Catholic and Mormon: A Theological Conversation PDF
Preview Catholic and Mormon: A Theological Conversation
Catholic and Mormon CATHOLIC AND MORMON A Theological Conversation z STEPHEN H. WEBB AND ALONZO L. GASKILL 1 1 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide. Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford University Press 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016 © Oxford University Press 2015 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, by license, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization. Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Webb, Stephen H., 1961– author. Catholic and mormon : a theological conversation / by Stephen H. Webb and Alonzo L. Gaskill. pages cm ISBN 978–0–19–026592–2 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Catholic Church—Doctrines. 2. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints— Doctrines. 3. Mormon Church—Doctrines. 4. Catholic Church—Relations—Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 5. Catholic Church—Relations—Mormon Church. 6. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—Relations—Catholic Church. 7. Mormon Church—Relations—Catholic Church. I. Gaskill, Alonzo L., author. II. Title. BX1753.W37 2016 280ʹ.042—dc23 2015003398 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Contents Introduction: How Did We Get Here? vii 1. Authority 1 2. Grace 35 3. Mary 50 4. Revelation 64 5. Ritual 82 6. Matter 99 7. Jesus 120 8. Heaven 139 9. History 155 10. Soul 168 Conclusion: Where Do We Go From Here? 187 Notes 191 Index 209 Introduction How Did We Get Here? Religion in AmeRicA is rife with one-dimensional labels, misleading generalizations, and sweeping statements. Because Catholics and Mormons stand out in a country that is still heavily dominated by Protestantism, they are especially vulnerable to spiritual typecasting—and many of those oversimplifications are uncannily similar. Theologically, both traditions have been accused of putting more emphasis on the role of works than grace in the drama of salvation. Ecclesiastically, both have complex and exclusive rituals that can be easily misunderstood and dis- paraged. And historically, their loyalty to the American democratic exper- iment has been held in suspicion, if not contempt. Religious beliefs and practices need to be carefully analyzed in order to replace caricature with full-bodied characterizations. Even where there is a grain of truth in a generalization, caution is required, since generalizations can easily turn into prejudice and bigotry. Here too Mormons and Catholics share a remarkably parallel list of affronts and denunciations. Catholics blindly follow the Pope and Mormons worship Joseph Smith. Catholics put Mary above Jesus while Mormons give as much devotion to a Heavenly Mother as the Heavenly Father. Catholics substitute the early creeds for the Bible while Mormons replace the Bible with the Book of Mormon. Catholics borrowed their rituals from pagan practices while Joseph Smith raided the ceremonies of Masonry for many of his ideas. Catholics have large families and Mormons have mul- tiple wives. Catholics have a fixation with Rome while most Mormons live in Utah. viii Introduction None of these statements is true, even the last one (most Mormons these days live outside of the United States). There is and always has been more to Catholicism than the pope and the Blessed Virgin, and Mormonism certainly cannot be defined by polygamous practices aban- doned long ago or by the geographical boundaries of Utah. These two churches, with their authoritarian hierarchies, elaborate rituals, and heav- enly matriarchs, do not fit easily into American predilections for egalitar- ian organizations, informal worship, and pragmatic beliefs, which is just one reason they both stand to benefit from a mutual dialogue. The best way to deal with stereotypes and misinformation, we believe, is to jump right into more fundamental and weighty issues. There is so much these traditions can learn from each other that it would be a shame to dwell on the many ways that they have been misunderstood by others. Nothing less than the most significant issues that impact Christian iden- tity are at stake in this dialogue. After all, both Catholicism and Mormonism have ambitiously universal views of the Christian faith. Catholicism speaks with the oldest and largest voice of any church, and reserves the right to put into words the consensus positions on every theological topic, while Mormonism aims to restore Christianity to an unsurpassable fullness in ritual, belief, and practice. On the surface, those identities contradict each other. Catholicism is a continuous tradition, committed to the conservation of the earliest, ecumenical creeds, while Mormonism teaches that the land- scape of Christian history is riddled with sin and apostasy and is in need of radical revision and spiritual healing. Mormonism looks to modern-day prophets and a renewal of apostolic authority to connect Christianity to tra- ditions that precede and trump the making of the creeds. How could these traditions have anything to say to each other when they seem to be going in such different directions? Indeed, how can they exchange information and observations on their respective versions of the Christian faith when they so often find themselves competing for converts? The media has not been slow to cover the tensions that can arise when Mormonism spreads into places where the Catholic Church has been long established.1 If these demographic trends continue, there will be more opportunities for mutual suspicion and thus a greater need for mutual understanding.2 In reality, Mormons and Catholics have much to share—and they are much closer to each other than many assume. Their moral teachings, for example, are broadly consonant, and that provides a strong founda- tion for institutional collaboration on social issues of public significance.3 While it is true that they can appear to be far apart in their philosophical Introduction ix and metaphysical commitments, probing beyond the theological surface reveals unexpected connections that can be cast into frameworks for intel- lectual accord. Perhaps most importantly, theological traditions have the most to learn from alternative viewpoints that challenge the doctrines they hold in highest esteem. We think that readers will be very surprised by how close Catholics and Mormons are on a number of the most basic theological topics and how relevant their differences are for deepening the nuances and richness of the Christian faith. Dialogues between Latter-day Saints (LDS) and Protestants have been somewhat common in recent years. Craig Blomberg and Stephen Robinson’s How Wide the Divide: A Mormon & an Evangelical in Conversation really opened the door to a discussion that theretofore had seemed too taboo to entertain. LDS scholar Robert L. Millet has spent years nurturing the dialogue between Protestants and Mormons. Among other things, Millet co-authored (with Gerald R. McDermott) Claiming Christ: A Mormon‒Evangelical Debate and (with Gregory C. V. Johnson) Bridging the Divide: The Continuing Conversation between a Mormon and an Evangelical. Although not a dialogue in the proper sense of the word, Richard J. Mouw’s Talking with Mormons: An Invitation to Evangelicals seeks to engage Protestants in a civil discussion with Mormons and is itself a contribution to sincere attempts at dialogue.4 What is curious, how- ever, is the absence of significant and civil dialogues between Latter-day Saints and Roman Catholics. Such conversations are largely non-extant. That is surprising, both because the Catholic Church (particularly since Vatican II) has really sought to reach out to what they used to term their “separated brethren” of the various Christian denominations and also because Mormonism (albeit numerically small) is a decidedly present faith readily encountered. While Latter-day Saints and Catholics have worked together well for many years on social issues and on humanitarian initiatives, they have kept their distance—theologically speaking—from each other. For us, that is disheartening. And, it seems fare to note, such a stance may actu- ally run counter to the official position these two great faiths have taken regarding other Christian Churches. For example, Elder M. Russell Ballard (of the LDS Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) counseled members of the faith: “Get to know your neighbors. Learn about their . . . views. . . . Our pioneer ancestors were driven from place to place by uninformed and intolerant neighbors. They experienced extraordinary hardship and perse- cution because they thought, acted, and believed differently from others.
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