In the introduction to the first volume of Why I Stay: The Challenges of Discipleship for Contemporary Mormons, editor Bob Rees states, “Deciding whether to stay in or leave one’s faith tradition is among the most difficult and soul-wrenching decisions a person can face.” It is a decision that is at the heart of what …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2020
Living Trees, Living Water, and the Renewal of the Earth
Living Trees and Living Waters stand at the heart of spiritual traditions around the world. As potent symbols of sustainability and vitality, can these images help us construct a vision of Zion and a renewed Earth? The shadow of the Anthropocene hangs over us all as the threat of Climate Change grows each year. Can …
How Hearts Are Changed: Learning to Affirm LGBTQ Journeys
Many Latter-day Saints are filled with fear and uncertainty when they learn that they or their loved ones are LGBTQ. In this session, the presenters will share how they are learning to embrace and affirm themselves and their LGBTQ family and friends. Where they once felt grief, they now feel peace. They are learning to …
No More Apologies: Scholars Talk About Their Lives After Leaving Apologetics
This panel will explore the journey of former LDS apologists and scholars as they moved out of apologetics and into new arenas of their faith.
Viewing the Bible through Restoration Scripture
The academic disciplines of history and literary criticism were in their infancy in the early 19th century. Although Christians were becoming aware that some Biblical passages, read literally, were in error (cf. Joshua commanding the sun to stand still), Joseph Smith’s own work at Bible revision (the “Inspired Version” or “Joseph Smith Translation”) illustrate the …
The First Vision in Poetry
Two hundred years ago Joseph Smith walked into the woods near his family farm and experienced the founding vision of the Restoration. While theologians and scholars have debated the veracity and contours of Joseph’s theophany, painters and poets have attempted to capture its essence in pigment and verse. This session presents examples of both visual …
What Don’t The Prophets Say Anymore?: A Text Analysis of General Conference, 1942-2020
One way to track the evolution of Mormon culture is to look at trends in both what is said and not said over the pulpit at general conference. Using modern data analytics tools, it is possible to observe terms, phrases, and citations going in and out of use over time. This talk will review some …
Pastoral Hope for Spiritual Abuse
The name of God should never be invoked to coerce, shame, or frighten people into compliance—yet in a culture of “worthiness interviews” and high-demand religious expectations, this is an experience that is far too frequent. In this session, Gina Colvin and Katie Langston, seminarians and ministers, will explore how spiritual abuse damages a person’s relationship …
A Marvelous Work and…I Wonder: Finding Solid Footing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ While Walking through Shadows of Doubt about the Restoration
Many church members will reach a point in their faith journey where they ask if what they believe is true. This crossroad will come with feelings trust and betrayal, confidence and confusion. The pain of such times can cause many people to divorce themselves from both their faith and source of that faith. Being able …
Grief & Gratitude in Poetry: A Reading of Signature Books Poets
Signature Books has a rich history of publishing high quality poetry from a broad range of Mormon poets. In this reading, poets published by Signature over the past 25 years will gather together to read poems of grief and gratitude.