Comments on: Mormon Philosophy

Question: Mormon Philosophy

empath — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 06:58:55 -0800

Is there such a thing as Mormon philosophy?

Christianity, Islam and Judaism have a long history of philosophy and theology with a solid grounding in their respective faiths. Are there any great (or even very good) books of philosophy with a grounding in Mormonism? Or is it still to soon since the beginning of the faith for that kind of introspection?

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:57:13 -0800

It really depends on your definition of philosphy. For some "pop"-philosophy, you can check out Gordon B. Hinckley's writings, but if you're looking for a more indepth approach, you'll need to look into some of the things produced outside the mainstream or in scholarly writings.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:58:35 -0800

You also might want to contact someone like The Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology.

By: R. Mutt

R. Mutt — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:59:34 -0800

Um ... Seven Habits of Highly Effective People?

By: empath

empath — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:05:06 -0800

btw, this is not a thinly veiled attack on Mormons or anything, I'm actually a lapsed catholic/agnostic, but I do enjoy philosophy (even religious philosophy) and a good friend of mine is Mormon, so I was curious if there was something a little bit meatier to chew on than the Book of Mormon, which I haven't the slightest interest in reading.

By: jquinby

jquinby — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:14:53 -0800

This looks interesting, and seems to indicate some lively work in the field.

I hasten to add (by way of clarification) that Mormons absolutely consider themselves Christians.

By: Sassyfras

Sassyfras — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:15:01 -0800

I think the Book of Mormon would be a good place to start as it is kind of the cornerstone of the religion. I just think that it may be difficult to really understand any Mormon philosophy without first reading the Book of Mormon - and subsequent books would revert back to the teachings in the BofM.

By: jquinby

jquinby — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:22:12 -0800

Sorry, one more: this blog came up on a Google hit. Looks like there's more here than one could shake a stick at.

By: Good Brain

Good Brain — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:53:55 -0800

I've mentioned sunstoneonline.com here before.

By: mrmarley

mrmarley — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:17:14 -0800

You might check out The Maxwell Institute which offers a scholarly approach to aspects of Mormonism, from the Mormon point of view.

By: hortense

hortense — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 10:16:32 -0800

Hugh Nibley, Mormon's great white hope was a friend of John Cage.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:39:15 -0800

Are you looking for an introduction to the church? Or are familiar enough with the doctrines that you want to delve deeper?

By: Killick

Killick — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 12:03:17 -0800

I met a guy once who was editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.

By: Crotalus

Crotalus — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 13:36:17 -0800

Mormon philosophy is a moving target. The church's theology is a living thing. That said, here is a book that will give you the skinny on "classic" Mormonism, i.e. the Utah variety. And here and here are books that examine 21st century Mormon thought.

By: empath

empath — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:26:34 -0800

I was actually kind of looking for something like a Mormon Augustine or Thomas Aquinas, that kind of thing.

By: parmanparman

parmanparman — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 14:26:58 -0800

I second Dialogue, it's a great magazine.

By: ericales

ericales — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 03:36:56 -0800

Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine. I know it's been updated over time, and is not an official publication of the church (and I've never gotten around to reading it), but it is oft-referenced. If you're looking for a fairly recent Augustine or Aquinas, McConkie is your man. For someone a bit further in the past, B. H. Roberts wrote quite a bit and is a good source.

By: Goofyy

Goofyy — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:54:04 -0800

I recommend "Pearl of Great Price" (wp entry). It is an official source, published by the church.

By: brain cloud

brain cloud — Thu, 27 Sep 2007 16:32:35 -0800

empath, the LDS church has truckloads of scripture, and more doctrine than you can shake a stick at, but not a whole lot in the way of self-examination through philosophical methods. If you want deep thought and pick up any of the big books of the LDS church you are going to be unsatisfied. The Mormon approach to faith is not like that at all. The short answer is that the cornerstones of the religion are not up for debate among its members, no matter what flimsy attempts at academic scrutiny the odd BYU professor might put it to the test every once in a blue moon. The long answer is that the "spiritual" nature of the beliefs are intended to be imparted within the temple ceremonies, which by their very design cannot, and will not, be discussed among the membership for any reason, except in the vaguest of terms. You may get some discourse from an outside-of-the-church source, which would be very strongly persuaded not to do by anybody from inside of it. In general though, the great bulk of Mormon writing deals with interpreting (or reinforcing, perhaps is a better word) its' scriptural canon, or any one of the finer points of its present or past doctrine. The Mormon Aquinas is yet to come.

By: hortense

hortense — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 01:09:13 -0800

Here is a bit of McConkie, from the entry 'Philosophy' from my 1958 version....philosophy is in effect a religion which,ruling out revelation attempts to decide external realities by reason alone. In large part it is an attempt to explain, Where we came from, Why we are here, and Where we are going, without reference to the Almighty.
Philosophy is a system of general beliefs and views about God, existence, right and wrong, agency, immortality, and so forth--all of which views rule out the true and living God and the revelations that come through his prophets. philosophers,it is true, may profess to believe in God, but their beliefs will be of the apostate variety; they will worship laws, forces, or the ethereal spirit essence described in the creeds of sectarianism.
True philosophy is found only in and through the gospel of Christ. It is a Philosophy revealed from heaven. In it firm answers are found to all of the problems of the philosophers of the world. It answers the eternal, Whence? Why? Whither?, of the speculative thinker, and the answers are true because they are the answers of Deity.
the next entry is 'Phrenology" See Fortune Telling.

By: brain cloud

brain cloud — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 05:08:13 -0800

I rest my case.