The European Mormon Studies Association
Annual Conference 2010

15-16 July 2010

Tilburg University, Tilburg, Holland

Keynote Address: Terryl L. Givens

Call for Papers

“European Mormonism and its Experience in Media and the Public Sphere”

Since the organisation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in April 1830, media has been interwoven as an integral part of the Mormon experience. The movement was the object of non-Mormon presses or used the media as a tool in producing its own materials and periodicals.

The central issue to be addressed during this conference pertains to transformations in the public sphere of the European Mormon image. Questions of interest include but are not limited to: How did European media historically perceive the Mormon presence through newspapers, what were the controversies, the tensions and the responses by Mormon leaders, etc. In what ways did Mormon leaders utilise the media to their own benefit either in response to critics or as a tool of proselytisation? How did the public sphere change or develop their perception of Mormonism through such media?

What role does the media play in European Mormonism today in light of the increasing reliance on digital sources such as blogs, newsgroups, web pages? What are the underlying biases or agendas of the various parties in modern times?

Those wishing to present a paper at the conference are requested to send a 200 word abstract to David M. Morris at the below e-mail address. The abstract deadline is 15 April 2010. If accepted, a notification will be given by 15 May 2010. It is expected that final papers will be approximately 3,000 words, being delivered in a time of 20 minutes each. A question and answer period will be available following each paper. It is anticipated that conference proceedings will be published.

Conference attendees will be charged a small fee to cover costs, with a reduction available to those who register in advance. Please check the website for updates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

David M. Morris
Conference Coordinator

European Mormon Studies Association
E-mail: davidmmorris@hotmail.com
Web: http://www.euromormonstudies.com

Keynote Speaker: Terryl L. Givens:

We are pleased to announce the keynote speaker for Tilburg is Professor Terryl L. Givens. Givens is professor of literature and religion at the University of Richmond where he holds the James A. Bostwick Chair in English. Givens teaches courses in 19th century studies and literary theory, and is most known for his books and articles on Mormon history, culture, and theology including The Latter-day Saint Experience in America, The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy, By the Hand of Mormon, People of Paradox and is currently releasing his When Souls Had Wings: Pre-Existence in Western Thought in Autumn 2009.

Directions for Travel:

Coming from abroad most flights will be to Amsterdam Airport. This also has the advantage of having its own train station. The train journey from Amsterdam airport to Tilburg West is 1 ½ hours, with only one change at Den Bosch. This is probably the easiest and most comfortable. Eindhoven is closer to Tilburg, but does not have a train station, and operates only for budgets flights; The bus journey is 30 minutes and the train is 37 minutes. Düsseldorf Airport is often cheaper as an airport, but has a train journey of 2 ½ hours to Utrecht, and then a further 1 ¼ hours to Tilburg West.

Registration

Cost is provisionally set at 35 EUR, with a reduction to 30 EUR for those who register in advance. This will include a dinner and refreshments and may be reduced depending on numbers in attendance.

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Organized together with the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR)

“Mormonism and the European Establishment”

30-31 July 2009
Terrazza Solferino, Turin, Italy

www.terrazzasolferino.it

Keynote Address: Douglas Davies
Professor of Theology and Religion, Durham University, UK

Preliminary Programme

Thursday 30th July, 2009

10.00-10.30 Registration

1. 10.30-12.00

• Welcome from EMSA
• “Oriana Fallaci, the Mormons and Me: A Personal Recollection” - Michael Homer (Utah State Historical Association, USA)
• “Utah and All These Cherries: Mormonism in Fallaci’s ‘Un cappello pieno di ciliege’” - Massimo Introvigne (CESNUR, Italy)

2. 14.00-16.00

• “Poles Apart? A Look at Mormon Doctrine in Light of Historic Christianity” - Johnnie Glad (University of Stavanger, Norway)
• “A Mormon Reading of Satan and the Tree of Life” - Ronan James Head (Johns Hopkins University, USA/UK) and Jeffrey Bradshaw (Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, USA)
• “Father, Jesus and Lucifer in Pre-mortal Council” - Douglas Davies (University of Durham, England)

3. 16.30-18.30

• “Mormonism and the Established Churches” - Mauro Properzi (University of Durham, England)
• “Towards a Globalized Mormon Church: The Case of the Establishment of the LDS Church in France During the 20th century” - Christian Euvrard (LDS Church Educational System, France)
• “The beginning of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Spain in the 20th Century” - Faustino López Requena (Madrid University, Spain)

4. 20.00-22.00

Dinner and talk with Douglas Davies.

Friday 31st July, 2009

5. 10.30-12.00

• “Modular theory and Mormonism” - Wouter van Beek (Tilburg University, The Netherlands)
• “Religious Freedom in Belgium: A Limited Study of Challenges as Experienced by LDS Children and Youth in Flemish Classrooms from the 1970’s until Today” - Ingrid Sherlock-Taselaar

6. 14.00-16.00

• “The Rise of the Nazi Dictatorship and the Reaction of the Mormon Church in Germany, 1933-1939″ - Steven Carter (Henderson State University, USA)
• “A Demographic Analysis of the Staffordshire Mormons, 1840-1870″ - David Morris (University of Chichester, England)
• “Lessing, Weil, and the LDS Faith in a European Context” - Alf Masing (AMIDST Study Center, Germany)

Registration

Cost is provisionally set at 40 EUR, with a reduction to 35 EUR for those who register in advance. This will include dinner on Thursday evening and will be reduced depending on numbers in attendance. Use the form below:

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Hotels

The conference venue - Terrazza Solferino (www.terrazzasolferino.it) - is near the centre of Turin. The following hotels have been suggested:

Golden Palace: http://www.thi.it/hotels/golden-palace/hotel-5-stelle-lusso-torino.html

Conte Biancamano: www.hotelcontebiancamano.it

Le Petit Hotel: www.lepetithotel.it

Hotel Vinzaglio: http://www.albergovinzaglio.it/index1ing.htm

There are regular buses from Turin airport into the city. Turin’s tourism website has some useful information.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Ronan James Head
Conference Coordinator / 2009, European Mormon Studies Association
E-mail: ronan@jhu.edu
Web: http://www.euromormonstudies.com

Meanwhile, for those wishing to start making reservations, here are some basic details.

The conference will run all day Thursday/Friday 30/31 July. Venue website: www.terrazzasolferino.it

Here are some hotels suggested by Massimo:

http://www.thi.it/hotels/golden-palace/hotel-5-stelle-lusso-torino.html
- “is at walking distance. It is quite expensive but very nice.”

Conte Biancamano
(www.hotelcontebiancamano.it)

Le Petit Hotel
(www.lepetithotel.it)

Hotel Vinzaglio

(http://www.albergovinzaglio.it/index1ing.htm)

Organized together with Massimo Introvigne of the Center for Studies on New Religions

30-31 July 2009
Terrazza Solferino, Turin, Italy

Keynote Address: Douglas Davies
Professor of Theology and Religion, Durham University, UK

Call for Papers
“Mormonism and the European Establishment”

British Mormons love to tell the story of the day in 1840 when the vicar of the Anglican church at Castle Frome in Herefordshire sent a petition to the Archbishop of Canterbury requesting he obtain parliamentary sanction for banning the missionaries from England. He was unsuccessful.

Vignettes such as these offer historical windows into the relationship between Mormonism and the established church and state in Europe, but more than that, the contemporary telling of them suggests something about modern Mormonism in Europe. Do Mormons feel validation that the Archbishop seemingly sided with the Mormons over the local vicar? Is there a feeling of schadenfreude that a minister of the Church of England was powerless to stop the flood of Mormon converts?

We invite you to discuss the interaction between Mormonism and the European Establishment at our conference in Turin. Topics might include: reactions to Mormon missionaries in European lands; the relationship with the established churches; government counter-cult programmes; the perceived Americanness of Mormon culture in Europe; Mormons’ own relationships with their native countries; legal rights and restrictions; Mormons as Other; Mormonism and the theologies of European Christianity.

__________________

Those wishing to present a paper at the conference are requested to send a 200 word abstract to Ronan James Head at the below e-mail address. The abstract deadline is 15 April 2009. If accepted, a notification will be given by 15 May 2009. It is expected that final papers will be approximately 3,000 words, being delivered in a time of 20 minutes each. A question and answer period will be available following each paper. It is anticipated that conference proceedings will be published.

Conference attendees will be charged a small fee to cover costs, with a reduction available to those who register in advance. Please check the website for updates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Ronan James Head
Conference Coordinator / 2009, European Mormon Studies Association
E-mail: ronan@jhu.edu
Web: http://www.euromormonstudies.com

Please feel free to distribute the attached Call for Papers PDF-file.

A brief summary of this year’s papers (publications of which TBA):

Brian Birch (Utah Valley University, USA)
The “apostasy” meme in Mormonism and the battle over Mormonism’s “Christian” identity.

Grant Underwood (Brigham Young University, USA)
Explored the doctrines of “justification” and “sanctification” in Mormonism and Christianity, paying particular attention to the Lutheran tradition as explored by Mannermaa at Helsinki.

Heikki Räisänen (University of Helsinki, Finland)
Joseph Smith’s revision of the Bible in the tradition of Christian harmonising of biblical inconsistencies.

Followed by a panel discussion with: Brian Birch, Grant Underwood, Walter van Beek, Douglas J. Davies, and Heikki Räisänen.

Graham Stott (Arab American University, Palestine)
The martyrdoms at Ammonihah (Book of Mormon) from a 19th century American Christian understanding.

Risto Räty (Åbo Akademi University, Finland)
“The Challenges of Latter-day Saint Identity,” inter alia, Mormonism’s anthropomorphic God and its shortening of the ontological distance between God and man.

Stephen J. Fleming (University of California at Santa Barbara, USA)
“Magic” as a legitimate expression of Christian folk religion in England.

Douglas J. Davies (Durham University, United Kingdom)
“The Holy Spirit in Latter-day Saint Thought”: the “Spirit” as a Mormon cipher for “emotion.”

Ronan James Head (Johns Hopkins University, USA / United Kingdom)
“Mormon Children in the British Classroom: A Survey of Attitudes Towards School-Based Statutory Religious Education.”

Reid L. Neilson (Brigham Young University, USA)
The story of Andrew Jenson’s LDS world tour, 1895-1897.

Johnnie Glad (University of Stavanger, Norway)
Proclaiming the Message. A comparison of Mormon missionary strategy with other mainstream Christian missions.

Richard Sherlock (Utah State University, USA)
Mormon theology’s remarkably personal God and the importance of personal revelation.

David M. Morris (University of Chichester, United Kingdom)
Modes and methods of Mormon conversions in 19th century England

Kim Östman (Åbo Akademi University, Finland)
“Reactions of Lutheran Clergy to Mormon Proselytizing in Finland, 1875–1889.”

Fred E. Woods (Brigham Young University, USA)
The history of George Ramsden, emigration agent for the Guion Line in Liverpool.

Ron E. Bartholomew (Brigham Young University, USA)
Contact between Mormon missionaries and other Christian sects in 19th century Bedfordshire.

Dustin J. Eaton (Claremont Graduate University, USA)
Are European missions baptising Europeans?

Walter van Beek (Tilburg University, The Netherlands)
“The Gideon Syndrome in European Mormonism.” How European Mormons have fashioned a Mormon elite.

Michael W. Homer (Utah State Historical Society, USA)
“The Mormon Factor in the Romney Presidential Campaign: U.S. Perspectives.”

Massimo Introvigne (Center for Studies on New Religions, Italy)
“The Mormon Factor in the Romney Presidential Campaign: European Perspectives.”

Organized together with the Department of Comparative Religion
at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland

“Mormonism and the Christian Tradition”

General Information

Registration: Registration is now available on this website. Scroll down and fill-in the registration box. Please register before June 30 in order to help with the conference planning, although it will be possible to register also after that.

Venue: Åbo Akademi University, Faculty of Arts building Arken, Tehtaankatu / Fabriksgatan 2, 20500 Turku / Åbo (due to the bilingual nature of the city, the street and city name are given in Finnish / Swedish). The university is located close to Turku cathedral, one of the main landmarks. See the map of Turku (press the British flag for service in English) and a map of the university campus.

The conference will be held in the Armfelt auditorium on the first floor of the Arken building, shown as Å22 in grid D3 of the campus map. Use the entrance to the building shown just above the circled Å22.

Travel: You can arrive in Turku by air, train, bus or sea. The conference venue is located within walking distance (about 15 minutes) of Turku city centre. For intra-Finland train or bus travel (in case you fly to Helsinki and decide to continue by land from there), see http://www.vr.fi (train) and http://www.expressbus.com (bus).

Accommodation: There are plenty of hotels and hostels in Turku. You can find a suitable place for example through here (hotels) and here (hostels).

Food: There is a cafeteria with lunch and snack services available in the Arken building. The possibility for a social event on the evening of Thursday 21 August, involving dinner, is currently being probed.

Conference fee: Costs are covered through a fee of 5 Euros per participant. You are requested to pay when arriving at the conference venue. No lunches or dinners are covered by the conference fee.

Contact: Kim Östman, Conference coordinator (kim.ostman@abo.fi, +358-40-829 6192).

Register: Please register using this form:

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Preliminary Programme

Thursday, 21 August

9:30 – 11:30 Mormons and Christians – Tutorial Session

Brian Birch (Utah Valley University, USA)
On Being Christian: Doing Justice to the Tradition

Grant Underwood (Brigham Young University, USA)
Mannermaa, Mormonism, and the Question of Imparted v. Imputed Righteousness

13:00 – 15:00 Keynote Session

Heikki Räisänen (University of Helsinki, Finland)
Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon and the Bible

Panel discussion: Brian Birch, Douglas J. Davies, Heikki Räisänen and Grant Underwood (Walter van Beek, moderator)

15:15 – 17:15 Mormon Doctrine and Identity

Graham Stott (Arab American University, Palestine)
The Martyrdoms at Ammonihah and the Sacrifice of Christ

Risto Räty (Åbo Akademi University, Finland)
The Challenges of Latter-day Saint Identity

Stephen J. Fleming (University of California at Santa Barbara, USA)
Mormonism and the Christianity of the Folk

Douglas J. Davies (Durham University, United Kingdom)
The Holy Spirit in Latter-day Saint Thought

Evening program: Possibilities for a social event including dinner are being probed.

Friday, 22 August

9:30 – 11:30 Comparative Perspectives

Ronan James Head (Johns Hopkins University, USA / United Kingdom)
Mormon Children in the British Classroom: A Survey of Attitudes Towards School-Based Statutory Religious Education

Reid L. Neilson (Brigham Young University, USA)
Convicted Civility: Mormons and Evangelicals in Dialogue

Johnnie Glad (University of Stavanger, Norway)
Proclaiming the Message: A Comparison of the Mormon Missionary Strategy with Other Mainstream Christian Missions

Richard Sherlock (Utah State University, USA)
Mormonism in a Comparative Christian Context

13:00 – 15:00 Historical Perspectives

David M. Morris (University of Chichester, United Kingdom)
Hunters and Gatherers: Nineteenth-Century Mormon Leadership in the British Isles

Kim Östman (Åbo Akademi University, Finland)
Reactions of Lutheran Clergy to Mormon Proselytizing in Finland, 1875–1889

Fred E. Woods (Brigham Young University, USA)
George Ramsden, the Guion Line and the Mormon Immigration Connection

Ron E. Bartholomew (Brigham Young University, USA)
Nineteenth-Century Missiology of the Bedfordshire Conference and its Interrelationship with other Christian Sects

15:15 – 17:15 Contemporary Perspectives

Dustin J. Eaton (Claremont Graduate University, USA)
European Mission, European Baptisms? The Changing Face of Mormon Baptisms in Europe

Walter van Beek (Tilburg University, The Netherlands)
The Gideon Syndrome in European Mormonism

Michael W. Homer (Utah State Historical Society, USA)
The Mormon Factor in the Romney Presidential Campaign: U.S. Perspectives

Massimo Introvigne (Center for Studies on New Religions, Italy)
The Mormon Factor in the Romney Presidential Campaign: European Perspectives

Closing of the Conference

Organized together with the Department of Comparative Religion
at Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland

21–22 August 2008

Keynote Address: Heikki Räisänen
Professor of New Testament Exegesis Emeritus, University of Helsinki

Call for Papers
“Mormonism and the Christian Tradition”

The relationship of Mormonism and the Christian tradition is hotly contested, especially in religious circles. Whatever the precise nature of that relationship is, it provides rich opportunities for scholarly probing in domains such as sociology, history, theology, anthropology and religious studies. Keynoter and acclaimed theologian Heikki Räisänen, for example, will speak concerning his research on Mormonism’s founder Joseph Smith and the relationship of the Bible and the Book of Mormon, two of the faith’s central texts.

Other potential topics abound. Europe’s religious landscape with its national churches presents Mormonism with a very different situation than does the United States, the movement’s homeland. How has this shaped Mormonism’s European manifestations? How has the relationship of Mormonism and the Christian tradition, with the attendant processes of boundary negotiation, played out in Europe historically? Who are Europe’s Mormons? What are Mormonism’s contributions to the wider range of Christian thought?

Those wishing to present a paper at the conference are requested to send a 200-word abstract to Kim Östman at the below e-mail address. The abstract deadline is 15 April 2008. If accepted, a notification will be given by 15 May 2008. It is expected that final papers will be approximately 3,000–3,500 words, being delivered in a time of 20–25 minutes each. A question and answer period will be available following each paper. It is anticipated that conference proceedings will be published.

Conference attendees will be charged 20 EUR (15 EUR students), with a reduction available to those who register in advance. Please check the website for updates.

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:

Kim Östman
Conference Coordinator / 2008, European Mormon Studies Association
Phone: +358 (0)40 829 6192
E-mail: kim.ostman@abo.fi
Web: http://www.euromormonstudies.com

Please feel free to distribute the attached Call for Papers PDF-file.

Participants:

Douglas Davies, Wouter van Beek, Lee & Steve Fleming, Lydia & Warrick Kear, Rebecca & Ronan James Head, Anthea & David Head, Kim Östman, Jennifer Adam, Jiro Numano, David Morris, Alison & Steve Carter, Linda & Martin Holden, Armand Mauss, Susan Eliason, Gordon Mauss, Fred Woods, Ron Bartholomew, Terry O’Dea, Marion & John McLaverty, Beverly Plester, John Fowles.

Watch this space for details on the forthcoming publication of the conference proceedings.

Venue: University of Worcester, Henwick Grove, WR2 6AJ. Leave extra time to get through Worcester (the university is on the opposite side of the city from the M5 motorway). See map here.

The conference will be held in the Cotswold Suite on the first floor of the main building (building #2 here). We will try to put up some posters to guide you to the room.

Parking: Park in the long-stay car park at the Henwick Road entrance (£1.50/day). Sign-posting from the car park to the main building isn’t great, but it’s a small campus.

Food: There is a cafeteria available in the main building. We will organise dinner for Thursday night at a local restaurant. Please note, the dinner scheduled for Saturday has been cancelled, to be replaced by a lunchtime BBQ at Gadfield Elm (map here).

Costs: Conference fees are £15 (£10 concessions). If you tried to book online but ran into difficulties, please let us know and we will offer the discounted rate. Please bring money for food — it will not be covered by the conference fee (which is intended only to cover our costs to the University of Worcester).

Shuttles/Bus: There should be space in some cars to shuttle people between the city centre and the university, and to Gadfield Elm on Saturday. The #31 bus passes the university.

Contact: Ronan James Head (01684 572686), David Morris (0790 337 4685).