Sunday Musings

While there is no recorded revelation on the topic, Latter-day Saints believe in a Heavenly Mother. Where did this belief come from?

Connor reviews how often Family Home Evening was encouraged by church leaders and how this practice has declined in recent years.

How should Christians model Jesus's behavior when it comes to opposing culture trends and personal beliefs or practices that are inconsistent with the gospel? How can we oppose what is wrong while being "civil"?

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints updated their statement on political neutrality this week, with several new and curious references. Let's compare and contrast against what was there before.

What false traditions do Christ's followers cling to today? What are the iniquities that keep them in a deep slumber?

The Jews rejected Jesus when he came to them. Will Mormons reject Jesus when he returns?

What doctrine says that Saints should not criticize any leader of the church, even if the criticism is true?

Despite its attempts to mirror the real thing, the British coronation is a corrupt counterfeit of the true process where God wants us to become kings and queens. But did you know there is a second step to this in the temple that few have experienced?

Every year, hundreds of thousands of teenagers engage in pioneer cosplay to recreate a historically inaccurate Trek experience. But is this program and its associated activities spiritually counterproductive?

Published in 1995, the prescient proclamation on the family was ahead of its time. But is the document still relevant today with same-sex marriage legalized and amid societal gender wars?

What does the future of the Church look like if the majority of its youth are going inactive and abandoning the faith? What do we need to do differently to retain more youth and help them remain on the strait and narrow?

A recent General Conference talk taught church members that prophetic counsel is whatever the president of the Church says. But is this actually true?

Middle initials for all General Authorities? Celebrating secular holidays in church? Beardless Bishops? Connor shares his thoughts on these and other cultural traditions in our church.

Mainstream Christians believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, but how do they reconcile a variety of verses that they don't actually adhere to?

A recent poll shows the deep division between members of the LDS Church and those of other faiths. We like them, but they don't like us. The real question is, why?

Jesus said that before his return the world would be filled with wars and rumors of wars. We obviously understand what war is, but few realize what "rumors" Jesus was referring to. Connor shares scriptural and historical examples to bring clarity to this confusion.

For generations, Latter-day Saints in need have been counseled first to help themselves, then to get help from family members, and then the Church. But that has now changed, with bishops being encouraged to point members to government welfare programs. When did this change occur and why?

This week, the SEC fined the LDS Church $5 million for intentionally hiding information about its investments. Why was this hidden to begin with? Connor argues that the scriptures require financial transparency by the Church in order for its members to give "common consent."

Mormons volunteer more than any other social group, but does that mean we're actually doing what we need to be? And just as the government crowded out private charitable groups, are we letting the church crowd out our individual charity work?

21% of Gen Z now identifies as LGBT. To what degree are these kids making choices about their sexuality and gender because of peer influence and social media? And how else does "social contagion" influence our children?

Critics of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ often barf up a long list of supposed "gotchas" in an attempt to overwhelm ignorant and unsuspecting victims who are unfamiliar with church history or scholarship. Do their criticisms of the faith withstand scrutiny? How should Latter-day Saints respond?

There are things that earlier Mormons heard and believed that church members today are simply unaware of. What are some examples of this "memory hole" effect and why is it happening?

Latter-day Saints are a "warlike people" despite being commanded to "renounce war and proclaim peace." Even worse, they often fail to abide by modern revelation—one that is essentially ignored by the church—that spells out which wars are actually justified.

Since 1954, churches have been silenced by the IRS, their free speech suppressed as a condition of maintaining their tax-exempt status. What are the results of this policy and should it be overturned?

Dr. Paul Erhlich famously (and wrongly) claimed in 1968 that hundreds of millions of people would die of starvation, and this week was on 60 Minutes spouting the same fearmongering nonsense. Evil is called good, lies are advanced as truth, and "experts" are held up as credible by a corrupt media. But what's the truth, and what do we do about it?

Why is the LDS Church getting cozy with the United Nations? Connor explores some concerning connections.

Why do people think Joseph and Mary were turned away by an innkeeper who couldn't accommodate them? Or that she gave birth in a stable?

Latter-day Saints have been given so much and are commanded to seek for abundance, yet fall into fear-based traps of scarcity that limit their potential. What are the 4 Cs that can help us?

Latter-day Saints are taught to seek learning and explore the mysteries, yet most talks and classes are full of theological mediocrity. Why?

Connor shares the history behind government schools and how their motive was (and isn't?) to educate, but to indoctrinate.

Should we listen to the "experts" when the term is too loosely used and they don't admit when they were wrong? What if we applied the same standard to prophets?

Why are people so quick to investigate Ticketmaster but not Epstein's client list, FTX's money laundering schemes, or Hunter Biden's laptop?

Church leaders often tell us that "principles compatible with the gospel may be found in various political parties…" Connor reviews the Democrat and Republican platforms in search of compatible principles.

If there's no more land to dominate, what is being colonized today? You are.

If the Latter-day Saints want to be more than "Saints in Name Only" then we have to identify and avoid all the ways we're being deceived with cultural traditions of our fathers, idolatry, and iniquity.

Can members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) also be members of the "church of the devil"?

Connor shares the scriptural pattern of prophets being called from within the church — but not the church hierarchy — to call the people to repentance. Will this pattern repeat itself today, or can we ignore it?

Why is it so hard to "endure sound doctrine," and easy to reject the counsel of those who tell us we're not on the right path? It's in the past and present, and it's a problem in our church. How does it relate to you?

The new "For the Strength of Youth" pamphlet contains several improvements over the previous version. Connor shares many before-and-after examples and ponders what the same approach might look like if applied to adult members as well.

The T-words (thou, thee, thine, thy) used to be familiar and informal, but now are archaic and "reverential"… so why do we still use them? Connor shares some history and thoughts as to why he no longer speaks like Shakespear half a millennia ago.

Musing from Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Connor discusses some of the scriptures that mention the Constitution to review whether Latter-day Saints are required to support it. And if we aren't, what should we be doing to ensure people aren't "in bondage to one another"?

On the anniversary of 9/11, Connor explores why members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have to believe conspiracies exist and what they are supposed to do about it.

People often think that Jesus was a socialist or that God's commandment to help the poor means we should do so through government welfare programs and bailout policies. They're all wrong.

Have you ever actually read the law of tithing? If you do so while referencing the 1828 dictionary (to understand the meaning of words at the time), a far different picture emerges than what is understood by most people in the church today. And it probably means that you're paying more than is required of you.

Connor shares several examples of how the church's actions may be guided by a desire to protect the image of the church, and how that can undermine a focus on doing what is right and letting the consequence follow.

Do the scriptures support Latter-day Saints using mind-altering substances? The answer may surprise you and reveal God's desire to remove the causes of our modern diseases.

Too often we gloss over or altogether ignore a select set of scripture versus that rebuke us for our hypocrisy and apostasy, wrongly thinking that they don't apply to us. In this musing, Connor discusses how Moroni was speaking about and to us in his condemnation of our corruption.

While many in the Church focus on religious freedom, including most recently President Dallin H. Oaks in a recent speech in Rome, it is worth considering if this narrowing of our concern to religious matters excludes other areas where we as a church community should publicly fight for freedom. Joseph Smith, for example, proclaimed a desire to defend the "civil and religious" liberty of all people. Should we?

What has become a second "Independence Day" of sorts has special meaning for members of the LDS Church whose heritage requires them to recognize that the government is full of "damned rascals," as Brigham Young once called them, who fail to secure our rights and often persecute instead of protect us.

Why do Christians turn to Caesar to be the arbiter and enforcement arm of their moral worldview? Connor explores some of the arguments used by proponents of "legislating morality" and discusses why they are problematic.