Soul's Code

Will the values of our next President be made of the Mormon stuff?

What Mormon and Muslim fundamentalists share in common: Romney vs. Obama (Huffington Post)

Officially outlawed in the 19th Century when Utah joined the United States of America, polygamy makes for great ratings in award-winning 21st C  television. (LA Times)

On Broadway: Mormonism makes a blockbuster musical. (NY Observer)

Web 2.0: some of the hottest lifestyle bloggers are Mormons (Good Magazine)

Massachusetts and JFK redux:  Romney and religion. (Huffington Post)

Inspire change, and celebrate the Nobel Prize winner’s 93rd, by doing 67  minutes of good deeds today

BY PAUL KAIHLA — July 18 is South Africa’s annual Good Samaritan’s day. This year, Nelson Mandela turned 93. And the tradition here is to donate 67 minutes to helping others in honor of the former freedom fighter’s devotion to human rights and reconciliation.

The number 67 is not a random pick; It represents the number of years that Mandela devoted himself to public service and political struggle — 27 of them incarcerated in South African prisons (1962 to 1990) such as Capetown’s equivalent of Alcatraz, Robben Island, as well as five years as South Africa’s first non-white president (1994 to 1999).

Haiti advocate Sean Penn will send Charlie Sheen to help raise spirits; We sent an Episcopal priest and psychotherapist

BY DAVID RICKEY – Haiti is a fascinating place in its own right, but for me it serves as a kind of microcosm of issues that are evolving around the planet. I just returned from my fourth visit to Port au Prince. Each time I go, I accomplish a little but learn a lot.

I can report that there is progress there. The streets, although still terrible and crowded with the chaotic traffic of trucks, SUVs and motorcycles weaving around each other, are cleaner and brighter. There is an renewed energy and purposefulness.

Once we spot divine presence it might look something like a sheepdog, bumping, guiding and protecting us as we stumble through life.

BY DAVID RICKEY — Back in 1963, Bob Dylan wrote “The Times They Are A Changin’,” and they were. The 60s were a time of chaos for those holding onto the old ways, and a time of hope for those seeking the new. Buddhists say that change is the nature of things, but change as we now see it (much like in the 60s) can be pretty disquieting.

As I write this, the so-called Middle East is in unprecedented turmoil with rebellion spreading like a contagion with no clear sense of where it will take us. Beyond that, the world’s economic structure is precarious at best. Every clarion of hope is countered by new reports of dire predictions. Even the weather has become cause for global concern with rampant flooding and extensive long-term drought.

One of my favorite hymns is “If Thou But Trust In God To Guide Thee,” but what does that mean in the context of 21^st-Century confusion? If change is the nature of things, can we find God by embracing change? I believe we can if we alter our understanding of God and of ourselves.

Karmic consequences of Egypt and the West

BY DAVID RICKEY — Americans play a role in the political crisis in Egypt. Politically, we find ourselves wanting to support the emerging democracy, but fearing what the loss of Mubarak would mean for our own security. This is a perfect example of how Karma plays out in our world. I believe that the whole Middle-East conflict is a Karmic result of our own choices.

Our economy has prospered partly as a result of how we have been able to exploit the riches of other countries (the exploitation of others, as demonstrated in the huge divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots” has been the major fuel for both our economic prosperity and subsequent financial melt-down).

We have supported leaders who have stabilized countries like Egypt, without regard to their treatment of their own people. Or we have worked to overthrow leaders who threaten our access to the resources these countries possess. This political game has worked for us economically, but the evolutionary principle of self-determination is now changing the game, adding a very powerful new dynamic.

SPIRITUAL IQ QUIZ — Barack Obama may be the personification of the phrase, and the meme of this site, “spiritual but not religious.”

He’s an erratic church-goer, yet he inspires more faith than a spiritual leader.

Yes, we adore him. But others fear him. Political operatives take religious shots at him — Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes deviously quipped that Obama has a “different belief system than most Americans.”

Say what you will about Fox, who are no friends of ours. But what do you actually know about the issue?

Click on the radio buttons below to test your Spiritual IQ on 6 questions about the spiritual life of Barack Obama:

Isabelle Caro passes, all is not as it seems with Hugh Heffner’s lasses, our leaders call us a ‘nation of wussies.’

Take down the tree. Clear up the dishes. Toss out the empty bottles. The holidays are over. There’s a lot of spiritual pain in the world. So if you’re feeling lost in life’s desolation right now know this: you’re not alone.

Sometimes, that spiritual hunger takes a very literal form. Read the sad story of Isabelle Caro, an anorexic model who spoke publicly about her issues, who has passed at 28…

…meanwhile, in another hint that all is not as it seems behind the world’s facade of beauty and wealth, the Daily Mail writes of disarray at Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner’s home.

Don’t complain about our society’s growing hollowness, though: “We’re becoming a nation of wussies,” Pennsylvania’s governor says.

Leaked cables betray royal ranter; actor Leslie Nielsen passes on; and unemployment extensions are in play in Washington D.C.

Prince Andrew mouths off: this dude could (very theoretically) be the titular head of the Church of England?

Leslie Nielson is gone, but not forgotten: watch the ultimate straight-man’s best lines.

Unemployment extension: man may not live on bread alone, but it helps. Democrat Max Baucus introduced a bill that would extend unemployment benefits, again.