With MormonLeaks quickly approaching its two-year anniversary, Ryan and Ethan invite all to join them as they discuss the journey and share what they have learned during the process in this “ask-me-anything”-style presentation. Ryan McKnight, Ethan Dodge
Author: Jake Spurlock
New Thinking For Mormons Involved With Foster Care A Forward Look
The Church’s history with adoption and foster care is gray area. Efforts like the Indian Placement Program and sometimes-coercive and secretive practices of LDS Social/Family Services were guided by wrong-headed ideas about the superiority of some familiesÑwhite families, wealthy families, temple-sealed familiesÑover others. Mormons who become foster parents are vulnerable to some of the same …
Finding Wisdom Amidst The Quest For Certainty
The paradox of being thoughtful while being faithful is a spiritual practice that has failing currency in Mormonism. As the host of A Thoughtful Faith Gina has had the opportunity to interview those at their most spiritually troubled who are seeking a middle-way that feels authentic, honest, faithful, and Mormon. In this audio/visual presentation she …
Finding Wisdom Amidst The Quest For Certainty
The paradox of being thoughtful while being faithful is a spiritual practice that has failing currency in Mormonism. As the host of A Thoughtful Faith Gina has had the opportunity to interview those at their most spiritually troubled who are seeking a middle-way that feels authentic, honest, faithful, and Mormon. In this audio/visual presentation she …
PANEL: More Paint, Less Corner? New Developments in LDS/LGBTQ Relations
The past year brought many new developments, including the launch of the LDS Church’s website MORMONSANDGAYS.ORG, the Church’s amicus brief regarding Proposition 8, the new blog No More Strangers, Mormons Building Bridges and marching in gay pride parades across the US, the LDS Church pulling support from the anti-discrimination law under review in the Utah …
EXERCISING DOMINION: SECTION 121 AND THE ABUSE OF POWER
The feminist slogan, “the personal is political,” calls attention to the profound relationship between power structures and personal life. Personal problems are often rooted in political, economic, cultural, and religious systems. Section 121 of the Doctrine and Covenants warns us that even divinely ordained power can be abused. This panel will look at power structures …
Michael Servetus: Underappreciated Forerunner To The Restoration
Q.: Which religious reformer of the sixteenth century anticipated so many Latter-day-Saint doctrines that he may truly be termed a Mormon theologian avant la lettre? A.: Michael Servetus (Miguel Serveto), the learned Spaniard from Aragon burned alive by the Protestants in 1553. Latter-day-Saints honor Luther, Calvin, Wycliffe, and others as path-pavers for the Restoration, but …
Joseph Smith and the Gnostic Restoration & Joseph Smith’s Lesser-Known Wives
The discovery of the Nag Hammadi third-century Gnostic Library has awakened interest in this very early form of Christianity. My proposal is that if Joseph Smith restored true Christianity, then it should share many similarities with Gnosticism. Indeed, there are many strong parallels between these two theologies, starting with a shared sense that humans are …