The Hidden Telos of Marriage

Last updated on: July 6, 2015 at 8:48 pm By Rachael

As I made my way through the 100+ page ruling of the recent Supreme Court decision on gay marriage, I was puzzled by a subtle discursive difference between the majority and dissenting opinions. I couldn’t put my finger on it until the word leapt out from page 5 of Justice Roberts’ dissenting opinion: “The premises supporting this concept of marriage are so fundamental that they rarely require articulation. The human race must procreate to survive. Procreation occurs through sexual relations... Read more

Another Year, Another Mormon Feminist Silenced at Church

Last updated on: June 24, 2015 at 12:33 am By Emily Belanger

If someone had asked me three or five years ago whether I feared retribution for being an outspoken Mormon feminist, I would have told them no, not really. But I would have added that I didn’t fear it because on an intellectual level I saw how the Church had become more inclusive. That we were past the days of the September Six excommunications, that efforts such as the I’m a Mormon campaign demonstrated the Church’s commitment to including diverse members with... Read more

Is Mormonism optimistic?

Last updated on: April 22, 2015 at 9:01 pm By J. Paul Valley

I’ve been having a problem with optimism lately. My last two blog posts were basically just exercises in much needed mental cleansing. I feel alone at church and all my friends are leaving, etc. You know, young person stuff, I guess. But I’ve been fighting harder lately. Getting in the ring to punch out pessimism. ‘I believe this stuff” I keep reminding myself, “so I gotta figure out how to make this work and make it work well.” A big... Read more

The Problem with “Conscience”

Last updated on: May 11, 2015 at 3:36 am By Alan Hurst

The last time a state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) made news, I argued that the law’s critics were letting the word “discrimination” distract them from the real issues at stake. Everything I said then bears repeating: not all discrimination is wrong, not all wrongful discrimination should be illegal, and sometimes religious freedom really does give people the right to discriminate. But it’s only fair to acknowledge now, with another RFRA controversy lining outrage-mongers’ pockets, that RFRAs’ critics aren’t the... Read more

Review: Going Clear

Last updated on: April 1, 2015 at 10:07 pm By Cody Ray Shafer

David Cross once joked that Mormonism was the Scientology of its day. Like a lot of David Cross jokes, the punchline was nothing more than a widely dismissive statement that attempted to brush the two vastly different religions with one general stroke of snarky skepticism. When I heard it, laughing along at the jabs at Scientology, I squirmed awkwardly at the mention of Mormonism. Not my Mormonism, I thought. My spiritual experiences were hardly insubstantive, and couldn’t be reduced so... Read more

Application Deadline Extended for Wheatley Seminar

Last updated on: March 15, 2015 at 1:37 am By Rachael

Advanced undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply to participate in a three week seminar from June 22-July 10 in Provo, Utah, surveying early Christian thought, Mormon theological foundations, contemporary social issues– and how we might find connections among all three. A rare opportunity to integrate the sometimes esoteric realms of Mormon theology with the practical, lived reality of our political engagement in the real world. Generous stipend for those selected. Click here to download the attachments for more details and... Read more

Adventures in Approaching Zion

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 9:45 am By Beau and Amy Lefler

I ended my last article with the idea that not knowing how to move towards Zion as an LDS community is not frustrating, but rather exciting. We need to blend the enthusiasm and fresh ideas from a rising generation about what Zion means and how to get there, with the voices of those who have lived a committed life of working towards that lofty goal. This article will present one idea about approaching Zion. It is the story of how one... Read more

“The Prophecy of This Book”

Last updated on: February 16, 2015 at 3:03 am By joespencer

Believers in the Book of Mormon are inevitably acquainted with Revelation 22:18-19: For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of... Read more

Inversion

Last updated on: February 18, 2015 at 5:52 pm By J. Paul Valley

Please excuse the strained metaphor. Every now and again I have the chance to head into town. By town I mean Salt Lake City. Home of a basketball team that people sometimes care about, the biggest salt water lake in our hemisphere, and some pretty nasty inversion in the winter time. Inversion is a silly little phenomenon. It’s what happens every year in the Salt Lake Valley, when cold wind passes over the Wasatch Mountains and traps pollution that has... Read more

Can Discipline Remain Local in a Global Church?

Last updated on: February 11, 2015 at 11:05 pm By Emily Belanger

Leading up to Kate Kelly’s disciplinary hearing in 2014, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints published a statement that emphasized the role of local leaders: “Disciplinary councils may be held by local leaders when members preach doctrines contrary to teachings of the Church and refuse to be counseled… Council proceedings are considered private matters between a member and his or her local Church leader.” The statement implies that Church leadership agrees with Kelly’s local leaders, while also distancing global leaders from the responsibility of... Read more