tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8892508430889192987.post9067260977875845594..comments2023-03-28T12:14:55.115-06:00Comments on Digital Delusions and the Crusade of Refinement: The Mormons are Renaissance HumanistJames Wilcoxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15097991826087953007noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8892508430889192987.post-44275051123288533492010-09-08T22:31:42.056-06:002010-09-08T22:31:42.056-06:00I think what you are getting at is the sense of po...I think what you are getting at is the sense of potential that comes from the early humanists and which is inherent within LDS doctrine about infinite progression and perfectibility. These sorts of comparisons are instructive, and more abound. If you look at the early Mormon church, you see a preoccupation with Renaissance literature (Shakespeare, Milton) and a conscious effort to instill a literary education among the faithful. See, for example, the many literary lessons in the Relief Society Magazine (http://mormonlit.lib.byu.edu/lit_genre.php?genre=Relief+Society+Lesson).<br /><br />I've written about LDS aspirations to great art in a piece called "Our Mormon Renaissance" which you might be interested in (https://bit.ly/MormonRen)Gideon Burtonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08282494104976426309noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8892508430889192987.post-10251030004479754672010-09-07T07:57:57.134-06:002010-09-07T07:57:57.134-06:00I absolutely agree, several fundamental tenets of ...I absolutely agree, several fundamental tenets of Renaissance Humanism and Mormonism are quite similar. It is sad, however, what Humanism has come to mean/stand for today. Consider this statement from the 1973 Humanist Manifesto II: <br /><br />"We believe, however, that traditional dogmatic or authoritarian religions that place revelation, God, ritual, or creed above human needs and experience do a disservice to the human species. Any account of nature should pass the tests of scientific evidence; in our judgment, the dogmas and myths of traditional religions do not do so...We find insufficient evidence for belief in the existence of a supernatural..."Jeff Whitlockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02699648747031851225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8892508430889192987.post-20302832765045846392010-09-07T07:56:13.040-06:002010-09-07T07:56:13.040-06:00This comment has been removed by the author.Jeff Whitlockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02699648747031851225noreply@blogger.com