By Tumblr Consent

Hymn Practice On April 16, 1830---10 days after the Church was formally organized---Joseph Smith received a revelation directed to his wife Emma.... https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/07/23/hymn-practice/

LDS Terms of Venery (Just For fun) I think collective nouns (also called “terms of venery”) are really fun. There are some that are commonly used: a herd of cows, a gaggle of geese, a flock of birds, a school of fish, or a deck of cards.... https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/07/21/lds-terms-of-venery-just-for-fun/

Tilting at Windmills For the first time, I’m making my way through Cervantes’ Don Quixote (for the book nerds out there, I’m reading the Edith Grossman translation).... https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/07/19/tilting-at-windmills/

Temple Changes, Covenant Changes? I've delayed this post for a while, mostly because I was worried that people would think I was being either flippant or disrespectful (or both).... https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/07/13/temple-changes-covenant-changes/

Hope and the Unfulfilled Promise of America From the Obama Presidential Center Today marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of the American experiment.... https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/07/04/hope-and-the-unfulfilled-promise-of-america/

On (Not) Losing Our (Civil) Religion On April 3, 1890, in Lehi, Utah, my maternal great-great-grandmother, Martha Mercer Kirkham, joined with other women to form a local chapter of the…... https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/07/04/on-not-losing-our-civil-religion/

Ancient Vs. Modern Temples There is no doubt that LDS folks see themselves as ‘temple builders.’ It’s a core part of LDS identity.... https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/06/25/ancient-vs-modern-temples/

The Church and Its Much-Needed Apology The Church needs to apologize for its history of discrimination against Black people. Full stop. There's explanation and strategy, and I'll get into those in a minute....

Let’s settle this LDS grammar problem once and for all… Is it “return missionary” or “returned missionary”? Show your work. https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/06/09/lets-settle-this-lds-grammar-problem-once-and-for-all/

Funeral Plans? Perhaps because I’m getting older, I’ve started to think about what my “end of life” celebration/service might look like.... https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/06/07/funeral-plans/

America’s 250th: What Went Well? Last Sunday, the Church instructed all U.S. wards to hold a combined lesson on the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and religious freedom.... https://bycommonconsent.com/2026/06/06/americas-250th-what-went-well/

Miles at 100

That Time Belle Spafford Slapped Down 3,500 Bishops

Shaking with style: at the movies with Mother Ann Lee

America’s 250th: Lesson Strategies for Challenging Classrooms

America’s 250th: Defending our Divinely Inspired Declaration?

Book Announcement: Latter-day Eloquence