Probably more famous for his heroic defence of the Western Literary Canon against the politically-'correct' mob, but my favourite book by Harold Bloom has to be 'The American Religion' (above).
Have recently dipped back into 'The American Religion' for its three chapters on the LDS (Mormon) Church as I've been revising a chapter about the origins and theological uniqueness of the LDS Church in my thesis about LDS conversion process in Warsaw, Poland.
Like the way that Bloom waxes lyrical about Joseph Smith being the creator of a sublime American religious vision of men being able to progress towards godhood themselves. Also like the way Bloom explores how the LDS lost some of this sublimity through officially ending their practice of polygamy in 1890, and regained it through emphasising their pre-mortality doctrine and baptism of the dead temple rite.
But this book doesn't just offer insights about the LDS, as it assesses how other American religions were borne from a 19th century, American, religious imagination: the Jehovah's Witnesses; Christian Scientists; Seventh-Day Adventists; Pentecostals; and Baptists.
In his assessment of these American religions, Bloom is often witty and ironic but also fair-minded. However, he does go after the Jehovah's Witnesses a bit, but I don't mind this one bit as I also have a negative impression of this religious group. While I view the LDS as being in the middle of a fascinating journey from sect (new religious movement) to genuine religion status, I can only view the Jehovah's Witnesses as a sect. For me, the Jehovah's Witnesses exert too much control and limit the agency of their adherents, while the LDS more subtly balance the religious/socio-cultural conditioning-recruit agency issue.
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