Exmormon Foundation 2009 Conference

William Lobdell, 48, is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, "Losing My Religion: How I Lost My Faith Reporting on Religion in America — and Found Unexpected Peace". William became a born-again Christian in his late 20s. A veteran journalist, he requested to be assigned to the religion beat of the Los Angeles Times. For eight years he investigated and reported on religion and people of faith. During that time Bill spent a weekend with the Exmormon community at one of our conferences – his reporting on that weekend made the front page of the LA Times. That weekend experience and other investigations began to create confusion, doubt, and soul searching in his own religious life. In the summer of 2007 he wrote a personal essay that became an international sensation about his religious journey. In 2008 he published "Losing My Religion", which contains several references to the Ex-Mormon community.

Craig Criddle is a Professor and Senior Fellow, Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, having taught at Stanford since 1998. His research focus is environmental biotechnology. Craig was born into a Mormon family in 1957, grew up as a typical Mormon boy, and served a mission to Uruguay in 1976-78. After his mission, he married in the Salt Lake Temple in 1979, and is the father of four children, grandfather to four. Craig’s church callings included Elders quorum president, gospel doctrine teacher, ward clerk, and nursery leader. By the early 90’s, Craig had basically left the church intellectually, and he began an investigation of the origins of the Book of Mormon in 2000. What he learned about church origins contributed significantly to a divorce. He formally resigned from the church in 2004, and in 2005 posted an on-line essay "Sidney Rigdon: Creating the Book of Mormon". After publishing the essay, Craig began a collaboration with Stanford colleague Matt Jockers, which led to the eventual publication in December, 2008 of an LLC article on the Book of Mormon authorship with Matthew Jockers and Daniella Witten.

Richard Packham was raised in a fifth-generation Mormon family in "Zion", graduated from BYU, married in the temple, and had no doubts about the church until he began studying church history and doctrine intensively in his 20s. His leaving the church cost him his marriage and his three children. His professional career has been as a college teacher (primarily in foreign languages) and attorney. After his retirement, he became active in the Recovery From Mormonism groups, and in 2001 incorporated the Exmormon Foundation. He lives with his never-Mormon wife of forty years on their ranch outside of Roseburg, Oregon. Hundreds, if not thousands, of former Mormons credit Richard's website with giving them their first honest exposure to the truths about the history of Mormonism.

Karen Di Milia and Dennis Lavery are documentary filmmakers in Portland, Oregon. Their collaboration began two years ago with the creation of Pepita Productions. The mission of their production company is to examine the decisions people make and their life-changing consequences. In researching the narrative possibilities, they met Sue Emmett and were introduced to the work of the Ex-Mormon Foundation. As non-Mormons, Karen and Dennis had a steep learning curve, but quickly saw the value of documenting the fear, struggles, and realities of those who doubt the Church. “In the Shadow of the Temple”, their first full-length documentary film, explores and delineates the emotional journeys and day-to-day challenges of ex-Mormons and “Shadow Mormons”.

A native of Michigan, Charles Larson developed an early appreciation for history by spending his boyhood on one of the earliest farms to have been settled in that part of the country. That appreciation and respect grew into a lifetime passion. Larson’s family later moved to California where, he enlisted in the U.S. Army following graduation from High School in 1969. It was in the Army, during Basic Training, that Larson was introduced to (and became a member of) the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints -- the Mormons. This led him to attend and graduate from Brigham Young University where he met his wife, Marie, who he married in the Manti Temple in 1974. As a Mormon, Charles considered himself to be a faithful, believing, totally committed member for a number of years, until he reached a point where he finally realized he had the right to ask questions. Unlike many others, Larson and his wife managed to survive the strain of inquiry and emerge intact, whole, and unified, and they have been "former Mormons" for close to 30 years.

He first wrote of his experience and reasons for abandoning the Mormon faith in his well-known book By His Own Hand Upon Papyrus, where Larson offers an in-depth examination and analysis of the papyri fragments used by Joseph Smith to fabricate his Book of Abraham during the 1830's. It has been hailed (by non-Mormons) for its academic accuracy and historic content, and has been a major resources for questioning Mormons trying to make sense of inconsistencies in the theological and historical record. The work has been sometimes criticized for the evangelical Christian tone of its final chapter, but the writing of this book was part of Larson's personal quest for meaningful faith.

His second book Numismatic Forgery also has Mormon origins -- though in a completely different way. Larson is a talented artist and skilled engraver, and among his many interests is the subject of coins and how they were manufactured historically. He spent a number of years researching the origins of one of the rarest of American coinage groups, the pioneer Mormon coin issues of the 1840's-50's, which resulted in applying of his coin making research and art experience into the book Numismatic Forgery, An Illustrated, Annotated Guide To The Private Manufacture of Rare Coins, which received the Best World Coin Book Award from the A.N.A. in 2004.

Larson’s third and most recent book Destroying Angel is an action/crime drama set in contemporary Utah. Destroying Angel is the story of the search for a serial killer who at first is thought to have ties to Utah’s underground polygamous culture, but the killings are later discovered to have a connection to the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre. Set against a rich historical backdrop, with sequences containing disturbing depictions of the actual massacre itself, and sensitive descriptions of today's underground polygamous culture, it provides an astonishingly varied, well-understood and complex view of Utah and Mormon culture today.

Latayne C. Scott is the award-winning author of over a dozen books, published by major publishers such as Zondervan, Moody, Baker, Word and others. In addition, she has published poems, radio plays, and hundreds of articles in several magazines. Two of her latest books are of special interest to former Mormons. One of the positive reviews of "Mormon Mirage" states that "Latayne actually narrates two journeys: her own and then the historic development and changes of the Mormon Church from its founding right up to the Twenty First Century. The integrity and rigor of the research and scholarship are impressive. All sources are available to be rechecked by any skeptic. Even after being subjected to lies and vilification, Latayne’s generous spirit extends affection to those left behind, still trusting the mirage". Her newest book, "Latter-Day Cipher" is a modern-day murder mystery with all kinds of Mormon doctrine & Utah undertones! She will spend part of her time discussing the process of writing and her experiences with getting her work published.

Peter and Mary Danzig are former members of the LDS church who resigned after Peter was threatened repeatedly with excommunication for his views on homosexuality and the lack of protections against ecclesiastical abuse within the LDS church. Prior to their resignation from the LDS church they both served full time proselytizing missions and were founding members of the Orchestra at Temple Square, performing in that calling for seven years.

Peter is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who worked as a mental health and substance abuse therapist in rural Utah and currently works as the Program Coordinator for Medical Outreach Case Management at the infectious diseases clinic at the University of Utah. Mary Danzig has degrees in violin performance from BYU and the University of Utah and maintains a private studio of violin students. Peter and Mary perform folk and original music under the stage name of Otter Creek and work as freelance musicians in a wide variety of styles. They are currently working on their first solo album.