Health and medicine among the Latter-Day Saints : science, sense, and scripture / Lester E. Bush, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bush, Lester E., Jr.

Series:

Health/medicine and the faith traditions

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Latter Day Saint hygiene.

Health--Religious aspects--Latter Day Saint churches.

Health.

Medicine--Religious aspects--Latter Day Saint churches.

Medicine.

Spiritual healing.

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--Membership.

Latter Day Saint churches--Membership.

Latter Day Saint churches.

Physical Description:

xv, 234 pages ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Crossroad, 1993.

Summary:

Despite its self-conscious "peculiarness", Mormonism (as the tradition popularly came to be known) is and always has been "the most American of religions" (so sociologist Thomas O'Dea). And few things are more widely known about Mormons than their refusal, for reasons of health, to use tobacco, alcohol, coffee, or tea. Thus it is surprising that there has been no book dealing with medical and health issues as they have been viewed within Mormonism until the present one. The author, a physician and recognized scholar of Latter-day Saint intellectual history, examines Mormon teaching relating to well-being and suffering, health and healing (through faith and medicine), death and dying, madness, sexuality and birth. He does this through a detailed analysis of the authoritative guidance issued by the church hierarchy during its 150-year history. In so doing he illuminates the past, present, and future of Mormon thinking on these themes. Based heavily on a wealth of previously unmined primary source materials, and addressing themes not previously treated in scholarly LDS writings, this work will establish the context within which future writings of Mormon medical themes will be judged.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0824512197 :

OCLC:

26400043