Feminist theologians Gina and Maxine invite participants to enter sacred space and experience spiritual practice through liturgy, chant, contemplative prayer, and the holy day of Mary Magdalene. Gina Colvin Maxine Hanks
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2017
They, Them, Their: Seeing God on the Spectrum
Much of the world has created God to fit into a binary concept of gender—either male or female. This session explores how God could present across the gender spectrum, displaying traits such as being nurturing, life-giving, strong, compassionate, weeping, and the qualities of the priesthood described in Section 121. Could focusing on the qualities we …
Murder, Mayhem, Mormons, and Miners: Tales of Death and Violence from Utah’s Pioneer Dixie
Too often we portray 19th-century Mormon pioneers as two-dimensional stick figures against the back drop of the Mormon Restoration. The presentation, however, covers several accounts of deadly incidents and treachery that occurred among the Mormons the Santa Clara and Virgin Rivers area, giving us a new look into pioneer days in Dixie. Melvin C. Johnson
Beauty (A Devotional)
Beauty may not, as Dostoevky claimed, “save the world,” but without it, neither salvation nor the world is complete. Why has God planted in the human soul a need for beauty? One reason is that, as Emerson said, “beauty is God’s handwriting—a wayside sacrament.” As such, it deepens and refreshes us, making it possible for …
More Than a Name: How Genealogy Connects Us
This presentation proposes that the true purpose of genealogy is to help us get to know our ancestors. To illustrate this concept, the presenter will use stories from her own history that helped her understand her contemporary family dynamic. Corey Howard Kathy Carlston
Bob’s Mormon Cred Scale 2.0
How much Mormon cred do you have? That is, how much of the end-to-end Mormon experience have you participated in? Bob Caswell, of the Infants on Thrones podcast, derived a Mormon cred scale back in 2014 through which he attempted to quantify anyone’s Mormon credibility by having them answer a series of questions. Thousands of …
Integrating the Opposites: Ethical Guidelines for Helping faith-based people who are sexually and/or gender diverse
Intense inner conflict and strained relationships often occur for sexually and/or gender diverse Mormons who are trying to reconcile their sexuality and/or gender identity with their faith. Policies and practices for understanding their concerns have been deeply polarized for decades. The Reconciliation and Growth Project (RGP), a group of 11 mental-health professionals and academics from …
From Surviving to Thriving: Learning How to “Do” Church as an Adventurous Mormon
Early on in a faith shift, most of us begin to feel less comfortable at church, sure that we’re the only one thinking (what seem to be) bigger thoughts about the topics at hand, or frustrated at appeals to authority instead of genuine engagement. “Where’s the growth?” “Where’s the curiosity?”, we wonder. Experiences like these …
Finding Faith and Virtue in Resistance
From its inception, members of Ordain Women have engaged in faithful agitation for gender equality. In response, some LDS Church leaders have characterized them as neither faithful nor virtuous. A few church leaders have even imposed ecclesiastical discipline on Ordain Women supporters and board members. Despite this, Ordain Women believes that true faithfulness and virtue …
It Was the Worst of Times; It Was the Best of Times: Finding God in the Wound
This has been a terrible year. And it has been a glorious year. I want growth, wisdom, and knowledge, but I don’t always like what it takes to get them. Pain and joy coexist in the extremes of personal, spiritual, and community life. Where do we find the truth Joseph promised in proving contraries? This …