438 - Universal History: The American Religion: Making Way for Mormonism

438 - Universal History: The American Religion: Making Way for Mormonism

Magical beginnings, secular endings. In this episode of Universal History, Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and I start a discussion about early Mormonism (or rather, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) within the broader context of American religious history.
We look at the enchanted religious world of early America — folk magic, treasure seeking, restorationism, the Melchizedek priesthood — and how these patterns shaped movements like Mormonism. We also reflect on the recurring American impulse to “restore” a lost spiritual authority, and the impulse to, on the other hand, make all things respectably secular.

This is episode 4 of our Universal History series on the American religion. Watch it here on YouTube:
Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVX4HUUPrIY_U0msyBRVpwCI_srzn3tjL
Episode 1: https://youtu.be/htXHJ1WRSAg
Episode 2: https://youtu.be/o9rMy6lde0c
Episode 3: https://youtu.be/0_RKBPaQAyk
Episode 4: https://youtu.be/ZopvdgYe-UA

===

Join us for the Symbolic World Summit 2026! Speakers include Fr. Josiah Trenham, Mary Harrington, Dn. Seraphim Rohlin, myself, and others.
Date: May 14-16
Place: Broadview Heights, OH
Buy your tickets now and get $50 off with the early bird sale through March 12th. Don't miss out! Hope to see you there: https://symbolicworldsummit.com/

===

NEW COURSE: The Art of Imitating Heaven: Structure and Meaning in Ancient Cosmology By Joshua Sturgill
What is heaven? Where is it? For ancient people, the answer was obvious: simply look up at the night sky. For them, to see the stars and planets was to see the face of the divine. Christianity, too, understood the visible sky as the realm of unfallen creation. What does this belief mean, and why was it lost?
🗓 Live classes are on Sundays at 5-6:30pm Eastern Time, starting February 1st through March 8th, 2026.
💰 Price: $150 USD (Involved patrons qualify for a 10% discount)
⏰ Register now: https://www.thesymbolicworld.com/courses/the-art-of-imitating-heaven

===
Timestamps:
00:00 - Coming up
01:01 - Intro music
01:27 - The problem with talking about Mormonism
06:10 - Context for why to talk about this
13:26 - The Bible and magic
20:46 - The distinction in magic
25:55 - Enchanted practices
35:14 - Baptism for the dead
36:20 - Melchizedek priesthood
38:54 - Defining feature of American religion
41:28 - The charismatic narrative
42:43 - Hebrews
44:46 - Esoteric Enoch
45:52 - Secret garments
46:45 - The Whitmer family
51:24 - Joseph Smith
58:56 - Proscribed but practiced
01:02:52 - Many religious experiences
01:04:54 - The attitude to magic and miracles
01:09:24 - Magical beginning, secular end
01:16:40 - Long-lasting

🔓 Become a patron to support us and unlock exclusive monthly symbolism content: https://thesymbolicworld.com/subscribe
💻 Website and blog: http://www.thesymbolicworld.com
🔗 Linktree: https://linktr.ee/jonathanpageau

🎧 Listen to and review The Symbolic World podcast:
-Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0gI8bUwPtT3gkduHqNh6M5
-Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488

Our website designers: https://www.resonancehq.io/
My intro was arranged and recorded by Matthew Wilkinson: https://matthewwilkinson.net/

Jaksot(437)

439 - Pavel Shchelin - Plutarch: Symbolism of History with Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin

439 - Pavel Shchelin - Plutarch: Symbolism of History with Dcn. Seraphim Rohlin

This is a conversation between Deacon Seraphim Rohlin and Pavel Shchelin on political theology, power, and Plutarch’s Lives. They explore how ancient biographies reveal enduring patterns of ambition, ...

5 Maalis 1h 23min

437 - Making Space for the Resurrection of Art (Makers and Mystics)

437 - Making Space for the Resurrection of Art (Makers and Mystics)

In this conversation, I sit down with Stephen Roach on the Makers and Mystics podcast to explore why our stories feel exhausted — and what that reveals about our cultural moment. We talk about the end...

26 Helmi 49min

436 - Reflections on the Void: negativity and difference in the Bible and contemporary thinking

436 - Reflections on the Void: negativity and difference in the Bible and contemporary thinking

In this episode I try to circle around something that is very difficult to speak about directly — the void.From the opening verses of Genesis, where the earth is described as “empty and void,” we are ...

19 Helmi 51min

435 - The Song of Creation (Charleston talk)

435 - The Song of Creation (Charleston talk)

In this talk at St. Michael’s Church in Charleston, I walk through the seven days of creation as presented in Genesis, exploring creation as a divine song: a rhythm of heaven and earth, light and dark...

12 Helmi 1h 4min

434 - Immigration and Tolerance: Christians Are Not Called to Be “Nice”

434 - Immigration and Tolerance: Christians Are Not Called to Be “Nice”

Many are called. Not all are chosen.There is a widespread idea that Christianity is about being “nice,” endlessly tolerant, and endlessly open. But that idea does not survive a careful reading of the ...

12 Helmi 21min

433 - Symbolism Happens! The Mandela Effect Is Not a Glitch in the Matrix

433 - Symbolism Happens! The Mandela Effect Is Not a Glitch in the Matrix

I explore the Mandela Effect from a symbolic perspective. The Mandela Effect is a psychological phenomenon where a large group of people collectively share the same false memory of an event, detail, o...

30 Tammi 22min

432 - Yelena Popovic - Moses the Black

432 - Yelena Popovic - Moses the Black

I speak with filmmaker Yelena Popovic, who viewers may recognize as the director of the stunning film of the life of St. Nektarios of Aegina, Man of God (2021). In this interview we discuss her upcomi...

25 Tammi 55min

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