WalkerW Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 Looking for books and articles on Mormonism and its interaction with politics, both 19th and 20th centuries. Any and all suggestions welcome.
thesometimesaint Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 Americancentic or the world in general?
WalkerW Posted December 4, 2011 Author Posted December 4, 2011 Americancentic or the world in general?Either will be fine, but probably more so Americancentric.
Emerson Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 I know American context, so I'll list a few that come to mind. As you can tell, there still needs to be more work done on the twentieth century. (Which, fortunately, is currently being done in some works-in-progress.)Mark Ashurst-McGee, "Zion Rising: Joseph Smith's Early Social and Political Thought" (PhD Dissertation: Arizona State University, 2008). By far, the best work of Joseph Smith's politics. Ashurst-McGee is an editor with the Joseph Smith Papers Project.Patrick Q. Mason, "God and People: Theodemocracy in Nineteenth-Century Mormonism," Journal of Church and State 53, no. 4 (Autumn 2011). Mason is the new Howard W. Hunter Chair in Mormon Studies at Claremont, and this is a brilliant article on how Mormonism balanced theocratic and democratic ideals.Sarah Barringer Gordon, The Mormon Question: Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in Nineteenth-Century America (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001). Gordon is a critically-acclaimed professor at the University of Pennsylvania, and this is perhaps the best book in Mormon history that deals with broader American issues.Kathleen Flake, The Politics of American Religious Identity: The Seating of Senator Reed Smoot, Mormon Apostle (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2002). Flake teaches at Vanderbilt has twice been a finalist for the Hunter Chair at Claremont. One of the brightest minds in Mormon studies.Jeremiah John, “The Site of Mormon Political Theology,” Perspectives on Political Science 40 (2011).Also see several articles by Nathan Oman, a law professor at the College of William and Mary, including "Preaching in the Courthouse and Judging in the Temple," "Natural Law and the Rhetoric of Empire," and "Three Generations of Mormon Legal History: A Historiographical Introduction." All papers can be found here.And finally, Richard Bushman has done some great presentations on Mormonism and public politics in recent years. See here and here for example.There are some great works in progress. Craig Campbell, co-author of American Grace, is working on Mormonism and American politics in the twentieth century, and Patrick Mason is working on an intellectual and political biography of Ezra Taft Benson. These are what come to mind, anyway.Hope this helps.
altersteve Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 Have you ever read Joseph Smith's presidential platform? It might not be exactly what you're looking for, though.http://www.latterdayconservative.com/joseph-smith/general-smiths-views-of-the-power-and-policy-of-the-government/
volgadon Posted December 4, 2011 Posted December 4, 2011 I'm sure you've already read Greg Prince's biography of David O'McKay, but if you haven't, it contains a lot of information on political involvement.
LeSellers Posted December 5, 2011 Posted December 5, 2011 (edited) ... Greg Prince's biography of David O'McKay ...The "O'Mc" is redundant (even if it were correct—it's not).His name was David Oman McKay.Lehi Edited December 5, 2011 by LeSellers
Deborah Posted December 5, 2011 Posted December 5, 2011 For a quick overview of relationships there is "Presidents and Prophets" by Michael Winder, book and DVD.
volgadon Posted December 5, 2011 Posted December 5, 2011 The "O'Mc" is redundant (even if it were correct—it's not).His name was David Oman McKay.LehiYou are absolutely correct, I don't even know what I was thinking.
Kenngo1969 Posted December 6, 2011 Posted December 6, 2011 (edited) Not to politicize the thread, but it's not unlike those who refer to the White House's current occupant as Barack O'bama! P.S.: Of course, they say everybody's Irish ... at least one day a year! Edited December 6, 2011 by Kenngo1969
volgadon Posted December 6, 2011 Posted December 6, 2011 (edited) I saw this documentary last year. I can't seem to find anywhere to view it online, but the script is available. http://www.kued.org/...out/script.htmlA fascinating political portrait of Utah in 1914 emerges from this. Edited December 6, 2011 by volgadon
CQUIRK Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 Since I'm a history buff, you can also ask me
Chris Smith Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 A recent MA thesis by a Claremont friend, Bryan Cottle: Moderate to Liberal Mormon Thought (1960-Present)
cdowis Posted December 18, 2011 Posted December 18, 2011 (edited) i had heard "somewhere" that Utah had elected first female member of Congress. Is that factual, or just a faith-promoting rumour. Edited December 18, 2011 by cdowis
WalkerW Posted December 18, 2011 Author Posted December 18, 2011 Since I'm a history buff, you can also ask meI'm asking.
Loran Blood Posted December 18, 2011 Posted December 18, 2011 A recent MA thesis by a Claremont friend, Bryan Cottle: Moderate to Liberal Mormon Thought (1960-Present)Not to politicize the thread...
CQUIRK Posted December 18, 2011 Posted December 18, 2011 (edited) I'm asking.Don't know if you know this, but did you know that before Utah became a state, they had two political parties called the 'Peoples Party' (comprised of devout LDS) and the 'Liberal Party' (comprised of non-Mormons, ex-Mormons, etc.)?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Party_(Utah) Edited December 18, 2011 by CQUIRK
volgadon Posted December 20, 2011 Posted December 20, 2011 http://www.amazon.com/David-McKay-Around-World/dp/1932898468/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1324351850&sr=8-9 I just bought this for my dad, a little tangential to your question, but a great read. This journey (ambitious for a small church) was important not only in the short term- bringing aid to the Armenian saints suffering from the genocide- but it helped set the pattern for GA world tours, the international aspects of the welfare program, as well as how the church becomes involved world-wide.
cinepro Posted December 20, 2011 Posted December 20, 2011 As long as we're throwing question out, in Sunday School last week we were discussing the last days, and one teenage student said that one of the signs mentioned in the Book of Mormon was that there would be a Mormon president (of the USA). I told her I didn't think that was actually in the Book of Mormon, but forgot to ask if she knew what scripture was being referred to. Does anyone know?
Avatar4321 Posted December 20, 2011 Posted December 20, 2011 As long as we're throwing question out, in Sunday School last week we were discussing the last days, and one teenage student said that one of the signs mentioned in the Book of Mormon was that there would be a Mormon president (of the USA). I told her I didn't think that was actually in the Book of Mormon, but forgot to ask if she knew what scripture was being referred to. Does anyone know?It's not there. Unless it's in the sealed portion of the plates or among the 116 lost pages.
Calm Posted December 23, 2011 Posted December 23, 2011 Great article, still reading it: http://www.eppc.org/news/newsID.4625/news_detail.asp
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