Mormons and Mormonism: An Introduction to an American World Religion [Hardcover]

Eric A. Eliason (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2001

"Mormons and Mormonism" gathers key essays by leading scholars on the history, foundational ideas and practices, and worldwide expansion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The ideal introduction to Mormonism, this choice sampler provides a selective overview of what many historians consider the most innovative and successful religion to emerge during the spiritual ferment of antebellum America. This volume explains how the earliest Mormons viewed their religion and suggests that the Book of Mormon appeared to them as an exciting document of social protest. Contributors consider the history of persecution of the Mormons, the church's relationship with the state of Utah and with other divisions of Christianity, and culture clashes in the church's missionary efforts. "Mormons and Mormonism" also places beliefs such as vicarious baptism for the dead in a larger context of community and religious ideals. The founding of Mormonism and its rapid emergence as a new world religion are among the most intriguing aspects of American religious history and among the most neglected in the religion classroom. This much-needed volume lays the groundwork for a better understanding of the LDS Church and its historical and potential impact on the United States and the world.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Provides college students with a useful introduction to the Latter-day Saint religion in the U.S." -- Choice ADVANCE PRAISE "This is a useful and balanced collection, one that brings together from disparate sources some of the best scholarship on Mormonism." - Randall Balmer, author of Blessed Assurance: A History of Evangelicalism in America "Every so often we need a compilation of the latest and best in Mormon studies. This collection edited by Eric Eliason, better than anything in print, gives us an idea of where we stand right now. Based on this work, Eliason makes the startling assertion that we must now look at Mormonism as an emergent world religion. A far cry from the older view of Mormonism as a cult, this judgment, if it holds, will require a broad reassessment of how we conduct Mormon studies." - Richard L. Bushman, author of Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (February 5, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252026098
• ISBN-13: 978-0252026096
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,756,836 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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5.0 out of 5 stars Topics Well Covered!, November 18, 2011

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This review is from: Mormons and Mormonism: An Introduction to an American World Religion (Paperback)

Eric A. Eliason, ed. Mormons and Mormonism: An Introduction to an American World Religion. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 2001. ix + 250 pp., with index. $17.95 (paperback); $39.95 (hardback).

This collection of eleven Mormon studies makes available to the Saints the work of such scholars as Nathan O. Hatch, Richard T.Hughes, and Rodney Stark, each well known for his work on American religion and its history. Eliason has augmented these papers with some of the better work by Latter-day Saints and others. However, only a few of the essays have been revised or updated for this volume. It is noteworthy that Eliason has reprinted a portion of Terryl L. Givens, The Viper on the Hearth: Mormons, Myths, and the Construction of Heresy (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997), 76--93. This remarkable book--a major study in anti-Mormon rhetoric--was not widely known by Latter-day Saints until the publication in 2002 by Oxford University Press of Givens's By the Hand of Mormon: The American Scripture That Launched a New World Religion. The other essays are much better known to Latter-day Saint scholars. Eliason's introduction to this volume constitutes a well-documented, candid overview of the range of topics covered in this anthology.