Christianity is NOT Conservative

I am pleased to announce that this is my 100th post here on the Insight blog. I want to thank my readers, and especially those who have joined my email list, for your support, your comments, and your friendship.

It is not always easy to find the balance between what many view as a conservative religion and a progressive politics. My postings here have ranged from Sunday school lessons to frustrated political rants. I have friends who wonder how I, as a liberal Democrat, can reconcile being a member of a church that is “SO conservative” and “SO Republican.”

The answer is that I do not believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ IS conservative. And it is certainly not Republican!

Both Jesus and Joseph Smith were seen as radicals trying to upset the natural order of things. The message of this blog is that they WERE radicals trying to upset the natural order of things. That is the wonder and beauty of their mission. The natural order of things on this planet is governed by Satan – the prince of this world. The good news of the Gospel is that Christ has overcome the world and wants us to join Him.

It makes no sense for members of the Church of Jesus Christ to support politicians and policies that keep people poor and sick and hungry. It requires considerable sophistry to trick Christians into voting for bullies who justify walls, bigotry, and inequality.

This weekly blog is my effort to help open people’s eyes. To provide, perhaps, one or two small insights a week to help my readers see more clearly through the fog of lies and propaganda that engulfs us.

I base my insights on the LDS scriptures, my experiences as a life-long Church member, my experiences as a public school teacher and librarian, and my experiences as a Utah Democrat. The core of my academic religious background is a lifetime of reading the inspired insights of the LDS scholar Dr. Hugh Nibley.

In addition, I believe I have a pretty good understanding of the tools used by liars, con artists, and advertisers due to my degree in Speech Communication and Theatre, my experience in coaching debate, my years of teaching persuasive writing, and my decades of personal reading and study in the areas of rhetoric, persuasion, propaganda, and advertising.

I am convinced that the prophets of the Bible and the Book of Mormon recorded their experiences for our benefit because we are susceptible to the same weaknesses, and make the same mistakes, as people in their day. Our society has the same king-men as Moroni had in his time, and our church has the same scribes and Pharisees that Jesus condemned. It is not my role to judge hypocrites, but I am certainly not going to vote for them!

I hope this quick 5-minute read each week has been helpful to you. Perhaps you have found comfort and support in the words of a kindred spirit. Perhaps you have enjoyed the challenge of a new viewpoint or the enlightenment of a new understanding. I hope my Insights have, at least occasionally, helped you make new connections and find greater Truth.

I encourage you to visit other sections of this site beyond the blog. The Downloads page has a number of free resources you will enjoy and the Web Links page is a useful resource for any LDS activist or scholar. Also, many of my posts contain extensive links that I would encourage you to explore.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I hope you’ll stay with me for another 100 posts!

Note: The easiest way to keep up with Insight is to join my email list. You’ll get an update every Monday morning with a direct link to that week’s post. See the “Offer” tab at the top right of this page. Please join us!