Since the days of Nauvoo, the LDS Church has a long history of secret-keeping and censorship, though there have been times when its leaders’ fledging efforts to increase transparency have been commendable. Join the MormonLeaks team as they explore the history of transparency, the external promotion thereof, and censorship within the LDS Church. Ryan McKnight, …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2018
Our Ministry to the Poor: Jesus’ Last Great Teachings
Jesus began his ministry by standing in his local synagogue and reading the following scripture from Isaiah: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and … set at …
275.Looking Back/Looking Forward: The Many Voices of Ordain Women
This year marks the fifth anniversary of the founding of Ordain Women. As the Ordain Women executive board, we are excited about what the future holds as we implement a new organizational structure that emphasizes both individual and collective, local and global activism on women’s ordination and gender equality in Mormonism. This panel will not …
If the Shoe Doesn’t Fit…Do I Still Have to Wear It?
Finding comfort in an ill-fitting religion has been my lifelong challenge. My most important shift has been from thinking about stretching the shoe rather than shrinking my foot. This session tells the story of my realization and how I implemented it. Susan Meredith Hinckley
Moroni’s Gold Plates: Were They Real?
Much of Mormonism’s claim to truth hinges on whether there were real metal plates, golden in color, written upon by ancient Americans who came from the Holy Land. This session takes a historical dive into what witnesses said about the plates, which data points stand out, and whether claims the Joseph Smith fabricated the plates …
Redeeming the Endowment: A Christological Exegesis
The purpose of this presentation is to provide a cogent, coherent, and internally consistent interpretation of the Mormon temple endowment ceremony as a Christian sacrament while avoiding its rejection either as a mere fiction plagiarized from Royal Arch Masonry or as a random cluster of symbols open to private interpretation by free-association. The presentation focuses …
My Walk With the Gods: My Experience as a Baptist, Mormon, Mormon Fundamentalist, Buddhist, and Beyond
Being raised in the South, my first interest in religion focused on the Southern Baptist Church. But at 15, I became a Latter-day Saint and later served a mission in Wyoming and Utah. During my mission I became convinced of the principles of plural marriage and the United Order. After some intense experiences with Fundamentalist …
Individuation Symbolism in Mormonism
The stories in Mormonism contain a repository of wisdom, but there are also psychological forces behind them that influence how Mormons experience spirituality. When we understand the symbolism of these stories as a model of our inner experiences, we can understand how they affect our lives. This presentation links the symbolism found in the Book …
216: How Media Misrepresentation Can Traumatize: Perspectives and Suggestions from a Media Psychologist and Mormon Fundamentalist
This panel of FLDS members and advocates will describe how media depictions impact their communities. This is a special session for media professionals, bloggers, activists, survivors, and others to hear how media portrayals impact vulnerable communities.
Sunstone Hymn Sing Along
This session honors the tradition of music and singing at Sunstone. The Eastmans are a beloved part of the Sunstone community and will lead the Symposium congregation in singing some of the hymns of the restoration, with Alan Eastman at the piano and Vickie Eastman leading. Alan Eastman, Vickie Eastman