Latter Day Saint Historians
Encyclopedia
Historians of the Latter Day Saint movement are a diverse group of historians writing about Mormonism
. Historians devoted to the History of the Latter Day Saint movement may be members of an LDS faith or non-members with an academic interest. They range from faith-promoting historians to anti-mormon
historians, but also include scholars who make an honest effort at objectivity.
among members. This sort of history has generally been endorsed by the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was encouraged by Church Apostle Dallin H. Oaks
.
Oaks is quoted as stating:
On the opposite end of the spectrum are anti-mormon
historians, which Oaks mentioned in the above quote. Anti-mormons generally write with the intention of disproving the claims of the Church, sometimes to the point of fabricating lies about the LDS Church. Though such historians would not be considered Latter Day Saints, they could be considered LDS historians as the LDS Church is the topic of their research. Many anti-mormons are, in fact, non-practicing ex-mormons and therefore may still consider themselves cultural Mormons.
Other historians reject both faith-promoting history and anti-mormon history, and seek to give a more objective
analysis, basing their conclusions on actual evidence, rather than revealing selective evidence to reach their desired conclusions.
Organizations
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
. Historians devoted to the History of the Latter Day Saint movement may be members of an LDS faith or non-members with an academic interest. They range from faith-promoting historians to anti-mormon
Anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
historians, but also include scholars who make an honest effort at objectivity.
Range of perspective
Authors of books on "faith-promoting history" are criticized as generally avoiding more controversial topics in an effort to promote faithFaith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
among members. This sort of history has generally been endorsed by the leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and was encouraged by Church Apostle Dallin H. Oaks
Dallin H. Oaks
Dallin Harris Oaks is an American attorney, jurist, author, professor, public speaker, and religious leader. Since 1984, he has been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
.
Oaks is quoted as stating:
- "Criticism is particularly objectionable when it is directed toward Church authorities, general or local. . . . Evil-speaking of the Lord's anointed is in a class by itself. It is one thing to depreciate a person who exercises corporate power or even government power. It is quite another thing to criticize or depreciate a person for the performance of an office to which he or she has been called of God. It does not matter that the criticism is true. As President George F. Richards of the Council of the Twelve said in a conference address in April 1947: 'When we say anything bad about the leaders of the Church, whether true or false, we tend to impair their influence and their usefulness and are thus working against the Lord and his cause.' (CR April 1947, p. 24)"
- "Balance is telling both sides. This is not the mission of the official Church literature or avowedly anti-Mormon literature. Neither has any responsibility to present both sides."
On the opposite end of the spectrum are anti-mormon
Anti-Mormon
Anti-Mormonism is discrimination, persecution, hostility or prejudice directed at members of the Latter Day Saint movement, particularly The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
historians, which Oaks mentioned in the above quote. Anti-mormons generally write with the intention of disproving the claims of the Church, sometimes to the point of fabricating lies about the LDS Church. Though such historians would not be considered Latter Day Saints, they could be considered LDS historians as the LDS Church is the topic of their research. Many anti-mormons are, in fact, non-practicing ex-mormons and therefore may still consider themselves cultural Mormons.
Other historians reject both faith-promoting history and anti-mormon history, and seek to give a more objective
Objectivity (journalism)
Parent article: Journalism ethics and standardsObjectivity is a significant principle of journalistic professionalism. Journalistic objectivity can refer to fairness, disinterestedness, factuality, and nonpartisanship, but most often encompasses all of these qualities.- Definitions :In the context...
analysis, basing their conclusions on actual evidence, rather than revealing selective evidence to reach their desired conclusions.
Partial list of Latter Day Saint historians
- Edward H. AndersonEdward H. AndersonEdward Henry Anderson was a Latter Day Saint missionary, leader, writer and editor.Anderson is the author of the biography The Life of Brigham Young. The book is an account written sixteen years following Brigham Young's death in 1877...
- Leonard J. ArringtonLeonard J. ArringtonLeonard James Arrington was an author, academic and the founder of the Mormon History Association. He is known as the "Dean of Mormon History" and "the Father of Mormon History" because of his many influential contributions to the field.-Biographical background:Arrington was born in Twin Falls,...
- Valeen Tippetts AveryValeen Tippetts AveryValeen Tippetts Avery was an American biographer and historian best known for her work on Western American and Latter Day Saint history...
- Fawn McKay Brodie
- Juanita BrooksJuanita BrooksJuanita Pulsipher Brooks was an American historian and author, specializing in the American West and Mormon history, including books related to the Mountain Meadows massacre, to which her ancestor Dudley Leavitt was sometimes linked.-Biography:Born Juanita Leone Leavitt, Brooks was born and raised...
- Richard BushmanRichard BushmanRichard Lyman Bushman is an American historian and Gouverneur Morris Professor of History emeritus at Columbia University. He is currently the Howard W. Hunter Visiting Professor in Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University...
- Steven C. HarperSteven C. HarperSteven Craig Harper is a professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University .-Biography:Harper is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . He earned his B.A. in history from BYU in 1994, an M.A. in American history from Utah State University in 1996, and a...
- Dale MorganDale MorganLowell Dale Morgan , generally cited as Dale Morgan or Dale L. Morgan, was an American historian, accomplished researcher, biographer, editor, and critic. He specialized in material on Utah history, Mormon history, the American fur trade, and overland trails...
- Linda King NewellLinda King NewellLinda King Newell is an American historian and author.Newell co-authored the 1984 book Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith with Valeen Tippetts Avery. During this time she was also editor of the scholarly Mormon periodical Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought with her husband L...
- Grant H. PalmerGrant H. PalmerGrant H. Palmer is an American educator best known for his controversial work, An Insider's View of Mormon Origins, which led directly to his disfellowshipment in 2004 from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
- Gregory PrinceGregory PrinceGregory A. Prince is an American pathology researcher, businessman, author, and historian of the Latter Day Saint movement.-Biography:Prince was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. After graduating as valedictorian from Dixie College Gregory A. Prince (born 1948) is an American pathology...
- D. Michael QuinnD. Michael QuinnDennis Michael Quinn is a historian who has focused on The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was a professor at Brigham Young University from 1976 until his resignation in 1988. At the time, his work concerned church involvement with plural marriage after the 1890 Manifesto, in which...
- Jan ShippsJan ShippsJo Ann Barnett "Jan" Shipps is an American historian specializing in Mormon History, particularly in the latter half of the 20th century to the present. Shipps is generally regarded as the foremost non-Mormon scholar of the Latter Day Saint movement, having given particular attention to The...
- Grant UnderwoodGrant UnderwoodGrant Revon Underwood is a historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a professor at Brigham Young University...
- William Robert Wright
Organizations
- Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon StudiesFoundation for Ancient Research and Mormon StudiesThe Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies is an informal collaboration of academics devoted to Latter-day Saint historical scholarship. The group is formally part of the Neal A...
(FARMS) - Foundation for Apologetic Information & ResearchFoundation for Apologetic Information & ResearchThe Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research is a non-profit organization that specializes in Mormon apologetics and responds to criticism of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . FAIR is made up of volunteers who seek to answer questions submitted to its web site...
(FAIR) - John Whitmer Historical AssociationJohn Whitmer Historical AssociationThe John Whitmer Historical Association "is an independent scholarly society composed of individuals of various religious faiths who share a lively interest in ......
- Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church HistoryJoseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church HistoryThe Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Church History was an academic research organization at Brigham Young University from 1980 to 2005, which sought to promote the study of the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.-History:In 1982, the History Division of the church's...
- Mormon Historic Sites FoundationMormon Historic Sites FoundationThe Mormon Historic Sites Foundation is an independent organization that seeks to contribute to the memorialization of sites important to the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
- Mormon History AssociationMormon History AssociationThe Mormon History Association is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the study and understanding of all aspects of Mormon history to promote understanding, scholarly research, and publication in the field...