The recent shakeup at BYU’s Maxwell Institute sent ripples throughout the Bloggernacle and raised questions about what the changes mean to groups such as FARMS, FAIR, and to Mormon apologetics in a larger context. What is the role of apologetics in general—both in and beyond Mormonism? Do Mormon apologists use similar stances or tactics as …
Speaker: KAIMIPONO WENGER
HEAVENLY MOTHER AND THE LETTER OF THE LAW
President Hinckley has told us that Jesus Christ forbids our praying to Heavenly Mother. But heavenly parents who refuse communication with their children seem unworthy of their status as gods, and a mother who will not hear or acknowledge her children is not a helpful role model for Latterday Saints. Therefore, there must be some …
HAVE WE COME A LONG WAY? REVIEWING WOMEN AND AUTHORITY ON ITS 20TH ANNIVERSARY
Women and Authority: Re-emerging Mormon Feminism made a splash when published in 1992. On its 20th anniversary, panelists will discuss how they first encountered the book, their thoughts upon reading it, how it influenced their thinking about women’s issues in the Church, and how it has continued to be a useful volume in their personal …
DO GOOD ONLINE FENCES MAKE GOOD LDS NEIGHBORS?
LDS-interest blogspace is divided into many different communities: Mormon feminists, Mormon mommies, Borderlanders (or New Order Mormons), interfaith discussion blogs, Nothing Wavering, Outer Blogness, the core of the Bloggernacle, and probably others. All of these communities overlap and communicate with one another, but they also do various types of boundary- maintenance to decide who’s in …
Sister Wives Go To Court
In 2003, the US Supreme Court struck down laws criminalizing sex between gay and lesbian individuals, finding that those laws violated the individuals’ rights to privacy and intimate association. Could the same logic apply to anti-polygamy laws? a recent lawsuit, Brown V. Herbert, argues just that. What are the legal claims in the Brown lawsuit, …
Something Wiki This Way Comes: An Analysis Of The Mormon Content On Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a web-based encyclopedia project offering free access to more than 18 million articles in a variety of languages written and edited collaboratively by volunteers world-wide. With 365 million readers, it is arguably the largest and most popular internet reference site. Perhaps its most significant feature is that new entries can be added and/or …
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 …