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_srzn3tjLEpisode 1: https://youtu.be/htXHJ1WRSAgEpisode 2: https://youtu.be/o9rMy6lde0cEpisode 3: https://youtu.be/0_RKBPaQAykEpisode 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 14-16Place: Broadview Heights, OHBuy 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 SturgillWhat 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 up01:01 - Intro music01:27 - The problem with talking about Mormonism06:10 - Context for why to talk about this13:26 - The Bible and magic20:46 - The distinction in magic25:55 - Enchanted practices35:14 - Baptism for the dead36:20 - Melchizedek priesthood38:54 - Defining feature of American religion41:28 - The charismatic narrative42:43 - Hebrews44:46 - Esoteric Enoch45:52 - Secret garments46:45 - The Whitmer family51:24 - Joseph Smith58:56 - Proscribed but practiced01:02:52 - Many religious experiences01:04:54 - The attitude to magic and miracles01:09:24 - Magical beginning, secular end01:16:40 - 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/