Best of the Week: Academic LDS

Posted on May 30, 2008
Filed Under Philosophy | 5 Comments

No, I’ve not forgot the backlog of posts and comments I’ve promised to write. But one thing I wanted to start doing was a “best of” list for more academically oriented LDS posts. This is partially for my interests but also because I know there are a lot like me who are primarily interested in the more academic stuff. Feel free to let me know if I forgot one. I’ll try and do this weekly. There’s obviously a strong subjective element in the list. So it’s definitely my “best of” list and not just a list of academic styled posts.

How B. H. Roberts read others. Marginalia on various academic issues from Robert’s library.

Joseph and his translation accounts. Did he talk about the translation in vague terms so as to distance himself from his treasure digging roots?

The new new Mormon history. An argument that Mormon historians need to fit Mormonism into larger theoretical models. Something many of us have been saying for some time. I think the last 10 years has seen a lot of this movement.

Why take it so literally? Or how a raven relates to folks who cry “there was no death before the fall of Adam. Also see his discussion of how science is an art.

Politics of the Old Testament. Or how we ought read the scriptures and why some LDS are slow to embrace new scholarly theories. I’m not at all sure I agree with his comments. (I don’t see the “Provo clique” devaluing academic accomplishments for instance – quite the contrary in my experience)

King Benjamin and the Temple A discussion of the temple in Benjamin’s speech even if it isn’t always explicitly there.

On Mormons and Pelegianism. Mormons are often seen as more Pelegian than the more Augustinian view of most Christians. I think this can be overexaggerated but it’s probably a closer match than many parallels people assert (like Arius).

Uncontacted Amazon tribe and the Book of Mormon. No not really any real connection. More about the exegesis of passages like Alma 3:4–6 about the mark on the Lamanites. I’ve long, long thought that such descriptions should not be interpreted racially but as a self-painting. The big worth is the picture though. Show it when teaching the Book of Mormon next (even if it probably took place a long ways to the north)

First vision or first visit? Should we care whether Joseph’s initial spiritual experience was a visit from God or a vision? It doesn’t matter in my book.

Naturalism, ID and the Book of Mormon. A new series of posts by Jared. Is the methodology of ID necessary to accept the Book of Mormon. Two guesses as to the answer Jared offers. Of course I agree with Jared (and against Nibley). I think those who characterize most recent LDS aplogetics (say since the 80′s) as the embrace of naturalism are right. Despite that horrible decision for FARMS to publish a pro-ID article.

S. Kent Brown on Nahom. Nice YouTube link and discussion on the one place there’s pretty significant evidence for the Book of Mormon geography.

Without a Cause. A discussion of a textual omission in the quote from the NT in 3 Ne 12:22.

Mesoamerican art and the “horse” controversy. Nice discussion of the problem and some art. Also at Jeff Lindsay’s blog.

Jared on the reviews of Dawkins by FARMS. I keep meaning to read Dawkins book. Not because I’m apt to agree with him. But because those sorts of books do make one think. Plus on a basic methadological stance I agree a lot with Dawkins even if not with his conclusions.

Ardis has a ton of interesting historical vignettes at her new blog Keepapitchin. Her blog ought be on your “always read” list. The ones I found most interesting were on non-Mormon Fisher Harris who was a beloved non-Mormon in 19th century Utah. Her responses to various papers on the Mountain Meadows Massacre also ought be read.

Related posts:

  1. Best of the Week 3: Academic LDS
  2. Best of the Week 4: Academic LDS
  3. Best of the Week 2: Academic LDS
  4. Best of the Week 5: Academic LDS
  5. Best of the Week 6: Academic LDS
  6. Others in the Book of Mormon

Comments

5 Responses to “Best of the Week: Academic LDS”

Thanks for the recommendations.

Thanks for this kind reference to Keepapitchinin — it means a lot coming from you.

Thanks for the plugs.

I think those who characterize most recent LDS aplogetics (say since the 80’s) as the embrace of naturalism are right.

Can you expand on that a little, I’m not sure that I understand.

There was a Sunstone article about two years ago that basically made the point – albeit in a kind of belabored and perhaps negative way. That is the “mainstream” apologists tend to take science and most scholarship as a given. They then try to understand Mormon religion and religious claims in light of science and scientific ways of knowing.

Yes there will be those silly debates about positivism at times (such as in this infamous thread). But really that discussion is about undetermination and whether we should only accept the postulated entities and phenomena everyone agree upon as established. But while we may disagree to what role narrower claims not accepted by science ought play in our narratives we all agree that the claims of science that are accepted by science must be accepted.

That’s quite different from some who prefer to put traditional readings of sacred texts above science.

Thanks for the pointers, I appreciate the service.

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