“The Great Spirit Has Told Us That You Are the Man”: American Indian Delegations to Joseph Smith at Nauvoo, Christopher C. Smith Joseph Smith as a Spiritual Egalitarian, Bryan Cottle Smith: In 1843 and 1844, several anti-American, formerly British-allied Indian groups dispatched delegations to Joseph Smith at Nauvoo. They apparently came to Smith because the …
Tag: Christianity
SW10017: The Return of the Antis: A Comparative Study of the Rhetoric of Early Christian and Mormon Polemicists
Since the days of antiquity, people have consulted Aristotle’s work, Rhetoric, and used its theories to overcome political enemies. Rhetorical scrutiny was directed particularly at new religious movements that paved new paths to Rod. Separated by nearly two millennia, early Christianity and Mormonism both struggled against a tide of polemicists’ criticisms. This presentation compares the …
SL10091: The Fate of New Religious Movements when They Are No Longer New
During the past several decades, sociologists and scholars in Religious Studies have created an additional category, “new religious movements,” to use in the study of religion. This category is proving extremely useful not only in the consideration of new movements in modern times but also in examining the coming into being of such world traditions …
SL10091: The Fate of New Religious Movements when They Are No Longer New
During the past several decades, sociologists and scholars in Religious Studies have created an additional category, “new religious movements,” to use in the study of religion. This category is proving extremely useful not only in the consideration of new movements in modern times but also in examining the coming into being of such world traditions …
SL10115: One Soul Shall Not Be Lost: A History of the War in Heaven in Mormon Thought
The idea of a War in Heaven is rooted in the biblical story of fallen angels (Genesis 6), a reinterpretation of Isaiah 12, and the apocalyptic writings of John (Revelation 12). Developed in the literature of post-biblical Judaism, the idea is more fully expanded in Christianity. Mormon scripture—the Book of Moses and the Doctrine and …
SW08007: SCRIPTURAL LITERALISM AS THE NEW PAGANISM
SCRIPTURAL LITERALISM AS THE NEW PAGANISM Terms such as ‘pagan’ and ‘heathen’ are used as (usually derogatory) labels for people adhering to older, non-normative, ‘superstitious’ beliefs (e. g., ‘witchcraft’). Originally, however, these were denigrations used to describe the unsophisticated country dwellers who had not yet accepted the tenets of Christianity then normative among city dwellers. …
Looking Forward: Visions For the Future
Looking Forward: Visions For the Future The organization and unity of the LDS Church gives it incredible potential to tackle social problems in innovative and influential ways. Often it does so, trailblazing model approaches that inspire other organizations. Just as often, though, it can lag behind the innovations and ideas being implemented elsewhere. Conversant in …
CRITICAL VISION: THE RESEARCH AND WRITINGS OF JERALD AND SANDRA TANNER
CRITICAL VISION: THE RESEARCH AND WRITINGS OF JERALD AND SANDRA TANNER Raised LDS, as teenagers and prior to meeting each other, both Jerald and Sandra Tanner began to examine their LDS faith. Soon after they were introduced to each other, they began to research Mormonism in earnest and, in their words, left the LDS church …
ARE MORMONS POLYTHEISTS?
ARE MORMONS POLYTHEISTS? A common feature of academic scholarship written on Mormonism has been to highlight its unique theology in which God the Father not only possesses a physical body but we, as his children, have the potential to progress and become as he is: Gods and Goddesses. Some of these scholars have used this …
Joseph Smith and the Gnostic Restoration & Joseph Smith’s Lesser-Known Wives
The discovery of the Nag Hammadi third-century Gnostic Library has awakened interest in this very early form of Christianity. My proposal is that if Joseph Smith restored true Christianity, then it should share many similarities with Gnosticism. Indeed, there are many strong parallels between these two theologies, starting with a shared sense that humans are …