the mormon people the making of an american faith

I draw a parallel between Mormonism and American pragmatism and show (1) that Joseph's thought is, in many ways, radically pluralistic, (2) that he attempts to find unity in this plurality in mediating “deliberative councils,” and (3) that education should be aimed at developing the ethos of council. I discuss the controversial question of whether Joseph Smith brings forward any resources for living in a pluralistic society. I focus on what I call the “educational religious criticism” approach, and, as an example, I offer an analysis of Joseph Smith, Jr., the Mormon prophet. In contrast, I argue that there are at least three intellectually respectable approaches to religious engagement in mainstream. Projects that work within such traditions, however, often seem irrelevant or irrational to those on the outside. The leaders'statements became the basis for subsequent works on the Mormon experience which parroted the idea that the Mormons perceived the Salt Lake Valley as a desert when they first arrived.Įducational theorists should engage more deeply with normative religious traditions because people often consult their traditions for guidance about education.

The transformation of the original Mormon perception of the environment served the short-term goal of directing settlement south, but in the process the originally favorable view was lost. The initially favorable reaction to the valley was ignored as leaders maintained that the Wasatch Oasis had been a desert just like the desert areas the settlers were encouraged to occupy. To convince prospective settlers that they could successfully occupy the marginal sites of the Southwest, the leaders in their public statements transformed the Mormon perception of the Salt Lake Valley. Because the regions to the south were arid and only marginal for settlement, the leaders faced a constant struggle in convincing migrants they should attempt their settlement. Believing it was too cold for crops north of that boundary, Mormon leaders directed their settlement efforts southward from the Salt Lake Valley for three decades. The central feature of the leaders'perception was the idea that the division between the then Oregon and California territories at the 42 parallel marked a climatic divide. The leaders selected the Salt Lake Valley as a destination on the basis of reports of explorers, and their perception of the region was formed before they ever saw the West.

The distribution of Mormon settlements in the Great Basin is the result of the environmental perception of the Mormon leaders.

The mormon people the making of an american faith