Kirtland Temple: The Biography of a Shared Mormon Sacred Space

by David J. Howlett

The only temple completed by Mormonism's founder, Joseph Smith Jr., the Kirtland Temple in Kirtland, Ohio, receives 30,000 Mormon pilgrims every year. Though the site is sacred to all Mormons, the temple’s religious significance and the space itself are contested by rival Mormon its owner, the relatively liberal Community of Christ, and the larger Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
 
David J. Howlett sets the biography of Kirtland Temple against the backdrop of religious rivalry. The two sides have long contested the temple's ownership, purpose, and significance in both the courts and Mormon literature. Yet members of each denomination have occasionally cooperated to establish periods of co-worship, host joint tours, and create friendships. Howlett uses the temple to build a model for understanding what he calls parallel pilgrimage--the set of dynamics of disagreement and alliance by religious rivals at a shared sacred site. At the same time, he illuminates social and intellectual changes in the two main branches of Mormonism since the 1830s, providing a much-needed history of the lesser-known Community of Christ.

Genres: Religion, History, Nonfiction

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Christopher Angulo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through enjoyed the first 2 sections of this book!

[Amaryah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. There is a fascinating history in the Kirtland Temple and this explored so many sides of it. It delves much more into RLDS/Community of Christ history surrounding the temple and I appreciated getting know that side of the story. I especially found the author’s exploration of how myths and narratives are formed around sacred sites really interesting (things as small as the crushed china in the plaster, or larger like the cursed Kirtland land). Overall, solid read.

[Thomas Bremer · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Howlett’s Kirtland Temple: The Biography of a Shared Mormon Sacred Space uses the first Mormon temple in Ohio as a case study for considering relations between the two largest Mormon denominations. It draws special attention to the liberal Community of Christ group, formerly the Reformed Latter Day Saints (RLDS), and the history of their relation to the much larger Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS). Later chapters also discuss the Restorationists, a fundamentalist Mormon group that divided from the RLDS.

Howlett’s work nuances our understanding of intragroup diversity among religious people in America, in particular regarding Mormons. The book also introduces his concept of “parallel pilgrimage” for contemplating relations between and among Christians of different kinds in a pluralistic and fragmented American religious landscape. In total, this book adds an intriguing chapter to the claim in David Chidester’s and Edward T. Linenthal’s American Sacred Space that auspicious places of religion are always contested spaces.

[A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read. A definite must for anyone interested in Kirtland, modern or historical, and the relationship between the LDS Church and Community of Christ. It was interesting to learn some back story on both Karl Anderson and Lach Mackay, and on the whole it was an informative read too.