Reviewing McMurrin’s Theological Foundations: Part 4

Part four of McMurrins book addresses Mormon theology and the problem of evil. McMurrin contends that the explanation of moral and natural evil is the most persistent problem that any theistic philosophy must contend. He rightly suggests that this is an area of chief theoretical strength for Mormonism. Here the free will of the uncreated self joins with the non-absolutistic conception of divine power to absolve God of complicity of moral evil. Also, the uncreated impersonal environment provides the explanation of natural evil.

Reviewing McMurrin’s Theological Foundations: Part 3

I now move on to part three. As with parts one and two, I will only focus on the theological explanations McMurrin gives of Mormonism. The topics in this part (the concept on man) seem much more difficult to me, and it will be a challenge for me to write this review.

Reviewing McMurrin’s Theological Foundations: Part 2

Part 2 of McMurrin’s ‘The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion’ has to do with the concept of God. Once again I will ignore the historical background and the comparisons McMurrin makes with Catholic and Protestant belief, and will only focus on the Mormon theology.

Reviewing McMurrin’s Theological Foundations: Part 1

Sterling McMurrin was invited to give a series of lectures at four institutions of higher learning in Utah about the philosophical underpinnings of the Mormon religion. At about the same time, Ohio State University requested that the church present a lecture on Mormonism. Harold B. Lee asked McMurrin to present these lectures to fulfill the request. These lectures are available in the book ‘The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion’. I have read this book a couple of times and have really enjoyed it. I would like to outline the book to help me keep some of the ideas straight, and as a way to recommend the book to friends and family.

Three Degrees of What? Salvation or Damnation?

One of the unique doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that of the three degrees of glory. This doctrine has some significant contrast to the more common heaven and hell dichotomy of many Christian churches.

Lately I have been thinking about this doctrine and how it can be looked at in different ways. Two of the primary ways might be optimistically or pessimistically - or whether the salvation glass is half-empty or half-full.

Mamas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Engineers

Church leaders have long encouraged members to get all the education that they can. And with emphasis on men taking a primary role as providers, and my having four sons, encouraging my boys to get a good education and picking a good career has been frequently on my mind.

Mormons and Conflict

With my limited experience and training in project management, I have been able to learn a few things about conflict resolution. This has been a significant benefit in helping me understand myself and others when it comes to conflict. One helpful source for sorting this out is the Thomas-Kilman survey which is a nice and easy way to analyze how an individual usually deals with conflict.

I was reviewing my results of this survey, and found myself wondering if this might explain how many Mormons behave during times of conflict. I realize that defining what is a typical Mormon is getting more difficult as time goes on. Perhaps it is impossible. I also realize that much of this will reveal my personal perceptions of what is considered stereotypical Mormon behavior. But I thought it might be fun and useful anyway.

A Family Night with the Nielsons

‘Boooo-ooooys, F. H. E. roooooom, Nooooo-ooooow!’, Dad bellows the customary announcement down the staircase. Boys number 3 and 4 race up to see who can get ‘the chair’. Boy 1 walks slowly, obeying the instructions. Boy 2 really drags his feet, he would prefer to play the PS2.

Remembering Names

Remembering names can be an important initial step in developing good human relations. It is a subtle compliment that shows that you care about this new person in your life. This can have positive affects in nearly every aspect of life. This skill can come in especially handy in fellowshiping efforts for investigators and new members. How great it would be to meet an investigator that the missionaries bring to church one week, and to remember their names the next week - or during the week if you run into them at the grocery store or something.

Unfortunately, many people feel that they are terrible with names. It is common to hear someone say this. But anyone with a desire to remember names can greatly improve their abilities in this area by using a few simple techniques.

Those Efficient Nephite Coins

I once read, and I do not remember where, that the Nephite coin system was the most efficient coin system possible. I think it might have been an old FARMS paper or something. I am a bit skeptical of such a claim, because proving something like that would be quite a mathematical feat. And once one set up the equations or simulations they well may have stacked things in favor of the system in question.