Donate to RNS
Support our work

Flunking Sainthood

Amid Russian invasion, LDS Church issues generic denunciation of ‘armed conflict’
By Jana Riess — February 28, 2022
(RNS) — The LDS Church’s official 'statement on armed conflict' is well-intentioned but vague; Russia and Ukraine are never even mentioned. This is not the time to be Switzerland.

In Mormonism, yesterday’s heresy is today’s orthodoxy
By Jana Riess — February 25, 2022
(RNS) — In 1973, Mormon author Carol Lynn Pearson's feature article for the 'Ensign' magazine was pulled at the last minute, and she was banned from writing about women for Church publications. What was controversial then has become the party line.

Ross Douthat: Lyme disease, Catholic suffering and the frontiers of medicine and faith
By Jana Riess — February 18, 2022
(RNS) — Seven years ago, Ross Douthat began a sudden descent to a hellish nightmare of chronic pain. He recounts his experiences of illness and faith in the beautiful memoir "Deep Places."

Mormon leader’s apology for racist remarks does not go far enough
By Jana Riess — February 16, 2022
(RNS) — Brad Wilcox, a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has apologized — sort of — for one part of his remarks earlier this month. But it doesn't go far enough.

Softening Mormon patriarchy, one correction at a time
By Jana Riess — January 31, 2022
(RNS) — The LDS Church's addendum to a 1973 'Ensign' article about patriarchy shows some progress in how it conceives of women's roles — and in how it acknowledges the mistakes of its own past.

What Mormon bishops should and should not say in counseling LGBTQ+ Latter-day Saints
By Jana Riess — January 28, 2022
(RNS) — A new study sheds light on the experiences of LGBTQ+ Mormons who seek counsel from Church leaders.

‘Who Killed Joseph Smith?’ and other amateur-hour conspiracy theories
By Jana Riess — January 21, 2022
(RNS) — A new documentary recycles old conspiracies about the murder of Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum.

The top 10 changes President Russell M. Nelson has made in the LDS church
By Jana Riess — January 18, 2022
(RNS) — While many Mormons — including me — expected a Nelson presidency to be staid and uneventful, it’s been full of pleasant surprises.

The I Hate Winter Spirituality Club
By Jana Riess — January 3, 2022
(RNS) — In winter we realize, to our chagrin, that we are not in charge, that earth can be hard as iron, that the world is not necessarily on our side.

How religious are Gen Z Mormons in the US? The results are mixed.
By Jana Riess — December 27, 2021
(RNS) — Gen Z Mormons attend church and youth activities, but many say they've been harmed by religion.

The spiritual gift of growing older (yes, really)
By Jana Riess — December 16, 2021
(RNS) — Author Alice Fryling says aging is an opportunity to jettison the false self and finally discover spiritual freedom.

Why do people leave the LDS Church? Let’s drill down further and find out.
By Jana Riess — December 8, 2021
In 2016, we got some excellent starting data about why people leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Now it's time to learn even more through a fresh wave of research--donate today to the Kickstarter campaign that will make it happen.

Mormon tithing, revisited
By Jana Riess — November 30, 2021
(RNS) — When I paid tithing to the church, the logistics of sitting down to do it might take up five minutes of my month. Now, it requires a good deal more time and consideration.

For US Mormons, religiosity has declined over time, study shows
By Jana Riess — November 23, 2021
(RNS) — Mormons are still more religious than the nation as a whole, but not as devout as they used to be.

Why was last week’s speech on LGBTQ rights ‘the most difficult’ of LDS apostle Dallin Oaks’ career?
By Jana Riess — November 15, 2021
(RNS) — Oaks is trying to chart a middle course between religious freedom and LGBTQ+ rights. But in our terribly polarized times, I doubt many Americans are capable of the compromise and civility he’s advocating.
← Page 1
Page 2 of 66
Page 3 →
Jana Riess
Flunking Sainthood
Senior columnist Jana Riess is the author of many books, including "The Prayer Wheel" (Random House/Convergent, 2018) and "The Next Mormons: How Millennials Are Changing the LDS Church" (Oxford University Press, 2019). She has a PhD in American religious history from Columbia University.

Popular Flunking Sainthood Stories

Flunking Sainthood
How Mormons are sabotaging marriage and the family

Latest Stories

Signs of the Times
What has the demise of Roe v. Wade cost the Catholic Church?
News
Mine can be built on Apache sacred site, Oak Flat, federal appeals court rules
News
Antisemitism monitor lands in Saudi Arabia on first official trip
News
A study of Jewish LA finds a growing and diverse community
News
This Pride Month, Catholic Church shows clear, if subtle, shifts toward LGBTQ welcome