Irenaeus, Joseph Smith, and God-Making Heresy

Irenaeus, Joseph Smith, and God-Making Heresy analyzes the relationship between experiences of religious persecution and the development of complex belief systems entailing deification. By examining the histories of early Christians and early Mormons, the study not only highlights social processes at work in the first stages of these new religious movements but also demonstrates the enduring viability of the comparative method for research on religious communities and their beliefs.