“Latino” is an umbrella term covering a diverse group of national, ethnic, and racial backgrounds that collectively accounts for more than one in six Americans. Spread across the political spectrum and operating at every level of government, Latinos cannot be counted on to vote as a bloc, but their collective support can make or break …
Event: Salt Lake Symposium 2012
CONFRONTING ROMNEY IN THE STREETS: GRASSROOTS RESISTANCE TO CAPITALISM AND THE MORMON 1%
As US progressives, anarchists, pacifists, queers, feminists, immigrants, and other agitators challenge US empire alongside a revitalized global justice movement, radical Mormons face the challenges and opportunities of pioneering a distinctively Mormon resistance. In this session, we’ll discuss the many kinds of direct action that challenge empire: artwork, riots, dance, strikes, fasting, sabotage, and prayer. …
BELIEVING THE BOOK OF MORMON: HUME AND HISTORY, FICTION AND FAIRY TALES
Part I: Most Latter-day Saints read the Book of Mormon as a historical narrative. As David Hume predicted, they feel a strong connection to the actors and events, which helps them internalize the doctrines. But when some Saints lose their faith in the historicity of the Book of Mormon, they feel compelled to abandon it …
IS RELIGION REALLY UNDER SIEGE IN THE US?
What should we make of recent claims that religion is somehow being driven out of the “public square”? What is the public square and what are the legal rules and—equally important—the ethical considerations governing public expression on religious issues? When should individuals, organizations, and businesses have a right to claim an exemption from neutral laws …
FORCES IN AMERICAN MORMONISM
Part I: Widespread Mormon understanding holds that America—the United States in particular—is populated by a chosen people, governed by an inspired constitution, and possessor of a singular destiny. This belief has drawn attention outside Mormon ranks in light of Mitt Romney’s candidacy for the presidency: Would Mormon notions color a president Romney’s foreign policy? The …
A MODERN CONCEIT: THE SEPARATION OF RELIGION AND POLITICS
How should we think about politics and religion? What did the intersection of politics and religion look like in first-century palestine during the time of Jesus and his earliest followers? What about now, in contemporary America? We will contemplate these tricky issues, especially as they relate to president J. Reuben Clark’s searing question, “What has …
DO GOOD ONLINE FENCES MAKE GOOD LDS NEIGHBORS?
LDS-interest blogspace is divided into many different communities: Mormon feminists, Mormon mommies, Borderlanders (or New Order Mormons), interfaith discussion blogs, Nothing Wavering, Outer Blogness, the core of the Bloggernacle, and probably others. All of these communities overlap and communicate with one another, but they also do various types of boundary- maintenance to decide who’s in …
MULTIPLY AND REPLENISH: POPULATION CONTROL AND YOUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT
D&C 104:17 states, “For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare.” What did that mean in 1834, when this revelation was given and world population was just over a billion? What does it mean today, when seven billion people live on the earth? Global population is expected to reach between 7.5 …
ALL APOLOGIES: THE ROLE OF APOLOGETICS IN MORMONISM AND MORMON STUDIES
The recent shakeup at BYU’s Maxwell Institute sent ripples throughout the Bloggernacle and raised questions about what the changes mean to groups such as FARMS, FAIR, and to Mormon apologetics in a larger context. What is the role of apologetics in general—both in and beyond Mormonism? Do Mormon apologists use similar stances or tactics as …
THE FIRST MORMON FEMINIST: MOTHER EVE AND THE POLITICS OF SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER
This devotional draws on Eve’s story to explore the hazardous role and vital contribution of women as speakers to power and authority. Michael Vinson