This panel will discuss data on more than eight hundred Latter-day Saints who have been involved in therapy efforts to change their sexual orientation. The data shows that very few have been able to use therapy successfully as a method for change. This report includes findings from a past president of the Association of Mormon …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2004
50,000 MALNOURISHED LDS CHILDREN? HOW CAN WE HELP?
The Church has 375,000 faithful members in less-developed countries (LDCs) who live in absolute poverty. In addition, 50,000 children from faithful families are malnourished, and one can point to 5300 annual cases of severe preventable disability among faithful members (mostly children) and 900 annual deaths (85 percent of whom are children) in this same group …
ARE WE GOOD GUYS OR BAD GUYS?
The Book of Mormon’s story of Korihor, the antichrist who leads people astray by his teachings but who finally meets an unhappy end, is sometimes used as a warning to intellectuals about the dangers of dissension. But the Book of Mormon also contains stories of dissenters who were clearly good guys, prophets such as Lehi …
HOW ARE WE RESPONDING TO THE HIV/AIDS GENOCIDE?
Many of us are aware of the HIV/AIDS crisis but don’t know how we, as individuals or as a church community, might helpfully respond. I will address those questions as well as the scope of the epidemic, why it is now considered a national security issue, and how this disease’s connection with sexuality affects the …
TEACHING MORMONISM IN THE CATHOLIC CLASSROOM
While the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been an important part of America’s religious and civic life, it is still frequently polemically labeled as a “cult,” distinct and separate from the Christian tradition. This presentation explores issues elicited by teaching about Mormonism as part of a course entitled “Modern Religious Movements” at …
ON THE VERGE: WILL MORMONISM BECOME CHRISTIAN?
Complications from recent developments in Book of Mormon studies and new views of Joseph Smith have placed the LDS Church in a familiar position. Not one familiar to it, per se, but one that strongly parallels the developmental paths of Seventh-day Adventism, the Worldwide Church of God, and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of …
A SUNSTONE TOWN MEETING
Grab a quick bite, then meet with members of the Sunstone staff and board of directors, who will report on the current state of Sunstone, including its finances, subscription efforts, and other statistics and activities. Learn about future plans. Bring your questions and suggestions! Come prepared to help shape Sunstone’s future! (Town meeting will begin …
STAGES OF FAITH: MORMON ENCOUNTERS
The model of faith development presented by James W. Fowler in his classic study, The Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, has helped many people from a wide variety of religious traditions better understand their own faith journey. It has been embraced especially by many who feel they …
THE RISE OF LDS PSYCHOTHERAPY
Latter-day Saint psychotherapists strive for the “cure of souls” through a melding of LDS theology with mainstream psychology. How and when did psychotherapeutic methodologies take hold within Mormonism, giving rise to professional organizations such as the Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists (AMCAP) and BYU’s Institute for Studies in Values and Human Behavior? Author Eric …
PERSEPHONE AWAKENED: A POETRY READING AND DISCUSSION OF NEGOTIATING FEMALE POWER WITHIN A PATRIARCHY
By contrasting the traditional Demeter/Persephone myth with a contemporary interpretation, this session will explore how LDS women negotiate power within patriarchy and the possibilities of creating more balance. Persephone Awakened is a book of poems written in a contemporary voice of Persephone as she addresses a childhood companion whom she loses after her abduction. The …