JWHA Journal 27 (2007) ? Part II

Part II of the review examining the most recent issue of The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal.  Part I is available here.

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Poll: Mormon American or American Mormon?

While watching The Jewish Americans last night on PBS (ht: Paul Harvey), I was struck by the fact that every individual interviewed (including both Orthodox and Reformed Jews and everywhere in between) that was asked to describe his or her identity as a Jew living in the United States affirmed that he or she was an American Jew, and not a Jewish American.  Some of the interviewees explained that “Jew” described more fully and deeply who they were as an individual, and “American” used (in this instance) as an adjective simply desribed their nation of residence.  

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JWHA Journal 27 (2007) — Part I

As mentioned elsewhere, the latest volume of The John Whitmer Historical Association Journal has a number of quality articles examining interesting issues dealing with various expressions of the Latter Day Saint movement.  Although The JWHA Journal has, over the years, consistently published relevant and interesting articles (back issues can be ordered here), John Hamer deserves some recognition for his recent efforts to expand JWHA’s relevance and reach to the larger intellectual LDS community.  Volume 27 (2007) of The JWHA Journal is evidence of the success of his efforts.  Because of the number of articles included in the volume (12), I will conduct the review in two parts.  The review provided here is intended to be neither comprehensive nor thorough.  Though all articles included in the volume will be mentioned here, those that receive the most attention are admittedly those that reflect my personal interest (and what I assume is of particular interest to most JI readers). 

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From the Archives: Vain Repetitions and British Heathens

In the June 1840 issue of The Latter-day Saints Millennial Star, editor Parley P. Pratt included the following short article.

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Joseph Smith’s First Vision and Methodist Conversion Narratives

There seems to be a minor discrepancy among Mormons today regarding the significance of Joseph Smith’s “First Vision.”  While modern Mormons are eager to point out all that Joseph learned in that first encounter with Deity in 1820 — the nature of the Godhead, the falsity of other churches and their creeds, and a host of other things — Richard Bushman has recently suggested that Joseph ?understood the experience in terms of the familiar? and ?explained the vision as he must have first understood it, as a personal conversion.? [1]  Perhaps we might be able to better understand the First Vision, then, and what it meant to Joseph Smith at the time, by approaching it in the terms Joseph understood it — as a conversion experience.  Because of Joseph’s stated partiality for the Methodist sect, and because it appears that it wa

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A Gift Taken, Any Gifts Given?: Contact & Exchange among Mormons

In 1925, French anthropologist Marcel Mauss termed the cross-cultural transmission of values, habits, and goods from one community to another after the two communities encountered each other, “contact and exchange.”  He argued that the “ritual exchange” of these “gifts” served as a way to define the social order of society. [1]

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Poll: Mitt Romney & “The highest promise to God”

Admin. Note: Comments have been closed on this thread, as the nature of the comments degenerated into irrelevant (or, at best, tangentially relevant) discussion. Thank you everyone for your thoughts and comments.

Buenas noticias para los Mormones

A couple of notes of interest for the ever-growing Spanish-speaking population within the LDS Church …

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A Mormon Megachurch? Or where is Truman O. Angell when you need him?

In the last few weeks, I have been reminded of my disdain for modern Mormon architecture.  Watching the First Presidency Christmas Devotional at the LDS Conference Center earlier this evening was the latest of these reminders.  In contrast to 19th-century Mormon meeting halls (like this one I attended Stake Conference at last month) that were hand-crafted, relatively ornate, and aesthetically appealing, today’s cookie-cutter chapels (and an increasing number of temples) seem to have efficiency as their chief aim.

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Poll: Origins of the Priesthood Ban

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