There should be audio links though if you want to listen.

Third one I've been to, and it was the best ever (of those three). A lot of work goes into them. It's fun to hang out and meet some of the incredibly interesting people. I had hoped to see many faces from the past, but there were only a couple I knew. But that is also a good sign, that there is always a new crop.

Peter Danzig's presentation was, for me personally, the best. I saw a whole new side of him I didn't know about. And, of course, we got to listen to a 2-hour shared presentation by Hans and Birgitta Mattsson, telling of their journey out. That was pretty incredible.

I traveled across the country to see it, but some people had come from other continents.

Worth the price of the whole conference!

So useful in the context of exmormonism but valuable to anyone who is experiencing any psychological issues: depression, crisis, anxiety, self-identity, grief.

What a wonderful human being!

(His best line: Coffee works better than prayer!)

But I agree with "One Who Posted" that it was the best in recent memory (my own personal favorite was the first one I attended, which featured Will Bagley, Simon Southerton, Sandra Tanner, as well as our own RandyJ and Uncle Dale). Well done, Kathleen and Susan and everyone who pitched in...

Hans and Brigetta Mattsson were wonderful; it's easy to see why Hans rose up in the European LDS hierarchy. He was supremely unpretentious, and his easy charismatic style will be a thorn in LDS circles for years to come.

I'm just "bringing myself up to speed" on the "Swedish Rescue"; as a "technical Nevermo" I focus more on Utah History and local goings-on, but my close friend Jesus Smith is one who's devoted his energies to MormonThink, and I'll be spending some time catching up on this one.

http://www.mormonthink.com/glossary/swedish-rescue.htm

http://www.mormonthink.com/glossary/swedish-rescue2.htm

Working until the wee hours Saturday morning, I only caught the very last of David Conley Nelson's "Moroni and the Swastika" presentation.

I finally managed to track David down Sunday to get him to sign my copy of his book; he's a remarkable individual (as are so many who are drawn into the Ex-Mormon orbit), wholly unpretentious, and my only regret is not having more time to talk to him.

I'm hoping the videos of the Conference Presentations are available soon; that will be the first one I watch.

One final observation: This was also "the most serious" group of attendees I'd seen. They came to learn, not particularly to party (not that some didn't), and I found that noteworthy.

Okay, now does anyone have any more on why we couldn't post using the hotel WiFi?

I suppose I could start a rumor blaming FARMS or Rodney Meldrum's "Firm Foundation" (those clowns are next on my Roadkill Awards agenda, BTW).

I thought his lecture, in addition to his comments on the concluding panel discussion, was absolutely amazing. I caught it on live steam, and I was riveted. J. Reuben Clark..a real asshat. I had no idea. Just when I thought Mormonism couldn't get any lower into the cesspool of bigotry, hypocrisy, and racism - but then it does again and again. As a mormon, I didn't know of any Jews converting to Mormonism, but to think that all that SOB had to do was sign a sponsorship form for those desparate jewish Mormons..so easy and so do-able. His refusal to do so is very telling of the racist bigoted culture that is true Mormonism.

Because of David Nelson's presentation (which was fascinating on a number of levels), I have his book ("Moroni and the Swastika") on order, and on its way to me, right now...

...and the presentation of Hans and Birgitta Mattsson was equally fascinating...a fresh, insider's look at what we all THOUGHT we knew fairly well, but from the entirely different viewpoint of those who were actually living it...

The presentation of the Mattssons was also filled with Swedish "color" and homey humor (which is difficult to do in a language not your own...there were times when I really felt for Hans as he was trying to convey something very funny and Swedish in North American English words).

I wasn't able to hear much of anything else (a bit of the Q and A on Sunday), but the Nelson and Mattsson presentations were absolutely top notch.

Kudos to everyone who worked so hard on the Exmormon Conference 2015!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/19/2015 02:37PM by tevai.

Agreed...I laughed about Hans comments referring to celebrating the Mormon pioneer trek and high priests (i.e. cardiac arrest would have a hard time telling who had the heart attack). Yes, I would think difficult to do in another language. He nailed it.

Hans' ordeal with leaving the church behind opened new insight to issues facing those raised LDS and having known no other life prior to their departure. I was a convert at age twenty. I had pre-LDS life experience whereas those born into the church have none. All they have ever known is "the Church." Hans stated that he feels lost; he has lost all that he has ever known. Luckily his wife had a pre-Mormon life and she can help him find his way. I had never thought of this problem that those BIC face upon departure. I feel even more compassion for them than before and I hope this knowledge will temper the impatiences that I sometimes feel with some posts.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/22/2015 09:11AM by michaelc1945.

Good times, good times. And thanks to SL Cabbie for picking me up from the airport and giving me the cabbie tour of SLC.

As the Dos Equis man would say 'I don't always go to the exmo conferences but when I do it's always a great time.'

I imagine the youtube videos will be up in the future and I think there's audio links now or will be soon on the exmo conf site.

You also might be interested in this:

http://exmormonfoundation.org/files/media/2015Conference/JohnDehlin.mp3