Book Description

Over the past decade, Mormon history has undergone a transformation as LDS scholars have debated how their church's story should be written. New Mormon Historians distinguish between what they believe is verifiable and what they suspect may be folklore, and they approach history from a variety of different academic and social perspectives. Mormonism has also become of interest to non-LDS scholars. This raises the question of whether outsiders can truly understand Mormons, and conversely whether insiders can achieve enough detachment to see themselves objectively, or whether this is even desirable. Does history have an inherent meaning beyond the scholar's particular viewpoint, and should a writer strive to understand another person's perspective, or is one's own subjective vantage all that is possible and ultimately what is important? The new Mormon traditionalists contend that objectivity is, in fact, impossible and that history is written with certain pre-understandings; also, that some viewpoints are superior based on spiritual insight, including a belief in God and in Joseph Smith as the prophet, and that one should not impassively report examples of faith but should actively promote them. In this compilation, the editor has assembled sixteen essays which represent all sides of this ongoing discussion.