Three young Utah Mormon college students and one young, university graduate meet for the first time and hash over their concerns and passions. Out of this collision of fervent views and disparate voices comes the decision to probe the mysterious and arcane proclivities of the Drone Democraticus, a species of semi-conscious, young Beehive State denizen …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2004
A THEOLOGY OF COLLECTIVE SIN AND GRACE
The traditional theologies of sin and grace, Pelagianism, Arminianism, and Calvinism, all make one assumption about the nature of sin that I believe is incorrect. They assume that sin is primarily an action carried out by an individual and for which that individual is alone responsible. I argue that individual sin is the exception and …
PARADIGM DEBATES IN MORMON STUDIES: A BRIEF GUIDE FOR THE PERPLEXED
I will examine the limits of falsification and verification in light of Thomas Kuhn’s famous book, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. I argue for an open-ended approach to LDS scripture that recognizes a substantial “cause to believe” in support of faith and also recognizes what Kuhn calls the “essential tension” necessary for working on unresolved …
COMMUNITY OF CHRIST DELEGATES AGONIZE: IS IT A REVELATION?
LDS members do not have to vote on whether a purported statement by their prophet is a revelation or not. But since 1878, RLDS delegates to General Conferences (now “World Conferences”) have carried the obligation of debating and voting whether a document presented to the conference by the prophet is a revelation and should be …
CENTENNIAL PARK PLURAL WIVES SPEAK OUT
In September, 2003, the women of Centennial Park, Arizona, invited the attorney generals from Utah and Arizona (and members of their staff) for a two-day visit to their community. During an evening meeting, several women spoke about plural marriage, underscoring their experiences on the following topics: (1) polygamy does not equal abuse; (2) polygamy does …
AUTHOR MEETS CRITICS. JOSEPH SMITH: THE MAKING OF A PROPHET BY DAN VOGEL
Vogel’s provocative work approaches the life and times of Mormonism’s founder from a naturalistic perspective. He attempts to bring into focus several familiar, if murky issues, folk magic, treasure-digging, anti-masonry, and pious fraud, painting a detailed portrait of Joseph Smith as a sincere evangelical who used dubious means to promote faith. Of particular interest is …
INTELLIGENCE AND CREATIVITY: ULTIMATES IN MORMONISM AND PROCESS THEOLOGY
Alfred North Whitehead’s Process and Reality is one of the classic texts of twentieth-century philosophy and laid the foundation of one of the most important movements in contemporary theology, process theology. One of Whitehead’s stunning claims is that the category of the ultimate is made up of three notions. In traditional theology, one would expect …
JAMES E. TALMAGE V. THE KOYLE RELIEF MINE
In 1894, John H. Koyle claimed he had been visited by a heavenly being who told him there was a vast deposit of Nephite gold in a hill in Salem, Utah. The messenger said the gold in this hill was to provide relief to the Church and the U.S. government after a severe economic collapse. …
GOOD GRIEF? AN EXPLORATION ON MANAGING GRIEF AND LOSS
Ever had difficulty handling grief or a loss, either yours or someone else’s? Ever wonder what to say or how you might help? In this interactive, workshop-style session, I will draw from my own experiences with grief and the insights I found valuable in The Grief Recovery Handbook. In this session, we will use communication …
THE GENERAL CONFERENCE RHETORIC OF HAROLD B. LEE AND HOWARD W. HUNTER: BRIEF PRESIDENTIAL ADMINISTRATIONS, PROFOUND PROPHETIC UTTERANCE
Although Harold B. Lee served as Church president for fewer than eighteen months and Howard W. Hunter, for only nine months, through their general conference addresses, both men had a profound effect on the membership. I will analyze the content of their presidential messages, along with their speaking styles, in an effort to explain their …