NOBODY KNOWS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF BLACK MORMONS We are very pleased to be able to screen the long-awaited documentary, Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons, and to be able to discuss it with DARIUS GRAY, one of the driving forces behind the film and a noted author and historian about Black Latter-day …
Event: Southwest Symposium 2008
SW08017: DECONSTRUCTING THE ‘MITT MOMENT’
DECONSTRUCTING THE ‘MITT MOMENT’ This panel will explore various aspects of Mitt Romney’s recent presidential bid, ranging from its impact on outsider perceptions of Mormonism, its doctrines and people, to Mitt’s and Mormonism’s portrayal in political cartooning. In what ways has this campaign been an eye-opening experience for Latter-day Saints? Following the panelists’ comments, we …
SW08002: GRAPPLING WITH THEODICY: WHY DOES AN ALL-KNOWING, ALL-LOVING, AND ALL-POWERFUL GOD PERMIT EVIL AND OTHER BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN?
GRAPPLING WITH THEODICY: WHY DOES AN ALL-KNOWING, ALL-LOVING, AND ALL-POWERFUL GOD PERMIT EVIL AND OTHER BAD THINGS TO HAPPEN? Here’s your chance to start your day by flexing your intellectual and spiritual muscles in response to one of the most vexing issues in all theological discourse: the problem of evil. Guided by the speaker, this …
SW08003: THE MORMON QUEST FOR THE PRESIDENCY
THE MORMON QUEST FOR THE PRESIDENCY With Mitt Romney’s run for president, many have been asking whether America is truly ready for a Mormon president. But Romney is actually only the latest in a long series of Mormon presidential candidates stretching back more than 150 years. In recent decades, eight other Mormons have run for …
SW08004: ‘WHAT HAS ATHENS TO DO WITH JERUSALEM?’ A PLACE FOR THEOLOGY IN MORMON STUDIES
‘WHAT HAS ATHENS TO DO WITH JERUSALEM?’ A PLACE FOR THEOLOGY IN MORMON STUDIES From its very beginnings, Mormonism has had an uncomfortable relationship with theology. The term itself has a notorious place in the LDS lexicon and is conscientiously avoided in reference to the study of Mormon doctrine. Theology vs. revelation, theology vs. prophetic …
SW08005: CONFESSIONS OF A KNIGHT ERRANT: THE POETRY OF A FAITHFUL REBEL
CONFESSIONS OF A KNIGHT ERRANT: THE POETRY OF A FAITHFUL REBEL Though better known to Mormon audiences for his non-fiction (his Defending Zion received the Mormon History Association’s Best Documentary History Award) and even his fiction (his first short story was published in Sunstone way back in 1976) Roger Robin Ekins has written – though …
SW08006: PURPOSEFUL STRANGERS: A STUDY OF THE EX-MORMON NARRATIVE
PURPOSEFUL STRANGERS: A STUDY OF THE EX-MORMON NARRATIVE The presentation focuses on the narratives of so-called Mormon apostates and the burgeoning ex-Mormon movement, placing them within an appropriate sociological framework and identifying common trends and structures for these narratives as a literary sub-genre. My research illustrates that there may be little difference between a ‘liberal’ …
SW08007: SCRIPTURAL LITERALISM AS THE NEW PAGANISM
SCRIPTURAL LITERALISM AS THE NEW PAGANISM Terms such as ‘pagan’ and ‘heathen’ are used as (usually derogatory) labels for people adhering to older, non-normative, ‘superstitious’ beliefs (e. g., ‘witchcraft’). Originally, however, these were denigrations used to describe the unsophisticated country dwellers who had not yet accepted the tenets of Christianity then normative among city dwellers. …
SW08123: LITERACY AND EDUCATION AMONG EARLY MORMON CONVERTS: THE CASE OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
LITERACY AND EDUCATION AMONG EARLY MORMON CONVERTS: THE CASE OF MANCHESTER, ENGLAND Latter-day Saints often take for granted that members of the Church are reasonably well educated and find it difficult to imagine them without some basic level of schooling – at least enough to gain personal access to the word of God in the …
SW08009: WHY WE STAY
WHY WE STAY This session, a Sunstone favorite through the years, features the stories of those who have chosen to remain active, dedicated Latter-day Saints even in the face of many difficult challenges to traditional faith. How have these members wrestled with their faith and yet emerged more determined than ever to be part of …