Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2002

The Soul is Dead That Slumbers

The high rate of depression and prescription drug use in Utah strongly suggests some form of social pathology may exist that contributes to widespread emotional problems. These statistics seem incongruousin in the light of the positive correlation between Church affiliation, individual happiness, and family stability. This paper explores the questions,“is there such a pathology?” and …

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Eternal Love: The Biblical Model of Marriage

Latter-day Saints are promised that marriage can be eternal, but what does eternal love look like? While not usually thought of as a book of great romance, the bible provides answers, presenting an ideal for love so astounding that right now we don’t dare imagine it. Beginning with God’s intent in creation and elaborating on …

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A Calvinist Compares Mormonism and Calvinism

The men who have led the LDS and RLDS churches have the dual and often contradictory roles of “prophet” and “president.” W. Grant McMurray, RLDS (now Community of Christ) president since 1996, has suggested that his denomination should think of itself as a “prophetic church” and not merely a “church with a prophet.” This paper …

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Temple Square Iconography: A Photographic Tour

Temple Square has recently undergone a major facelift. With the purchase of Main Street and the construction of the Conference Center, the square has more than doubled in size, and radically different displays have been placed in both visitors centers. Join us for a photographic tour of the new Temple Square. How do the changes …

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Anniversary Looks at Two Feminist Books

Anniversary Looks at Two Feminist Books Panelists will explore the paradoxical role of Mormon feminism on the anniversary of two feminist books, Women and Authority (1992) and A Daughter of Zion (1972). These books were avidly received by women, yet the books’ creators encountered Church disapproval. Still, the books have continued to have an impact. …

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The War in Heaven Revisted: Agency vs. Compulsion

As told in the scriptures, the war in heaven was more than a simple story of the good guys defeating the bad guys. The fundamental issue was the question of agency versus compulsion. Are there forces in the Church today which are attempting to compel righteousness? Does it make a difference if these forces are …

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Seerstones, Scrying, and “Translating” Holy Writ: Can a Government Espionage Program Help Us Understand Joseph Smith’s Translation Methods?

Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon (according to some accounts) by burying his face in a hat with a “seerstone.” Skeptics think such methods undermine Joseph’s claim to legitimacy as a prophet, while apologists try to reconcile the apparent facts in a faith-preserving way. Calling on personal experience in a U.S. government remote viewing …

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