Tag Archives: website

The top 15 SHAFT posts of 2011

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This year has regrettably been my least prolific. I’ve been busy with work, guitar, and family and friends. Though worthwhile expenditures of my time, they’ve come at the expense of my writing—as you have doubtless noticed (and hopefully lamented ha ha). But I’ll endeavor in the coming year to strike a more harmonious balance among my interests such that I can find time to blog again.

My recent inactivity here notwithstanding, I am still proud of what I and others managed to write for SHAFT this year. Below are the top 15 SHAFT posts of 2011; I think this list compares favorably to last year’s.

Trends in General Conference talks: 1851-2010

The development of LDS temple worship

Gay marriage: A slippery slope to polygamy?

The loneliness of atheism

Jane Manning James: Latter-day Saint and Servant

A gay Mormon’s experience at BYU

Why I like (most) LDS temples

A new focus in the gay rights debate

Two displays of crazy at Sundance

Why it’s probable we live in a simulated reality

Did the Gold Plates exist?

In defense of religious brainwashing

Am I anti-Mormon?

My testimony: A response to Bruce D. Porter

An adult discussion about pornography

The SHAFT site turns two years old!

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The USU SHAFT blog has been active now for two years; the first post was published August 13th, 2009. I want to thank all of you who have followed us from the beginning, and welcome those who have just recently stumbled upon our blog.

Despite my being less prolific as of late, the site still enjoyed increased traffic this year. And, like last year, we also won several Brodies (the Oscars of the Mormon/ex-Mormon blogosphere) for 2010: “Best News Reporting”, “Best LDS Church Watch”, and “Best Science Piece”. SHAFT has won a total of five Brodies, more than any other website.

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Vote now in the 2010 Brodie Awards

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The SHAFT blog has been nominated in six categories in this year’s Brodie Awards. Last year, we won two Brodies–one for “Best Humor Piece”, and the other for “Best New Blog”.

Here are this year’s nominated SHAFT posts and their respective categories:

LDS leader look-a-likes — “Funniest Humor Piece”

My bishop: “Masturbation leads to homosexuality” — “Best Chat with Church Leader”

BYU censors letter to the editor critical of Prop 8 — “Best News Reporting”

My apology to Pastor Ted Haggard — “Best Religion-and-Homosexuality Discussion”

This is your brain on god — “Best Science Piece”

Gordon B. Hinckley and the downplaying of Mormon peculiarity — “Best LDS Church Watch”

We are winning in four of those categories, and are competitive in the other two. Please consider voting not only for this site, but for all the other Mormon/ex-Mormon blogs you wish to recognize.

Vote here, and vote soon.

Thanks again for your continued support.

The 2010 Brodie Awards!

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Main Street Plaza’s second annual Brodie Awards are upon us. The Brodie Awards are to recognize the best of the Mormon/ex-Mormon blogosphere. Last year, the SHAFT blog won two Brodies—one for ‘Best New Blog’, and the other for ‘Best Humor Piece.’ I’d like to see our blog have a strong show in this year’s competition as well.

Please nominate your favorite SHAFT posts here. Earlier, I shared a list of my favorite 15 posts.

Thanks for your support!

The top 15 SHAFT posts of 2010

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With the end of the year only weeks away, it’s time for some retrospection. Of the total 273 posts that were written in 2010, here are my favorite 15:

Humean, all too Humean: The Problem of Induction

God is hiding

LDS leader look-a-likes

Why Mormons should be thankful Third Nephi is not history

Bad atheist arguments

An evolutionary view of morality

Deutero-Isaiah in the Book of Mormon

LDS teachings on sex are contradictory and untenable

Sisters in Zion

Extremism in the Muslim world

The difficulty defining Mormon doctrine

The long road out

BYU censors letter to the editor critical of Prop 8

My apology to Pastor Ted Haggard

A 1984 conference talk gets an Orwellian makeover

Writers wanted!

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Now that I am working full-time, I haven’t been able to post as frequently. I don’t want to see this blog suffer just because I am busier, though. If you are a member of SHAFT, a student at or a recent alumnus of USU, please consider writing for the SHAFT blog. I think some fresh blood and fresh ideas would be great.

It doesn’t have to be a big time commitment. Even one post a week would go a long way in helping this blog remain dynamic and active. There are also a lot of benefits to blogging here, too. This blog is among the most popular ex-Mormon/atheist blogs in the country, so your posts will reach thousands of readers. It’s a fantastic medium, then, by which to share your insights and opinions.

If you are interested in writing for the blog, please reply to that effect in the comments.

Thank you.

The SHAFT site turns one year old!

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USU SHAFT first met as an official club two years ago. It wasn’t until last August, however, that we decided to launch this site. (Nick Venturella is the technical guru behind the site’s creation and upkeep).

The SHAFT site has been a success that far exceeded anyone’s expectations. It has strengthened our group’s sense of community and served as an important forum for critical religious dialogue. And the site largely owes its success to you, the readers. You voted it “Best New Blog” in the 2009 William Law X-Mormon Awards, and your continued readership and participation have made this among the most popular sites of its kind.

Here are some of the site’s stats over one year of activity:

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Get USU SHAFT blog posts delivered by email

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Just a quick technical update here: USU SHAFT is now using the FeedBurner service. This makes it very easy for you to subscribe to our blog in your favorite feed reader and stay up-to-date with USU SHAFT. If you’re not already subscribed to our feed or if you don’t know what a feed even is, now is a great time to add USU SHAFT to Google Reader (or any other feed reader). You can learn more about Google Reader and feed readers in general by watching the video below or by reading this page.

Also, if you want to follow the USU SHAFT blog but feed readers aren’t for you, we now offer a blog e-mail list as well! Just click on the “Blog Post Emails” link at the top of any page and you’ll receive a daily e-mail with the new posts from the USU SHAFT blog (note: the blog post e-mail list, which sends one message every day, is separate from our club events mailing list, which sends one message about every three weeks).