Item Detail
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32830
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1
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37
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English
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Cunning Distortions: Folk Christianity and Witchcraft Allegations in Early Mormon History
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Journal of Mormon History
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January 2023
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49
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1
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1-42
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"While scholars have rightfully come to acknowledge the Smiths’ cunning-folk practices, they have come to also accept the misrepresentation of such practices in early sources. As this article will demonstrate, this form of folk Christianity had a long history of misrepresentation beginning with early modern demonologists who labeled these traditions as witchcraft; and later twentieth-century observers, including historians, who conflated it with representations of diabolical magic. Despite the significant differences between folk Christianity and diabolical witchcraft, the pseudonymous author Maria Ward exemplified this problem when she described Joseph Smith’s teachings and practices as 'the doctrine of witchcraft.' This connection was key to early allegations made against Smith. It is invaluable to those who wish to separate the rituals people practiced from the rituals people erroneously imagined and accused others of practicing. Thus, in this article, I show how allegations of nefarious magic and seemingly disenchanted allegations of non-magical misdeeds against Smith extend from a common heritage of witchcraft accusations. This article concludes with a brief discussion about the reliability of witchcraft allegations as historical evidence." [Author]
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