I agree w this.Avid Disciple wrote:The following two quotes are from Jon Butler’s review of MAGIC AND THE COMPLEXTITIES OF MORMON HISTORY EARLY MORMONISM ANDTHE MAGIC WORLD VIEW
by D. Michael Quinn
The following quotes are from Amazon.com’s editorial review of Quinn’s book“Quinn’s argument brings both Mormonism and American religious history more tightly within the Western intellectual and religious orbit, meaning the expansive West of Europe, not the narrower confines of Utah.”
“It would be a shame for both American and Mormon religious history if complexity, which always reflects maturity, were banished in favor of alluring, but always false, simplicity.”
“ The trouble I see with Quinn’s book and Jon Butler’s review of it is that Quinn’s arguments seem strongly to support the hypothesis of organic evolution. By suggesting that Joseph Smith was involved in aspects of magic or the occult and that this practice was a major factor in the development of Mormonism is to imply that Mormonism owes is particular character including its theology, doctrine and sacred practices not to divine deliberation, but to human predisposition and cultural background. I do not deny that preexisting culture influenced the evolution of popular Mormon culture, but I feel very concerned by the disturbing suggestion that essential core characteristics of Mormonism as a faith system were produced not by express revelation, but by organic cultural evolution..
And movements that try and say that The Restoration was a man made concoction will one day realize the error of their ways.
I actually feel bad for them.
njb