In the January 2002 issue of Sunstone, the centerfold read: “If you’ve ever attended a Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium, you know him. He’s the man with the shockingly white hair and irrepressible spirit who has been leading us in wonderful musical adventures and teaching us through delightful conversation and commentary for all but one of …
Published this spring by Utah State University Press, Peculiar Portrayals is a collection of new scholarly articles examining depictions of Mormon characters in mass market venues. The panelists, who are editors of and/or contributors to the project, will discuss the personal and professional reasons behind the book’s creation. Michael Austin will read a part of …
The Book of Job has been labeled the ur-text of both tragedy and the practical joke; it has inspired such interpretations and responses as Answer to Job by Carl Jung and A Serious Man by the Coen Brothers. Often considered a tale of mature spirituality, it both elicits and demands thoughtful consideration. This panel will …
When any disaster occurs, people look somewhere to place blame. In a maturing society, the better approach is to examine the data objectively. When this approach is applied to the Willie and Martin handcart disaster, two major problems emerge for the companies: one was the late start, and the other was inadequate food supplies. The …
The gay Mormon population is bifurcated between a majority who have left the Church via inactivity, excommunication, or suicide, and a minority who have subordinated their need for satisfying relational intimacy to Church law. This bifurcation persists because of the intensity of the tension gay and lesbian Mormons experience between Church authority and personal experience …
Christians often use a single passage from Paul’s epistle to the Romans to scripturally justify their condemnation of same-sex orientation, attraction, and marriage. I critique a recent speech by Elder Bruce Hafen to Evergreen International, an organization that allegedly reclaims Church members from their same-sex orientation, and argue that Paul’s epistle can be read to …
Twenty years ago, Margaret and Paul Toscano published Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology. Fascinated by the richness of Mormon texts and ritual, they had been working out a complex theology for twenty years and were eager to share their insights. The book immediately became a feminist sensation and an official scandal, resulting—at least …
During the past several decades, sociologists and scholars in Religious Studies have created an additional category, “new religious movements,” to use in the study of religion. This category is proving extremely useful not only in the consideration of new movements in modern times but also in examining the coming into being of such world traditions …
Wholeness, balance, and inclusiveness characterize maturity. This panel will consider the relationship of both the masculine and the feminine and women and men in the LDS Church. Are feminine and masculine principles, values, and perspectives balanced in Church teachings and structures? Does the Church encourage and provide resources for the spiritual development of both men …
The Church Handbook of Instructions explains in detail the mechanics of excommunication but says little about its theological import. Our panelists, several of whom have been excommunicated, will explore the theological and spiritual ramifications of this ultimate Church sanction. Why does excommunication not require a ritual? If blessings are “restored” to an excommunicated person who …
