In this presentation we try to cover the following: 1) what are Mormon Stories and the Open Stories Foundation trying to do? and 2) what can be done to keep them both alive.

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Speakers at the 2012 Boston Regional Mormon Stories conference were asked to address the topic of: Using personal narratives to create spaces where Mormons of all levels of orthodoxy can interact authentically. Part 1: Dr. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich discusses the importance and of history and personal narrative within religious traditions and John Dehlin discusses the evolution of Mormon Stories and the role it plays in the lives of listeners and community members. Part 2: Joanna Brooks talks about changes in spiritual narrative scripts over time and how telling personal stories affects community development. Conference attendees share their personal stories in an open-mic…

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As part of the March 2012 “Mormonism and the Internet” conference held at Utah Valley University, John Dehlin, Scott Gordon (of the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research or FAIR) and Rosemary Avance discuss LDS disaffection and apologetics. John’s “Why Mormons Question” presentation with visuals: Part 1 – John Dehlin, Scott Gordon, Rosemary Avance: Part 2 – Panel Discussion:

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           We are excited to launch the pilot a new podcast and set of resources located at MormonTransitions.org.  The purpose of this project is to support LDS church members who are navigating difficult Mormon-related transitions. In today’s episode, Joanna Brooks and Brian Johnston join John Dehlin to provide an overview of navigating a Mormon faith transition.

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This episode was recorded as part of the January 2012 Mormon Stories regional conference held in Houston, Texas dedicated to the topic of “Maintaining Positive Relationships Through Empathy and Dialogue.” In part 1 John Dehlin talks about the costs and benefits of having difficult conversations about Mormonism with family and friends. In part 2, Dan Wotherspoon delivers a presentation called: "Make Love AND War!: Maintaining Positive Relationships During Faith Transitions—A Spiritual Framing."

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In this episode Scott Holley interviews Matt Martinich of the Cumorah Foundation. Matt takes us on a tour of the triumphs and challenges of Mormonism throughout the world. Matt’s blog can be found at: LDS Church Growth.

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In this episode Scott Holley and I interview sociologist Dr. Ryan Cragun about his newly published report called, “Mormons in the United States 1990-2008: Socio-demographic Trends and Regional Differences.” Some of the findings of the report include: Mormons were 1.4% of the U.S. adult population in 2008, a proportion unchanged since 1990. The Mormons of Utah are the only religious group in the U.S. today that comprises a numerical majority of a state‘s population (57% of Utah). Mormons remain the most geographically isolated and uniquely distributed American religious group (only 19% are found east of the Mississippi River). The Mormon population increase…

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In this episode, BYU Professor Charles Harrell discusses his new book entitled: “This Is My Doctrine: The Development of Mormon Theology.”  Please remember that you can purchase this book at a discount using the code: MSTORIES.  Proceeds will go to Mormon Stories. “In this first-of-its-kind comprehensive treatment of the development of Mormon theology, Charles Harrell traces the history of Latter-day Saint doctrines from the times of the Old Testament to the present. He describes how Mormonism has carried on the tradition of the biblical authors, early Christians, and later Protestants in reinterpreting scripture to accommodate new theological ideas while attempting…

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Today we spend two good hours with author and scholar Jana Reiss.  Jana is the author/editor of nine books, including: Mormonism for Dummies and What Would Buffy Do?  Jana is a convert to the LDS Church, and also has a Ph.D. from Columbia University. In this episode Jana discusses: her early years being raised by secular parents, her conversion to God/Christianity, and her ultimate conversion to Mormonism.  We also discuss with Jana her new book, “Flunking Sainthood.”

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On October 15th, the 2011 Washington D.C. Mormon Stories Conference was held in the home of Greg and JaLynn Prince.  Eighty splendid community members were in attendance.  In this presentation, Greg Prince discussed his perspectives on “Big Tent Mormonism.”

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Terryl Givens did graduate work at Cornell University in Intellectual History and UNC Chapel Hill where he received his PhD in Comparative Literature. He holds the James A. Bostwick chair of English, and is Professor of Literature and Religion at the University of Richmond, where he teaches courses in 19th century studies, and the Bible’s influence on western literature. As a commentator on Mormon religion and culture, he has appeared on PBS, NPR, and CNN. Author of ten books, his writing has been praised by the New York Times as “provocative reading,” and includes, most recently, When Souls had Wings,…

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Eugene England (1933–2001) (his website can be found here) was one of the founders and great leaders in Mormon Studies and independent Mormon discussions. He and four others founded Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, for which he served as its first editor. He was instrumental in the creation of the Association for Mormon Letters, and he is considered the champion of the “personal essay” as a powerful form for Mormon expression. England was a peace activist, whose reflections on having been present in the Vatican during the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II (one of the bullets…

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Daniel C. Peterson is a professor of Islamic Studies and Arabic in the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages at Brigham Young University and currently serves as editor-in-chief of BYU’s Middle Eastern Texts Initiative. He is a member of the executive council of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University. Peterson is known for his work as an apologist and scholar on subjects dealing with claims of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), of which he is a member. He has served as the editor of the FARMS Review, a periodical…

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As a part of the March 2011 Mormon Stories Conference in New York City, author Greg Prince  spoke on the topic of 21st Century Lessons from Three 20th Century Men: David O. McKay, Leonard Arrington and Paul H. Dunn. Greg Prince is the author of David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism.  He is currently working on biographies of both LDS Church Historian Leonard Arrington and deceased LDS General Authority Paul H. Dunn.

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In this 2-part discussion, KC Kern (BookofMormonOnline.Net) speaks with Dr. Grant Hardy and his wife Heather Hardy.  Grant Hardy is Professor of History and Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. He has a B.A. in Ancient Greek from Brigham Young University and  Ph.D. in Chinese Language and Literature from Yale. He has authored Worlds of Bronze and Bamboo: Sima Qian’s Conquest of History; The Establishment of the Han Empire and Imperial China; and Understanding the Book of Mormon: A Reader’s Guide, as well as the Introduction for Royal Skousen’s recent Yale edition of the Book of Mormon. He has also…

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In this episode Andrew Ainsworth interviews Phil McLemore to discuss his own spiritual transformation through meditation & the Hindu yogic tradition. Part 1: Phil McLemore’s conversion to Mormonism & spiritual transformation through meditation Part 2: How to meditate and why you should; Mantras in Mormon culture Part 3: Mormon Mantras & The Yoga of Christ Part 4: The Yoga of Christ continued A big thanks to Richard Holdman for his audio production support in this podcast.

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In this 5-part series, Brian Johnston (StayLDS.com) interviews Jared Anderson.  Jared is finishing his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, focusing on the Gospels and New Testament. Jared received an Honors Bachelor of Arts from the University of Utah, where he majored in Middle Eastern Studies with an emphasis in Hebrew, as well as learning Greek and Latin under Margaret Toscano. His honors thesis explored Joseph Smith’s study and use of languages.After graduating Magna cum Laude at the U of U, Jared completed his Master’s degree at UNC Chapel Hill with a thesis…

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In this 4-part series we interview Dan Wotherspoon. Dan has a Ph.D. in religion from the Claremont Graduate School, and was Director of the Sunstone Education Foundation and Editor of Sunstone magazine for eight years, and he now serves on its board of directors.  In this interview, Dan discusses his early experiences with the LDS church, his early stumbles before his mission, the various crises of faith he experienced during his graduate studies and beyond, and the various perspectives he has gained that have allowed him to put his faith back together again in such a way that he is…

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