Of course, Rachel would disagree with us. :) And positivism has fallen out of fashion in academia, so I think many Mormon thinkers are a bit embarrassed about what could be construed as a naive materialism in our theology.

I’ve always said Latter-day Saints are radical materialists – even the spirit is more refined matter and all is governed by law.

Russ Frandsen

I kinda like Christian existentialism, a la Paul Tillich, so I hope to be rebutted. Anyone?

Also, if you’re just going to wear a Mr. Mac suit, what’s the point of being a Rabbi?

Eric, tell me more. Which demographics correspond to which kind of Bible study, in your experience? If the idea is that a higher educational or socioeconomic status corresponds to a more sophisticated approach to scripture, I think there will certainly be some of that. I wonder, though, how American Mormons compare to American Jews in terms of education and SES—I’m wondering whether there’s really much of a demographic difference. Certainly there’s a difference in geographical distribution, and maybe that has an effect, as well.

In any case, I think you’re right that there’s not a strong theological mandate for our particular approach in scripture. We emphasize the verses that affirm what we do, but if we did something else we could find support for that practice, too.

At the same time, we also know that Joseph was very conscious of the need to use all the tools available to understand scripture, which is why he hired Joshua Seixas to teach Hebrew to himself and others in the School of the Prophets.

Finally, we also know that the meaning of the scriptures for Joseph also developed through his own experiences as a teacher and leader, and as one who was hunted and persecuted and imprisoned. The meaning of Malachi Chapter 4, one of the very first things taught him by Moroni, only became clear over time, as he received keys from John the Baptist in 1829 and Elijah in 1836, and then was inspired to teach about baptism for the dead in Nauvoo.

So the Latter-day Saints have the model of Joseph for understanding scripture through inspiration, through skilled study using the tools of scholarship and languages, and through application to life’s experiences. If we don’t use all these approaches, we are not being true to our heritage, and are circumscribing the value of the scriptures for ourselves and our children. We are missing many of the “precious” things, the pearls that are hidden there.