The Parable of the Painful Patient

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There once was a man who developed severe abdominal pain. He tried the normal remedies but nothing seemed to help. So he got on the Internet and began to look up information about his symptoms. Based on his reading he decided that his pain was being caused by appendicitis.

He went to the doctor and told her that he had appendicitis and needed an immediate appendectomy. The doctor performed some standard tests. “Appendicitis can sometimes be very difficult to diagnose until it becomes severe,” she said. So the doctor had the man undergo an ultrasound. But the results were inconclusive. The doctor hypothesized that the pain might be caused by an intestinal virus and sent the man home with some pain medication.

But the pain didn’t stop.

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A Call to Repentance – Stop Inviting People to Leave the Church

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As online discussions concerning dissent and apostasy in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have grown during recent months, I have seen a good number of faithful, believing members of the church wrongly encourage other members of the church to leave and find a different religion, or to start one of their own, because they have come to believe things that are contrary to the teachings of the church.

We need to stop it.

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Clayton Christensen on Religion, Free Markets, and the Proper Role of Corporate Management

In this video presentation, Clayton Christensen has some really interesting thoughts on the relationship between religion and free markets and on the proper role of corporate management.

[Watch the video on YouTube]

Christensen is a noted member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a Professor of Business at Harvard University, and famous for his theories on Disruptive Technology.

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Dead Works – When Goals Undermine Objectives

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Goal-setting has often received emphasis in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and with good reason. We are an industrious, action-oriented people. Our ancestors were motivated by their faith to cross oceans and mountains, drain swamps, tame deserts, and build kingdoms.

Goal-setting can be a helpful way to organize effort and to prioritize our use of time by identifying activities and steps that are meant to move us toward a desired objective. It is often a valuable tool.

But this kind of goal-setting can also be dangerous. Continue reading

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Real Dialogue Hurts: Bruce Nielson Challenges John Dehlin To No-Holds-Barred Interview

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Over at the Millennial Star blog, where I sometimes participate, my friend Bruce Nielson has posted a lengthy analysis of the inherently lopsided dynamic in “bloggernacle” and LDS blog discussions that is designed to favor liberal and doubting points of view. Believers are expected to allow their most cherished beliefs to be attacked all the day long, but the alternate beliefs of those who attack the church are never exposed to criticism or comparison.

Real dialogue exposes both parties to criticism and examination. Real dialogue hurts.

The post culminates in a challenge to John Dehlin, who is famous for exactly this kind of lopsided “dialogue”, to a real discussion in which he will allow his own beliefs to be examined and challenged.

Check out Bruce challenge to John Dehlin here.

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