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Peggy Fletcher Stack interviews Mormon biblical scholars Philip Barlow, Patrick Mason, Julie Smith, Eric Huntsman, about how “And it came to pass, one day the Book of Mormon overtook the Bible — in LDS eyes” specifically the role President Ezra Taft Benson played.

“‘Mormons have developed a kind of amnesia towards the Bible since 1980,’ says Philip Barlow, a Utah State University historian. ‘It really has changed the consciousness of Mormons. They don’t bear testimony of the truthfulness of the Bible much these days, but really specify the Book of Mormon.’

And when Latter-day Saints talk about their scriptural heroes, he says, they are not talking about Noah, Gideon or David, but rather Nephi, Alma, and Moroni— figures from the faith’s unique text.”

And Julie Smith weighed in:

“The Book of Mormon gives just one record of Jesus’ sojourn in the Americas, unlike the four New Testament Gospels, says Julie M. Smith, an LDS New Testament scholar in Austin, Texas. ‘Christ doesn’t interact with individuals to the same extent or with women. There are no exorcisms. It’s generally a really different portrait than in the Bible.'”

Board member Bob Rees “has navigated the road less travelled that meanders around and through the valleys and peaks of Mormon orthodoxy and progressivism” and is featured in this new podcast over at A Thoughtful Faith. As they explain “Succeeding Eugene England as the editor of Dialogue, Bob has lived almost 50 years as a vocal critic and conscience of the church, all the while giving the church of his youth and heart his absolute devotion. A former missionary, Bishop, and counselor in a Mission Presidency; Bob has been outspoken in his writing about his advocacy of equal rights, particularly gay, gender and race rights – sometimes in the face of profound resistance and punitive discipline from his church leaders. Bob proclaims his Christian devotion as the centre of his faith life which has, without doubt, provided him with a strong sense of spiritual centeredness that transcends the sometimes inflammatory situations that periodically erupt as the church groans into maturity.

Cross-posted at By Common Consent.
By Board Member Michael Austin.
I read the Qur’an often because it speaks peace to my soul.
I know that sounds kooky, but I promise I’m not a hippie or anything. I don’t burn incense or wear sandals. I wouldn’t even call it a spiritual experience. It’s more like a calming effect. I love to read the text, and I love to listen to the recitations of a talented qāri’ (which I am doing even as I write). It’s not the meaning of the words that does the peace-speaking; it’s the words themselves. I have long been deeply affected by the way that the Qur’an represents the voice of God.
The divine voice that I encounter in the Qur’an is one of the most comforting things that I know. It reminds me of my own father’s voice when I was very young: calm and powerful, impossibly distant yet completely intimate, and supremely confident in who and what he is. Whatever this voice may be saying to other people, what it says to me is, “You can feel safe in my home because I’ve got everything under control. I’m not going to let bad things happen to you because you are mine.” This is how I need God to sound when it hurts.
This is why I become defensive when somebody says, “The Qur’an is an inherently violent book” or “Islam is a religion of hate.”

In a guest post for Rational Faiths, Board Member Patrick Mason says “It’s pretty obvious that most Mormons are not pacifists. But if we are in fact going to worship Jesus, and not just make a dumb idol out of the Babe of Bethlehem, then we should think long and hard about it.
Mormons have by and large accepted the dominant Christian notion of “just war,” first articulated not in the New Testament nor by the earliest Christians (many of whom went to the lion’s den rather than serve in the military), but rather by the fourth- and fifth-century Christian theologian Augustine of Hippo. It’s only natural to believe that if someone hits you, you should hit them back. Or that violence is effective in defeating our enemies. Or that peace can come through war. The trouble is, Jesus taught none of these things—in fact, he taught just the opposite.”

Emma Lou Thayne passed away on December 6, 2014, and in honor of this great poet and author, we presents her writings from within Dialogue’s pages:
“Where Can I Turn for Peace?“a personal essay from Fall 2006: “Here in the baffling conundrums of politics and power, we can offer sustenance of heart and means. I can do more than grieve over death and destruction. I can love my country by caring enough to keep informed to all sides and expressing my views.”
“Things Happen” a poem from Summer 1990.
“How Much for the Earth? A Suite of Poems: About Time for Considering” from Winter 1984.

Editor Kristine Haglund discusses “What the “Mormon Moment” Actually Accomplished” over at Slate:
“For Mormons, the recent spasm of media attention to church founder Joseph Smith’s polygamy was the stuff of century-old nightmares—painful evidence that, even after 100 years of performing conservative American-ness so cheerfully that it can appear paradoxically creepy, Mormons are still perceived as strange and secretive. News outlets seemed downright eager to put “Mormon” and “polygamy” together in headlines, and many publications repeated the not-entirely-accurate assertion that Smith’s multiple marriages—possibly as many as 40, one to a girl of 14, and some to women married to other men—were being acknowledged by Mormon leaders “for the first time.” Such stories rehashed the narrative that has framed the American relationship with Mormonism since its beginnings, one of estrangement and persecution followed by difficult, halting steps toward assimilation. Polygamy is always at the center of this narrative, despite the fact that Mormons have now not practiced polygamy for almost twice as long as they did practice it.”
Click in for the full article.