Dave's Mormon Inquiry

Theological Foundations Part 1

Clark posted a review of pages 1-11 of McMurrin's The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion as the first installment of a Mormon Philosophy reading club at his website. I'll play along. I'll copy McMurrin's headings with a summary then add brief comments so those who want to join in on their own weblog but don't have the book can at least catch the drift of things. I would note that in my Signature books edition of McMurrin's work, there is a glossary that provides capsule explanations of the philosophical terms he throws around--based on Clark's comments I'm not sure his edition has that.

1. On Naturalism and Supernaturalism

"Metaphysics is an attempt to answer the most basic questions which can be asked concerning the nature of reality" (p. 1). McMurrin contrasts the Greek view of an eternal cosmos (naturalism) with the Christian view of a creating and transcendant God who is partly or wholly separate from time and space (supernaturalism). He sees Mormonism as radically naturalistic for a religion as it puts God firmly in time and space rather than above it. He notes how this Mormon naturalism ties nicely to the remarkably postive Mormon view of the human body, sex, education, and science.

McMurrin is talking about big-picture naturalism. It should be contrasted, I think, with the methodological naturalism that is criticized (demonized?) in just about every FARMS book review. Or perhaps philosophical and methodological naturalism are linked and the Mormon view of naturalism needs to be considered more systematically. Alternatively, one might point out that in terms of practical belief (as opposed to the more theoretical view McMurrin is taking) there is certainly reliance on supernaturalism to explain several key aspects of Mormon doctrine and history (e.g., translation).

3. On Materialism

Skipping a bit, Mormonism rejects standard Christian dualism in favor of comprehensive materialism. This is kind of an odd position, as radical materialism has generally been associated with mild or blatant atheism (Epicureans, Hobbes, modern science). McMurrin quotes the D&C: "There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter." He points out that this type of materialism is a Christian heresy (like what isn't?).

Personally, I see this proclamation of Mormon materialism as an ineffective relabeling job. Joseph's descriptions of angels and the Mormon belief in spirits, a preexistent spirit world, and our spiritual continuation after death sure sound like standard dualism to me. Just saying "all spirit is matter," just extra-fine matter so it behaves like spirit, doesn't seem like a change in substance, just terminology.

4. On Monism and Pluralism

If you smash reality down to its ultimate constituents, is there one or many? McMurrin notes that Greek philosophy offered both monist and pluralist theories. Christianity is strongly dualist, matter and spirit, each a separate realm of sorts, with God existing in the spirit realm but acting on the world (matter) through events in history, through the activity of the Spirit, and through the Incarnation (that's me winging it there, not McMurrin).

Again, since I've never seen a comprehensible account of how Mormon spirits, which act just like Christian spirits, are actually "matter" rather than "spirit," I think the Mormon view is as dualist as the Christian view. Perhaps one could describe the Mormon position as being theoretical monists (all is matter and God has a body) but practical dualists ("spirit" plays a key role in the Mormon view of the cosmos).

The 9/11 Report

In a daring break with tradition, I bumped a non-LDS book up to the flagship "Book O' Month" spot at the upper-left corner--the 9/11 Report seems so topical and surprisingly informative. The whole "what's up with Islam" theme has been evident to me from the New Books shelf at the library and at bookstores. "Fundamentalist religion," whatever else it is, is religious belief that motivates people to actually do things, often rather ambitious things: pioneer new settlements in the desert (Jewish fundamentalists in Israel), picket abortion clinics or even blow them up (Christian fundamentalists in the US), and become soldiers of Allah in local wars or terrorist cells (Islamic fundamentalists). The secular bureaucrats in Washington have never really grasped that religion moves people--they were simply stunned by Iran in 1979, where religious zealots displaced a "modernizing" ruler. They never understood the Moral Majority. Now they're struggling to grasp the meaning of al Queda.

I think they'd do well to take a drive down the Beltway to the LDS temple in Washington, DC. They should just stare at it for a few minutes, telling themselves, "People did this for religion, not profit." They need to be thinking of how to support a kinder, gentler strain of Islam in the world to win this battle in the long run, I think. Support your local (peaceful) mullah.

Islam and Evangelizing

Get Religion has a post highlighting the difference between Christian and Islamic approaches to evangelizing. Christian states ("The West") have open societies and with a (relatively) free market in religion. Islamic states have closed societies where only Islam is permitted and Christian preaching, Christian churches, and Christian literature are all proscribed or strongly discouraged. As the article points out, Islam is on the rise in Christian states, whereas Christianity is in decline even where it is permitted. Obviously this picture cheers those who favor the spread of Islam and gives pause to those of us who value liberty. I ought to have something to add about Mormonism here (an aggressively evangelistic Christian denomination) but nothing leaps to mind.

Losing a Lost Tribe

USA Today has an interesting article on a forthcoming book, Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA, and the Mormon Church (Signature, 2004). Simon Southerton, a mild-mannered Australian plant geneticist whose interest in LDS issues stems from his earlier membership in the Church, is the author. The review has several comments from FARMS scholars, who show themselves to be talented backpedalers (meekly emphasizing the unofficial status of their publications, reviews, and opinions). For more information, here is the publisher's blurb on the book. [Edited 7/27]

Communication as Ritual

At The Revealer, Jay Rosen has a short but fascinating piece framing the Democratic National Convention as ritual. He contrasts the transmission view of communication or news (messages for information) with the ritual view (a representation of shared beliefs). In a ritual reading of the text or event, people insert themselves into the narrative or root for one side or the other. Rosen's point is that journalists who look for information at the DNC miss the point, it's all about performing social ritual, celebrating shared beliefs, and denigrating those who believe differently. Sounds like General Conference, another big convention long on shared belief but short on information. Maybe we could use a little less reverence and a little more hoopla come October! We certainly need something to spice up the semi-annual proceedings.

Pamphlets and Pageantry at Palmyra

Yes, there are plenty of preachers pounding the pavement in Palmyra! What would a major Mormon event be without a few finger-pointing Christians around? The most interesting quote is at the end of the article, where the local Stake President notes the Mormons, who were part of the local Community of Churches, "withdrew their membership to avoid causing trouble among other members."

One Small Step

Thirty-five years ago today, about 6 p.m. California time, Neil Armstrong of Apollo 11 set foot on the moon. "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."

By amazing coincidence, I just happened to rent Apollo 13 tonight, which reminded me of this historic date. There was a problem, but we brought them back home in one piece. "Failure is not an option."

Mormon Enigma, Part 4

Click for Part 1. Here I'll cover the second half of the book, roughly 1844-79. After Joseph died, life got progressively uglier in Nauvoo (after a brief respite). For Emma it was even worse--not only had she lost a husband, but her financial affairs were inextricably intertwined with Joseph's estate and with the Church. A real mess, especially since Brigham Young seemed to take the approach that most of Joseph's assets should pass to the Church but all his debts should pass to Emma. Her relations with the emerging leadership (Brigham Young and Heber Kimball) were also complicated by the fact that Emma did not want to become an odd sort of polygamous trophy wife to one of the Brethren, the fate of most of Joseph's "other wives."

It's Not Siberia, But It's Close

Here's what happens when you tell jokes about The Brethren. Go here for a short summary of the earlier events and here for a posting of the subsequent official statement.

God and Golf on Sunday

Here's the BYU NewsNet story on BYU golfer Todd Miller's decision to forfeit the championship match of the Utah State Amateur tournament rather than play on Sunday. Everyone looks bad: the golfer (for entering a tournament he knew had the final on Sunday); his would-be opponent in the finals, another BYU guy (winning by forfeit sucks--he should have declined it); and the Utah Golf Association for being oh-so-proper jerks and reminding us all how prissy golfers can be. The big loser: the guy who lost in the semifinals (yet another BYU golfer) who WOULD have played on Sunday, but now just got his scholarship yanked.

By the Hand of Mormon - Introduction

I posted a new Book of the Month, By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture that Launched a New World Religion (Oxford Univ. Press, 2002), by Terryl Givens, a professor of religion and literature. I got the last paperback copy at my local Borders Books last weekend. I plan to post short entries on each chapter--there is plenty in this book to discuss and normal blogging news seems awfully slow lately. Or maybe I'm just getting lazy.

In the Introduction, Givens states his intent to investigate the book "in the context of a larger history of the reception and impact of a scripture that has hitherto received little critical attention" (p. 5). He notes four ways the BoM has been read: (1) as a sacred sign of Joseph's prophetic status; (2) as a factual ancient history of a pre-Columbian civilization colonized by Old World immigrants; (3) as a product of 19th-century cultural influences; and (4) as a new American Bible, either supplementing or mocking the Bible depending on your perspective (p. 6-7). Nice list. Add (5) all of the above and (6) none of the above, and it would make a great blog quiz, wouldn't it?

Was Nietzsche Really German?

He wrote such entertaining books, one can hardly grasp his Germanity, yet there it is. I just breezed through What Nietzsche Really Said and can't resist making a comment or two on this fine and very accessible introduction to his writings. Everyone loves Nietzsche, partly because he wasn't particularly hung up on consistency so over the course of his many books he said just about everything. And for the most part he reads so well after a century--compare the zest and freshness of Nietzsche with your average stuffy Victorian narrative. Ignored in his own day, he is now claimed by every philosophical school.

Something Rotten in Denmark

A Danish clergyman of the Lutheran Protestant Church (LPC) faces a church trial over his public statements that he does not believe in God, resurrection, or eternal life [link from The Revealer]. The problem isn't that this pastor's faith headed south. What's wrong is that the LPC needs to hold a trial to figure out whether those views are incompatible with being an LPC minister. What's wrong is they may very well decide those views are okay as long as the pastor makes it clear to his flock they are perfectly justified in maintaining their own faith in such things.

Luther, a bold believer if ever there was one, must surely be puzzled over Lutheranism and the state of Christianity in Germany and Scandinavia. I attended the confirmation of a friend's teenage daughter at a Lutheran church in Sweden a few years ago. Dozens and dozens of youth participating, several hundred observers, flowers, singing, a really big deal. Yet these same Swedes design their homes with a little bedroom right by the front door so their teenagers can sneak in unobtrusively (without Mom and Dad having to notice) with the friend of their choice and experiment with Nordic sex--the teenagers don't have cars, you see. It's all so nicely planned, almost programmed. But it shows how lightly they carry their Lutheranism. I can't see how the Danish pastor can possibly be convicted. He's probably quite popular locally. I'll bet dimes to donuts it's his embarrassing popularity that is the problem, not his beliefs per se!

Loud Laughter

This is really funny: 666 Humor, courtesy of The Mighty Barrister.

Blog Club Update

Six enrolled blogs right now in the Mo Life Blog Club, although things have been a bit slow of late as people run off on things like vacations in the summertime, disrupting regular blogging and commenting. Oh well. I note that the commenting at This Liberal won't work--you might try installing Haloscan so we can make comments.

Four slots still open. Here a link to the Blog Club FAQ. For those who really go all out with their blogging, there is also the RPT Blog Club (see list on right sidebar).

The Meaning of Everything

"He brought them [beasts and birds] to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name" (Gen. 2:19 NIV). There's language, right there at the beginning along with the rest of Creation (if a bit tilted in favor of nouns). And a concern with ancient languages and the wonderfully flexible word "translate" characterizes the Mormon account of the restoration of the Church as well. So perhaps we should take language and even dictionaries a little more seriously. I just listened to the unabridged CD text of The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary (OUP, 2003) by Simon Winchester, and got a short course in both the OED and the history of English. I'll make short comments on dictionaries, language, Mormon doctrine, and the Internet. Yes, they are all related.

In the Media

Bartholomew's Notes has a nice piece on Christian Zionism, with links to several recent stories. Mormonism leans toward American Zionism, following AOF 10 (Zion will be built on the American continent). But don't forget Orson Hyde, the Mormon apostle who, in 1841, "climbed the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem and offered a prophetic prayer of dedication, asking the Lord to remove the 'barrenness and sterility of this land'" (from the short Hyde bio linked to his name).

Get Religion reviews current developments in the Catholic politicians and Communion issue. Here is guidance supposedly directed to US clergy by a Vatican envoy named Joseph Ratzinger (which is interesting to compare to the loose and informal direction given to LDS members):

[H]is Pastor should meet with [a Catholic politician who votes and campaigns for permissive abortion laws], instructing him about the Church's teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

When "these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible," and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, "the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it" (quoted material n this paragraph is from an official Catholic publication of some sort).

(edited 7/10/04)

Mormon Enigma, Part 3

My Book of the Month has been posted for over two months now, but I'm pushing hard to wind up Mormon Enigma soon. Here are comments on the first half, roughly through 1844. I highly recommend the book--it reveals Emma as a smart, resourceful, tough woman, who always managed to bounce back from what seems like a constant succession of setbacks and difficulties. She was a compassionate woman who was a source of support and an example to the women around her (some of whom, to her chagrin, turned out to be Joseph's plural wives, but that's not the focus of this post). Reading Mormon Enigma, I've come to realize what a key role Emma played in Joseph's overall popularity. You had to like one of them--like Bill and Hillary. Or JFK and Jackie. Kurt and Courtney. Peter Parker and Mary Jane?

Church Supports Civil Unions

Sort of, maybe. Here's the statement, from a news release at LDS.org dated July 7, 2004:

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints favors a constitutional amendment preserving marriage as the lawful union of a man and a woman.

This only looks like a national Prop 22 endorsement or ERA all over again. Reading between the lines a bit, the Church (meaning its senior leaders, of course) here reveals a primary interest in reserving legal and formal marriage for opposing pairs where such unions are lawful. This leaves the door open for achieving same-sex pairings by civil unions. It would preserve marriage as the lawful union of a man and a woman, wouldn't it? I'm sure we'd all be tickled to see Utah out in front on this one.

For earlier thoughts on civil unions, see my prior post here.

Homosexuality Issue Splitting Methodists

Christianity Today has a short but pleasant editorial on the intra-denominational politics of the homosexuality issue, which is slowly splitting Methodism in two. CT is Evangelical in orientation, so the editorial critiques the Liberal position but it does so rather gently. It points up (to me, anyway) how tough it is for Christian Liberals to defend their right flank. It isn't just that fundamentalists are good Bible-thumpers--the problem is there isn't much solid ground for Liberals to build their position on. It's hard to flesh out "tolerance" into a workable, defensible position that stops short of total acceptance and endorsement. No one is happy just being "tolerated."

Liberals are stuck in the middle, criticized by both extremes. Unfortunately, this whole critique seems to apply to Mormon Liberals with as much force as to Liberal Protestants. Noting how gays "coming out" mirrors the liberal idea that religion is about finding one's true self, the article makes this trenchant summary:

This exaltation of the self first blossomed in the values-clarification sex education curriculum used by many denominations in the 1970s—in which teenagers' self-chosen value systems became the authority for their sexual ethics. We now see its flowering in the Christian gay culture, in which gays feel they will "wither and die" (as one homoerotic bishop recently put it) if they cannot express their sexuality.

Biblical Literary Types

I just finished Making Sense of the Bible: Literary Type as an Approach to Understanding (Eerdmans, 2002) by Marshall D. Johnson. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the commentary and the boost it gives to understanding the biblical corpus. The eight literary types — sometimes called "genres" — covered in the book, with examples of each, are as follows:

1. Wisdom Literature - Proverbs, James.
2. Hymns and Liturgies - Psalms.
3. Historical Narratives - Samuel/Kings, Acts.
4. Prophetic Literature - Jeremiah, Second Isaiah.
5. Legal Collections - Exodus 20-23, Deuteronomy 12-26.
6. Apocalyptic Literature - Daniel, Revelation.
7. Letters - Jeremiah 29, Galatians, Romans.
8. Gospels - Mark, John.

Medical Ethics in the News

Does a Christian pharmacist who is thereby morally opposed to some contraceptives have a moral duty to not fill contraceptive prescriptions when presented? Alternatively, does his or her role as a pharmacist impose a moral duty to fill any legitimate prescription despite personal moral views or qualms? This scenario is no longer hypothetical, as apparently some Evangelical Christian groups pushing the first argument have begun affecting the behavior of pharmacists and doctors (link from Pharyngula).

This seems like a really dumb idea. First, it will probably backfire, as even those who might have sympathy with their moral concern don't want doctors or pharmacists--some other doctor or pharmacist, not their own!--subverting a prescribed pharmaceutical or medical treatment. Do we really want retaliatory doctor boycotts to become a routine feature of the daily news? Second, doctors and pharmacists will quickly find other viewpoints less palatable. How about an animal-rights pharmacist who refuses to dispense any drug for which animals were used in the testing regimen? How about a racial bigot who refuses to treat anyone who isn't visibly Aryan?

Science News

The BBC reports the first known painting of an Antarctic landscape in 1772 by an artist sailing on Captain Cook's second voyage (link from Cronaca). Of course, the BBC conveniently neglected to mention that it was the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838-42 (aka the Wilkes Expedition) that actually established that Antarctica was a continent (as opposed to an island or a bunch of pack ice) by surveying a very long stretch of actual coastline. See Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery (Viking Books, 2003) by Nathaniel Philbrick.

Great brain shots over at Gene Expression, discussing an excellent article on the heritability of intelligence. It's nice to know that even if I didn't read to my kids every single night or make them do crossword puzzles instead of watch the Cartoon Network, I have still contributed to their intelligence.

A short piece on declining birth rates at The Idea Shop, citing a researcher who notes that "the social and financial costs of childbearing continue to rise." Someone just noticed? The good news is that children emit positive externalities--a surprise to many parents, no doubt. The article doesn't raise the interesting question of who captures those externalities: The immediate family? The village, neighborhood, or town? The tribe or church? The country or society at large? The whole world? In fact, I've rarely seen the scope of externalities addressed.

Feeling lucky today? Genghis Khan has over 17 million living descendents (from a short post at Marginal Revolution). Now there's a name it would be fun to have in your family tree! This story could be a real shot in the arm to genealogy research. Discover your inner barbarian.

On Narrative

I recently finished Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford Univ. Press, 1997), by Jonathan Culler. I wrote a one-sentence Book Note on it (left sidebar, way down) which is probably all I am qualified to write on the subject, but I want to run through a few terms, mostly for my own benefit. Bloggers rush in where angels fear to tread. What follows is reading notes, not a review or an essay.

LDS News

God moves in mysterious ways. And, at the other end of the scale, someone had a really bad day (note that's an AP feed, not a local story).

Get Religion has a piece on fundamentalism which uses Amazon purchasing circles, giving unique book purchase totals by city, to define selected cities as inside or outside the Bible Belt. My curiosity piqued, I ran Salt Lake, Provo, and St. George. Interesting--not what I expected, especially "Statistical Mechanics Made Simple" being number one in SLC. Here are the Top 5 for each (with "Mormon Studies" books in bold and the link back to the full Amazon list):

SLC: Statistical Mechanics Made Simple, A is for Arches, No Man Knows My History, Insider's View of Mormon Origins, Blood of the Prophets.
Provo: The Book of Mormon Reference Companion, Practical Cryptography, The Crystal City (Alvin Maker, Vol. 6), The Innovator's Solution, Crucial Conversations
St. George: Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, Freedom, Under the Banner of Heaven, Bushwhacked, The South Beach Diet.

Meridian Magazine has a short article on Chiastic Structures in the Book of Mormon--if you've been in a coma for twenty years you might be unaware of the phenomenon. These guys find a "global chiasmus" of 164 elements in 1 Nephi. Have you heard the saying, "If tortured long enough, the data will confess"? How about "If your only tool is a hammer, every scripture is a nail"? For a better Meridian read, see Orson Scott Card's story on bias in the media--I'm not a Card fan, but I liked the article. Nice photo too.