The Mormon Organon

Hopefully, you are now convinced by the evidence in Part I, that I am not afraid of snakes. The point being, not that I am fearless and brave, but this:

I am jogging along the banks of the Danube. I turn into Danau Park, with its green grasses, large old trees, strolling couples, and a smell and feel of wild things (even though it is quite tame). It’s a beautiful day. The sun is shining. I am tired. I am glad to be almost done with a long (for me) run. Suddenly, and without any premonition that this was about to happen, I find my knees at eye level. This is quite shocking as you can imagine. In the next few milliseconds, I register absolute and utter surprise that I have leaped into the air. Continue reading Summer Classics: The Shrew in my Brain: Snakes and the Evolved Body—Part II

Time’s short! If you’ve been thinking of getting something in for this, there is still plenty of time!

‘Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought,’ is planning an issue devoted to Mormonism and the Environment. For this issue, we would like to invite select papers related to this topic, including academic articles, personal essay, creative non-fiction, fiction, and . . . → Read More: Get those environmental papers into Dialogue!

To claim that climate change is a conspiracy is to misunderstand science in fundamental ways. To even imagine a scientific conspiracy suggests a lack in science education that scares me. Continue reading Is the science of climate change a conspiracy?

OK, I can’t help myself. My book is reviewed by Bored in Vernal . . . → Read More: A Short Stay in Hell, Review

I am actually required by law to write a post here at least every month. The judge who imposed my stint as a blogger was very clear that failure to do so would violate my parole and necessitate me being sent to the poky for many many years for crimes against nature (I violated the speed of light). Be that as it may, of late everything I write feels lame. I read it and I think, “There is no one the world that would like to read this.” It’s not that my ability has evaporated (I hope), but I my perception of ability at times slides away. Suddenly everything I do is viewed through a lens of lameness. A bout of failures usually precipitates this. In academic journals acceptance rates hover at around 20% on exceptionally bright and sunny days. That means that rejections are the norm and you are likely spend vast energies of labor and hope only to find yourself at the realization that, it’s oh no burned again. In creative publishing I know it drops below 1%. Rejection is a way of life.

Moreover, I wasn’t nominated for a Niblet, this year. Continue reading No Niblet for You

David H Bailey (who as written some of The Mormon Organon’s most popular posts) has just developed an amazing website devoted to faith/science issues called Science Meets Religion! I invite everyone to check it out. It is well worth some in-depth exploration. Especially read his opening post “What I have Learned.” Great work David!

Also, teaching . . . → Read More: David Bailey’s amazing new science and religion site

Let’s start the New Year by ridding ourselves of dilapidated ideas. Clean house on cobwebby perspectives that clutter and constrain our best thinking. To do so, poetry is a good place to start. Mary Oliver begins her poem, Mysteries, Yes: Continue reading Science fear