Dave's Mormon Inquiry

Knowledge or Faith?

Last month, Jacob over at BCC started an interesting series on the philosophy of religion, which I hope he continues at some point. Not being quite ready to spring $120 for a copy of the recommended book, I tracked down a library copy of a shorter and very readable introductory text, William L. Rowe's Philosophy of Religion: An Introduction (Wadsworth, 2001, 3rd ed.). What I found most interesting in the book was the contrast between knowledge and faith. The discussion seems particularly relevant given how frequently the distinction between knowledge and faith is muddled or simply ignored in LDS discourse.

The Problem With Correlation

Over at Worlds Without End, Seth posted Overcoming Correlation, or Mormon Studies and Pastoral Care. Why do we keep talking about Correlation? Obviously, there's something wrong, but there are various opinions as to what exactly that is and how one might go about fixing it. After recounting his own scholarly engagement with Mormon Studies, Seth offers a couple of conclusions about Correlation, its problems, and how Mormon Studies might help solve them.

Mauss on Dialogue

I am almost done with the recently published memoir by Armand Mauss, Shifting Borders and a Tattered Passport: Intellectual Journeys of a Mormon Academic (U of U Press, 2012; publisher's page). Like Leonard Arrington's earlier memoir, Adventures of a Church Historian, the book is something of a insider's guided tour of fifty years of Mormon Studies, including the two important books on Mormonism authored by Mauss, The Angel and the Beehive (1994) and All Abraham's Children (2003). Anyone who reads T&S or the other blog will certainly enjoy the tour.

Comments on LDS in the USA

I recently read through the short book (114 pages of text, plus notes) LDS in the USA: Mormonism and the Making of American Culture (Baylor Univ. Press, 2012; publisher's page). The authors are non-LDS academics who have some familiarity with Mormonism, Lee Trepanier from living in Utah for four years and Lynita Newswander from a dissertation on Mormonism in the Jackson era. Each chapter reviews the intersection between Mormonism and one facet of American culture: popular culture, family, politics, religion, and "the American narrative." For those who read Mormon books, this one covers mostly familiar ground, but it's a fun read nonetheless. I will just make a few comments on why I found the book so enjoyable.