Flunking Sainthood
New film looks at tumultuous last year of Thomas Merton’s life
By Jana Riess — May 12, 2015
A new documentary follows the last year of Merton's life, including conflicts with his abbot, his meetings with the Dalai Lama, and his untimely death at age 53.
A new Mother’s Day song for Mormons
By Jana Riess — May 8, 2015
A Mormon Primary president wasn't happy last year with the Mother's Day song options, so she gave her chorister an assignment: Go write something better.
Is the National Day of Prayer still relevant?
By Jared Brock — May 7, 2015
"Many people think that God is like Santa Claus - I know I did," says guest blogger Jared Brock. "I think we’ve missed the point of prayer."
Gay Mormon Celeste Carolin wants to stay active in the LDS Church — and to get married
By Jana Riess — May 5, 2015
Seattle Mormon Celeste Carolin wants to marry the love of her life. Under current LDS policy, that means her options are to either be excommunicated or to voluntarily resign from the Church. "I will choose neither," she says. "I choose to stay."
Mormons fast for Baltimore
By Jana Riess — May 4, 2015
The Baltimore fast reminded me of two important truths, the first being that most Mormon people are eager to be mobilized for good. The second is that I need to reconfigure my own faulty understanding of the Church.
Meet the Mormon Celtic Woman
By Jana Riess — April 27, 2015
Roll out the emerald-green carpet. Irish singer Alex Sharpe is back in the U.S. touring with Celtic Woman, and she's particularly excited to see fellow Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City.
Questions about Joseph Smith? Join the Club
By Jana Riess — April 22, 2015
Seer stones. Plural wives. Masonry. Folk magic. Conflicting First Vision accounts. If you have questions about any of these, professional Mormon historians are standing by to assist you.
Missing Mom at the movies
By Jana Riess — April 21, 2015
Movies aren’t just entertainment; they’re memories of life and love. When I see a movie a second time I am always thinking about where I was and who I was with the first time. And Mom and I aren't making those memories anymore.
Beauty pageant shows Mormons missing the point of modesty — again
By Jana Riess — April 15, 2015
Has the Mormon definition of "modesty" become so impoverished that we buy into every consumer message of the surrounding culture with the single exception of the one about showing shoulders and cleavage?
How to pray, in one year and 37,000 miles
By Jana Riess — April 10, 2015
Jared Brock felt a little burned out and uninspired in his prayer life, so he embarked on a 37,000-mile adventure to do something about it.
Mormons are decriminalizing doubt. What’s the next step?
By Jana Riess — April 8, 2015
Talks like Sister Wixom’s are turning doubt into a legitimate topic of conversation in Mormon culture, and not a dirty word. Decriminalizing doubt and doubters is the first step. Our next task is much harder.
Mormon hecklers, traditional families and more: Recapping today’s General Conference
By Jana Riess — April 4, 2015
Hecklers in the Conference Center? Halfway through Mormonism's semiannual shindig, here are three takeaway points on what went down.
Author returns, exhausted, after 3 hours in Mormon heaven
By Jana Riess — April 1, 2015
The unsettling new book "3 Hours in Mormon Heaven" warns readers: get all your R&R in now, because there's no rest for the righteous where you want to be going.
Mormon missionaries’ escape portrayed in new movie “Freetown”
By Jana Riess — March 30, 2015
The independent Mormon movie "Freetown" is inspiring and well-told without resorting to heavy-handed preaching. Thumbs up! Filmmaker Garrett Batty talks here about making the movie, which opens in the US on April 8.
If you don’t like Mormonism, why don’t you leave?
By Jana Riess — March 27, 2015
People often ask Mormon novelist Mette Harrison why she sticks with the LDS Church even if she has some problems with it. "I believe in the principle of conversation and compromise," she says.