Mormon Scholars in the Humanities conference: "The Mystical"

2013 MSH Conference, "The Mystical."

We now invite you to register for our 2013 conference, which will be held March 15 and 16, 2013, at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. This year's meeting focuses on mysticism, with presentations by two notable guest speakers, David Loy and Elliot Wolfson, as well as papers on this and other topics.

Registration Preliminary conference schedule

Joseph Smith Papers volume editor needed

Historian/Documentary Editor, Joseph Smith Papers

Job Description

Conference: The Expanded Canon, Perspectives on Mormonism and Sacred Texts

Annual Mormon Studies Conference 

UVU's Religious Studies Program has been sponsoring its annual Mormon Studies conference since March, 2001. These conferences bring together scholars, practitioners, and other presenters to explore a variety of topics and themes in Mormon culture, theology, history, literature, etc. Our program also offers a variety of other lectures, symposia, and conferences that can be seen here.
Thirteenth Annual Mormon Studies Conference  
The Expanded Canon
Perspectives on Mormonism and Sacred Texts
 April 4-5, 2013

New edition of LDS Scriptures; race, polygamy, historical accuracy

Excerpts of New Mormon scriptures tweak race, polygamy references, Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune. See here for a detailed list of changes.

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Scholars laud changes, say they bring a more accurate, fuller view of faith's history.

Egyptian Alphabet documents posted

The Joseph Smith Papers Project announces the addition of the following new content and features to its website, josephsmithpapers.org:

• The Kirtland Egyptian Papers, including images of the "Grammar and Alphabet of the Egyptian Language"; transcripts and images of "Egyptian Counting," the three versions of "Egyptian Alphabet," and two notebooks with Egyptian characters and English entries; and images of two other documents with characters and illustrations. Also included is a brief introduction to the Egyptian material.
• Fragments of the Egyptian papyri purchased by the church in 1835.

Mormon presidential candidate endorses gay marriage

Excerpts of Huntsman endorses gay marriage, urges GOP to do same, by Thomas Burr, Salt Lake Tribune

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Former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman is endorsing gay marriage and urging fellow Republicans to embrace the cause of equality as a basic conservative principle.

Huntsman, who ran an unsuccessful bid for the Republican Party's 2012 presidential nomination, backed civil unions as Utah's chief executive but said in an opinion piece that was "four years ago" and he's evolved.

"I've been married for 29 years. My marriage has been the greatest joy of my life," Huntsman said in a piece published in The American Conservative magazine. "There is nothing conservative about denying other Americans the ability to forge that same relationship with the person they love."

Church History Symposium, Approaching Antiquity: Joseph Smith's Study of the Ancient World

2013 BYU Church History Symposium

Approaching Antiquity:

Joseph Smith's Study of the Ancient World

BYU CHURCH HISTORY SYMPOSIUM

March 7–8, 2013

LDS Church files brief supporting Prop 8 and DOMA

LDS Church files SCOTUS brief supporting Prop 8, DOMA, Fox13 News, Ben Winslow

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed a pair of briefs with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to uphold California's Proposition 8 and the federal Defense of Marriage Act.

"Revelations in Context" at lds.org

Those with an interest in church history have had to deal with incomplete, uncontextualized and often inaccurate historical information published in church curricula.  Now, a major step has occurred to correct this situation.

Excerpts of Revelations in Context: The Unveiling by Ardis Parshall, keepapitchinin.org.

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... [without good contextual background to the revelations, understanding can be difficult] ... What are you supposed to do as a Gospel Doctrine teacher? No wonder we pick out verses here and there and do proof-texting! How else can we teach from this scripture? What a muddle! ...

A new resource for understanding the Doctrine and Covenants is going online. "Revelations in Context," a series of articles addressing the background of each section of the Doctrine and Covenants, is being published by the Church

A case for Cowdery’s Rod as the “gift” of D&C 6

Within a few weeks of meeting Joseph Smith,
&C 6 & 8 were received for Oliver Cowdery

This week's Gospel Doctrine lesson (#5, "This Is the Spirit of Revelation") covers D&C 6,8 and 9 which discuss Oliver Cowdery and revelation.

Both sections 6 and 8 each discuss two gifts regarding Oliver Cowdery. Those who have compared D&C 8 with the earlier versions of that revelation (such as in the Book of Commandments) are aware that one of the gifts  is a revelatory rod owned by Oliver Cowdery. In this post, I'll provide textual evidence that the first gift mentioned in D&C 6, is the same as the gift of the rod described in earlier versions of D&C 8.*

<continue reading>

Marriott, Boy Scouts and gay rights

Excerpts of Mormon-founded Marriott joins push against anti-gay marriage law, L.A. Times

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... One of the nation's leading gay-rights advocacy groups, the Human Rights Campaign, has formed a coalition of major companies calling for the repeal of the federal Defense of Marriage Act.  

One of the first companies to join the effort was Marriott International Inc., which was founded by a devout Mormon, John Willard Marriott...  

"We are proud of our longstanding commitment to diversity, inclusion and equal treatment of all our employees within our benefits programs. ... Joining the business coalition for DOMA repeal affirms that commitment." ...

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Excerpts of Boy Scouts may mirror Mormon policy and let in gays, Salt Lake Tribune

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The Boy Scouts of America soon may allow openly gay members and leaders in its ranks, a move that could have a dramatic impact on the group's century-old relationship with its top sponsor: the Utah-based LDS Church.

General Young Women's leader: "No need to lobby for [women's] rights"

Excerpts of Remark stirs controversy on LDS women's rights and roles, Kim Johnson, abc4.com

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During the January 15th Devotional Address, Elaine Dalton said, "you will understand your roles and your responsibilities and thus will see no need to lobby for rights."

Sweet potato genome suggests pre-columbian Polynesian invovement

Clues to Prehistoric Human Exploration Found in Sweet Potato Genome, by Lizzie Wade, Science Mag

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Europeans raced across oceans and continents during the Age of Exploration in search of territory and riches. But when they reached the South Pacific, they found they had been beaten there by a more humble traveler: the sweet potato. Now, a new study suggests that the plant's genetics may be the key to unraveling another great age of exploration, one that predated European expansion by several hundred years and remains an anthropological enigma.

Ensign magazine discusses changes to revelations

Excerpts of "Great and Marvelous Are the Revelations of God," Gerrit Dirkmaat, Ensign Magazine

--The ongoing Joseph Smith Papers Project at the Church History Library has highlighted the essential role that Joseph Smith's revelations played in building the faith of early members of the Church. They understood that the process of revelation was not static and that the Lord sometimes commanded Joseph to revise, update, or correct the written revelations.

Study: Utah ranks last in women attending college

Excerpts of Utah's higher-education gender gap grows, by Brian Maffly, Salt Lake Tribune
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UVU study • Percentage of women attending postsecondary institutions trails nation.

Utah women marry younger, have children sooner and have more of them than their peers in all other states. This demographic quirk is often cited as the reason women don't attend college at the same rate as men, a growing cause of concern among higher-education leaders.

A Selected Chronology of Lorenzo Snow

The Priesthood / Relief Society manual Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow will be studied by Latter-day Saint men and women in 2013. In conjunction, LDS-Church-History will present a in-depth chronology of the life of Lorenzo Snow.

2013 Conference of the Mormon Transhumanist Association

... The Mormon Transhumanist Association, ... will be held on 5 April 2013 from 9am to 5pm in Salt Lake City, Utah. Speakers will address the themes of Mormonism, Transhumanism and Transfigurism, with particular attention to topics at the intersection of technology, spirituality, science and religion. ...

The Cross in Mormon History

Amelia Folsom Young (Briaham Young's

 polygamous wife). Photograph from Utah
State Historical Society Classified Photo
Collection, no. 14195

Excerpts of  Reed, "Banishing the Cross: The Emergence of a Mormon Taboo" (reviewed by Boyd J. Petersen) 
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Title: Banishing the Cross: The Emergence of a Mormon Taboo
Author: Michael G. Reed

... As Robert Rees has argued, one of the "very large stumbling blocks" keeping other Christians from accepting Mormons as Christian is our rejection of the central symbol of Christianity: the cross. [1] The symbol is not found on Mormon places of worship, on LDS hymnals or scripture, or on jewelry worn by members of the Church. In fact it is often viewed with suspicion, as a sign of apostasy.

... [F]or the average Mormon, LDS antipathy to the cross may seem doctrinal, perhaps foundational, dating back to teachings from Joseph Smith. However, as Michael Reed aptly demonstrates ... this history is much more recent and quite complex. ...

Mormon Women "Pants Day" at church

Excerpts of Mormon 'Pants Day' — debate heats up as women prepare to dress down by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune 

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Modern Mormon women who see the skirts-only convention at LDS chapels to be evidence of outdated and discouraging stereotypes ...  proposed the "Wear Pants to Church Day " and posted an announcement on Facebook. The event is intended as the first act of All Enlist, a group dedicated to gender equality in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"We do not seek to eradicate the differences between women and men, but we do want the LDS Church to acknowledge the similarities," the group's mission statement says. "We believe that much of the cultural, structural, and even doctrinal inequality that persists in the LDS Church today stems from the church's reliance on — and enforcement of — rigid gender roles that bear no relationship to reality ."

Within hours, the page had hundreds of commitments to participate, and even more hostile comments.

Mormon Church launches website on homosexuality

Excerpts of New Mormon church website touts softer tone on gays by Peggy Fletcher Stack, Salt Lake Tribune

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The LDS Church is not changing its tune about homosexuality, but it has launched a new website to alter the tone.

The site —called "Love One Another: A Discussion on Same Sex Attraction" — includes video clips of Mormon leaders as well as gay members and their families promoting compassion and understanding toward homosexuals. It also urges gay Mormons to stick with the faith.