Description

Joseph Smith taught that “by proving contraries, truth is made manifest.” This session explores the Restoration tradition through the lens of dialectical materialism, viewing history not as static doctrine but as a dynamic, evolving process.

We’ll trace how thinkers inside and outside of Restorationist movements help us reframe the movement—not as a failed utopia or a fixed theology, but as a living tradition constantly navigating polarities: ideals vs material conditions, faith vs doubt, authority vs autonomy, individual conscience vs collective belonging.

Drawing from dialectical frameworks, we’ll consider the Restoration’s past, present, and potential future as stages of spiritual evolution—each marked by periods of rupture, reformation, and renewal. We’ll close with an experiential group practice: centering in non-possessive love and imagining what a Restoration rooted in paradox, compassion, and prophetic imagination might yet become.

Speaker

• Jordan K Harmon (LCSW) (he/him)