2012/01/01 by James R. Lewis · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · Psychology · #Archaeology #Art #Casual #Excavation #History #History of religions #Ideology #Law #Legitimation #Literature #Mormonism, Religion, and History #Narrative #Political science #Politics #Psychedelics and Drug Studies #Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices #Sociology
paper · doi:10.1163/156852712x630789
openalex publication_date 2012/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Abstract For the most part, religiously-motivated actors become interested in archaeological findings when these findings appear to support their religious assumptions, though a small but notable minority seek clues to the ideologies and practices of their presumptive religious ancestors in the archaeological record. This involvement in archaeology can vary tremendously in depth, from trained LDS archaeologists seeking support for The Book of Mormon at Mesoamerican excavation sites, to casual references about Atlantis by ordinary participants in New Age spiritual groups. In many cases, religious appeals to the authority of archaeology to support a specific issue become inextricably bound up with appeals to the authority of tradition, in part because archaeology is brought to bear on past events that are already a part of a given tradition’s sacred narratives.