In the 1530s, the two greatest English minds spent a million words in vicious, humorous debate. The man for all seasons, author of Utopia, Sir Thomas More defended Catholicism and attacked Lutheran heretic William Tyndale, the brilliant linguist who single-handedly translated most of the Bible. Interestingly, many of their topics are the very issues many …
Event: Southwest Symposium 2004
IN SEARCH OF HER: WOMEN AND DIVINE FEMININE
Renewed interest in women’s spirituality has caused many to turn their hearts again to the search for Heavenly Mother, the Goddess, or any number of faces of female deity. In this session, two prominent authors and lifelong sojourners in the quest to know the female face of God will share their experiences along this journey …
PANEL. DEALING WITH FAMILY CRISIS IN 1886: THE DEATH OF CHARLEY WHITNEY AND THE MARRIAGE OF GEN WHITNEY
The diaries of Helen Mar Whitney contain many prosaic days. But they also include moments of high drama, starting with the grueling, beautifully described death of Helen’s husband by dropsy in 1884. When Charles Whitney, Helen’s teenage son, shot himself in 1886, Helen again recorded the event in detail in her journal, a harrowing few …
IMAGINING MORMON STUDIES AS PART OF A WIDER RELIGIOUS STUDIES CURRICULUM
Claremont Graduate University has recently established the Council on the Study of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, hosted several lectures by prominent scholars of Mormonism, and is hosting a conference this October to further study ways Mormon Studies might take shape at Claremont and in the wider academic world. and Claremont isn’t …
WHORING, POLYGAMY, OR FRIENDSHIP? MORMONISM AND THE OTHER RELIGIONS
Recent discussions of the diversity of religions have centered on three stances toward another’s religion—exclusivity, inclusivity, and plurality—and I have found examples of Mormons who approach other religions through each of those lenses. But my larger goal in this paper is to outline a new approach to interacting with other religions that suggests ways that …
PURSUING THE ‘PROPHET PUZZLE’–RECENT EFFORTS TO EXAMINE JOSEPH SMITH
Over the course of the past year or so, several important scholarly works have been published carefully examining the life and career of Joseph Smith, namely Grant Palmer’s An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, Dan Vogel’s Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet, and Clyde Forsberg’s Joseph Smith, Masonry, and the Advent of Mormonism. My …
SUFFERING, SACRIFICE, OBEDIENCE, AND AUTHORITY: THE LESSONS OF ABRAHAM FOR THE LDS CHURCH
The LDS Church officially condemns the abuse of women and children. If one considers such crimes as being related to a community’s socialization to obedience and sacrifice, it is important to examine the shared LDS myths that reinforce members’ understandings and expectations regarding these elements of belief and practice. The Church claims to be a …
Dispelling the Curse of Cain: How to
A quarter century after the revelation ending the ban on the priesthood for people of African descent, the old mythology once used to Armand Mauss, Ray Botham
STAGES OF FAITH: A MORMON ENCOUNTER
I used to believe a Latter-day Saint who reads Mormon histories, studies LDS theology, attends weekly meetings, and seriously considers the implications of what it all means, had two alternatives: either move toward fundamentalism or become agnostic. enter into my life James Fowler’s book, Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest …
FINDING FULFILLMENT ON THE MORMON MARGIN
In this paper, I discuss my own journey through life as a dedicated, faithful Mormon who eventually chose to remain on the margins in terms of my callings and participation. I also relate my position to the broader literature on those who are marginalized and refer to traditional meanings of being marginalized as well as …