A really big sinner, in my book. Now, I don’t know really much at all about the personal life of D. Smith, nor do I really care. But I do know a bit about his public scholarship and other writings, which reveal a grave sin, a seriously grave methodological sin. As an anthropologist, Smith has converted the object of his study into, an Object, incapable of any real form of subjectivity. Continue reading “D. Smith is a Sinner”
Welcome Guest Blogger: MormonDeadHead
Mormons, Jews, and Atheists Know Most about Religion
A new Pew survey out today has been making the news. It shows that Atheists/Agnostics, Jews, and Mormons have the highest religious literacy. On the questions regarding Christianity and the Bible, Mormons scored at the top! Among other Christians, Mormons also demonstrated the most knowledge about world religions and tied for the highest score in the category “Religion and Public Life.” Jews and Athetists/Agnostics outscored Mormons in both categories.
I don’t know whether this makes me happy, or want to cry.
Continue reading “Mormons, Jews, and Atheists Know Most about Religion”
Faith and Knowledge Conference Reminder!
One of the great experiences for LDS and LDS-interested graduate students in religion is the bi-annual Faith and Knowledge conference. This year’s Call for Papers looks extremely interesting!
The Intellectual Prospects for Mormonism”: The Third Biannual Faith and Knowledge Conference for LDS Graduate Students in Religion
Duke University
February 11-12, 2011
Reading the Scriptures Precritically
Among a certain class of LDS biblical scholars, there exists a definite nostalgia for earlier eras of biblical scholarship. It has been reported to me that one senior scholar has repeatedly professed his preference for 19th century biblical scholarship in terms of the methods, questions, and assumptions on which it was based. A recent Mormon Times report about an Education Week presentation by a FARMS employee emphasized early Christian methods for studying the scriptures, including personal imagination, historical literalism, and a search for “hidden” Christian symbolism as normative guides for modern scripture study, where the devotional is entirely sufficient for understanding.
Apostasy Watch: The Temple in San Apollinare Nuovo
This image from San Apollinare Nuovo, the 6th c. basillica in Ravenna, Italy has been the foundation of wide spread folk speculation in Mormonism. It appears to be a veil with a hand sticking out in a welcoming gesture to follow the hand inside. Furthermore, the robes of some of the figures coming out of this place (seen below) are white and have familiar markings (though in different places than LDS might expect). LDS members have promoted this image as evidence for early Christian practices of sacred rites similar to the endowment in the LDS temple. This image recently came up in conversation so I decided to look into it a bit more.
When I visited this site many years ago, I asked an attendant working there what the meaning of the hands poking out from behind the curtain could be. He told me that there had once been figures standing in the doorways that had been erased. If you just want to short story, I am completely convinced that this is the correct explanation. I will explain why below if you want the nitty gritty details.
Continue reading “Apostasy Watch: The Temple in San Apollinare Nuovo”
Ethics As An Interpretive Lens
How should we evaluate and adjudicate doctrinal and practical matters? As LDS we look to scripture, authoritative statements by leaders, and to the history of LDS practice and thought. Appeals to these sources of authority, however, not only fail to yield definitive answers, but also obscure the authority with which they are invested. The authority by which these sources are invested is never itself investigated. The reinscription of the authority of these sources and the results they produce requires another level of scrutiny, particularly ethical scrutiny. Too often, authoritative sources become a cover for not having to deal with the ethical implications of doctrinal or practical matters.
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Welcome Guest Blogger: Enoch
What is an Intellectual?
In a recent post about the loneliness that LDS humanities scholars can face in their wards, the topic quickly turns to the “intellectual” in the church (and proves my theory that posts about anti-intellectualism in the church are the best place to find anti-intellectual comments!). The problem with these kinds of discussions, it seems to me, is that the definition of an “intellectual” is highly unclear. Like other terms such as “conservative,” “liberal,” or “feminist,” the label “intellectual” may be either an honorary designation or an insult, depending on who is wielding it. I thought it would be useful to discuss some of the definitions of “intellectual” that I see in the way that it appears in LDS cultural discourse, both the good and the bad.
Continue reading “What is an Intellectual?”
Do Relationships Make the Church True and False?
I have a theory that I’d like to test about the sociology of knowledge and activity in the church. The well-worn cliche in an exit story about one day discovering something about church history that had been “hidden,” and thereby being thrown into a tailspin has some valence. I think there was a paper delivered at some point that these narratives are structurally the same as LDS “conversion” narratives. Just as many LDS conversions perhaps occur too quickly, this “rebellion” upon coming to realize that one’s parents (the church) are not in fact perfect too often leads to drastic actions. With time, one may reach an understanding that one can love and get along with one’s parents in later years in spite of their imperfections. Of course, maybe the parents really are so terrible that a complete break is needed. Or, maybe this is short sighted. What conditions in one’s life inform how that decision is made?
Continue reading “Do Relationships Make the Church True and False?”