The elements of secular spirituality
“We are going to die, and that makes us the lucky ones. Most people are never going to die because they are never going to be born. The potential people who could have been here in my place but who…
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Author Archive: shawn
Issues with the term "atheist", and what I believe
I occasionally find myself in conversation with religious people (not necessarily Mormons) in various settings; on the train, having lunch with a colleague, or somewhere online. Quite often, in a sincere effort to quickly understand my position, they’ll ask me:…
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Critique of Dawkins' Stork Theory Analogy
Richard Dawkins is an outspoken atheist and author of several scientifically based books on evolution, biology, and religion. He’s quite well known as one of the most famous contemporary atheists (one of the four “Horsemen” of new atheism), particularly for…
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MSEP Episode 3: The Personal Significance of Religious Experiences
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Welcome to the Mormon Spiritual Experiences Podcast! In this third episode, I talk about how religious experiences can be very significant personally and have tangible benefits, regardless of what we think the nature of them is. To subscribe to this series,…
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The "Behold, You Have Not Understood" Response
“Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind;…
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Life is so great
Disclaimer: In many of my articles I at least try to put in some effort to make my writing “thoughtful”, by that I mean reflecting on the various points of view of an issue and attempting to counter-balance the possible…
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"Clergyman" hill-top experience
Meta Information Person: Anonomous “Clergyman” Religiosity: Theist, Likely Christian Reference: Quoted in The Varieties of Religious Experience Tags: Nighttime, Physically Elevated, Loss of Self, Ecstasy Account “I remember the night, and almost the very spot on the hill-top, where my soul opened out, as…
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MSEP Episode 2: Why the Divine Witness is unreliable for truth assertions
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Welcome to the Mormon Spiritual Experiences Podcast! In this second episode, I explain in detail and give examples as to why using the “Divine Witness” framework is a flawed foundation upon which to make truth assertions. To subscribe to this series, add this…
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MSEP Episode 1: Introduction
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Welcome to the Mormon Spiritual Experiences Podcast! In this first episode, I explain the purpose of the podcast and give some context as to the importance of this project from the LDS theological point of view. To subscribe to this…
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SEOP: Switching to a Podcast
Hi everyone! Thanks to all those who follow my blog and engage with the content posted. I am excited to announce that I’ve decided to switch the format of the Spiritual Experiences Odyssey Project to become a Podcast instead, and…
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