Support of Proposition 8 fostered positive relations between many Catholics and Mormons (as well as Evangelicals and others) in a cause of shared moral concern. This presentation argues that social and political collaboration has also caused a unique warming of interfaith relations between the Catholic Church and the Mormon Church that has the potential to …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2012
TEACHING MORMON STUDIES COURSES
A panel of respected Mormon Studies professors and scholars come together to discuss insights and lessons learned from their experiences taking Mormon Studies into the classroom. Robert A. Rees, Richard Lyman Bushman, Doe Daughtrey, Patrick Mason, Warner Woodworth
MY AGNOSTIC TESTIMONY: WHY LEAVING THE CHURCH WAS RIGHT FOR ME
In spring 2008, I made a decision that would change my life forever, alienate my family, cause me to lose friends, and break my heart. In spite of all this, I am absolutely certain I made the right decision when I finally decided to give up my belief in the LDS Church and its teachings. …
ANTI-MORMONISM IN THE 2012 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
Anti-Mormonism has been called one of the last acceptable prejudices in American culture. The popularity of HBO’s Big Love, the success of The Book of Mormon musical, LDS involvement in Proposition 8, and Mitt Romney’s quest for the US presidency have placed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints front and center in American …
RE-EXPLORING THE GEOCULTURAL POLITICS OF DEEP WEST
This session invites participants to reenvision clashes between Mormonism and other western forces within a new geocultural framework—that of the Deep West. The Deep West is conceived of as the adjacent heartlands of the Colorado Rockies and plateau in Eastern Utah, Western Colorado, Northern Arizona, and New Mexico, along with the area’s deeper native and …
DIAGNOSING THE SEER: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE FIRST VISION
Mormons consider Joseph Smith’s first vision one of the most significant events in religious history; it is by far the most controversial of his visions. Many Mormons maintain that the accounts of the vision are historically accurate, while critics assert that different accounts are inconsistent and historically inaccurate. This session will summarize the various accounts …
WHO GETS TO SAY WHAT FORMER MORMONS ARE LIKE?
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints likes to believe that the only ones qualified to talk about Mormonism are its most faithful members, or—ideally—the Church itself, through its appointed spokesmen. And, being a multi-billion-dollar operation, it has the resources to convince people through organizations such as the More Good Foundation, Mormon Voices (a.k.a. …
HEALTHY YOUTH SEXUALITY: A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF FOR THE STRENGTH OF YOUTH
Utilizing For the Strength of Youth as a framework to discuss the Church’s approach to youth and sexuality, this presentation proposes healthier ways of approaching youth sexuality education, starting with the twin issues of dress and modesty. The presenters draw upon two important models for sexuality education within a religious community, “Circles of Sexuality” (Dailey, …
IMAGES OF THE DIVINE FEMININE
This session will begin with Margaret Toscano’s slide lecture of images of goddesses and women represented in pre-historic statues, contemporary paintings, and sculptures. Taken primarily from Western art, they show how our reality is shaped by the images we make and how our limited discourse about the Female God has also limited our access to …
MORMONS AND THE FBI
This session will include a screening of the BYU documentary Agents of Justice, detailing the lives of three LDS FBI agents who were killed in the line of duty: Samuel Cowley, Douglas Price, and Robert Porter. The remainder of the discussion will focus on famous (and infamous) Mormons who have worked at the FBI, performed …