The arrival of a messenger who heralds an era of prolonged peace and equality may be one of the only events in the Book of Mormon attested to by external sources. In Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) traditions, the Peacemaker and the Mother of Nations encourage ceremonies of condolence and thanksgiving missing from the settler colonial narrative in …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2020
Mormons and Native Americans: Myths vs. Realities
Brigham Young is quoted as having said about Native Americans: “It is cheaper to feed them than to fight them.” Due to this and the Mormon belief that Native Americans are descended from the Book of Mormon people, it is a common myth that 19th-century Mormons were always kind to Native Americans. The reality is …
Why We Stay
This perennially well-received session features the stories of those who have chosen to remain active, dedicated Latter-day Saints even in the face of challenges to traditional faith.
In Search of a Larger God
I used to feel like I needed a bigger church, but behind that need was actually a more fundamental one: the need for a larger God. When my children left Mormonism, they somehow took with them my belief in the Heavenly Father that had been the center of our religious life. Regaining my spiritual footing …
Lifting the Lamanite Curse: How Human Genomics is Exposing Mormon Myths
The prophet Joseph Smith’s claim that the Book of Mormon is a translation of the recovered writings of ancient American prophets has attracted intense scrutiny from the day it was published. As a consequence, the Book’s historicity needed to be defended from detractors and promoted to the faithful. Recent whole-genome studies on thousands of Indigenous …
Smith-Pettit Lecture
This session is sponsored by the Smith-Pettit Foundation, and is free and open to the public. To watch this session without registering for the symposium, go to https://www.facebook.com/SunstoneMagazine at 7:00 pm Mountain Time. To enter a questions for the Q&A, you must be registered for the symposium, and submit your question through the Whova app. …
The Struggle When Faith in Christ Exceeds Faith in the Church
I will begin this session by recounting my personal journey of loss and joy as my faith in Christ began to exceed my faith in church. Church can provide important instruction for living. However, historically members rely on church to be a roadmap for salvation. Challenges and debate ensue when church dogma conflicts with the …
Make Your Own Manual: A Painting & Writing Workshop
Church manuals are created by committee for a wide audience. Let’s create a manual just for you, based on your thoughts, experiences, and values! Using paint (watercolors, or watered down acrylics) and paper, we will create the “container” to hold your insights, resulting in an inspirational manual for life! No talent or experience needed! It …
“I’ll Never Not Be Mormon”: The Impact of Disaffiliation on Identity and Womanhood
When women leave the LDS Church many are left navigating changes regarding what womanhood means to them and how it impacts their daily choices. This presentation summarizes the results of Emily Janes’ thesis on how the process of disaffiliation from the Church impacts women’s views of their womanhood. Interviews with 25 women who have disaffiliated …
The 3000 year old Shemitah of the Bible and the Mysterious Economic Effect Today
As a financial services professional, and someone who studies religion, I was easily attracted to a book about the Mystery of the Shemitah by Jonathan Cahn that promised to cover both subjects with a bold unveiling of “last days” connections. When I found this mystery of the Shemitah in 2015 it put me on a …