The Public’s Response to the Book of Mormon: A Critical Phenomenology of Scripture
This paper is a theoretically robust analysis surrounding the social construction of early Mormons and their critics following the publication of the Book of Mormon. Using Heidegger, Folkert, and Bell, I argue that early critics of Mormonism rhetorically appealed to broader conceptualizations of religion and the Bible to counter the movement. Likewise, early Mormons understood themselves in respect to this criticism by signifying themselves within the Book of Mormon and the Bible. The publication is forthcoming in the journal of Postscripts.
Decoding Diaspora – **FULL DESCRIPTION COMING SOON**
Created a visual representation of Decoding Diaspora data in a Map and Timeline. Additionally, produced and executed a JavaScript program to organize the metadata in a .CSV file. Code is hosted on Github.
Re-Mapping Mormonism: https://dev.clahearn.com
An Omeka-Neatline project using georectified maps from “Mapping Mormonism: An Atlas of Latter-day Saint History” to incorporate the concept of Decoloniality into digital scholarship. The project illustrates Latter-day Saint migration from upstate New York into Native American lands in Utah where their presence expanded throughout the Utah Valley. As Latter-day Saints migrated westward, so too did their epistemology. Re-Mapping Mormonism seeks to complicate the narrative of “Mormon History” by introducing a visual representation of what was and still is Native Land.
“You are a Toaster”: An Analysis of the Categorization of The Human
A Scalar Project to digitally and critically analyze the category of “the human” as it applies to the study of religion. Using two sets of data, The Reimagined Battlestar Galactica series and the Mormon Transhumanist Association, I ask the question: Is “the human” a unique category in the study of religion? If so, how are we as scholars to analyze it? If not, then what?
Asherah’s Decline: The Burning of Sacred Poles
This paper was a diachronic study of the figure Asherah through an analysis of her relationships with three main consorts, early scholars of Biblical Studies, and the Deuteronomistic Historian. It was my first attempt at understanding how scholars of religion–both modern and ancient–constructed categories about their subjects but in turn often constructed themselves in the process.
“Heaven and Hell: A Creative Writing Process”
My first oral presentation at a conference where I discussed the use of Subcreation, a creative writing theory established by J.R.R Tolkien and further expanded upon by Mark Wolf, to argue that religious interpretations of Heaven and Hell are their own “subcreated worlds”. This paper analyzed The Book of Revelation, Saint Paul’s Apocalyse, and Wetti’s Vision by demonstrating the use of invention, completeness, and consistency throughout each of the texts.
