Kelly McAfee became interested in early Mormon polygamy when she learned she was related to Fanny Alger. She pulled out her watercolors and began painting what would become over one hundred portraits of the men and women of early Mormon polygamy over a nine-week period. She then took on a five-week task of painting faces …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2019
“Pure” and Purity Movements
From a woman who has been there and back, this session will take an inside look at the devastating effects evangelical Christianity’s purity culture has had on a generation of young women—and how these lessons can also apply to Mormon interpretations of purity. Linda Kay Klein, Bethany Middleton Gull
Joseph Smith’s Adam-God Teachings: A Historical Look
This presentation will review many statements from Joseph Smith, including new documentation that has come to light in the Joseph Smith Papers Project, to argue that the Adam-God teachings in Mormonism originate with Joseph Smith and not with Brigham Young. Correcting the record to indicate that Joseph Smith is the origin of Adam-God teachings has …
Finding Human Connection Post Mormonism
Humans have always sought out human connection. Belonging inside one’s tribe has always been a priority. This session will discuss the role that evolution has played in human survival and help deconstructed Mormons sense what it means to lean into human connection in a new way, where authenticity and vulnerability matter to a greater degree. …
The Difficulties and Joys of “Inner Work”
In this session, leaders of the Faith Journey Foundation, the non-profit organization that manages and facilitates Latter-day Faith and several other podcasts, will share their reflections on their attempts to walk the challenging but rewarding path of spiritual development (“inner work”) that involves entirely changing how we approach life, hold our beliefs, interact with others, …
Future Ways to Explore a Past Faith: A Post Mormon Nature Philosophy
“I am constantly in awe of the great mystery which surrounds us,” is the defining statement of the Holy Order of Wildlife, or H.O.W.L.: an amalgamation of early Mormonism, Buddhism, Luciferianism, and Gnostic Christianity amongst other paths. We seek a sacred grove of our own as we turn to nature is the primary source of …
Movement Toward A Spectrum of Belief
These essays will show how the future of Mormonism exists through the creation of what we term a “spectrum of belief,” arguing for more inclusivity within Mormonism. Perkins’s essay argues for inclusivity for LGBTQ+ communities without direct authority from LDS leadership. Peck’s essay incorporates existentialism as a way to bring about a spectrum of belief …
Theological Development in Mormon Fundamentalism
This panel will explore “doctrinal formation” in a broader sense: where different fundamentalist ideas came from, and how different groups and individuals have interpreted, rejected, or altered doctrine based on their historical understanding, experiences, and beliefs. Lindsay Hansen Park, Jacob Vidrine, Cristina Rosetti, Kris Wray, Drew Ostler
Developing True Human Connection in the Midst of Doubt
One of the tensions within faith communities is the binary view that faith and doubt are on opposites sides of the spectrum, when faith and doubt may be better viewed as uneasy siblings. Unfortunately, when doubt is viewed in narrow terms, people who deeply question are often afraid of revealing their uncertainties to family and …
I Go to Two Churches
It seems strange to go to another church when you already attend the only true and living church on the face of the earth. But the members of this panel have actually found that supplementing their LDS church-going with another religious tradition has enriched their spiritual lives and made them better people. Stephen Carter, Gina …