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Flunking Sainthood

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.

Jacqui Lewis: In a divided America, no one is saved until everyone is saved
By Jana Riess — November 9, 2021
(RNS) — ‘The pendulum has swung so far to the right. And that’s not right,’ says the Rev. Jacqui Lewis. But the solution to tribalism isn’t more tribalism; it’s love — starting with love of self.

What’s a ‘white evangelical’ anyway? It’s hard to pin down
By Jana Riess — October 29, 2021
(RNS) — How do you define white evangelicalism? A fascinating new book argues that people are what they read, so let's start by looking at bestselling novels.

Mormon kids can’t wear Halloween masks to the trunk-or-treat … or can they?
By Jana Riess — October 19, 2021
(RNS) — The LDS church's ban on face masks at activities has quietly disappeared from the official Handbook, at least for now. Bring on those Chewbacca costumes!

The battle lines around the word ‘Mormon’
By Jana Riess — October 13, 2021
(RNS) — ‘Mormon’ has become a shibboleth, an immediate shorthand for Latter-day Saints to size up one another’s obedience and orthodoxy.

Mormons make strides in discussing mental illness. Is it enough?
By Jana Riess — October 4, 2021
(RNS) — When we emphasize that the Lord can’t abide any unclean thing and his acceptance of us is predicated on all the dazzling feats of self-improvement we’re going to perform, we’re hurting those who struggle with mental illness.

Outgrowing your religion
By Jana Riess — September 29, 2021
(RNS) — 'If God is really God-sized, as we say God is, then God is OK with our vacillation and our doubt and our inconsistencies,' says North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz. 'So we should be, too.'

We owe it to the vulnerable to get vaccinated
By Jana Riess — September 21, 2021
(RNS) — Dr. Tyler Johnson says his Mormon religion ‘teaches me I have a moral obligation to seek out facts and to seek to understand the world as it is,’ which means rejecting vaccine conspiracy theories and misinformation.

LuLaRoe and the shadow side of Mormon gender roles
By Jana Riess — September 16, 2021
(RNS) — A new docuseries shows how a Mormon couple recycled anti-feminist ideas to stay-at-home moms for profit.
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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.

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