David J. Linthorst and Dr. David L. Paulsen, Philosophy

My experience as an ORCA grant recipient has been an interesting one. The focus and direction of my work has changed a few times as I have attempted to direct my efforts towards meaningful research that would be useful to the greater body of work that is being produced by my mentor. During this process I have experienced frustration as I have realized my personal limitations and the limitations of the subject matter. I have also experienced success as I have narrowed my topic down to focus on a consistent vein of thought running through LDS theology on the topic of deification. My research efforts continue as I work to assist Dr Paulsen in completing his work on the subject of deification.

I first approached my work by reading through the papers and other publications of prominent thinkers on the topic of the LDS view of deification. After putting my research effort into comparing the LDS doctrine of deification with that of the Eastern Orthodox Church I realized that the topic was covered extensively in a few of these publications. I came to the realization that to attempt a more extensive comparison of the two schools of thought is a project that is out of my reach due to limited time, experience, and lack of knowledge of ancient languages. This realization led me to shift the direction of my research towards a more manageable project.

As my mentor, Dr Paulsen was very helpful in assisting me to redirect my efforts. Next, I decided to research the idea of deification as presented by Joseph Smith and compare it with the statements and official declarations of his successors. The impetus for this research was a quote from President Hinckley that appeared to soften the LDS view of man’s eternal potential and an experience that Dr Paulsen had with an LDS author that downplayed the doctrine of deification as set out in the King Follett discourse. I began by researching Brigham Young’s view of deification as presented in the Journal of Discourses and moved on to look for other statements on deification presented by LDS prophets and apostles. What I found was a lot of interesting statements by prominent LDS thinkers (e.g. Orson Pratt, John A. Widstoe, B.H. Roberts, etc) on the subject of deification, but few official declarations or statements that deviated from what Joseph Smith had taught; I guess that this is to be expected.

I am continuing my work on the topic of the LDS view of deification by researching the thoughts of prominent LDS leaders and respected theologians. Dr Paulsen has encouraged me to continue my research by tracking the common analogies and models of thought commonly used by LDS thinkers in explaining or describing the doctrine of deification. I have recently had success in tracing some of the analogies (i.e. man as ‘god in embryo’) back to John Taylor and Orson Pratt. I am also looking to find the source of the idea of deification as an event; an idea that seems to conflict with the teaching of Joseph Smith that man will climb the ladder of deification one rung at a time. This information will prove useful to Dr Paulsen as he prepares to publish a paper on the LDS doctrine of deification.

While I am sorry to not have produced the paper that I initially intended to have published, I am satisfied that my work on this subject will be a valuable contribution to an important study of the LDS view of deification. I feel that assisting Dr Paulsen in his work on the subject will do more to further conversation within the LDS community and among interested parties than I could ever hope to accomplish through my own efforts.