By Wayne C. Booth Can it be good—even spiritually essential—to be a hypocrite? This professor of rhetoric thinks so. Wayne Booth shares the fruits of his life-long interior discussion between his boyhood Mormon religion fundamentalism and his adult “faith.” All of it, the direct result of his two years as a conflicted, intellectual LDS …
Category: Podcasts
Arnold Lobel and Me
By Martha Taysom Martha Taysom is a retired scholar of American intellectual history and the mother of five children, of whom Matt is the fourth. When Matt was young, we often read Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad stories together. His head would rest against my arm as he followed these simple but wise …
Low and the Hermeneutics of Silence
By Jacob Bender Jacob Bender recently completed a Ph.D. in English at the University of Iowa. He has previously published in Dialogue, Sunstone, Peculiar Pages, West Trade Review, and WLN, and has articles forthcoming in American Indian Quarterly and Journal of the Midwest Modern Language Association. The veteran indie-trio Low, when they are …
The November 2015 Policy Change in Light of Matthew 25
Jesus used the parable of the sheep and goats to call his followers to look upon those we consider “the least” as if they were him. This session looks at the Church’s November 2015 policy change in regard to married gay and lesbian parents and their children in light of this parable. It will include …
The Moral and Spiritual Case for Cannabis
The legalization of marijuana and other cannabis-related substances have long been a source of moral and medical controversy. This panel will make a case for why allowing research and use of the drug is a moral imperative. Andrew Jolley Emilie Campbell Ryan McKnightl
Mormonism and the Limits of Political Neutrality
Though the LDS Church claims political neutrality, this has not necessarily been the case in practice. Taking a case study approach, this presentation argues that the institutional LDS Church did indeed influence the political sphere in the 20th and 21st centuries through its involvement with the Equal Rights Amendment, Proposition 8, and the October 2016 …
Joseph Smith, the Entrepreneur
Steve Jobs was a flawed man, both personally and professionally in a lot of ways, but he was also one of the most successful CEOs in history. He and others like him have transformed the world with their visions of change and innovation. This panel will explore Joseph Smith as a religious and spiritual innovator …
Radio Heaven and Hell: Being a Talk Show Host in a Mormon State
This panel will discuss the experiences of two popular radio personalities in Utah. Both Mormon, each will describe their journeys into radio as well as their Mormon journey inside and outside the church. Richard (Richie T) Steadman Bill Allred
Mormons and Heroin Use
For some, religion is a balm of relief; for others it is a barbed wire of entrapment. How have some people sought relief from religious pain in narcotics? How can narcotic abuse and cultural Mormonism lead people into an ongoing state of suffering? How can one more constructively live in relation to and within Mormonism, …
Mormon Generations: What New Research Tells Us about Four Generations of Current and Former Latter-day Saints
Millennials, GenXers, Baby Boomers, and the Silent Generation. What do they have in common, and where do they diverge? This session looks at research findings from the nationally representative Next Mormons survey, conducted in late 2016. Which generation of Latter-day Saints has the largest number of children? Which has the strongest belief in God and …