MORMON CINEMA AT FIVE: A HEALTH REPORT Although Mormons have been a topic for films as early as 1905, and LDS filmmakers have been telling quintessential Mormon stories since the 1930s, Richard Dutcher’s films God’s Army (2000) and Brigham City (2001) mark what some consider to be the birth of ‘Mormon Cinema’, feature-length fiction films …
Speaker: Scot Denhalter
Truth-Telling And Mormonism
Truth-Telling And Mormonism This session features two reflections on the issue of Mormon truth-telling. Scot Denhalter’s presentation focuses on the musings of Princeton moral philosopher Henry G. Frankfurt about a quality of misrepresentation that falls on the continuum between telling the truth and lying (somewhere just short of a lie), which he names “bullshit.” Denhalter …
Great Movies That Have Expanded My Religious World
Great Movies That Have Expanded My Religious World For many of us, movies not only entertain but can also change how we see and experience life and the world. From watching a film, we can feel cleansed, live without guilt, or be more selfless. For exalting recommendations, come to this session! Scot Denhalter, Moderator; Elbert …
Author-Meets-Critics: Exploring Mormon Thought: The Problems Of Theism And The Love Of God
Author-Meets-Critics: Exploring Mormon Thought: The Problems Of Theism And The Love Of God Panelists in this session will engage author Blake T. Ostler in a vigorous discussion of the views of salvation he offers in the second of three volumes in his Exploring Mormon Thought series. What is God’s grace? To whom is it offered? …
Mormons, Movies, And Romantic Eschatology
Drawing from insights in the Wizard of Oz, Groundhog Day, and other great movies, this presentation highlights differences between Mormon eschatology (the understanding of last things or the end and purpose of the world) and how LDS approaches to the relation of the divine and the human, atonement, and grace differ from those offered by …
Joseph Smith And The Plurality Of Gods: ‘I Can Show It From The Bible.’
‘I Can Show It From The Bible.’ In one of Joseph Smith’s two most famous discourses on polytheism, he insisted he could “show it from the Bible.” Can a plurality of Gods be shown from the so-claimed monotheistic Bible? If it can be shown from the Bible, should the doctrine become scripture? What could an …
INTERNET MORMONS VS. CHAPEL MORMONS
The Internet has exposed many Latter-day Saints to anti-Mormon arguments and claims for the very first time. Consequently, LDS apologists have brought their defenses online in order to counteract or minimize the critics’ influence. Yet in the process of neutralizing such “attacks,” have the apologists inadvertently redefined the role and relevance of the prophets and, …
STAGES OF FAITH: MORMON ENCOUNTERS
The model of faith development presented by James W. Fowler in his classic study, The Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, has helped many people from a wide variety of religious traditions better understand their own faith journey. It has been embraced especially by many who feel they …
The Restoration of Questionable Things
In 1840 Joseph Smith declared that animal sacrifices would be restored once the Nauvoo Temple was completed and that this was necessary to bring to pass the “restoration of all things.” While modern Mormons would most likely be shocked at the thought of including animal sacrifices in their temple worship, the requirement to eventually re-establish …
Delving into the Mysteries: Argument for an ‘Arcana Doctrina’
Delving into the Mysteries: Argument for an ‘Arcana Doctrina’ In a Priesthood, Relief Society, and Gospel Doctrine class one hears the often repeated but never supported injunction against ‘delving into the mysteries.” Why is the belief in such a prohibition so prevalent in the Church when scripture encourages the study of the mysteries? What does …