Item Detail
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27520
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1
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0
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English
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Raising the Dead : Mormons, Evangelicals, and Miracles in America
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Between Pulpit and Pew : The Supernatural World in Mormon History and Folklore
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Logan, UT
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Utah State University Press
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66-96
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(Some Mormon colonizers) sought to better understand the mysteries of death within their broader theological milieu. Bowman's second entry establishes a broad Christian chronology for stories of restoring life to the dead. He traces the practice to the ministry of Jesus and offers examples from both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Bowman then situates Mormon raising-the-dead experiences against the backdrop of tension between the rational Christianity of the Enlightenment and popular notions of Christian enthusiasm. Bowman analyzes the boundaries Mormons encountered in their attempts to raise the dead and locates Mormon sovereignty for such power with God himself. As Mormons eventually understood it, death was ultimately God's dominion and neither faith nor priesthood ministrations could save a person appointed to die. For Bowman, raising-the-dead stories reminded Mormons that God had a divine plan for their lives and that they should not tempt God or ask for things against his will. Tales of Children returned to life with decaying bodies, dour spirits, and shattered minds reminded Mormons to always include "thy will be done" in their heavenly petitions. [Editors' summary]