Tom Irvine's articles
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Wounded in the House of Our Friends
By Tom Irvine And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. (Zechariah 13:6) Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands… (Isaiah 49:16) * * * There have been several times in my life when I needed to make major changes, such as moving to a new neighborhood, starting a new job, etc. On several occasions, the Lord even forewarned me about upcoming changes in my life using some of the following Biblical principles, although he did not inform me of the specific details. …
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Asperger’s-Related Trauma in the LDS Church
By contributor Tom Irvine Introduction LDS members with Asperger’s, or high functioning autism, may face difficult challenges particularly with respect to neurotypical, authoritarian priesthood leaders. In some cases, these challenges may be deeply traumatic for the Aspie. People with Down syndrome are easy to recognize from their neck and facial characteristics. Their behavior then confirms this. Autistic people are less recognizable by their appearance, but their condition is manifested by their behavior. Almost all church leaders will make allowances for Down syndrome people. Some leaders may misunderstand autistic people, but most make allowances for them, as well. On the other hand, Aspies may appear and act normally most of the…
