Mormon Missionaries and Mid-twentieth-century Basketball in Australia: Religion through Sport as a Vehicle to Reach Secular Society

Authors

  • Fred E. Woods Brigham Young University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.v29i1.26799

Keywords:

Religion, Mormon studies, Australia, Basketball

Abstract

This article explains how Mormon missionaries used basketball to help Australians develop the game of basketball in the mid twentieth century. This modus operandi became the means of helping the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints become accepted by the Australian community and provided a means for Mormonism to come out of obscurity in this era.

Author Biography

  • Fred E. Woods, Brigham Young University
    Fred E. Woods completed a PhD in Middle East Studies at the University of Utah in 1991. He is currently a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU) in the College of Religious Education. Professor Woods is a bridge builder and has held the Richard L. Evans chair of Religious Understanding at BYU. He has been a visiting professor at several universities and has lectured widely in the United States and internationally. Dr. Woods has authored/coauthored a dozen books and has published extensively in many academic journals.

Downloads

Published

2016-08-30

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 1 (2016)

Section

Articles

License

Equinox Publishing Ltd.

How to Cite

Woods, F. E. (2016). Mormon Missionaries and Mid-twentieth-century Basketball in Australia: Religion through Sport as a Vehicle to Reach Secular Society. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 29(1), 77-93. https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.v29i1.26799