Author: Julie M. Smith

I live in Austin, Texas, with my husband, Derrick, an electrical engineer. We have three boys: Simon ('98), Nathan ('01), and Truman ('04). We are a homeschooling family and I also teach at the LDS Institute here in Austin. I have a BA in English from UT Austin and an MA in Biblical Studies (Theology) from the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, where I specialized in the study of women in the New Testament. I wrote my thesis on Mark 14:3-9, which I explored from literary and feminist perspectives to determine how the story teaches the audience about Jesus's identity. I wrote a book, Search, Ponder, and Pray: A Guide to the Gospels. It contains 4,000 questions (no answers) designed to get the LDS reader to really think about the scriptures and to introduce the major findings of biblical studies to the general reader. I like to read, buy books, and go out for ethnic food.

Mormon Site Muzzles Members

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ST. GEORGE–AP–August 10, 2010– Verna Watkins sits on her threadbare couch clutching a wrinkled tissue. Between sobs, she says, “I consider it the most sacred spiritual experience of my life . . . when the Three Nephites–divine beings–helped me change the tire on my Suburban. I spent two hours writing the story up to post to my Church’s website, and later I found out that they wouldn’t approve it. My own Church rejected the event most important to my faith.” Ms. Watkins is one of many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–commonly known as Mormons–who feels betrayed by their church after it launched a website earlier this summer, but then took it down after only two months. While LDS Church Public Relations officials claimed that the site was removed in anticipation of a redesign, many Church members felt that the real problem was that the website solicited personal religious feelings–what Mormons call a “testimony”–as well as statements on doctrinal matters. When these poured in, Church leaders were overwhelmed by unorthodox material and left with a dilemma: either permit the unapproved material, which violates what they consider their obligation to “keep the doctrine pure,” or disallow their own members’ beliefs. Many Mormons felt betrayed when told by their Church that their beliefs were not approved. As one BYU sociology professor explained, “Mormons are allowed a lot of leeway in their personal beliefs, as long as they do…

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Welcome, Angry People

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As is usually the case, when Times & Seasons is mentioned by another news outlet (in this case, the Salt Lake Tribune), some of their readers come here. And, today, some of them sound pretty mad. First, I’d like to point out that if you are also visiting us for the first time, the kinds of comments you find on that post are not our normal fare. Please come back in a few days when the drive-by commenters have left. Second, we’ve closed comments on that post because so many of them violated the spirit if not the letter of our comment policies. Third, I’d like to provide some food for thought for anyone who came here angry after reading the Tribune article and was planning on making a comment with any of the following words in it: communism, socialism, excommunicated, moron, anti-family, evil, devil, or satan. I’m not interested in getting any of you to change your politics. (Not in this post, at least!) What I am interested in is getting you to change your tone. Please read “Church leaders attend President Obama’s inauguration”, “Family history presented to Pres. Obama by Pres. Monson”, “The Mormon ethic of civility”, “First Presidency letter on political participation,” and this interview with Elder Jensen. If and when you feel that you can match the tone and spirit of how our Church leaders have recently interacted with politics and politicians as shown in those…

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Revelation Conference Reminder

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The Mormon Theology Seminar, in conjunction with BYU’s Richard L. Evans Chair of Religious Understanding and the Latter-day Saint Student Association at UT-Austin, is hosting a conference titled “Latter-day Saint Readings of Revelation 21-22.”

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