Sightings Articles
Scapegoating Mitt Romney
What Mitt Romney's disinvitation from CPAC 2020 tells us about the evolving role of religion in public life for the Christian Right
March 12, 2020
The Daybells and Latter-day Saint Apocalypticism
Exploring a subculture of apocalyptic prophecy on the margins of the LDS Church
February 27, 2020
Mormon Moves
Newspaper or magazine editors who headline items with words like “General Conference” or “Synod” or “Annual Meeting” know they have to fight for readers’ attention. Too bad, since much that can be of significance to nonmembers of denominations does o...
April 9, 2018
Nonwhitesome Mormons
Mormons, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, represent only about two percent of the American people, but “everybody” knows something or other about them. Ask your neighbor to discuss the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)...
September 25, 2017
Mormon Leadership
“Leaked Videos Pull Back Curtain on…” were six words placed above a New York Times story on Friday. Readers are used to such tantalizers and might ask, “… on whom? On Celebrities… Magnates… Professional Athletes… Entertainers… Politicians…?” Such lur...
October 10, 2016
Rifts in the Mormon Family: What Just Happened?
Earlier this month, on Nov. 5th, the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints quietly changed a handbook that is available only to church leaders. The changes stipulated that any Mormons in same-sex marriages were to be...
November 19, 2015
Mormon Options on "Church" and "State"
“I hate war!” was a clear denunciation voiced by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on August 14, 1936. He was talking about real war five years before he had to lead the United States in the most destructive war in history. There are lesser wars in ...
October 26, 2015
Mormon Issues -- Martin E. Marty
Sightings has sighted and commented on trends and travails among standard-brand faith communities this fall: Jews, Protestants, “The Mainline,” “Evangelicals,” “Southern Baptists” and more. Most of them report on or envision down-trends in matters of...