Playing to an Audience: A Review of Revelatory Events

Review of Ann Taves, Revelatory Events: Three Case Studies in the Emergence of New Spiritual Paths Princeton University Press, Princeton, 2016, 366 pages (paperback).

Abstract: Ann Taves’s book offers a comparative look at the origins of three groups, among them Mormonism. Where her book attempts to solve the puzzle of Joseph Smith, my review offers a test of her rules for puzzle solving. My own response should be tested not just as secular or religious, but against standards that are dependent on neither secular nor religious grounds. That is, to be valid, my response should argue “Why us?” in comparison to her case, rather than just declare that what she offers is “Not us.”