Mormonism and the World Religions Discourse

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Lee Wiles

This article examines the ways in which the status of Mormonism within academic comparative religion discourses is quite different from that which has evolved among Latter-day Saint leaders and within the burgeoning field of Mormon studies. Whereas Mormonism is a quasi-Christian New Religious Movement in most world religions textbooks and reference works, some scholars of Mormonism have advanced the expanding Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints into the position of world religion. In doing so, they have adopted the terminology of a broader taxonomy largely without regard for maintaining its established demarcations. This classificatory tension, which will likely increase in the future, reveals some of the underlying logics, semantic confusions, and power dynamics of comparative religion discourses, ultimately problematizing the categories of Christianity, world religion, and New Religious Movement as currently constituted.

2019 ◽  
pp. 93-110
Author(s):  
Sergiusz Anoszko

Serving on a mission is almost an indispensable part of the image of the adherents of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons, quasi-Christian new religious movement. The next text attempts to analyse and take a closer look at the theme of calling and preparing for the ministry of being a missionary as an attribute of this Church that was founded by Joseph Smith. Starting from an upbringing in the family and social expectations of the Church’s members through education in the Missionary Training Center, we can follow the vocation path and the creative process of the future Mormon missionary who preach the Gospel in various corners of the world. Missionary ministry is important in the life of each Mormon believer, even those who didn’t serve as a missionary, because it leaves a lasting imprint and affects the minds of the members of this new religious group for the rest of their lives.


Author(s):  
Tayyaba Razzaq

Humans are spiritual beings and preferred to be an element (one way or the other) of this potent mighty power that fascinated him. Men have been urged to look or visualize the Mighty Lord. Different kind of tools and means were designed in various religious communities to offer a few beautified methods to meet this fundamental intuition. To attain spirituality, many ancient religions had their own rituals and ceremonial systems that mostly consist of external rites and practices. The purpose of the study is to examine and determine the importance of rituals that are being practice in the world religions? What the methods religious scriptures has mentioned for their followers to adopt to attain spirituality? The study is to find out similarities and differences in rituals & practices to attain spirituality as mentioned in their religious scriptures? Research methodology for this study adapted is descriptive. This research study has fined out that some ritual systems are concerned with inwards purification rather than outwards. The major purpose of all such practices; fasting, sacrifices, charity etc are all to free men from the entire evil deeds, make him pure as the will of the Lord and closer to it.


Author(s):  
Anna Sun

This introductory chapter talks about the confusions and controversies over the religious nature of Confucianism. It argues that the confusions come mainly from three sources. First, they come from the conceptualization of Confucianism as a world religion at the end of the nineteenth century in Europe, which was a historical product of the emergence of the “world religions” paradigm in the West. Second, they are caused by the problematic way in which Confucianism—and Chinese religions in general—has been studied and represented by questions which are based on a Judeo-Christian framework that cannot capture the complexity of Chinese religious life. Finally, confusion arises from the often contradictory development of Confucianism in today's China.


Religions ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 612
Author(s):  
Jon Bialecki

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there is an intense interest in creating “speculative fiction”, including speculative fiction about outer space. This article ties this interest to a broader tradition of “speculative religion” by discussing the Mormon Transhumanist Association. An interest in outer space is linked to nineteenth and twentieth-century speculation by Mormon intellectuals and Church leaders regarding “Abrahamic Astronomy”. The article suggests that there is a Mormon view of the future as informed by a fractal or recursive past that social science in general, and anthropology in particular, could use in “thinking the future”.


2018 ◽  
pp. 133-146
Author(s):  
Rocío De Diego Cordero

Este trabajo muestra cómo, a través de una metodología etnográfica de las historias de vida, se llega a construir la realidad social del movimiento religioso minoritario de Jesucristo de los Santos de los Últimos Días en Sevilla. Se han realizado doce entrevistas biográficas que han permitido recoger cuatro relatos de vida de sus miembros, de los que se ha realizado trascripción y análisis. Ello se ha completado con la revisión de bibliografía propia del movimiento así como de investigadores sociales. Todo esto ha permitido conocer no sólo el camino histórico de este movimiento en Sevilla, sino la realidad social, histórica y política donde se empezó a fraguar el movimiento y todo ello unido a las vivencias personales de los informantes. This work shows how through an ethnographic methodology of the stories of life, we get to build the social reality of the minority religious movement of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Seville. There were twelve biographical interviews that allowed to collect four life stories of members after which the transcription and analysis was done. This has been completed with the revision of the movement’s own literature as well as social researchers. All this has allowed us to know not only the historical path of this movement in Seville, but also the social, historical and political reality where the movement began to fuse and all this together with the personal experiences of the informants.


2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-111
Author(s):  
Michael Goheen

AbstractIn this article, Michael W. Goheen summarizes and evaluates a debate between ecumenical pioneer Lesslie Newbigin and former WCC general secretary Konrad Raiser. Raiser exemplifies a trinitarian approach to ecumenism and mission that recognizes the universal presence of the Holy Spirit among all peoples and religions, and so would cease to have a Christocentric focus. For Newbigin, while a trinitarian approach to ecumenism and mission is of paramount importance, an abandonment of the centrality and universality of Jesus Christ is something that cannot be abandoned. In the end, says Goheen, the differences between Raiser and Newbigin are differences revolving around the meaning of Jesus Christ and his atoning work on the cross.


Aethiopica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Getatchew Haile

The main themes of the text, occasionally ascribed to Ezra (Salathiel), are the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the end of the world, the future rulers of Ethiopia, and the honouring of the Sabbaths. It is cast in the spirit of 4 Ezra, quoting it and Jubilees occasionally and extensively. As in 4 Ezra, its author is interested in knowing and declaring the future to call the faithful to observe the law and the ordinances. Reckoning the time by cycles, aqmar, provides him the revelation of future events ‘with exact dates’. The text, composed before the sixteenth century, is one more source of Gǝʿǝz apocalyptic literature. The article is an edition and translation of it as preserved in EMML 6429, fols 9v–39r.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (S1) ◽  
pp. S8-S32
Author(s):  
Lionel Bently

This introductory essay reviews the history of the Journal, divided into two stages: the period from 1921 to 1953; and that from 1954 to today. It examines the changing institutional arrangements, personnel, as well as some of the highlights in the content of the Journal. If there is a theme, it is that the Journal was established by and developed its reputation because of the efforts of many of the outstanding scholars at Cambridge who over the decades offered the outputs of their talents to the Journal; and that the Journal has used that reputation more and more to attract the scholars outside Cambridge – indeed from all over the world. Whatever the aims of those who established the Cambridge Law Journal in 1921, and without much self-consciousness, the Journal incrementally acquired the status and practices of a learned journal. Finally, the essay reflects on the future, in particular the challenges of digitisation, open access and inclusivity.


2002 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-135 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.S. Wilson

AbstractThis article is a plea for a sympathetic and empathetic understanding of salvation in the major faith traditions of the world. There is no such thing as Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or Jewish salvation, H. S. Wilson insists--only human salvation. After discussing the biblical roots of the word "salvation," Wilson reflects on what Christians would call salvation in Judaism, Islam,, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Confucianism and Taoism. Here he finds many similarities to the Christian notion, but also significant differences. Then, in the context of today's changing Christian attitude toward the possibility of salvation in other religious ways, Wilson finds paths toward possible progress in John B. Cobb, Jr.'s challenge of "mutual transformation," in Raimon Panikkar's call for intra-religious dialogue, and in Aloysius Pieris' notion of "enreligionization." The religions of the world will thrive in the future, argues Wilson, only if they grow towards one another and avoid isolation and fundamentalism.


2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Orok Duke

Spirituality connotes praxis informed by religious or faith convictions. This can transform the individual and society at large. Christian spirituality is centered on how a person’s relationship with the God of Jesus Christ informs and directs one’s approach to existence and engagement with the world. The ecosystem concerns humanity and relationship with it is invariably influenced by faith or religious informed praxis. The reality of climate change is convincing many people that humankind’s common homeland needs to be treated with care and respect if created beings are to have a congenial habitat now and in the future. This article avers that Christian spirituality can contribute to eco-friendly behavior through re-formation of the behavior of people and emboldening their goodwill as regards the responsibility of all towards the care of the earth. Finally, this research proffers a three-fold model of eco-spirituality - scriptural, self-control, and sacramental approaches to the earth – as a contribution towards stemming the tide of ecological assaults on creation. Textual analysis is the method used in this research.


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