Quote:
Originally Posted by Archaea
And although I largely agree with much of Solon's propositions, I disagree if he concludes LDS should not enter the academic arena and should not examine their articles of faith under the scholarly microscope. We might not like what we see, but that does not mean we shouldn't look.
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Well stated above. I think it is worthwhile to examine LDS teachings in an academic setting (e.g. my dissertation topic deals with the quest for immortality in ancient Greece - not that I'm trying to tie in any LDS connection, but dealing with a topic that is prevalent in LDS theology as well). My only objection is when would-be scholars approach their topics with the understanding that they already know the "truth" and are just trying to fill in the backstory. LDS scholars do not have a monopoly on this - see Rodney Stark's
The Victory of Reason for Christian apologetic that would make the most egregious FARMer blush. As Archaea indicates, it's best to avoid blanket evaluations and evaluate works on a case-by-case basis.