By D. Jeff Burton On 23 May 2012, Alain de Botton joined Doug Frabrizio on KUER’s RadioWest program for an exploration of de Botton’s new book, Religion for Atheists: A Non-believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion.[i] Despite the title’s reference to atheists, this book can be useful to any person trying to incorporate religion …
Tag: borderlands
Identifying and Working with Adolescent Borderlanders
By D. Jeff Burton Adolescents have occasionally been discussed in this column, usually as innocent bystanders as their parents enter the Borderlands. I’ve sometimes provided suggestions about how to protect them, shield them, guide them, and so forth. However, we haven’t discussed children or teens who become closet doubters or Borderlanders themselves.1 I have …
Braving the Borderlands: Traits of the “Successful” Borderlander
By D. Jeff Burton It has become generally known that a large percentage of baptized Mormons worldwide eventually slip into inactivity, leave the Church, or are excommunicated. Many sojourn in the Borderlands of the Church for a time and then move on. But a few decide to stay in the Borderlands for various reasons: family, …
Braving the Borderlands: Conducting a Self-assessment
Know thyself. —Greek Aphorism To thine own self be true, and [you cannot] be false to any man. —Shakespeare At the 2010 Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium (Session 124, 5 August SL10124), John Dehlin and I hosted a spirited discussion with about a hundred attendees about their individual Borderlander experiences. We primed the discussion with …
Braving the Borderlands: Protecting and Strengthening Your Marriage
By D. Jeff Burton During the past month, I have exchanged emails with “Will” (not his real name), a professional with a young family, concerning his movement into the Borderlands and the troubles he has confronted. While reading his responses to my standard questionnaire, I saw that Will’s marriage was suffering the stresses common to …
Borderlands: A Play–Part II
Continued from Part I SCENE SEVEN (BRIAN and PHYLLIS sit in the office, waiting.) PHYLLIS: I don’t know why we’re doing this. We don’t need you. BRIAN: Whatever. PHYLLIS: I run this car lot. I decide who works here and who doesn’t. BRIAN: I was told to wait here for Dave. Is that …
Borderlands: A Play–Part 1
Introduction Borderlands marks a place of intersection, a liminal space where roads end but new paths begin, where no horizons reveal themselves but also where collisions do us harm. I’m a believing, practicing Mormon, and Mormonism is at its most essential a religion that preaches literally endless human possibilities, eternal progression, and growth. But we …
Braving the Borderlands: Bits and Pieces from the Inbox
By D. Jeff Burton D. Jeff Burton is an author and a former member of the Sunstone Board of Directors. The past few Borderlands columns have elicited some particularly worthwhile comments, some of which I want to share with you. Of course I’ve changed the writers’ names to shelter their identities.[63] Email from …
Braving the Borderlands: Strange Tales from the Borderlands
By D. Jeff Burton D. Jeff Burton is an author and a former member of the Sunstone Board of Directors. In this column, I share some unusual—and sometimes troubling—experiences and observations from four Borderlanders. I’ve changed the names of the first three. To respond, please send an email to jeff@eburton.com. I will forward your messages …