Mormon Philosophy

September 26, 2007 6:58 AM

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?

posted by empath to Religion & Philosophy (20 answers total)

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.
posted by blue_beetle at 7:57 AM on September 26, 2007

You also might want to contact someone like The Society for Mormon Philosophy and Theology.
posted by blue_beetle at 7:58 AM on September 26, 2007

Um ... Seven Habits of Highly Effective People?
posted by R. Mutt at 7:59 AM on September 26, 2007

Response by poster: 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.
posted by empath at 8:05 AM on September 26, 2007

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.
posted by jquinby at 8:14 AM on September 26, 2007

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.
posted by Sassyfras at 8:15 AM on September 26, 2007

Sorry, one more: this blog came up on a Google hit. Looks like there's more here than one could shake a stick at.
posted by jquinby at 8:22 AM on September 26, 2007

I've mentioned sunstoneonline.com here before.
posted by Good Brain at 8:53 AM on September 26, 2007

You might check out The Maxwell Institute which offers a scholarly approach to aspects of Mormonism, from the Mormon point of view.
posted by mrmarley at 9:17 AM on September 26, 2007

Hugh Nibley, Mormon's great white hope was a friend of John Cage.
posted by hortense at 10:16 AM on September 26, 2007

Are you looking for an introduction to the church? Or are familiar enough with the doctrines that you want to delve deeper?
posted by blue_beetle at 11:39 AM on September 26, 2007

I met a guy once who was editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.
posted by Killick at 12:03 PM on September 26, 2007

Best answer: 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.
posted by Crotalus at 1:36 PM on September 26, 2007

Response by poster: I was actually kind of looking for something like a Mormon Augustine or Thomas Aquinas, that kind of thing.
posted by empath at 2:26 PM on September 26, 2007

I second Dialogue, it's a great magazine.
posted by parmanparman at 2:26 PM on September 26, 2007

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.
posted by ericales at 3:36 AM on September 27, 2007

I recommend "Pearl of Great Price" (wp entry). It is an official source, published by the church.
posted by Goofyy at 8:54 AM on September 27, 2007

Best answer: 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.
posted by brain cloud at 4:32 PM on September 27, 2007

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.
posted by hortense at 1:09 AM on September 28, 2007

I rest my case.
posted by brain cloud at 5:08 AM on September 28, 2007 [1 favorite]