What Is a Vision Quest?

Native Americans used vision quests as rites of passage and as part of their spiritual practice to receive help, guidance, and protection from the supernatural realm. To read more, see Purpose of a Vision Quest in Native American Cultures.

image source

Was Nidal Malik Hasan Religiously Motivated?

The motivation for Major Nidal Malik Hasan's killing spree at Fort Hood remains unclear, but his Islamic faith and his experiences as a Muslim may have been factors. To read more, see Were Fort Hood Killings Religiously Motivated?



Soldiers hold a vigil for those killed in the shooting tragedy at Fort Hood

Peyote Cactus in Native American Traditions: The Drug’s Uses, Effects, and Legality

Native Americans have used peyote since before recorded history. They revere the cactus as a sacred plant. But what exactly are the uses, effects, and legality of peyote? Click here to read more.

image source

Funny and Thought-Provoking Religious Signs

Do you enjoy exploring unique perspectives on religions and having your thoughts and ideas about faith challenged? For a compilation of some profound (as well as some very funny) photos of religious signs from unlikely sources, see the article Interesting Religious Signs.



Photo Source

LDS Support of a Ban on Gay Marriage: How Much Did the Mormons Really Spend on California Proposition 8?

Gay marriage is a hot, contentious topic around the country, but Utah has become its own little hotbed of disagreement over this topic. The LDS church and members poured untold time, effort, and money into supporting the passage of California Proposition 8, which outlawed same-sex marriage in California. Passing by a slim margin, the proposition amended the California state constitution to ban gay marriage. But how much did Mormons really contribute to support the passage of Proposition 8? Conflicting accounts have made the truth difficult to tease out.

The Position of the LDS Church on Gay Marriage

Like many Christian churches, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tows a hard line on gay marriage. Marriage is between a man and a woman—period, end of story, line drawn in the sand. Gay marriage is a sin, LDS church leaders say.

This is the rallying position that many Mormons adhered to when they answered the call to duty of LDS church leaders to support California Proposition 8. Prop 8, as it’s nicknamed, overturned the California Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage early in 2008.

Back Story: LDS Leaders Rally Support for Prop 8

Before California voters took to the ballot boxes to cast their votes on Prop 8 in late 2008, LDS church leaders asked the faithful in California and in other states to donate their time and money to spread the message that marriage should only be between a man and woman. LDS leaders outlined a well-organized plan for Mormons to conduct phone and door-to-door campaigns as well as blog, text, and network in other ways to support the passage of Prop 8.

To rally Mormons to the cause, LDS church leaders drafted letters that were read in Mormon congregations and assembled information and produced videos about the church’s stance on same-sex marriage. This information can be found on LDS.org. The LDS church even set up a website PreservingMarriage.org, where Mormons could download information about why the position of the LDS church is that traditional marriage is the only divinely sanctioned form of the institution.

Photo Source

Bottom Line: How Much Money Did the LDS Church and Mormons Spend on Prop 8?

The LDS church was undoubtedly heavily involved in the campaign to pass Prop 8, but how much did the LDS church itself contribute monetarily to the cause to ban same-sex marriage in California? Initially the church disclosed just over $2,000 of in-kind donations (donations made in goods or services and not in direct financial contributions). However, after pressure from Californians and others prompted an investigation by California’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) into whether the LDS church had disclosed all of its donations, the church gradually began to divulge more information about its contributions. In the end, the LDS church claimed over $190,000 of in-kind donations, which included nearly $100,000 in church employee staff hours and church building and equipment use.

The LDS church also encouraged Mormons to donate what they could to support the passage of Prop 8, but how much did members actually contribute financially? It is estimated that Mormons donated between $8 and 20 million of the total $40 million, give or take a million or two, to support passage of Prop 8. In any case, Mormons contributed a significant portion of the money that supported the proposition.

In the end, Prop 8 passed by slight margin of 600,000 votes. Fifty-two percent of Californians supported the proposition. Were the efforts of the Mormons and the LDS church, monetary and otherwise, the deciding factor? That is open for speculation. What is clear, however, is that when all contributions made by opponents and proponents of the proposition were tallied, the Prop 8 campaign was the most expensive campaign ever over a social issue.

LDS Church’s Tax-Exempt Status Questioned

Some people have questioned the LDS church’s tax-exempt status after its heavy involvement in the political affairs of California. Some people have even gone so far as to file complaints with the IRS. One Facebook group, Petition IRS to Revoke Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Tax-Exempt Status, currently has nearly 15,000 members.

Photo Source

The official position of the IRS on the involvement of churches in political affairs is vague and up for interpretation. The IRS regulations state that to retain their tax-exempt status churches “must not provide a substantial benefit to private interests, they must not devote a substantial part of their activities to attempting to influence legislation, they must not participate in, or intervene in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.”

The official position of the Church of Jesus Christ is that it is a non-political entity. It does not support one political party over another. Nevertheless, the LDS church does periodically weigh in on issues it considers to be morally significant. It has been involved in the fight against the legalization of gay marriage since the early 1990s.

Photo Source

The Gay Marriage Issue Isn’t Going Away

The Prop 8 issue may have quieted down a little for now, but this hotly contested issue is a metaphor for the divide that is happening around the country over same-sex marriage. In Utah, this issue has continued to spark disagreements, including a recent one that happened over the summer when a gay couple kissed on a street owned by the LDS Church in downtown Salt Lake City. It seems that the landscape is dry and as tempers flare up, fires are ignited. In the end, all of this contention boils down to two fundamental questions: Should gay marriage be legal, and how much should churches be allowed to participate in the political process?

Photo Source

Photo Source

Sulfur and Blueberries: God Through the Senses

God smells like sweet sulfur and crushed blueberries

Tarnished metal and ruby Autumn leaves

God tastes like moldy green Swiss cheese and ripe pomegranates

Diesel fuel and Twinkies

God looks like an ash-covered lava pit and brilliant, blinding suns

Rotting deer carcasses and newborn cotton-covered lambs

God sounds like silent lizard tongues and booming high school bands

Ear drum shattering supersonic booms and a lover’s whispers at dawn

God feels like a 24-grit sandpaper and a 500-thread-count satin

External explosions and internal implosions

Photo Source

Twilight of Night

There are times when I remember you
in a half-glance at the late-August sky,
in a daydream gracing the mysteries of the midnight,
when half-thoughts float like water lilies,
delicate and disguised under soft, yellow moonlight;
when leaves of aspens rustle cautiously
and purple cotton clouds blanket pinpricks of milky stars;
I remember guarded abysmal portals
and sense the coming dawn
in the essential goodness of you
and then, slowly, the despair;
I remember you now in the blistering solitude of midnight
as the moon desiccates my hairless flesh and the leafless trees stand still;
Forever my muse, a silent siren call, elusive and persistent
my chameleon in white robes,
talking of the peace that passeth all understanding,
and I remember again why you touched me
and how it was I understood

Photo Source

Did Michael Jackson Have a Hole in His Soul?

It seems that we can't get enough of Michael Jackson. Even after his death, we scramble like rabid dogs for any little scrap of rehashed news we can bite into. What is it that fascinates us so much about him? Why does he thrill our imaginations and captivate our psyches? What was his power?

Aside from his almost otherworldly talent, I believe that his struggles to live in this world, his feelings of being an outsider, his desires to escape mundane reality through his creation of an alternate, fantasy-based reality also appeal to and repulse us at the same time. I think that his struggle to find peace, solace, acceptance, and purpose in this life are very much our own struggles.

To read more about my ideas about why Michael Jackson became the icon that he did and what this tells us about ourselves, visit Michael Jackson’s Spiritual Search and What We Can Learn About Ourselves From Him.



Photo Source

Judaism, the Holocaust, and Questions

The Holocaust brings up all of my questions, concerns, and doubts about God and about whether there is a purpose to life or not. Victor Frankl’s book Man’s Search for Meaning is one of the most profound responses to the Holocaust and to the existential problems it presents I’ve come across. It is one of the greatest books written on the subject because it looks unflinchingly at the utter horror of Holocaust, yet it still remains hopeful despite the evidence that should drive one to pessimism. Our attitude is indeed our last freedom. I think we have a responsibility to ourselves and others to remain positive, hopeful, and optimistic about human nature and about the future–for if we don’t, then we are sure to repeat the mistakes of the past. This is not to say that we should be blindly hopeful. To the contrary, our hope should be based on our desire to do better, to be kinder, to create something more beneficial to leave to those who come after us.

To read more about my exploration of Judaism, the Holocaust, and my own search for God, visit My Search for God and Judaism.



Holocaust Memorial in Miami, Florida (photo source)

Heart of the Healer Foundation

The Heart of the Healer is a non-profit foundation dedicated to the preservation of indigenous wisdom and the preservation of the Earth. Led by Oscar Miro-Quesada, a practicing shaman, and his wife, Cindy, the Heart of the Healer organizes gatherings around the world to honor the sacred wisdom of earth-honoring traditions by initiating participants into the magical, intriguing, yet foreign world of visionary shamanism.

To read more about my experience as a participant at one of the Heart of the Healer gatherings as well as more about the work and mission of this fascinating organization, visit The Heart of The Healer Foundation: Sacred Rituals & Ceremonies to Reconnect Us with The Earth.

Capitol Reef National Park, Utah (photo source)

How Is Ayahuasca Used in Shamanism?

I've always had a passionate interest in religions, particularly the mystical aspects of them, and spirituality. For the past few years, I've been researching, studying, and attending many events that deal with indigenous beliefs and practices. Most recently, I've been learning more about shamanism, the ancient way of connecting the seen and unseen worlds, that has been practiced around the world since the beginning of human history.

Ayahuasca tea has been used in shamanism in South America for thousands of years. The mysterious effects of the brew on consciousness are not fully understood. The debate over the legality of the use of the tea continues in many countries today.

To read more about ayahuasca and its use in shamanism, visit Sacred Ayahuasca in Shamanism: Its Uses, Effects, and Legality.



Preparation of ayahuasca (photo source)