Videos

Carl Youngblood examines the crisis of faith in Mormonism's post-secular era, where widespread access to information has made it difficult for the LDS Church to control its narrative. Drawing on Paul Tillich's theology, he critiques common responses—apologetics, appeals to authority, fundamentalism, and secularism—as inadequate because they either mistake finite constructs for ultimate concern or abandon the symbols that give faith its vitality. Youngblood quotes B. H. Roberts's call for "disciples of the second sort" who bring personal contributions to received truth rather than merely repeating formulas, and he positions the Mormon Transhumanist Association as cultivating such disciples.

Don Bradley analyzes Alma 32 as a post-biblical, post-Enlightenment reformulation of faith that draws on Jesus's parables while transforming their meaning through scientific language. He argues that whereas the New Testament presents "taking no thought" favorably as trust in God's providence, the Book of Mormon redeploys this phrase negatively—faith requires actively "arousing faculties" and conducting "experiments" rather than passive belief. Bradley identifies distinctly scientific vocabulary throughout Alma's discourse (experiment, dormant, particle, discernible) and proposes a working definition: "faith is experimental hope that initiates and sustains the processes of discovery, achievement, and growth." He suggests Latter-day Saints should learn to engage scripture through midrash—the Jewish tradition of creatively rewriting narratives to apply them to contemporary life.

The MTA Barbershop Chorus performs John Rutter's "You Are the New Day," a hymn of hope and renewal. Introduced by a reflection on humanity's responsibility to shape the future through "good minds and loving hearts," the performance celebrates themes of love, life, and the dawning possibility of each new day—affirming that hope persists even when time seems to be running out.

Jared Anderson explores three approaches to faith crisis: apologetics, which defends inherited beliefs but leaves adherents vulnerable to new information; selective emphasis, which rebuilds meaning by highlighting a tradition’s most beneficial elements; and complete reconstruction through new myths and systems of meaning. Anderson argues that critical inquiry can only demolish worldviews—reconstruction is an art requiring theology, aesthetics, relationships, heritage, syncretism, and activism. He concludes that humanism and transhumanism offer frameworks for rebuilding when the “rabbit hole goes all the way down.”

Micah Redding contrasts the failed end-of-world predictions exemplified by Harold Camping with the ancient Jewish prophetic tradition that viewed apocalypse not as history’s arbitrary termination but as moments when oppressive powers are overwhelmed by the rising tide of justice. He argues that this "better apocalypse" drew people more deeply into the world rather than out of it, inspiring figures like Martin Luther King Jr. to stand for truth even when victory seemed impossible. Redding suggests that spiritually oriented transhumanists can offer a similar forward-looking vision—one that calls humanity to courage and engagement rather than despair.

James McLean Ledford presents his vision of Christian transhumanism, arguing that salvation requires both faith and works—a combination he illustrates through an information-time diagram depicting creation, cognitive evolution, and eventual theosis. Drawing on digital physics, the Nicene Creed, and the simulation argument, he proposes that reality may be fundamentally informational and that humanity could be living in a simulation created by an advanced civilization. Ledford sees this possibility not as undermining faith but as supporting it, suggesting that creators watching their simulations could perform what appear to be miracles—and that our own technological trajectory toward brain coprocessing and quantum computing may be part of a grand cosmic gathering back to a singular, Christ-like state of being.

Lincoln Cannon and Joey West present the New God Argument, a logical case for faith in God that diverges from traditional Christian apologetics to justify the distinctly Mormon conception of deity. Beginning with the “faith position”—that humanity probably will not go extinct before becoming an advanced civilization—they build through the “angel argument” (that advanced civilizations are probably common if basic life is common) and the “creation argument” (that if we would create many simulated worlds, then we ourselves probably live in a created world). Three “charity arguments” then establish that our probable creators are likely more benevolent than us, since civilizations that increase in destructive capacity without corresponding increases in benevolence tend to destroy themselves. The conclusion: if basic life forms are probable and advanced civilizations create worlds, we should trust that a benevolent advanced civilization—what Mormons call God—probably created our world.

Lincoln Cannon presents the New God Argument, a logical framework demonstrating that trust in humanity's posthuman potential should lead to faith in God. The argument combines three sub-arguments: the angel argument (if prehumans are probable, posthumans probably already exist), the benevolence argument (posthumans are probably more benevolent than us), and the creation argument (posthumans probably created our world). Cannon shows how this reasoning aligns with Mormon theology—particularly Joseph Smith's teaching that God was once as we are now—and responds to Richard Dawkins's observation that sufficiently advanced extraterrestrials would be indistinguishable from gods.

Chris Bradford offers practical strategies for introducing transhumanist ideas within LDS congregations while maintaining community bonds. Drawing on Jesus’s instruction to be "wise as serpents and harmless as doves," he emphasizes the importance of reassuring fellow members that one’s intent is to fulfill rather than destroy their faith. Bradford recommends grounding discussions in scripture, expressing unconventional perspectives in non-threatening ways, building bridges through shared language, and avoiding ego-driven arguments—all while communicating with an aesthetic that the community associates with the Holy Spirit.