Mormonism is firmly rooted in religious humanism, a belief in human potential and respect for individual conscience. Now religion and humanism clash at Mormon schools where feminists are purged from the faculty and intellectuals are excommunicated from the church.

This anthology includes essays by Mormon scholars Cecilia Konchar Farr just prior to her dismissal from Brigham Young University, Lavina Fielding Anderson following her excommunication, L. Jackson Newell on the environment and overpopulation; humanist scholars Bonnie Bullough on feminism, Robert Alley on his impressions of Mormonism, Gerald Larue on secular readings of scripture; and six others.

Paul Kurtz, editor of Free Inquiry, introduces the discussion with an overview of “Humanism and the Idea of freedom,” while American journalist Walter Lippmann provides an epilogue with “The Indispensable Opposition.”

title page

Religion, Feminism, and Freedom of Conscience
A Mormon/Humanist Dialogue

Edited by George D. Smith

Prometheus Books, Buffalo
Signature Books, Salt Lake City
1994

about the editor

George D. Smith, a graduate of Stanford University, is editor of two previous volumes on Mormon themes: Faithful History: Essays on Writing Mormon History and An Intimate Chronicle: The Journals of William Clayton.

epigraph

There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.
—Victor Hugo

copyright page

Cover design by Julie Easton.
Cover illustration by Carol Norby.

∞ Religion, Feminism, and Freedom of Conscience was printed on acid-free paper meeting the permanence of paper requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences. This book was composed, printed, and bound in the United States.

© 1994 by Prometheus Books (cloth). All rights reserved.
© 1994 by Signature Books, Inc. (paper). All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Religion, feminism, and freedom of conscience : a Mormon/humanist dialogue / edited by George D. Smith. p. cm.

1. Liberty of conscience – United States. 2. Freedom of religion–United States. 3. Mormon Church–Doctrines. 4. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints–Doctrines. 5. Humanism 6. Feminist theory. 7. Academic freedom–United States. 8. Brigham Young University. 9. United States–Religion. I. Smith, George D.

BL2525.R4635 1994 94-8606 323.44'2–dc20 CIP
ISBN 0-87975-887-2 (Prometheus)
ISBN 1-56085-048-5 (Signature :pbk)