Spiritual Matter A Mormon Materialism for the 21st Century

Authors

Kevin Winters, Brigham Young University
Dr. Mark Wrathall, Brigham Young University

Keywords

spiritual matter, Mormon materialism, Mormon studies, spirit

College

Humanities

Department

Philosophy

Abstract

In May of 1843, Joseph Smith gave a decisive statement against dualism: “There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes; we cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter” (D&C 131:7-8). This led to a handful of expositions by various leaders and thinkers, such as Orson Pratt’s “The Absurdities of Immaterialism” or, more recently, Truman Madsen’s Eternal Man. But beyond Madsen’s brief treatment and a few other short works on the issue, there has not been an extensive modern exposition or defense of a Mormon materialism in the 20th/21st century.

Recommended Citation

Winters, Kevin and Wrathall, Dr. Mark (2013) "Spiritual Matter A Mormon Materialism for the 21st Century," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 946.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/946