Overview
I would remiss not to acknowledge that I got the hard copy
of this issue from my good friend Stephen Smoot, who just gave it to me out of
his good graces, when I most certainly did not deserve such a gift.
This issue of the review features a number of articles on
history and remembrance in the Church and gospel, off-set from the rest of the
volume by a sub-section introduction from Louis Midgley. This issue also
features a number of reviews on Mormon historical subjects, like polygamy and
the Mountain Meadows massacre. Other subjects taken up in this issue include
such wide ranging topics as the new atheism, Book of Mormon geography, New
Testament scholarship, baptism for the dead, and the Joseph Smith Papyri. As
usual, this variety ensures that this issue includes something of interest for
nearly every connoisseur of Mormon studies.
Recommended Reading:
Daniel C. Peterson, “Editor’s Introduction – God and Mr. Hitchens,” pg. xi-xlvi: Peterson entertainingly rips to shreds the
book god is not Great, by the late
Christopher Hitchens. Readers will notice that this is not too different from
the review of Hitchens book later published (and already recommended in an
earlier edition of “Reviewing the Review”) by William J. Hamblin. That is
probably because Peterson and Hamblin were working together on a book length
response to Hitchens, and both used the material put together in the effort in
their separately published critiques of Hitchens work.
Lawrence L. Poulsen, “The Light is Better Over Here,” a review of V. Garth Norman, Book of Mormon Geography – Mesoamerican Historic Geography (American Fork, UT: ARCON/Ancient America Foundation, 2006), pg. 11-19: Poulsen identifies a few problems with Norman’s geography
and provides a good, albeit light, discussion on Mesoamerican directions. Also
makes a potential connection in the meaning of Tehuantepec and the meaning of
Hermounts in the Book of Mormon.
Steven L. Olsen, “The Theology of Memory: Mormon Historical Consciousness,” pg. 25-36:
Olsen discusses the important role that history plays in Latter-day Saint
conceptions of theology and covenant keeping, and reflects on the role of
memory in defining the historical beginnings of the Church.
Gary Novak and Louis Midgley, “Remembrance and the Past,” pg. 37-65: Novak and
Midgley stress the importance remembrance and preserving the sacred narratives
of the LDS past by using the Jews as a case study on the adverse affects that
modernity and its historical assumptions have on historically grounded faiths.
James E. Faulconer, “Remembrance,” pg. 71-88: Faulconer discusses memory/remembrance
and distinguishes between memory and recollection and relates his discussion to
the role memory in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Larry E. Morris, “Sister Brodie and Sister Brooks,” a review of Gary Topping, Utah Historians and the Reconstruction of Western History (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 2003), pg.99-116: Topping, a reputable historian of the American west, comments of
five influential historians from Utah, three of which have Mormon roots (the
third is Dale Morgan, mentor to Fawn Brodie). Morris focuses on Toppings
sections of Fawn Brodie and Junita Brooks, noting that Topping apparently has
an axe to grind regarding Mormonism and how it taints what otherwise would have
been a very commendable book.
Allen L.Wyatt, “Plural Marriage and the Half-Empty-Glass School of Historiography,”review of B. Carmon Hardy, Doing the Works of Abraham: Mormon Polygamy, Its Origin, Practice, and Demise (Norman, OK: Clark, 2007), pg. 117-136: Wyatt highlights another otherwise
valuable historical work which is unfortunately tainted by biases against
Mormonism. This time, the work in question is on polygamy. Wyatt points out
that Hardy consistently focuses on negatives without providing context,
misrepresents certain things unique to Mormon polygamy when in fact they were
common characteristics of marriage in general during that era, and skews
sources on obedience to God’s commands to make them seem as if they
necessitated polygamy specifically. There are a few other things that Wyatt
discusses, but Wyatt also makes clear, at the end, that it is a good resource
on polygamy, but because of its one-sidedness it cannot be recommended as
beginners primer or at fair overview of the topic. Rather, it is probably best
utilized by those already familiar with the topics, who can use discernment to
parse between the good and the bad.
Craig L. Foster, “Massacring the Truth,” review of Christorpher Cain, prod., September Dawn (Black Diamond Pictures, 2007) and Carole Whang Schutter, September Dawn (AuthorHouse, 2007), pg.137-176: When I was on my mission, the coming release of the September Dawn movie was creating quite
the buzz; so much so that my mission president passed on a correspondence by
Terryl Givens (who lived within my mission boundaries) to use as a response to
any questions about the Mountain Meadows massacre. The movie, thankfully,
flopped terribly, as Foster points out, and so many reading this may not have
any idea what I am talking about. (I say “thankfully” because, as Foster points
out, it was not very historically accurate and clearly was driven by an agenda
against the Church.) Despite the irrelevance of the movie itself, after only
five years, the review possesses some good information on the Mountain Meadows
massacre which makes it worth reading today.
John A. Tvedtnes, “The Quick and the Dead,” review of Michael F. Hull, Baptism on Account of the Dead (1 Cor 15:29): An Act of Faith in the Resurrection (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2005), pg. 215-238: Hull is a
Catholic scholar who argues for reading 1 Corinthians 15:29 not as baptism for the dead, but rather
as regular baptism. In this review, Tvedtnes summarizes Hull’s arguments and
provides some brief responses.
John Gee, “New Light on the Joseph Smith Papyri,” pg. 245-260: An adaptation of Gee’s remarks at an
Egyptological conference, Gee explains that the vast majority of the commentary
on the Joseph Smith papyri, from Mormons, anti-Mormons, and professional
Egyptologists, is a bunch of nonsense. Much of it is demonstrably untrue and
flawed. Gee identifies specific issues and discusses them and highlights some
of the commentary that is actually useful, and ultimately warns all Egyptologists
that if they wish to comment on the papyri, they must realize that they are
stepping into the middle of a battlefield and anything they say will be seized
upon by one side or the other for polemical purposes, and that they will likely
be “sucked in” (my term, not Gee’s) and hence end up making the JSP a lifetime
study. Gee stresses that any Egyptologists needs to consider whether it is
worth all that before venturing even the most off-handed remarks on the
papyri.
Closing Remarks
All of the articles in the sub-section on history and memory
should be read by anyone interested in Mormon historiography, especially the
papers by Olsen, Novak and Midgley, and Faulconer recommended here. In addition
to those, Gee’s remarks on the JSP also should be read by anyone wanting to
study the papyri, the Book of Abraham, or anything related to them. After that,
although probably not of the “must read” level, Peterson’s introduction and the
papers by Poulson, Morris, Wyatt, and Foster are important and valuable
contributions on their respective topics.
Rating: 3/5.
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