Educational balance

[_Mercury]

In my ever vigilant attempt for tenure (don't worry, i'm not EVEN close...yukyukyuk) I propose every school that appoints a professor of Mormon Studies also appoint a professor of "Actual Mormon Studies". My first vote would be for Tal since he has nothing better to do. Actually my first choice would be Bob Mccue.

Who else, besides me of course!

[_bcspace]

I propose every school that appoints a professor of Mormon Studies also appoint a professor of Mormon Studies

huh?

[_moksha]

Dr. Michael Quinn certainly deserves to be a professor of Mormon Studies somewhere.

[_Chap]

In my ever vigilant attempt for tenure (don't worry, I'm not EVEN close...yukyukyuk) I propose every school that appoints a professor of Mormon Studies also appoint a professor of Mormon Studies. My first vote would be for Tal since he has nothing better to do. Actually my first choice would be Bob Mccue.

Who else, besides me of course!

I think he must mean anti-Mormon studies in the second case.

I doubt if this is necessary. The serious study of the development of the CoJCoLDS in its full historical, social, intellectual and anthropological context, detached from all religious commitment, is as near to anti-Mormon studies as you need to get. (By saying "detached from all religious commitment" I do not mean that there should be a religious test to exclude LDS or members of any other faith group or none from being appointed; I just mean that the scholar appointed should confine his or her research and teaching to what can be established without calling upon 'the witness of the Spirit', or the use of 'the church' as an authority in establishing the truth of propositions.)

It seems to me that the more hard evidence there is of the process by which a religion got started, the more likely it is that a similar proposition will be true about its study. The reason that the LDS faith seems to many non-believers who have looked at it seriously to be such an obviously made-up religion is in part, I suspect, because early 19th century New England is just so much better documented than first century Palestine or seventh century Mecca.

[_Mercury]

I propose every school that appoints a professor of Mormon Studies also appoint a professor of Mormon Studies

huh?

I fixed it