Diversity Event

     For my diversity event, I attended Professor Ann Taves’s talk on Mormonism. She talked a lot about different points of view on the religion but mostly focused on different ways to look at the Golden Plates found by Joseph Smith, which is a huge centerpiece for the religion.

      Although the talk was not what I was expecting from the description given on the lectures website, I thought it was really interesting. She presented a lot of information about how different groups can view the Plates in different ways. She had a lot of insight in this topic both from a sociological point of view but also religious studies view. Every event she talked about surrounding the Plates was presented from a believing and nonbelieving way and never discounted the claims of the religion.

       I learned a lot about the religion in a way that isn’t accusatory or converting, which I appreciated. I didn’t know a lot about the religion and definitely not what it was based on. All I know of the religion I’ve only ever come across from the stereotypes given to Mormons and my experiences staying with a Mormon family for a few weeks when I was in high school.

I would really enjoy hearing more from Taves and I’ll probably pick up the book the presentation was based on that she wrote to get more insight into Mormonism.