From the 2000 Summer Symposium in Salt Lake City

Presentation: The Academic Study Of Religion: Prospects And Perils

Presenters: Dan Wotherspoon, Brian Birch, Elaine Englehardt, Eugene England, Mary Ellen Robertson, Scott Kenney

Abstract: The recent announcement that early steps have been taken toward establishing a Mormon Studies program at Utah Valley State College has generated much excitement among many who have long felt a need for such a program at one of Utah’s state schools, but it has also raised concerns on two fronts. Some have begun to worry that such a program could easily become a forum for Mormon apologetics, even proselyting, while others voice concerns about it as “yet another forum for Mormon bashing.” This panel, consisting of UVSC faculty, as well as others with experience studying religion– including their own–from an academic perspective, will address these and other issues as they consider both the “prospects” and the “perils” of such an adventure.