Mormon polygamy began in Nauvoo, Illinois, a river town located at a bend in the Mississippi about fifty miles upstream from MarkTwain’s Hannibal, Missouri. After church founder Joseph Smith married some thirty-eight women, he introduced this GEORGE D. SMITH
Event: DC Symposium 2009
DC09002: This is My Body: Thinking about the Sacrament
In this devotional, we will read the story of the Last Supper closely to unpack the language and find parallels and connections to all aspects of Christ’s ministry. We will seek to unfold new dimensions to the weekly ritual of the Sacrament. What does it symbolize? What does it direct our attention toward? How can …
DC09003: Causing the Constitution to Hang by a Thread: The Mormon Involvement in Torture
Mormons have long believed that the elders of the church would be called upon to save the US Constitution. Ironically, the Constitution has been seriously endangered by two Mormons who acted as authors, planners, legal experts, and executors of Bush doctrines that led directly to torture, dismissal of the Geneva Conventions, wiretapping without warrant, and …
DC09004: An LDS Rationale for Humane Immigration Policy
Migration is the story of Adam and Eve, Lehi’s family, the Israelites, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus–as well as 12 million undocumented immigrants in the US and 24 million forcibly displaced persons worldwide. This discussion will explore opportunities for Latter-day Saints to “welcome the stranger” and the ways in which many LDS leaders respond to this …
DC09005: Panel: Mormon Singles: Beyond Angst
While the Church’s message increasingly emphasizes the importance of the nuclear family, the number of single adults in the Church is higher than ever before. The panel’s title does not mean that we live in a church where being single does not produce angst. Indeed, nearly all Mormon singles experience some kind of pressure or …
DC09006: Panel: Where Were You on June 8, 1978?
A common response to the race issue in Mormonism is the often tearful memory of where we were on June 8, 1978. But Black Latter-day Saints who have some history in the Church remember when racialist policies kept them from full participation in the Church and justified some appalling assumptions about them. Today, many of …
DC09007: Panel: New Directions in Mormon History
In recent years, Mormon history has become a higher profile area of study, benefiting from the attention of rising numbers of non-Mormon academics as well as groundbreaking scholarly achievements by Church members. This increased attention has propelled Mormon studies in new directions: new disciplines, methodologies, and questions have deeply enriched our knowledge of the Mormon …
DC09008: Panel: Mormon Art: Definitions and Directions
Spencer W. Kimball declared that the full story of Mormonism has yet to be written, painted, sculpted, or composed–and the task of Mormon artists is to accomplish this. How close are they? This panel gathers a group of Mormon artists in a variety of disciplines to address several questions: Does such a thing as Mormon …
DC09009: Why I Stay
This perennially well-received Sunstone session features the stories of those who have chosen to remain active, dedicated Latter-day Saints even in the face of many difficult challenges to traditional faith. How have these members wrestled with their faith and yet emerged more determined than ever to be a part of the Latter-day Saint community? JALYNN …
DC09010: The Mormon Place in the American Religious Landscape
In 2008, the Pew Forum released the US Religious Landscape survey, the largest study of American religious life ever conducted, including a statistically significant sample of Latter-day Saints. What does it tell us about Mormons and other religious groups in America? This presentation will focus on three areas, with a particular focus on the Mormons: …