Encyclopedia of Mormonism

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The Encyclopedia of Mormonism is a well-known semi-official encyclopedia for topics relevant to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the LDS Church; see also "Mormon").

Contents 1 Background 2 Subjects addressed 3 Role of the encyclopedia relative to the church 4 Views of the encyclopedia's contents 5 Notes 6 References

[edit] Background

Published in 1992, the Encyclopedia contains nearly 1500 articles including several short un-attributed entries (the equivalent of Wikipedia stubs) in four volumes. The text is approximately one million words, and over 1850 pages including pictures, maps, charts, index, and appendices. The title for the Encyclopedia of Mormonism was chosen by Macmillan, the secular publisher which initiated the project.

There were over 730 contributors from a wide variety of fields, most of whom had LDS and academic backgrounds. A large number were professors at Brigham Young University, the flagship LDS Church-owned university. Most individuals contributed only one article and few submitted more than three or four. Notable contributors include Mormon historians Leonard J. Arrington, and Thomas G. Alexander, former Salt Lake City mayor Ted Wilson, noted non-Mormon LDS historian Jan Shipps, authors Steven R. Covey, Gerald N. Lund, and Richard Eyre, respected scholar and apologist Hugh Nibley, and a few members of LDS hierarchy like Paul Evans, H. David Burton, and Jeffery R. Holland.

The editor of the Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Daniel H. Ludlow, states that he strove to make the volume as professional as possible. Most of the articles are written by Ph.D.s in their respective fields. LDS General Authorities (the spiritual leaders of the church) wrote little of the Encyclopedia; indeed, most contributors from church hierarchy were only tapped to write articles on the publications or institutions they directly administered or led. For impartiality and perspective, several non-Mormons were asked to write important articles. For example, Jan Shipps wrote on the outsider's interpretation of Mormonism, and Richard P. Howard, historian of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the Community of Christ), wrote on his branch of the Latter Day Saint movement.

[edit] Subjects addressed

The Encyclopedia of Mormonism includes lengthy articles on core LDS subjects like LDS Church history and doctrine, but the work also includes many topics that are only generally related to Mormonism. For example, articles on Constitutional law, Sports, Science, and Freedom discuss LDS perspectives and contributions to various fields.

Ludlow also sought to make the encyclopedia accessible to non-Mormons. To this end an optional fifth volume was printed containing the "Standard Works," LDS scriptures that are heavily cited in the encyclopedia.

[edit] Role of the encyclopedia relative to the church

Although the LDS Church cooperated in the production of the book, particularly by setting aside Brigham Young University (BYU) resources, the Encyclopedia was meant to be independent and unofficial in the church. Ludlow highlights this in his concluding preface remarks:

Lest the role of the Encyclopedia be given more weight than it deserves, the editors make it clear that those who have written and edited have only tried to explain their understanding of Church history, doctrines, and procedures; their statement and opinions remain their own. The Encyclopedia of Mormonism is a joint product of Brigham Young University and Macmillan Publishing Company, and its contents do not necessarily represent the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. – Encyclopedia of Mormonism, p. lxii.

In spite of these comments and the non-Mormon publisher, the Encyclopedia is referred to as an official or at least semi-official publication by many outsiders of the Church.^{[citation needed]} This view has credence because LDS Church-owned BYU was contractual author of the work. Furthermore, six general authorities, though not credited editors, worked on the project including Dallin H. Oaks, Neal A. Maxwell, and Jeffrey R. Holland (president of BYU when the project began).^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Views of the encyclopedia's contents

Content in the Encyclopedia is thought to express a faith-promoting view of the church.^{[citation needed]} In addition to established LDS apologists like Hugh Nibley, many other LDS apologists contributed including John Gee, William Hamblin, Louis C. Midgley, Daniel C. Peterson, Noel B. Reynolds, Stephen D. Ricks, John L. Sorenson, Melvin J. Thorne, and John W. Welch.

Critics such as Sterling McMurrin and George D. Smith charge that the Encyclopedia of Mormonism glosses over difficult but important subjects to be faith-promoting. Although issues like Blacks and the priesthood are covered, some state that such articles do not dwell in sufficient detail on the controversies involved. The historical entries are likewise thought to skip over uncomfortable subjects. For example, the entry on revered pioneer-era Apostle Orson Pratt doesn't mention his famous doctrinal disagreements with Brigham Young^{[citation needed]} even though it recounts at length on his life otherwise. Plural marriage is also thought to receive insufficient coverage.^{[citation needed]}

No article of so-called Mormon historical revisionism is found in the Encyclopedia. It has been noted that after the Encyclopedia 's publication, several LDS scholars were excommunicated, including some members of the 1993 "September Six".^{[citation needed]} Some have criticized the Encyclopedia because it "does not offer revisionist explanations of the Book of Mormon."^[1] One such claim was made by George D. Smith, who stated that the Encyclopedia “is not the promised comprehensive treatment of Book of Mormon scholarship; it is a statement of LDS orthodoxy.”^[2]

However, the Encyclopedia was designed to serve as a general reference, not as a primer of LDS polemics. Thus, the Encyclopedia of Mormonism remains a useful resource as the first and only encyclopedia on its subject.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Ludlow, Daniel H (ed) (1992), Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Macmillan Publishing, ISBN 0-02-879602-0.
• McMurrin, Sterling M (1993), "“Toward Intellectual Anarchy,” review of Encyclopedia of Mormonism", Dialogue 26(2).
• Midgley, Louis (2004), "The Signature Books Saga", The FARMS Review 6(1) [link accessed 2007-03-08].
• Smith, George D (November 1993), "Orthodoxy and Encyclopedia: The Book of Mormon in the Encyclopedia", Sunstone.