Because of my interest in Mormon Studies, a work colleague today pointed me to http://www.digg.com, one of the top news sites for the technology industry. The link he pointed me to was this article, where digg readers had highlighted a new anti-Mormon video as interesting or important. Currently, it ranks #1 in the Educational Video section of Digg. So far it’s been watched 5,300 times.
Mormon Stories Book Club
Posts Tagged ‘ Mormon History ’
The “Mormon Theology in 6 Minutes” Video, Digg.Com, YouTube.com and the Web 2.0
July 20, 2006
By John DehlinBill Moyers on Faith & Reason–Salman Rushdie
July 14, 2006
By John DehlinI exercised yesterday in a state of bewilderment–to hear Salman Rushdie express thoughts and feelings about Islam that could just as easily have been written by me about Mormonism (if I were a better writer, of course). A big thanks to my pal Russ for the recommendation. If you have any time on your hands, please check it out. I promise you will not be disappointed. P.S. Watt Mahoon–did your name come from the Satanic Verses per chance?
A Consolidated List of “Highlights” So Far on Mormon Stories
June 23, 2006
By John DehlinFor those who’ve joined us recently–I’ve created a consolidated list of the major works I’ve done since starting the Mormon Stories podcast. Check it out, and let me know if I missed anything, and if there’s anything here you didn’t know about.
My List of “Must Read Books” for Mormon Studies
June 19, 2006
By John Dehlin“Must Read” Books on Mormonism and the LDS Church: Overview: Mormon America: The Power and the Promise (Hardcover), by Richard and Joan Ostling The Mormon Experience: A History of the Latter-Day Saints, by Leonard J. Arrington (Author), Davis Bitton On the 19th Century Church: Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism, by Marvin S. Hill The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, by D. Michael Quinn On the 20th Century Church: David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism, by Gregory Prince The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation, by Armand Mauss The Mormon Hierarchy:…
http://www.supportmikequinn.net/
June 8, 2006
By John DehlinSome of my listeners, I’m sure, will be offended at the very thought of helping out Mike Quinn. Others, I know, feel very indebted to him for his contributions to Mormon History. For those so inclined, click here to read how you can support Mike Quinn.
030-033: An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins — An Interview with Grant Palmer
May 15, 2006
By John DehlinIn this episode of Mormon Stories, we interview Grant Palmer–author of the book entitled “An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins. During this episode we cover Joseph Smith’s treasure seeking and usage of peep stones, the actual mechanics of the Book of Mormon translation process, the recorded accounts of the witnesses to the Book of Mormon, the multiple versions of Joseph Smith’s First Vision story, and the evolution of the LDS Priesthood accounts over time. In episode 4, Grant discusses the early reactions to his book, his trial with the LDS Church for apostacy (which ultimately led to disfellowship), his thoughts…
Interviewing Grant Palmer — Please Post Your Questions for Him
May 9, 2006
By John DehlinWithin the next few days I will be doing a 3 hour podcast with Grant Palmer–his life, his time w/ CES, his books, his church disciplinary court, and his future. I would love to be able to present him w/ questions from my listeners. Please post any questions you would like for Grant to answer, and I will coallate and ask. Thanks!
027-029: My ( John Dehlin’s ) Story
May 7, 2006
By John DehlinAt least once each week a listener will ask me (John Dehlin) about my testimony of the LDS Church. Liberals or ex-Mormons sometimes call me an apologist. A few conservatives have accused me of being a “wolf in sheep’s clothing.” So, to dispel the speculation–and in response to lots and lots of requests–I recorded a 3 part episode sharing a bit of my own story within the Mormon context. For more details on the episodes, see below: Part 1–Mormon to the Bone: In this episode, I discuss my childhood, youth, and missionary experiences within the Mormon church, through the end…
Seeking FAIR or FARMS Member to Do a Podcast Rebuttal of Palmer’s “An Insider’s View…”
May 5, 2006
By John DehlinI am seeking a FAIR or FARMS member to do a podcast interview/rebuttal of “An Insider’s View of Mormon Origins.” Please either reply here, or email me directly. Thanks!
Progress on my “Top 10 Tough Issues in Mormon History” Site
May 1, 2006
By John DehlinHey, For an HTML class I’m taking for my masters at USU, I’ve been creating a web site dedicated to laying out the “facts” surrounding 10 of the top issues that cause some people to struggle within Mormonism and Mormon History. You can check out the site here: http://www.mormonstories.org/top10toughissues I very much welcome your feedback….for both tone and accuracy. As mentioned on the home page, my design specs for this site are: For each topic, we will in no way attempt to cover the material comprehensively. Instead, these topics will be VERY BRIEF. Our intent will be to do the…
026: Blacks and the LDS Priesthood–An Interview with Darius Gray and Margaret Young
April 12, 2006
By John Dehlin
Recently, Brigham Young University invited Darius Gray–one of the founders of the LDS Genesis Group, and a black Mormon for over 30 years–to deliver a presentation entitled, “Blacks and the LDS Priesthood.” An audio-based PowerPoint presentation of this podcast can be found here. In this podcast, Darius re-delivers this presentation, along with Margaret Young. Darius and Margaret are co-authors of a trilogy dealing with black Mormon history entitled: Standing on the Promises. 2 of the links mentioned in the podcast are: http://mormonstories.org/top10toughissues/blacks.html and http://www.ldsgenesisgroup.org/howtoreach.html Finally–Darius, Margaret, and Richard Dutcher are collaborating on a documentary about blacks and the Mormon church…and…
022-024: Black and Mormon — The Darron Smith Story
March 30, 2006
By John DehlinIn this 3 part series, we interview Darron Smith–a black man who joined the LDS church as a teenager in Tennessee. After serving a mission for the LDS Church and graduating from the University of Utah, Darron began a 10 year teaching career at church-owned Brigham Young University. Late last year, Darron’s employment was terminated in response to (according to Darron) his public outspokenness regarding the LDS Church and its treatment of blacks–past and present. In this podcast, Darron: Discusses his positive upbringing in the LDS Church Provides a brief history of Blacks within the LDS Church Discusses his termination…
019-021: Mormon, Married, Gay and Facing Discipline–An Interview with Buckley Jeppson
March 17, 2006
By John DehlinIn this 3-part series, we interview Buckley Jeppson. Buckley, 57, says he’s been informed verbally by a senior church leader that his life is incompatible with the doctrines of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and that a disciplinary council will soon address the matter. Jeppson, of Washington, D.C., married Mike Kessler in Toronto on Aug. 27, 2004. It is believed that if Jeppson is excommunicated, it would be the first time a Mormon in a legal, same-sex marriage was punished by the church. Jeppson claims that over the past five months Nolan Archibald, his Stake President and…
More Readings on Mormons, Blacks, Curses, and Priesthood
February 14, 2006
By John DehlinI have been lightly bombarded with kind suggestions to provide other sources on the topic. Here are a few:From Armand Mauss: Dispelling the curse of Cain: or, How to Explain the Old Priesthood Ban Without Looking Ridiculous Neither White Nor Black Newell Bringhurst’s Saints, Slaves, and Blacks All Abraham’s Children: Changing Mormon Conceptions of Race and Lineage (University of Illinois Press). From FAIR: http://www.blacklds.org/ http://members.cox.net/mikeparkerpublic/gd06_cursemyth2.pdf Thanks to all for the feedback! I look forward to this. John
018: New Order Mormons Pt. 1–Ann’s Story
February 13, 2006
By John DehlinToday we begin a 2 part series on New Order Mormonism. New Order Mormons’ web site can be found here. According to their web site, “New Order Mormons are those who no longer believe some (or much) of the dogma or doctrines of the LDS church, but who want to maintain membership for cultural and social reasons.” In part 1 of this series, we interview Ann–a pleasant but strong force in the bloggernacle, and also a leader within New Order Mormonism. Ann shares with us her story–and details her journey into New Order Mormonism. To listen directly to the podcast,…
Upcoming Podcast on Mormons, Racism and People of African Descent
February 12, 2006
By John DehlinFor the past 2 weeks, my 8 and 10 year old daughters were both taught in Sunday School that blacks were descendants of Cain, and that’s why they didn’t get the priesthood until 1978. In celebration of this momentous event in our family , I’m gonna soon do a podcast on Mormons, Negroes/Blacks and Racism. In my preparations, I found a great article/history on the subject. For those interested, check it out here. Also, if anyone has ideas, or questions for the podcast, please let me know. Stay tuned for the podcast. John Dehlin
016 & 017: Mormon Stages of Faith Pts. 2 & 3
January 24, 2006
By John DehlinIn parts 2 and 3 of this 3-part series: Part 2: Tom Kimball (with support from Dan Wotherspoon) takes us through the “Stages of Faith” from an LDS perspective, and Part 3: Tom and Dan both share with us a bit about their journeys into stage 4, including their attempts to work with their respective bishops to baptize (Tom) and ordain (Dan) their sons while in stage 4. To listen directly to episode 2, click here. To listen directly to episode 3, click here.
013-014: An Introduction to Mormon Polygamy with Todd Compton Parts 2 & 3
January 19, 2006
By John DehlinParts 2 and 3 of my interview with Todd Compton entitled “An Introduction to Mormon Polygamy” have now been posted to the Mormon Stories podcast. To comment on this podcast, please proceed to the LDS Liberation Front post for this podcast. To launch the podcasts directly from this blog: Click here for Part 2 Click here for Part 3 We hope you enjoy, and look forward to your thoughts and feedback!!! John Dehlin
012: An Introduction to Mormon Polygamy with Todd Compton Part 1
January 17, 2006
By John DehlinIn part 1 of a 3 part series, we interview Todd Compton about the basics of polygamy in the Mormon church. Todd Compton is the author of the book In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith. To launch the podcast directly from the blog, please click here. To comment on this podcast, please post comments directly to the corresponding post at the Latter-day Saint Liberation Front.
Preparing for the “Polygamy Podcast”
December 16, 2005
By John DehlinOK…I’m ready to do the “Polygamy Podcast.” My plan is the following: I’d like to use as a framework for the podcast this collection of facts I’ve assembled–all drawing from Church or primary sources. The purpose of the podcast will be to lay out these basic facts–in other words, “Mormon Polygamy Facts That Cause LDS Folk to Struggle” I’ve sent the link to FAIR, and have asked them (for a 2nd time) to provide any and all additions/corrections that they feel are relevant. I have sent out an invitation to FAIR for their top polygamy expert to come on the…
The Polygamy Thing
December 7, 2005
By John DehlinOK…..my polygamy article is now ready as well. You can acccess it here. Please read what I’m trying to do here before you comment.
Joseph Smith, Peep Stones, and Treasure Digging
December 7, 2005
By John DehlinI am working to create a list of the “Top 10 Toughest Issues in Mormon History“. My first document on “Joseph Smith, Peep Stones, and Treasure Digging” can be found here. My goals in this project are very simple:
A Primary Source for Joseph Smith’s 1831 Plural Marriage Revelation?
December 2, 2005
By John DehlinI’m looking for hard evidence of Joseph Smith’s 1831 plural marriage revelation. There are lots of anti-Mormon sites that mention it, but I’m looking for non-anti-Mormon primary sources. Some leads might be: Can anyone confirm this quote from Widstoe’s book? “The evidence seems clear that the revelation on plural marriage was received by the Prophet as early as 1831″ (John A. Widstoe, Joseph Smith-Seeker After Truth, p.236). Can someone confirm this from a primary source? Joseph F. Smith, the sixth president of the church, once stated: “The great and glorious principle of plural marriage was first revealed to Joseph Smith…
Why people leave the LDS Church, and what we can do about it
November 24, 2005
By John DehlinRecently a stake high councilman came to me very concerned about a family that had just decided to leave the church, and have their names removed from the records. He and his wife were desperate to know how to counsel this family–one of the best and brightest in their stake. To help, I came up with this screencast (for Internet Explorer users) and this one for everyone else. The basic premises are–1) you can’t help them if you don’t know what they’re going through, and 2) you can’t help them by making them a “project”. For those of you with loved…
011: Finding our Way Back Home Pt. 2
November 24, 2005
By John DehlinIn part 2 of this interview, we continue our conversation with “Serenity Valley” and “Roasted Tomatoes”–a young LDS couple living in the San Francisco Bay area, and creators of the LDS Blog “Latter-Day Saint Liberation Front“. In this episode, Serenity and RT discuss her ultimate return to Mormonism, the impact it has had on their marriage and family, and conclude with a very candid and somewhat courageous discussion of their testimonies–some of which can safely be considered “non-mainstream” or alternative within the LDS paradigm. Click here to listen.
Mormon Studies Wiki Makes Progress, Undergoes Restructuring
November 11, 2005
By John DehlinHey! An update on the Mormon Studies Wiki. We’ve made some good progress as of late, including… We now have 12 registered contributors! Wooo hoo!!!! Cleaned up the home page, including a navigation menu, and a logo!! The Table of Contents is looking good, and pages for most of the topics have been created and are ready for content. The race page is really starting to be fleshed out!!! One member has started both a timeline page, and a “who’s who” page. If you are interested in participating, just create an account, log in, go to the table of contents,…
Please help us promote God’s Army 2 (al la Blair Witch Project)–A historical bloggernacle opportunity
November 9, 2005
By John DehlinAs some of you may have gathered, I feel like ‘God’s Army 2 – States of Grace‘ is a critical movie for the Mormon culture/community. It explores race, forgiveness, redemption, religion, and just plain humanity in a way I haven’t experienced in a long, long time. The bloggernacle buzz has begun, including: My podcast interview w/ Dutcher yesterday, over on SunstoneBlog.com M* has released a very interesting interview w/ Richard today But we (in the bloggernacle) can do more. Nay….we must do more. Wouldn’t it be amazing to see if we could join together in the bloggernacle to collectively promote…
“God’s Army 2: States of Grace”–Simply Stunning
November 7, 2005
By John DehlinI know, I know. You think I’m overdoing it. But I’m not. At the risk of building it up too much and spoiling it for the rest of you, "God’s Army 2 – States of Grace" is nothing short of amazing. This movie hits hard and deep. It pulls no punches, and it touches on several of the most poignant issues in Mormon history, doctrine, and, most importantly, culture. I plan/hope to interview Richard Dutcher tomorrow (if we can pull it off), so stay tuned, but please consider going out to the movie theatre over the next few days, and…
Mormon Studies Wiki Now Released!
November 5, 2005
By John DehlinOK….the Mormon Studies Wiki is now released. You can access it at this URL: http://www.mormonstudieswiki.org This project is not to "compete" with the FAIR wiki, but to be complimentary to it. To me, the 2 major differences are: Audience: In terms of writing style, we are targeting the average 18 year old LDS person. We are not seeking to write technical, academic prose, but instead accessible prose, in very plain language….telling the stories on each of these issues at a high level, assuming minimal prior knowledge. Neutral Position: While I’m sure the majority of those who participate in this project…
“Coase’s Mormon Penguin” — Or “How to REALLY Turn the Bloggernacle Into Something Fantastic”
November 1, 2005
By John DehlinIn my day job, I work for one of the world’s leading zealots for openness–especially as it relates to educational content. Last year, Dr. David Wiley asked me to read an article entitled "Coase’s Penguin, or, Linux and The Nature of the Firm" by Yochai Benkler (since this article was published in the Yale Law Review, I thought there might be a SMALL chance that some of you lawyer-types in the bloggernacle might be a bit interested). Anyway, this article explains why initiatives like Linux, Wikipedia, Slashdot, and the Open Directory Project have been so successful. If you don’t know…
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