Our Hands are Clean, Our Hearts are Pure: Are We Too Anal-Retentive to Care for the Poor In his book, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, renowned scholar Marcus J. Borg shares the results of his research on the historical Jesus. He examines the ‘purity system” of the Jewish social world, and contrasts it …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2001
Punishment for Crime–How Much is Enough?: A Religious Perspective on the Philosophies of Criminal Punishment
Punishment for Crime–How Much is Enough?: A Religious Perspective on the Philosophies of Criminal Punishment Against the backdrop of America’s record prison population, recent public debate over severe sentencing policies, and high-profile cases of capital punishment, representatives of several religious faiths explore the issue of punishment for crime. The focus will be on religious answers …
‘Exploring Mormon Thought: The Attributes of God’
‘Exploring Mormon Thought: The Attributes of God’ In the first volume of a planned series of works on Mormon thought, Blake T. Ostler explores Christian and Mormon notions about God. In it, he provides an overview of the most influential Christian notions of deity, exploring themes and resources within this discourse that might be helpful …
Why Mormons Should Celebrate Holy Week
Why Mormons Should Celebrate Holy Week The week between Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and his triumphant resurrection from the dead is the most significant week in human history. Beginning with the early church, Christians celebrated the events of this week and for two millennia they have been the focus of annual celebrations of what …
Mormonism and Science: Issues for the Coming Century: An Interview with Duane Jeffery
Mormonism and Science: Issues for the Coming Century: An Interview with Duane Jeffery The doctrinal enthusiasm of Mormonism’s early prophets produced wide-ranging concepts that impinge directly into the basic tenets of science. Science itself has produced an explosion of new knowledge that has changed, and will continue to change, humanity’s most fundamental views of itself, …
Why do Mormons Continue to Believe and Practice?
Why do Mormons Continue to Believe and Practice? From a strictly naturalistic view, the last fifty years have failed to bring much support for the supernatural claims of Joseph Smith. On the other hand, critics have been compiling evidence that contradicts those claims. Yet, Mormonism continues to thrive and expand, suggesting psychological reasons for the …
Mormon Women in the 21st Century
Mormon Women in the 21st Century Six years ago, I presented ‘Issues in Contemporary Mormon Feminism” at the first-ever Mormon Studies Conference at the University of Nottingham, United Kingdom. This paper, revised since I presented it initially at the second Mormon Studies Conference (University of Durham, UK, 1999), takes an updated look at official, quasi-official, …
Sacred Spaces: Mormon Women’s Faith and Sexuality
Sacred Spaces: Mormon Women’s Faith and Sexuality This session collects monologues written by Mormon women from across the U.S. Inspired by Eve Ensler’s ‘The Vagina Monologues,” these LDS contributors boldly explore their faith and sexuality. Janet Kincaid
Sex: Eternal Blessing or Perpetual Problem?
Sex: Eternal Blessing or Perpetual Problem? Sex and sexuality are essential to the experience of what it is to be human. Religions profoundly affect the ways in which people view their sexuality and how they express it in their lives. Mormon theology has several fundamental teachings which promote a positive view of sexuality and sexual …
Why we Need the Atonement: Repentance, Forgiveness, and Freedom from Sin, Death, and the Devil
Why we Need the Atonement: Repentance, Forgiveness, and Freedom from Sin, Death, and the Devil The doctrine of the Atonement is central in Christian theology. The atoning sacrifice of Christ makes it possible for us to be reconciled with God; without the Atonement all humanity would be lost and in bondage to sin, death, and …