by Stephen C. Taysom Stephen C. Taysom is an associate professor of philosophy and comparative religion at Cleveland State University. Religions persist when they are able to adapt to cultural shifts by reinterpreting their own histories—even their origins—in a way that cloaks their changes in a mantle of consistency. The LDS Church’s Gospel Topics …
Tag: First Vision
Joseph Smith S First Vision Imagery Neurology And The Construction Of Memory
Many critics of Mormonism assert that Joseph Smith invented the First Vision and then deliberately altered the details in subsequent retellings over the years so as to mislead his followers. This paper, based on textual analysis and neurology, posits an alternative explanation. Robert A. Rees
Of Good Report: Random Acts of Reading
By Dallas Robbins “That book changed my life!”: a cliché right up there with “the more I learn, the less I know.” No self-respecting person should ever utter it in public. But clichés stick around for a reason, and as I revisit them from time to time, I always find something beneath the surface worth …
Episode 4, “Telling and Hearing The First Vision” (Joseph Smith-History)
Though the story of the First Vision was relatively absent from most of the recorded early Mormon discourses of the nineteenth century, the act of telling and receiving the story of the First Vision has become one of the main ways of building a new relationship with the faith. …
Paul and Joseph: Comparing Joseph Smith’s First Vision to the Apostle Paul’s Encounter with the Risen Christ
LDS prophets and theologians, following Joseph Smith’s own lead, often compare Joseph’s Robert M. Bowman, Jr.
Letter to the Editor: Graphic Novel
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Approaching the First Vision Saga
By Stephen C. Taysom Art by Galen Dara Or right-click to download audio file here: Approaching the First Vision Saga Joseph Smith’s First Vision stories constitute a key element of contemporary Mormon self-conception. Anyone seeking to understand Mormonism will have to grapple with the complexities surrounding this event and the stories told …
SL10152: A Field Guide for Turning History into Myth
The LDS Church has released a guide for journalists titled Approaching Mormon History. The document acknowledges that some journalists “have questioned the miraculous aspects of the faith” and wonder “why Latter-day Saints continue to believe them as reality and not myths.” The document argues for the historical reality of the Mormon foundational stories, namely the …
Is There Really Any Problem with Joseph Smith’s First Vision? And Why Not?
Is There Really Any Problem with Joseph Smith’s First Vision? And Why Not? Since Joseph Smith’s First Vision is both the fundamental historical event and the basic theological tenet of Mormon thought, it has been the object of many attacks on Smith’s credibility. Questions are generally raised concerning the content and the timing of the …
‘WHAT KIND OF A BEING IS GOD?’ EMBODIMENT AND THE KING FOLLETT DISCOURSE
‘WHAT KIND OF A BEING IS GOD?’ EMBODIMENT AND THE KING FOLLETT DISCOURSE The LDS doctrine of deity differs radically from the traditional Christian concept of the Trinity, and this difference is a major point of contention between Mormons and other Christians. But LDS scriptures themselves present many points of conflict with the Church’s official …