sword of Laban, The
Book Description
In this penetrating psychological examination, Dr. William D. Morain explores how childhood trauma can profoundly shape religious experience and spiritual leadership. Drawing from contemporary understanding of post-traumatic stress and dissociative patterns, this study investigates the complex inner world of Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of Mormonism.
The analysis centers on devastating childhood experiences, particularly the excruciating medical procedures Smith endured at age seven for a severe leg infection, performed without anesthesia in an era of primitive surgical techniques. Morain traces how these traumatic events, combined with family poverty, displacement, and the later loss of a cherished brother, created lasting psychological patterns that influenced Smith's adult spiritual visions and religious innovations.
Rather than dismissing religious experience, this work offers a nuanced exploration of how personal suffering can become transformed into spiritual creativity and leadership. The author demonstrates how trauma-induced fantasy worlds and dissociative states may contribute to visionary experiences, examining the intricate relationship between psychological wounds and religious genius.
This thoughtful study appeals to readers interested in the psychology of spiritual experience, the formation of religious movements, and the complex ways human suffering can generate both personal pathology and transcendent vision. Morain presents a compassionate yet unflinching portrait that illuminates how individual psychological struggles can reshape entire religious traditions, offering insights valuable for understanding the deeper currents that flow beneath spiritual innovation and religious authority.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~7 hours)
📄 Length: 246 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Biography
- ✓ Explore Christianity
- ✓ Discover methods to reduce stress
- ✓ Explore Smith, joseph, jr., 1805-1844
- ✓ Explore Presidents
- ✓ Explore Mormons, biography
- ✓ Explore Mental health
- ✓ Explore Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
