Sterling McMurrin considered William H. Chamberlin (1870–1921) the “foremost Mormon philosopher” and “more competent than Orson Pratt or B.H. Roberts,” but Chamberlin is largely forgotten, and his work can be found only in the special collections sections of university libraries. Chamberlin was a personalist philosopher who believed that the person was the ultimate category of …
Speaker: L. Rex Sears
A Calvinist Compares Mormonism and Calvinism
There are both striking similarities and large-scale differences between the culture and beliefs of Calvinism, a form of Evangelicalism, and Mormonism, many of which have not been adequately explored. How do these traditions view the importance of covenant in the relationship between God and his people? The importance of family? Work and holiness in Christian …
Can a Mormon Be a Hobbit?
J.R.R. Tolkien insisted that The Lord of the Rings is a “profoundly religious and even Catholic” work. How and in what respects does Tolkien’s Middle Earth mythology fit or conflict with Mormonism? Hear the thoughts of several careful Tolkien readers and share your own. This session was originally L. Rex Sears, Jason W. Anderson, Lara …
Author Meets Critic: The Mormon Question
While many Latter-day Saints know about polygamy and its importance in Mormon doctrine and history, few know about its effects on the world outside of Mormonism. As Sarah Barringer Gordon writes, polygamy had a profound influence on constitutional law and political theory that left a powerful legacy on religious life, that is, “Americans are free …
‘Re-establishing the Restoration’
‘Re-establishing the Restoration’ Far from solving the Church’s problems, the Manifesto introduced another set of difficulties which came to head in the early twentieth century. I will discuss these problems in terms of two crises. First, the Church’s negative reputation was inhibiting its ability to accomplish its objectives at home and abroad. Second, the internal …
‘How Long, O Lord?’: Constitutional Protection for Plural Marriage
‘How Long, O Lord?’: Constitutional Protection for Plural Marriage Polygamous Mormons have (unsuccessfully) invoked the Constitution as a shield against prosecution for their ‘domestic arrangements” ever since their practice of the principle was first made public in 1852. This session offers a historical and legal perspective on pertinent constitutional arguments, and tries to predict their …