Monthly Archives: October 2010

Where are the women in the Book of Mormon?

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Here is the list of women named in the Bible:

Abi, Abiah, Abigail (Nahash’s wife), Abigail (David’s sister), Abihail (Abishur’s wife), Abihail (Rehoboam’s wife), Abijah, Abishag, Abital, Achsah, Adah (Lamech’s wife), Adah (Esau’s wife), Agar, Ahinoam (Saul’s wife), Ahinoam (David’s wife), Ahlai, Aholah, Aholibah, Aholibama, Anna, Apphia, Asenath, Atarah, Athaliah, Azubah (Caleb’s wife), Azubah (Shilhi’s daughter), Baara, Bashemath (Esau’s wife), Bashemath (Solomon’s daughter; ), Basmath, Bathsheba, Bathshua, Bernice, Bilhah, Bithiah, Candace, Chloe, Claudia, Cozbi, Damaris, Deborah the nurse, Deborah the prophetess, Delilah, Dinah, Dorcas, Drusilla, Eglah, Elisheba, Elizabeth, Esther, Ephah, Ephrath, Ephrata, Euodias, Eunice, Eve, Gomer, Hadassah, Hagar, Haggith, Hammolecheth, Hamatal, Hannah, Hazelelponi, Helah, Heph-zibah, Herodias, Hodesh, Hodiah, Hoglah, Huldah, Hushim, Iscah, Jael, Jecholaih, Jedidah, Jehoaddan, Jehosheba, Jemima, Jerioth, Jerushah, Jezebel (Ahab’s wife), Jezebel (the prophetess), Joanna, Jochebed, Judith, Julia, Keren-happuch, Keturah, Keziah, Leah, Lois, Lo-Ruhammah, Lydia, Maacah, Maachah (Asa’s mother), Maachah (Caleb’s concubine), Maachah (Mahor’s daughter), Maachah (Machir’s wife), Maachah (Jehiel’s wife), Maachah (Absalom’s daughter), Maachah (Talmai’s daughter), Mahalah, Mahalath (Esau’s wife), Mahalath (Rehaboam’s wife), Mahlah, Mara, Martha, Mary (Jesus’ mother), Mary (Cleophas’ wife), Mary Magdalene, Mary of Bethany, Mary (Mark’s mother), Mary (John’s mother), Mary (Lazarus’s sister), Mehetabel, Merab, Meshullemeth, Micaiah, Michal (Saul’s daughter), Michal (Zelophehad’s daughter), Milcah (Haran’s daughter), Miriam (Moses’ sister), Miriam (Ezra’s daughter), Naamah (Tubalcain’s sister), Naamah (the Ammonite), Naarah, Naomi, Nehushta, Noadiah, Noah (Zelophehad’s daughter), Oholibamah, Orpah, Peninnah, Persis, Phanuel, Phoebe, Priscilla, Puah, Queen of Sheba, Queen Tahpenes, Rachel, Rahab (the harlot), Rahab (Boaz’s mother), Rebekah, Reumah, Rhoda, Rizpah, Ruth, Salome (Herodias’s daughter), Salome (Zebedee’s wife), Sapphira, Sarah (Abraham’s wife), Sarah (Asher’s daughter), Shelomith (Dibri’s daughter), Shelomith (Zerubbabel’s daughter), Shelomith (Rehoboam’s daughter), Sherah, Shimeath, Shimrith, Shiphrah, Shomer, Shua, Susanna, Syntyche, Tabitha, Tahpenes, Tamar (Absalom’s daughter), Tamar (David’s daughter), Tamar (Pharez’s mother), Taphath, Thamar, Timna, Tirzah, Tryphena, Tryphosa, Vashti, Zebudah, Zeresh, Zeruah, Zeruiah, Zibiah, Zillah, Zilpah, Zipporah.

And here is the list of women named in the Book of Mormon:

Abish, Isabel, Sariah (Eve, Mary, and Sarah are also named, but these are Biblical women).

The following books in the Book of Mormon, which supposedly span over a thousand years of ancient American history, neglect to name even one woman:

Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Words of Mormon, Mosiah, Helaman, 3 Nephi, 4 Nephi, Mormon, Ether, Moroni.

Most Book of Mormon authors don’t even name their own wives and daughters!

So what best explains this dearth of women in the Book of Mormon?

Link bomb #9

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Patheos, a religion resource site, has a side-by-side comparison chart of various religions. The chart is remarkably extensive and includes around 50 different religions.

YouTube musician/comedian Bo Burnham raps about Catholicism.

The Boy Scouts of America have ignited a firestorm of controversy over two recent leadership decisions. First, they forced a gay dad out of a leadership role for being an “avowed gay”. Shortly after this, in an ironic but similarly ridiculous move, a North Carolina Boy Scout troop prevented a Mormon couple from being leaders because they are “not real Christians”.

Dutch biologist and psychologist Frans De Waal argues in the New York Times that morality is possible without god.

In the proud tradition of the Seventh East Press, several BYU students (including my friend Cary Crall ) started an independent student paper, The Vanguard. Check out their first published edition.

And in a not-so-proud USU tradition: “USU police catch students stripping to ride bronze bull”.

A 1986 New Era (an official LDS magazine) article teaches Mormons how to dismiss criticisms of their faith. Any critic can supposedly be disarmed by following one simple acronym: H.O.G.M.E.T..

UC Irvine political economist Dr. Michael McBride analyzes the LDS Church from a rational choice and game theory perspective. His thesis is that the LDS Church is effective in mitigating the “free-rider problem” that plagues many organizations.

Glenn Beck tells ABC News’ John Stossel that part of his conversion to Mormonism was sex-driven. More recently, he denied evolution on his radio show.

New research suggests that the more intelligent you are, the more prone you are to heavy and binge drinking. Catholic author and philosopher wrote about a similar phenomenon he called “reentry problems”, where artists and intellectuals chafe under the ordinariness of the world.

A British cafe removes its fan so that the smell of frying bacon wouldn’t offend passing Muslims.

Mike Adams, in his column at the conservative Townhall.com, writes, “The Christians who were bullied by gays and gay activists are all still alive. Not a single one has committed suicide. That is because they have centered their lives around Jesus Christ, rather than their sexual identity. And no amount of bullying can change my mind about that.” Wow.

My friend Neal contends that “anti-Mormons” need to take Mormon scholars and apologists more seriously. (I actually agree with him to an extent.)

The Post-Mormon Online Magazine has an interesting article discussing the parallels between Mercy Otis Warren’s History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution (1805) and the Book of Mormon.

If this song from the Insane Clown Posse doesn’t convince you that miracles exist, I don’t know what will. Honestly, that this hip hop duo even has a following is proof enough for me that miracles happen.

Prop 8 Movie Showing on Campus This Week!

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There will be a screening of 8: The Mormon Proposition on USU’s campus this Thursday, Oct 21st. It will be screened at 7pm in the Eccles Conference Center auditorium by the Department of Journalism & Communication. There has been a lot of interest expressed in seeing this movie in meetings, so here is your chance!

This screening happens to be during a regular meeting week and several people will be going to the screening after the meeting if you’d like to join us. We’ll be leading a discussion on how we each deal with our atheism and the weird reactions we sometimes get from others. We’re planning on talking about different coping strategies you can use when talking to family members, etc. We’ll talk about work, family, and friends. You can come and not say a thing, or you can yak it up, but this is not a philosophical discussion so please do not treat it as such. This meeting is an attempt to make SHAFT more personal for those who feel that that touch is lacking. (We’re not the Religious Studies club.)

Hope to see you at one or both of those events!

Glenn Beck and the LDS Church condemn anti-gay bullying

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Anti-gay bullying and the recent gay youth suicides have been making headlines lately. It’s tragic that these things are even issues in the 21st century, but I’m glad the media are drawing attention to them.

I want to share with you a few stories related to anti-gay bullying and gay youth suicides. The first is a video of Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns. Fighting back tears, he shared his personal story as a gay man and assured gay teens that “it gets better.” Please watch. His message is an important one.

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