Sunstone editor Stephen Carter has assembled a book of forty-six essays discussing death from a Mormon perspective. Four of the essayists will join this panel to present a thoughtful discussion on what is often a taboo topic. Stephen Carter, Brian Stuy, Jerilyn Hassell Pool, John Hatch
Speaker: John Hatch
Moving Past Black And White Thinking About God Religion And Mormonism
One of the most difficult tasks in a faith journey is to enter into complexity, to be willing and able to move from clean, simple views of truth, history, and knowledge into more uncertain and uncharted territories—all with the hope (but no guarantee) that we’ll find something in which to center ourselves. Panelists will present …
SW07007: Divided Loyalties? Mitt Romney: The First Mormon President?
Divided Loyalties? Mitt Romney: The First Mormon President? In many ways, Mitt Romney is a dream candidate for Mormons: he is handsome, bright, charismatic, and articulate. He has been a successful businessman and politician as well as Church leader. He has a quintessential Mormon pedigree, polygamous ancestors; distinguished genealogy; son of a prominent political, business, …
Mormon Studies In The Academy
Mormon Studies In The Academy Courses and programs in Mormon studies are being established across the country. Panel members will discuss the challenges, tensions, and rewards of teaching and studying Mormon history, literature, and culture outside LDS-sponsored institutions and with both member and non-member students in the same classroom. Panelists will also discuss the current …
Religion and Pop Culture: Shotgun Wedding, Marriage of Convenience, or Match Made in Heaven?
Religion and Pop Culture: Shotgun Wedding, Marriage of Convenience, or Match Made in Heaven? We’ve come a long way since Hollywood’s idea of religion was confined to biblical sand-and-sword operas; Irish priests and chaplains with twinkly eyes; and morally corrupt Protestant evangelists like Elmer Gantry. Barely a month passes without a movie or television show …
PANEL. JON KRAKAUER’S ‘UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN’
Jon Krakauer’s book Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith received astounding media attention and scrutiny even weeks before its release, including two statements from LDS leaders that condemned the book as historically inaccurate and critical of all people of faith. This panel seeks to examine Krakauer’s depiction of fundamentalist Mormonism, mainstream …
Discussion, Making Sense of Today’s Book of Mormon Debates
Book of Mormon studies have shifted in recent decades, leading to many new, and widely different theories about its historicity, origins, theology, and function. What are the new approaches? How and to what extent are they affecting official Church rhetoric as well as chapel discussions? What issues are crying for the most attention? What positive …
GLIMPSES INTO THE PAST: EDITING MORMON DIARIES
Journal, diaries, and memoirs can offer the most intimate glimpses into the lives of those who have long since died. Yet they are limited to only one perspective and are hardly the final word on a subject’s life. How can diaries help shine light in dark places, helping to illuminate the past? What are their …
MICHAEL MOORE’S FAHRENHEIT 9/11: HEAT OR LIGHT?
Part documentary, part mockumentary, part passionate political witness, part uproarious entertainment, this surprisingly commercially successful film criticizing the Bush administration’s response to the World Trade Center attack; the president’s launch and conduct of the Iraq war; the Patriot Act, and the Abu Ghraib torture scandal has provoked national debate. Meanwhile, two Mormons, Bush administration lawyer …
‘BLESSED ARE YOU WHO ARE POOR’: RICH AND POOR IN THE GOSPEL AND IN POLITICS
When, as counselor in the First Presidency, Hugh B. Brown stated that he was a Democrat because Democrats were more sensitive to the poor, he put his finger on an aspect of the gospel that many Mormons separate from their view of religion. Yet many scriptures show that compassion for the poor is central to …