Black Muslims, Malcolm X, and BYU

I’m sorry for the severe delay in posting this research.  It is a very interesting facet of my overall research at discussions of civil rights in BYU’s newspaper The Daily Universe:

In March 1964, the Daily Universe published a series of three editorials on the Nation of Islam, which were most likely reprinted editorials from a national newspaper.[1]  The first of the three editorial was published three days after Malcolm X announced that he was leaving the Nation of Islam, and an editor?s note preceding the first editorial noted that the editorial series was being published given ?recent developments in the Black Muslim movement? and ?recent publicity? on Cassius Clay and the Nation of Islam.[2] Although the new series was listed under the headline of ?Black Muslim Threat,? the editorials discussed the religious movement in more objective and respectful terms than might be expected of an extreme group at BYU.

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Sacred Space at BYU, June 3, 2009: Conference and metaconference

I

There’s been a lot of enthusiasm for this conference, and every inch of it deserved. Not a cubic zirconium among the presentations, and more than one absolute diamond (Laurie Maffly-Kipp on preparation; Richard Cohen on the Hebrew temple). This was an impressive and a diverse kaleidoscope, and the most interesting thing was the way, one after another, each speaker demonstrated the point Jeanne Halgren Kilde made – that talking about sacred space, at its essence, is talking about the way we experience religion. Space matters because people do things in it.

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In Memoriam: Steven R. Sorensen, 1949-2009

Steve R. Sorensen, former director of the LDS Church Archives  and co-editor of the 5th volume in the Joseph Smith Papers’ document series passed away on May 29, 2009.  In 1980 he started work as an archivist for the Church and went on to serve 16 years as director of the Archives.[1] In 2006, Steve received the Leonard Arrington Award from the Mormon History Association for his lifetime contributions to Mormon history.[2]

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Notes From the Sacred Space Symposium at BYU: Panel Discussion featuring Richard Bushman

The Sacred Space Symposium at BYU concluded with a panel discussion guided by Richard Bushman and included each of today’s presenters. Dr. Bushman had opening remarks and launched discussion with a few questions of the panel before turning it over for questions from the audience.  I did not take down the questions from the audience, sorry. We hope that providing these notes has been fruitful for many of you. Those of us who attended really enjoyed it and felt that the presenters were well prepared and engaging in their presentations.  Jim Faulconer deserves hearty praise for his work putting it together and we hope to see many more conferences like this one that bring the work of national scholars from within and without the Mormon tradition to bear on issues of Mormon studies.

Richard Bushman

Before the Manhattan temple dedication a group of us was shown through the building.

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Notes From the Sacred Space Symposium at BYU: Laurie Maffly-Kipp, “The Clock and the Compass: Steering Toward Zion”

Laurie Maffly-Kipp, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

In mid September 1983, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints dedicated a temple in Santiago Chile.  It was the first built in a Spanish speaking country, just a few months prior to the Mexico City Temple. Pres. Hinckley stood in for Pres. Kimball, Elders McConkie and Packer with wives and other leaders attended.  This occasion was the most visible sign of the Church’s recent growth in South America. Work had been going on for years to prepare for it. The first stake organized in Chile occurred 11 yrs earlier. The members, he said, were not ready for a temple then.

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Sacred Space Symposium Notes: Steve Olsen, “The Mormon Quest for Zion”

[My last contribution to JI’s attempt to recreate this wonderful symposium]

Steve Olsen, “The Mormon Quest for Zion”

Although not a lawyer, Olsen presented his paper point-by-point as if arguing a case. Further, he used powerpoint to present each point. As such, I think the best way to stay true to his presentation is to post each point that he put up (they are all pretty self-explanatory). These are his thoughts on the development of Mormon thought of “sacred space.”

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Notes From the Sacred Space Symposium at BYU: Michael Fishbane, “Sacred Space and Divine Presence in the Hebrew Bible”

Michael Fishbane, Nathan Cummings Professor of Jewish Studies, Divinity School, University of Chicago presented on the Divine Presence in the Hebrew Bible.  He hilighted that sacred places are not natural, but are made in the Hebrew Bible. My notes:

My contribution to this conference will be to focus on the theme of sacred space in the Hebrew Bible.  The Hebrew Bible is the foundational document of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.  My orientation has to benefit from the limitations of one slice of historic theology, but we’ll see that it has many dimensions.  To help narrow the focus, I want to talk about the interplay of sacred space in the bible and the sacred presence. 

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Notes From the Sacred Space Symposium at BYU: Hamid Mavani, “?The Prophet Muhammad: ?The Whole Earth is a Mosque (masjid) and is Sacred??

Hamid Mavani, Assistant Professor of Islamic Studies, Claremont Graduate University spoke on the sacred in Islam. In essence, he argued that sacred space is defined by intent in Islam.  My reformulated notes:

I should let you know that I am the only Muslim speaker; you can be assured that what I say is the absolute truth [laughter].

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Sacred Space Symposium Notes: Jeanne Halgren Kilde, Sacred Space, and Architecture

[Again, take these as my far-from-perfect reformulations of a spectacular presentation]

Jeanne Halgren Kilde, “Foregrounding the Background: Power and Proximity in Sacred Space

Kilde began her fascinating presentation with a defense for the study of sacred space. She credited us for wanting to engage the issue, because it is largely in the background of religious scholarships. This neglect is mostly because of two reasons: first, we often focus on texts as the best representation of religious thought. Second, when we do move beyond texts, we mostly focus on ritual. This leaves out an important part of the ‘soul’ of religious worship: the actual space—the architecture, the layout, and the physical appearance of how and where worship occurs. She argues that we can gain access to the believer’s mind by looking at how they viewed space as an element of religion. Specifically to her research, Kilde has focused on what sacred space can tell us about the evolving idea of authority.[1]

Kilde gave several great examples of how this approach can reveal much about religious history.

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Notes From the Sacred Space Symposium at BYU: Richard A. Cohen, “Place, Sacred Space, and Utopia”

Richard A. Cohen, Professor of Philosophy, and Director of the Institute of Jewish Thought and Heritage, University of Buffalo (SUNY) presented a paper a the Sacred Space Symposium on “Place, Sacred Space, and Utopia”. The session was chaired by Ralph Hancock, Associate Professor of Political Science, BYU.  Dr. Cohen argued, in essence, that there is no sacred space in Judaism and even the most publicly sacred place in Judaism, the temple, is a testament to the placelessness of holiness in Judaism. My notes are not to be seen as a word for word transcript. I have made additions and rewordings for clarity and I missed plenty.  Here it is:

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