false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg 1054553 2 <P>The eminent historian Richard Bushman here reflects on his faith and the history of his religion. By describing his own struggle to find a basis for belief in a skeptical world, Bushman poses the question of how scholars are to write about subjects in which they are personally invested. Does personal commitment make objectivity impossible? Bushman explicitly, and at points confessionally, explains his own commitments and then explores Joseph Smith and the <I>Book of Mormon</I> from the standpoint of belief.</P><P>Joseph Smith cannot be dismissed as a colorful fraud, Bushman argues, nor seen only as a restorer of religious truth. Entangled in nineteenth-century Yankee culture -- including the skeptical Enlightenment -- Smith was nevertheless an original who cut his own path. And while there are multiple contexts from which to draw an understanding of Joseph Smith (including magic, seekers, the Second Great Awakening, communitarianism, restorationism, and more), Bushman suggests that Smith stood at the cusp of modernity and presented the possibility of belief in a time of growing skepticism. </P><P>When examined carefully, the <I>Book of Mormon</I> is found to have intricate subplots and peculiar cultural twists. Bushman discusses the book's ambivalence toward republican government, explores the culture of the Lamanites (the enemies of the favored people), and traces the book's fascination with records, translation, and history. Yet <I>Believing History</I> also sheds light on the meaning of Joseph Smith and the <I>Book of Mormon</I> today. How do we situate Mormonism in American history? Is Mormonism relevant in the modern world? </P><P> <I>Believing History</I> offers many surprises. Believers will learn that Joseph Smith is more than an icon, and non-believers will find that Mormonism cannot be summed up with a simple label. But wherever readers stand on Bushman's arguments, he provides us with a provocative and open look at a believing historian studying his own faith.</P> 1041097 2004 Believing History: Latter-day Saint Essays total:24|5:9|4:11|3:3|2:1|1:0| 24 100 57 5 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 4 0 false Mon Sep 07 10:47:30 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 09 20:09:36 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 4 0 false Wed Sep 03 14:52:20 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 03 14:58:42 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 4 0 false Wed Apr 02 14:52:02 -0700 2008 Mon Apr 07 10:13:39 -0700 2008 more...]]> 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 5 0 false Mon Feb 25 19:52:14 -0800 2008 Mon Feb 25 19:52:46 -0800 2008 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 5 0 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Feb 28 16:14:59 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 28 16:16:10 -0800 2008 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 4 0 false Thu Dec 10 20:07:39 -0800 2009 Thu Dec 10 20:07:39 -0800 2009 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg 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http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 4 0 false Tue Sep 29 00:00:13 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 00:00:13 -0700 2009 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 0 0 false Wed Sep 16 08:40:37 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 08:40:37 -0700 2009 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 0 0 false Thu Sep 03 08:32:51 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 08:32:51 -0700 2009 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 0 0 false Thu Jul 16 12:46:37 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 16 12:46:37 -0700 2009 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 0 0 false Mon Jun 29 15:40:49 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 15:40:49 -0700 2009 1102921 0231130066 9780231130066 1 0 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1181006844m/1102921.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1102921.Believing_History_Latter_Day_Saint_Essays 5 0 false Wed Jun 17 10:28:30 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 11 13:23:55 -0700 2009 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 0 0 false Fri May 29 21:26:28 -0700 2009 Fri May 29 21:26:28 -0700 2009 1054553 0231130074 9780231130073 23 5 4.17 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180553382m/1054553.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1054553.Believing_History_Latter_day_Saint_Essays 0 0 false Fri May 08 00:25:41 -0700 2009 Fri May 08 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