Joseph Smith famously said the word “Mormon” means “more good.” Does the Mormon Church live up to its name? Or does it do more harm than good? In a lively but friendly debate, four social scientists will offer competing perspectives rooted in research and data. For the sake of discussion, the panel will bracket eternal …
Speaker: JOHN DEHLIN
Repairing And Preserving Relationships Damaged By Faith Crises
Many who have undergone crises of faith have found one of the most devasting by-products is damage to relationships with family and friends. This panel will explore personal experience strategies, mistakes, and perspectives in dealing with these fractures. The emphasis will be upon “keeping relationships in good repair”. Russ Osmond, Steve Lowther, John Dehlin, Sandra …
Turning The Mic On John A Celebration Of 10 Years Of Mormon Stories
In this session, FMH podcaster Lindsay Hansen-Park will host a Mormon Stories interview with John Dehlin about his most recent Mormon story: being excommunicated from the LDS Church. John Dehlin, Lindsay Hansen Park
Meet The Ex Mormons
From 2014 – 2015, several prominent Mormons were excommunicated from the LDS church. This panel will discuss their experiences of the last year and how it has affected them. John Dehlin, Kate Kelly, Carson Calderwood, Marisa Calderwood, and Rock Waterman
WHY WE STAY
This perennially well-received session features the stories of those who have chosen to remain active, dedicated Latter-day Saints even in the face of challenges to traditional faith. How have these members wrestled with their faith and emerged more determined than ever to be a part of the Latter-day Saint community? Ronda Roberts Callister, John Dehlin, …
FAMILY VALUES: COPING AS OR WITH A BORDERLAND FAMILY MEMBER
When someone in an active Mormon family enters the Borderlands, resulting stresses can weaken and overwhelm the family. Many react in ways that reduce family love and cohesiveness, sometimes even destroying the family through divorce or estrangement. This session will first provide stories of family-related tensions and difficulties some Borderlanders have encountered. Panel and audience …
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. …
SURVEY SAYS: DATA ANALYSIS OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION CHANGE EFFORTS IN FORMER AND CURRENT LDS CHURCH MEMBERS
Analysis of data from 1600 respondents to an online survey has provided a wealth of information about the experiences of LGBT LDS, including early perceptions of sexual difference, self-assessment of sexual orientation, intense efforts to cope with, understand, or change orientation through ecclesiastical counseling, psychotherapy, increased personal righteousness (and other interventions), and relationships to the …
SL10124: More Stories from the LDS Borderlands
I will give a short presentation about a few not-yet-published Borderlanders’ stories and discuss issues associated with life in the LDS Borderlands today. As in past Borderland sessions, after the main presentation, we invite audience members to ask questions of the presenters and, for those so inclined, to share stories of how you (and/or a …
SL10274: Exit, Voice, and Loyalty in the Mormon Community
The work of political economist Albert Hirschman suggests a nuanced approach to public dissatisfaction with an organization. Dissatisfied members of an organization, business, or nation have a variety of choices available, including both exit (simply leaving) and voice (discussing their dissatisfaction). As Hirschman notes, greater loyalty to the organization can correspond to greater use of …