Our John Whitmer Historical Association conference will be held this Sept. 24-27 in Independence, Missouri. The topic is “Race, Gender, Ethnicity, and the Restoration.” Among other things it marks the 25th anniversary of ending priesthood discrimination on the basis of gender in the Community of Christ. We’re going to have a panel that will include female members of the First Presidency, the Council of Twelve Apostles, and the Presiding High Council. Apostle Bunde Chibwe, the first African apostle will also have a presentation on Africa and the Restoration. Darius Gray and Margaret Young will be there. Lots of other great presenters including Newell Bringhurst, Nick Literski, Christopher Blythe, Brian Hales, Connell O’Donovan, Bill Russell, Shields, and many more. I think this is going to be an important conference that people won’t want to miss.

In an attempt to provide a little balance, I am planning a CoC post for about a week or two from now, and I hope you can stop by and correct any of my misinterpretations. I have recently made the acquaintance if FireTag (via blogging) and want to post some of the stuff I’ve learned about the CoC. It sounds like there are some big changes going on there.

Also, do you have any details on these upcoming conferences? I’m not sure I can attend, but would love to know about them.

I appreciate all of the fond recollections of some of my past posts here.

My move from MM to BCC has resulted in a lot of speculation on this thread. I would argue against using my move as a datapoint for changing MM in any way. Mine was a unique circumstance and should not reflect on the quality of both the content and the permas at MM.

Hawkgrrrl’s explanation most closely reflects my thinking on the move at the time. Essentially, I was exposed to the bloggernacle around the same time my friend John Dehlin asked me if I wanted to be a perma on a blog he was about to start (MM). Although I hadn’t really participated in the bloggernacle as a blogger or read (I had only done podcasts here), I did happen to know many other major fixtures on other big blogs in real life. Essentially immediately after my first post here, friends on three of the other major blogs invited me to switch over. I didn’t move immediately because I’d committed to help start MM and I wanted to see its successful launch through to a more stable phase. Ultimately I switched to BCC because: (1) I knew so many of the folks there (I’ve met over a dozen of them in real life), (2) BCC had the largest bloggernacle audience already, and (3) there was less responsibility for me there. Since all of those reasons related to my own self-interest, they shouldn’t reflect at all on MM.

Although Jeff S. correctly remembers that I had a back-end scuffle with one of the other former permas at MM and that corresponded with the moment I switched over to BCC, this was actually just a coincidence of timing. I’m very fine with arguing and debating, and although I can let loose my anger, I rarely take much personal offense. I’m not harboring any ill will over that affair. Obviously the permas on BCC each have a host of vantages that I don’t share and don’t agree with.

Anyway, I think you guys are continuing to do an excellent job and I hope you’ll keep up the great work. I’m sorry that my check-ins have been sporadic; I’ve actually been distracted from blogging altogether because I’ve been concentrating so much on organizing Mormon studies conferences and publishing Mormon history books.

I have never been personally attacked in my comments. For a large and “liberal” place such as this that experience is rare for me. The disagreements with my posts have been respectful and filled with insight; rather than dismissive. It is true that I don’t comment here very much, but that is because a surprising number of articles speak for themselves. There isn’t a lot of reason to post just to say “that was enjoyable.” That is, ultimately, why the controversial topics get so many comments; they are controversial.

The articles have improved over time here I think and become more balanced. Admittedly I do wish more topics would be of interest because when they are interesting they are good. To list what kind of topics those would be is hard to say. I do agree with Jared about inclusion of Scripture, Apostles, etc. However, unlike him I simply find that par of the Bloggernacle course. I can’t think of a lot of reasons to bring that stuff in because I actually agree that is more Sunday School than discussion material. There is a fault there, but I really can’t think of a way to rectify the problem.

One final criticism is that I think there should be at least one more “faithful conservative” (and no I’m not gunning for the role) commenter added. Perhaps it should be someone who is Jared-like who does wirte more Sunday School type articles. That may not sound very interesting, but it is Mormonism. Perhaps by including someone who focuses more on the Sunday School aspect of Mormonism we might be able to see why there is a problem with that and how we might be able to overcome the limitations. Actually, that sounds like a good subject to discuss as a blog entry, “The disconnect between Sunday School and the Bloggernacle and how to bridge the gap.” Anyone like to tackle that topic?

I’ve got a rough draft of a book addressing this and the research is absolutely fascinating….more to come.

Perhaps I should revisit the RS/PH posts. I originally started posting on them because my wife teaches RS and kept asking me for ideas. I’ve been skipping PH because it is soooo boring (and my job as membership clerk keeps me plenty busy if I want it to). I thought posting on the lessons here might be a good way to repent, but it seemed to me I was boring everyone here too, just like in my ward. Perhaps I was wrong (but I must say those manuals are really tough to teach out of–they are inherently boring.)

I REALLY do miss those posts by John Hamer with those incredible pictures. Learning about the end of John Bennett with a picture of his tombstone. Learning and seeing pictures about the FLDS compound BEFORE it became national news. Even the pictures of Orem with stores like “Kneeshorts” was a fascinating commentary on Mormon culture to me, as one who has never spent time in the center of it all. Learning at the first black apostle in the restorationist churches was another fascinating look into the divergence of two branches of restorationist churches.

BCC had a great thread that liveblogged the controversial Big Love episode, which was great for people like me who don’t have tv or don’t want to watch it. For a time, I was switching over, but I don’t follow the layout of their blog as simply and it seems there are more inside jokes that I don’t follow.

I would like a post that explained more about the development of “Nauvoo University” and why it changed from JS Academy. Truman Madsen, who just passed away, is a fascinating figure and there must be something to post about his works. The recent cover story of Church News about the USS Comfort and the churches “contributions” seemed like a story that hijacked a mission that was sponsored by the US Navy and almost made it into a Mormon helping hands mission. Our visiting GA at stake conference just told us that we will be having a two year break from “Teachings of the Presidents of the Church” for RS/PH lessons and will be studying from a new and improved “Gospel Principles” book. (Which should be utterly stimulating!) Anyone else hear anything like that?

I appreciate all you regular posters and the work you do to give me something to read. I would say that postings on the Sermon on the Mount, Dark night of the Soul, and the RS virtual lesson on becoming kings and priests have definitely let to more study of the gospel. Others too, but those have stood out.

If you’re referring to my list of posters in #54, I was thanking those that commented about my post (#30). I wouldn’t want to leave you off the list those that I think bring a good perspective to this board, you and I think a lot alike… So you must be ok!

I used to travel extensively for my job as well. (Up until someone accidently shipped some nuclear weapon fuzing devices to Taiwan which ended my traveling and my executive position.) Sitting around hotel rooms in the late evening provided good opportunities for blogging, at least for me. Thanks for taking time to be part of all this…

Doug – As to having too much time on my hands, not exactly! I do travel a lot on business, and what I blog doesn’t require that much thought or effort – this is just me being me, off the cuff. That’s why I am not always checking in on every conversation, just what most interests me. I pre-write my posts, and just check in on the conversation when I get a min here or there.

Doug, Hawk is a corporate executive, if I recall correctly. She wears the pants; if there’s a traditional skirt being worn around here, it’s probably hanging in my “now play nice, people” closet. (I know; that’s an image nobody needs. My kids would be screaming, “My eyes! My eyes! They’re burning!!”)

As to what attracts people here, I don’t think it’s a matter of belief or non-belief. I was fascinated by how many of our commenters and posters were NF or NT on the Kiersey Temperament sorter. Maybe we attract people who are Mormon (or have been) who simply don’t fit the Mormon mold. I’d like to think so. If that’s the case, we are providing a counter-cultural haven for people at all ends of the belief spectrum. Perhaps that’s another reason why JfQ didn’t stick around (definitely an SJ type, although I do dearly miss his input). And perhaps that’s why the tone remains *ahem* generally respectful *cough, cough*. Because we identify with being the disenfranchised other, and we LIKE those types of people. Not that we need to poke a stick in the eye of the rest, either. The point is that we want to broaden the tent of Mormonism, not be cliquish and exclusive. MM is not clubby, at least I haven’t perceived it to be so in the last year I’ve been around.

It was the “not being a housewife” thing that threw me. Of course that statement could mean a lot of things, but I always perceived you as a fairly normal LDS mom with a little too much time on your hands.

Your posts have good amount of perspective, so I assumed you’d been through the fire once or twice…

I couldn’t find your short bio on the author’s page. I see a big blank white area with your picture, but no writing. Is it just my computer????

Of course your perception of why some of the folks no-longer participate here could be right on the money and I’m sure getting busy with life and moving on from blogging may even be seen as a healthy thing. I just miss some of the support from the old guys…

I think that John left over a particular post from one of our permas who is no longer here.

One thing I wonder about: with all this talk about how MM may edge toward orthodox/mainline/faithful Mormon thought on the various issues discussed, I wonder where I stand on the spectrum. I feel perhaps a bit more liberal or “left of center”, but I would be interested to hear how others perceive me.

I also want to mention that John is blogging on a new CoC site, Saints Herald.

Why did we lose John Hamer & others? I think for a few reasons. First of all, John Hamer’s loss was a blow, but BCC had a much greater readership than we did at the time (now we are 3rd – then we were 4th), and there were other scholarly bloggers there who invited him. Some of the others we’ve lost either maintain their own personal blogs and come and go here or just burn out over time. Especially for those who have a transitional faith or are non-believing, eventually they may choose to quit Mormon blogging (to go inactive, as it were). But others have gone to specialty or personal blog sites. The “faithful” bloggers simply remain more interested in talking about it for longer. I think that’s just a natural human phenomenon.