Although the LDS church sees other faiths as lacking truths and authority necessary for salvation, many Mormons engage with other religions, some while maintaining their membership with a local ward or at least retaining some sense of LDS identity. In this panel, several Hugo Olaiz, Lynn Rollins, John-Charles Duffy, Neal Chandler
Speaker: Hugo Olaiz
COMING OUT AS AN ALLY: THE IMPACT OF STRAIGHT MORMONS IN ADVANCING LGBT ISSUES IN THE CHURCH AND THE WORLD
From the launching of Mormon “It Gets Better” videos to the formation of Mormons for Marriage Facebook groups, from the organizing of “Circling the Wagons” conferences to the participation of straight Mormons in pride parades, 2012 will be remembered as the year when straight, progressive Latter-day Saints came out massively in support of LGBT Mormons. …
SL10212: Sacred Secrecy in the Teachings of President Boyd K. Packer
From “The Unwritten Order of Things,” to “The Holy Temple” to “Keeping Confidences,” President Boyd K. Packer has established himself as simultaneously a revealer and keeper of secrets: an expounder of revealed truth who broaches topics not often discussed, but at the same time is emphatic about leaving certain things unspoken in the name of …
SL09172 Panel: Big Love’s Temple Episode: What the Controversy Shows about the World, the Church, and Ourselves
On 15 March 2009, HBO’s series Big Love depicted parts of the LDS temple endowment ceremonies. Although Deseret News editor Joel Campbell called the portrayal “religious pornography,” and a campaign was launched to boycott HBO, some Mormons felt the depiction was in good taste—even inspiring. We will shift away from the HBO depiction to explore …
SL09262 From Revelation to Repetition: The Decline of Dreams as Revelatory Experience in Contemporary Mormon Discourse
Historically, revelatory dreams have played an important role in Mormonism, protecting, guiding, and encouraging the Saints—especially during trials. In this paper, I will analyze revelatory dreams as discussed by general authorities since 1971. My analysis will suggest that dreams are still considered revelatory and used in the context of telling faith-promoting stories—but with a difference: …
The San Luis Shrine Missionary Desecration: Juvenile Recklessness or Criminal Acts?
The San Luis Shrine Missionary Desecration: Juvenile Recklessness or Criminal Acts? In March 2008, Catholics of San Luis, Colorado, were outraged when they found photos online that depicted LDS missionaries vandalizing-and allegedly desecrating- their shrine. Forgiven, but not forgotten, the act evokes a 1972 public relations debacle when two LDS missionaries served six months in …
Are We Still Gods in Embryo? The Mormon Doctrine of Human Deification
Are We Still Gods in Embryo? The Mormon Doctrine of Human Deification Expounded by Joseph Smith and famously summarized by Lorenzo Snow, the LDS doctrine of human deification has, since the 1840s, presented several soteriological and cosmological difficulties. Openly celebrated, elaborated, and contested by generations of Mormon thinkers, the doctrine has today become nearly invisible …
SL07134: AUTHOR MEETS CRITICS: A PANEL ON HOMOSEXUAL SAINTS: THE COMMUNITY OF CHRIST EXPERIENCE, EDITED BY WILLIAM D. RUSSELL
AUTHOR MEETS CRITICS: A PANEL ON HOMOSEXUAL SAINTS: THE COMMUNITY OF CHRIST EXPERIENCE, EDITED BY WILLIAM D. RUSSELL The status of homosexuals is a major issue in the Community of Christ, with strong polar opinions among its members. The two major issues are ordination and whether committed couples should be allowed to marry with the …
ALONE IN THE DESERT: INCREASING ACTIVISM AT BYU
ALONE IN THE DESERT: INCREASING ACTIVISM AT BYU During the turbulent 1960s, BYU was an oasis of calm: no anti-war protests, no violence, no organized opposition to the status quo. Today, self-proclaimed progressive BYU students are increasingly adopting political and humanitarian causes, from the conflict in Sudan to protesting the war in Iraq. In the …
THE PERSISTENCE OF POLYGAMY IN THE CONTEMPORARY MORMON CHURCH
THE PERSISTENCE OF POLYGAMY IN THE CONTEMPORARY MORMON CHURCH When widower Russell M. Nelson, the LDS church’s point person for the Defense of Marriage Amendment, remarried in the temple in 2006, four days after defining marriage as “the union between one man and one woman,” activists balked, creating a website, EMOVENELSON.NET, and dubbing him a …