Hale, Adrian. “Muskets” and Mormons: the violent metaphor which “backfired.” Theology & Sexuality (2025): 1-18.

This paper uses Speech Act Theory (SAT) to analyze a senior Mormon [The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is more commonly known by the names: Mormons, the LDS, the Latter-day Saints, or Mormon Church. For brevity, this paper will alternate between these more familiar names.] leader’s sermon in which the metaphor of “muskets” appeared prominently. The metaphor targeted the Church’s LGBTQ+ community, triggering a “firestorm” of responses [Faith Matters, “Elusive Unity at BYU”.]. While Mormons are typically regarded as religious conservatives, negative responses to the sermon indicate that a more inclusive demographic/attitudinal shift has occurred in the Church’s membership, even as the Church’s leadership appears to be moving in anti-LGBTQ+ policy directions. SAT analysis will be contextualized within this socio-cultural shift and leadership authority claims, examining generic Mormon register-discursive use and understanding of metaphors. The paper will conclude that the sermon “backfired”, not just for its utilization of an anachronistic, violent metaphor, but because of an abuse of the power differential.

Brandley, ben, and Shinsuke Eguchi. ““Learn to Love, Go Heal:” a Found Poetry Analysis of Wellness Among White Queer and Trans Latter-Day Saints.” Communication Studies(2026): 1-19.

This study explores multidimensional wellness among 15 white queer and trans Latter-day Saints using found poetry. Drawn from interview data, and guided by a queer theory critique of white cisheteronormativity, the six poems illuminate how participants navigate harm, seek healing, and imagine hope within a faith tradition rooted in white Christian cultural norms. By centering the coresearchers’ experiences, we call for justice-oriented, affirming spaces that support the wellness of queer and trans Latter-day Saints.

Ross, Nancy, Jessica Finnigan, and Larissa Kanno Kindred. Mormon Garments: Sacred and Secret. University of Illinois Press, 2026.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints requires that adult members wear garments under their clothes day and night. Though a central practice, the wearing of garments exists behind a wall of silence, as Church authorities and LDS culture discourage discussion of such a sacred matter.

Nancy Ross, Jessica Finnigan, and Larissa Kanno Kindred draw on a survey of over 4,500 Church members and their own backgrounds to explore the multifaceted meanings and experiences of Mormon garments. As the authors show, garments also function as a tool of social control that shapes behavior and reinforces conformity around sexuality. The diverse lived experiences of Latter-day Saints reveal how belief and gender intersect with feelings of secrecy, shame, and obedience while creating complexities for LDS members as they navigate questions of faith, identity, and agency. In addition, the authors call for greater understanding of the people grappling with tensions between personal customs and religious expectation.

Insightful and rich with detail, Mormon Garments sheds light on an intimate practice in the lives of Latter-day Saints.

McIntyre, Elisha. “From Gold Plates to Silver Screen: Capturing the Ancient World of the Book of Mormon on Film.” Handbook of Contemporary Religion, Film, and Television 24 (2026): 160.

No access, no abstract.

Wright, Robert R., Spencer Garrett Dally, Treyson Haws, Jordyn Reynolds, and Tori Caldwell. “Exploring Social and Subjective Well-Being Among Married and Unmarried Students at a Latter-day Saints University.” Journal of Religion and Health (2025): 1-20.

Marriage and religion often reinforce one another, though both are individually related to improved health and well-being across many domains. Moreover, emerging adulthood is a foundational period in which many religious beliefs crystallize, and behavioral patterns solidify, often coinciding with decisions to marry and attend college. However, it is unclear how social and subjective well-being may be different between those emerging adults who are religious and married and those who are religious but not married. Moreover, gender differences have yet to be explored in this domain. The current study addressed these issues by administering an online survey to 2352 religiously active emerging adult students at a Latter-day Saint university in the USA, with 182 (7.7%) being married. Results demonstrated a consistent pattern, with married participants indicating significantly (p?<?.05) higher subjective well-being along with lower loneliness, interpersonal conflict, and time spent on social media. However, unmarried students had higher levels of social interaction with their peers. Gender differences emerged, such that married men fared better in terms of lower loneliness, more close friendships, and less negative affect than married women. These results support marriage as a strong protective factor for social and subjective well-being while supporting religious affiliation as a health protection factor for both married and unmarried students. Gender differences suggest that religious men, at least early in their marriage, may benefit in their social well-being disproportionately more than women. Some implications for these findings in religious universities are explored.

Jindra, Ines W., Jenna Thompson, Rebecca Malan, and Nicholas Evans. “Gender, Relationships, and Negotiation: How Men Frame Their Deconversion Experiences from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” Nova Religio 29, no. 3 (2026): 38-57.

Little has been written specifically about how men frame their experiences of leaving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-­ day Saints (LDS). Using a qualitative coding technique, we analyze the deconversion narratives of twenty American men who left the LDS church. Based on an understanding of the ways the LDS church shapes the male life course, we find that milestones and expectations—obligatory priesthood advancement, mission, marriage, a family, and a focus on career—­ play a role in men’s experiences. This is also seen in how men internalize their experiences and, in some instances, form regrets about having followed the church’s gendered expectations. We conclude with a call for more research, specifically of men’s experiences leaving the church.