On 15 October 2011, the Utah Democratic Party’s Central Committee unanimously voted to create the LDS Dems Caucus. In its first year, LDS Dems has quickly become the largest caucus of the Democratic Party. Panelists will discuss its history, an outreach plan to convince Utahns to vote for Democrats, methods to convey liberal concepts to …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2012
AUTHOR MEETS CRITICS: THE MORMON PEOPLE: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN FAITH
This panel discussion brings together readers, scholars, and thinkers familiar with Matthew Bowman’s recent book, The Mormon People: The Making of An American Faith. Please join the book’s author and a panel of careful readers in a vigorous exchange about this book and the overview of Mormonism it provides. Adam Jacobsen, Janet Rogers, Russell Arben …
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, …
THE PRINCIPLE, THE PROPHET, AND PRISON
Part I: Of Joseph Smith’s 34 plural wives, 13 had legal husbands at the time they were sealed to him. Since Fawn Brodie’s 1945 No Man Knows My History, virtually every author who has written about Nauvoo plural marriages has concluded that the prophet practiced sexual polyandry (or at least may have) with some or …
HOLY SHIFT!
This presentation concerns the LDS Church Public Relations Department’s attempt to shift the blame for the Church’s past racism onto the Lord. The presenter critiques Elder Todd Christofferson’s recent attempt to shift onto Church members the responsibility of distinguishing Church leaders’ opinions from binding doctrine; Toscano claims that he was excommunicated almost 19 years ago …
LOOK TO THE WEST: MORMONISM AND THE MASONIC WORLD VIEW
During sweeping social change of the 1820s, Americans became increasingly disenchanted with Freemasonry as a kind of secular priesthood. The William Morgan affair (1826) led to an anti-Masonic movement fueled by fears that a free society could not thrive in the presence of secret organizations. Anti-masons argued that masons formed a secret combination bound by …
READINGS FROM AND DISCUSSION OF FIRE IN THE PASTURE
The publication of Fire in the Pasture, an anthology of poetry by LDS poets, calls for a celebration, a reading, and a discussion of where Mormon poetics may be headed in the twenty-first century. We’ll hear from poets featured in the anthology and consider its significance in LDS literary history. R. A. Christmas, Tyler Chadwick, …
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 …
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 …
PILLARS OF MY FAITH
This is perennially SUNSTONE’s best-attended session. Hear speakers share the events and concepts that animate their religious lives; a little soul baring, a little spiritual journey, a little intellectual testimony bearing. This reflective night is about the things that matter most, plus spirited congregational hymn-singing. Don Bradley, Maxine Hanks