Ostler Reading Club: Of God and Gods

Posted on August 25, 2008
Filed Under Religion |

Ostler: Of God and GodsI’d mentioned a little while ago about the plan to do a reading club on Blake’s newest book Exploring Mormon Thought: On God and Gods. I’ve read the first two chapters which are quite good. I hope others - especially those with blogs - decide to comment on it. I know several of you have the book. If you don’t, the Amazon link is above. Here’s the plan for the reading club.

I’m going to try and do one chapter a week. For chapters with lots going on I may split it up into two sections. I’m going out to San Francisco Wednesday on business. I’m going to try and write posts in advance while I’m at the hotel so that if I get busy (a common occurrence) I can keep up with the posting.

Here’s my plan. A lot of the posts will be critical even though overall I largely agree with Blake. That’s because I find that finding the areas of disagreement and discussing them increases our understanding. That’s why having many people read it can be helpful. Almost certainly we’ll find different places we agree or disagree.

I should not my basic stance towards theology so people know where I’m coming from. I tend to see there of necessity being a logic of vagueness in Mormonism. That is we know somethings but most of the determination of our religious concepts lies outside of our ability. There is a truth about the matter we just don’t know what it is. As such I thinking clearing the area such that we can see what is or isn’t vague is important. I may have some views about what the truth is in these matters, but I’d be the first to point out that the justification (and typically thus the strength of my belief) is quite weak on these points.

To me the use of theology is less to argue for a position from weak evidence than it is to clear away to see where we don’t know that well. So I’m kind of Socratic I suppose.

…although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is, for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows; I neither know nor think that I know.

And I am called wise, for my hearers always imagine that I myself possess the wisdom which I find wanting in others: but the truth is, O men of Athens, that God only is wise; and by his answer he intends to show that the wisdom of men is worth little or nothing; he is not speaking of Socrates, he is only using my name by way of illustration, as if he said, O men, he is the wisest, who, like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing. And so I go about the world, obedient to the god, and search and make enquiry into the wisdom of any one, whether citizen or stranger, who appears to be wise; and if he is not wise, then I show him that he is not wise; and my occupation quite absorbs me, and I have no time to give attention to any public matter of interest or to any concern of my own, but I am in utter poverty by reason of my devotion to the god.

That’s not to say I don’t value the job people like Blake Ostler do (or before him Bruce R. McConkie, B. H. Roberts, James Talmage, Hugh Nibley, Brigham Young, Orson Pratt etc.). Theorizing potential solutions is often an important part so one can discover the possibilities. That is such theorizing is, to me, a very important step in what I see as the logic of vagueness in theology. That’s why I can simultaneously disagree strongly with Blake and think his book one of the most important of recent years.

Hope that explains what I’m doing.

Anyway, count this as the introduction to the reading club. Next week I’ll post on the first chapter. I’ll try and have a page up with all my posts along with the posts from other blogs that want to contribute to the reading club. Hope you join us.

Comments

4 Responses to “Ostler Reading Club: Of God and Gods”

I need to get the book.

And I will be reading what you have to say, Clark.

I am not sure whether I will get the book, but I will try and follow along with the discussion.

What happened here? Did we abandon this idea? Is it put on hold? Is it being posted some place that I am not aware of? Thanks.

Sorry, I ended up doing 45 days of 7 day weeks of 12 hours+. During the trip to SF when I was going to write most of it I ended up doing 18 hour days the whole time I was there. I’m just now caught up and was planning on writing the first chapter tonight.

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