T H U R S D AY 2 6 J U LY poetry, Stone Spirits, won the publication award of the Redd Center for Western Studies. SUNNI BRoWN WILkINSoN has an MFA in poetry from Eastern Washington University. She has been published in Southern Indiana Review, Weber Studies, Willow Review, Red Rock Review, and other publications. She teaches writing at Weber State University in ogden. Room EAST BALLROOM 134.
Panel
TWo-PAPeR SeSSIon: BeLIeVInG THe BooK oF MoRMon: HUMe AnD HISToRY, FICTIon AnD FAIRY TALeS
Paper 1 HoW WoULD HUMe ReAD THe BooK oF MoRMon? Presenter RACHEL MABEy WHIppLE is an eco-Mormon housewife, mother, student yoga teacher, and occasional artist. She has a BS in geology and is currently taking philosophy and other humanities classes at ByU just for the fun of it. Abstract Most Latter-day Saints read the Book of Mormon as a historical narrative. As david Hume predicted, they feel a strong connection to the actors and events, which helps them internalize the doctrines. But when some saints lose their faith in the historicity of the Book of Mormon, they feel compelled to abandon it as completely false. If we can read the Book of Mormon as a fictitious text—what Hume calls a romance—then we can embrace the truth we find in the text without being dissuaded by the perceived improbabilities and inconsistencies that shatter the faith of the either/or believer. Paper 2 AnCIenT FAIRY TALeS WRITTen FoR THIS GeneRATIon Presenter pARkER BLoUNT is a piddling contrarian who writes some, reads a lot, canoes and fishes more, and often wonders why he spent so much time in meetings being instructed (or instructing) on how one is expected to live, when he could have been outside experiencing life. Abstract I always thought of fairy tales as entertaining stories for children. But having recently read many different fairy tales, I discovered that they speak profoundly to me (which may confirm that I have entered second childhood). Furthermore, I think they reveal truths that, by right of doctrine, and by public assertion, all Latter-day Saints confess they seek. In this presentation, I suggest there is something of the fairy tale in every religious denomination’s preferred story, with a particular focus on the LdS Church. I hope to show that fairy tales have more to say about life’s journey, spiritual and secular, than many of the cherished stories heard at church. Chair STEpHEN CARTER Room PANORAMA EAST
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Panel
ALL APoLoGIeS: THe RoLe oF APoLoGeTICS In MoRMonISM AnD MoRMon STUDIeS
Abstract The recent shakeup at ByU’s Maxwell Institute sent ripples throughout the Bloggernacle and raised questions about what the changes mean to groups such as FARMS, FAIR, and to Mormon apologetics in a larger context. What is the role of apologetics in general—both in and beyond Mormonism? do Mormon apologists use similar stances or tactics as non-Mormon apologists? Who are some good, effective apologists and what can we—and Mormon Studies in general— learn from their approaches? What might emerge from a “new direction” for the Maxwell Institute and its publications? Would it help or hinder the Church as an organization to outsource apologetics and encourage FAIR to pick up where the MI is apparently leaving off? Moderator/ kAIMIpoNo (kAIMI) WENGER, Jd, is an Panelist assistant professor at Thomas Jefferson Law School in San diego. Panelists
kEVIN BARNEy has published 15 articles through the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at ByU (formerly FARMS), is on the board of the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR), and is currently chair of the board of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. BRIdGET JACk JEFFRIES is an MA candidate in church history at Trinity Evangelical divinity School and a graduate of ByU who has watched the world of LdS apologetics with a mixture of affection and disappointment since she was a teenager. JoHN-CHARLES dUFFy lives in ohio and teaches American religious history. His article “defending the kingdom, Rethinking the Faith: How Apologetics Is Reshaping Mormon orthodoxy” appeared in the May 2004 issue of SUNSToNE.
Room CRIMSON VIEW
LUNCH BREAk, 12:30 pM–2:00 pM
Where to eat THE STUdENT UNIoN’S food court offers a variety of dining options. The food court is open from 7:30 am to 2:30 pm Wednesday through Friday and is located on the first floor of the Union building (downstairs from most session rooms). The Heritage Center dining Room on campus offers breakfast (6:30–9:00 am), lunch (11:00 am–2:00 pm), and dinner (4:30–7:30 pm) for $7–9, Monday–Saturday and is within walking distance of the Student Union and the University Guest House. Call 801.587.2000 for more information. See page 3 for more dining options. 2012 SALT LAKE