In this post I wanted to briefly sketch out some of my own thoughts and taxonomies\u00a0regarding how we go about legitimizing claims and positions. \u00a0I realize that the distinctions I make aren’t all that fine grained, but I prefer to\u00a0sacrifice a certain amount of complexity for the sake of clarity. \u00a0When somebody calls\u00a0some belief, position or claim into question there are, I submit, 4 primary ways in which we legitimate such things:<\/p>\n
I think pretty much every culture accepts each of these sources of legitimation to some degree or another – the primary difference being in how they prioritize them. \u00a0While fully granting that none of these cultures is homogeneous by any stretch of the imagination, here are a few examples:<\/p>\n
One thing\u00a0worth noting is that I had a very difficult time prioritizing the 3rd and 4th source for almost all of these. \u00a0As such, I typically assigned the 4th one according to what the movement stood against most. \u00a0Of course, the whole point of this post is that I would like to situate Mormonism\u00a0within this scheme. \u00a0Before I give my interpretation of it, however, I need to acknowledge that somebody might disagree with my 4 sources from the start. \u00a0If such is the case, how would you change it? \u00a0Other might disagree with how I have interpreted the above movements. \u00a0If so, how do you think they should be? \u00a0Your disagreements on these issues in which we are far less invested will probably help to resolve any disagreements that we might have with regard to Mormonism. \u00a0That said,<\/p>\n
Mormonism: in, up, out, back<\/p>\n
I think within Mormonism our inner promptings and other forms of personal revelation are completely basic, and can potentially outweigh anything else – this is exactly how missionaries convert people. \u00a0After that, I think following living prophets and priesthood leaders is quite fundamental to being Mormon. \u00a0Unlike the more authoritarian movements (Fascism and Communism), however,\u00a0we see individual freedom to follow one’s promptings as non-negotiable. \u00a0I think looking to the world also plays a significant role within Mormonism in that we tend to be rather practical, believe in literal miracles, and are moderately inclined toward scientific thinking. \u00a0I think looking to the past comes absolutely last within Mormonism. \u00a0We are not too impressed by appeals to dead prophets, dead Greeks \u00a0and dead texts, nor are we\u00a0terribly inclined to romanticize the distant past. \u00a0Yes, we do adhere to the living word of an older generation which gives the illusion of adherence to traditional values from the past, but this is due to the priesthood authority of this older generation rather than their seniority\u00a0or\u00a0experience as such.<\/p>\n