Intro and Explanation

Thummim.org Introduction

What’s with the name?

The Urim and Thummim are mentioned a few times in the Old Testament, but have a unique place in LDS (Mormon) history and tradition. Linguistic interpretation of these Hebrew words varies and includes “lights/perfections,” “revelation/truth,” “doctrine/truth,” “oracle/command,” “cursed/faultless”, and “innocent/guilty.” We like that no one really knows how the Urim and Thummim worked and that there is room around the topic to investigate, speculate, and discuss these mysterious instruments. Similarly, our aim is to shed light on and explore a wide range of gospel topics where we think there’s space to learn.

Blog Purpose and Mission:

The two people writing this blog have chosen to call themselves “Urim” and “Thummim.” Aside from being cheeky anonymous monikers, these code names are meant to keep us grounded.  We’re not afraid of people finding out who we are; we simply agreed that we don’t want even the slightest temptation to use this site for personal agenda and gain, and believe this is the best way to maintain that focus.

That being said, both of us have been and still are faithful members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints living on opposite coasts of the United States. Between us we have served in many church callings including full-time missionaries and teachers of primary, youth, and seminary.  As a result we’ve accumulated a lot of talks, lessons, and journal entries. We chat often with each other about new church announcements, popular blogs, and random points of doctrine.  We hope we can provide a unique perspective on a variety of topics!

What to expect

Tag-team honesty:  As a tag-team blog, this is probably the only entry we’ll write together in one voice. In the future, either Urim or Thummim will write an article, then the other will provide a counterpoint/commentary. We may end up completely agreeing, and sometimes we may disagree, but we’re going to be honest and genuine in our viewpoints either way. No artificial drama.

Righteously-indignant callouts:  One of the reasons we decided to create this site is because we were tired of seeing people hoodwinked by successful blogs which were clearly set up to build fame and make money.  We will not pull our punches when calling these people out.  However, we will choose our words charitably when discussing the work of well-meaning writers out there. We feel that fair, yet critical analysis is an essential step in getting closer to truth.

Bobbing for solutions:  We aim to strengthen testimonies, not weaken them.  This doesn’t mean we’ll shy away from blasting folk doctrine or calling out malformed church policies, but we want to ensure that testimonies are built on truth.  We will always provide what we think are the best known solutions to the problems we uncover, regardless of whether it originates from a prophet, another blogger, or a 5-year-old kid.

Can I participate?

We welcome and read all comments, whether we agree with them or not.  We haven’t decided what our final posting policy will be, but come participate with us if you’d like!

--Urim & Thummim