The discovery of the Nag Hamada 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 …
Tag: Christianity
The Classical Hebrew Prophets: Those Magnificent Men And Their Dangerous Doctrines
The classical Hebrew prophets contributed greatly to the intellectual and spiritual foundations of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Though their messages are ancient, their relevance is modern, for the prophets were “dissident intellectuals” who taught us by their examples to challenge both religious and political authorities. How does the role of Joseph Smith as a prophet …
9/11, Mormons, and the Winds of War: Recent Dialogue Authors Publishing Twenty-First Century Peace
The events of 9/11 divide us as utterly from the previous century as the atom bomb demarcated its two halves. Panel participants, all authors of recent or forthcoming essays in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, draw from and supplement these essays with fresh insights on Latter-day Saint responsibility in this new era. After all, …
Women, Priesthood, and the Church: From Early Christianity to Latter-day Saints
Recent scholarship on early Christianity has created new perceptions about women’s roles: did Jesus treat men and women as equals, and did women have leadership and priesthood roles in the early Christian community? What were women’s real roles in the early Christian movement, and how does that affect or prescribe the nature of a Christian …
Doing Things That Change Us
Unlike Christianity, many religions downplay belief and instead emphasize behavior, so that what one believes is of little consequence compared to what one does. As Karen Armstrong stresses, religions such as Judaism and Buddhism are not about accepting a body of doctrine but Holly Welker, Phyllis Barber, H. Parker Blount, Jana Reiss, John Dewey Remy
HOW ‘CHRISTIAN’ SHOULD MORMONISM STRIVE TO BE?
Abstract Mormonism seems to be in the midst of an identity crisis. For Church members, its founding claim to be the restoration of primitive Christianity along with its theology and worship practices have always made it feel very Christian. But with the Church’s efforts to emphasize Mormonism’s message of Christ even more strongly, subtitling the …
THE WAR WITH IRAQ THROUGH A RELIGIOUS LENS: HOW DOES RELIGION INFORM OUR CHOICES?
The intersection of religion and war is complex and complicated. Whether we look at the causes of war, processes for avoiding war, ways of resolving conflicts, or the moral imperatives of peace, Christianity and other major world faiths often have a seat at the table of influence. Stan Christensen, Robert A. Rees, Bill Benac, Paul …
Old Testament Studies: The Deuteronomist De-Christianizing of the Old Testament; Isaiah as a Lens to the Other Books of the Old Testament
The Deuteronomist De-Christianizing of the Old Testament KEVIN CHRISTENSEN, B.A., English, San Jose State University. In a 1980 Sunstone article, Melodie Moench Charles described “The Mormon Christianizing of the Old Testament,” citing several “distinguishing features of the Old Testament theology” that are “relatively consistent and are irreconcilable with Mormon commentary on the Old Testament.” Following …
What Does God Look Like? The Role of Visual Image in Belief
What Does God Look Like? The Role of Visual Image in Belief If immediate impressions of God the Father’s countenance, hair color, age, race, voice, wardrobe, or dwelling place come to mind, chances are good that Michelangelo, Charlton Heston, or an Ensign illustration helped put those images into your head. History has proven that there …
Mormonism and Christianity, or, Are Christians Mormon?
Mormonism and Christianity, or, Are Christians Mormon? The question, “Are Mormons Christian?” has been heard ever since 1830, and it has been pressed forward in recent years by both anti- Mormon Christians and by Mormons who are trying to convince other Christians. I would like to turn the tables on the question, and use Mormon …