The primary significance of the Book of Mormon is that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, and that all humanity must come to him by executing the law and commandments given in the Sermon on the Mount. Today the Sermon is hidden in plain sight, obscured by economics, traditions, and overfamiliarity. …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2018
From Temple to Tinder: A Journey Through and Beyond Mormonism
Mormonism prescribes a very specific lifestyle with a complete set of rules—especially for women. Navigating beyond the LDS tradition to a healthy life is tricky. Through trial and error, courage, persistence, and, most importantly, connecting with my own intuition and inner wisdom, I feel I’ve been successful at this transition. This presentation will provide some …
Brother Jake and Weird Alma Road Show
This two-person road show will feature all the humor of Brother Jake and Weird Alma. Brother Jake, Weird Alma
Mormons and Death: Readings from Moth and Rust
Sunstone editor Stephen Carter has assembled a book of forty-six essays discussing death from a Mormon perspective. Four of the essayists will join this panel to present a thoughtful discussion on what is often a taboo topic. Stephen Carter, Brian Stuy, Jerilyn Hassell Pool, John Hatch
The Origination and Expansion of Today’s LDS Fundamentalism
This session will explore the history and origination of fundamentalism, from a fundamentalist perspective. Gabriel Owen
Waiting for Morning: The Poetry of Robert Rees
This session is devoted to a reading from Bob Rees’s newly-published collection of poems, “Waiting for Morning.” In his foreword to the collection, Clifton Jolley observes, “The miracle of Bob’s optimism is not only that it is, but that it is in spite of the world, in spite of evidence to the contrary, in spite …
Deepening Spiritual Journeys Beyond a Traditional Mormon Paradigm
As people’s religious worldviews shift they often go through periods where it is difficult to find fulfillment in church attendance and the spiritual practices of their upbringing. These things can feel empty or even triggering. In this session we will explore framings and practices that can open up possibilities for spiritual deepening—supplementing or replacing those …
Can Any Good Thing Come Out of Provo?—Resources for LDS Families with LGBTQ Kids
If you thought Provo, Utah, was behind in offering competent LGBTQ+ resources, you may be surprised at what kinds of savvy services are available. Come find out what’s being offered. Come find out how you can offer something too. Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen, Jerilyn Pool, Randy Glasscock, Jordan Sgro
Fostering and Maintaining Healthy Boundaries within a Mormon Construct
This session brings together a panel of mental health professionals and wellness coaches from Symmetry Solutions, LLC to provide suggestions on creating healthy boundaries in a religious context. We’ll discuss common challenges many of us face as we interact with a predominantly patriarchal and authoritative religious structure: from simple things such as whether one feels …
Conversation with Author and Critic: William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet
Join John Hamer (critic) and Daniel Stone (author) for an in-depth conversation about the new book, William Bickerton: Forgotten Latter Day Prophet (Signature Books). This is the previously untold biography of William Bickerton, founder of the third-largest Latter Day Saint denomination, known as the Church of Jesus Christ. From his origins in the early Mormon …