THE LIBERAL MORMON CASE FOR LARGE FAMILIES I examine the possible long-term effects of birth rates among different groups of people and review some recent studies on the topic. Why might a liberal Mormon choose a large family? To what extent is family size indicative of orthodoxy? What are the effects of large families on …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2007
SL07155: ENSOULMENT: ABORTION, CLONING, AND STEM CELL RESEARCH IN MORMON DOCTRINE
ENSOULMENT: ABORTION, CLONING, AND STEM CELL RESEARCH IN MORMON DOCTRINE Four years ago, Utah’s senior U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch developed a unique position on stem cell research that allowed him to both support the research and maintain his conservative stance against abortion. This new approach was quickly adopted by several other Mormon senators and was …
HAMBLIN IN TOOELE: THE MAKINGS OF A PACIFIST
HAMBLIN IN TOOELE: THE MAKINGS OF A PACIFIST Early Tooele, Utah, from 1849 to 1854, showed Latter-day Saints at their best and worst as they dealt with local Indians. When Indians, Goshutes or Utes, raided Mormon cattle, Mormon religio-military leaders developed a punitive ethos in which a good body-count of Indians represented a successful military …
THE POWER OF SMALL FELLOWSHIP GROUPS
THE POWER OF SMALL FELLOWSHIP GROUPS I’ve recently taken a step that has enriched my spiritual and emotional well-being. I joined a ten person discussion and fellowship group that meets twice a month. Most of the group are Unitarian- Universalists, some with Mormon backgrounds. The rest grew up in other Christian communities or have no …
THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE AND THE OATH OF VENGEANCE
THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE AND THE OATH OF VENGEANCE Numerous anti-Mormon temple exposés have alleged that from 1845 to 1927, participants in the endowment ceremony entered into an oath in which they swore actively to seek the destruction of the nation and the murder of Americans to avenge the blood of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. …
HOW THE CHURCH AND ITS MEMBERS COULD HELP END THE GENOCIDE IN DARFUR
HOW THE CHURCH AND ITS MEMBERS COULD HELP END THE GENOCIDE IN DARFUR ROBERT A. REES, SCOTT ABBOTT
SL07113: THAT’S NOT WHAT IT SAYS, VERSE 3.
THAT’S NOT WHAT IT SAYS, VERSE 3. This is the third in the series of Sunstone symposium presentations in which Richard Russell looks at certain LDS scriptural “proof texts” that are used in ways that bear negatively on Mormon belief and practice. In this installment, he examines the claim that we must be worthy to …
SL07161: Screening and Discussion ‘FAITH AND DOUBT’: A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN ACT FROM THE MORMON
Screening and Discussion ‘FAITH AND DOUBT’: A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN ACT FROM THE MORMON HELEN WHITNEY
PRACTICAL FAITH IN PROPHETIC VISION
PRACTICAL FAITH IN PROPHETIC VISION Mormon scripture and tradition present to us diverse prophetic visions of transfiguration, immortality, resurrection, renewal of this world, and the discovery and creation of worlds without end. Mormon Transhumanists believe that science and technology will contribute toward fulfillment of these prophecies, perhaps much sooner than commonly expected. In this session, …
DOES GOD REALLY HATE AMPUTEES?, OR WHAT DOES SCIENCE AND REASON TELL US ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF GOD?
DOES GOD REALLY HATE AMPUTEES?, OR WHAT DOES SCIENCE AND REASON TELL US ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF GOD? The title of this panel discussion comes from a website discussed by atheist Sam Harris in his book, Letter to A Christian Nation, that insists that there are no “answered” prayers that could not be written off …