Speaker: Mark Thomas

Liquid Assets

This presentation seeks to quantify the financial impact of climate change on the LDS Church. The LDS Church owns over a billion dollars in real estate in Florida, and continues to buy land and build multi-million dollar buildings there. How much of that is likely to be under water within a few decades due to …

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The Throne Near Kolob A Portrait Of Power

There are few images that have endured as long in western religion as that of a powerful god upon a throne. Though kings are scarce these days, and thrones difficult to find, the popularity of the Game of Thrones television series indicates that the archaic image still holds sway in the modern psyche. This throne …

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Four Views Of The Book Of Mormon

Is the Book of Mormon an inspired history of ancient peoples? An inspired scriptural narrative? A work of great literature? Or a nineteenth-century plagiarism? In a friendly debate, four historians will each defend a different hypothesis. Panelists will buttress classic arguments with new insights and original research to make the strongest possible cases for their …

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DIAGNOSING THE SEER: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE FIRST VISION

Mormons consider Joseph Smith’s first vision one of the most significant events in religious history; it is by far the most controversial of his visions. Many Mormons maintain that the accounts of the vision are historically accurate, while critics assert that different accounts are inconsistent and historically inaccurate. This session will summarize the various accounts …

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Panel: The Message of Christ, the First Christian

This panel will discuss Christ’s messages to his historic and contemporary followers and explore the impact of Christ’s teachings on the individual, the family, the tribe, and the human power structures in which we all operate. Jacob Baker, Janice Allred, Mark Thomas, Michael J. Stevens, moderator Paul Toscano

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