Event: Southwest Symposium 2009

SW0915: Marriage, Mormons, and Civil Liberties

Nineteenth Century Mormons were denied their civil and religious rights in part because of their marriage practices. The will of the majority led to Mormons being driven from their homes and massacred and their leaders assassinated. Modern-day Mormons are cognizant that our ancestors were wronged, but may be less aware of the striking parallels with …

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SW09006: Confessions of a Gospel Doctrine Teacher

This session gathers past and present gospel Doctrine teachers to discuss their approaches to teaching and creating meaningful experiences in their classes. What are their strategies for leading great discussions or answering hard questions? What would their “dream” class be? What have they learned about themselves and their students over the years? What are their …

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SW09008:

With national attention on the LDS role in the passage of Proposition 8, it is noteworthy that the LDS Church has set a fascinating precedent with its 130-year theological and legal battle to prevent blacks from marrying whites. This prohibition abruptly ended in 1978 with the termination of the priesthood and temple ban against those …

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SW09009: Dual Session Paper 1: A Marginal Moses: A Case Study in Canonicity, Historicity, and Revelation. Paper 2: The Myth of the Missing Book of Abraham Papyrus

Paper 1: “A Marginal Moses: A Case Study in Canonicity, Historicity, and Revelation.” Since its canonization in 1880, most LDS members have viewed the Book of Moses as a restoration of lost truth grounded in historical events. However, converging lines of evidence from Mormon history, the reevaluation of the Joseph smith Translation, and textual criticism …

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SW09010: Panel: The Liahona Children’s Foundation: A Grassroots LDS Humanitarian Project

The Liahona Children’s Foundation is a non-profit organization providing basic nutrition and education to needy latter-day saint children in Ecuador and Guatemala, with hopes to expand to other countries. This session will describe the Foundation’s work, the ways in which members of the Sunstone community can participate in its activities, and invites dialogue about methods …

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SW09012: Saturday’s Werewolf: Vestiges of Premortal Romance in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Novels

Within the world of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight novels, a mode of romantic relationship called “imprinting”–instigated by sudden recognition and then lasting eternally–bears a strong similarity to the premortal romance popularized in Mormon literature since the publication of Nephi Anderson’s Added Upon. In basic structure, the premortal romance begins before mortality and drives the lovers to …

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SW09014: Discussion: Developing Personal Spirituality

Sunstone participants are often curious about other religions and find themselves drawn to religious traditions and practices other than their own. This session will explore where our spiritual paths have taken us and what questions we’ve attempted to answer along the way. What led you to spiritual seeking? Have you explored traditions and spiritual beliefs …

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