Tomorrow we’re going to try something new and fun. We’re going to broadcast our first interview (with John Larsen of Mormon Expression podcast) live over the Internet, and allow folks to call in.  John and I will begin by interviewing each other about our experiences as Mormon podcasters….and then we will open the lines to whatever questions you may have.

Here are the instructions to listen and to call in:

• To listen to the live stream over the Internet, or to chat textually with us and other listeners during the call, click here.
• To call into the show, you will need to have your phone ready, or plan to call in via Skype.  During the show, I will provide instructions on how to call in.
• This will be our first attempt at doing a live call-in show…..so please bear with us if there are technical glitches.

Also, please spread the word!  Thanks!

John Dehlin

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

• Part 1: Growing up Mormon, and the WordPerfect years
• Part 2: Coming out as a Gay Mormon Father
• Part 3: The Case for Supporting Gay Rights

(Note: Segment 3 of this interview has been removed from the podcast feed — out of respect for the family members involved, and due to legal and other concerns).

In this 4-part series, we interview Richard Packham — co-founder of the Ex-Mormon foundation.  Throughout the interview and via Richard’s own personal story, we explore 3 ways in which the LDS Church creates unnecessary enemies:

1. Episode 1: By not being honest about its own history (e.g. teaching accurate history)
2. Episode 2: By breaking up families (when one no longer believes)
3. Episode 3: By  harming the loved ones of those who have left the church (removed from the feed)
4. Episode 4: To conclude, Richard discusses the benefits of religious belief and the LDS church, the mission of the ExMormon foundation, and bears a final testimony regarding the joy/happiness he has experienced since leaving the church.

NOTE: The purpose of this interview is NOT to encourage people to stay or leave the LDS church.  It is simply to:

1. Seek to understand and to validate the path of those who have felt compelled to leave the church, and
2. Explore ways in which the church can seek to no longer create unnecessary enemies.

….and he is also an active, believing member of the LDS Church.  Dr. Bailey is also the founder of the “Science Meets Religion” web site, which seeks to bridge the gap between science and religion.

In this three-part series, we discuss:

• Part 1: A Brief History of the LDS Church and Science, including the B.H. Roberts/Joseph Fielding Smith and Bruce R. McConkie controversies regarding evolution in the 20th century.
• Part 2: The state of science in the LDS Church today.
• Part 3: How science has actually strengthened his faith in the God and the LDS Church.

P.S. The Duane Jeffery/Dialogue article referenced in the podcast can be found here.

- The Morning Workshop: Navigating an LDS crisis of faith (in or out of the church)
- The Afternoon Workshop: Navigating a marriage when a spouse loses their testimony

I plan on sharing the content from the two workshops with Mormon Stories monthly subscribers/donors who are unable to attend (this is how I’m paying my way through graduate school).

Thus, if you are attending, or if you are an MS monthly donor, please respond via comments below with topics that you would like to be sure I cover.  If you are not an MS donor, please consider signing up for a monthly donation today…and I will make sure you get the recordings of the workshops.

To register in advance for the workshop(s) (seating is actually filling up fast, and is limited), go here:

https://www.sunstonemagazine.com/shop/products/event-registration/

You can register for: a) the morning workshop, b) the afternoon workshop or c) both workshops (you get a small discount).

• For morning only, look for: 2010 SLC Symposium Single AM Workshop
• For afternoon only, look for: 2010 SLC Symposium Single PM Workshop
• For both, look for: 2010 SLC Symposium Double Workshop

Hope to see you there (if it works for you)!!!!

John

P.S. Please let me know if you have any trouble registering.

Janet Bennion is an associate professor of anthropology at Lyndon State College in Lyndonville, Vermont, specializing in alternative sexuality in nontraditional religious movements in the Intermountain West, specifically among Mormon fundamentalist polygynists. She has a Ph.D. in Anthropology from University of Utah and a Masters in Social Organization from Portland State University. Her doctoral expertise lies in cross-cultural perspectives of sexuality, gender and society, and women of the fundamentalist world.

Her scientific publications include two major ethnographic works and two comparative analyses of Mormon polygynous women, as well as many peer-review journal articles. Women of Principle: Female Networking in Contemporary Mormon Polygyny (Oxford University Press 1998) offers an in-depth study of gender roles and sexual norms in the Apostolic United Brethren sect in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, cataloging women’s conversion stories. This ethnography shows that while abuses do exist, some women achieve ironic ascendance and satisfaction in fundamentalism. Desert Patriarchy (University of Arizona Press 2004) presents her theory explaining the role of the desert environment (Chihuahua, Mexico) in the development and maintenance of a patriarchal gender ideology. Her model identifies several factors — male supremacy, female network, non-secular education, imbalanced sex ratios, alternative sexuality, and circumscription — which work to facilitate the longevity of desert patriarchal communities.

Janet Bennion is an associate professor of anthropology, specializing in alternative sexuality in nontraditional religious movements in the Intermountain West, specifically among Mormon fundamentalist polygynists. She has a Ph.D. in Anthropology from University of Utah and a Masters in Social Organization from Portland State University.

Her doctoral expertise lies in cross-cultural perspectives of sexuality, gender and society, and women of the fundamentalist world.

Her scientific publications include two major ethnographic works and two comparative analyses of Mormon polygynous women, as well as many peer-review journal articles. Women of Principle: Female Networking in Contemporary Mormon Polygyny (Oxford University Press 1998) offers an in-depth study of gender roles and sexual norms in the Apostolic United Brethren sect in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana, cataloging women’s conversion stories. This ethnography shows that while abuses do exist, some women achieve ironic ascendance and satisfaction in fundamentalism. Desert Patriarchy (University of Arizona Press 2004) presents her theory explaining the role of the desert environment (Chihuahua, Mexico) in the development and maintenance of a patriarchal gender ideology. Her model identifies several factors — male supremacy, female network, non-secular education, imbalanced sex ratios, alternative sexuality, and circumscription — which work to facilitate the longevity of desert patriarchal communities.

• Episode 1: Federal Prosecution, Post-Manifesto Polygamy and the Rise of Mormon Fundamentalism
• Episode 2: The Life and Death of the Mormon Speculative Tradition, and the Rise and Costs of Correlation
• Episode 3: The LDS Church as a Corporation and the Corporation as a Church
• Episode 4: Is the LDS Church Serving God, Mammon, or Both?

Daymon’s fascinating dissertation can be purchased here.

I have five very important announcements that I’d like to make to you…my listeners….so I’ll try to make it brief.

1. Potential Workshops and Reception at Sunstone Symposium: On August 4th, as part of the Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City, I am considering hosting an all-day, 2 part workshop:
   • Part 1 (in the morning) will deal with “How to navigate an LDS crisis of faith”, and
   • Part 2 (in the afternoon) will deal with “What to do in a marriage when one of the partners loses their testimony.” What I need to know from all of you, is if there is any interest out there in something like this.  It will likely cost around $25 for a single session, and $40 for the full session.  I also planning on going to dinner with folks after the workshops, so it could be a fun way to meet some of you.  Anyway, Please email me at mormonstories@gmail.com if you or someone you know would be interested in attending.

   • In addition, I am looking into the possibility of hosting a Mormon Stories listener reception, likely to be held on Thursday evening, August 5th.  If any of you would be interested in spending an hour or two with me, former interviewees, and fellow Mormon Stories listeners, please let me know via email at mormonstories@gmail.com.
     
2. Mormon Stories Forum: I have recently created a private Internet forum for listeners to Mormon Stories.  The formula is pretty straightforward:
   • Membership in the forum is by invitation only.
   • Everyone in the forum uses their real name.  This helps to make the forum conversations more constructive and healthy, and to build a sense of community within the forum.  That said, the membership list and conversations within the forum are copyrighted, and will not be shared outside the forum.  Also, if you are unable to use your real name for job or family reasons, I will need you to identify yourself to me, and we can make arrangements to protect your anonymity on the forum.
   • The purpose of the forum is to provide people with a safe place to speak with other like-minded people about their Mormon experience.  We have Mormons of all types on the forum — from true believers to former Mormons.  The only requirement, other than maintaining the confidentiality of the group, is to always treat forum members with respect — regardless of their status in the church.  Violators of this will be removed.
   • To join the community, please friend me on Facebook (both as John Dehlin and as Mormon Stories), and then send me an email telling me your story, and indicating that you are willing to comply with these rules.  From there, I will add you to the community if your story indicates a good fit.
3. Mormon Stories is now an official Non-Profit: Thanks to Ryan Millecam, a corporate attorney at Gammage and Burnham in Phoenix AZ and a long-time fan – Mormon Stories is now an official 501c3 Non-Profit, which means that all donations we receive are tax deductible.  We did this in hopes that it would encourage you, our listeners, to better support Mormon Stories.Also, As a 501c3, I’m very interested in creating a formal board of directors to help shape the future of Mormon Stories — and maybe even grow it into a radio and/or TV program someday.  If any of you are interested in sitting on the Mormon Stories board of directors and helping to shape and grow our future, please join the MS Community forum (as indicated above), and let me know in your introduction letter of your interest.
4. A 3 Month Experiment (Donor Drive): Over the past few months I have worked very, very hard to bring you some very high quality interviews.  A few of you have been very supportive in terms of contributions, and I am very, very grateful for that support — but a new situation has arisen where I will need your help.  Many of you know that I just finished up my first year in a 6 year psychology Ph.D. program.  It was kind of crazy for me to leave a six figure job with MIT, with 4 young children at home, to go back to school — but my work with Mormon Stories has really led me to feel like I need to become a counselor – specifically to work with folks who struggle within the LDS church.  Anyway — I was recently offered a $15,000 Assistantship to cover some of my expenses for next year as a grad student — but if I had taken it, I would have not been able to continue with Mormon Stories.  So I took a bit of a crazy gamble.  I turned down the assistantship, with the hope/faith that I could recruit enough monthly support from my listeners to at least make up for the assistantship that I turned down.So here is what I’m going to do.  Over the next 3 months I have planned some of the most interesting and exciting guest and projects to date for Mormon Stories.  In exchange, I am going to see how many listeners I can get to sign up for an automatic monthly subscription to Mormon Stories (which will help get me through grad school).  If I can get enough people to sign up for monthly subscriptions, I will definitely keep Mormon Stories going at the rate of one, multi-part interview per week.  If I can’t get enough listeners to support me in that way, I will probably keep Mormon Stories going, but will likely have to get a part time job in the Fall/Winter to support my family while in school — and will only release episodes as I’m able.  Currently my web stats tell me that each episode of Mormon Stories is being downloaded by thousands of listeners — so I guess I’m asking for those of you who have enjoyed Mormon Stories to please consider signing up for a monthly donation….it can be for as little as $5/month. If I can get only 200 or 300 people (of the several thousand) to make a monthly contribution, I promise to make Mormon Stories even better than it has been to date.  And again — I can also promise you that the people and projects that I have in the works are as exciting and interesting, if not more so than many of my past interviews — so if you do your part, I promise to do mine.  To donate — please click on one of the donation buttons at the top right of http://mormonstories.org
5. Looking for Volunteers:  Finally, in addition to monthly contributors, I am urgently looking for volunteers to help donate their time in various ways to keep Mormon Stories going strong.  If any of you are willing to help out with your time, please join the Mormon Stories Forum as indicated above, and  indicate in your letter to me that you are willing to help out.

Anyway, that’s it for now!   Thanks so much for listening, and for your support.  I look forward to making Mormon Stories better than ever…with your support.

In light of the recent Gallop Poll which calculates that 60% of active Mormons self-identify as Conservative or Republican and that over 60% of inactive Mormons who still consider themselves Mormons are self-identified “Liberals or Moderates” suggesting that the more liberal you are the more likely you are to go inactive; in light of Glenn Beck’s recent public comments where the prominent Mormon declared that social justice was a code word for Communism and Nazism; and in light of the recent invitation by a Nevada Stake to Democratic Senator Harry Reid to speak at a fireside which was met by threats of violence and canceled.

As moderate, liberal or radical Mormons, it is time to make our voices heard WITHIN Mormonism. I for one am weary of hearing Republican talking points pass for Gospel truths. The Gospel is for everyone, not just Republicans; guided by the spirit, liberal and radical interpretations of the Gospel and scriptures are just as valid as those made by Conservatives.

• On May 1st 2010, International Workers’ Day, or May Day, we will participate in local May Day festivities and organize ‘Social Justice and the Gospel’ Teach-ins/Firesides all across the country.

• On Sunday May 2nd, we will hold a special fast for those who are working all over the world to advance the causes of the Gospel, social justice, environmental sustainability and fighting the root causes of poverty. Then, we will attend our local Wards and, guided by the spirit, bear strong, sincere and non-confrontational testimonies on these themes.

Please pass the word along and start organizing events. Respond with ideas and comments.

Will you help us make the Mormon Church hospitable for all of God’s Children? Even Liberals and Radicals?

Over this 3.5 hour discussion we cover topics like:

• How to handle difficult primary songs and uncomfortable teachings with small children
• How to deal with baptism and priesthood ordinations as unorthodox members
• How to work through issues surrounding the young women and men programs
• How to “innoculate” your children against unhealthy church teachings and history
• How to handle issues of sexuality, and What to do about missions, marriage and beyond.
  

Our panelists include:

• Lee White: Who (along with his wonderful wife) has successfully raised four children within the church as progressive, non-literalistic, non-dogmatic, NOMish church members.
• Laurie Gallagher: Who no longer considers herself to be a “believer” in the church’s exclusive truth claiMS, but who is finding a way (along w/ her “believer” and totally cool husband) to raise their three children, combining her love for Buddhism and Eastern Spirituality with a progressive approach to LDS activity.
• Heather Olson Beal: Who comes from a devout yet progressive family background, and who (along with her husband) is finding a way to raise their three children amidst their own faith transition.

Program Notes:

• Here is the link to Laurie’s wonderful letter to her son (a must read)
• Here are the words to the poem Laurie discussed on the podcast:

Irish Blessing:
May the road rise to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of his hand.

May God be with you and bless you:
May you see your children’s children.
May you be poor in misfortune,
Rich in blessings.
May you know nothing but happiness
From this day forward.

May the road rise up to meet you
May the wind be always at your back
May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home
And may the hand of a friend always be near.

May green be the grass you walk on,
May blue be the skies above you,
May pure be the joys that surround you,
May true be the hearts that love you.

This interview was recorded in 2007.

In this interview, we discuss:

• What it’s like to grow up the son of an LDS Prophet
• An intimate look at Edward’s impressions of President Kimball
• The 1978 Blacks and the Priesthood Revelation and the Equal Rights Amendment fight within the church
• Thoughts in reconciling the intellect with faith and the spirit

Please post questions that you might have for us here.  Also, we are seeking participants for the discussion.

Thanks!

WARNING: Bengt occasionally uses profane language, and there is some sexually explicit material (I’d give it a PG-13 rating).  Viewer/listener discretion is advised.

• In Part 1, I re-publish Terry Gross’ 2009 Fresh Air interview with Karen Armstrong.  Please listen to this episode, buy and read the book this week, and next week we will:
• In Part 2, John Hamer, J. Nelson Seawright, Joanna Brooks and I lay out Karen Armstrong’s major premises, and analyze them
• In Part 3, we discuss how Karen Armstrong’s book might or might not apply to Mormonism.

Based on your requests, I wanted to let you know that:

1. Mormon Stories is now an official 501c3 non-profit organization, which means that any future donations you make to the podcast will be tax deductible.
2. I have set up the means whereby you can make automatic monthly donations to Mormon Stories.   Just click on the buttons at the top right of the home page to set up monthly, automatic recurring donations.

Thanks so much again for all your support!

John Dehlin

• In Part 1, Lisa discusses her early life, how she became a feminist, and what led to her creation of FeministMormonHousewives.com
• In Part 2, Lisa discusses the importance of open, thoughtful and candid discussions about women’s issues within the church, and on the Internet
• In Part 3, Lisa discusses the costs and benefits of blogging, provides some final insight and advice to LDS women, along w/ her testimony of the LDS gospel.

Music on this episode was provided by http://skyepixton.com and http://claytonpixton.com.

• In part 1, Shawn discusses his born again experience, and makes his best case for why LDS Church members should also seek to become Born Again.

• In part 2, I ask Shawn several questions about his style, doctrine and theology.

• In part 3, I ask Shawn some final questions, and he shares some closing thoughts.

• Episode 1: Jacque discusses her husband’s loss of  testimony, how they first discussed it, and the lessons she learned from dealing with the immediate aftermath.
• Episode 2: Jacque discusses the compromises that both her and her husband had to make to work through his loss of faith, and what eternal marriage has come to mean for her.
• Episode 3: Jacque discusses some of the unexpected blessings that have come to her marriage as a result of her husband’s loss of faith, and some final tips for couples dealing with this dilemma.

The music from this episode was played live during the interview.  For more about the Danzig’s music, check out their web site here.

The music from this episode was played live during the interview.  For more about the Danzig’s music, check out their web site here.

The music from this episode was played live during the interview.  For more about the Danzig’s music, check out their web site here.

The music from this episode was played live during the interview.  For more about the Danzig’s music, check out their web site here.

Shawn is a former LDS Church member who is now an evangelical minister in SLC.  He is the author of the book “Born Again Mormon” and is the host of the TV show “Heart of the Manner.”

Shawn and I talked before agreeing to do the interview.  His purpose (nor mine) will not be to bash the LDS church, but instead to share his journey out of Mormonism and into Evangelical Christianity in a respectful way.  If you have questions for Shawn, please post them here.

Thanks!

• The Past: Why I shut down Mormon Stories podcast, what I learned along the way, and were I am now with the church.
• The Present: Why I brought Mormon Stories back
• The Future: What I promise to each of you w/ the podcast, and what I need from each of you to keep it going.

Thanks in advance for your support!

Community of Christ Apostle Susan D. Skoor and Prophet Stephen M. Veazey ordain Becky L. Savage to be a member of the First Presidency

Community of Christ temple

In part 2 of my interview with John Hamer, we discuss the transformation of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (RLDS) towards a more Christ-centered church, including the decision to build a temple in Independence, Missouri, and change its name to “The Community of Christ.”

We also discuss its transition away from prophetic succession based on blood line, and its decision to ordain women to the priesthood.

(Music provided courtesy of Clayton Pixton and Skype Pixton.  If you can, please email them and thank them for the music…better yet…email them and then buy an album!!!!)

This episode is re-published courtesy of John Larsen.

This recording was published on August 11, 2009, and is re-published here courtesy of John Larsen.

(Note: please consider this as a very rough draft.  I am very open to suggestions to make it better.)

===========

Thank you for sharing your story with me.  If there are a few messages I can leave with you…that I hope you will repeat to yourself over and over again in the coming years….it would be these things:

1. You are not alone.  I have personally spoken to over 1,000 people with your basic story…and I am aware of tens of thousands more on the Internet who share your concerns.  Please know up front that this journey you are now traveling is one that more and more LDS people are beginning to travel — and that there will be fellow travelers and tip/tricks provided to you along the way (unlike in generations past).  To restate — You. Are. Not. Alone.  Thousands upon thousands (likely some in your own ward) share your thoughts/feelings, and more are emerging every day.  Don’t feel ashamed or broken. With the advent of the Internet, this phenomenon is becoming very, very common.
2. Go slowly.  Sometimes it’s easy to let things spin out of control — especially if you are angry or feeling isolated.  Try to avoid this if you can.  Try to go as slowly as you can, and think of this as a lifelong quest for meaning, purpose, and enlightenment….not as something that you will resolve in a week, or a month, or a year.  Try to not do anything rash.  Try never to burn bridges.
3. Find some mentors: As you begin this new journey of faith it is unlikely that family, friends, or leaders will understand what you are going through. Those family and friends who you choose to confide in may respond with fear or hostility. Remember that this new journey may be a shock to them and it requires delicate handling for all involved. Be open to different viewpoints and never close the door on ideas while in this state of flux, but remember that ultimately this is YOUR journey of faith. As you seek people who will be able to understand your concerns remember that you are not obligated to follow in the footsteps of those who offer their support. Now there are, many, many LDS folk who have traveled down the path you are now on — you can take solace in the fact that some of them might be able/willing to help you through the journey. Some are still fully active and believing (like Richard Bushman, Kevin Barney, Jeff Lindsay or Mike Ash).  Some are semi-active and/or semi-believing in the church (like the folks at StayLDS.com).  Some are inactive.  Some have joined or started other churches (like Shawn McCraney) and some are no longer members (like Bob McCue). All of those paths are possible for each of us — and each path will have its plusses and minuses for you, individually. Regardless, I strongly suggest over the coming months and years that you find some mentors who will listen and help you see all the options that are unfolding ahead.
4. Some say that there are Stages of Faith: A famous professor of theology and human development named James Fowler once wrote that there are stages of faith.  No stage is better than another…4 is not higher than 3.  They are all just stages…nothing more.  Putting stages 1 and 2 aside for a second (they deal mostly with infants and children), he wrote that there are 3 main stages of faith for adults:
   • Stage 3 — A period characterized by literalistic, orthodox beliefs.  This is the “one true church” mentality — where you likely were in your late teen and early adult years.  Some never leave this stage — and that’s perfectly fine.  Remember — no one stage is better or higher than another.
   • Stage 4 — A period of disillusionment and disenchantment with the literalistic, orthodox, almost dogmatic approach to faith/religion that you once had in Stage 3.  Some have called it “the dark night of the soul.”  This is where you may be at present, if you’re reading this document.
   • Stage 5 — A return to valuing faith/spirituality, where there is: a) less of a concern with literalistic, dogmatic “truth”, b) a greater appreciation for the metaphorical and symbolic value/structure that religions of all types can provide, and c) a more universalistic or inclusive approach to religion and spirituality, that may select a particular religion or church to “practice” within, but finds value in the faith and theology of all religions, and even of enlightened agnostics and atheists.  The following podcast episodes can shed light on this stage, and this overall approach:
     • Mormon Stories’ exploration of the Stages of Faith: Part 1, Parts 2 and 3
     • Mormon Expressions’ exploration of the Stages of Faith: Part 1, Part 2
5. Try to think of this as an opportunity for deeper joy/meaning: It may not seem like it now, but try if you can to view this journey you are now on as one that has the potential for greater joy, and deeper meaning in your life….much more than you ever felt possible in your previous stage of belief.  In other words…..this is not the end of your faith journey.  This is just the beginning. It may sound crazy, but think of yourself as being like Adam/Eve cast out of the garden of Eden, so to speak.  You have an opportunity to create a life with amazing new depths and possibilities that you never before imagined (and I don’t mean out of the church, necessarily. I mean in or out of the church…depending on what you feel is best for you).  I promise you that there is wonderful, joyous light at the other end of this tunnel, if you can hang on, and find meaning/value/depth in this experience.  But it does take a lot of work.  And time.  And patience.
6. Isolation/secrecy can only last so long, and will likely lead to more pain in the end: One thing that I’ve seen repeatedly is the negative effects of being fully “in the closet” about your pain/struggles w/ loved ones and friends.  Just like a lid on a pot of boiling water — eventually the steam will escape…it’s just a matter of how/when….and with how much force.   So I would encourage you to slowly find non-threatening ways to let loved ones know (in general, not necessarily going into specifics) that you are working through some things, and that you are struggling.  You will know when the time is right for this — so I’m not telling you to hurry — but I can tell you from experience that it’s usually better to thoughtfully manage the “coming out” of your thoughts/feelings vs. having them eat away at you, and then explode in ways that damage both you and your loved ones.  I could be wrong here…or this may not be right in your particular situation…but this has been true in my experience, and for many/most of the people I’ve spoken with.
7. Family First: While this might not be true in rare circumstances, especially where abuse is involved, remember that family is more important that anything else you’ll probably ever believe or want or do in this life.  Try your best to always remain supportive and a force for good within your family — even as you struggle w/ your faith.  Don’t let your faith struggles cause you to neglect those you love most.  That said, you must also avoid neglecting your conscience at the expense of keeping the peace.  A proper balance must be struck here, and only you can know what the right balance is.
8. Pray (and/or meditate) and Study: Don’t forget to pray (and/or meditate) and study either the scriptures (even if only for non-literal inspiration and meaning) or other books which encourage wisdom, enlightenment and/or spirituality.  Those things remain a wonderful resource for me.  Even if your religious world falls apart — I strongly believe that there is great strength in prayer, meditation, spirituality and “clean living”.  Don’t let these things go…if you can help it — even if you find only metaphorical value in them, vs. literal value.

Some resources I can recommend:

• Mormon Stories Podcast: Over 100 hours over exploration on issues of faith, history, etc.  Over the next year I am planning on addressing the loss of faith as a central theme w/ tons of new episodes.  The Mormon Expression podcast also has some excellent episodes, although their panel skews slightly towards the disaffected LDS perspective.  Still, I love those guys, and their hearts are in the right place.
• StayLDS.com: A wonderful resource for those looking to stay in the church w/ an alternative, nuanced, non-literalistic faith.  Even though I remain a church member myself, I am no longer in the business of trying to convince others to stay in the church (it just never works, and often backfires — people have to decide this for themselves).  The folks at StayLDS.com are the same way.  They are not looking to convince anyone to stay LDS, but instead are there to support people who, for whatever reason, desire to stay in the church, but don’t quite know how to do it after the crisis of faith.  One resource that many have found value in from this site is this essay, “How to stay in the church after a crisis of faith.”
• LDSBlogs.org or mormonblogs.com: For a WONDERFUL set of thoughtful, yet (mostly) faithful blogs which deal with Mormon issues.
• FAIR/FARMS: For apologetic approaches to the church that seem to work for many.
• New Order Mormon: Similar to StayLDS, but less moderated…and a bit more angry at times within the forum (though I totally acknowledge that for most, anger is often unavoidable, and sometimes even constructive…depending on the situation).
• A New Earth — Eckhart Tolle/Oprah: This may sound cheesy, but this podcast/book by Eckhart Tolle on Oprah has helped me,  my wife, and many of my friends in ways I would never be able to fully describe.  Give it a try if you are open/willing.  It is 100% compatible with both LDS belief and complete atheism.
• Speaking of Faith: An amazing archive exploring “deep” or “thick” religion (vs. thin/shallow religion)
• For Those Who Wonder: A great resource by Jeff Burton
• Faces East: Not sure how good this is, but I love the mission statement: “Devoted to the ideal of eternal marriage, even when a spouse does not accept LDS beliefs.”
• There are many ex-Mormon and Post-Mormon resources out there, but I am always on the look-out for additional sites that are committed to a constructive, enlightened exit from the church (if that becomes your ultimate wish).  For those of you who can help me find a few additional links, please email me or post the links below.

Finally, please consider returning to these points when you are in your darker times.  From speaking w/ many others, I feel like they will guide you well whenever you get stuck.

I hope this helps!  Let me know if there’s anything else I can do.  And God bless you.

John Dehlin

Joanna has recently started an advice-column blog entitled “AskMormonGirl.com“, and cross-blogs on Mormon Matters.

This is part 1 of a 2 part interview.  Please give a hearty Mormon Stories welcome to Dr./Sister/Mommy Joanna Brooks!

What’s even MORE helpful is if you’re able to contact these people in advance and ask them if they’re willing to come on the podcast.  That could save me a TON of time.

Thanks for everything.  More soon.

My focus for 2010 (and beyond?) will be:

• Empathy and Support for Those Struggling w/ a Faith Crisis: First and foremost, I want to help to build greater understanding, empathy and support within the broader LDS culture for those struggling with an LDS-related faith crisis. I envision interviewing many who have struggled with their faith — and to put forward several examples of people who have found joy on the other side of the struggle (regardless of whether they landed in or out of the church). The goal will not be to keep people in the church…nor to nudge them out of the church…but instead to help build broad empathy, and to help the strugglers find positive role models, tips, tricks and ideas to help them in their own religious/spiritual/life journey….regardless of where it leads. I anticipate interviewing folks from all sides including: FAIR/FARMS, StayLDS, New Order Mormon, PostMormon and ExMormon.org — and wherever else it makes sense. This will be about finding joy for those who come from a Mormon paradigm…NOT about nudging people one way or the other.
• Less LDS-related Divorce over Faith Issues: I honestly cannot count the number of couples who have come to me in the past few years seeking help w/ their marriage…as it falls apart due to faith-related issues. Consequently, I desperately want to see less divorce and marital strife because of faith struggles within Mormonism. In my mind/heart….the LDS Church should NEVER be a major cause in the dissolution of a healthy family. To this end, I plan to find couples who have made it through such a struggle with their marriage in tact (in or out of the church), and to discuss things like: 1) how to “get on the same page” (where possible), 2) how to deal with differences (where they exist), 3) how to raise children in a mixed-faith, progressive faith or even an ex-LDS home, and 4) how to deal with the in-laws, etc. I also hope to prepare new materials (like my “Why they leave…” Youtube presentation) to be used as resources to share w/ loved ones (as needed) to support people in these situations.
• Mental Illness: Because of my interest in Psychology, I plan to do an in-depth exploration of mental illness with Mormonism (including Depression, eating disorders, addictions, Autism, abuse, etc.)
• And for some fun (we can’t get too heavy, now, can we?)….an attempt to interview prominent LDS artists, media personalities, celebrities, etc. And of course….you can expect much of the same Mormon Stories that you have enjoyed in the past. Hopefully I can throw in a few surprises along the way.

I will be operating Mormon Stories on an NPR/PBS model (through donations of both time and money).  As financial support comes in, I will use it to fund new episodes. As long as the donations continue to come, I will keep things hopping.

To Donate to Mormon Stories 2010, please click on the donate button at the top right of this blog.

Other ways I could use help:

• Good ideas for really, really good interviews will also be critical.  I have to find a way to keep things super interesting to my diverse audience — which includes both believers and non-believers.  Here’s the direction I’m hoping to go:  http://mormonstories.org/?p=716 .  Helping me actually get the quality interviewees to agree to the interview is also super helpful.
• Awareness/Marketing: The extent to which you can help build awareness about Mormon Stories, either through email, Facebook, Twitter, Internet Forums, Blogs, etc. — the more folks who subscribe to and support Mormon Stories, the easier it will be to keep things going.
• I will likely need some technical support if you’re a wiz w/ web technology (design or dev)…let me know.
• Moral support is best of all, of course.

I will do my best to make you proud.

Sincerely,

John Dehlin

1. Attempts at interviews with prominent LDS church members — Stephanie Nielson (Nie Nie), Shannon Hale, Robin Jensen, Chad Hardy, Stephen Kapp Perry, Dustin Lance Black, Laura Compton, Hawkgrrrl, Kevin Barney, Lisa Butterworth, Philip Barlow, John Hamer, Daniel Peterson, Peter and Mary Danzig, etc.
2. A deep dive/exploration into mental illness within Mormonism.
3. Provide stories to help couples wherein one or both are experiencing a crisis of faith — in a way that might help them to avoid unproductive pain and/or divorce, and
4. Providing stories that will help people through the damaging social, familial and spiritual effects of an LDS-related faith crisis (without any “nudge” or preference as to whether or not they stay in or leave the church).  The overarching goals here would be to
   • Create deeper understanding and empathy within our culture for those in a faith crisis, and
   • Provide healthy “role models” (tips and tricks) from people who have successfully worked through this crisis — from across the spectrum of belief/non-belief (ex-Mormons, post-Mormons, New Order Mormons, StayLDS, Apologists, etc.).  The idea isn’t to point people in a specific direction, but instead to provide stories that will help people find the path that works best for them.
5. And of course, all the Mormon Stories goodness you have come to know and love.  :)

I could not do it alone.  I would need lots of help to make it happen.

If any of you are interested in supporting such a podcast, please contact me at: mormonstories@gmail.com.

Thanks!

John Dehlin

If you are in a pinch, please do email me.  I will help in any way I can.

If I can’t help you directly, I might be able to point you in some good directions.

I love both the church and its members deeply — and sincerely hope to see the Church strengthen and prosper in the coming years.

That said I consider myself a heterodox, (largely) orthoprax, universalistic Mormon (“Open Mormon” for short). What this means to me is:

• Orthoprax: I generally take the commandments of the church pretty seriously in my own life.  I’ve still never tried alcohol or tobacco, for example.  I attend church weekly, fulfill my callings, contribute financially to the church, have family prayer and scripture study, etc.
• Heterodox: My beliefs in LDS doctrine and theology are different than the average member (I am guessing).  For example, I don’t believe it very likely that either polygamy or the black priesthood ban were  commandments from God.  I view them more likely as  mistakes.  These would be just 2 examples of many.
• Universalistic: I don’t presume to judge the status of other churches and/or belief systems, relative to my own.  I’m always thrilled to find faith, hope and charity wherever it may be found: within our church, within other churches, or outside of religion altogether.  I no longer seek to rank my church and/or beliefs relative to the churches and beliefs of others.  While I feel most comfortable with our doctrine and theology from a religious perspective, I feel like I have no clue what “the truth” is with respect to doctrine and theology.  I tend to feel like each religion does its best to figure that out….each has their share of good and bad doctrines….and I feel like it’s God’s job to sort all that out in the end. As the good book says, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”

• Your study of LDS church history is causing you to question your testimony and/or commitment to the church
• Recent current events (like the FLDS thing in Texas, the Mitt Romney thing, or the Gay Marriage ballot initiative in California) have awakened in you discomfort w/ the church
• You find yourself bored and/or frustrated in church — because you do not feel as though you are able to have honest/candid discussions, or that the conversations/lessons are meaningful/relevant to you
• You have begun to doubt your testimony in the LDS Church, but feel as though you have no one to talk to about it
• You are somewhat uncomfortable saying “I know this church is true” — but you still are comfortable saying “I know this church is good”
• AND….you retain a desire to try to maintain your membership and activity in the church….

….if these bullets describe you, please email me with your story at mormonstories@gmail.com.   I may have some resources that could prove helpful to you.

John Dehlin

• Why do you do this? Hopefully these essays will help explain it.
• About the podcast:
  • What is a podcast? A podcast is like a combination radio/TV show, but better because you can download it to your iPod (or MP3 player) and listen to/watch it whenever and wherever you want — pausing, rewinding, or fast-forwarding (as the need arises). You can enjoy a podcast while driving in your car, doing household chores, or exercising. Mormon Stories has released podcast episodes in both audio and video, as well as via Youtube — to accommodate your situation.
  • How do I listen? The best way to listen to a podcast (by far) is to download iTunes to your machine (if you don’t already have it), and then subscribe to the podcast by clicking here, and then (while in the iTunes store) clicking on the “Subscribe” button for Mormon Stories Podcast.
  • The full list of Mormon Stories Episodes can be found here:
    • Online Video: Mormon Stories Youtube site
    • Audio and Video Podcast: Mormon Stories RSS Podcast Feed
  • Some of the highlights: On Mormon Stories Podcast we have interviewed all sorts of fascinating Mormons about important Mormon issues, including:
    • Richard Bushman, Grant Palmer and Morris Thurston about the life of Joseph Smith
    • Gregory Prince about the life of President David O. McKay
    • Claudia Bushman on women in the LDS church
    • Jim Parkinson on the story of an LDS man’s survival of the Bataan Death March (World War II)
    • The story of a couple who left the church, and then came back again
    • Todd Compton and Anne Wilde about the history of Mormon Polygamy
    • Darius Gray & Margaret Young and Darron Smith about the history of Blacks in the LDS Church
    • Greg Kearney about the connections between Mormonism and Masonry
    • Buckley Jeppson about Homosexuality and Mormonism
    • And many, many more (over 100 episodes in all)

• Essays: We also have created a few other documents and multimedia presentations for your enjoyment, which you can find here.

We hope you enjoy Mormon Stories podcast, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!!!!

Our slant would be:

• Practical discussions about Mormonism as a culture….
• Seeking balance from all sides of the faith spectrum (Fundamentalist, Conservative, Moderate, Liberal, RLDS, and Ex)
• We’d have a podcast as well

I’m looking for at least 2 permabloggers in each of these categories. Permabloggers must have a deep and abiding love for Mormons and Mormonism. Those who wish the LDS church church ill in any way need not apply. Anyone who falls into the “Ex” category must be of the John Hamer variety — loves Mormons and Mormonism, and wants Mormonism to succeed…just has decided that membership isn’t for them right now. They must also be intelligent and well-read about Mormonism (which means that I won’t be posting much). Finally, they must always be respectful of other’s points of view — without exception. Screeds will not be tolerated. Speaking meanly about church leadership will not be tolerated.

All discussion must be respectful, and generally in favor of Mormonism as a people/culture/faith.

We’d like each permablogger to commit to at least one post per week — on the subject of their choosing.

Please email me at mormonstories@gmail.com if you think you qualify, and are interested.

Today’s LDS Doctrine and Covenants Section 132:61 reads:

“And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood—if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse ^aanother, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.”

This is not defunct scripture, nor has this verse been removed from our canon. Yes we stopped practicing polygamy because of legal/political/governmental adversity, but I’m not sure that we ever renounced the belief. Doesn’t polygamy remain fundamental Mormon doctrine in 2008?

Am I wrong, or is Stephen trying to distance us from the scripture? How should members reconcile the scripture with PR videos like this, which seem to show a detestation for polygamy?

Is this doctrine one of the main reasons that our pioneer ancestors risked life and limb to cross the plains? Don’t we teach that the family is central to Mormon doctrine, and isn’t any scriptural teaching about family worth our respect? Especially if we’re still practicing it (as my mother) in our temples?

Should the scripture be changed, or should we stop speaking out so harshly against polygamy? I struggle with this sometimes.

My reactions:

• On polygamy:
  • The don’t acknowledge that polygamy is still a doctrine of ours (see D&C 132)
  • They don’t admit that we practice polygamy in our temples (if a former spouse has died)
  • They kinda speak as if the LDS church owns the word Mormon, and don’t acknowledge that Fundamentalist Mormons consider themselves both “Mormon” and polygamists
• The Humanitarian stuff is way cool. I had no idea that we empolyed non-LDS (including Muslims) for volunteer humanitarian efforts. The only question I have is…how much of our humanitarian stuff is motivated by missionary work and PR, vs. sincere motives? I say this because Jesus would probably advise us not to brag about/broadcast our good works (not that we’re necessarily doing that here…just a risk).
• I like that we admitted to divorce and stuff. I don’t love the fact that emphasizing “father and mother” sometimes comes across as a bit exclusionary to non-traditional families.
• I love Gordon B. Hickley

William D. Russell: For over 40 years, William D. Russell has been a progressive voice among the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (now the Community of Christ). This is his story — from a 1993 Sunstone Symposium presentation called, “Pillars of my faith”.

Richard D. Poll: In early 1994 the distinguished career of Richard D. Poll, historian, professor, writer, husband and friend, came full circle. His Liahona/Iron-rod dichotomy, borrowed from the Book of Mormon, had entered the lexicon of Mormon thought almost 30 years earlier in his landmark essay “What the Church Means to People Like Me” (Dialogue 2:4, Winter 1967). His “Pillars of My Faith” sermon in Sunstone called for committed LDS worshipers and writers to join a mighty Christian chorus “in which almost all the singers hear the dissonant sounds of the alternate voices as polyphonic enrichment of the message of the gospel music.” For people like him, “neither dogmatic fundamentalism nor dogmatic humanism provides convincing answers to life’s most basic questions.” He defined history as “human strivings to discover divine realities.” Like Paul, Richard Poll lived his life as part of the leaven that “leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9), offering his Liahona questioning in the spirit of “charity, humility, persistence.” In a time when men and women are being called sinners for a word (or many words); when the terms “alternate” and “dissident” are being redefined as sinister; when some seek apostasy, while others have apostasy thrust upon them, Richard Poll’s calm, reasoned, compassionate voice rings with a clarity that will live on in our hearts and minds.

As mentioned in today’s SLTrib, if your brand of Mormonism compels you to be inclined against (instead of towards) war, please consider signing this petition.

Go William go!!!!

• “This period of resisting persecution by living outside the law taught Mormons that secrecy can be a necessary tool for survival. As one apostle … later put it in a speech … “I am not dishonest and not a liar . . . [but] we have always been taught that when the brethren were in a tight place that it would not be amiss to lie to help them out.”” (this is coincidentally validated by my recently released podcast w/ Michael Quinn)
• “What is more, what began as a strategy of secrecy to avoid persecution has become over the course of the 20th century a strategy of minimizing discussion of the content of theology in order to avoid being treated as religious pariahs.”
• “The general pattern of Mormon history is one of growth leading to external pressure being brought to bear on the church. Internal resistance eventually gives way to change sanctioned by new revelation, followed in turn by new growth and success. “
• “This is a perfect example of esoteric public speaking: the attempt to convey multiple messages to different audiences through the careful use of words.”

What’s most interesting of all (to me), is that Mitt Romney and some Mormons both seem to be following the same pattern — to their potentially mutual detriment. May it not be so…..

Full article included below….

What Is It About Mormonism?

Ambroise Tezenas for The New York Times

Bathed in the Jordan Or in this case, the glow from the Jordan River Temple, seen from a house in Salt Lake City.

By NOAH FELDMAN

Published: January 6, 2008

Our post-denominational age should be the perfect time for a Mormon to become president, or at least the Republican nominee. Mormons share nearly all the conservative commitments so beloved of the evangelicals who wield disproportionate influence in primary elections. Mormons also embody, in their efficient organizational style, the managerial competence that the party’s pro-business wing considers attractive. For the last half-century, Mormons have been so committed to the Republican Party that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints once felt the need to clarify that Republican affiliation is not an actual condition of church membership.

Yet the Mormons’ political loyalty is not fully reciprocated by their fellow Republicans. Twenty-nine percent of Republicans told the Harris Poll last year that they probably or definitely would not vote for a Mormon for president. Among evangelicals, some of the discomfort is narrowly religious: Mormon theology is sometimes understood as non-Christian and heretical. Elsewhere, the reasons for the aversion to Mormons are harder to pin down — bigotry can be funny that way — but they are certainly not theological. A majority of Americans have no idea what Mormons believe.

Mormonism’s political problem arises, in large part, from the disconcerting split between its public and private faces. The church’s most inviting public symbols — pairs of clean-cut missionaries in well-pressed white shirts — evoke the wholesome success of an all-American denomination with an idealistic commitment to clean living. Yet at the same time, secret, sacred temple rites and garments call to mind the church’s murky past, including its embrace of polygamy, which has not been the doctrine or practice of the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or LDS, for a century. Mormonism, it seems, is extreme in both respects: in its exaggerated normalcy and its exaggerated oddity. The marriage of these opposites leaves outsiders uncomfortable, wondering what Mormonism really is.

For Mitt Romney, the complex question of anti-Mormon bias boils down to the practical matter of how he can make it go away. Facing a traditional American anti-Catholicism, John F. Kennedy gave a speech during the 1960 presidential campaign declaring his private religion irrelevant to his qualifications for public office. For Romney, a Republican who would risk alienating “values voters” if he denied faith a central role in politics, emphasizing the separation of church and state is not an option. In his own religion speech, he coupled his promise to govern independently of the hierarchy of his own church with a profession of faith: “I believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God and the savior of mankind.” Although this formulation is unlikely to satisfy those evangelicals who deny that the LDS church is Christian, Romney presumably calculated that speaking about Jesus Christ in terms that sound consistent with ordinary American Protestantism would reassure voters that there was in the end nothing especially unusual about Mormonism.

Something troubling is afoot here. From a constitutional standpoint, the religion of a candidate is supposed to make no difference. Even before the founding fathers dreamed up the First Amendment, they inserted a provision in the Constitution expressly prohibiting any religious test for office. The framers recognized, of course, that a candidate’s religion (or lack thereof) would enter political debate, and they were prohibiting only a formal test for taking office. But they were also giving their imprimatur to Jefferson’s appealing notion that a person’s beliefs about religion were no more relevant to his politics than his beliefs about geometry. Romney, by contrast, was staking his character and values on his religious beliefs while insisting that no one ask what those beliefs are.

It is easy to see why Romney would see some aspects of his Mormon identity as an asset. In the elite East Coast worlds where Romney has made his career, Mormonism signifies personal rectitude, professional competence and an idiosyncratic-but-impressive rejection of alcohol and caffeine. If anything, the systematic overrepresentation of Mormons among top businesspeople and lawyers affords LDS affiliation a certain cachet — rather like being Jewish, but taller.

Still, even among those who respect Mormons personally, it is still common to hear Mormonism’s tenets dismissed as ridiculous. This attitude is logically indefensible insofar as Mormonism is being compared with other world religions. There is nothing inherently less plausible about God’s revealing himself to an upstate New York farmer in the early years of the Republic than to the pharaoh’s changeling grandson in ancient Egypt. But what is driving the tendency to discount Joseph Smith’s revelations is not that they seem less reasonable than those of Moses; it is that the book containing them is so new. When it comes to prophecy, antiquity breeds authenticity. Events in the distant past, we tend to think, occurred in sacred, mythic time. Not so revelations received during the presidencies of James Monroe or Andrew Jackson.

For some, then, the objection to Romney may be that Mormonism is religiously false and that voters should choose a president who belongs to the true faith. If many Americans felt this way, that would be bad news for Romney but worse news for the country, since it would mean that we had abandoned the values that underlay the constitutional ban on religious tests. But most Mormonism-related discomfort with Romney may, in fact, reflect less a view of religious truth than a sense that there is something vaguely troubling or unfamiliar in the Mormon manner or worldview. This latter possibility presents Romney with an especially tricky political problem. For such reservations are not simple prejudice; they are a complicated outgrowth of the tortured history of the faith’s relationship to mainstream American political life over the nearly two centuries since God first spoke to Joseph Smith.

Persecution and the Art of Secrecy

Mormonism was born amid secrecy, and throughout its existence as a religion it has sustained a close yet complex relationship to the arts of silence. From the start, the Mormon penchant for secrecy came from two different sources. The first was internal and theological. Like many great world faiths, Mormonism has an important strand of sacred mystery. Mormon temples have traditionally been closed to outsiders and designed with opaque windows. Marriage and other key rituals take place in this hallowed space — a manifestation of religious secrecy familiar to students of world religion but associated in the United States more with Freemasonry than with mainstream Protestantism.

Like Mormon ritual, much of Mormon theology remains relatively inaccessible to outsiders. The text of the Book of Mormon has always been spread to a broad audience, but the text is not a sufficient guide to understanding the details of Mormon teaching. Joseph Smith received extensive further revelation in the nature of sacred secrets to be shared with only a handful of close associates and initiates within the newly forming church.

The most famous such revelation was the doctrine of celestial — which was to say plural — marriage, revealed to Smith as early as 1833 but never publicized during his lifetime and formally announced to the world only in 1852, eight years after his death. And there were other doctrines of similar secrecy revealed to Smith, especially in the years just before his death. “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret,” he is reported to have said in one of his last communications with his followers.

The connections between the sacred and the secret in early Mormonism did not come out of nowhere. Believers, of course, consider the source to be divine inspiration — although over the course of the last century Mormon teaching has moved away from many of Smith’s more radical ideas, which are often not accepted by contemporary LDS members. Academic students of early Mormonism have traced the mysteries expounded by Smith to the hermetic tradition of secret magic dating back to the Renaissance and beyond. If this account is accurate, then Mormonism’s theological secrets actually have more than a little in common with religious mysteries that can be found in medieval Islamic esotericism, kabbalistic mysticism and ancient Christian Gnosticism. Successive generations have rediscovered these secrets and reasserted their antiquity in ways very similar to Smith’s discovery of ancient tablets. For example, the most important work of the kabbalah, the Zohar, presents itself as a lost manuscript written by the 2nd-century mystic Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, though scholars maintain that it was composed in the 13th century by the man who “discovered” it.

The greatest difference between the esoteric tradition and Smith’s version of it is that Smith’s faith has grown into an organized religion rather than remaining the preserve of a select few. Almost from the start of his career, Smith was denounced as a charlatan, an impostor and worse. Such criticisms sometimes pointed to his early pre-revelation career as a treasure seeker who used techniques like the seer stone (similar in function to a crystal ball) and the divining rod to seek treasure in the countryside of upstate New York. Notwithstanding these attacks, Mormonism grew steadily. Growth brought publicity — and with it came not merely prejudice but outright persecution. This external persecution created a second, externally driven source for secrecy: protection.

Not content with polemics, Mormonism’s opponents turned to violence. In 1838, after skirmishes between armed Mormons and state militia left several people dead, Gov. Lilburn Boggs of Missouri issued a military order declaring that the Mormons had made open war on the state and that therefore they “must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary, for the public good.” Later, at Nauvoo, Ill., the Mormon community under Smith’s leadership came under constant pressure from skeptical and sometimes violent neighbors. In response, Smith sought and received a measure of home rule for Nauvoo, including the authority to establish his own municipal militia. Though the militia grew until it was a substantial fighting force, Smith was nevertheless gunned down by a kind of quasi-organized lynch mob after having been arrested and jailed in nearby Carthage.

Unhindered by Smith’s death, the Mormons, now under the leadership of Brigham Young, went out to Utah to establish their own kingdom. In what felt like the relative safety of the intermountain West, Mormons began to practice plural marriage in the open — and ended up paying dearly for this lapse in secrecy. In 1856 the Republican Party made the defeat of polygamy a key plank in its first national platform, characterizing it alongside slavery as one of the “twin relics of barbarism.” The federal government soon criminalized the practice and then in effect outlawed membership in the Mormon Church until it would agree to give up polygamy. The Mormons appealed this persecution to the Supreme Court, which turned them down flat, holding that religious belief was protected by the First Amendment but that religious conduct was not. After the Civil War, federal prosecutors in the Utah territory and in neighboring areas convicted and jailed thousands of Mormons in the most coordinated campaign of religious repression in U.S. history.

The reaction of the Mormon Church to this new wave of persecution was, initially, to take refuge in secrecy once again. In 1890, the president of the church, Wilford Woodruff, issued a manifesto in which he gave his “advice” to members of the Mormon Church not to enter into any marital relationships that would violate the laws of the land. Publicly this declaration had its desired effect of placating the federal government; in 1896, Utah was allowed to become a state. But like Jewish rituals under the Spanish Inquisition, plural marriage continued, secretly in Utah and also among refugees (like several of Mitt Romney’s ancestors), who fled to Mexico or other places the law could not reach.

This period of resisting persecution by living outside the law taught Mormons that secrecy can be a necessary tool for survival. As one apostle (there are 12 who guide the church) later put it in a speech recounted by the historian Kathleen Flake, “I am not dishonest and not a liar . . . [but] we have always been taught that when the brethren were in a tight place that it would not be amiss to lie to help them out.” Yet such secrecy, reminiscent of the taqiyya or dissimulation sanctioned by Shiite Islam under the threat of persecution, could be difficult to maintain. Matters came to a head when another apostle, Reed Smoot, was elected in 1903 to the U.S. Senate as a Republican from Utah, despite political opposition from

As of the 20th century, through engagement with the federal political sphere, Mormons came to embrace fully the American ideals of multi-party governance and electoral democracy. They also gradually embraced the Republican Party itself — a fact that would not seem so remarkable today were it not for the G.O.P.’s history of condemning Mormonism.

The Mormons’ passage from bugbears of the Republican Party to its stalwarts may be analogized to a similar move among middle-class white Southerners, to whom the Republican Party was anathema until the 1970s and ’80s, after which it became almost the sole representative. In the case of Southern whites, a particular event shifted party allegiance, namely the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as promoted and passed by President Lyndon Johnson. Johnson knew he would be alienating Southern whites with the act, yet he went forward with it anyway.

In the case of the Mormons, however, no single event pushed them in the direction of Republicanism. To the extent that 19th-century Mormons sided with any national political force, it was the Democratic Party, the party of states’ rights — of great interest to Utah Mormons trying to buck federal control. What made the Mormons Republican was simply their move toward the conservative center of American public opinion. With Eisenhower especially, the Mormons found a leader they could admire and with whom they could work. Ike himself was famously indifferent toward the particularities of religious doctrine. Moderate Republicanism was therefore the perfect conduit for bringing Mormons into the American political mainstream.

According to Jan Shipps, a renowned scholar of Mormon history, anticommunism also played an important role in making Mormons Republican — Ezra Taft Benson, the apostle who became secretary of agriculture under Eisenhower, had ties to the John Birch Society. In the 1960s, as the Democratic Party increasingly began to embrace an agenda of civil and cultural liberties, the Mormon allegiance to Republicanism was cemented further still. Gone was the political radicalism and the concern for minority rights that accompanied plural marriage and other unusual Mormon behavior. Now the Mormons could look at the counterculture as a threat. The most prominent Mormon national politician in the 1980s and ’90s was Orrin Hatch, Republican of Utah, now in his 31st year in the Senate, who on the Judiciary Committee has maintained a consistently conservative position, favoring judges who are simultaneously favored by the religious right.

The rise of the religious right posed a tricky political quandary for the LDS church. On the one hand, a vocal movement pressing for conservatism and moral values must have seemed to them like a natural home. After all, they, too, were religious believers who drew upon their faith for their political conservatism. Yet there was a strand of the religious right that could potentially put it at odds with Mormonism — its barely concealed commitment to evangelical Protestant theology.

Evangelical ideology was certainly flexible. Before Roe v. Wade, for example, abortion was not a major issue for most Protestant evangelicals in the United States, and it took the active efforts of the Catholic Church to bring evangelicals on board. Yet despite being pliant on some substantive issues, Protestant evangelicals nonetheless did share a commitment to biblical inerrancy and to a rather strict definition of salvation by faith alone. Their worldview certainly relied upon some basic and nonnegotiable propositions, like the acceptance of the doctrine of the Trinity and of Jesus Christ as a personal lord and savior.

Mormons were able to argue that they, too, believed in salvation and in the literal accuracy of the Bible. The difficulty was that in addition to the Bible in its King James Version, the Latter-day Saints had further scriptures with which to contend — the Book of Mormon, translated by Smith from “reformed Egyptian” and styled as “another Testament of Jesus Christ”; and supplements to various biblical texts known collectively as the Pearl of Great Price.

Whatever the variances among the four synoptic gospels, contemporary evangelicals, like their forebears, have long been committed to the exclusivity of these texts. Newly unearthed gospels or pseudo-gospels (like the so-called Gospel of Thomas, written in the Egyptian language Coptic and found at Nag Hammadi in 1945) have posed few theological doubts for these Protestant evangelicals, who have dismissed them as foreign heretical works, despite their antiquity. Against this backdrop, the rejection of the Mormon Bible is simple and formulaic. Coupled with concerns about what they consider Mormonism’s nontrinitarian theology, it has led ineluctably to an unwillingness to recognize Mormons as full participants in the category “Christian.”

In theory, the evangelical political movement says that it is prepared to embrace Jews and even Muslims so long as they share the same common values of the religious right. In the case of a Mormon candidate, though, many evangelicals are not prepared to say that common values are enough. The reason seems to be the view among evangelicals that the substantive theological beliefs of Mormons are so radically different from their own as to constitute not a sect of Christianity but a Christian heresy, which would be worse than a different monotheistic faith like Judaism or Islam. One prominent evangelical, the Southern Baptist Richard Land, has proposed that Mormonism be considered a fourth Abrahamic religion — a compromise view that has found few takers in the evangelical camp and privately infuriates Mormons who insist on their Christianity.

Faced with the allegation that they do not believe in the same God as ordinary Protestants, or that their beliefs are not truly Christian, Mormons find themselves in an extraordinarily awkward position. They cannot defend themselves by expressly explaining their own theology, because, taken from the standpoint of orthodox Protestantism in America today, it is in fact heterodox.

What is more, what began as a strategy of secrecy to avoid persecution has become over the course of the 20th century a strategy of minimizing discussion of the content of theology in order to avoid being treated as religious pariahs. As a result, Mormons have not developed a series of easily expressed and easily swallowed statements summarizing the content of their theology in ways that might arguably be accepted by mainline Protestants. To put it bluntly, the combination of secret mysteries and resistance in the face of oppression has made it increasingly difficult for Mormons to talk openly and successfully with outsiders about their religious beliefs.

Assimilation, Culture And Compromise

The general pattern of Mormon history is one of growth leading to external pressure being brought to bear on the church. Internal resistance eventually gives way to change sanctioned by new revelation, followed in turn by new growth and success. This was the pattern not only for the abolition of polygamy but also for the extension in 1978 of the Mormon priesthood to black men. Mitt Romney’s run for the presidency is the occasion for the latest round in this cycle, with cultural and religious skepticism representing the vector for outside pressure. What will Romney — or the church — do in response?

One option is for Romney to try to devise a new language for talking about his religious beliefs that will make them seem accessible and familiar without compromising them. Romney has expressly said that he will not take this tack — but inevitably he has done so, and if he is chosen as the Republican candidate or elected to the presidency, he will have to do more. This could prove a tricky undertaking, full of pitfalls to the believer. Thus Romney has felt the need to minimize the centrality of Mormon scripture by saying that he reads the Gideon Bible when he is alone in his hotel room on the campaign trail.

The formulation may be seen as a clever hedge: to the ordinary Protestant listener, it sounds as if Romney is saying that he reads the same Bible that they do. To the Mormon insider, however, Romney is simply saying that when he travels to the hotel and finds himself, presumably, without a handy copy of the Book of Mormon, he reads the text of the Bible that can be found in the drawer beside the bed. Some LDS insiders have been heard to wonder quietly how Romney could come to be traveling without his own copy of the Mormon scriptures — or why he isn’t staying in Marriott hotels, where the Book of Mormon can be found in the nightstand drawer alongside the bible.

This is a perfect example of esoteric public speaking: the attempt to convey multiple messages to different audiences through the careful use of words. Something similar is perhaps contained in Romney’s outspoken admiration for Rick Warren, the megachurch pastor and best-selling author. To the general audience, the message is the embrace of an evangelical who is as mainstream as it gets. To a Mormon audience, however, the praise is presumably intended at most as a suggestion that it is possible to learn from the remarkable organizational and evangelizing effects of a well-known public figure.

Speaking esoterically about faith has a firm basis in LDS tradition — but history suggests it may not be enough for the church to overcome the strand of soft bigotry that it is now facing. And from the church’s perspective, facing up to the reality of such prejudice is not a trivial matter. Precisely because Romney is so accomplished, so telegenic, in short such an impressive candidate, it may be a slap in Mormons’ faces if he finds that he cannot garner the support of conservative values voters. If such voters prefer, say, a pro-choice Roman Catholic of questionable conservative credentials like Rudy Giuliani, the result may look like a public repudiation of Mormonism — from the very party to which Mormons have given their allegiance for the last half-century. (Even if the charge against Romney were that he failed because he was a dissimulating phony, that would hardly be an improvement for the church, given the similarity of that charge with the historical bias against Mormon secrecy.)

If the reality of soft bigotry does not today pose an existential threat to Mormons as explicit oppression once did, it would nevertheless undercut the hard-won public face of Mormonism as a distinctively American religion characterized by worldly accomplishment. For conservatives to reject a Mormon because he is a Mormon would be an especially harsh setback for a faith that has accomplished such extraordinary public success in overcoming a history of painful discrimination.

If Mormonism were to keep Romney from the nomination, the Mormon Church hierarchy may through continuing revelation and guidance respond by shifting its theology and practices even further in the direction of mainstream Christianity and thereby minimizing its outlier status in the culture. Voices within the LDS fold have for some time sought to minimize the authority of some of Joseph Smith’s more creative and surprising theological messages, like the teaching that God and Jesus were once men. You could imagine Mormonism coming to look more like mainline Protestantism with the additional belief not in principle incompatible with Protestant Scripture that some of the lost tribes of Israel ended up in the Americas, where a few had a vision of Christ’s appearance to them. If this hypothetical picture of a future Mormonism seems unimaginable to the contemporary LDS faithful, as it may, today’s Mormon theology would look almost as different to Brigham Young.

Religious development, driven by turns from within and without, is, after all, the mark of a vital faith. Today we do not think of the Catholic pope as the occupant of the pagan Roman office of pontifex maximus, but of course the pontiff is precisely that: the living exemplar of how Christianity met, conquered and was changed by the very empire that presided over the crucifixion. All religions assimilate and change, even as they claim to hew to the old truths.

America changes, too. Today the soft bigotry of cultural discomfort may stand in the way of a candidate whose faith exemplifies values of charity, self-discipline and community that we as Americans claim to hold dear. Surely, though, the day will come when we are ready to put prejudice aside and choose a president without regard to what we think of his religion.

Noah Feldman, a contributing writer for the magazine, is a law professor at Harvard University and adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. He writes frequently on religion and public life.

Love him, hate him, or indifferent — D. Michael Quinn will go down as one of the most important Mormons of the 20th century.

This is his story, in his own words.

• He’s managed his campaign in a way to make him appear like a flip-flopper, and as lacking meaningful convictions. To many, he appears to be a blatant opportunist. I’m not saying these things are true — only that they appear to many to be true.  To me, Romney does not come across as an authentic Mormon OR Conservative.
• He managed his Iowa campaign in a way to make him appear as if he “went negative”. What’s worse, his negative ads appeared to many to be distortions.
• He doesn’t communicate in an inspirational, Reagan-like way.

For me, his Mormonism doesn’t crack the top 3. If anything, the Mormon thing has helped him get much more media attention than he likely otherwise would have.

My 2 cents.

Today, the RLDS Church (or Community of Christ as they are now known) has lost not experienced the same growth as the LDS Church — particularly since the 1970s. What lessons can the LDS Church learn from the Community of Christ? What did they do right, and wrong?

Additional links include:

• The essay from which I based this presentation.
• The PowerPoint deck from this presentation.
• The music used in this presentation (please purchase from the authors if you like)
• The videos from this presentation

Family and work duties are demanding that I (as I’ve done in the past) take a break from Mormon Stories for a bit. As a parting gift, I wanted to leave you with a few extra goodies (some of which many of you will have already seen/heard/watched):

• My Workshop Entitled: How to Stay in the LDS Church after Losing Your Faith
  • The essay upon which this workshop is based: How to Stay in the LDS Church after Losing Your Faith
  • Along with the audio, PowerPoint deck, music, videos and a PDF from this workshop
• My “Why People Leave the LDS Church: And What We Can Do About it” Presentation
• My “The ‘Other’ Mormon Heroes Screencast” (still in rough draft form) — also added to the podcast feed.
• My “Blacks in the LDS Priesthood” Screencast (again, only PC/IE).
• A few historical timelines dealing with 3 of the toughest issues in church history (all based on church-friendly sources).
• My letter to Elder Dallin H. Oaks about baptism corruption in my Guatemala mission.

I will dearly miss corresponding with you all for the next little bit. Please understand — and know that I hope to resurface someday soon. Knowing all of you has been the joy of my life (outside of family stuff).

I love you all….Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!!!!

A dear neighbor of ours here in Logan, UT created these 2 music videos as Christmas cards to her friends and family. I wanted to share these with the rest of you.

If you enjoy, please share with others.

A dear neighbor of ours here in Logan, UT created these 2 music videos as Christmas cards to her friends and family. I wanted to share these with the rest of you.

If you enjoy, please share with others.

This presentation represents (to me) the closest thing I’ve ever found to expressing how I now feel about my Mormon faith.

I hope some of you will find value in it as well.

• Fred Thompson is not energetic enough
• Giuliani is too corrupt (mafia connections), too sexually immoral (for conservatives), and too politically liberal
• John McCain is too old, has had too many cancer scares, has anger issues, and has questionable enough ethics to disqualify. He’s also last election’s news (actually — 2 elections ago)
• Huckleberry is completely unelectable in the generals — for his name, as well as for his past hateful rhetoric, and his entrenchment in “The Christian Right” which will turn off too many moderates and liberals.
• Ron Paul (my favorite) is too honest.
• All the others candidates are no-shows
• Yes Romney has the Mormon and flip-flop issues — but I predict that the fact that he’s the most “Presidential” of them all (and very well-funded) will carry the day for him (unless he makes a MAJOR gaffe, or has some serious skeletons in his closet).

Your thoughts?

Romney is now tied for the lead with Giuliani in national polls, and I will eat my trousers if Huckleberry, McCain or Thompson win the Republican primaries.  I think Huckabee will go down in flames like Howard Dean….within the next 6 weeks, I predict.

I really do think that it is now Mitt’s to lose.

Now the general election…that’s another thing entirely.  I’m still putting my money on Billary.

Q: Does the Mormon Church believe its followers can become “gods and goddesses” after death?

The Church’s Answer: “We believe that the apostle Peter’s biblical reference to partaking of the divine nature and the apostle Paul’s reference to being ‘joint heirs with Christ’ reflect the intent that children of God should strive to emulate their Heavenly Father in every way. Throughout the eternities, Mormons believe, they will reverence and worship God the Father and Jesus Christ. The goal is not to equal them or to achieve parity with them but to imitate and someday acquire their perfect goodness, love and other divine attributes.”

This feels like parsing to me. The answer here (as I’ve been taught my entire life) — is unequivocally YES. What am I missing here?

Here’s a speech by past prophet Spencer W. Kimball to illustrate (from the church’s web site). In part it reads,

“We remember the numerous scriptures which, concentrated in a single line, were said by a former prophet, Lorenzo Snow: “As man is, God once was; and as God is, man may become.” This is a power available to us as we reach perfection and receive the experience and power to create, to organize, to control native elements.”

And here it is in “Chapter 1: The Origin and Destiny of Mankind,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor, 1 (again, from the church’s web site):

“It is for the exaltation of man to this state of superior intelligence and Godhead that the mediation and atonement of Jesus Christ is instituted; and that noble being, man, made in the image of God, is rendered capable not only of being a son of man, but also a son of God, … and is rendered capable of becoming a God, possessing the power, the majesty, the exaltation and the position of a God. As it is written, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” [1 John 3:2.]”

Q: Does the Mormon Church believe that women can only gain access to heaven with a special pass or codewords?

The Church’s Answer: No.

Again, this feels like parsing to me, and an attempt to avoid answering the question as it is intended. Mormons absolutely believe (as indicated here, in the church’s web site ) that for both women and men, special signs and tokens (and code words) are required for entrance into the Celestial Kingdom — the highest degree of heaven. Mormons receive these things in the temple (as the church’s web site also teaches). That is clearly what the questioners (with an imperfect knowledge of Mormon doctrine) were trying to ask. And the answer should be pretty easy:

President Brigham Young (1801–77) said of the endowment: “Let me give you a definition in brief. Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell.”3

The way it was answered here seems as if they were fixating on the word “women”, or the general term “heaven”, and thus trying to avoid answering what the questioner clearly meant to ask — by escape through a technicality. Am I totally off base here?

Q: Does the Mormon Church believe in the existence of another physical planet or planets, where Mormons will “rule” after their death and ascension?

The Church’s Answer: No.

Again, it feels as if lawyers responded to this question, and not someone seeking to tell the complete truth, and answer the questions that were intended. Mormons absolutely believe that those Mormons who live worthily enough will eventually become Gods and Godesses to rule their own worlds (as God does now). See the links and quotes at the top.

Q: What specifically does the Mormon Church say about African-Americans and Native Americans?

The Church’s Answer: Mormons believe that all mankind are sons and daughters of God and should be loved and respected as such. The blessings of the gospel are available to all.

Given our dark history and docrtine on this subject, this answer doesn’t seem to show either the candor, or the contrition that one would expect (based on Jesus’ and the church’s teachings about complete honesty, humilty, etc.). On the black issue, this is perhaps an opportunity for the church to come clean and say, “Leaders of our church once taught many racist teachings about blacks — but those were misguided and wrong”. On the Native American front, complete honesty seems to require that we own up to the fact that the Book of Mormon teaches that Native American dark skin comes as a direct result of a curse from God because of their ancestor’s wickedness.

Anyway, I understand why the church speaks the way it does (some of this stuff is difficult or embarrassing) — but the idealist in me wishes that the church could “tell the whole truth” like it often encourages us to do. It feels as if the church is almost embarrassed by some of its doctrine (unlike the scripture, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ.” I certainly struggle to see many of our past prophets answering some of these questions in the way they were answered here.

For those of you raised in the LDS Church — where do I have it right and wrong (based on your experience)? I am totally open to being shown wrong or misguided — these are just my initial reactions and feelings.

It is in VERY rough form, but I’d love any feedback any of you are willing to offer. I’m specifically interested in things like:

• Where do I get the history wrong?
• How do I make it more interesting/effective?
• How can I improve the tone?

Also, this one should work w/ Firefox and Mac.

Thanks in advance

Master of Science, Instructional Technology
Utah State University

You can access the entire interview here, and the question/quote begins around time code 4:37.

Go Sunstone!!!

Unfortunately, as a 5th generation, semi-informed, active Mormon — I have to admit that Mr. O’Donnell gets it pretty much totally right in his enumeration of a few of the “dark” Mormon doctrinal and historical secrets. For example….

• I’ve been taught in the LDS Church for most of my life that dark skin was dealt out by God as a result of sin (to the American Indians, Pacific Islanders, and to the blacks). The church has stopped actively teaching these doctrines relatively recently (past few years) — but these teachings/doctrines have never been denounced/withdrawn, many (most) of the faithful LDS members I know still believe them, and these teachings remain part of our holy scripture to this day
• …..as does polygamy, by the way (a brief history of LDS polygamy based entirely upon church-friendly sources can be found here)
• All the Missouri stuff is accurate.
• The Brigham Young quotes are pretty much spot on — and we do still consider Brigham Young to be our “prophet, seer and revelator” (though in all fairness, recently we have been encouraged to discount teachings from past church prophets/leaders if they seem out of step w/ current church teachings — though I’m not sure how well this memo has penetrated the local church levels).
• We absolutely believe that Jesus and Satan (along w/ all of the rest of us) are siblings
• I could go on, but I won’t.

All this said — I can also say that as of late, both the church and its apologists seem to be dramatically distancing themselves from all of these more controversial teachings. Perhaps sunshine really is the best antiseptic?

I must conclude with 3 final thoughts:

• I comprehensively detest the way Mr. O’Donnell is choosing to air our own dirty laundry in public. In my opinion, this is something that we should be working through ourselves — not being forced to deal with it on the international media stage. Maybe if Sunstone and Dialogue had been embraced by the LDS Church in the 80s (instead of punished) we (as a people) would have already worked through much of this by now? Just a thought.
• Perhaps all this will ultimately lead to some official clarifications for us — LDS Church members — as to what we should, and should not believe as official LDS Church doctrine going forward. If something like this were to happen as a result of Election 2008, I’d personally kiss Mitt Romney (though probably only on the cheek).
• I must conclude by saying that I absolutely believe that God inspires this church, its leadership, and most importantly — its members (though I don’t claim that we — or any religion for that matter — has any particular “corner” on the inspiration market)

Can all of this get any more interesting? My gut says….you bet.

*** Warning: This episode contains some profanity ***

LDS Apostle M. Russell Ballard is openly encouraging faithful LDS Church members to blog and podcast, and is mentioning specific blogs.  I’m truly speechless.

There’s even a press release on the subject, and the full transcript.

Man. Hold on to your hats, folks. This is gonna get interesting.

“On first hearing, the doctrine that Lucifer and our Lord, Jesus Christ, are brothers may seem surprising to some—especially to those unacquainted with latter-day revelations. But both the scriptures and the prophets affirm that Jesus Christ and Lucifer are indeed offspring of our Heavenly Father and, therefore, spirit brothers. Jesus Christ was with the Father from the beginning. Lucifer, too, was an angel “who was in authority in the presence of God,” a “son of the morning.” (See Isa. 14:12; D&C 76:25–27.) Both Jesus and Lucifer were strong leaders with great knowledge and influence. But as the Firstborn of the Father, Jesus was Lucifer’s older brother. (See Col. 1:15; D&C 93:21.)”

FAIR also addresses the teaching of Jesus and Lucifer being brothers.

“In summary, the concept that Jesus and Lucifer were spirit brothers and children of the same Father is not nearly as shocking as it may at first seem when wielded by anti-Mormons as a club against the Church. In addition, such a belief certainly finds support biblically and historically.”

Kudos to both the church and FAIR for their candor. I also must go on the record to say that the attempt to use this doctrine as a scare tactic, to me, is quite lame.

• What? The European Mormon Studies Association Annual Conference. Organized together with the Department of Comparative Religion at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
• When? 21–22 August 2008
• Who? Keynote Address: Heikki Räisänen, Professor of New Testament Exegesis Emeritus, University of Helsinki
• Call for Papers: “Mormonism and the Christian Tradition”

The relationship of Mormonism and the Christian tradition is hotly contested, especially in religious circles. Whatever the precise nature of that relationship is, it provides rich opportunities for scholarly probing in domains such as sociology, history, theology, anthropology and religious studies. Keynoter and acclaimed theologian Heikki Räisänen, for example, will speak concerning his research on Mormonism’s founder Joseph Smith and the relationship of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, two of the faith’s central texts.

Other potential topics abound. Europe’s religious landscape with its national churches presents Mormonism with a very different situation than does the United States, the movement’s homeland. How has this shaped Mormonism’s European manifestations? How has the relationship of Mormonism and the Christian tradition, with the attendant processes of boundary negotiation, played out in Europe historically? Who are Europe’s Mormons? What are Mormonism’s contributions to the wider range of Christian thought?

Those wishing to present a paper at the conference are requested to send a 200-word abstract to Kim Östman at the below e-mail address. The abstract deadline is 15 April 2008. If accepted, a notification will be given by 15 May 2008. It is expected that final papers will be approximately 3,000–3,500 words, being delivered in a time of 20–25 minutes each. A question and answer period will be available following each paper. It is anticipated that conference proceedings will be published.

Conference attendees will be charged 20 EUR (15 EUR students), with a reduction available to those who register in advance. Please check the website for updates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Kim Östman
Conference Coordinator / 2008, European Mormon Studies Association
Phone: +358 (0)40 829 6192
E-mail: kim.ostman@abo.fi
Web: http://www.euromormonstudies.com

Please feel free to distribute the attached Call for Papers PDF-file.

• An Introduction: When Mormons Come
• Part 1: About the Mormons
• Part 2: Mormons and the Bible
• Part 3: Archeology and the Book of Mormon
• Part 4: Mormonism and the Book of Abraham
• Is Mormonism Christian? Part 1
• Is Mormonism Christian? Part 2
• Christian / Mormon Doctrinal Differences

What do you all think about this? Is this accurate? Totally inaccurate? Mean spirited? Friendly?

All in good fun!!!! Don’t hate me!!! Retaliations welcome!!!!

You can access the individual video lectures here. There are lots of other cool non-religion courses available on this site as well.

Listening to the introduction, I find it very interesting that Dr. Hayes does not allow her children to read the Old Testament (because of the graphic nature of some of the stories). Sometimes I feel the same way about the other scriptures as well.

Part 1: Original Song–”Code Monkey” by Jonathan Coulton (about a geeky programmer in love):

Part 2: Japanese Anime “Mash-Up” put together by a fan

Part 3: Girl Uploads Video of Herself Doing Mime/Dance to Song (I think she does a fun job)

Part 4: Same Girl Comes to Live J. Coulton Concert and performs her video live, on stage

I don’t know why this makes me so happy, but it does. I freaking LOVE the Internet sometimes….

What made Romney’s big speech so Mormon
His tent vision fits his church’s bid to enter the religious mainstream.
By Jan Shipps

from the December 11, 2007 edition

Bloomington, Ind. – When Mitt Romney gave his “Faith in America” address last Thursday, observers wondered how “Mormon” it would be. “Not very,” is the understandable consensus. Mormonism 101 it was not, and he said very little about his personal religious beliefs, sticking to his announced topic.Still, in the way he talked about religious diversity, the nation’s symphony of faiths, the way religious liberty stands at the heart of the American constitutional system, and how religion belongs in the public square, this was a consummate Mormon speech. Moreover, despite its political agenda, it is possible to read what Mr. Romney said as being in harmony with a major effort his church has been making since the 1970s: to be included in the American religious mainstream.

An intriguing element running through Mormon history is its tension with American culture. The faith’s founding prophet, Joseph Smith Jr., emphasized the unique character of Mormon teachings. He produced a new sacred text, the Book of Mormon, and his revelations inaugurated a new dispensation in which the ancient priesthoods and the authentic New Testament Church of Christ were restored to earth. Such claims implied that all other churches were in error.

The first reaction was ridicule and charges that Mormonism is heresy, with hostility and frightful persecution following thereafter. Smith’s revelations led to the added claims that Mormonism was the restoration of Israel in the new world and that the restoration of the ancient order of things had commenced. Among much else, this meant the inauguration of plural marriage (polygamy).

After 50 years, the resulting conflict between Mormonism and the nation’s churches and federal government reached such an impasse that the Mormons were compelled to suspend polygamous practice.

What happened next is a genuine paradox. Instead of reacting negatively to this government pressure, the Mormons began to venerate the nation. A half century later, they were archetypal Americans. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir became “America’s choir,” and during the 1960s, the contrast between straight-arrow, neatly dressed, and well-behaved Saints (Mormons) and hippie culture heightened the perception that Mormons are as American as motherhood and apple pie.

In the 1980s, however, superconservative Evangelicals turned their attention to Mormon theology. Along with some articulate ex-Mormons, they tried to convince the world that Mormonism is a cult whose members are not Christian.

In response, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) added “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” as a subtitle to the Book of Mormon. And the church changed its logo to place more emphasis on the Jesus Christ part of its name. Additionally, Christendom’s founding stories became standard fare in virtually all materials published by the church.

For well over a half century, common cause in Christ has been the leitmotif in the Mormon song to Protestant and Roman Catholic America. It was heard again in Romney’s speech. “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind,” he declared. Going further, the candidate moved beyond his own faith tradition to envision a capacious religious tent.

The tent image is familiar in Mormon circles. Local Mormon congregations (known as wards) are gathered into stakes “in Zion’s tent.” Lay clerics serve as the bishops (pastors) of Mormon wards; lay clerics who administer Mormon stakes are called stake presidents.

Romney has served his church both as bishop and stake president. As a husband, father of five sons, and rising star in the corporate world, he became very familiar with the formidable multitasking that such church callings involve. That means he is very familiar with the stakes in the tent of Zion metaphor. Romney did not use this particular expression Thursday. But the notion of Zion’s tent was manifested in his description of a religious tent supported by a Catholic stake; Evangelical and Pentecostal stakes; a Lutheran (hence Protestant mainstream) stake; a Jewish stake; and even a Muslim stake. Naturally, his Zionic pavilion has a place for Mormons, as well as for all the faith communities that are a part of the Abrahamic tradition.

In fashioning this image, Romney positioned the LDS church as a part of the American religious mainstream as well as an important stake in Zion’s tent. This is smart politics, both for Romney and for his church. And it’s a long way from the “one true church” talk of the 1830s.

Since he made it clear that secularists have no place in his big tent, many commentators have questioned the exclusivity of the Republican candidate’s vision. They charge that the candidate left no place for the substantial proportion of the nation’s population without a connection to a religious body of any kind, the group sociologists of religion call the “nones.” Romney, however, was thoroughly inclusive when he said that what really matters in America is whether a person stands for the equality of humankind, the obligation to serve one another, and a steadfast commitment to liberty.

Even before his robust confession of his Mormon faith, Romney made another equally powerful confession of faith. He committed himself to what Abraham Lincoln called “America’s political religion,” pledging to defend the rule of law and the Constitution.

Note clearly that Romney spoke to a dual audience. He spoke directly to the members of the evangelical community in Iowa and elsewhere. At the same time, he had to speak to all the people of the United States about his position with regard to religion and politics.

His assertion that “freedom requires religion just as religion requires freedom” was obviously intended for the ears of the Evangelicals who are pouring into former Baptist minister Mike Huckabee’s political camp. But there was more in this speech than an appeal to Evangelicals. Romney also warned the nation that a clear and present danger to the Constitution exists. Its prohibition of a “religious test” for office is under assault in this year’s political campaign.

This assault comes primarily from people who are excessively attentive to what makes the Mormon faith different from other Christian traditions. Romney’s rebuttal was spot-on: “Each religion has its own unique doctrines and history. These are not bases for criticism,” he said. They “test our tolerance,” as does the presence in the Republican primary campaign of a Mormon who doesn’t flaunt his faith and a Southern Baptist who does.

• Jan Shipps is a professor emeritus of history and religious studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, and the author of “Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition.”

By: Logan Murphy on Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 at 10:32 AM – PST

Via Daily Kos:

Huckabee’s opinion on gay marriage is out there, but we should also be publicizing Huckabee’s opinions on heterosexual marriage. Specifically, what he believes about a women’s role in a marriage.

In August of 1998, Huckabee was one of 131 signatories to a full page USA Today Ad which declared: “I affirm the statement on the family issued by the 1998 Southern Baptist Convention.” What was in the family statement from the SBC? “A wife is to submit herself graciously to the servant leadership of her husband even as the church willingly submits to the headship of Christ.” Read on…

The Huckster is trying his best to hide his full gospel, but somehow I doubt this factoid will attract more women to his campaign. If you needed further proof that this religious extremist will set our country back even further than President Bush has, look no further. Of course, what do we expect from a man who lobbied to have a convicted serial rapist paroled for political gain.

UPDATE: (Nicole) BeliefNet has rated Huckabee a perfect 10 on the theocrat scale, but that’s still not enough to win over Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins.

I can’t help but add that this approach (for Romney) seems a bit ironic and risky — given the fact that it’s pretty well known that he has (apparently) hired illegal immigrants to take care of his lawn. Seems like Huckabee could create counter-ads that really hit Romney hard on immigration (for hypocrisy) — but does Huckabee have the $$$?

From the Drudge report

DEMS HOLD FIRE ON HUCKABEE; SEE 'EASY KILL' IN GENERAL ELECTION
Tue Dec 11 2007 10:27:53 ET

In the last three weeks since Huckabee's surge kicked in, the DNC hasn't released a single press release criticizing his rising candidacy. The last DNC press release critical of Huckabee appeared back on March 2nd.

[DNC Press Release Attack Summary:
Governor Mitt Romney (R-MA) – 37% (99 press releases)
Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R-NY) – 28% (74)
Senator John McCain (R-AZ) – 24% (64)
Senator Fred Thompson (R-TN) – 8% (20)
Governor Mike Huckabee – 2% (4)]

In fact, as the story broke over the weekend that Huckabee said he wanted to isolate AIDS patients back in 1992, the DNC ignored the opportunity to slam the candidate from the left. "He'll easily be their McGovern, an easy kill," mocked one senior Democrat operative Tuesday morning from Washington. "His letting out murderers because they shout 'Jesus', his wanting to put 300,000 AIDS patients and Magic Johnson into isolation, ain't even scratching the surface of what we've got on him."

Developing...

You really should check it out….if you feel so inclined.

(A big thanks to BCC sideblog for the lead)

This is a somewhat fun comparison between The Golden Compass and the Holy Bible,

Perhaps the idea is…THIS IS FICTION!!! Enjoy it!!! (The Golden Compass, I mean)

FWIW, my wife was 2/3 of the way through the book without even considering any parallels to religion — until she was told about them by me/the SL Trib (and she’s not a dummy…I assure you).

In my mind, this makes the protests against the movie potentially quite counter-productive for religious folk.

• Full audio of Mitt Romney’s “Faith in America” speech
• Part 1 of our analysis
• Part 2 of our analysis

The best way to listen to these podcasts is by subscribing via iTunes.

All music from my podcasts are provided by  Clayton Pixton and Skye Pixton.

For me, it might serve to help us see more clearly where religion goes right, and where it goes wrong. (Thanks to Jason for the head’s up)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Can’t you be witty without being just plain rude?

If you are so inclined, let Hitchens know how you felt about his article.

• Mormonism 101: What does it mean to be Mormon
• The First Mormon Presidential Candidate
• Thompson Camp: Mormonism a Tough Sell
  
• Romney Gambles on Religion
• Will ‘Pulling a JFK’ Be Enough for Romney?
• Romney Says Giuliani Would be Wrong for GOP
• Read Excerpts of Gov. Romney’s Remarks
• Romney: I’m Not Giving a JFK Speech
• Romney Delivers Major Speech on Faith
• The Speech
• Vote God 2008
• Polls: Romney, Clinton Lead in New Hampshire

Anyway, while goofing around, I stumbled on to this article. It’s a great read — Eugene England’s reflections on President David O. McKay entitled: The Place of David O. McKay in Mormon Culture.
Check it out if you have a moment, and please let us know if you like the direction of our new search. We don’t have all the content up yet — but it should be there by 12/31/07.

KC’s intent is to help foster deeper discussion and analysis of the Book of Mormon.  In his own words:

“BookofMormonOnline.net is a revolutionary new exposition of the Book of Mormon with the object of presenting its full text in the most accessible form possible.  Containing every single verse of the Book of Mormon, BookofMormonOnline.net breaks up the text into contextually analogous reader-friendly segments arranged in primarily chronological format, supplemented with summaries of each segment, divided by headings and pages that reveal the text’s full context.”

Anyway, please check it out when you get a sec.  If nothing else, K.C. is a stand up guy.

==============

Mitt Romney’s giving the religion / mormon speech this week.

Should be fun….

• In part 1, he discusses changes in the LDS church during his lifetime.
• In part 2, he discusses tough lessons learned by the LDS church in Latin America dealing with low quality of baptisms, and retention. He also discusses the importance of reconciling thought with faith.
• In part 3, he answers questions from the audience, and concludes with his testimony of the truthfulness of the LDS church.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

While Church leaders have counseled us to adopt the spirit of Elijah and write our life stories and family histories, they haven’t given us any instruction about how to do it. The truth is, many family histories we’ve inherited from well-meaning relatives could use a little help. Some aren’t particularly interesting because they’re primarily a collection of names and dates arranged into sentences that tell readers what their subjects did, but not who they were. Others suffer from an over-concern about painting family members in a favorable light. Everyone is a model of saintliness we’re supposed to revere and emulate. Of course, these kinds of “stories” are boring to read because we can’t take them seriously.

Dawn and Morris Thurston have written Breathe Life into Your Life Story, a book to help us write the kind of personal and family history we’d all like to inherit from our ancestors, one that’s a pleasure to read. Written for both novices and experienced writers, their book presents techniques to show you how to animate the people in your story so they become interesting, believable characters, rather than mere names on the page. You’ll learn how to re-create the world of your subjects so readers can visualize what it was like to live in their day. The book also treats topics like writing at the “gut level,” dealing with family skeletons, and using techniques that keep readers with you to the end. The podcast will tell you more.

In this episode, we interview Morris Thurston — a Harvard-trained lawyer, and one of the legal editors for the project.

In this interveiw, Dr. Lyon discusses some of the painful lessons learned from LDS missionary work in Latin America in the 20th century.

In part 1 of this 3 part series, he discusses changes in the LDS church during his lifetime.

(While this podcast is best experienced through iTunes, you can also access the audio/video directly below. Also, I STRONGLY urge you to consider reading The Backslider before you listen to these interviews. You will enjoy them much, much more if you do.)

• Part 1: The Early Years (Audio, Video)
• Part 2: Mom, Mission and School (Audio, Video)
• Part 3: The Fruits of Anxiety (Audio, Video)
• Part 4: The Backslider (Audio, Video)
• Part 5: Cowboy Jesus and Mormon Literature/Art (Audio, Video)
• Part 6: Juanita Brooks, Sunstone and Mormon Liberalism (Audio, Video)
• Part 7: The Chicken Story, Eugene England and Final Thoughts (Audio, Video)

Please let Levi know how much you enjoyed the interviews!!!! Also, if you have any questions for Levi, we may be able to convince him to drop by — so please do comment!

A written version of the presentation by Ron Schow may be found on the blog at www.LDSResources.info.

Panelists

• RON SCHOW, Pocatello, Idaho, is a professor of audiology Panelist at Idaho State University and is co-editor of the book, Peculiar People: Mormons and Same Sex Orientation. He will address progress in the Church since its 1992 statement on homosexuality: “Attractions alone do not make you unworthy.”
• CLARK PINGREE, Salt Lake City, Utah, is the Utah Pride chairman for Wells Fargo. He will address, “The Plan of Salvation as an LDS Gay Man.”
• DAN PINGREE, Seattle, Washington, will offer, “My Response to My Brother, a LDS Gay Man.”

Part 2

Part 1

Part 3

Ugh

Wanna Live by an Apostle? Get into this exclusive nieghborhood then! $875,000

Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121 - Nov 9, 2007

OPEN HOUSE!!! Sat Nov 10th noon-6 Pm. Just off Highland Dr, turn west onto Forrest Creek and follow the open house signs. (1997 E. Forrest Creek Dr. Approx 7780 S.) This Tuscan Villa home is in a pristine neighborhood that is one of a kind. This home has appraised for $935,000. The home has been 100% REMODLED with only the very best, top of the line materials! IT IS A MUST SEE INSIDE! -5 Beds -3 1/2 Baths – Every countertop in home is Granite, Including the master closet with built in 12 drawer dresser. -3 tone paint thru-out – Travertine and Carpet Flooring – Garden of Eden back yard w/ WATERFALLS – Travertine showers – Office/Formal Dining – Semi-Formal Dining – Formal Living Room – 2 Family Rooms – Theatre Room w/ stadium seating – Exercise Room – 100 gallon Hot water Heater – 2 AC/Furnace Units – Chef design gourmet kitchen w/Viking range and bosch appliances – Double Oven w/ convection heating – 3 Gas Log Fireplaces, one in the master, one on main & one in basement – master bath has separate jetted tub – European shower in master bath – Wet bar in the basement – Alarm System – 2 Trek Decks – 2 car garage with pull thru (garage opening to the back yard) – professional landscaped yard w/ auto sprinklers – Copper rain gutters w/ no drip system- It has a great curb appeal with its Tuscan Villa look! It even has an acid stained circular driveway. Rod Iron Shutters, Copper Valence, Stone, Stucco and Brick Exterior. Call to see anytime or stop by and see us! Call for open house hours. Paul Kuhn Ulrich Realtors Cell: 801-548-8307 Office: 801-733-6555

Check it out if you have a sec. Let us know what you think.

“It is a good thing to know that the gospel is true,” President Samuelson said. “But it is even better to know the gospel.”

Cecil O. Samuelson

Why am I telling you all this? In cooperation with Mormon Stories and Sunstone, I am proud to announce that Ashley has recently launched her own, new podcast — patterned (at least in part) after the NPR program “This American Life.” The podcast is entitled “Project Deseret — and you can check it out here.”

Please check it out, and if you enjoy — consider supporting Ashley in one of a couple of ways:

• Making a small donation to help Ashley pay for her podcast setup costs (equipment, etc.). You can do this by clicking the Donate button at the top right of the projectdeseret.com web site.
• Or you can leave a note of encouragement by commenting at her blog projectdeseret.com, or by sending her an email directly at: projectdeseret@gmail.com

Finally, to subscribe to this new podcast, just click the “subscribe via itunes” button, also at the top right of the projectdeseret.com web site. This will obviously require you to install iTunes.

Thanks again for your support of this rising young talent within Mormonism!

This is Paul’s story — as told in his own words.

I feel that interviews like this are essential within Mormonism for at least a few reasons:

• For those interested in Mormon intellectualism — the series of events leading up to the September Six excommunications are absolutely fundamental.
• History tends to repeat itself — and you never know if some from today’s bloggernacle risk a similar fate as the LDS intellectuals of the 1980s and 90s. Perhaps we can all learn some lessons from this interview, to help keep history from repeating itself yet again.
• In my limited experience, I have found most of the Mormon intellectuals of the 1980s and 1990s to be honest, thoughtful folk, who were mainly just trying to make sense of that which is very difficult to reconcile at times — namely thought and faith within Mormonism — and were often quite sincere (and even naive) in their desires for church improvement.
• I find these stories to be fascinating, and even inspiring, in their own right.
• Generally speaking, I worry that the LDS Church may have damaged itself through these excommunications — regardless of the mistakes made by the “Six.” I sincerely hope that we can learn from our past decisions, and seek to not repeat them

All audio and video files can be accessed through the podcast feed. All video can also be viewed on Youtube, beginning here with Episode 1.

I hope you enjoy. And a MAJOR thanks to Paul for taking the time to record his history.

In this interview, David discusses some of his views on the atonement, evolution, church doctrine, and membership awareness of history and doctrine.

In this interview, he discusses his conversion to the church, along with his views on faith, religion, the church, teaching at BYU, and the importance of honesty and openness in all our religious endeavors.

For more on Loyd, check out his blog here.

Ashley discusses her experiences with BYU, the Alternative Commencement, and her hopes for greater “transformation” within the lives of Mormons.

Part 1

Part 2

For those of you who know of (or about) Levi — I’d love your ideas/thoughts on the best questions I should ask. You can submit them here.
Please help, and please do spread the word (via email and blogs). As you know, Levi is a treasure to Mormonism, and this video interview is a great chance to help capture some of his best stories and thoughts for current and future generations.

• Sunstone Seattle on 10/13/2007 (with a workshop on the night of 10/12/2007): Details here. Registration should be available in the next few days.
• Sunstone Boston on 11/3/2007: Please mark your calendars. We are working on the program and venue now. We are hoping to draw from speakers in the Northeast, so if you have ideas for speakers or topics, please advise. Also, if you think there’s a good chance that you will be coming, please let us know either in email, or on the blog — so that we can arrange the appropriate venue to match the audience size.

Finally, we’d be thrilled to help plan/facilitate a “Bloggersnacker” in either of these areas if anyone is interested (one may already be in the works in Seattle — I’m checking on that). In Boston, the Friday night before or the Saturday evening after might be candidates for gettogethers. We’re also interested in some type of Sunday morning devotional in either city if there’s interest/demand.

More soon!!!! Please let us know if you are interested.
John Dehlin

“I don’t know if you are aware, but a student at BYU named Camille Cleverly’s body was discovered just a few hours ago around Bridal Vail Falls up Provo Canyon.

I had met Camille before and was friends with her boyfriend’s sister.  Right now the best thing that any of can do is pray for the Cleverly family and others who were much closer to Camille (I had only met her once, but I know that her death will deeply affect my friends that knew her well).

If you could post something to the Blog, asking people to remember the Cleverly’s in their thoughts and prayers, that would be great.

Thanks,

Chris”

• All pre-2005 Sunstone Symposium MP3s are now free
• New city-based Sunstone communities are being formed at a city near you (hopefully)

To keep up with all of these types of developments, please subscribe to the “Friends of Sunstone” newsletter.

It’s not polished or anything, but if anyone would like a copy, please email me directly at: mormonstories@gmail.com

We hope you will enjoy.

This presentation was first delivered during the 2005 Northwest Sunstone Symposium in Molly Bennion’s home–and we hope you enjoy Martha’s version of the story.

Also, if you enjoy this presentation, please check out Sunstone’s MP3 collection for more great presentations on Mormonism.

(Please note that while the audio is of poor quality during the first 2 minutes of Martha’s speech–her introduction–the quality improves dramatically thereafter).

Also, thanks to Skye Pixton and Clayton Pixton, as always, for providing the music to this episode.

This is part 1 — but I hope you can stay until the end. There is lots of very good stuff in here.

The topic will be “the future of Sunstone” — and how we can work together to make it happen.

If any of you are interested in coming, please shoot me an email. We’d love to have you there!!!

John Dehlin

If any of you are interested in joining us at the ground floor, please subscribe to our “Friends of Sunstone” mailing list today. As it currently stands, this email list will serve as a newsletter, where we will: 1) notify subscribers of new events, projects, ideas and initiatives, 2) solicit feedback, and 3) send out occasional requests for help or support. We may ask for your help in writing an article, finding a good person to interview for a particular story — or we may want to let you know of an upcoming event, opportunity, or project. I should also note that responses to this email list will go directly to me, so you will not be spammed by replies to this list. Also, your email will be kept private from everyone but myself.

Finally, for those unsure or even fearful of Sunstone’s goals/vision/reputation, here is some text that we (as a leadership team) have put together to keep us on the “straight and narrow”:

Sunstone Motto: Faith Seeking Understanding

Vision Statement: Sunstone is an independent forum for open, thoughtful, and constructive discussion of all things Mormon.

Vision Pillars: Our 4 primary goals at Sunstone over the next 5 years are to:

• Enhance our position as a primary source for Mormon-related current events, contemporary issues, scholarship, and art.
• Bring Mormon Studies to mainstream Latter-Day Saints in fun, interesting and accessible ways.
  
• Remain a gathering place and information hub for the Mormon Studies community.
• Become more of a resource for Latter-day Saints seeking additional support in their faith journey.

If any of you would like to join us in this new push to further enhance Sunstone’s position as a place that celebrates Mormonism, and provides independent and constructive forums for open discussion and support for Mormon spiritual development, please do join us. We’d love your support, and feel certain that this will be a very enjoyable ride.

P.S. If you’re not currently a magazine subscriber, that’s not a terrible place to start.

For those who didn’t get the memo, Sunstone, Kristine Haglund, Spock With a Beard and Mormon Stories are hosting a get-together at the upcoming Sunstone symposium:

Location: Sheraton Hotel in Downtown SLC
Date: Friday, August 10
Time: From 9:30 pm until midnight or so

I’d love to meet some of our long-time listeners there, so please consider coming! If you can come, please RSVP here or over at the link provided above.

See ya’ll soon!!!!

I hope to write more about Sunstone in the coming weeks and months, but in the mean time, I wanted to let you know, at a super high level, our vision and hopes for Sunstone:

Sunstone Motto: Faith Seeking Understanding

Our Vision Statement (in draft form): Sunstone is an independent forum for open, thoughtful, and constructive discussion of all things Mormon.

Our direction for Sunstone over the next several years will be to help continue and extend its long tradition of being:

• A primary source for Mormon-related current events, contemporary issues, scholarship, and art.
• A resource to bring Mormon Studies to Latter-Day Saints in fun, interesting and accessible ways.
• A gathering place and information hub for the Mormon Studies community.
• A resource for Latter-day Saints seeking additional support in their faith journey.

We need lots of help and support to make this vision a reality. If any of you would like to join in our efforts, two great ways to support Sunstone today include:

• Subscribing today to Sunstone magazine
• Attending the Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City this August 8-11th
• Volunteering to host a regional Sunstone symposium in your area

Please contact me if you are interested in finding a way to support.

More exciting news ahead, so please stay tuned!!!

If you would like to express your gratitude to Margaret for doing this interview, please email your comments to me, and I will pass them on.

If you would like to express your gratitude to Margaret for doing this interview, please email your comments to me, and I will pass them on.

For the audio, click here.

• The essay.
• The audio recording of my August 2007 Sunstone Workshop entitled, “How to stay…”
• The PowerPoint file from that presentation
• The audio and video files from that presentation
• The PDF from my October 2007 Sunstone Workshop entitled, “How to stay…”

=========

For those interested, I’m hosting a 3.5 hour workshop on “Staying in the Church After Becoming Disaffected” at the Sunstone Symposium this August. I don’t pretend to be an authority or anything, but I do know that many people who get hit hard w/ church history or culture come to the unfortunate conclusion that leaving the church is their only option — and that this can often hurt all parties involved (the church included). And so I’m hoping to share a thing or two I’ve learned over the past 2 years, as I’ve personally counseled over 200 people in this situation. This session is intended to be both for those who are struggling, and/or for their loved ones trying to cope with the situation.

I’d LOVE to meet some of you there!!!

Date: August 8, 2007
Time: 2:00 – 5:30 pm
Location: SALT LAKE SHERATON CITY CENTRE HOTEL, 150 WEST 500 SOUTH, SALT LAKE CITY
Cost: $25 (all proceeds go to Sunstone)
How to Register: To pre-register, fill out and send in the registration form included with this program, visit WWW.SUNSTONEONLINE.COM, or call the Sunstone office, (801) 355-5926.

Abstract: Thousands of people leave the LDS church each year. However, many who have left or are considering leaving feel a great deal of ambivalence towards this decision, since
leaving the Church often has very serious familial, social, occupational, and even psychological implications. Many members caught at this crossroads consider only two paths:
(1) stay active as a full blown, traditional member; or (2) resign from the Church and cease all meaningful affiliation. In addition, though there are some exceptions, many who
have left or resigned from the Church do not find the joy and fulfillment they anticipated when making that decision. Religious ties, especially in traditions like Mormonism, are
extremely deep and complex.

In this workshop, John Dehlin and other presenters will discuss “middle way” strategies for maintaining Church involvement even when one is disaffected and feeling out of the mainstream of Mormon life and belief—a third road to consider. The workshop format will consist of short presentations on various reasons that lead to members’ feeling disaffected, accompanied by group discussion.

Advisory—Please note that this workshop does not encourage Latter-day Saints who are content in their relationship with the Church to pursue a “middle path.” This workshop is intended for those who currently find themselves at this crossroads in their own faith journey or who want to be supportive of a loved one who is seriously considering abandoning Church activity. Some possible strategies discussed in this workshop will feel somewhat radical while others, much tamer. No particular strategy will be recommended as right for everyone. The workshop’s ultimate goal is to provide support, insight, and information about what has worked for others as they seek not only to survive but thrive as Church members who have a different outlook than most others who fill up LDS Sunday meetings.

As some of you may be aware, Sunstone magazine published this month an essay written by Margaret Toscano entitled: ARE BOYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN GIRLS? The Continuing Conflict of Gender Difference and Equality in Mormonism. Please check it out if you have not yet had the chance.

After brainstorming with Dan Wotherspoon, Sunstone’s editor, we thought it might be valuable to invite LDS women more broadly to submit some articles or personal essays to Sunstone magazine, with the intent of dedicating the entire next issue of Sunstone magazine to the topic of “Women in the LDS Church — a 21st Century Update.” (not an official title, of course)
What we’re looking for is the following:

• Personal essays (up to 6,000 words in length) about your experience today as an LDS woman — good, bad or indifferent.
• Responses to Margaret’s essay (between 6,000 and 10,000 words in length). Specifically, we’d very much welcome fresh (and even opposing) perspectives on the essay.
• Articles on Women in the LDS Church in the 21st century (up to 10,000 words in length, w/ citations, etc.)
• We also are looking for a few women to share their stories via audio and potentially video formats for Sunstone podcast.

Please consider contributing to this potentially important contribution to Mormon Women studies. For further discussion, please email: dan@sunstoneonline.com and mormonstories@gmail.com

(Contributions not accepted for the this edition of the magazine could be used in future editions)

It’s a fun one, so check it out if you get a moment.

Also, music for this episode has been graciously provided by Clayton Pixton and Skye Pixton. If you like their stuff, please consider supporting these young, talented LDS artists.

Consequently, Mormon Matters is seeking 1 or 2 additional somewhat conservative or traditionalist LDS panelists to appear weekly on the podcast. Criteria include:

* You must consider yourself as a somewhat conservative or traditional LDS member (at least theologically)
* You must be somewhat thoughtful, witty and/or articulate (based on feedback from family or friends).
* You must be able to appear on the show at least twice per month
* We usually record Saturday nights between 8 and 10 Utah time

If any of you are interested, please contact us at: mormonmatters@gmail.com

Thanks!

It’s definitely an interesting read. My buddy was most concerned with this part:

“It is often asked, for example, how the Church can reconcile the authenticity of the Book of Mormon with the absence of archeological proof. This difficulty is inherent in all religious history and illustrates how spiritual matters are best verified by spiritual means…At a time when many religions are pressured to treat their sacred histories as myths, the Latter-day Saints on the contrary embrace their history as a literal expression of their faith.”

“Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, also interviewed by Helen Whitney, similarly expressed the need to take Church history literally. Articulating the difficulty of finding middle ground between myth and reality, President Hinckley said of the foundational story of Mormonism that “it’s either true or false. If it’s false, we’re engaged in a great fraud. If it’s true, it’s the most important thing in the world.”

Does this mean that there is no room in the church for those who do not take all church history and scripture as literally as it has been presented to us?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.

This episode was originally recorded as part of the Mormon Matters podcast, but has been included here as well for continuity.

To hear more of (and to purchase!!!) the wonderful music included in the podcast, please check out: claytonpixton.com and skyepixton.com

This episode was originally recorded as part of the Mormon Matters podcast, but has been included here as well for continuity.

To hear more of (and to purchase!!!) the wonderful music included in the podcast, please check out: claytonpixton.com and skyepixton.com

Please email me.

John

It’s from the Salt Lake Tribune, and it’s a “Day in the Life of a Polygamous Family” multimedia screencast.  For those interested, there appears to be an entire SLTrib blog dedicated to modern Mormon polygamy.

Check it out if you feel so inclined.

(Thanks to David for the head’s up)

Check it out if you get a minute.

• If you’re using iTunes, please delete your subscription to Mormon Stories, and re-subscribe and see if you can download files completely
• Otherwise, try to listen however you listen, and let me know if you have any troubles.

If you have troubles, please let me know how you tried to listen (what you clicked on), and what browser you are using.

Thanks!

Are any of you thinking of coming?

Let me know here, or email me directly.  I’d love to get a group together.

• What browser are you using to download? If you’re using IE, can you try using Firefox just to experiment?
• What operating system are you using?
• How are you downloading?
  • Are you left-clicking on the “audio MP3″ button?
  • Are you left-clicking on the Download link?
  • Are you right-clicking on any of these links and clicking “Save As”?
  • Are you using iTunes to download?
  • Other?
• What happens when it fails?
• If you try again later in the day (using the same method), does it still fail?
• Also, if you have been successful, can you answer the same questions?

Please give us more info, so we can get to the bottom of this problem.

Thanks!

If you happen enjoy/appreciate Claudia’s interviews, please do email me so I can let her know. I’m sure she will appreciate hearing from some of you.

“i am a practicing mormon and occasional visitor to ‘mormon stories’. i am a graduate student in the film, video, new media department at the
art institute of chicago. last semester i made a 7 minute animation that sort of has a mormon / mormon-esqe theme to it.”

Please check it out, and let us/Lucas know what you think.

Check it out if you get a minute. It’s heavy stuff…but fascinating, and definitely worth the listen.

I have a few reactions/thoughts:

• Doing anything w/ national media, especially on the topic of religion, is EXTREMELY scary, sensitive, complex and stressful (I know…you’re all saying “Duh!”). I barely slept last night, as you can imagine.
• ABC was really very professional in how they handled the whole deal. They even sent a video crew out to my house in Logan!! Anyway, great people to work with (so far).
• The main part I’m bummed about is that they characterized me as a person who is “sometimes critical of the church.” Truth be told, I try really hard to NOT be critical of the church or its leadership (“even if the criticism is accurate” as Elder Oaks has said), and I’m pretty sure that nothing in the interview can be taken as criticism of the church. In fact, I was defending those who still appreciate our polygamous heritage! Anyway, the last thing I need is to be seen as critical of the brethren or the church.
• I feel a bit bummed that I’ve come down so hard on Romney now twice in national media. I’m sure he’s a great guy, and I’m also as sure that there probably isn’t a better “person” running than Romney. That said — I feel like the stakes are too high, and that if we need anything right now in the USA, it’s a president with a backbone, who can shoot straight with all of us, and TELL THE TRUTH. I really hope Romney can turn this perception issue around, and jump on the “Straight Talk Express.”
• Finally, the thing I’m most grateful for is what they DIDN’T put on the air (of my comments). There were a few things I said that that would have been REALLY painful to see on national television, and I hope I’ve learned my lesson to tread a bit more carefully.

Anyway, my good buddy Danithew is hosting a discussion about the show over on Mormon Mentality.

Also, we just recorded our 2nd episode of Mormon Matters podcast, where we discuss both the GMA and NYTimes coverage in depth.

Please check them out, and thanks for all of your kind emails of support!!!

Dr. Bushman is a historian by training, and has taught at Columbia University for many years. She is the author of several books and articles, including: “Mormon Sisters: Women of Early Utah” and “Mormon Domestic Life in the 1870s: Pandemonium or Acadia“. Perhaps most significantly, Dr. Bushman is one of the founders of Exponent II, a Boston-based magazine and now blog focused on feminism and women’s issues within Mormonism. She is also one of the early contributors to the now famous “Pink Issue” of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought — which was a pivotal work dealing directly with Mormon women’s issues.

In this interview with Dr. Bushman, we learn what she means when she describes herself as a Mormon Feminist. She also recounts her involvement in the formation of Exponent II, as well as in the broader area of women’s issues in the LDS church. To conclude, Dr. Bushman discusses her views on the critical role of women in the church today — and how we, as a church, might work to better accommodate, and better utilize women in the 21st century.

I would also like to express my deep gratitude to Melissa Wei-Tsing Inouye, who conducted this interview for Mormon Stories podcast. Melissa is completing her Ph.D . at Harvard University, and specializes in the history of China’s Christian communities.

To participate in a discussion about this episode, check out the Exponent II blog.

Also, to hear more of Skye Pixton’s music (as featured on this episode), check out: http://skyepixton.com

• To access the full Mormon Stories archive, click here. If you’re unable to access the audio or video, or prefer to listen /watch on CD/DVD shoot me an email, and I can send you copies (for a small donation).
• To get a sense for how Mormon Stories has tried to help fellow Mormons, click here.
• To learn why Mormon Stories is currently pink, click here.
• And finally, to see our newest podcast offspring, check out “Mormon Matters“, a weekly podcast dedicated to Mormon culture, current events, politics, and spirituality.

Mormon Stories Podcast can be subscribed to via iTunes (the easiest way to access them). Just install iTunes, and then click here to subscribe. All of our videos can also be accessed on Youtube.

We hope you enjoy! Please send all feedback to mormonstories@gmail.com

P.S. Mormon Stories owes a great deal of thanks to the following for its existence

• Dan Wotherspoon and the Sunstone Education Foundation
• Tom Grover and Ryan Yonk of KVNU’s For the People and its owner — for having the courage to produce local programming again in AM radio
• Fellow members of the Mormon “bloggernacle”, including ldsblogs.org and ldselect.org
• And most of all, its wonderfully a amazing and loyal listeners and contributors

Over the next 2 weeks, I desperately need to either:

• Find a woman or three I can interview, or
• Find a past Sunstone audio presentation

….that covers the following topics:

• “Prominent or Significant 19th Century Mormon Women”
• “The Involvement of LDS Women in the Suffragist Movement”
• And more generally, “10 Mormon Women Everyone Should Know”

Please, please, please help if you can….and please spread the word.  These are big holes in my agenda for this series.

To comment on this episode, please check out Zelophehad’s Daughters.

Check it out here.

Panelists: Julianne Hatton, J. Nelson-Seawright, Ann Porter, John Hamer, and John Dehlin (Moderator)

Topics: An introduction to Mormon Matters, PBS’s “The Mormons”, and an Ensign Article entitled: A Firm Foundation in a Shaky World.

Also, a big thanks to Skye Pixton for providing the music for this episode.

You can download it directly, or subscribe via iTunes. We hope you enjoy!!!!

============================

To access this interview, subscribe via iTunes, or click here to listen to the audio directly.

The text of this introduction is (roughly as follows):
===========

In 1789, the United States of American entered its first official year of operation. To many, the US represented a shining, new symbol to the world of Liberty. Equality. and Freedom. And rightly so.

Notwithstanding, for the first 82 years of its history — the nation born under the ideals of “no taxation without representation” and “of the people, by the people and for the people” — denied voting rights to over 50% of its adult population — including blacks, and women. Some of the founding fathers, including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were themselves slaveholders.

81 years later, in 1870, the 15th amendment to the United States constitution was ratified — guaranteeing (at least in theory) the right to vote to black men.

Many of the women who played pivotal roles helping to free the blacks were hoping that they, too, would benefit from this new era of electoral openness — but it was not yet to be. Once black men got the vote, it took another fifty years — or until 1920 — for women, of any color, to obtain the same voting rights as these male, former slaves had received.

That’s 131 years from the time the country was founded.

How could this have happened? What does it mean that it took 131 years for women to get the vote in the USA?

In some ways, it’s almost as if women were the afterthought beyond afterthoughts, in American society. Is that unfair to say?

==============

On April 6th, 1830, the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter Day Saints was established within the USA. Since its inception, both blacks and women have played pivotal, but structurally limited roles within the church. And while it is clear (to me at least) that the status of blacks within the church has improved dramatically — especially over the past 30 years — it seems to be much more of a mixed bag where women are concerned.

As I have begun reading a bit about the history of women in the church, I am somewhat stunned by how many very basic, yet dramatic things I simply didn’t know, after almost 40 years as an active member.

• For example, I didn’t learn until last year, at age 36, that for over 100 years, the Relief Society was an autonomous organization — surprisingly empowered and entrusted to manage its own membership, affairs, publications and budget. I was a bit saddened, then, to learn that in the 1970s, as a part of overall correlation, the Relief Society was placed under priesthood leadership, and since does not enjoy the autonomy it once had.
• I didn’t learn for myself until yesterday that once upon a time, women in the church were not only allowed, but were encouraged to heal the sick by the laying on of hands.

Brigham Young, speaking in the tabernacle on 14 November 1869, said, “It is the privilege of a mother to have faith and to administer to her child; this she can do herself.”¹⁶

The year before in Cache Valley, Apostle Ezra T. Benson (one of my distant grandfathers) had called on women who had been “ordained” and held “the power to rebuke diseases” to do so and urged all the women to gain “the same power” by “exercis[ing] faith.”¹⁷

In the early 1900s, Relief Society president Margaret Ballard wrote in her journal “how she had been impressed to bless and administer to her father who was sick and suffering and he had been healed. Had also been impressed to bless her husband and he was healed.”

• I was also quite surprised, and perhaps a bit saddened to learn that in the mid 1900s, this practice was terminated.

• I was also surprised for at least a several year block leading up to 1978, women were neither allowed to pray in LDS sacrament meetings, nor were married women apparently allowed to enter the temple to do endowments without their husbands. Fortunately, these things have changed.

• I do remember a few somewhat progressive things regarding women happening in my lifetime, such as in 1990, when endowed LDS women were no longer required to make an oath to “obey” their husbands. Even though some still struggle with the word “hearken” — I do feel like it is a step in the right direction. Still…obey their husbands? This feels so foreign to my 2007 world. It’s hard for me to really wrap my brain around.

To illustrate a bit further, I thought I would conduct with a small, informal test. Please bear with me… this exercise actually has a point. So if you are willing…please get a pencil and paper out. Poise your finger onto the pause button of your CD player or iPod. Ready? Let’s begin!

• Question #1: How many of the leaders of the women’s rights movement in the USA can you name? Just like Frederick Douglas with the abolitionist movement and MLK/MX with the civil rights movement, the women’s rights movement in the US has been replete with heroic women who fought courageously for freedom and equal rights. If you’re like me, you’ll be lucky to come up with 2 or 3. It makes me wonder — why, as a group, are we so comparably literate when it comes to race issues, but less so with gender issues?
• Question #2: How many of Joseph Smith’s wives, other than Emma can you name? Better yet, have you ever heard mention of ANY wife for Joseph apart from Emma as part of any official church meeting? Now…to many of you, this may seem like an absurd question…but to me, it seems very odd that Joseph Smith is the central figure (other than Christ) within Mormonism, that women and families are held as absolutely central to the church’s core mission and purpose, and most significantly, we seem perfectly comfortable learning all about Joseph’s parents and siblings, his childhood illnesses, his temperament, and even his foibles — yet we know precious little about his wives — apart from the fact that Emma suffered much hardship, and ultimately wasn’ tfaithful. Shouldn’t we all know at least a little bit more about Joseph’s family?
• Question #3: Most of you (thanks to the primary song) can name all of the modern-day LDS prophets. now for the hard part: How many of the wives of modern day prophets can you also list? There are dozens and dozens to choose from. Can you name even 5? If you weren’t able to come up with many names…..doesn’t this seem even a BIT strange to you? We know about George and Martha Washington. We know about John and Abigail Adams. We even know about Abraham and Mary Tood Lincoln. Why do we know so precious little about the wives of the prophets? Can you imagine a day when in both priesthood and relief society, we study the lives of the wives of the prophets for a full year — as we do today with the prophets?
• ok…Here’s another one. Question #4: How many past presidents of the Relief Society can you name? How about the current presidency? I won’t even ask about the YW or Primary presidencies.
• A few more…and then we’ll be done. Question #5: How many women can you name from the Book of Mormon? This answer should actually be somewhat easier than you might think. Believe it or not — and this came as a major shock to me, but did you realize that throughout the entire 531 pages of the book of Mormon — only 3 female characters are mentioned by name (apart from biblical characters like Mary, etc.). 3. You might say to yourself, “Women were oppressed back then…of course they weren’t mention….” that is until you discover that the Bible mentions more than 180 females by name, let alone all those where names were not included.
• We’ll end with an easy one. Question #6: Think to the last LDS Sunday service you attended (or try this exercise next Sunday). For sacrament meeting — count the number of quotes used in church talks, or in church manuals, made by men, vs. from women. In my experience, the number of quotes used from women is always surprisingly low, in spite of the fact that we have general presidencies in the Relief Society, Young Women, and Primary….and several women are now allowed to speak each general conference.

I really don’t mean to be mello-dramatic, but to me, something is amiss in all of this. If I ponder with my full mind, heart, and spirit — something something seems unbalanced.

To me, it seems as though — even in 2007 — women in Mormonism, again, are in many ways still the afterthought — in spite of our sincere insistences to the contrary. And I am as guilty of this as anyone listening.

So…what, if anything, does all of thsi tell us? My answer: nothing, really. In fact, they probably say more about me, than they do about anything, or anybody else.

You see, in 2005, Mormon Stories podcast was launched — and while (to this date) I have produced 54 episodes for the the podcast — I, too, have neglected to discuss the issue of women in the church.

A few months ago, three of my closest friends from the podcast, each on separate occasions, said to me, in essence — “John. “What the hell? Why haven’t you done any podcast episodes on women in the church yet?”

Each time I heard this, I was speechless. I knew that it was an important topic….it just somehow didn’t rise (on its own) on my list of priorities.

Once again — women often become the “afterthought.”" I feel so ashamed.

So…I guess what I’m saying is — I, and many of us Mormons for that matter, have a LOT to learn, and to digest, about the history, role, and status of women in the LDS church. This podcast series is my feeble attempt to help make this happen — both for myself, and for others within the church.

In this multi-part podcast series, I will try to cover the following:

• We will interview a professor of women’s studies about the 3 different waves of feminism in US history
• We hope to have an episode or two exploring and rejoicing in some of the prominent women in LDS church history
• We will interview Claudia Bushman, and learn about her historical role and perspective as both a devout, prominent member, and as a feminist within the church.
• We hope to spend some time delving into late 20th century feminism in the church, and the church’s reaction to it.
• We will spend some time on the ethics of sexuality within the church, and explore modern perceptions about sexuality among Mormon women.
• And finally, we hope to interview a few women about their experiences in the church today — and their hopes for the future, as women in the church — including (among others) Lisa, from the superblog “feminist Mormon Housewives”.
• Maybe we’ll even throw in a surprise or two along the way.

==========

Anyway, this, is my feeble attempt at repentance for allowing women to become an afterthought — both in my intellectual life, and in my podcast. I truly hope to do this very important topic justice.

Please go here to comment about the interview….

You go, Lisa!!!!

The goal is to have representatives from across the idealogical and theological spectrum…from traditionalists to liberals…discussing interesting Mormon things. Maybe even non-Mo’s from time to time.

Anyway, since iTunes has already accepted our feed, we need a podcast graphic PRONTO.

Are there any Mormon Stories fans out there who are also graphic designers — who would be willing to throw together a quick 300×300 graphic for our podcast? If so, please let me know.

Thanks in advance!!!

I have a few good interviews in the works, so things are really starting to move. As always, thanks for your patience.

As a supplement to this series, I’d love to highlight (and maybe even distribute) some of the “seminal” Sunstone/MHA presentations on Women’s issues in the church.

If you have some time, please help me peruse the Sunstone archive for important presentations. You can search by topic (Women, Women’s Studies, Feminism, etc.) presenter (Claudia Bushman, Cecelia Farr, etc.) , or by symposium date/location — so hopefully it will be easy enough for you all.

Please reply here (via comments) w/ your favorites.

Thanks! More very soon!!!!

For those of you who have been gracious enough to come on the podcast — I (and my listeners) cannot thank you enough.

I have gathered a bunch of data for the past 21 months, and for fun (and to avoid actually FINISHING my paper), I thought I would share the results with you (5 charts included below).

But don’t worry! Much new podcast goodness really is on the way! In the mean time, enjoy the stats that YOU have made possible!!!!

First off, my interviewee for Episode 1 has been swamped, so we’re still in a holding pattern until the semester ends. I hope to do the recording within the next week and a half (at the latest?).

Also, I have been contacted by a few new collaborators — one of which has direct contact w/ Claudia Bushman and Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. I’m really crossing my fingers w/ those two. If any of you have relationships with either, I’d love for you to put in a good word (if you’re comfortable/able). Same with Martha Bradley. If any of you would be willing to ping her about doing an episode on her recent book, I’d be pleased as punch. Tell her that our listener base has swelled to over 5,000 downloads per episode, so maybe we can help her sell a few more books.

Finally, we may try to pull off a few “in person” interviews at the MHA conference next week. If any of you have ideas about Women interviews at MHA (and would like to be an interviewee), please let me know. I’d LOVE to have a few producers pull off some quality interviews for me.

More soon! Thanks for your patience!!!!

As promised, I have committed to dedicate the next 5 episodes of Mormon Stories Podcast to LDS Women’s issues.

However, I need your help. I cannot do this alone.  Specifically:

• What stuff should I read before conducting the interviews?
• Should I team up with a woman to conduct the interviews? Better yet, should I ask a woman (or women) to conduct the interviews without my participation? If so, who?
• What should the 5+ episodes entail?
• Who should I interview for each episode?
• What should be covered in each episode?

Please don’t answer any of these questions here. I will create a blog post dedicated to each of these questions. In the mean time, I have created a wiki page for collaboration on these topics. Please check it out here, and feel free to help me enhance/augment. You can do so by registering, or anonymously.

I very much look forward to working with you all to knock this series out of the park. This may be the most important thing I do with Mormon Stories.

For me, this is an historical press release. There is so much in here — I could write a book. We should all print this out, and keep it with our scriptures, and quote from it regularly in church.

To editorialize for a minute, this makes me very, very happy.  I witty commenter mentioned to me, “By the definition of “doctrine” in the press release, this press release does not qualify as doctrine.”  Well, though that might be technically true, it’s doctrine to me. 

I look forward to the discussion.

SALT LAKE CITY 4 May 2007 Much misunderstanding about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revolves around its doctrine. The news media is increasingly asking what distinguishes the Church from other faiths, and reporters like to contrast one set of beliefs with another.

The Church welcomes inquisitiveness, but the challenge of understanding Mormon doctrine is not merely a matter of accessing the abundant information available. Rather, it is a matter of how this information is approached and examined.

The doctrinal tenets of any religion are best understood within a broad context (see here and here), and thoughtful analysis is required to understand them. News reporters pressed by daily deadlines often find that problematic. Therefore, as the Church continues to grow throughout the world and receive increasing media attention, a few simple principles that facilitate a better understanding may be helpful:

* Not every statement made by a Church leader, past or present, necessarily constitutes doctrine. A single statement made by a single leader on a single occasion often represents a personal, though well-considered, opinion, but is not meant to be officially binding for the whole Church. With divine inspiration, the First Presidency (the prophet and his two counselors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second-highest governing body of the Church) counsel together to establish doctrine that is consistently proclaimed in official Church publications. This doctrine resides in the four “standard works” of scripture (the Holy Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price), official declarations and proclamations, and the Articles of Faith. Isolated statements are often taken out of context, leaving their original meaning distorted.
* Some doctrines are more important than others and might be considered core doctrines. For example, the precise location of the Garden of Eden is far less important than doctrine about Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. The mistake that public commentators often make is taking an obscure teaching that is peripheral to the Church’s purpose and placing it at the very center. This is especially common among reporters or researchers who rely on how other Christians interpret Latter-day Saint doctrine.

Based on the scriptures, Joseph Smith declared: “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”

* Because different times present different challenges, modern-day prophets receive revelation relevant to the circumstances of their day. This follows the biblical pattern (Amos 3:7), in which God communicated messages and warnings to His people through prophets in order to secure their well-being. In our day, President Gordon B. Hinckley has repeatedly emphasized the importance of the family in our increasingly fractional society. In addition, the Church does not preclude future additions or changes to its teachings or practices. This living, dynamic aspect of the Church provides flexibility in meeting those challenges. According to the Articles of Faith, “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.”
* Latter-day Saints place heavy emphasis on the application of their faith in daily life. For example, the active participation of Latter-day Saints in their community and worldwide humanitarian programs reflects concern for other people. As Jesus Christ declared, “By their fruits ye shall know them.”
* Individual members are encouraged to independently strive to receive their own spiritual confirmation of the truthfulness of Church doctrine. Moreover, the Church exhorts all people to approach the gospel not only intellectually but with the intellect and the spirit, a process in which reason and faith work together.
* Those writing or commenting on Latter-day Saint doctrine also need to understand that certain words in the Mormon vocabulary have slightly different meanings and connotations than those same words have in other religions. For example, Latter-day Saints generally view being born again as a process of conversion, whereas many other Christian denominations often view it as a conversion that happens in one defining moment. Sometimes what some may consider an argument or dispute over doctrine is really a misunderstanding of simple differences in terminology.

Journalists, academics and laymen alike are encouraged to pursue their inquiries into the Church by recognizing the broad and complex context within which its doctrines have been declared, in a spirit of reason and good will.

Also, for those who missed, the video for episode 1 is now up, and I’m sure that the video for episode 2 will be up shortly.

Here’s the scoop: As some of you know, I was hired by MIT OCW a few months ago to direct the OpenCourseWare Consortium, and was immediately put in charge of this big conference in Santander, Spain that takes place next week. (Here’s the agenda, for those interested).

Anyway, planning this event, along with writing this long-requested essay, have sucked up all my time, but the long “nightmare” will soon be over. After next week, I’m coming back to the podcast with a real vengeance, starting w/ my long-promised “Women in Mormonism” series (Women—please start your engines!!!).

So that’s the scoop! Please bear with us, and know that your appetite will soon be over-saturated.

Thanks for your interest, and mostly for your patience.

In my Elder’s Quorum lesson for today, I was asked to teach on Elder Bednar’s recent talk entitled, “And Nothing Shall Offend Them.” (Incidentally, some of you may find it interesting to note that Elder Bednar perpetuates the same myth in this talk as well.)

Anyway, this made me want to read more on Brother Marsh, so I went to his Wikipedia article, and got a pretty good explanation on the events leading to his disaffection. I thought you might enjoy reading it, so here is the part about his falling away:

In April of 1838, Church President Joseph Smith and his first counselor Sidney Rigdon moved to Far West, which became the new church headquarters. Although disfellowshipped, David and John Whitmer, Oliver Cowdery, W.W. Phelps and other former leaders (who were known as the “dissenters”) continued to live in the County. By early June, some of the more zealous Mormons, led by Sampson Avard, formed a society which came to be known as the “Danites.” According to Marsh, these men swore oaths to “support the heads of the church in all things that they say or do, whether right or wrong” (Document, p. 57). According to Reed Peck, two of these Danites, Jared Carter and Dimick B. Huntington, proposed at a meeting that the society should kill the dissenters. Marsh and fellow moderate, John Corrill, spoke vigorously against the motion (Peck, pp. 22-23). On the following Sunday, however, Sidney Rigdon issued his “Salt Sermon” in which he likened the dissenters to salt that had lost its savor and was “good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Van Wagoner, p. 218). Within a week the dissenters had fled the county.

Although he may have been concerned about these events, Marsh remained in the church until late October. According to his sworn testimony, Marsh claimed that a Mormon invasion of Daviess County and the subsequent looting and burning of non-Mormon settlements, including Gallatin, the county seat, were the acts that caused him to leave. Marsh stated:

“A company of about eighty of the Mormons, commanded by a man fictitiously named Captain Fearnot [David W. Patten], marched to Gallatin. They returned and said they had run off from Gallatin twenty or thirty men and had taken Gallatin, had taken one prisoner and another had joined the company. I afterwards learned from the Mormons that they had burned Gallatin, and that it was done by the aforesaid company that marched there. The Mormons informed me that they had hauled away all the goods from the store in Gallatin, and deposited them at the Bishop’s storehouses at Adam-on-diahmon” (Document, p. 57).

On October 19, 1838, the day after Gallatin was burned, Thomas B. Marsh and fellow apostle Orson Hyde left the association of the Church. Marsh drafted and signed a legal affidavit against Joseph Smith on October 24, 1838, which Hyde also signed. In addition to reporting on the organization of the Danites and on the events in Daviess County, Marsh reported rumors that the Danites had set up a “destroying company” and that “if the people of Clay & Ray made any movement against them, this destroying company was to burn Liberty & Richmond.” He further stated his belief that Joseph Smith planned “to take the State, & he professes to his people to intend taking the U.S. & ultimately the whole world” (Document, p. 57). Marsh’s testimony added to the panic in northwestern Missouri and contributed to subsequent events in the Mormon War.

Because a Mormon attack was believed imminent, a unit of the state militia from Ray County was dispatched to patrol the border between Ray and Mormon Caldwell County to the north. On October 25, 1838, reports reached Mormons in Far West that this state militia unit was a “mob” and had kidnapped several Mormons. The Mormons formed an armed rescue party and attacked the militia in what became known as the Battle of Crooked River. Although only one Missourian was killed, initial reports held that half the unit had been wiped out. This attack on the state militia, coupled with the earlier expulsion of non-Mormons from Daviess County led Missouri’s governor Lilburn W. Boggs to respond with force. On 27 October he called out 2,500 state militia to put down what he perceived as a Mormon rebellion and signed what became known as the “Extermination Order” (Baugh, pp. 108–09).

Marsh was excommunicated from the Church in absentia on March 17, 1839 in Quincy, Illinois.

After Marsh moved to Utah and rejoined the Latter-day Saints, he looked back at his decision to leave the Church with regret. Concerning his actions in Missouri, he wrote:
“ About this time I got a beam in my eye and thought I could discover a mote in Joseph’s eye, though it was nothing but a beam in my eye; I was so completely darkened that I did not think on the Savior’s injunction: ‘Thou hypocrite, why beholdest thou the mote which is in thy brother’s eye, when a beam is in thine own eye; first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, then thou shalt see clearly to get the mote out of thy brother’s eye.’ ”

Years later, in 1864, George A. Smith claimed in a sermon that Marsh had left the church because of a dispute between his wife and other Mormon women over a milk cow.[2] Although this tale has made its way into Mormon folklore, Smith’s statements are not supported by any contemporary evidence.[3]

Anyway, Richard has written a follow-up to his “Parting words” essay, explaining why he left the LDS Church (Full text included below). He has posted it as a comment to my good friend Serenity Valley’s post on By Common Consent.

Please check it out, and if you feel so inclined, give Richard your love and appreciation.

===============

Taryn,

Thanks so much for your beautiful essay. I was very moved by it. As you can imagine, I’ve been dropping in on various internet sites and reading the discussions. Perhaps it would be in my best interest to simply disappear without another word, but out of respect and affection for my friends and for those who have been generous in their support (including yourself), I’ve decided to address a few of the statements that have been made about me and my decision to leave the Church. I’d appreciate it if those who read this message would send it along to other internet sites. I’d like it to be read.

Also, the ghost of Thomas Marsh keeps pestering me. He’s been following me around for the past few days saying, “Don’t let them do to you what they did to me!”

What did they do to him? They turned him into a Sunday school lesson. (A note for all the literalists out there: No, Marsh’s ghost has not actually been visiting me. I’m just trying to make a point.)

FAREWELL – PART II

Thomas Marsh was one of the leaders in the early Church. Most of us know him only as that silly man who left the Church because his wife cheated another sister out of some “milk strippings.” The matter ended up with local Church leaders who determined that Sister Marsh had, indeed, acted dishonestly. As the story goes, Thomas was so offended and angry that he left the Church and didn’t come back until he was an old man, dead broke and half-senile.

But there’s so much more to the story.

Although the “milk stripping” incident is factual, it is not the reason Thomas Marsh left the Church. He left in those chaotic days in Far West, shortly before Joseph was arrested and taken to Liberty Jail. These were the days of Sidney Rigdon’s reach for power and his “Salt Sermon.” They were the days of the Danites (Yes, Virginia, there were Danites), and the days when Oliver Cowdery left the Church. Oliver’s complex and difficult decision was made at a time when his life was being threatened by other Church leaders. It was a crazy, dangerous time and Thomas was right in the middle of it. I’m sure those old milk strippings were the last things on Thomas Marsh’s mind when he mounted up and got his family the hell out of town.

Yet this man’s complex life, and his difficult decision, has been reduced to an inaccurate Sunday school lesson in Pride. I believe this “lesson” is a slander, and a violation of a very complex human being.

Although it may be out of my hands, I do not intend for something similar to happen to me. At least not without a fight.

It’s unpleasant to acknowledge, but the LDS community has a history of character assassination. It is an ugly truth, but it is the truth. I have often joked (darkly, and among friends only) that when wandering sheep stray from the fold, Mormons don’t go looking for them. What happens is: somebody climbs up on a really tall tower, takes out a high-powered rifle, gets the poor straying soul in the cross-hairs, and then blows his wandering brain out.

When individuals leave the fold, why do we find it necessary to blacken their names? This has been the case since the earliest days. Back then, a church member or leader could be in full fellowship one day and considered a wonderful, decent, loveable human being. The next day, if that individual chose to make an exit, he was the “blackest, basest of scoundrels,” an “adulterer” and a “counterfeiter,” etc.

Today, we’re a little less melodramatic. But still, when a scholar, artist, intellectual, or even a rank and file member of the Church decides to leave, his character is instantly under attack: “I think he’s gay” or “I bet she’s having an affair” or “I’ve heard he’s a drug addict,” etc.

Just for the record: I’m not having an affair. I’m not gay. I’m not a drug addict. I’ve never tried to illegally reproduce hundred dollar bills and I haven’t killed anyone. Sadly, I can’t even claim to have beaten anyone up, not since the 9th grade anyway. (Actually, now that I think of it, I didn’t win that particular fight. A neanderthalic 12th grader beat the snot out of me.)

However, I’m far from perfect: I do like to swear sometimes (seldom in anger, mostly for fun), and I’ve recently grown fond of really expensive dark Irish beer (enjoyed in moderation, of course). On occasion I’ve even been known to swear while drinking a beer. I’ve always been good at multi-tasking.

I tried smoking cigars, but didn’t care for them. Cigarettes I hate. Coffee’s not for me, but I have found some great dark teas that I really like. There’s one in particular, Lapsang Souchong, that I highly recommend.

Also, sometimes I daydream that Jennifer Aniston and Angelina Jolie are both madly in love with me and I have to become a polygamist so that I can keep them both and not lose Gwen (my equally gorgeous wife).

There you go. Not very juicy. Downright silly in fact. On to more serious matters.

Many have jumped to the conclusion that I left because I’m angry that LDS audiences didn’t line up for my movies. If such was the case, I would be a truly shallow human being.

First of all, LDS audiences did line up for my movies. Even my lowest-grossing film, STATES OF GRACE, made $200,000.00 at the box office. True, that’s less than 1/10 of what GOD’S ARMY grossed, but still…most independent filmmakers would kill (or, at least, maim) for a $200,000.00 theatrical gross.

Some have very pointedly claimed that if my films had been more financially successful, I wouldn’t be leaving. Believe me, it has nothing to do with money. I didn’t make GOD’S ARMY because I thought it would make me rich, and I haven’t left Mormon Cinema because I’m afraid it’s going to make me poor. If STATES OF GRACE had made 20 million dollars, I’d still have made the same choice.

Others have said that I’m angry because Mormons didn’t “get” my movies. I think the majority of those who saw them “got” them. I’ve tried not to pay too much attention to the very vocal minority who didn’t.

Some have speculated that I may have been offended by a church leader or member. That’s not the case. Church leadership has never been anything but supportive, and I’ve never lost any sleep over disapproval from individual church members. I would never let a personal offense from a fellow traveler detour me from the path.

Also, so many people out there think that I have been angry at other LDS filmmakers for dumping poor quality movies into the marketplace and ruining the reputation of Mormon Cinema.

Okay…you got me. That one’s true. But it is not the reason for my departure.

To conclude, it’s not necessary for anyone to jump to any conclusions. Please refer back to my letter and re-read the last several paragraphs. I shared my reasons. If you want me to be more specific, I’m sorry. I will not do that.

Out of respect for the feelings and beliefs of so many of my closest friends and family members, and those who have appreciated my films, I choose to leave my reasons clear, although not explicit.

Many have expressed concerns for my wife, Gwen, and our children. I’m grateful for your concern. We’re all fine, and happy. Gwen didn’t learn of my struggles and my decision in the morning paper, of course. We’ve been talking about it, and dealing with the ramifications, for over two years now. I can’t tell you how grateful I feel to have such an understanding, supportive and loving wife. I hope to be equally supportive of her and of our children as they continue to be active in the church.

Again, I’m not angry at the Church. I’m not angry at Joseph Smith. I’m not angry at Gordon B. Hinckley. I don’t have any axe to grind whatsoever.

My time as an active Latter-Day Saint has been a beautiful, wonderful, life-changing adventure. I’m not rejecting it.

The best way for me to describe my situation is to share a metaphor. Buddha once compared his teaching to a boat that helps us cross a river. But, once we get to the other side, no one would think of carrying the boat around on his shoulders. Although grateful for its service, no one would say, “Oh, this boat helped me to cross over the river, so I’m now going to carry it on my back.”

The wise traveler would, obviously, leave the boat at the side of the river and continue on the journey.

I now feel the need to–with respect and gratitude–lay down the boat and continue on.

The past few years have been very difficult for me. I’ve been trying to continue my journey toward God while carrying a boat on my back. I hope no one will take offense at this metaphor. I’m not saying that all of us have to leave the boat of Mormonism behind. Many of you will arrive Home in these boats, I’m sure. But, for some unknown reason, our mutual Father in Heaven requires that I take another route. A large part of me would rather stay in the boat. I like the boat. But, my brothers and sisters, it’s time for me to start walking.

I have not, as I’ve been accused, abandoned God or truth. I believe I am being loyal to truth and reality (as best as I can perceive it), and that I am still reaching up, in my life and in my film work, to my Father in Heaven.

I leave with love, and I promise to do my best not to take offense at those who currently have me in the cross-hairs. I’ll dodge their bullets, and continue on my way.

Richard Dutcher

P.S. I’m sure many of you are as confused by my decisions as you were before you started reading. I apologize, but these words are as much as I want to share, publicly, at this time. I hope to meet many of you, individually, in the coming years. If circumstances allow, we can sit down quietly and privately—maybe even over a dark Irish beer—and I can tell the story in more detail. Until then.

Comment by Richard Dutcher — April 18, 2007 @ 6:19 pm

I have finally written out a very rough 1st draft of our approach.

I would love to share it with those of you who sincerely self-identify as one of the following:

• Seriously struggling to remain active in the LDS Church, and currently considering leaving
• Have gone inactive or have left completely, but would seriously consider returning, if you could just figure out a way

If I already know you well (and your situation), just email me and I’ll provide a link.

If I do not know you, I will need you to write me enough about your story so that I can ensure that you indeed qualify given the conditions above. Again, just email me, or (if you don’t mind sharing) post your story here.

If you do not qualify under the conditions above, please act on your honor, and do not request this link. I would never, under any circumstances, desire to discourage people from leading a literalistic, strictly obedient LDS life if that is their smallest inclination. This essay is only for those who would otherwise abdandon the church altogether.

Thanks!

John Dehlin

By: Andrew Glass
April 9, 2007 04:20 PM EST

Amid heightened scrutiny because of former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney’s White House bid, the Mormon church is raising its public relations profile, making moves that reflect deep concerns over widely held myths about the faith and internal anxiety over the need to convince outsiders that it will remain neutral as a Mormon runs in the 2008 contest.

“We have to walk a very fine line to stay away from political issues,” said Michael Otterson, media relations director for the 12.6 million-member worldwide Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “But it is clear that the profile of the church will be raised during this (campaign) period. All of the things that are going on will serve as catalysts to raise questions about us and who we really are.”

In line with its recent restructuring, the church has ended a decade-long relationship with Edelman, the world’s largest independent public relations firm, with 2,500 employees in 46 offices worldwide. Edelman won some distinction in 2002 when it helped the church navigate the Winter Olympics bidding scandal in Salt Lake City.

The local account was handled by Michael Deaver, a former top aide to president Reagan. Deaver did not return phone calls. In response to a query from The Politico, Otterson wrote in an e-mail: “The church uses a number of agencies from time to time, depending on need. Indeed, it still has the option to work with Edelman. Although it’s true we have ended the formal contract, very few such contracts in that industry last so long. You shouldn’t assume that this represents any ‘change of direction’ for the church.”

Otterson, in a phone interview from the church’s Salt Lake City headquarters, said the church is interviewing other firms but declined to name them. Several Edelman staffers who would not talk on the record said the church sought to have increased autonomy in its media relations.

It remains an open question in Otterson’s mind whether Romney’s candidacy will wind up as “an Achilles’ heel for politicians” or whether, as he hopes, the campaign season “will help people address universal ignorance about us. We have a lot of work to do. If we are able to define ourselves, that would be a welcome result.”

Romney, whose family has deep roots in the Mormon faith, raised his political profile last week by reporting that he had gathered $21 million in campaign contributions, the most of any contender for the Republican nomination, since the start of the “money race.”

“While institutionally we are keeping our distance,” Otterson explained, “some Mormons around the country are watching with bemused interest at what is happening out there.” In keeping with his stance, the church spokesman did not observe that Romney’s solid religious ties allow him to tap into a cohesive and relatively affluent network of supporters eager to mount a grass-roots campaign on his behalf.

Republican presidential hopeful former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney talks to state legislators and staff in a closed door meeting at the Statehouse in Des Moines, Iowa.

Romney’s recent financial coup, and the attendant media buzz that it generated, is not the only issue driving the church’s nuanced public relations strategy, one that Otterson stresses remains in place despite mounting pressures. A controversy erupted last week over the decision of church-owned Brigham Young University to have Vice President Cheney as its commencement speaker in Provo, Utah, on April 26. The invitation from the school’s board of trustees has triggered protests on the nearly all-Mormon campus. It led one unnamed professor to tell the Salt Lake Tribune, “If BYU seeks to bring a model of abuse of power, greed and political extremism, which seeks to decimate citizens’ rights guaranteed by our laws, then Cheney is a perfect choice.”

But Otterson sees the coming academic event as an opportunity to underscore the church’s institutional noninvolvement in political matters — as separate and distinct from the political views of individual church members, about half of whom are U.S. citizens. That policy is spelled out on a recently revamped branch of the church’s broad website. Called “Newsroom,” it is aimed at the media and maintains links to items critical of the church, including ones that contend the church’s doctrinal stance carries broad public policy consequences. “You have to do that,” he added, “to maintain your credibility.”

The website maintains that the church does not “endorse, promote or oppose political parties, candidates or platforms.” Nor does it allow its extensive resources “to be used for partisan political purposes.” Nor does it try to tell its members who to vote for, whether or not the candidate is a Mormon. In positive terms, it does “reserve the right as an institution to address, in a nonpartisan way, issues that it believes have significant community or moral consequences or that directly affect the interests of the church.”

Otterson also voiced concern over the potential negative impact of a PBS television documentary, “The Mormons,” that the network plans to air on April 30 and May 1. Though few outsiders have previewed the material, Otterson said he understood that it deals extensively with polygamy, a practice that the U.S.-founded religion has officially banned since 1890. A Gallup poll released last month showed that even among Americans who share the most favorable opinions of the faith, polygamy was the most frequently mentioned single impression of Mormons. On an overall basis, Gallup reported that 46 percent of Americans have an unfavorable impression of the religion, a finding that has since been cited as a political hurdle that Romney has to overcome if his campaign is to thrive.

In contrast to some other religious bodies, the Mormon church remains virtually inactive on Capitol Hill. “Our interaction at that level is minimal,” Otterson says. “That’s not high-priority for us.”

For about two decades, the Mormons have maintained a presence in Washington, primarily to cement relations with ambassadors from countries where the church does extensive missionary work. Since 2005, the six-person staff has been led by M. Kenneth Bowler, 64, who for 16 years ran a $6 million-a-year D.C. lobbying operation for Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. He estimates that only 5 percent of the office’s work deals with Congress or with the Bush administration. When contacts with lawmakers occur, they tend to deal with issues of direct interest to the church. For example, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah), a church member, notified Bowler that he planned to amend pending bankruptcy legislation to ensure filers could continue to meet their religious tithes.

As the top spokesman for his church, Otterson has been posting items on WashingtonPost.com’s popular “On Faith” blog. His most recent filing concluded: “Civility and inclusiveness, consensus and reasonableness are — like depth, substance and context — becoming casualties of a mass media trend. Our society will be the worse for it if the trend isn’t checked.”

Carrie Sheffield contributed to this story.

This morning I was listening to another amazing “Speaking of Faith” interview by Krista Tippett — this time about South Africa’s “Truth and Reconciliation” initiatives that followed Apartheid.

Within the interview, for me, were the most amazing of insights (audio available here — beginning around the 8:15 mark):

Dr. Villa-Vicencio: Look, I think the notion of truth has always been a contested concept. For me, theologically speaking, truth is something that one aspires after. It’s something that you reach towards. And I think religion generally, and Christian theology in particular, is at its all-time low and most oppressive when it has a decisive interpretation of truth, in the sense of a dogma, and says, “This is the truth.” And to the extent that you deviate from this, you know, you’re not a Christian, you’re a heretic or something like that. And pastorally speaking, if you like, what the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has done is that its opened a space within which people—we like to use the word, don’t we, ordinary people, rank-and-file people—have an opportunity to speak their truth. Subjective truth may not always stand up to the cross-examination of a court of law. It may not be the forensic truth. But if that is that person’s experience of what happened, we, as Christians, above all, need to listen.

Ms. Tippett: And I think those words truth and reconciliation, that that phrase—I don’t know—can seem pat in the face of the complexity of how powerful the truth is and how many different responses it can cause.

Dr. Villa-Vicencio: I think it is, you know. Some people, especially in the early days of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, somehow thought that what was being suggested is that if we all told the truth, we will all be reconciled. You know, simple as that. You do A, you’ll have B, which is absolute nonsense. Let me put it to you this way, if I may, that if we want to talk about justice or we want to talk about truth outside of the desire to be reconciled, outside of the desire to build a relationship, outside of the desire to move on, if it’s outside of that, then truth and justice can be a very destructive and a very vindictive thing. I think one of the fundamental philosophical roots of the Truth and Reconciliation is an African notion of ubuntu. Ubuntu loosely translated means “humanity.” It means to live together. It is a concept that says, “I am through you and you are through me.” It’s only as we engage in truthful dialogue and in a quest for building a relationship that we can grow as individual people. So to the extent of I am estranged from you, I am less than human. It’s a relationship that is required.

Ms. Tippett: Former director of research for the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission Charles Villa-Vicencio. I asked him what effect the truth, in all its aspects, as he heard it in years of proceedings, had on him.

Dr. Villa-Vicencio: Whoa! Let me preface that by saying that I think anger, I think hatred, I think a desire for revenge is a most understandable human emotion and response. I can fully understand it. I think at a communal, at a political, at a nation-building level, it is a very dangerous thing. And so you ask what impact did it have upon me. You know, I sat and listened to hearings and some of the most horrendous stories told by victims and, goodness knows, told by perpetrators, you know, and I’d find myself sitting there and saying, “My goodness,” you know, “Where do we go from here? What do we do with this person?” And I think I come away from the commission perhaps learning two things, and that is, one, that human beings in certain circumstances are capable of the most outrageously treacherous deeds. And I would like to emphasize that we’re talking about human beings. We’re not talking about Nazis in the Second World War. We’re not talking about white Afrikaners in South Africa. We’re talking about human beings. Every human being—American, South African, Christian, Muslim, Jew—we have within us the capacity to commit some dreadful deeds. We have a little perpetrator within each one of us. And placed in the right context, that little perpetrator becomes an outrageously powerful perpetrator.

You know what else I learned is that even those perpetrators—and I’ve met some bad ones, of all kinds of political persuasions—when you sit down and you talk, they are human beings. There’s introspection. There’s a desire to move on. There’s a quest to regain humanity and to take one’s place with responsibility in society. Let me use this as an illustration. In our office in Cape Town, we had Brian Mitchell, who was the commander of a military unit that went into Trust Feed’s community in KwaZulu-Natal and mowed down a whole group of innocent people—men, women and children. In that same office at the same time, in dialogue with him, was Letlapa Mphahlele, who was the head of APLA, one of the guerilla groups that ordered the massacre in St. James’ Church and in the Heidelberg pub.

These are two people on different sides, both guilty of the most horrendous and unqualified, unacceptable deeds, engaging and talking. That is the beginning, the beginning, not there, the beginning of the journey towards reconciliation. And these people who are honestly, if you like, truthfully disclosing their past, acknowledging who they were. And you know what? Talking about their vulnerability. I heard Mphahlele say to Brian, “My God, where do we go now?” That was the most hopeful question I heard in that conversation.

I didn’t realize this consciously when I first started podcasting and blogging, but these sentiments reflected above (encapsulated in the notion of Ubuntu) live at the core of what I believe many of us have been trying to do over the past year and a half on the Bloggernalce (though I , personally, very often fall far short).

We need more openness. We need more “heart-to-heart.” We need more “expressed vulnerability”. We need more understanding. We need more, “My God. What do we do now?” moments.

We need more Ubuntu.

If Christ did indeed resurrect, it was for this cause. If the teachings of Ubuntu were not central motivators for the atonement and resurrection, then in my mind and heart, there was little point to either.

I hope that I, and that we, will never lose sight of this notion — here, in the bloggernacle, in the churches, in our governments, and in our homes.

I am, through you. You are, through me. We are, through Christ. And Christ is, through us.

It does look very interesting. Check it out.

Set to air April 30th and May 1st, 2007

We’re on Sundays at 10:35 AM, and then again at 7:35 PM.

It turns out that 610 AM KVNU has pretty decent geographical coverage in Utah, so if you’re in the area, please check it out (for fun, if for nothing else) — and then come back and let us know that you heard it.

Who knows — maybe other radio stations will become interested as well!!!

And thanks again to Tom Grover and KVNU radio stations for making this all possible.

There is a new comedy troup running around called the “Axis of Evil Comedy Tour“.

What’s even more interesting (to us, at least) is that one of the comedians was introduced by Ms. Gross as the “son of an Arab father and a Mormon mother.” Turns out it’s Omar Kader’s son (who is also Mormon by the way, or at least was).

This may be old news to all of you, but it’s new news to me.

When I was studying Political Science at BYU I once heard Omar Kader speak, and was greatly influenced thereby.

Anyway, check it out! It’s kinda funny. If any of ya’ll can help me w/ a contact, I’d love to add him to my interview que.

• LDS Official Membership Annual Growth 1860-2005 10 year moving average.

• LDS Missionary Service and Baptisms 1977 to 2007

Please return, and report.

• 44 new stakes
• 3 new missions
• 388 new wards and branches
• 307,737 more members
• An increase in 29,737 more convert baptisms than in the previous year
• 1,104 more missionaries than we had last year
• 5.1 baptisms per full time missionary — an increase over 4.7 from the previous 2 years.
• A few other stats listed below.
• Raw stats can be found here.

Finally, I do wish that they would publish activity rates. I also wish that the church would allow external auditors to publish public financial reports. But that’s just me.

Anyway, enjoy!!! Feel free to discuss at T&S, or at Mormon Mentality or here.

–More Knowledge within Mormonism
–More Understanding/Empathy/Compassion within Mormonism
–Less Pain within Mormonism

When I conduct an interview, it is always with these 3 goals in mind.

Recently I’ve had to discuss and justify (in a friendly setting) the costs/benefits of what I do (which is a very healthy exercise, I might add). Clearly I feel like what I’m/we’re trying to do is a good thing, but sometimes it’s hard to articulate.

Perhaps this recent news article I stumbled upon today helps to illustrate this a bit.

Basically, a group of anti-Mormon evangelicals has developed a DVD entitled “Jesus Christ/Joseph Smith” to convince members of the LDS Church to leave it. They are distributing 20,000 DVDs to members of the LDS Church this week, in coordination with LDS General Conference this weekend. Here is one example of how a member of the bloggernacle handled the issue. It was a very interesting reaction (collect and destroy).

Now, the evangelical group says about their approach, “We’ve found this works very well. We need to step out in faith to do it,” yet the LDS spokesman says, “It won’t phase members of our church one iota. They’re strong enough in their own beliefs. It’s water off their backs.”

Who’s right? I think that both are. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Anti-Mormonism has made a dent in Mormonism over the past few years, AND the testimonies of members are often quite resilient.

But I do think that the LDS representative is perhaps the least accurate of the two. If the DVD will not have an iota of impact on members, then why collect and destry the DVDs before members get a chance to view? What is the fear? Are our testimonies like soap bubbles (to be protected in the palms of our hands), or like jackhammers that can divide rock asunder?

Now, let me be clear: I think that what this group is trying to do is extremely lame for a number of reasons. I feel that they are inaccurate, deceptive, and most importantly, EXTREMELY hypocritical. For a reference, here is FAIR’s response to the video. I also think that their distribution method is tragically flawed — devout LDS folks are clearly just collecting the DVDs off of car windshields in church parking lots and community doorknobs, and throwing hundreds of them at a time into the trash before folks are ever available to actually view.

That said, I feel very confident that the LDS Church is operating from a position of weakness in this very important way: the evangelicals (in many instances) know more about factual LDS Church history and doctrine than the average member of the LDS Church does — and so this puts the Church in the uncomfortable and weaker position of figuring out how to deal with members being blindsided by factual stuff that they should not be learning through 3rd parties. In addition, members of the LDS Church are not generally experienced in thinking about, and even defending church history and doctrine — yet these folks clearly are.

The playing field, for the members, is simply not level. They are left to fight an uphill battle (if they want to interact with people outside of Mormonism).

Well, that’s what Mormon Stories is (or tries to be) all about. Trying to tackle these issues head-on in an honest, candid, open and intellectually accessible (non-academic) way, so that LDS Church members can learn about all this difficult stuff from fellow-members, in the context of faith — so that when the DVD arrives on their door step, they can throw it in, watch it, and have the reaction, “I know all this. This is nothing new. And here’s where they have it all wrong….”

If members were adequately prepared regarding our factual history and doctrine, and were well-versed in being able to discuss and justify it, not only would this DVD initiative be a non-event, but it likely would not have have ever been initiated. It might even become a missionary opportunity. Instead, sadly, we have to pull out the “religious discrimination and bigotry” card as our only real response, and then try to gather and throw away as many of the DVDs as possible before folks actually view them.

That’s how I see it, anyway. And that’s what Mormon Stories is trying to accomplish.

How do you see it?

• The very generous and supportive letters I received last week (both as comments to the post, and in private) in response to my call for help were more than I coud have ever hoped for. Thanks to all of you from the bottom of my heart. To me, this was my Jimmy Stewart/Frank Capra moment — and it will remain with me always. Rest assured that these letters were put to very good use, and that they made a huge difference.
• A few dear friends (you know who you are) took the time to counsel me on how I might approach things today, and their counsel was dead-on. I do have a tendency to get all defensive, paranoid and apocolyptic (which can often lead to self-fulfilling prophecies) and your temporing advice was exactly what I needed to ensure that things stayed productive.
• A few dear ones even offered to fast and/or pray/meditate on my behalf. Given all the suffering and pain in the world — I scarcely feel worthy. Nonetheless — I was very grateful for this, and I do believe it helped.

How did it go? It was wonderfully splendid. It feels a bit inappropriate to go into detail here, but I will write up an account and send it privately to all those who either commented, or sent me email. Give me a day or so to do this, if it’s ok.

If I have one thing to leave you all with — it’s this: I did not go in there alone. In my mind, and in my heart — as insignificant as this all all may seem and likely is — I felt that each of you was in there with me. In some small way I felt that you were behind me, and that I was trying my best to represent you — and in the end, love, understanding and support (with a small measure of caution) appear to have prevailed.

Thanks so much for your letters, thoughts, prayers, and support. Sometimes there’s sun. Other times, there’s rain. But today — it was a wonderful life. And I felt you there with me. I hope you can, in some strange and miraculous way, feel it too. There really is hope, and if the stars align — hearts can unite in Christlike understanding and even support.

Whether it’s business or religion, the ‘Fat Pig’ playwright tells it like it is
By Naomi Pfefferman, Arts & Entertainment Editor
Neil LaBute. Photo by Lisa Carpenter

During one of many cringe-worthy moments in Neil LaBute’s play, “Fat Pig,” a cad chastises a co-worker for dating a plus-sized woman named Helen.

“I don’t understand you taking God’s good gifts and pissing on ‘em,” the cad, Carter, warns his colleague, Tom.

Tom is handsome and successful, and Helen is simply considered too fat to grace the arm of a corporate player. It doesn’t matter that she is smart and funny — she is a “cow,” a “sow” or “off-the-charts gross,” according to office personnel.

“I’m not saying … that she shouldn’t meet somebody,” Carter adds, “but it should be a fat somebody, or a bald one. Whatever. Like her.”

The scene sports the kind of nasty, brutally honest dialogue audiences have come to expect from LaBute, a playwright and filmmaker who has been both lauded and reviled for his warped morality (some would say, amorality) tales. The auteur — who will turn 44 on March 19 — has been called a misogynist and a feminist, a moralist and a misanthrope, for cruelty fests that dissect gender politics and the slimier aspects of human nature. “I do like to poke my finger in a mess and see what happens,” he says, chuckling, in his West Hollywood office one recent morning.

“Neil is a button pusher, but he does explore the underbelly of us all,” says Jo Bonney, who directed “Fat Pig’s” successful off-Broadway run in 2004 and 2005 and will direct its West Coast premiere at the Geffen Playhouse May 11-June 17.

“You emerge from his plays praising him for the metaphoric slap in the face or simply wishing you knew where he lived, so you can hunt down the bastard and deliver a literal slap of your own,” New York magazine noted in 2004.

In person, the writer is a study in contrasts and contradictions. He is alternately mischievous and irreverent, imploring and earnest — but so charming, even endearing, that he seems likelier to elicit a smile than a slap.

Heavyset and bearded, wearing a red-checked shirt and a mop of black curls, he has the kind of friendly, rumpled appearance that would no doubt raise eyebrows among the image-obsessed characters of “Fat Pig.” Until recently he was a practicing Mormon, but he left the faith after years of conflict with fellow Latter-day Saints.

“My kids were raised in the church, and they hate almost everything I write,” he says, with regret.

Yet a sign in his office unapologetically proclaims the name of his company, Contemptible Entertainment, and the writer-director looks like a proud parent as he surveys the posters from “LaButeville” that cover the walls of the room. With relish, he notes that the largest image — the one closest to his desk — depicts the nastiest character he has ever created: Chad Piercewell from LaBute’s 1997 debut feature film, “In the Company of Men.” In that movie, the fictional Piercewell convinces a colleague to seduce and dump a deaf secretary as a symbolic act of revenge on all women — and for sport.

Other posters advertise LaButian fare such as the sexual musical chairs saga, “Your Friends and Neighbors,” in which a brute excoriates a lover for bleeding on his 300-count cotton sheets, among other not-so-friendly exchanges. “bash: latterday plays,” spotlights murderous Mormons; “Some Girl(s)” follows a soon-to-be-wed commitmentphobe who visits ex-girlfriends to “apologize” (and to seek material for his new book); and “The Mercy Seat” revolves around a man who would have died in the World Trade Center attacks had he not skipped work for adulterous sex.

“I wouldn’t necessarily want all these guys as friends,” LaBute admits. “They’re extremes; I often write in extremes.”

But then again, he hopes he’s not just a “purveyor of [grotesquerie] — that it’s not just, ‘I really like to see people suffer,’” he says.

LaBute prefers to view himself as a chronicler of transgression, and of how ordinary people can tumble into ethically questionable territory. He believes in what the late Holocaust scholar Hannah Arendt called “the banality of evil” and says he “ascribes to the effect that banality can have on an audience — that cool, calculated moving forward, one step at a time, until you cross the line. It’s the insidiousness of it, you know; it doesn’t take much to go there.”

As John Lahr once wrote in The New Yorker: LaBute “brings to his observations about human nature something that other contemporary American writers have not articulated with such single-minded authority: a sense of sin.”

To understand LaBute’s preoccupation with sin — and casual brutality — one has only to ask him about his childhood in a town outside Spokane, Wash. The model for many of his male “beasts,” he says, was in part his father, Richard, a volatile truck driver who infused the house with a sense of menace. The elder LaBute was also handsome, charming and seductive. But when LaBute’s father returned home, the writer recalls, “You never knew what would set him off, and it was that unpredictability that created fear.”

Occasionally the trucker’s tantrums escalated into punching or slapping LaBute and his mother.

“My father may well have been bipolar, and helped by medication, but he wasn’t someone who would have ever sought that kind of help,” LaBute says. “He was always a person who blamed the other party…. I know my father had a rough upbringing, but there’s always an excuse, unfortunately.”

Because LaBute’s home was “a tough house and a small house to grow up in,” he sought safe havens outside the family circle. He escaped into his school’s theater department — and into services and Bible study classes he attended, alone, at a nondenominational church walking distance from his house. “[The atmosphere] gave me a sense of quiet, of peace and especially of community — everything I had been missing growing up,” he says.

LaBute chose to attend the Mormon Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah, because, “It seemed as far away as I could get from my father, not just geographically, but spiritually — a place he wouldn’t follow.”

LaBute converted to Mormonism in the 1980s, before he married Lisa Gore, a family therapist who was deeply involved in the faith and eventually held a church office.

“I was never the most devout or straightforward of the flock,” he says. “I like to say ‘I was practicing, although I needed more practice.’”

“But I don’t think I would have stayed had I not gotten something out of the [religion],” he adds. “I certainly had questions about the church, but I didn’t find its structure or history to be problematic.” LaBute cites the Mormon belief that theological history was engraved on golden plates and buried in ancient times: “While that might sound outlandish to members of other religions, I’m like, ‘Yeah, what about an ark of the covenant? A Garden of Eden?’ The Mormon stories are no more outlandish.”

When LaBute returned to Brigham Young to earn his doctorate in the early 1990s, he squabbled with officials who found his work brilliant but scandalous.

Administrators locked him out of the theater to prevent the staging of “Lepers” (later the play and the film “Your Friends and Neighbors”). LaBute was allowed into the building only to give an exam in a class he was teaching — and then he cheekily cut the test short in order to show his play.

At Brigham Young, he also directed a student production of David Mamet’s “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” after removing the expletives to meet university standards.

“Mamet would’ve been horrified,” he says. “But I tried to maintain the sense of the play without the overt language. Even to advertise it I had to create a subversive kind of poster; it was so lavishly decorated that you couldn’t read the title.”

The tension between LaBute’s work and his faith also played out in his personal life. In the late 1990s, his wife phoned him on the first day of his “Neighbors” shoot, to beg him to cancel the production. LaBute has been reported to have said that his work created great stress in his marriage, but he was not about to let anyone dictate what he should write. (LaBute said he is still married, but declined to say anything further.)

Mormon officials mostly left him alone until his 1999 trio of playlets, “bash” (later a 2001 Showtime production), depicted clearly Mormon characters hurting babies and homosexuals. LaBute was summoned before a 15-person tribunal and interrogated.

“It was upsetting because I felt misunderstood and misread,” he says. “I understand that Mormons have a defined sense of what art should be and the kind of art that Mormons should be making. It should be uplifting, even if there is a darkness to it. I agreed that one can write dark things that still show a moral side, and I said that’s what I think I do.”

LaBute said he had intended “bash” to show how even devout people can commit atrocities; he made the characters Mormon “because I was too lazy to research other religions.” He agreed to refrain from writing about Mormons ever again.

Nevertheless, LaBute was disfellowshipped, which he describes as “a kind of limbo where you can work back into the good standing of the church or toward excommunication. In my case, the issue raised enough questions and made me angry enough that I did nothing about it for a while.”

The author decided to withdraw his church membership around 2005, when he was informed that his excommunication was imminent. “It was like quitting before you get fired,” he says. “But I realized that it was actually better for my kids to have a father who wasn’t a member of the church than what they considered a bad member.”

The decision was also best for LaBute: “When I finally focused on the fact that I was making R-rated movies, and Mormons aren’t supposed to attend them, I had to say ‘I’m hustling here, I have to choose one or the other,’” he recalls. “You go along, and you hope nobody busts you on it, but then you bust yourself. It wasn’t really a brave choice, it was just a choice, and in the end it was relatively selfish — I was just doing what I wanted to do.” The conflict between one’s personal and private life is also a central theme in “Fat Pig.” In the play, the fictional Tom may give up the love of his life because he can’t stand the heckling from his co-workers.

“The play explores how we struggle with our convictions and whether we can follow our heart rather than our fears,” director Bonney says. “It makes us question how we behave in groups and the way we judge people.” “Fat Pig” began percolating as LaBute lost 60 pounds on a low-carb, heavy-workout regimen several years ago.

“I wasn’t feeling so hot. I looked like shit. I was tired of wearing the same pants,” he writes in the introduction to the play. He browbeat himself with the mantra, “Stop eating so damn much, you fat bastard!” As his weight dropped, he wrote, he “discovered the preening fool who was living just beneath the surface of my usual self.” LaBute surreptitiously patted his behind to see if it had grown firmer.

“I also noticed that I was writing less and less,” he says.

Eventually, the author, a self-proclaimed stress eater, returned to his Pringles and the aforementioned pants.

LaBute says he’s particularly curious about how Angelenos will respond to “Pig” because “this city is very much about beautiful people trying to look more beautiful.”

“But the play is primarily a study of human weakness,” he insists.

“Tom is not someone who misuses his power, like many of my other characters. He hurts a couple of people along the way, but it’s because he lacks strength. His worst crimes are being a follower, being soft, someone who can’t stand up for what he believes in.”

So what is LaBute’s weakness of choice (besides junk food)?

“I invest much more time in work than in living,” he says, sheepishly. “On the page, people get bloodied, but I pull the strings. It’s a safer place to be.”

Why I Believe: Harry Reid
by Harry Reid
March 15, 2002
Printed from Mormon Life (http://deseretbook.com/mormon-life)

For me, the title of this…would better be Why I’m Glad I Believed.

I was born and raised in Searchlight, Nevada, a mining town of about two hundred people. Mining was not the main industry in Searchlight when I grew up; the number-one business was prostitution. At one time in my youth there were thirteen separate bordellos in town.

I went to a two-room school, and most of the time one teacher taught all eight grades.

I thought we had one of the best homes in Searchlight. But on reflection, I realize that it had no hot water, only an outside toilet, and was heated by a wood stove.

During all the time I spent in Searchlight there was never a church or, as I remember, even a church service. So when I went away to high school in Henderson, some forty-five miles away, it was a real adjustment. I hitchhiked or obtained rides in other ways to and from Basic High School. I would stay with people during the week and go home on weekends.

My first boarding site in Henderson was with my father’s brother, Uncle Joe. His wife was Aunt Rae, who many in the family thought was a little strange because she was a Latter-day Saint.

Aunt Rae was very good to me. She was strict but fair. One thing she suggested was my going to something called seminary. A boy named Ron was nice to me and said he also went to seminary. I thought it unusual to go to class before school started, but because of Ron and Aunt Rae I agreed to try this thing called seminary.

The seminary instructor was named Marlan Walker. He was also a high-school Spanish teacher and, as I learned later, an LDS bishop. To say he was a good teacher is a gross understatement. He was mesmerizing. For the first time in my life, I heard the message of Jesus Christ.

In my high-school years, I took two years of Spanish from Marlan Walker as did my wife-to-be, Landra Gould. Marlan went out of his way to be kind to everyone, especially to me and my Jewish girlfriend, Landra. He set an example in kindness that was impressive.

I obtained an athletic scholarship to attend the College of Southern Utah, where I lived in a dormitory with two of my Nevada friends. It was a room for four, so we were assigned a roommate named Larry Adams, who was a Korean War veteran and a returned missionary. He always acted as a returned missionary should.

Because Landra’s parents did not want her to marry a non-Jew, we decided, following my sophomore year in college, to elope. Our former Spanish teacher, still a bishop, heard of our secret marriage plans and said he would save us the twenty-five dollars for a justice of the peace and would himself marry us, in his LDS chapel, no less.

After he married us, we two nineteen-year-olds went to Utah State University to complete our education. My brilliant wife sacrificed her remaining college to work so I could become a lawyer.

Landra rose before dawn each day to take a bus to Thiokol Chemical Company about fifty miles distant, where she worked to pay for my college education. The bus driver, Mr. McPherson, was a stake missionary. Because of his teaching and his patience, we were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints.

After more than forty years, Landra and I believe our joining the Church to be among the best decisions we ever made. We accepted the Church and a new life because of the power of example. Many contributed to the change, from Aunt Rae to Marlan Walker, from Larry Adams to the stake missionaries. They were effective because they lived their lives as shining representatives, even models, of the life of Jesus.

Our blessings are many. We have five children and soon will have twelve grandchildren. All five of our children have attended BYU, and all have been married in the temple. Each child has been a positive example for us.

After these many years I believe that the Church has been a steady, positive blueprint for my life. Without the direction of the Church, I would have been without a compass.

So you see, I am glad I believed.

This and other moving testimonials from rank-in-file and well-known members of The Church can be found in the remarkable new collection, Why I Believe.
© 2002 Deseret Book Company.

Deseret News: OREM — Columbia University professor Claudia Bushman will speak Thursday at Utah Valley State College on the topic “Should LDS Women Speak Out? Thoughts on Our Place.”

Bushman’s lecture is at 7 p.m. in room 101 of the Liberal Arts Building. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Bushman is this year’s presenter of the Eugene England Lecture for UVSC’s Religious Studies Program. She is also the author of the book, “Building the Kingdom: A History of Mormons in America.”

A small situation has arisen and I’d love to gather a few letters from folks who feel like Mormon Stories has helped them find a way to remain active in the church when they otherwise might not have.

If you are able to help, please either email me at mormonstories@gmail.com or post your story here.

Thanks so much, and sorry to be a burden.

Yes, the moment you’ve been waiting for all winter – time to plan your annual, trek to the Mormon Women’s Rocky Mountain Retreat. We have some great things planned – all we need is you. Come enjoy:

• fMhLisa, Boise Sunday School teacher by day, feminist blogger by night (and any other time she gets the chance). Check out her blog at http://feministmormonhousewives.org/. The New York Times says, “Unlike the more mainstream Mormon blogs — known collectively as the Bloggernacle — that by and large promote the faith, this online diary focuses on the universal challenges of mothering young children and on frustration with the limited roles women have in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.”
• A panel discussion about partners who are “unevenly yoked.” Is your spouse more or less “actively engaged” than you are? Hear from others with similar experiences and share your own.
• Music and singing (bring your voices and instruments if you have them)
• Famous Friday Potluck and Saturday Supper
• Sunday Quaker meeting
• Hikes, walks, talks, games, swimming, hot springs, naps, lounging
• Seeing old friends and making new ones

MONEY Retreat fees are $125.17. This includes supper on Saturday. YOU MUST SEND either a deposit of $62.50 or the full amount by March 23 to be guaranteed a space. Cabins must be reserved and we depend on our March count. The second-half balance is due April 23.

Checks and registration forms (below) should be mailed to:

Rocky Mountain Retreat
Dorene Taylor
5180 N. Lariat Drive
Castle Rock, CO 80108

In the Wikipedia entry on Grant Palmer, our podcast interview w/ Mr. Palmer (and Mr. Bushman) is mentioned.

They also compare Grant Palmer to Galileo.

Those of you with WAY too much time on your hands, or who want to Snark me, can even now begin writing a blurb on my own, personal “yet to be created wikipedia entry” (I’m not allowed to write about myself. That would not be neutral).

This Web 2.0 thing is starting to get a little crazy, eh?

MTV is running a series called “Engaged and Underage” on underage marriages in the U.S. One of the couples they are spotlighting is a Mormon couple — she was raised in the church, he converted.

Within this episode, they explore how hard it is for non-LDS families to be excluded from the wedding ceremony in the LDS temple. It’s definitely an interesting Mormon story.  Some parts are QUITE painful.

To watch the episode, click here and then click on the “Engaged and Underage: Episode 6 — Play All” link at the top right of the page (please let me know if these instructions work).

Then return, and discuss.

P.S. Where do they find these people?!?!?!?!?!?

When the cheering section for Joe Darger is at full strength, it includes his father, his mother, his 18 siblings and his father’s other wife.

They wear red T-shirts, blow on red noisemakers and wave red pompoms. They appear no different from any other group in the U.N.L.V. family section — only larger and louder.

“We cheer for all the players,” said John Darger, Joe’s father. “We like to get a little rowdy.”

John Darger is married to Carollee Darger, Joe’s mother. He is also married to Elizabeth Darger, the mother of eight of his children. He calls himself a polygamist.

His children range in age from 2 to 40, with Joe in the middle at 20. A 6-foot-7 sophomore with spiky blond hair and a feathery shooting stroke, Joe is the most accurate 3-point shooter on the Nevada-Las Vegas basketball team. The Runnin’ Rebels, 25-6 after a 65-47 victory over Colorado State on Saturday, are poised to qualify for the N.C.A.A. tournament next week.

“I think we’re going to be on the road for a while here,” Carollee said.

Fifteen of Joe’s family members drove to Las Vegas on Saturday for the team’s regular-season finale. They came in a three-car caravan, six hours from their home in Riverton, Utah. They left Riverton after a morning baptism and arrived at the Thomas & Mack Center just in time for tip-off.

Pregame introductions at the Thomas & Mack are not to be missed. They are basketball’s version of a Las Vegas show, with fireworks exploding from the scoreboard, flames shooting up from each basket and cheerleaders strutting across the hardwood in faux leather uniforms.

This does not seem like a place for a Mormon who left the student dorms last year when he learned they were coed. But Joe has found a home at U.N.L.V., perhaps because the family here is nearly as open as his own.

Dating to the days of Jerry Tarkanian, U.N.L.V.’s famous former coach, the Rebels have been noted for running the fast break and for accepting players who are out of society’s mainstream.

“We’ve always taught our kids to respect other people’s beliefs and ways of life,” John said. “We always tell them, Don’t judge anybody for any reason.”

College basketball has plenty of experience with nontraditional family structures: parents in jail, parents in shelters, parents missing entirely. Joe grew up with three parents in the house.

Although Elizabeth Darger did not make the trip to Las Vegas on Saturday, she watches Joe’s games with almost as much interest as John and Carollee. She helped bring up Joe and is described by family members as his surrogate mother.

Joe, who averages 6.3 points, declined to comment for this article, saying that his coaches did not want to create any distractions heading into the postseason. But with the N.C.A.A. tournament starting March 13, the television cameras will inevitably find Joe and his family.

When Joe played at Riverton High School, he was a top prospect and a subject of intense gossip. During road games, opposing fans would taunt him with chants about his family. When he met college coaches, he would immediately tell them about his background. Some were taken aback, but they did not stop recruiting him.

“I know the kid really well, and I like him a lot,” said Rick Majerus, a former Utah coach, who recruited Joe in high school. “I met the family, and they were very nice people — certainly loved their son and cared about him.”

John Darger is a 60-year-old real estate developer with bushy gray hair, a thin goatee and a deep singing voice. He grew up with 46 siblings. His father had several wives. Polygamy was passed down like a family heirloom.

When John met Carollee 32 years ago, he was a construction worker and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple. For anniversaries, John still writes songs for Carollee.

John considers himself a Mormon, but he is no longer recognized as one. Because polygamy is illegal and the church renounced the practice more than a century ago, John said that he had been excommunicated. His children, however, remain active members of the church and have given no indication that they will practice polygamy.

“We have never pushed our kids to pick our lifestyle,” John said.

John and Carollee sat in the lower bowl of the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday night with a few of their younger children. The older ones, who now have children of their own, were directly above them. The family was unable to get enough seats in the same row, so it had to split up.

The family cheering section erupted when Joe sank two early 3-pointers, and it cringed when he jammed his right thumb chasing a rebound. Standing on the sideline in the second half, with his right hand wrapped in tape, Joe watched his team pull away for a victory. He hugged every senior who came to the bench.

At the end of the game, the Dargers walked down to courtside and waited for more than an hour as Joe signed autographs. They wanted to congratulate him on the game and check on his hand. When he finally came over to meet them, they gathered in a huddle and discussed plans for the night.

Much of the crowd seemed headed to nightclubs on the Strip, but the Dargers retreated to a house in a subdivision just outside Las Vegas. John and Carollee bought the house for Joe, partly because they did not want him to live in a dormitory, and partly because the family needed a place to stay after games.

“Joe generously agreed to give up his bed tonight,” said Crystal Lee Darger, one of his older sisters. “He’s sleeping on the couch.”

The house is two stories, in a gated community, and Joe normally occupies the master bedroom. Nine basketballs roll around the floor. The walls are covered with photos of his girlfriend and his favorite players.

“We think this works better than the dorm,” said Carollee, sprawling out on an oversized beanbag chair.

Carollee is 49, with long brown hair and a sharp sense of humor, often aimed at her husband. Besides rearing children, she runs a health-food store in Salt Lake City called Shirlyn’s Natural Foods. Over the years, her daughters have worked by her side.

As Carollee relaxed on the beanbag chair, children came and went. Her sons cooked burritos. Her daughters gave each other massages. When polygamy was raised as a topic of conversation, they laughed. They say they think it is amusing that people are so fascinated by it.

“We are just people,” Carollee said. “We are normal people.”

The Dargers live in a seven-bedroom house in Riverton, about 20 miles from Salt Lake City. All the children were born at home, delivered by a midwife. When they were young, they often slept three to a room. The whole family shared two bathrooms.

“That was a battle for survival,” said Angel Lee Darger, one of Joe’s older sisters. “But it’s also how we learned to get along so well.”

At first, the family lived on a farm outside Riverton. The children had to wake up at 5 a.m. every day to help their parents milk the cows and feed the chickens. When the family moved into town a few years later, the wake-up calls did not come any later.

John still roused the children at 5 a.m., but instead of farming, he took them to the local recreation center to shoot baskets. Jason Darger, one of Joe’s older brothers, claims to have made 93 of 100 3-point attempts during one of those sessions.

As the children got older, they played full-fledged games of five-on-five. Their annual holiday showdown made the local news. Of John’s 18 children, all but the 2-year-old have played some level of competitive basketball.

“By the time they turned 5, every one of them was in a league,” Carollee said. “I think it taught them a lot.”

Many of the children are grown now; only Joe does not live in Riverton. Their houses are separated by no more than 10 minutes. For birthdays, they pick one night each month to celebrate. For Christmas, they draw one name from a hat and buy a present for only that person. Still, the stack of presents is three feet high.

Every Sunday in Riverton, the family gathers to eat dinner, read Scripture, play chess and sing. Sometimes, John tries out a gospel or country piece that he has written. Usually, though, he falls back on his old favorites, “Jimmy Crack Corn” and “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.”

When Joe is in town, he and John take turns on the guitar.

When everyone is singing together — 50 children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces — the house can become loud.

There are no fireworks, flames or leather-clad cheerleaders, but still, the Dargers can put on a Las Vegas-type show.

Brainstorming? Thoughts? Volunteers?