Archive November 2009
This is an archive of articles that Lincoln Cannon published in November 2009. An annual archive for 2009 is available. And a full archive of all articles that Lincoln has published since 2005 is also available. You may also search for articles and other content that Lincoln has published on any of his websites.
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We Should Resurrect the Dead
In Sunday School today, we discussed Mormon ideas and doctrines related to the salvation of the dead. The focus, as usual, was on the contemporary practice of performing religious rituals, such as baptisms, on behalf of dead persons (by proxy, with no corpses involved, of course). The primary value I ... -
Dan Dennett and Thoughts for an Atheist Friend
Dan Dennett is among my favorite atheists. I imagine some may not think that much of a compliment, coming from a theist. But, unlike many (perhaps most) theists, I actually don’t assume atheists to be evil by default, and even have the fortune of counting some atheists among my friends. ... -
The Gift of Mobility
Who would have guessed that the LDS Church has been providing charitable funding for prosthetics? This is a welcome discovery, and indeed a gift, as identified by the LDS Newsroom article. We should embrace the perspective of prosthetics and drugs as grace, and as tools for making better persons and ... -
Church Supports Nondiscrimination Ordinances
Wow! This is strange. In my news reader, I just received a press release from the LDS Church about support for nondiscrimination ordinance. However, the link is dead. And the article appears to have been removed. “Church Supports Nondiscrimination Ordinances - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has ... -
The Cost of Death
Last night, 60 Minutes ran a segment on the cost of dying. The segment identifies various economic and social costs associated with the last months of a typical person’s life in the United States. And it argues that a substantial portion of the cost is frivolous, with “no meaningful impact.” ...