Item Detail
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26377
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3
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13
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English
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The Infallibility Trap : The Sacralisation of Religious Authority
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International Journal of Mormon Studies
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2011
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4
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United Kingdom
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International Journal of Mormon Studies
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14-44
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"This article develops the thesis that religions with an exclusive truth claim, a hierarchical organization and a clear follower commitment almost inevitably tend to define their ecclesiastical authority in terms of infallibility. Though the latter concept is couched in different terms in various religious traditions, the pattern of defining authority as such as sacred is clear. This is called "creeping infallibility", a process that, in the eyes of the author, represents a theological trap, a severe problem that is hard to avoid. The processes leading to overt or creeping infallibility are compared between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, religions that share these major characteristics. First, the text zooms in on the intricacies of the Catholic notion of "infallible", which shows to be a problematic issue, much debated and part of a political process; then the equivalent notions within the Mormon tradition are explored. LDS theology and discourse focus on "authority" and "obedience", but LDS history shows how political developments informed the formulation of these concepts into infallibility-like notions. Such a contagious discourse does present a severe problem, if only because of the supreme values of humility, repentance and atonement. The work of Bourdieu and Giddens provides some insights into the processes leading to this "infallibility trap", which the author illustrates with his personal experiences in the LDS scene." [AUTHOR'S ABSTRACT]
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