Samuel M. Brown

Capener interview now archived

smb — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:50:31 +0000

The Utah Conversations Interview with Ted Capener is now available via the KUED web archive. An audio-only feed is also available.

Speaking in Southern California May 11-12

smb — Thu, 03 May 2012 02:20:12 +0000

I will be addressing the Miller Eccles group on Friday and Saturday nights (same talk, two different locations), exploring some of the interfaces between Mormonism and American Freemasonry within the context of the early LDS attempt to conquer death.

Details are available at the Miller Eccles Website.

On Mormon temple secrecy

smb — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 03:38:42 +0000

In a piece for Huffington Post, I begin a response to John Sweeney’s attempt to construct Mormons as a cult in a recent documentary.

Utah Conversations with Ted Capener, April 22, 2012 5.30-6.00 pm MT

smb — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:27:46 +0000

An interview with Ted Capener about In Heaven will be airing on KUED, channel 7, at 5.30pm on Sunday, April 22.

Upcoming Events on the East Coast

smb — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 18:25:07 +0000

I will be giving several lectures the first week of April on the East Coast. All are welcome to attend.

April 1: Greg Prince’s study group in Potomac, Maryland at 7pm. Talk will be on early Mormon Masonry.

April 2: Columbia University, Earl Hall, 7.30pm. Talk will be on “sealing” and communal salvation in early Mormonism.

April 4: Belmont, Mass, 7.30pm. Talk will be on the Chain of Being. This is a smaller venue so RSVP required if attendance desired.

April 5: Southern Virginia University, 7pm. Talk will be on “sealing” and communal salvation in early Mormonism

Back in Utah, I’ll be doing a totally non-Mormon talk on “The Lost Deathbed” at Intermountain Medical Center on April 10 at 11am.

Public lecture at IMC on April 10–”The Lost Deathbed”

smb — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 17:27:42 +0000

On April 10, 2012, I will be delivering a public lecture, entitled “The Lost Deathbed: Historical Reflections on the Art of Dying,” at Intermountain Medical Center in the East Auditorium of the Doty Education Center from 11am to noon.

Gracious endorsement on MSH blog

smb — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:30:14 +0000

Mormon Scholars in the Humanities had kind words to say about In Heaven.

Deseret News on Huffington Post blog

smb — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 23:28:47 +0000

The Deseret News wrote on the Huffington Post piece on Mormon proxy baptism.

Huffington Post on Baptism for the Dead

smb — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 22:11:46 +0000

Today, the Huffington Post published my piece on the Mormon practice of baptism for the dead.

“Investigating Mormon Masonry” February 25 in Seattle

smb — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 14:15:14 +0000

Samuel Brown, author of _In Heaven as It Is On Earth; Joseph Smith and the Early Mormon Conquest of Death_, will speak at Molly Bennion’s home in the 98112 zip code in Seattle at 7pm on February 25. The subject for the evening will be “Investigating Mormon Masonry.”

Intersections between Mormonism and American Freemasonry have caused considerable controversy among Latter-day Saints and their critics. The large majority of the work on this topic, on both sides, is intensely myopic. In this presentation, which extends the treatment of Masonry in _In Heaven_, Sam explores the assumptions central to the study of Mormon Masonry, considering how to understand influence and tradition, while exploring the meaning of Western esotericism at the intersections of early Mormonism and American Freemasonry.

Because space is limited, RSVP is required. Comments, questions, and confirmations should be directed to Molly Bennion at bennion AT seanet DOT com.