Dave's Mormon Inquiry

Korihor the Witch

Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. (Ex. 22:18)

I recently read Peter Charles Hoffer's The Salem Witchcraft Trials: A Legal History (Univ. Press of Kansas, 1997). How could a bunch of dedicated Christians become convinced that their neighbors, some of whom were acknowledged to be fine citizens and exemplary Christians, were actually in active league with the devil to inflict harm on others? How could trials conducted by leading men of the colony solemnly conclude that dozens of men and women were in fact witches, then haul them a mile or two out of town and hang them? Right here in America? These remain troubling yet fascinating questions for most Americans, with new books on the topic coming out every year. Mormons in particular can learn something from Salem.

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.

Mormon Boundaries

So I stumbled across a short book titled Judaism's Great Debates (Jewish Publication Society, 2012) by Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz. It includes an interesting chapter on defining boundaries, an issue that is familiar to Mormons. Why do we Mormons sometimes seem so eager to push people onto the other side of a formal membership line? Why do we still have the equivalent of heresy trials, and why are they so poorly managed?

The chapter highlights the story of Baruch Spinoza, a 17th-century Jew living in Amsterdam who became one of the finest philosophers of his time. A brilliant student, Spinoza initially questioned traditional Jewish teachings. He went on to reject Mosaic authorship of the Torah and to formulate some of the earliest critical studies of the Bible. He was excommunicated from his Jewish congregation for heresy in 1656 at the age of 24.

Looking for Middle-Earth

In the New York Times travel section, "New Zealand's Hobbit Trail" recounts the unexpected surge of Middle-earth tourism that has flooded New Zealand since the Lord of the Rings movies hit the screen ten years ago. The quote that got my attention: "Movies — ephemeral, imaginary — have a way of sending fans in search of something real." Made me think of all those Book of Mormon tours that take Mormons with some money to spend off to Central and South America in search of Nephite ruins.

Unchurched Mormons: Spiritual But Not Religious?

The term "spiritual but not religious" has become popular over the last decade as academics and pollsters have noted a large rise in the number of Americans who eschew affiliation with or participation in any denomination or religious institution but who nevertheless believe in God (variously defined) and often employ a variety of personal spiritual practices such as meditation, prayer, service to the poor and needy, reading sacred books, etc. To some extent this demographic overlaps with what Christians of prior eras termed "the unchurched." As is so often the case, Mormonism has its own terminology. What do we call "spiritual but not religious" Mormons or unchurched Mormons?

Walls Around Sacred Places

I just spent ten days in Japan. I'd forgotten how enlightening it is to see the places, people, and practices of a totally foreign culture, then reflect those observations back onto your own culture. In Japan, small Shinto shrines dot the urban landscape. In particular, I came across a small shrine connected to a long shopping mall in the heart of Kyoto's shopping district. Ancient and modern, side by side.

Getting Past the KJV

The Summer 2012 issue of Dialogue contains an article by Grant Hardy titled "The King James Bible and the Future of Missionary Work." The main point Hardy stresses in the article is that the King James Version (KJV) has become so outdated that it now creates problems for LDS missionaries using the KJV in their teaching. Recounting a missionary encounter of his own with a young woman who was reading selected scriptures in her New International Version (NIV) Bible along with the visiting LDS missionaries, Hardy comments, "The meanings did not match up. ... The elders were flustered .... In this case, our exclusive reliance on the King James Version ... had become a barrier to sharing the message of the gospel" (p. 1). Given how few denominations still rely on the KJV and the popularity of newer and better translations like the NIV and the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), I am certain similar episodes occur hundreds of times each month.