There is controversy in the news with several former church members who have been strongly influenced by the book Visions of Glory. In this presentation, we explore some questions around that book and its genre, which is called apocalyptic.

Questions we explore:

  1. When someone claims to have experienced a vision of the end times, what is the nature of that experience?
  2. When it comes to discerning visionary experiences, is it a simple question of whether they are from God or Satan?
  3. When the great psychologist Carl Jung understood apocalyptic as being an archetypal experience, what did that mean?
  4. Are visionary experiences sometimes mistaken for psychosis, or vice-versa?
  5. What are archetypes in Jungian psychology?
  6. What is myth? If something is described in a myth, does that mean it is not real?
  7. Why are elements of the gospel found in many cultures around the world, going back into ancient history?
  8. Carl Jung described a collective unconscious shared by all of humanity; how does that relate to Latter-day Saint doctrines around the Light of Christ and premortality?
  9. What does it mean that we have a spiritual memory from premortality?
  10. Is revelation sometimes the unveiling of things that we already know?
  11. How do archetypes relate to the notion of spiritual memory of premortality?
  12. How are archetypes interpreted?
  13. Do some mythical archetypes manifest in tangible, observable reality?
  14. What are some of the layers of interpretation that we apply to our experiences of spiritual memory, the gospel, and the world around us?
  15. How do the three temptations of Christ shape interpretation of our life experiences, including revelatory experiences?
  16. What is the book Visions of Glory and what does it mean that it was/is interpreted by its authors and readers?
  17. What are some dangers of coming to identify with archetypes like Hero, Prophet, or Wounded Healer?
  18. What are some of the dangers of following charismatic figures with apocalyptic thinking?

Presentation video:

Resources:

Christopher Blythe: Terrible Revolution

Lionel Corbett: Jung’s Approach to Treatment of Psychosis

Jeffrey Bradshaw, The Investiture Panel at Mari and Rituals of Divine Kingship in the Ancient Near East

John F. Hall, Ancient Mediterranean Temple Ceremonies

Third Eye Drops on archetypes

Truman G. Madsen: On How We Know

President Dallin H. Oaks: The Great Plan

Revelation As Remembering

Darcy Warne’s Testimony

Eric Samuels conversion story on Saints Unscripted

Dan Peterson, Nephi and His Asherah

Wendy Ulrich: Seeing our Blindness text, video

Bruno Bettleheim, The Uses of Enchantment

Thom Harrison’s disciplinary council letter, courtesy of Hidden True Crime Podcast


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