Customer Reviews

Early Mormonism and the Magic World View

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I am not a historian, nor an academic, so I did not read Quinn's book looking for impecable research, and I dared not get lost in the details. And unlike many of his academic readers and critics, I will only read this book once. But that was enough. In fact, what Quinn takes the most heat for, his extensive, even obsessive research, was more of a burden for me than enlightening. I appreciate the fact that he has done a great deal of research, but I assume that any credible author has. What makes this book important is not the fact that fully 50% of the pages are dedicated to footnotes. It's important because it throws necessary light on the possibility that the traditional paradigm and interpretation of "authorized" (read: "doctored" or at least "censored") LDS Church history is not necessarily the way things came into being.

This book is threatening to traditionalist Mormons. It takes sacred mythology that surrounds the lives of the founding members of the LDS church and turns it on its ear, but not for the sake of "breaking it," merely for the sake of seeing it in a manner which may be more consistent with what it really was, rather than what we want it to be. Quinn reminds us that so much of history is lost, even when we have the records, because history is so very much more than facts...it is more about context, interpretation, meaning to the contemporaries, all of which pertains to the world view of the day...which world view necessarily is different than the world view a few generations later. Because our world view today is so far removed from the Magic World View of colonial America, it is nearly impossible for us to make sense of magic images and stories that come to us from history; so we ignore them. Quinn brings it all to life (although at times in a very tedious manner) and helps us put on the lenses that allow us to see what the world might look like when one lives in a culture that is friendly toward, if not steeped in, a magic world view.

As other reviewers have pointed out, there are times when Quinn is frustrating. I echo many of the remarks made below by other reviewers, and add one more. Among Quinns favorite subjects to beat to death is the issue of whether or not Joseph Smith had access to rare, out of print occult titles. He spends page after page proving that various books were on sale in Smith's neighborhood, or at a bookstore near by, or in a friend's possession, or advertised in a newspaper, etc. He beats this drum practically throughout the entire book, and still, in my opinion, misses the most important point. Whether or not Joseph Smith actually read all of these books, if they were important to the general understanding of his occult interests, they were influential to the entire cutlure of which he was a part, and contributed to the shared paradigm of all of those in his day with like interests and similar beliefs. He could be profoundly influenced by books that he never read, or was not even aware of, just as our culture is profoundly influenced by the Bible or Shakespeare, even though so many have never actually read them. Pieces, quotes, and ideas float throughout the culture, often without our ever even realizing their source. So it could easily have been with regard to Smith and his understanding and awareness of magic topics, images, relics, etc.

My only real criticism of the book is that it bogs down in tedious details, when I believe that the paradigm, the big picture, is what matters most. Since this is the definitive work on the subject (to date...I expect others will follow), I would encourage anyone to read it, but you have to be patient. More importantly, you will only enjoy this book if you are seeking a broader understanding of the context of Mormonism and Mormon thought. If you are not one to question "authorized" Church history, if you are unwilling to wonder if there is more to Joseph Smith than what he has told us, then I have some helpful advice..."don't go there." Seekers of historical truth, those who recognize that history matters in context, will appreciate this book for the powerful piece that it is.

In this book, Quinn captures the world view of Joseph Smith and many other early church leaders. Even if you don't believe every one of the vast number of coincidences, statements by those who knew Joseph, including former prophets and counselors, everyone must admit objectively that much of this is true. Joseph Smith believed in folk magic, which makes him like many people who lived during his time. He practiced it, and it played a part in the formation of the church. Even Bushman in his book "Rough Stone Rolling" admits this.

As Boyd K. Packer has said on the subject of church history, "not everything that is true is useful." This is certainly true for this book. Reading the book, and understanding early history, will put the church in a perspective that is not in accordance with the revised or edited history we are so often presented with, and want to believe in. Historical facts which are true, but left unsaid, are damaging because when discovered, they are testimony damaging.

So what objective truths show that Quinn is correct about early Mormonism and the magic world view?

1. Joseph used "seer stones" or "peep-stones" well before the urim and thumim came along, and he hunted for treasure. It was not a reluctant one time venture, it was a part of who he was, and involved most of his family. He a number of different stones, and used them while translating the Book of Mormon.

2. His treasure hunting included many rituals out of occult books, and this was common during his time. This is confirmed by many statements of early church leaders including Brigham Young, Porter Rockwall, Martin Harris, etc.

3. Oliver Cowdry used divining rods, and believed he could receive revelation through them, as did Joseph's father.

4. The Smiths had visions, and dreams, and believed in interpreting them. These pre-dated the formation of the church.

5. The early church was almost Pentecostal in a sense. People spoke in tongues, had visions, believed in regular interaction with spirits on the other-side, and had a world-view that was mystic. This continued until the first generation of mormons died in Utah. Many of the early saints had revival like meetings, including while crossing the plains.

These objective facts do not mean the Joseph was not a prophet, anymore than his many polygamous marriages, which is also not divulged by the church, mean he was not a prophet. Truth is truth, and hiding it is only more damaging to members who discover these things bare, never having heard of them before.

In this revised 2nd edition, Quinn emphasizes several times that, in comparing Mormon theology with traditions of Christian mysticism, "parallels are not proof." This modest disclaimer seems to indicate that his book is a *theory*; one possible interpretive framework that is suggestive and necessarily incomplete. If read in this spirit, Quinn's book is edifying and even entertaining. In particular, chapters 5 and 6 are a tour-de-force literary analysis of the LDS canon that make the deconstructors, post-modernists, and new historicists of the academy look like little wimps. Quinn's boldness reminds one of Harold Bloom (whose great book "The American Religion" leaned heavily on the first edition of this book.) "There are more things in heaven and earth..." (When I was a student at Brigham Young University I took three classes from Dr. Quinn while he was a professor there. As a person I didn't care for him all that much; I found him coldly aloof and curtly dismissive of opinions that differed from his. But he was a teacher of great depth, subtlety, and insight; very charismatic in the classroom. I believe I learned the most from him out of all of my teachers at BYU.)

The most important thing to say about D. Michael Quinn's treatment of LDS origins and folk magic is that it is the essential work on the subject. Anyone honestly interested in Mormonism has to read this book: there is no substitute. What Quinn has accomplished with his scholarship is absolutely unparalleled in the field. The modern student really cannot understand the LDS movement without studying Quinn's book.

It is also vital to recognize what Quinn has sacrificed for the sake of truth in this treatment. Many Mormons are excommunicated--but usually they are doctrinally disaffected. Quinn is a believing Mormon whose scholarship cost him his fellowship with the LDS Church. This may not reflect well on the church, but it certainly says a lot for Quinn.

Having given these truths appropriate primacy, I turn critical. Quinn has done something amazing in this book--but he could have done it much better. Indeed, as I read and reread it, I was astounded by how such an insightful investigator and thorough scholar could also be such a bonehead. And I still don't understand it to this day.

In this context, I must take pains to protest that Quinn's faults are not those preached by his enemies in the LDS polemical establishment. Almost always, when he is involved in a dispute with one of these, he is in the right. His command of information involving Mormon origins is truly breathtaking, and his critics are generally reduced to redesigning the rules of evidence in every case in order to discredit him. Quinn rightly resents these tactics--which leads him into one of the superficial faults of this edition of the book. He is constantly addressing, in annoying asides, the critiques of these disreputable opponents: it interrupts the course of his argument and renders his tone unbearably peevish. He should give these characters the attention they richly deserve--that is, none. Those unreflective Mormons who can be swayed by their arguments will never be swayed by the force of his, and the rest of his readers won't even be aware of the determined nescience these creatures so shamefully represent.

What really hurts is that Quinn can be so damn dumb about details. The earliest interpretation he can attribute to the IHS that appears on some magical documents--and on the vestments of Catholic priests--is the "In hoc signo" of Constantine. But any Catholic schoolboy knows that IHS can also represent iota-eta-sigma, the first three letters of Jesus' name in Greek. Quinn refers to scholar Ioan Petru Culianu as a "she"--but "Ioan Petru" is "John Peter" in Romanian. These details--largely irrelevant to Quinn's principal argument--multiply so insistently that the literate reader draws back and is almost ready to dismiss the book as a whole.

Similarly, Quinn's style is frequently painful. One particularly repulsive habit is conveying substantive information about a figure after a demonstrative adjective. "This Mormon polemicist.... This German immigrant...." This native speaker of the English language wonders if Quinn just learned it a year before writing the book.

Finally, Quinn's analysis of the relationship between Joseph Smith's magical sources and the distinctive features of LDS theology is the shallowest part of the book--where it really should be the most profound. The reader is essentially left to provide this analysis for himself.

I complain because I was hoping for a more perfect book--a more exalted treatment, if you will. But of all books available, this is the best. Quinn deserves our sincere gratitude for what he has done. He has not so much revolutionized our comprehension of the Restored Gospel as restored it to its original condition.

Quinn's latest edition of "Early Mormonism and the Magic World View" is not a light and easy read. However, the information contained is well-documented and Quinn makes a compelling case for the origins of the Mormon faith. Quinn is surprisingly non-judgmental of Joseph Smith and early Mormon leaders in this book and appears to, as best as possible, dispassionately explain early Mormonism within the framework of 19th Century superstitions, occult practices and folk magic. Quinn addresses a facet of Americana that doesn't get enough research or serious discussion; the role that folk magic and the occult played in 19th Century America.

After reading this book, many of the myths and practices of Mormonism make more sense and the unique culture and history of this remarkable church is much better understood. This groundbreaking work, though ridiculed by so-called FARMS scholars, sets the standard for early Mormon studies and is one of the most valuable books out there for understanding Mormon origins.

One concern I have with the most recent version is that Quinn appears to spend too much time answering his critics and responding to apologists for the Mormon Church. Quinn's research and perspective stands on its own without reference to apologists. Perhaps a chapter addressing apologists separately would have worked better than addressing them throughout the book. Apologists (or as Quinn calls them "polemicists") really aren't worthy of the mention Quinn gives them in this book. They aren't scholars but advocates and mention of them and their spurious arguments should be relegated to the back page as Krakauer did in "Under the Banner of Heaven." Quinn is a courageous and honest scholar. Soiling his book with the opinions of non-scholars such as Daniel Peterson and that Hamblin dude only weakens the book. Even so, I gave this book four stars because of the value of the information contained. This book stands with other groundbreaking works such as "No Man Knows My History" as a standard reference in Mormon studies. Thanks to Dr. Quinn for putting together such a remarkable resource.

I welcome feedback on this and all reviews at wstrnlibwarrior@yahoo.com

Quinn's research, and great perspective on things shine through with this analysis into magic and how it affected Joseph Smith and his family and followers. It is quite interesting the evolution of this book. From being frowned upon, to having deseret book sell it in their stores (which is another subject).
Quinn is superb in this book. The writing style is easy to pore over, and the research is quite impressive. His organization, to me, is fine and what he goes over seems to be a thorough dig into the magic aspect of early mormonism. I recommend this book for those who are very sturdy in their faith, or for those looking for another aspect of Joseph Smith after they have read a couple of his biographies already.

I found this book to be an essential start to the study of Mormon history. Regardless of what you personally believe, reading this book before you read any "anti" and/or "pro" accounts of Joseph Smith, will give you a greater understanding and familiarity with the culture and environment the Smith family lived in. Once Quinn has grounded you in his "Early Mormonism and Magic World View", everything else you read about the Smiths and early Church history will not seem so strange or unfamiliar.

Quinn does a stupendous job of producing in my opinion THE definitive work on this subject. He states up front his beliefs and attitudes regarding Joseph Smith and the Mormon religion. As a believer he is able to embrace the "non official" historical accounts and place them in context of the times. After reading this book, the folk magic behaviour of the Smiths should sit comfortably with a reader of any belief. This includes their use and belief of astrology, divining rods, seer stones, treasure seeking, daggers, talismans, "lamans" etc. Quinn's attitude is that members of the Church should embrace the fruits of his research instead of avoiding or denying the existence of how things really were. On this point I entirely agree.

This 1998 edition updates material from his original publication 11 years earlier and gives Quinn the opportunity to respond to arguments raised about his research presented in the first edition. The result is a revised edition of almost twice the size.

As mentioned in other reviews, Quinn does stray now and again to respond to polemical attacks by FARMS authors and while this can sometimes be distracting, at times I found it enlightening - to have an opposing yet valid response to arguments raised by his critics. Having said that, Quinn repeatedly addresses these "attacks" in the main body of text (as well as in the footnotes), and would probably have been better placed (solely) in the footnote section for those interested in "the debate".

Speaking of footnotes, almost half of this book is taken up with an overwhelming list of references, including county records, bookstore lists, personal accounts and an abundance of works by various authors. This alone shows the depth and time taken by Quinn to produce this work. The footnotes exist primarily to validate Quinn's statements in the main text and so are not essential to the main topic unless you wish to know where he got his source from for the paragraph of text being referenced. For me, I used two bookmarks while reading to help jump between the two sections - as the references cited often have commentary.

In summary, this book covers what I consider to be an essential aspect of early Mormon history and cannot be ignored. Understanding the "folk magic culture" of the Smith family is essential to explaining the behaviour of Joseph Smith in his role of "Prophet, Seer and Revelator". I cannot recommend this book enough to both believers and non believers. Quinn has produced a work that simply cannot be ignored...

I have studied a great number of religions along with their roots and traditions. Quinn's books in general are among the best I have read on any religion. I feel that this book specifically is the best. It is a scholarly text providing multiple sources for many of the footnotes. In this second edition, Quinn directly addresses the criticisms of Mormon apologists and shows that the criticisms are without basis. This book puts the Mormon Church in a context of the time and events surrounding its formation. It sparked an additional interest in 20th century folk magic, Kabbalism, Gnosticism and Freemasonry. This also lead to additional studies on other early American religions and common roots of doctrine and practice.

I quite liked the book, with some reservation. It provides an interesting analysis into the world Joseph Smith came from and the infleunces 19th century culture had on the young prophet.

Notwithstanding, Quinn make a number of implausible arguments to fit his preconceived views, contrary critics such as John Ankerberg who takes all of Quinn's writings at face value.

One brief example is found in what he did with the Book of Enoch in claiming that Joseph Smith had to have had access to it. Quinn cites from a directory of books published in the 1820s, calling attention to an 1828 printing of the 1821 edition of that book. Of course, if one were to check the index, one would find that the work was NOT published in America and that the 1828 printing was a reprint of the first edition, which ciruclated primarily in England and on continental Europe. In point of fact, the circulating copies of the work were so rare that people actually spread stories of its having been recalled and destroyed by the publisher! Moroever, according to the editions of Laurance's Book of Enoch and found that there
was high demand for the book in Europe and soe demand for it in England, but that the first edition that made its way into America was the second edition, printed in 1833, which in turn resulted in heavy demand for a third edition which was in high demand in America in 1838, both of which editions were too late for Joseph Smith to have drawn upon them for the Book of Mormon as was claimed. Thus, this source used by Quinn had little
significance, far less than what he attached to it!

D. Michael Quinn has written a great book on the powerful links between magic thinking and the religious impulse. Quinn's research is extraordinary in its detail and has many important implications for humanity's constant quest to find reassuring signs and portents in the often dangerous world around us. Do not be dissuaded by carping comments about Quinn's writting style or point of view. This is a well-written, thoroughly researched book. The "magic world view" that Quinn explores so well is not limited to Mormonism, but is a feature of ALL religions in their formative stages. See the Old Testament (Exodus 7:9, Numbers 21:8) among many cites) for examples of the magic world view in early Judaism. The brazen serpent of Moses was clearly a cult object and was later destroyed for that reason (II Kings 18:4). Quinn deserves praise and applause for a job well done.