Jan Shipps is a historian of religion who is not herself a Latter-day Saint, and this academic book, published by University of Illinois Press, argues that Mormonism should be studied as a genuinely new religious tradition comparable to the emergence of early Christianity or Islam, rather than simply as a Christian denomination or a curiosity. Its strength is that outsider but sympathetic scholarly position, widely credited with helping establish Mormon studies as a serious academic field in its own right. Its limit is its age, published in 1985, so later Mormon studies scholarship, and the Church's own considerable growth and change since, mean more recent developments need to be checked against more current sources alongside this foundational framing work.
Facts
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
Jan Shipps's influential academic argument, by a non-Latter-day-Saint historian, that the Latter-day Saint movement is best understood as a new religious tradition rather than simply a Christian denomination. NotesInfluential academic argument (by a non-Latter-day-Saint historian) that the movement is best understood as a new religious tradition rather than simply a Christian denomination.
Citation
AuthorJan Shipps
PublisherUniversity of Illinois Press
Publication Year1985
URLhttps://www.worldcat.org/oclc/11651853
Source Typebook
Claims Backed By This Source (67 claims)
This source backs 67 claims across the atlas. As facts: 39 well-attested, 3 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 9 holds. Plus 16 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Religious Symbols, 9 claims: 4 well-attested, 4 holds, 1 general references.
- Denominations, 8 claims: 5 well-attested, 3 general references.
- Sources, 8 claims: 8 well-attested.
- Cities, 7 claims: 2 well-attested, 4 holds, 1 general references.
- Articles, 6 claims: 6 well-attested.
- Sacred Sites, 6 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Figures, 5 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 scholarly debate, 2 general references.
- Rituals, 5 claims: 3 well-attested, 2 general references.
- Doctrines, 3 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Pilgrimage Routes, 3 claims: 1 holds, 2 general references.
- Religions, 3 claims: 2 scholarly debate, 1 general references.
- Practices, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Scripture Portions, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
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