SAINTS AND GENTILES: REFLECTIONS ON MORMONISM AND RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY Mormonism has always possessed a theologically progressive outlook on the fate of the “unevangelized.” The doctrine that every person will have the opportunity to accept the LDS gospel is a key feature that distinguishes Mormonism from many mainstream Christian traditions. However, important questions remain unexplored in …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2007
HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE MORMON ETHIC OF BODY-SPIRIT INTEGRITY
HOMOSEXUALITY AND THE MORMON ETHIC OF BODY-SPIRIT INTEGRITY Latter-day revelation invites us to understand ourselves as spirit children of God, learning to master our physical bodies to prepare for an eternal life as glorified beings with bodies of “flesh and bone.” Mormonism embraces belief in Heavenly Parents who are spirit and flesh, and it emphatically …
SL07111: ‘IS THE UNITED STATES READY FOR A MORMON PRESIDENT?’ MORMONISM AS A MAJOR ISSUE IN THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
‘IS THE UNITED STATES READY FOR A MORMON PRESIDENT?’ MORMONISM AS A MAJOR ISSUE IN THE 2008 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN The presidential campaign of Mitt Romney has generated significant attention to his beliefs and practices as an active Mormon. A great deal of media attention has focused on the central question: Is the United States ready …
SL07154: JOSEPH SMITH’S KIRTLAND EGYPTIAN PAPERS: HIEROGLYPHS, THE SACERDOTAL GENEALOGY, AND THE ANTIDOTE TO BABEL
JOSEPH SMITH’S KIRTLAND EGYPTIAN PAPERS: HIEROGLYPHS, THE SACERDOTAL GENEALOGY, AND THE ANTIDOTE TO BABEL The Kirtland Egyptian Papers (KEP) have occasioned considerable controversy but have largely evaded substantive analysis. When properly understood in their historical context, the KEP present a pictographic hermeneutics of primal language (the one spoken in Eden), while they disclose an expanded …
MITT ROMNEY: BRAINY WONK, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE, OR BRAZEN WAFFLER?
MITT ROMNEY: BRAINY WONK, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE PEOPLE, OR BRAZEN WAFFLER? Has Mitt Romney changed positions on key issues? Absolutely. Should he get the Republican nomination, will he change again? No doubt about it! Yet, his flip-flops may not be as despicably dishonest as they seem. Scott will explore how Mitt’s commitment to leadership may …
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES AS THE BASIS FOR BELIEF AND COMMITMENT
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES AS THE BASIS FOR BELIEF AND COMMITMENT The heart of Mormon commitment is the a “testimony” based upon spiritual experiences. I look at the status of spiritual experience as the ground of commitment for one’s life, its epistemic status and its spiritual significance. I argue that attacks claiming that such experiences are not …
NOT BIRDS OF A FEATHER: UNRAVELING THE MYTH OF THE FEATHERED SERPENT AS A MEMORY OF JESUS CHRIST
NOT BIRDS OF A FEATHER: UNRAVELING THE MYTH OF THE FEATHERED SERPENT AS A MEMORY OF JESUS CHRIST President John Taylor stated that “The story of the life of the Mexican divinity, Quetzalcoatl, closely resembles that of the Savior; so closely, indeed, that we can come to no other conclusion than that Quetzalcoatl and Christ …
‘DO YOU HAVE A TESTIMONY OF . . . ?’
‘DO YOU HAVE A TESTIMONY OF . . . ?’ People who have much in common can still look at things very differently. Case in point: James McLachlan and Tom Kimball have been enjoying an ongoing discussion about their Mormon beliefs. Both have contemplated similar historical and philosophical dilemmas, and both are active in their …
SL07112 THE LIBERAL MORMON CASE FOR LARGE FAMILIES
THE LIBERAL MORMON CASE FOR LARGE FAMILIES I examine the possible long-term effects of birth rates among different groups of people and review some recent studies on the topic. Why might a liberal Mormon choose a large family? To what extent is family size indicative of orthodoxy? What are the effects of large families on …
SL07155: ENSOULMENT: ABORTION, CLONING, AND STEM CELL RESEARCH IN MORMON DOCTRINE
ENSOULMENT: ABORTION, CLONING, AND STEM CELL RESEARCH IN MORMON DOCTRINE Four years ago, Utah’s senior U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch developed a unique position on stem cell research that allowed him to both support the research and maintain his conservative stance against abortion. This new approach was quickly adopted by several other Mormon senators and was …