IMAGE AND REALITY: THE MANY FACES OF MORMON WOMEN The concept of face invites us to consider several contrasting pairs that define face: appearance vs. reality, public vs. private, open vs. hidden, engaged vs. withdrawn, present vs. past, and ideal vs. real. What are the stereotypes about Mormon women, and how well do these images …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2007
MORNING REFLECTIONS WHILE STANDING ON ONE FOOT
MORNING REFLECTIONS WHILE STANDING ON ONE FOOT “The way we spend our days is, of course, the way we spend our lives.” , ANNIE DILLARD How do we stay in touch, in daily touch, with what is most essential? What basic instruction would you give yourself to reflect on, for perhaps one minute a day? …
THE WORD OF GOD DIVIDES ASUNDER
THE WORD OF GOD DIVIDES ASUNDER The U.S. Episcopal Church is experiencing a schism. The underlying dividing issue is what constitutes the “sure word of God.” Marcus Borg frames the different perceptions of God’s Word in an “earlier” and “emerging” paradigm. Using Borg’smodel, I suggest that what is happening in the Episcopal Church is also …
MAKING WITNESSES: THE BOOK OF MORMON’S SECULAR STRENGTH
MAKING WITNESSES: THE BOOK OF MORMON’S SECULAR STRENGTH Cardboard characters. Improbable plots. Simulated Elizabethan syntax. If, as asserted by many readers and literary critics, these terms accurately characterize the Book of Mormon, how do we account for its remarkable power to regenerate lives and foster the development of a dynamic community? Inquiring into its literary, …
‘OBEDIENCE CULTURE’: HOW AMERICAN ECCLESIASTICAL TRENDS HAVE MATERIALLY COMPROMISED THE NATION’S MORAL LEADERSHIP
‘OBEDIENCE CULTURE’: HOW AMERICAN ECCLESIASTICAL TRENDS HAVE MATERIALLY COMPROMISED THE NATION’S MORAL LEADERSHIP Speaking generally, “obedience culture” values conformity over competence, unflinching faith over critical thinking, and institutional loyalty over human dignity. I examine the ascendancy of obedience culture within LDS and other U.S. religious communities and explore its recent, forcible extension into American public …
Banquet- JOSEPH SMITH MEETS MITT ROMNEY: WHAT DOES THE MORMON PAST CONTRIBUTE TO THE CRAFTING OF A CREDIBLE GLOBAL VISION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY?
Banquet- JOSEPH SMITH MEETS MITT ROMNEY: WHAT DOES THE MORMON PAST CONTRIBUTE TO THE CRAFTING OF A CREDIBLE GLOBAL VISION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY? Grant McMurray, former president of the Community of Christ, will reflect on the opportunities and challenges resulting from a Mormon candidacy for president of the United States. With the world now …
SL07133: GODS OF THE CREATION: DISCERNING THE HUMAN ROLE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS AND MORMON DOCTRINE
GODS OF THE CREATION: DISCERNING THE HUMAN ROLE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS AND MORMON DOCTRINE What is our role in nature? Are we divinely ordained consumers of a universe created just for our benefit? Are we careful stewards of a creator’s garden? Are we one species competing against all others? Or are we impartial friends to …
LIVING GREEN IN A RED STATE
LIVING GREEN IN A RED STATE Environmentalist discourse should be raised from a political red/blue issue to a higher level, moral issue. Recent Republican leadership shows some softening of the politics surrounding care for our environment, but how do we turn the grass-roots green? What have LDS leaders past and present said about using and …
A MORMON AMONG THE REPARATIONISTS; A REPARATIONIST AMONG THE MORMONS
A MORMON AMONG THE REPARATIONISTS; A REPARATIONIST AMONG THE MORMONS Recently, there has been an increase in discussions about reparations to Blacks. Many proposals call for some combination of investigation, apology, and monetary compensation to slave descendants. As a Mormon and a reparations advocate, I’m in a no-man’s-land. Colleagues who support reparations have negative views …
PATHS TO PERSONAL REVELATION: METHODS TO MY MADNESS, OR ‘WHAT’S A REGRESSION?’
PATHS TO PERSONAL REVELATION: METHODS TO MY MADNESS, OR ‘WHAT’S A REGRESSION?’ Joseph Smith stated that the vision of the celestial kingdom was received “while we meditated,” and Harold B. Lee admonished, “Don’t get so busy that you don’t have time to meditate. . . . Christ may be nearer than we have knowledge.” Several …