not so funny, however.

An unscientific online survey of ex-Mormons yields some interesting results.

164 years ago yesterday (Pioneer Day), Mormon pioneers settled what is now Utah in order to freely practice their religion and nontraditional marriage. How appropriate it is then that yesterday was also the first day that gay marriage is legal in New York, the birthplace of Mormonism.

Bill McKeever of Mormon Research Ministries explains his techniques for witnessing to Mormons.

ABC 4, a Utah news station, found it newsworthy that Jon Huntsman said “bullshit” in a casual interview with Esquire.

Dr. Richard Carrier debated Christian apologist JP Holding on the textual reliability of the New Testament.

A majority of medical students surveyed believe that doctors should be allowed to object to any procedure that conflicts with their personal, moral, or religious beliefs.

Ron Howard and Dustin Lance Black are working on a new project: a film adaptation of Krakauer’s “Under the Banner of Heaven.” And Ricky Gervais is coming out with a new show about an atheist that dies and goes to heaven.

Austrian man and “Pastafarian” wins the right to wear a pasta strainer in his license photo.

Apologist Josh McDowell tells Christian youth that the internet is the greatest threat to their faith.

Common Sense Atheism on why and how to debate charitably.

I apologize for not being my normal prolific self lately. Maybe I need a brief stint in prison; it seems to remedy writer’s block.

When news of the bombing and massacre in Norway broke, many people suspected the culprit to be a Muslim extremist. Yet it turns out that the killer Anders Breivik may instead be a Christian fundamentalist. Sam Harris argues that European nationalism and racism is more to blame, however.

Uganda made news last year with its consideration of a bill that’d make homosexuality a capital offense punishable by death. Africa’s LGBT community has new cause for concern, as Ghana moves to arrest all gays and lesbians in that country.

KSL investigates the case of the missing ‘t’ in Utah’s peculiar pronunciation. I never thought I had much of an accent myself, but when I went to New York for a secular leadership conference, my nickname was “country boy.”

Mormon.org is a site where Mormons can create profiles with which to share their faith. The LDS Church monitors the site closely, so I am surprised that this unorthodox/uncorrelated profile is still up.

There is a longstanding divide between Israel’s secular Jews and the right-wing rabbinical community. That divide has widened recently as hundreds of conservative rabbis endorse a book, the King’s Torah, that justifies the killing of non-Jews.

An atheist confronts President Obama at a townhall last week over his position on federal subsidies to religious organizations.

Prominent atheists share their reasons for nonbelief with the New Statesman.

The Catholic Church makes a $50 million dollar bid for a large crystal Cathedral, which I think looks like something out of “The Wizard of Oz.”

Bible scholar Bart Ehrman discusses his new book Forged and writes in the Huffington Post the top things that didn’t make it into the Bible.

Woody Allen interviews famed televangelist Billy Graham, and they actually seem to enjoy each other’s company.

“Nightline” does a special on exorcism in America.

Why is there anything, rather than nothing at all? Philosophers Leibniz and Heidegger find this to be the most fundamental question. But perhaps the question is ill-posed.

Atheist writer Austin Cline explains the principle of Occam’s Razor.

Conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer explained in a 2006 Washington Post editorial how the legalization of polygamy follows logically from gay marriage:

After all, if traditional marriage is defined as the union of (1) two people of (2) opposite gender, and if, as advocates of gay marriage insist, the gender requirement is nothing but prejudice, exclusion and an arbitrary denial of one’s autonomous choices in love, then the first requirement — the number restriction (two and only two) — is a similarly arbitrary, discriminatory and indefensible denial of individual choice.

The relative success of gay marriage, it seems, has already inspired new efforts to legalize polygamy. Last week, George Washington law professor Jonathan Turley filed a legal challenge to Utah’s anti-polygamy statutes on behalf of his plaintiffs, Kody Brown and his four wives. The Browns are the subject of the hit reality show “Sister Wives.”

I am somewhat unfazed by the possibility that polygamy would ride the coattails of gay marriage. Where it concerns consensual relationships between and among adults, I’m fairly libertarian. The ACLU’s policy statement on polygamy reflects my view:

The ACLU believes that criminal and civil laws prohibiting or penalizing the practice of plural marriage violate constitutional protections of freedom of expression and association, freedom of religion, and privacy for personal relationships among consenting adults.

To elaborate further, I think that polygamy should be decriminalized—that is, people should not be fined or imprisoned for the practice. That’s the extent of my support, though. I do not believe that polygamy should be afforded the same societal sanction or benefits that monogamous relationships enjoy. Now given my support of gay marriage, my stance on polygamy might appear to be a discriminatory double standard.

Contra Krauthammer, however, I do not believe that the same logic undergirding gay marriage can be extended to support polygamy. Gay marriage and polygamy are fundamentally different issues, and as such, my reasons for supporting both are different.

Blogger Andrew Sullivan is a gay marriage advocate and a polygamy opponent, and he defends his position this way:

Polygamy is bad social policy for exactly the reason gay marriage is good social policy: everyone should have the opportunity to marry. Broad access to marriage important not only for individual wellbeing but for social stability. And, to oversimplify only a little, when one man gets two wives, some other man gets no wife.

In other words, polygamy is a zero-sum game. And whereas gay marriage increases access to the institution of marriage, polygamy restricts it. I deny that there has historically been a static or traditional form of marriage, but I do agree with conservatives that marriage is a basic unit of society. So because polygamy destabilizes the institution of marriage, it threatens—if more widely practiced—to destabilize society as well.

This concern isn’t merely hypothetical, nor is it hyperbole. Similar charges have been made against gay marriage, but nothing in our limited experience with gay marriage suggests any adverse social consequences. Polygamy has existed in virtually every society in recorded history, so we are able to better evaluate its consequences. And looking to the historical record, we find that societies that adopted polygamy were more often undemocratic and unegalitarian.

Political scientists Valerie M. Hudson and Andrea M. den Boer contend that this phenomenon is no accident. They published a summary of their research in a Washington Post article, writing:

Scarcity of women leads to a situation in which men with advantages—money, skills, education—will marry, but men without such advantages—poor, unskilled, illiterate—will not. A permanent subclass of bare branches [unmarriageable men] from the lowest socioeconomic classes is created.

They go on to add that this subclass is “more likely than other males to turn to vice and violence” and “may turn to appropriation of resources, using force if necessary.” This and other deleterious impacts materialize when the sex ratio is roughly 120 males to 100 females—a threshold that could conceivably be met were polygamy legal.

(For more about Hudson and den Boer’s research, I’d refer you to this article by Jonathan Rauch in Reason magazine.)

Then of course you have the more predictable (but equally serious) objections that polygamy is a patriarchal institution that oppresses women and engenders feelings of jealousy and hurt. I don’t doubt that there are exceptions to this general rule—the shows “Big Love” and “Sister Wives” offer a sympathetic (or at least benign) portrayal of polygamy. But many other accounts of polygamous life, like this one by Vance and Tana Allred, report a darker reality.

In light of all this, one might ask why I still support decriminalizing polygamy. The social ills that tend to travel with polygamy notwithstanding, it is still protected under the constitutional rights to assembly and religious freedom.

More than that, we know from the Short Creek, Arizona raid in 1953 that a punitive approach to polygamy backfires. Seeing families torn apart by law enforcement (understandably) garners the public’s sympathy. The best approach may well be to simply ignore polygamy and tolerate its existence as a fringe practice.

Because of the aforementioned distinctions between gay marriage and polygamy, the slope to legalized polygamy isn’t nearly as slippery as some would have you believe. That we are revisiting the polygamy, though, is definitely a byproduct of the gay marriage debate. But I welcome a thoughtful discussion about polygamy, and I hope to have contributed to it here.

After being teased at work for believing the Rapture would occur on May 21st, Dale O’Callaghan brought a gun to the office and shot a coworker (who thankfully is expected to recover).

Sam Harris makes a thoughtful case for the responsible use of drugs. He notes that everything we do, from eating our favorite foods to forming friendships, is about altering one’s consciousness. Drugs are another means to this end, and, when used responsible, can yield life insights.

John Dehlin, of Mormon Stories fame, is conducting a study with USU psychology professor Dr. Renee Galliher about the experiences of LGBT Mormons/ex-Mormons. If you’re the target demographic, please take this survey.

7 Scientology secrets you didn’t know. (I’m not too familiar with Scientology; anyone care to dispute these supposed secrets?) In a similar list: 7 ‘ancient’ forms of mysticism that are recent inventions.

Joseph Smith’s youngest son, David Hyrum Smith, is one of the most interesting (and neglected) figures in Mormon history. David was a leader in the RLDS church, but harbored serious religious doubts. He suffered from depression, and was institutionalized for 27 years at an insane asylum. His biographer Valeen Avery also suggests that he might have been gay.

Journalism fail: A local Memphis TV news reporter mocks Mitt Romney’s Mormonism. Totally inappropriate.

When Christians in North American cry persecution, I’m often inclined to roll my eyes. But there’s no denying that Christians endure bitter persecution in many parts of the world. Voice of the Martyrs is an organization that spotlights the most egregious violations of Christians’ religious freedoms.

Andrew S. (the brains behind Irrestible (Dis)Grace) has been fairly prolific as of late. I want to recommend two posts of his: one about his dull, prudish, naive atheist life, and the other on the irrelevance of Mormonism.

Last summer, I argued that the dearth of evidence for the destruction recorded in Third Nephi constitutes evidence against the Book of Mormon’s historicity. But at his Mormon apologetics blog, my friend Neal offers a possible piece of evidence: a recently discovered submerged Mayan city.

LDS scholar and apologist Daniel C. Petersen writes in the Deseret News that the faithful must unfailingly follow the prophet, even when you believe the prophet is wrong. Divine voluntarism is alive and well in Mormonism.

Contra Daniel C. Peterson, professor Bradley Borden argues that Mormons needn’t be of like mind in subservience to the prophet. “The rich diversity of Mormons illustrates that there is no such thing as an orthodox (or unorthodox) Mormon. Such labels merely serve to perpetuate a stereotype.”

There’s nothing like a video about the boundless expanse of the universe to make you feel very small.

Sam Harris takes an hour to answer questions submitted by users of Reddit.com—questions about atheism, morality, and other issues.

The Irreligiosophy podcast interviewed atheist and ‘Bible Geek’ Robert Price, whose latest book contends that the Book of Mormon is a work of pseudepigrapha.

California passes a bill requiring its public schools to teach gay history, accomplishments. (Contrast that with a bill that passed in Tennessee a couple of months ago prohibiting any discussing of homosexuality before secondary school.) Hopefully the California bill will foster tolerance among students so as to prevent school shootings like this one.

The LDS Church released a statement on political neutrality, mandating that church leaders abstain from certain political activities. This comes in the wake of learning that church leaders have donated to political candidates.

The Onion: “Mormon Teen Loses Inhibitions After Third Benadryl.”

Sex-advice columnist Dan Savage argues that fidelity in marriage is unreasonable and unrealistic. How ’bout that sanctity of marriage? I’m reminded of Senator Penrose’s quip during the Smoot hearings that it’s better to be “a polygamist who doesn’t polyg than a monogamist who doesn’t monag.^“

The internet comic Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal humorously illustrates why most theodicies for the problem of evil fail.

Common Sense Atheism has a thought-provoking post about the problems of heaven. Among them: If there is no evil in heaven, is there then no free will? And if you can have free will in heaven without evil, then why have evil in this life?

A leading neuroscientist writes in The Atlantic that free will is an illusion, and that we must reform our criminal justice system to accommodate this fact.

Philosopher Paul Snowden revisits Locke’s man/person distinction. The piece involves involves an advanced discussion about dualism and animalism.

The History Channel show “How the States Got Their Shapes” does an episode on how religion has influenced our geography. Of particular interest to this audience, the episode discusses Mormonism and the shape of Utah.

Matt McCormick, a professor of atheology (the study of atheism) at CSUS, published an essay on the unlikelihood of life after death.

This month, a BYU film professor Kendall Wilcox came out as gay. He is producing a film about his journey as a gay Mormon, and how he hopes to retain both his faith and sexual identity. This man’s experience as a homosexual in the LDS Church led him to leave the church, however.

John Shook, resident philosopher at the Center for Inquiry (of which SHAFT is an affiliate), asks, “What does healthy humanism look like?”

A USU buddy of mine, Justin Jerez, was cited last week with a misdemeanor of flag abuse. He and some friends protested the war in Afghanistan and the ballooning national debt by writing “Children of Debt, Inheritors of War” on an American flag and displayed it upside down as they walked in the Logan 4th of July parade. The (unconstitutional) charges were later dropped. I’ve invited Justin to publish his experiences here, and I hope he does soon.

6 pro-gay marriage arguments for fighting with crazy people.

Mitt Romney is seeming less and less like a stiff, stuffy suit. He said he has plans to see the “The Book of Mormon”,  the critically-acclaimed Broadway musical by the creators of “South Park.” He also made a joke about his temple garments.

I could tolerate a President Romney, but a President Bachmann would be intolerable. I like her all the less after reading this report connecting her to the ex-gay Christian ministry movement.

I cannot wait to see the documentary “Tabloid”, which will be playing in Salt Lake City later this month. The documentary tells the story of a young woman who kidnapped a Mormon missionary and kept him as her sex slave.

July 10th marked the 154th birthday of the late eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla.

British journalist Johann Hari gave an impassioned and stirring defense of free speech at this year’s Independent Voices event.

Earlier this year, I wrote a critical article about Wikileaks. Well, Wikileaks has captured my attention again with a coversation/debate between Julian Assange and Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek. To watch just the highlights, go here.

Skepchick blogger Rebecca Watson ignited a flame war by suggesting it was inappropriate for a guy to ask her to his room in an empty elevator at 4:00 AM.  The entire atheist blogosphere has been consumed lately by a nasty debate, with critics claiming Watson is being hypersensitive, and supporters applauding her for raising awareness about sexism within the atheist community. Even Richard Dawkins has weighed in, and his dismissive response has caused many atheists to turn on him.

During the 4th of July weekend, Alan at Pure Mormonism urged his fellow Mormons not to pledge allegiance to the flag, calling it misguided patriotism and idol worship.

It’s a lie that there are no atheists in foxholes. And activists campaigning for greater acceptance for atheists within the military have found a surprising ally: Army chaplains.

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. My friend Joey has decided to do his own ‘link bomb’ posts at his LDS-themed blog.

The book is a documentary history comprised of official LDS documents and church leaders’ personal writings spanning 1846 to 2000. The fact that the book pulls from these official sources is both its strength and weakness. Because it avoids non-Mormon/ex-Mormon sources, it doesn’t read like an angry polemic or exposé. On the other hand, because we only get the LDS leadership perspective, we a get a limited view of the temple ceremonies.

The title, The Development of LDS Temple Worship, is actually a bit of a misnomer. The book isn’t concerned so much about temple worship as it is temple policies. And to the extent that the book discusses temple worship, it’s always sensitive not to disclose those aspects that Mormons hold sacred. If you’re more interested in the particulars of the temple ceremonies, I’d recommend David Buerger’s Mysteries of Godliness.

I don’t intend for this post to suffice as a review of Anderson’s book; better ones have already been written. Rather, much like my review of The Book of Mammon, I just want to share some interesting anecdotes from the book:

Wilford Woodruff introduced vicarious endowments and shifted the focus of temples to getting sealed to families. Previously, the custom had been to be to friends and Church leaders. (p. 187)

• In the 19th century, men and women were prohibited from having any “sexual connection” for at least a week before entering the temple to receive endowments (p. 35). Somewhat relatedly, in a 1982 letter, the First Presidency identified those who engage in oral sex as unworthy for the temple. (p. 441)
• The LDS Church seriously (albeit briefly) entertained a proposal to build a so-called “floating temple” to dock in those countries where members didn’t have a nearby temple. This ship was to be more affordable than financing dozens of temples across the world. (p. 370)
• Elder H. S. Palmer was initially denied a temple recommend in 1890 for refusing to break the law and practice polygamy. Woodruff later intervened in Palmer’s favor, finding Palmer’s obedience to the law to be a venial (meaning “forgivable”) sin. (p. 86)
• David O. McKay, in a 1941 address to departing missionaries, acknowledged that many young people have been hurt by and confused about their temple experiences. He noted elsewhere that parts of the endowment ceremony even elicited repressed laughter from some youth. McKay suggested that these members were fixated on the “mechanics” of temple worship instead of appreciating their symbolism. (ps. 264-269)
• There were plans to dedicate rooms in both the St. George and Salt Lake temples for the purpose of animal sacrifices (p. 22). Although these plans were never realized, a few sources indicate that such sacrifices might have been performed in the Kirtland temple.
• Brigham Young thought that Joseph and Hyrum Smith were assassinated because they weren’t wearing their garments, which are widely believed by Mormons to have protective powers. The Smiths removed them due to the heat and perhaps for fear that the sacred garments might fall into the wrong hands and be desecrated. (p. xxxix)
• After receiving their temple anointings at Kirtland, temple-goers celebrated by enjoying cake and wine. (p. 18)
• Jane Manning James, an early black convert, repeatedly (and unsuccessfully) petitioned to be sealed to Joseph Smith as an adopted daughter. As a compromise, the First Presidency instead sealed her as an eternal servant to Smith. This incident was the subject of a post earlier this year. (ps. xlv-xlvi)
• The First Presidency in 1946 ordered the Alberta temple to stop holding seances and other reported “irregularities and innovations.” (p. 279)
• The old temple endowment video included a scene illustrating the creation of the earth from the Disney classic “Fantasia.” The church was able to purchase several minutes of the movie because the endowment ceremony wouldn’t result in copyright violations—the ceremony is not advertised to the public, nor is it open to the public. (p. 295)
• Wilford Woodruff refused to seal (marry) three young girls, ages 12 and 13, to an old man (p. 21). Yet decades later, the church’s 1902 regulations permitted temple marriages to girls as young as 12. (p. 123)
• President John Taylor and countless other church leaders went into hiding for extensive periods of time to escape the law from practicing polygamy. Temple recommends would be forwarded to this secret location for his signature, but this procedure was complicated due to “busybodies” who measured the time it took for a signed recommend to be returned so as to approximate Taylor’s whereabouts. (p. 53)
• It was a longstanding policy that women married to non-Mormon husbands had to get their spouse’s written consent in order to receive her temple endowments. The same was not true, however, for men. This double-standard was finally corrected in 1986, such that now anyone married to a non-Mormon spouse has to get his or her permission. (p. xlix)
• The church in 1953 bypassed Swiss customs to sneak the temple endowment video into that country. Because Mormons regard the video’s content of a sensitive nature, it was imperative that the video not receive the normal scrutiny by customs agents. (p. 291)
• When the endowment video was being re-shot in the 1970s, it went through several drafts. President Harold B. Lee objected to some of the cast having long hair and beards, so another version was produced with a clean-shaven and clean-cut Peter, James, and John. The blonde Eve was also replaced by a brunette for the Latin American versions, because blondes are viewed as “freaks” in those cultures. (p. 296)
• For much of LDS Church history, the “second anointing” was the “crowning ordinance” of the Restoration. The first anointing is the endowment ceremony that continues today, and it concerns blessings in the afterlife, like becoming kings and queens, priests and priestesses. The second anointing actually bestows those blessings temporally and furthermore secures one’s exaltation in heaven. By 1949, nearly 33,000 of these anointings had been performed, but as General Authorities eventually deprived local leaders the discretion to recommend the anointings, the practice became increasing rare and is nearly non-existent today. (ps. xli-xlv)
• In 1927, the “law of retribution” (or “oath of vengeance”) was omitted from the ceremony. This oath was to pray that God “avenge the blood of the prophets on this nation” (p. 218). It’s not surprising that the oath was instituted by Brigham Young, who also taught blood atonement.
• David O. McKay was a fairly progressive church leader for his time on the race issue. He was the first to allow black members to perform baptisms for the dead, and he also overruled a decision to invalidate a white woman’s endowments for simply being married to a black man. (p. xlvii)
• The LDS Church didn’t adopt a strict adherence to the Word of Wisdom until well into the 20th century. Consider this statement from John Taylor in 1886: “The Word of Wisdom as originally given was sent not by commandment or constraint, but … for the temporal salvation of all Saints in these days” … [N]o rule has been formulated, nor law proclaimed, nor counsel given since that time which makes its strict observance necessary to receive ordinances … in the temples.” (p. 61)

A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. [Emphasis added]

Informed by Lewis’ so-called “Lunatic, Liar, or Lord” trilemma, atheist filmmaker Peter Breinholt produced a short documentary “Madman or Something Worse.” Breinholt contends that most of Jesus’ moral contributions were not original, and that most of his original contributions were not moral.

Here is part 1 of the film:

Like many amateur documentarians, Breinholt committed a cardinal sin in this film: inserting himself in it. I mean, the guy has the charisma of a cardboard box. And it’s hard for Breinholt to establish credibility given his youth (though the British accent helps a little). But the film nevertheless raises some interesting and compelling points. I at least agree that the ethics of pacifism (“turn the other cheek”) and reciprocity (“The Golden Rule”) can lead to moral absurdities when applied to the extreme.

Breinholt is not the first atheist to take this tack. Philosopher Bertrand Russell likewise dismissed Jesus as a moral teacher in his essay “Why I Am Not a Christian.” Today, Christopher Hitchens is probably the most notable critic of Jesus’ teachings.

Not until gentle Jesus, meek and mild are you told if you don’t make the right propitiations you can depart into everlasting fire. One of the most wicked ideas ever preached and one that has ruined the lives and peace of mind of many, many children…

There is definitely something to be said for Lewis’ trilemma, but there is a fourth option that Lewis omits. Jesus may have been a lunatic, liar, Lord, or legend. New Testament scholars Bart Ehrman and N.T. Wright point out that the trilemma rests upon the Gospels’ depiction of Jesus, which isn’t reliable. Whether Jesus ever even made claims to divinity is a much-debated subject among scholars.

Putting aside the question of divinity, though, was Jesus an exemplary moral teacher? I’d appreciate your feedback.

Their answers were, for the most part, woefully (and unashamedly) ignorant. (You can watch every contestant’s answer here.) Several contestants, perhaps wanting to avoid a Carrie Prejean-like controversy, answered that both religion and evolution should be taught in schools. Both should be taught in schools, but not in a science class where students may confuse creationism for an alternative scientific theory to evolution. Religious ideas about the origin and evolution of life should be discussed in philosophy or religious studies courses.

Worse still, of the 51 contestants, only two “unequivocally support[ed]” evolution. Thankfully one of those two was crowned Miss USA: California’s Alyssa Campanella. Here was her response:

I was taught evolution in high school. I do believe in it. I’m a huge science geek. [...] I like to believe in the big bang theory and, you know, the evolution of humans throughout time.

Andrew Rannells sang “I Believe”, probably the least profane song from “The Book of Mormon.” The performance was the highlight of the Tonys. Enjoy.

What a religious debate on Facebook would look like in the Mayan pre-Columbian America.

Sincere devoutness is sometimes indistinguishable from good satire. Case in point: this Stake President’s blog. I hope it’s a spoof, and I’m pretty sure it is. But wow, it’s a very convincing parody—and funny! My favorite post is his awkward and euphemistic discussion of oral sex. [Edit: I initially thought this was real, but some commenters convinced me otherwise.]

The Scientific American on why we’re suckers for stories of our own demise.

The Vatican released a strongly-worded report demanding decisive and dramatic action to curb the effects of global climate change. The Vatican also invited AIDS experts for a two-day symposium to discuss prevention methods, including condoms.

The Catholic Church has received incredibly negative press due to the priest abuse scandal (which is still developing). But I think the Catholic Church is due some credit for tackling substantive issues like global warming, poverty, etc. One of my long-standing complaints about the LDS Church is its focus on relatively petty concerns (double piercings and flip-flops come to mind).

It’s time to reconsider graduation prayer in public high schools, writes Bruce Ledewitz for Religion Dispatches.

Greta Christina argues that all religious are equally crazy. I maintain that some religions are demonstrably more implausible than others, but I agree that religious folks should be slow to find the crazy in other religions lest they forget the crazy in their own.

It’s easy to mock Harold Camping’s failed prediction that the rapture would occur on May 21st (Camping has rescheduled the rapture for October). But Jesus was also a failed doomsday prophet, and Joseph Smith believed that the Second Coming would happen in 1890 or 1891.

A survey of nearly 15,000 people suggests that atheists have the best sex lives. Perhaps were there more atheists in Utah, it wouldn’t be the most stressed state. Relatedly, the US reports far lower levels of happiness than similarly developed but more secular nations.

MRI tests reveal that Apple triggers a religious reaction in its fans’ brains. I wrote about a similar study last summer.

An Islamic theologian and scholar says the Prophet Muhammad probably never existed.

Santa Monica residents may vote on a ballot initiative in November 2012 that would ban circumcision.

I saw a Craiglist job ad for Java engineers that was restricted to LDS applicants only. It specified further that the applicant must be temple-worthy. Unless the job posting is with the church directly, isn’t this illegal?

Nearly two-thirds of Americans now support legalizing same-sex relations, a new record high.

The top 10 myths about the brain.

Some drama in the Reddit Exmormon community: A poster is threatened by another member with being publicly outed as ex-Mormon for not being pro-gay enough.

The Mormon Chronicle writes that the public education system is antithetical to LDS teachings, and that Mormons must only be taught by other Mormons.

The far right has lionized Ayn Rand for decades, and Republicans are again giving her a lot of lip-service. What a strange bedfellow Rand makes for the Religious Right though, given how virulently anti-Christian she was.

A Saudi woman is arrested after campaigning for the right to drive.

French postmodern philosopher Jacques Derrida becomes an internet meme.

Despite the church’s past with polygamy and its entrenched, traditional gender roles, there is a feminist strain within the Mormon tradition—one that may be enjoying a resurgence. The Salt Lake Tribune recently published a piece about Mormon women’s historical ability to administer priesthood blessings. And Mormon blogger Joanna Brooks suggests that the LDS concept of Heavenly Mother may be making a comeback.

Why people stick by scandal-plagued pastors.

Sam Harris sketches out a morality without free will and its implications.

Philosophy professor Andrew Fisher of the University of Nottingham contends that philosophy needs to be taught much earlier. He has started teaching at primary schools in disadvantaged areas, teaching kids the fundamentals of logic and critical thinking.

Seventy percent of science award finalists are the children of immigrants, showing that immigration is a boon to science and math.

I’ve written at length about BYU’s use of aversive therapies (including shock therapy) in its treatment of homosexuality. In the interest of fairness, I’d like to share a more sympathetic view of this part of BYU history.

A recent neurological study finds that powerful religious experiences may actually contribute to atrophy in the brain.

A radical new birth control injection for men promises to be 100% effective for 10 years. What’s more, it has no reported side effects and is completely and quickly reversible.

How to argue on the internet.

After his mom won the lottery, an atheist converts to Christianity. Fox carries the story as ‘news’.

CNN compiles a list of popular Bible misattributions—phrases and ideas people think are in the Bible, but are not.

Is atheism just a ‘sexed-up’ version of agnosticism, or are the two terms distinct? And if the latter, are they complimentary or incompatible? Talking Philosophy analyzes the competing definitions.

Newsweek calls 2011 ‘the Mormon Moment’. Two presidential candidates belong to the faith, the Senate leader Harry Reid is Mormon, and Mormonism is the subject of a critically-acclaimed Broadway musical.

The latest presidential election poll has Mitt Romney as the Republican frontrunner, with most not caring about his Mormonism.

BYU Studies identifies the many LDS themes in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga.

Richard Dawkins and 13 other academics launch a new private humanities college.

Skeptic Mormon shares some troubling facts about Mormon polygamy and debunks popular myths about the practice.

American filmmaker Vikram Gandhi made up a guru character and a phony religion, then filmed a documentary as he developed a following. The documentary illustrates just how credulous our species can be.

The nation’s increasingly visible and influential gay community embraces the notion of sexual orientation as an innate, immutable characteristic, like left-handedness or eye color. But a major federal sex survey suggests a far more fluid, varied life experience for those who acknowledge same-sex attraction.

The results of this scientific research shouldn’t undermine the hard-won respect recently achieved by gay Americans, but they do suggest that choice and change play larger roles in sexual identity than commonly assumed. … While pop-culture frequently cites the figure of one in 10 (based on 60-year-old, widely discredited conclusions from pioneering sex researcher Alfred Kinsey) the new study finds only 1.4% of the population identifying with same-sex orientation.

Moreover, even among those who describe themselves as homosexual or bisexual (a grand total of 3.7% of the 18-44 age group), overwhelming majorities (81%) say they’ve experienced sex with partners of the opposite gender. Among those who call themselves heterosexual, on the other hand, only a tiny minority (6%) ever engaged in physical intimacy of any kind with a member of the same sex.”

…

Gay pride advocates applaud the courage of those who “come out,” discovering their true nature as homosexual after many years of heterosexual experience. But enlightened opinion denies a similar possibility of change in the other direction, deriding anyone who claims straight orientation after even the briefest interlude of homosexual behavior and insisting they are phony and self-deluding. By this logic, heterosexual orientation among those with past gay relationships is always the product of repression and denial, but homosexual commitment after a straight background is invariably natural and healthy.

In other words, for the minority who may have experimented with gay relationships at some juncture in their lives, well over 80% explicitly renounced homosexual (or even bisexual) self-identification by age of 35. For the clear majority of males (as well as women) who report gay encounters, homosexual activity appears to represent a passing phase, or even a fleeting episode, rather than an unshakable, genetically pre-determined orientation.

…

Brad Sears of the Williams Institute defended the accuracy of these numbers, suggesting gay leaders “let go” of previous, unrealistic estimates of homosexual orientation. He told the Associated Press that “with other populations of a similar size of 2% to 4%, we don’t question whether there are too many or too few.” For instance, no one suggests Jewish Americans should be treated with contempt or dismissed as irrelevant to the Christian majority because they number below 2% of the U.S. population. Nor would the news media shy away from reporting that in an age of religious conversion, choice plays a role in adding to and subtracting from the Jewish community.

Religious identity arises from birth, upbringing, instinct, even destiny, but the fact that it almost always includes some element of choice doesn’t entitle the believer to less respect. By the same token, it’s no sign of hostility or homophobia to point to recent data suggesting that life experience and personal decisions play roles alongside inborn inclination in the complex, sometimes inconclusive, emergence of the gay and lesbian identity.

As you can imagine, Medved’s piece wasn’t well-received by some of my friends when I posted it to Facebook. One friend was upset at how Medved seems to lend credence to the Christian ex-gay movement, which purports to ‘convert’ gay men away from their gay ‘lifestyle’. I agree that Medved was too dismissive of the genetic factors that contribute to homosexuality, and the evidence that so-called ‘conversion’ therapies are ineffective and often harmful.

But this criticism of Medved misses the thrust of his argument. Concerns about the size of the LGBT community and whether homosexuality is a choice are (or should be) irrelevant to the question of gay rights. My friend Mike Smith put it best:

I think the only way to actually achieve equality and “liberation” for gay individuals is to completely dispense with the “science” behind sexuality. The movement for equality should be rooted in a fundamental understanding that PEOPLE have dignity and do not deserve humiliation. Trying to prove the “science” behind sexuality is playing on the turf of conservatives: in other words, in order to deserve equal protection, your behavior must be the product of biology, not of choice. True liberation can only come about when sexuality is respected regardless of whether or not there exists scientific evidence of its biological origin; we should respect people because they are people, not because their sexuality has survived a scientific litmus test.