In Philip Larkin’s poem “Churchgoing,” a bicyclist who has moved beyond the religion of his upbringing stumbles upon an empty church one weekday. Something about the old building makes him stop, step inside, and wonder—in the most reverent sense of the word—what will become of this building once, as he presumes, religious belief becomes widely …
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout of command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be suddenly caught up together with them in the clouds to meet …
If feminist art cuts through female stereotypes, opens new spaces for women, and illuminates the need for gender equality, Leslie Olpin Peterson is a feminist artist. The LDS watercolorist who painted portraits of Joseph Smith’s 34 “Forgotten Wives,” had all her “Wives” on exhibit at the University of Utah’s Olpin Center during 2015’s Salt Lake …
At Friedly’s Exchange, residue clung to fingertips and grabbed at the soles of shoes. Tattered books, chipped pottery, a dead man’s suit—all less tinged with nostalgia than ruined by desertion. Ginger’s parents went thrifting most Saturdays, bent on a course of rescue and appeasement. Malcolm looked for old, odd compasses for his collection; Edie for …
Sometimes, when I’m out of the house during the day, while the rest of you are off and gone, the alt-rock radio station will break out Depeche Mode for its noon-hour throwback show. Usually, it’s just “Enjoy the Silence,” which is vile. Once in a while, it’ll be “Personal Jesus.” You know that song. When …
On a Saturday evening, Sam drove me halfway to the psychiatric hospital. I looked out the window, wondering if all this was necessary. My psychiatrist had said I needed to check in if another round of medication failed, but I’d read all I could about the psych ward, and I didn’t want to go there …
. . . be with and strengthen them. —D&C 20:53 If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. You are the continuation of each of these people. —Thich Nhat Hanh1 I Conflict, violence, and suffering touch everyone, even those who seek …
By Robert C. Hunsaker Robert C. Hunsaker is a clinical mental health counselor in Salt Lake City. Or right-click to download the audio file: A Peculiar People? How Neo-orthodoxy Has Crept Into the LDS Church In November of 2004 something so uncommon took place in the Salt Lake Tabernacle that nothing …
By Roger Terry Roger Terry is editorial director at BYU Studies and author of fiction and nonfiction books, short stories, serious articles, essays, and editorials. He blogs at mormonomics.blogspot.com. Or download the audio file here: The Tongue of Angels or the Mind of the Borg? On 30 May 1977, I was nearing …
By Dan Wotherspoon Dan Wotherspoon is the host of the Mormon Matters podcast and former editor of Sunstone. He has a Ph.D. in religion from Claremont Graduate University. Or download the audio here: Why Ritual “Makes Sense” At first blush, the word “ritual” doesn’t usually conjure much excitement. We often connect …
