Results of Ruminations

(Note: I originally thought I wouldn't be able to say anything that David V. Mason hadn't said in this article about his own take on the topic. Turns out, I did have something else to say. But I echo a lot of his thoughts, and I also would like to say that my opinions are mine: I don't represent the Church nor any other member, whose opinions will differ from my own.) As a lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I used to be confused about the seemingly deliberate unwillingness of other denominations to allow me (metaphorically) within the confines of the tent of Christianity. As a full-time missionary in Florida, I spent a couple years trying to talk to people about the Church and its beginnings. I hoped to help them explore a spiritual experience that had benefited me and I hoped would help them, too. During that time, I had a rough time embracing the "Mormon" label that is more frequently applied to members of the Church, in part b...

I amn't Catholic. In fact, aside from the basics of the religion--which are rather similar to the beliefs of most Christianity--I don't understand a lot about Catholicism. That isn't to say I haven't studied it or tried to map it onto my understanding of the world, of course. Especially when it comes to historical Catholicism, I only have a sense of the most significant doctrines as they pertained to history (no divorce allowed led to the formation of the Anglican Church, for example). But I mix up holy days and I can't remember any patron saints (except for Saint George, because he's the patron saint of England, though I've no idea what he did). To repeat: I'm not Catholic. Neither am I Protestant in any significant way. It's beyond the scope of this essay to consider what Mormonism is (I think the idea of it being a fourth Abrahamic tradition is perhaps the closest analysis), so I'm approaching the tradition of celebrating Lent cautiously a...