This paper analyzes esoteric ways of knowing in Mormonism to illuminate how particular LDS women have synthesized, supplemented, or replaced Mormonism with elements of twenty-first century New Spirituality. The New Spirituality is the current generalized spiritual milieu in the United States: dynamic, competitive, flexible, and hybrid—an inclusive category that can cover the wide range of …
Person: Daughtrey
Do They Still Teach That?
The song “I Believe” from the Tony award-winning musical The Book of Mormon mentions familiar, obscure, and even contested Mormon doctrines. This panel is a riff of sorts on ideas enumerated in the song, from the foundational belief that God created the universe and sent his son to die for our sins to the idea …
Exquisite Manifestation: Displaying A Hybrid Spirituality
According to scholars, Mormons are the leading consumers of religious iconography and “kitsch,” as compared to members of other North American Christian denominations. These physical reflections of religious identity are important to Mormons, who routinely display various images and objects in multiple locations in their homes. With an emphasis on altars, this paper looks at …
SW08016: ‘WHAT WOMEN KNOW’: WOMEN IN DIALOGUE
‘WHAT WOMEN KNOW’: WOMEN IN DIALOGUE Julie Beck, general president of the Relief Society, delivered an October 2007 conference address on the topic of women’s roles and sphere of influence, highlighting the phrase ‘Mothers Who Know.’ As President Beck spoke, the Bloggernacle lit up with discussion on her emphasis on mothers as nurturers and the …
What Women Know
What Women Know LDS General Relief Society President Julie Beck’s October 2007 general conference address focused on the topic of women’s roles and sphere of influence, highlighting the phrase ‘Mothers Who Know.’ Even as President Beck was speaking, the Bloggernacle began to light up with discussion on her emphasis on mothers as nurturers and the …
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: EXPANDED POSSIBILITIES IN MORMON WOMEN’S SPIRITUALITY
LIFE IS A HIGHWAY: EXPANDED POSSIBILITIES IN MORMON WOMEN’S SPIRITUALITY Twenty-first-century Mormon women of all ages continue to discover new avenues for expressing their spirituality, developing spiritual gifts, and coming to terms with patterns that haven’t served them. As they adapt the old and integrate the new, they create new spiritual possibilities for themselves and …
‘THE GODDESS IS ALIVE AND MAGICK IS AFOOT’: MORMON PAGAN WOMEN IN THE 21ST CENTURY
‘THE GODDESS IS ALIVE AND MAGICK IS AFOOT’: MORMON PAGAN WOMEN IN THE 21ST CENTURY Scholars of religion report that Wicca, Paganism, and other ‘earth centered’ or ‘nature’ religions are the fastest growing of all new religious movements in America. This discussion will explore why some LDS women have chosen Wiccan and similar practices as …
MORMONISM IN THE ACADEMY
MORMONISM IN THE ACADEMY Courses and programs in Mormon studies are being established across the country. Panel members will discuss the challenges, tensions, and rewards of teaching and studying Mormon history, literature, and culture outside LDS-sponsored institutions and with both member and non-member students in the same classroom. Panelists will also discuss the current place …
TRANSLATING MORMONISM ABROAD: A CHURCH WITH MANY FACES
AZ06013, TRANSLATING MORMONISM ABROAD: A CHURCH WITH MANY FACES The LDS Church has grown beyond American borders so that now more of its members reside outside the U.S. than within. It is clear that, despite institutional centralization, variation of international LDS attitudes and practices is inexorably tied to a country’s national and political history. This …
Telling Stories, Taking Sides, Breaking Bones, Or Saving Lives?: Personal Disclosure, Conflict, And Faith In Martha Beck’s ‘Leaving The Saints’
The publication of Martha Beck’s Leaving the Saints: How I Lost the Mormons and Found My Faith, has generated intense controversy and conflict, not only for its treatment of Mormonism, but also regarding issues of consistency, disclosure, memory reliability, and the intersection between personal integrity and faith. This panel composed of LDS and non-LDS feminists …