Founded in New York, the Mormon religion migrated West in the 19th century; fear of persecution brought it to Utah, where members established a church. The religion has since spread both within and outside of the nation, including potentially to the steps of the White House. Mormon Studies, meanwhile — the academic inquiry into Mormon faith, history and culture — has remained predominantly confined to Utah, with a couple exceptions in the Northwest. That is, until the University announced last week the creation of a Mormon Studies Chair in the Department of Religious Studies.
The chair, which remains tentative until the Board of Visitors approves it in November, would be appointed and teach a course on the subject. The Board should embrace this bold decision that maintains the University’s reputation as a pioneer in the field of religious studies and will attract much needed scholarship into the origin and practice of Mormonism.
The Chair of Mormon Studies would be named after Richard Lyman Bushman, a prominent historian in Mormon Studies who directed the program’s first implementation outside of Utah in a secular context at Claremont Graduate University in California. The University would follow Claremont in providing a secular approach to a theological issue — which is an important distinction. Instead of just teaching doctrine, as at a Mormon institution, the University will allow students and professors to challenge it. The truth of the Mormon religion is under contention; the truth of Mormonism as an American movement, however, is something to be understood.
With the adoption of this chair, the University could position itself at the crest of what The New York Times calls “A New Mormon Moment.” Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney, in addition to former candidate Jon Huntsman, Jr., are both Mormons. This newfound relevance has raised fruitful questions about the potential role Mormonism could play in American politics. As Mormonism was founded in the United States and is less than two centuries old, some of its documents are closer to hand than those in other disciplines. With a religious studies department that is larger than its peers at public institutions, the University would have — and be able to attract — the resources to make Mormon Studies a robust intellectual discipline.
The obvious concern is money. Yet in this case, the finances have been taken care of. The chair was endowed with $3 million funded entirely by private donations, and $2 million more will be sought. Money has also been contributed for lectures, scholarships and conferences, according to UVa Today. These donations reveal the current interest from donors in Mormon pedagogy, and the University would remain one of the only receptacles for those donors interested in the subject should the Board approve this chair.
Once outcast from society, Mormonism is increasingly becoming part of the American landscape. As were Joseph Smith and Brigham Young for the Mormon religion, so could the University be for Mormon studies — a founder in a burgeoning field. The Board should capitalize on the timely coalescence of interest and funding and approve the Bushman Chair.
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