Mormonism and the Nature of God: A Theological Evolution, 1830-1915

by Kurt Widmer

Overview

Until around the latter part of the 20th century, Mormonism has been presented in scholarly reconstructions as a religion that has not changed significantly from its beginnings, whose presently-held beliefs existed as a central core of doctrine at the church's founding in 1830.

The author argues, instead, that the development of Mormonism has been primarily due to external events, popular, cultural, philosophical, religious and scientific, and that these influences have led to the emergence of several streams of thought that are actually in opposition to the early beliefs of the church. Mormonism can be seen as a reflection of the development of American society and culture from the early 1800s to the present. The major aim of this work is to establish a proper chronology for the development of Mormon thought, specifically in its concept of the nature of God.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780786474028
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	10/26/2012
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	215
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Kurt Widmer is an instructor at the University of Lethbridge in Lethbridge, Alberta. He is also the editor of North American Religion: The Journal of the Centre for the Study of North American Religion. He lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments     
Foreword by Irving Hexham     

INTRODUCTION: MORMONISM YESTERDAY AND TODAY     

1. YE MOUNTAINS ROLL DOWN YOUR THUNDER
Mormonism from Monotheism to Cosmic Henotheism     
2. OUT OF THE GROUND A VOICE SPEAKS
The Book of Mormon in Its Nineteenth-Century Religious Context     
3. KNOWING THE ONLY TRUE
The Revelations of Moses, the Joseph Smith Translation, and the Rewriting of Genesis     
4. AMONG THE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS IN OHIO
Teachings from the Lectures of Faith     
5. IN THE GRAND COUNCIL OF THE GODS
Redacting the Writings of Abraham     
6. IF ANY MAN LACK WISDOM
The First Vision and the Mormon Quest for Legitimization     
7. AND YE SHALL BE GODS
Placing the King Follett Discourse in Its Historical Perspective     
8. ADAM OUR FATHER AND OUR
Doctrinal Development During the Early Utah Period     
9. UNITY FROM DIVERSITY
Apostle James E. Talmage and the Birth of Mormonism     

Notes     
Bibliography     
Index     

Editorial Reviews

the first book-length treatment of the subject…ample documentation…well-researched and well-documented...definitive”—The Journal of Mormom History.

From the Publisher

the first book-length treatment of the subject...ample documentation...well-researched and well-documented...definitive

The Journal of Mormom History