Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-Day Saints in American Religion

by Philip L. Barlow

Book Overview

The Mormons have been one of the most studied American religious groups; still, no consensus exists about the essential nature of the movement or its place in American religion. In this study, Barlow analyzes the approaches taken to the Bible by key Mormon leaders, from founder Joseph Smith up to the present day. He shows that Mormon attitudes toward the Bible comprise an extraordinary mix of conservative, liberal, and radical ingredients: an almost...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195109716
• ISBN13: 9780195109719
• Release Date: February 1997
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.5" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

From liberal to conservative views...

Barlow tackled the large topic of how Mormons view the Bible, and how Mormon belief has changed through the years. To illustrate LDS points of view, he focused on several "case studies," going into great detail on the views of nine particularly influential and characteristic church leaders: Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, Orson Pratt, B.H. Robers, Joseph Fielding Smith, William H. Chamberlin, J. Reuben Clark, Bruce R. McConkie, and Lowell Bennion. It was fascinating to see the wide spectrum of views on the Bible, from e.g. Brigham Young's liberal view that parts of the Bible were "baby stories", written in a way that the unsophisticated people of the time could understand but should be supplanted by modern science as appropriate, to Orson Pratt (Young's contemporary) who had the much more conservative view that the text of the Bible was literally dictated by God to its authors. Overall the case studies are fairly evenly split between the conservative and the liberal. One of the main themes of the book was how the current prevailing LDS view (fairly conservative, and basically King James Version only) of the Bible came to be. Barlow pointed to J. Reuben Clark as one of the prime factors--Clark, as an LDS apostle and a counselor to David O. McKay, the President of the Church at the time, wrote a book called "Why the King James Version" explaining why other translations are sub-standard--a sentiment with which church president David O. McKay actually disagreed. (Pres. McKay felt that blanket criticism of e.g. the Revised Standard Version should be avoided because "in some places it was more accurate than the [KJV] and also got rid of confusing outdated terms.") However, Pres. McKay & other church leaders were not vocal in their disagreement, so the net result was that the KJV-only view of Clark's became the de facto LDS position. Barlow also pointed to Bruce R. McConkie as another key figure in framing the current LDS view on the Bible. Like J. Reuben Clark, McConkie believed that higher criticism and literary methods of scriptural interpretation were essentially designed to destroy the Bible's divine authenticity, and were absolutely meaningless for theological issues. He published "Mormon Doctrine," an encyclopedia on doctrinal matters, despite misgivings by the church's First Presidency. He wrote the chapter headings in current LDS-published Bible (KJV), which will be around for the foreseeable future, giving tacit but lasting approval to many of his conservative doctrinal views. What I thought was most interesting in Barlow's book was how wide the spectrum actually is on "acceptable" LDS views on the Bible-something that might not at all be apparent in the typical LDS church of today. Overall it's an excellent book.

Essential for Understanding Contemporary Mormonism

This is an excellent book. Period. Philip Barlow uses the life and teachings of several prominent Church leaders to demonstrate the evolution of biblical thinking in the Mormon Church, and raises some important spectres along the way. Most significant to me was the powerful influence that the ultra-conservative Bruce R. McConkie has had on the contemporary LDS understanding of the bible. His personal bias toward the "literal bible" has been incorporated in both his "Mormon Doctrine" (considered by most faithful members to be THE LAST WORD on all doctrinal points), as well as his subtle influence in the brief synopsis at the first of each chapter in the most recent correlated Old and New Testaments used by the LDS church. Contrast that with the "open canon" of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, and you have a case for bonafide doctrinal evolution in the Mormon Church. Barlow points out that it is was the very ability of Joseph Smith to question the bible in the first place that led him to found a new religion. This books gets the highest recommendation I could possibly give to anyone genuinely interested in understanding the genesis and growth of Mormon thought. Barlow writes about complex things in a manner that is easily consumed by the lay reader, without sacrificing scholarship. This is an excellent book.

Absolutely Indispensable

This is one of the best books about Mormonism to appear in the last 20 or so years. Its real subject is not just the way LDS people regard the Bible, but the way the Mormons look at truth and the world. Non-Mormons should be fascinated by the LDS concept of an "open (scriptural) canon." The quiet arguments within the LDS church about how doctrine is revealed can shed illuminating light on the "culture wars" of the larger American ethos.

Excellent, objective Work

This is an excellently written and objective work. I loved it and found it to be very scholary.

A much-needed survey of Mormon attitudes towards the Bible

The Mormon view of the Bible is often misunderstood both in and out of the LDS church, which in contrast to Protestant Christianity professes additional books of scripture as well as reverencing the Old and New Testaments.Dr. Barlow traces the origins and historical development of Mormon attitudes towards the Bible by focusing on a number of leaders and lay members who have influenced Mormon attitudes, often with surprising diversity. Additionally, he also deals with some of the 'outside' vectors, particular american conservative protestant scholars who have helped to shape the views of particular LDS church leaders.Barlow organizes his thesis well and writes with an uncommon fluidity. His focus on specific individuals representing different attitudes in the church is particular effective. Due to the narrow subject matter, Barlow is necessarily abrupt on some interesting lines of thought. He does however provide a large bibliography and adequate references. The effect though is not an impression that the work is incomplete, but rather that the reader should consider following some of the paths he points out, to see where they lead. I would have like to have seen more references to conservative protestant works to provide more insight into the tantalizing Protestant influences in Mormon thought.While there have been a number of articles in various Mormon journals on aspects of Mormon's attitudes towards the Bible, particularly the church's attachment to the Authorized, or King James Version, Barlow has, in my opinion, created the definitive work on the subject, at least to date. I would recommend the book to any serious student of Mormonism as a "must-read".