Interesting List of Character Disorders

I encountered the following list from a Christian Ministry. It seems pretty comprehensive to me although the theological argument about them stemming from original sin is one that I would challenge. Nevertheless it can serve as a way of reviewing our own personal growth to help find areas we might improve in.

A partial list follows. There are 85 items on this list. I am only showing the first ten.

1. Emotional immaturity. Behavior is not age appropriate.

2. Self-centeredness. He comes first and foremost. Is insincere about real interest in other people.

3. Little if any remorse for mistakes.

4. Poor judgment.

5. Unreliability, undependability, irresponsibility.

6. Inability to profit from experience - does not learn a lesson from making mistakes.

7. Inability to postpone immediate gratification - what he wants, he wants now. Impulsive and demanding.

8. Conflict with, or defiance of, authority.

9. Lack of appreciation for the consequences of his actions.

10. Tendency to project his own shortcomings on to the world about him - frequent blaming. Never at fault.

Hat tip to Amy Bowker Prather.

Gospel Link

Deseret News is offering an online service called Gospel Link that is an unbelievable library of LDS books, conference talks, CES lesson manuals, etc... for $4.99 a month. I suspect that a lot of people will be signing up for this service. This list of things in this collection is amazing.

The Pew Report

The Pew Forum recently issued a report about the Mormons. Interestingly the report is dated July 24th, which as readers of this blog know is also Pioneer Day. In it they report that Latter-Day Saints make up 1.7% of the American population, and 58% of Utah's population. They report that:

"A new analysis of the Landscape Survey data reveals that as a group Mormons are among the most devout and conservative religious people in the country. The Mormon community is also internally diverse, with differences according to levels of religious commitment and educational attainment, regions of the country where Mormons live, and between lifelong Mormons and those who have converted to the faith. This report explores Mormons' unique place in the American religious landscape and is divided into three parts: demographic characteristics, religious beliefs and practices, and social and political views."

There are a few surprising details in this report such as:

• They include all of the Restoration churches (i.e. LDS, Church of Christ, Strangites, etc..) as a group
• Mormons are younger than the American population on average
• 56% of Mormons are female
• Mormons and Hindus have the highest percentage of married people with rates much higher than the national average
• Mormons and Hindus are the most likely to have married someone of the same faith (83%)
• Mormons have a high percentage of whites although the Jews, mainline Protestants, and Orthodox Christians have a higher percentage
• Mormons have a high percentage of people who go to college, but the number of college graduates is near the national average

They also have some interesting statistics about converts. To read the whole report click here.

Kids and Church

Yahoo News has an interesting story about a child in Utah trying to avoid going to Church. Given the number of LDS in Utah the odds are that he was one of us. Hat tip to Mark Giles for the story.

The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research

I love FAIR. They do such a good job of addressing criticisms of the Church, and they do it in such an honest manner. Their scholarship is above reproach and their logic is inspired. There is much of bad reasoning in our generation. If I could wish for one thing for this generation (many Latter-day Saints included) it would be an understanding of logical fallacies. By understanding poor logic, I have managed to learn solid logic and recognize specious arguments. Every anti-Mormon argument I have ever encountered contains logical fallacies. Every single one.

Catholic Apologists

I spent this week in St. Louis working. While driving around the city I found myself listening to EWTN radio, a Catholic radio station. It was fascinating to listen to the different people call in and ask questions about their faith. I particularly enjoyed listening to a Catholic apologist on a regular show - Catholic Answers Live. I was surprised at the quality of their apologists and the tenor of their discussion. All in all an uplifting experience.