MisunderstandingPatriarchal BlessingsBy Cecella Warner

"Who is allowed to write aboutLDS church doctrine?" That is thequestion the authors and publisherof Understanding PatriarchalBlessings have asked themselves.The LDS best seller is a compilationof addresses, essays, and officialChurch guidelines and statementsconcerning patriarchal blessingsand is the first publicati- to col-lect such information. A[ horsClayton Brough and Thomas6rassley give no commentary orinterpretation. Nor are there anyquotations from actual blessingsbecause, says Brough, they wantedto avoid aggravating an alreadytouchy subject. For example, abook on patriarchal blessings byJohn Lund was never released byNobel Press in Logan, Utahbecause Church General Authoritiesthought it too sensitive a topic.

Brough and 6rassley spent somesix years researching and rewritingdrafts of the book which was pub-lished in 1984 by Horizon. Broughsays he was "shocked" when abouta month later, he received arequest from the LDS church Copy-rights and Permission Office towithdraw the book and discontinuesales because of alleged copyrightviolations. "We thought we’d doneour homework," explains Brough."After prayer, fasting, andresearch, we felt good about thebook doctrinally and profession-ally." Brough maintains everyquote from Church publications isalso found in a secondary sourcesuch as a 6eneral Conference talkor other public speech. ConferenceReports were not copyrighted untilthe mid-1970s. By 1976, the Fair

Use doctrine was passed, permit-ting authors to quote, within limits,from copyrighted materials.

The Church, however, insistedBrough’s "judgement of fair usewas incorrect." They said, "nocopyright notice is required onChurch materials with a ’limiteddistribution.’"

Brough did quote portions ofthree official Church handbookspublished exclusively for Churchpatriarchs. But, says Brough, thehandbooks were not "limited" indistribution, as literally thousandshave been distributed nationwide.Moreover, the books were notcopyrighted as required by law, andhis was fair usage of the materials.

In the meantime, Deseret Book,the most prolific publisher ofMormon literature, decided not tocarry Understanding PatriarchalBlessings until the dispute wassettled.

In March, according to Brough,all parties concerned met and pre-sented their arguments. Broughand Horizon Publishers produced adocument titled, "Observations ofCopyright Law and the Role of theChurch Copyright Office." "Itbrought the Church up to date,"says Brough, and it "provided anopportunity to substantiate ourclaim that the book was not in vio-lation and the charges should bedropped."

A compromise was reached as aresult of the meeting; Brough wouldchange the footnotes on someseven pages from references to theofficial Church publications titled,Handbook for Stake Patriarchs,

Information and Suggestionsfor Patriarchs, and Patriarchs inIsrael. These footnotes in the newedition now refer to a secondarysource, which happens to be"Statements in Church Publicationsabout Patriarchal Blessings" byClayton Brough, written in 1983.

The settlement, according toBrough, is "very satisfactory." Hebelieves the incident sets a prece-dent for future authors. "Thesources are no longer dried up,"says Brough. "An author doesn’thave to ask for permission any-more." Now, not just GeneralAuthorities, but "members of theChurch can publish works aboutChurch doctrine."

Understanding PatriarchalBlessings is now for sale atDeseret Bookstores, and copies of"Observations of Copyright Lawand the Role of the Church Copy-right Office" are available fromHorizon Publishers.

36 SUNSTONE/JULY 1985

Unnamed SourceAnnounces ValuableHistorical DocumentWhile Church members are stillassimilating the information in therecently disclosed letters fromMartin Harris and Joseph Smith,new reports suggest that there ismore to come. According to articlespublished in the Salt LakeTribune and Los Angeles Times,the First Presidency’s vault con-tains a contemporary account inwhich the golden plates were firstrevealed not to Joseph but to hisbrother Alvin.

The account is supposedly con-tained in a history of the Churchwritten by Oliver Cowdery, whomJosel)h Smith designated as theChurch’s first historian. Apparentlyreferring to this document, JosephFielding Smith once wrote:’"lhe earliest records of the Churchare in the handwriting of OliverCowdery. He acted as scribe andrecorder, generally, in the first con-ferences of the Church." Cowdery’srecords, wrote Smith, "areinvaluable."

Most historians would agree. Acontemporary account by Cowderyof the restoration of the gospelwould throw new/.ighth on the ori-gins of the Chu~c However,Cowdery’s record has been remark-ably elusive. Although PresidentSmith wrote in the 1920s that "wehave on file in the Historian’s Officethe records written in the handwrit-ing of Oliver Cowdery," the Churchhas never formally stated that theypossess the document. Noresearcher has ever studied it, noris any copy of its text known toexist. Now, an individual (who hasremained anonymous in order to

protect his Church standing) saysthat he has seen the Cowdery his-tory in the First Presidency’s vault.

According to this source, whomthe Times calls "highly reliable,"the Cowdery history is a smallvolume between one-half andthree-quarters of an inch thick witha leather spine and marbled card-board covers. The pages, he said,are lined. In Cowdery’s account thegolden plates are revealed by asalamander who appears threetimes, once to Alvin and twice toJoseph Smith.

"1 don’t remember the exactwording, but it said that Alvinlocated the buried gold with hisseer stone. I remember clearly thatit was not a private venture. Alvinhad other people with him, includ-ing Joseph Smith." The Tribunereport claims that the history readsin part, "A taunting Salamanderappeares to Alvin and prevents himand his companions from diggingup the gold plates." The sourcesaid that he came forward with hisreport because the Cowdery historysupports the evidence of Smith’sinvolvement with magic found inthe Martin Harris letter and the1825 Joseph Smith letter.

Church spokesman Jerry Cahillhad little to say by way of clarifica-tion. "1 presume [it is] in the pos-session of the First Presidency," hesaid, because the history was notin the historical departmentarchives. Cahill said he would notask whether the Cowdery history iskept in the First Presidency’s vault.

"1 don’t intend to respond to

every report or rumor of docu-ments in the First Presidency’svault," Mr. Cahill told the SaltLake Tribune. "1 have no idea ifthe history is there, nor do I intendto ask. I can’t have my life orderedabout by rumors. Where does itend?"

The impact of all this is uncer-tain. The source told the LosAngeles Times he doubted thatthe information in the Cowdery his-tory would cause the Church lead-ers to rewrite the official accountof the revelation of the goldenplates. "There is a propensity tokeep things the way they are," hesaid. "Dutiful Mormons would saythat after Alvin died, the angelcame to Joseph and told him whatto do." Historian Ron Walker said,"If we found out that Alvin isinvolved, it would not be surpris-ing. There is evidence that Smithfamily members were up on HillCumorah digging before 1823."

In her book Mormonism: TheStory of a New Religious Tradi-tion, historian Jan Shipps suggeststhat the plates were sought not byJoseph alone but by his family.Shipps reached this conclusionafter studying the history of theearly Church by Lucy Mack Smith,which was later revised by Churchleaders.

"That the prophet was Josephwas almost coincidental; it mighthave been Alvin or Hyrum just aswell, for the book is concerned withpresenting the credentials, bothreligious and secular, of the fam-ily," wrote Shipps. In the unrevisedversion of Lucy Mack Smith’s his-tory, she continued, "constant ref-erence is made to the plates havingbeen in the possession of theSmiths, rather than to Joseph’shaving had them."

Any final answer to the questionwill have to wait on a study of thecomplete Cowdery history, as wellas a clear statement on itswhereabouts.

JULY 1985/SUNSTONE 37

"Godmakersfor Libel/n the two years since its release,the film The Godmakers has pro-voked strong reactions fromMormons, non-Mormons, and anti-Mormons alike. While some see itas a timely expos~ of the dangersof Mormonism, most people regardit as inflammatory and inaccurate.Now, in a move that is likely togain further notoriety for their film,its producers filed a twenty-five-million-dollar suit against a widearray of groups and individuals forcriticizing their movie.

The suit was filed last Februaryin Los Angeles Superior Court byCult Conspiracy Film Associates. Itnames as defendants the LDSchurch, the National Conference ofChristians and Jews, the B’naiB’rith Anti-Defamation League, andvarious individuals. The plaintiffsallege that criticism of The God-makers by these groups was in-accurate and hurt their business bydiscouraging rentals anddistribution.

The Godmakers has receivedharsh criticism from a variety ofquarters. Although the film hasbeen shown by some religiousgroups, particularly fundamentalistProtestant ministers, the NationalConference of Christians and Jewshas urged clergy not to show it ongrounds that the movie’s portrayalof Mormonism is misleading, andthat its attitude conflicts withAmerican values of ecumenicalismand mutual respect.

In a statement released fromtheir Phoenix office, the NCCJ said:"The film does not, in our opinion,fairly portray the Mormon Church,Mormon history, or Mormon belief.It makes extensive use of ’half-truth,’ faulty generalizations,erroneous interpretations, and sen-sationalism. It is not reflective ofthe genuine spirit of the Mormonfaith."

In an equally strong statementfrom B’nai B’rith, regional directorRhonda Abrams said: "Had a simi-lar movie been made with eitherJudaism or Catholicism as itstarget, it would immediately bedenounced for the scurrilous piecethat it is. I ~ncerely hope that peo-ple of all faiths will similarly repu-diate The Godmakers as defama-

"Sues

tory and untrue, and recognize itfor what it truly represents--achallenge to the religious liberty ofall."

By and large, the LDS church hashad little to say about the movie.When it was shown last Januaryover WCFC, a Christian UHF stationbroadcasting over channel 38 in theChicago area, the station invitedthe North Shore First Ward to senda Mormon representative torespond. Stake president WillardBarton sent Craig Carpenter andRon Peterson to defend the Churchin a ninety-minute panel discussionfollowing the movie. The debatewas at best inconclusive. EdDecker and [)ave Hunter, the co-authors of the book The God-makers quickly shifted the discus-sion away from the question of the

accuracy of The Godmakers andonto the question of the legitimacyof Mormon theology. In I~;alifornia,Van Nuys Stake Mission PresidentRobert Starling has writt,en to min-isters in the area and urged themnot to run the movie. However, theChurch’s First: Presidency, has madeno statement on the matter.

For all the controversy the filmhas generated, no one has yetthreatened the film’s producerswith either legal or punitive actionto prevent them from showing theirproduct. In an interview, RobertStarling (named as one of thedefendants by Cult Conspiracy FilmAssociates in their lawsuit) says hebelieves the suit was filed primarilyto generate publicity. He ~]lso notesthe suit focuses on the economicharm allegedly done to CCFA bythe defendants. By presenting theirsuit in these terms, he says, thefilm-makers simply demonstratethey have "turned religious perse-cution into a business."

A date for the hearing has notbeen set.

Faction Opposes B YUJerusalem CenterWith construction permit in hand since1977, Mormon church-owned BrighamYoung University broke ground lastJanuary for the new, multi-million dol-lar student complex in Jerusalem.Within weeks, however, Orthodox Jewsbegan protesting: "The Mormons arehere 1Io convert us!"

As many as 30,000 people at one timehave participated in the mass pray-ins,marclhes, L[)S Church Office Buildingpicket lines and Western Wall vigils.Recently a biblical technique was ap-plied as protesters stomped around thecenter "Jericho-style" in an effort tobring down the walls. So far, the pro-tests have not stymied construction.

All the while, L[)S church leaders andBYU officials maintain they gainedsupport and approval to construct thecenter from the Foreign Ministry, theEducation Ministry, and the Ministry ofthe Interior under the Begin govern-ment. Further, the Jews have the verbaland written guarantee that the Mormonswill abstain from proselytizing. Thecenter is "a legitimate extension ofBYU," wrote the center’s resident direc-tor, [)avid Galbraith to the JerusalemPost. "We clearly distinguish betweenacademic endeavors and missionarywork. The student regulations of theJerusalem Center prohibit proselyting

activities of any kind." Moreover,Galbraith notes, in BYU’s eighteen-yearpresence in Israel, only two or threefamilies were baptized into the L[)Schurch--and those cases began in theUnited States. Also, two teenagersjoined the Church though not as aresult of proselyting. They laterreturned to Judaism, 6albraith reports.Says BYU spokesman Paul Richards,"Not one Jew has been conw,~rted as aresult of the activities of our center. Weare not there to do missionary work. Idon’t know what else we can to to con-vince them. They refuse to believe us."

The opposition is spearheaded byYad L’Achim, or "Hand to Brothers,"an ultra-Orthodox organization dedi-cated to combating Christian mission..ary efforts in Israel. ¥ad L’Achim leaderMoshe Poruch outlined several reasonsfor protesting the Mormon presence in aletter to the editor of the JerusalemPost, "Why have they published asecret ’Missionary Training Manual forUse in the Jewish Proselyting Pro-gramme’? Why have they preparedtheir ’bible’ (The Book of Mormon) inHebrew? Why do they publish pamphletsby and for Jews advocating Jewish con-version and distorting Judaism? Whydo [they] hold religious services onSaturday, rather than on Sunday (their

38 SUNSTONE/JULY 1985

normal practice in every other country)?"The Mormon church makes no secret

of its missionary zeal, though historyshows past efforts to proselyte Jewshave been quite unsuccessful.

New York’s Jewish community wastargeted in the 1920s and 30s to noavail. In the 1950s, LDS Apostle LeGrandRichards hesitantly approved the experi-mental Jewish Missions, which in-volved at least six cities in the westernUnited States. The program was shortlived. Today, "Jewish Culture" classesare taught weekly at the MissionaryTraining Center in Provo, Utah. The pro-gram acquaints missionaries with Jew-ish society, beliefs, and terminology.

At least five missions have includedIsrael. The last "active" one, the NearEast Mission, (formed from the Palestine-Syria Mission), was dissolved in 1951.The Holy Land is now part of the Inter-national Mission.

,Admittedly, pamphlets, lesson manu-als and Hebrew copies of the Book ofMormon have been published. But theChurch maintains the now-defunctmanuals were used only in the U.S. TheHebrew Book of Mormon is also out ofprint.

Considering these grounded efforts,

why do these ultra-Orthodox Jews feelso threatened? Yoseph Goell, in hisarticle in the June 7 Jerusalem Post,explains, "On the Jewish side, it is cer-tainly not only a question of the loss ofone third of the Jewish people in theHolocaust. Judaism’s contact withChristianity... has always involveddetermined Christian attempts to com-pel Jews to convert. This basic Chris-tian approach was stepped up after theCrusades 900 years ago, and reachedits height during the Spanish Inquisi-tion .... In the nineteenth centuryhundreds of thousands of EuropeanJews converted to... Christianity as acondition for making it in a Europeslowly opening up to Jewish emancipa-tion. This memory has remained deeplyembedded in the collective Jewishpsyche. While it is chiefly the ultra-Orthodox who are paranoid about mis-sionaries, it would be fair to say allJews are extremely sensitive on thesubject and do not accept the questionof conversion as merely a matter ofindividual freedom of choice."

In fact, laws in Israel prohibit mis-sionary activity in cases where "unfair"methods are used. Jewish law forbidsconversion for "material reward."

Mormons believe conversion is amatter of free agency. LDS doctrinespecifies every nation, kindred, tongueand people will hear and have a chanceto accept the gospel of Jesus Christ. Inthe twentieth century this has meantprospective missionary work amongBlacks, Communists, and Jews.

In the nineteenth century, however,Mormon affinity for and interest inJews did not translate into proselytingactivity. Orson Hyde was sent by JosephSmith to the Holy Land in 1841--not toconvert but to "converse with the priests,rulers, and elders of the Jews and ob-tain from them all the information pos-sible" regarding the the literal gatheringof the ten tribes in Jerusalem, whichMormons would supervise. Joseph Smiththus recognized the important role theJews were to play in the Second Com-ing. An 1842 Times and Seasons edi-torial praised the House of Israel asunique and distinctive and decried mis-sionary efforts to convert Jews.

Does this mean the Mormon churchis coming full circle? Perhaps Jewishdiscomfort with the Mormon presencein Israel would be pacified were theChurch to clarify and reaffirm its nine-teenth century position.

First D. C.Symposium HeldBy Val Holley

The first-ever Washington, D.C.,Sunstone Symposium convened onFriday, May 17, just as the pillarsof early Mormon history wererocked by an academic earthquake.Only days earlier, Church head-quarters had released letters byMartin Harris and Joseph Smithwhich demonstrate the Prophet’sinvolvement with folk magic andmoney-digging as a young man(see SUNSTON~., June 1985, p. 36).These documents prompted anumber of related comments bysymposium speakers and evengenerated entrepreneurial oppor-tunity: Bruce Furr, proprietor of thenew enterprise, "SalamanderSales," offered for sale tie tacks,stick pins, and pendant charms inthe form of small salamanders,available in sterling silver orfourteen-carat white gold.

The conference opened withHugh Nibley’s keynote speechentitled, "Looking into a Hypo-cephalus: Connections Every-

where." Addressing a crowd ofover 600, Dr. Nibley chose not todiscuss the coming forth of Mormonscriptures saying, "We don’t studyJoseph Smith; he’s dead. We studywhat he gave us." It is "no matterhow, where, or why we got [thescriptures produced by JosephSmith], but what they tell us." Fromthere he proceeded to compare fac-simile number two in the Book ofAbraham with other extanthypocephali.

Saturday’s sessions began witha plenary address by formerChurch Historian LeonardArrington entitled, "A Portrait ofBrigham Young," which waswarmly received by the audience.After that, symposium attenderswere forced to choose amongnumerous concurrent sessions

One such session featured a dis-cussion of "What the Author Had inMind: Text vs. Context in ModernScripture" by Kira Pratt Davis.Drawing on examples from both

literature and scripture, Davis ana-lyzed three different approaches todiscovering the meaning of a pieceof writing: examining the author’sopinion, examining the text itself,or examining the opinions of thetext’s audience.

Following her presentation,Anthony Hutchinson looked at"Prophecy, Fulfillment, and Faith"and challenged the view thatprophecy consists of a television-like look into future events.Hutchinson, a Ph.D. candidate inbiblical studies at Catholic Univer-sity, disputed traditional under-standings of prophetic events inthe Bible, Book of Mormon, and theDoctrine and Covenants. "1 do notsay that God cannot reveal thefuture to his prophets, only thatthere is no indication that he hasever done so," Hutchinsonexplained. "Don’t confuse me withKorihor."

In another session, RichardSherlock discussed the role of "TheBook of Mormon as the Word ofGod." Noting problems in verifyingthe book’s historical claims,Sherlock recommended Mormonsdevelop a theology of scripture thatviews the Book of Mormon as theword of God without respect to itshistorical content. In the response,

JULY 1985/SUNSTONE 3g

Brent Rushforth, former assistantgeneral counsel in the Departmentof Defense, explained that he "per-sonallv could accept it as an alle-gory, or inspired story, given withinspiration of the Lord--just likeJob." But if the Book of Mormon isan allegory, that causes two prob-lems. First, said Rushforth,Mormons would have to give upwhat they have been taught sincePrimary, i.e., that Joseph Smithtranslated the Book of Mormonfrom plates of gold. Second, andmore importantly, the central epi-sode of the Book of Mormon is theappearance of the resurrectedChrist on the American continent.Rushforth noted that certain partsof the book "do fine on their own,out of their historical connection"and cited as examples Lehi’s dis-course on opposition, KingBenjamin’s address, and doctrinalsermons in Alma. But, he continued,"if the ’Christ in America’ episodehas no connection with historicalfact, we’ve got problems becausethe Book of Mormon is put forwardas a second witness of Christ."

The plenary luncheon sessionfeatured a panel of speakerspondering the "Pillars of [Their]Faith." Meg Munk, author of thefirst paper, was ill with cancer andcould not attend. Munk’s paper,read by one of her friends, reflectedon the inevitability of death inter-rupting her role as a mother. Thesecond speaker, Glen Clark, dis-cussed the recently released lettersthat link Joseph Smith with super-natural salamanders and analyzedthe symbolism of serpents andlizards in the Old Testament. Hesaid that in his opinion the sala-mander was Joseph Smith’s sym-bolic representation of the AngelMoroni. Robert Fletcher followedwith a discussion of what it meansto be both a Mormon and ascientist.

In an afternoon session, KeithNorman asked, "Can MormonCosmology Survive the Big Bang?"He noted that Mormonism hasalways denied the traditionalChristian ex nihilo doctrine, whichassumes that God created the uni-verse from nothing, holding insteadthat matter has always existed andcannot be created. Normanobserved that recent discoveries intheoretical physics make it increas-ingly plausible that the universebegan as an incomprehensiblyimmense burst of energy, or "bigbang." He concluded by asking

whether these scientific discoveriesare "God’s way of telling those whohaw; ears to hear" that this is howcreation occurred.

Or=e of the last concurrent ses-sion,,.~; of the day featured LindaKing Newell, coauthor of the recentEmrna Smith biography, MormonEnigma and coeditor of Dialogue:A Journal of Mormon Thought.Entitled "Women’s Reaction toEarly Mormon Polygamy," Newell’spaper challenged traditonal mythsthat have been put forth to justifythis institution. One such mythaver,..~ that polygamy was imple-mented to complete the latter-day"restoration of all things." Newelllisted several Old Testamentpractices--ceremonial obser-vances, modes of dress, dietaryproscriptions--that were not re-stored. Another myth, according toNewell, explains that polygamywas necessary to raise up a righ-teous seed for the kingdom of Godon earth. Yet data show that therewere more children born perwoman in one-wife Mormon fami-lies than in polygamous Mormonfamilies, said Newell. A third mythasserts that there were not enoughmen to go around. However, Newellsaid, census records for Nauvoo,Illinois and territorial Utah showthat tlhere were equal numbers ofmen ,.~lnd women.

Explaining her motivations forprese, nting the paper, Newell said,"People kept asking me how I feltabout polygamy, after I publishedthe nonjudgmental, scholarly book[on Emma Smith]. So I wrote itdowry." She said she felt that thosewho entered into polygamous mar-riages did so with great faith underalmost impossible circumstancesand should be revered. "But--andI’m SlI~eaking as a faithfulMormon--I find very little in thesystem [of polygamy] that wouldcome from a just and loving God."

Sp,,~aking at the closing banquetsession, historian Jan Shipps dis-cussed "Joseph Smith and Magic."She ~;aid sensitive historians couldreas~;ure devout Mormons thatmagical and occult practices werenot disreputable but fell within "thepale of early western New Yorkexpe~,ience." Shipps said the key toher own understanding of JosephSmith’s experiences with folkmagic is their relationship toalchemy, the medieval scienceof transforming base metals intogold. As an illustration, sherelated how her son, a

professional violinist, had been ontour with the Cleveland Orchestra.The tour’s program had becomeroutine and boring to the orches-tra members, but in the middle ofa concert in a hot high schoolgymnasium in New Zealand, asudden transformation came overthe musicians; the music becamecharged with profound spiritualfeeling and many wept w~hile theyplayed. To Shipps, Joseph Smith’sexperiences were similarly trans-formed: The salamander incident,for example, was transformed intoa burning bush-like encounter, andMartin Harris’s presentation ofEgyptian characters and theirtranslation to Professor ,~,nthonwas transformed into a fulfillmentof the prophecy in Isaiah29:11-12.

In any religious organization,Shipps said, there is a time lagbetween the appearance of newhistorical discoveries and accep-tance or canonization thereof. Shesaid it is very important to realizethat the letters were printed in theChurch News, and thusacknowledged by Churcl~, hier-archy. The First Presidency state-ment that the Smith letter "doesnot appear unusual in the contextof the times" indicates a "slightshift" in Church position, saidShipps, because previously theChurch held that only apostatestell "money-digger stories" aboutJoseph Smith, but now it acceptsthat treasure-lhunting wasordinary.

Shipps concluded by saying,"To President Hinckley’s state-ment that the letters have ’nothingto do with the authenticity of theChurch,’ I say amen," because theChurch is "an established institu.-tion" wherein "God is revealed tothe individual members.’"

Recent historical and scientific:discoveries have indeed shownthat some traditionally held viewsof Mormon history and doctrineare, as Shipps averred, "not theway it was," and the symposiumprovided a forum for Mormonswho wanted to share the revisedfoundations of their faith. Whetherthe revisions stemmed from closescrutiny of theoretical physics,modern scripture, and the transla-tion process, Mormon pollygamy,or occult practices in earlyMormon history, the consensuswas that Mormonism can stand onthe fruits of itsprinciples.

40 SUNSTONE/JULY 1985

Wall Street JournalExamines Mormonsand GamblingHow can a person survive in atown dominated by gambling with-out getting involved in theindustry?

]he answer, according toauthors Bob Gottlieb and PeterWiley, is: You can’t.

In a Wall Street Journal articletitled "Just Don’t Touch the Dice:The Mormons of Vegas," Gottlieband Wiley, coauthors of America’sSaints: The Rise of MormonPower, outline how the West’smr}st famous sin city and its gam-bling activities have presented theMormon church with a complexproblem: how to be in the world butnot of the world, as Mormonsmight describe the dilemma.

"Thousands of Mormons workinside and outside the casinosernployed by and servicing thegamblers," the article says. "Since,in the Mormon belief structure,success in this world--particularlyentrepreneurial success--is part ofthe progression to the CelestialKingdom, church leaders areamong the most enterprising LasWsgans."

The tight-knit group of Mormonswho play a key role in running atown known as the gamblingmecca of the world include stateSenate Majority Leader JamesGibson, his protege RobertB~roadbent who currently serves inthe Reagan Administration asAssistant Secretary of the Interior,the mayor of North Las Vegas, fouro1: the seven Las Vegas City com-missioners, the former mayor protern, and the current head of theConvention and Visitors’ Authority.

"The ties between these Mormonleaders and the gamblers are sub-stantial," the article says. "Mormonfigures have played crucial roles inthe Gaming Control Board andGaming Commission, the pivotalregulatory agencies that have longhad a cozy relationship with thein~dustry.

"Mormon lawyers and accoun-tants have either worked for the

casinos or had casino executivesand businesses as their clients.Mormon politicians have playedmajor roles in protecting andpromoting the gambling industry.And several Mormons are topexecutives within the casinosthemselves."

Some have become so inter-twined with the gambling industrythat they have found it difficult toavoid some of the shadier aspectsof the business, Gottlieb and Wileycontend.

Richard Bunker, a Mormonbishop, provides a case in point:While Bunker was chairman of theGaming Control Board, he delivereda sizable 1984 campaign contribu-tion from a casino to his fellowMormon and close friend and allyJames Gibson. Gibson happened tobe supporting a certain tax planfavored by the casino, Gottlieb and

Apparently all is not well in Zion.That’s according to some twohundred members of the Reorgan-ized Church of Jesus Christ ofLatter Day Saints who marched inIndependence, Missouri, on April 5in opposition to the ordination ofwomen to the priesthood.

The demonstration was organizedby Concerned Mothers of LatterDay Israel. Says spokeswoman forthe group, Francis Baker, "We wishto demonstrate our belief in, andsupport for traditional scripturalpatterns of ordination and priest-hood structure, and to demonstrateagainst the anti-Christian doctrineand dictatorial controls and guide-lines now being forced upon us.

"We want the restored churchwith the beautiful and distinctivedoctrines returned to its formerstate."

Women were given the priest-hood in April of last year afterapproval from church delegates.The church will actually begin theordinations in November of 1985.

Wiley’s article says.Less influential Church members

are warned not to accept jobs incasinos as dealers or cocktail wait-resses at the risk of losing theirtemple recommends. This policy isdesigned to protect members fromdirect contact with the gambling--to keep them from "touching thedice," as the Mormon mayor ofNorth Las Vegas, James Seastrand,put it.

But the same restrictions thatprevent rank-and-file Churchmembers from taking jobs in closeproximity with the action on thecasino floor do not seem to applyto executives, accountants, andothers who might own or partici-pate in the management of thesame establishments.

"Like other conservative reli-gious groups, the Mormon Churchis wedded, almost doctrinally, toentrepreneurialism. In Las Vegas,gambling is the ultimate form ofenterprise," the article concludes.

"When the temple gets built inthe Land of Money, the synthesis ofreligion and entrepreneurialism willbe complete. And in this case,church members, at least thebetter-employed ones, havedecided to be both of the world andin the world."

The policy change, or revelation,has been canonized in the Doctrineand Covenants as section 156.

According to Sharon Knapp ofthe RLDS Public Relations Commis-sion, the protesters do not repre-sent the majority of the churchmembership, and the reaction tothe priesthood revelation has beengenerally positive.

Says Knapp, "This new step bythe church represents one of theimportant ways the church is try-ing to respond to the divine call tobe in the forefront of thoseorganizations and movementswhich are recognizing the worthand equality of persons."

A long with the Gideon Bible,copies of the Book of Mormon arebeing placed in hotels in Michiganand Florida.

Two members of the ReorganizedChurch of Jesus Christ of LatterDay Saints, who represent the

JULY 1985/SUNSTONE 41

Valley Property Management Com-pany have organized and financedthe project. Brace K. Case and Rod-ney W. Sabourin have furnishedsome 700 rooms in four hotels withmissionary copies of the Book ofMormon.

"This is one of the few items wedon’t mind the guests taking," saysCase.

As of July 1, 1985, religious organ-izations in Utah will no longerreceive a discount on their tele-phone bills.

Utah is one of the last states tochange the policy which has been

reducing monthly telephone ratesfor churches by up to fifty percentsince 1969.

Mountain Bell in Denver decidedthe subsidy was unfair to the restof their ratepayers and approachedthe Utah Public Service Commis-sion 1:o request the change in therate stru ctu re.

The new policy affects only reli-gious meetinghouses and notadministrative offices, which havealways paid full business rates.

When asked how this will affectLDS church budgets, spokesmanJerry Cahill explained the moneywill come out of each ward’sbudget for their own meetinghouse.

LDS LegislatorsRatedBy Alice AIIred Pottmyer

At the end of each session ofCongress, a number of lobbyinggroups in Washington, D.C., publishvoting records for each of the 530legislators and rate them accordingto their stands on issues of interestto the group. In both the 98thCongress and the current 99th Con-gress, twelve members listed anaffiliation with the Church of JesusChrist of Latter-day Saints, asrecorded by Americans United forSeparation of Church and State.SUNSTONE has gathered the voteratings for these Mormon represen-tatives from ten different lobbyinggroups representing a wide rangeof interests.

The Mormon members of the 98thCongress (1983-84) were Sen. JakeGarn (R-UT), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Paula Hawkins (R-FL), GeorgeHansen (R-ID), James Hansen (R-UT), Cecil Heftel (D-HI), DanMarriott (R-UT), Howard Nielson (R-UT), Ronald Packard (R-CA), HarryReid (D-NV), Norman Shumway, (R-CA), and Morris Udall (D-AZ).

The number of Mormons hasremained the same for the past twocongressional sessions, but thereare two new Mormons in the 99thCongress. With the November 1984election, former Utah Lt. GovernorDavid Monson replaced DanMarriott, who did not seek reelec-tion, and Ricks College professor

Richard Stallings narrowlydefeated George Hansen in Idaho’sSecond District. The scores fromthe various groups are from the98th Congress and thus includeMarriott and George Hansen.

Mormons generally have a repu-tation for being conservativeRepublicans. However, Udall,Heftel., Reid, and Stallings areDemocrats. The rating organiza-tions considered the five from Utahconservative, but in the 98th Con-gress, George Hansen of Idaho wasclearly the most conservative. Lib-eral groups gave him zeros, andconservative groups 100. His scoreof 82 from the National TaxpayersUnion was the second highestHouse score in the 98th Congressfrom that group.

Sen. Hawkins is considered aconse~rvative, but her stand on theissues, reflects the views of herconstiituents. In May she was oneof four Republican senators to voteagainst the President’s budget. TheSenate version of the budget washeavy on defense, but called for aone-year cost-of-living (COLA)freeze on Social Security, whichwas not a popular thing in Floridawith its large retired population.President Reagan did not holdmuch of a grudge. On MemorialDay wreekend he went to Floridaand attended a fund raiser for

Hawkins’s 1986 reelectioncampaign.

LDS Democrats generallyreceived moderate scores. If any-thing, the voting records of thetwelve indicate that Mormon legis.-lators are conservative to moder-ate, do not always follow Churchleaders (see sidebar), are morediverse outside of Utah, and are lis-tening to "their folks back home."

The ratings of each group areshown in the accompanying chart.The ten selected rating groups are::

Americans for ConstitutionalAction. ACA is concerned aboutthe movement of American society’toward socialism. The groupfocuses primarily on economic,foreign, and defense issues. Itfavors the MX missile and a bal-anced budget and opposes busingand the nuclear freeze.

Americans for DemocraticAction. ADA backs legislation toreduce economic inequality, pro-motes international human rights,and wants to curtail defense spend-ing. It supports the Voting F{ightsAct extension and the nuclearfreeze. It opposes the balancedbudget amendment, the MX, andcuts to the food stamp program.

American Association ofUniversity Women. AAUW is anational organization that favors anuclear freeze and equal opportun-ity in education. AAUW oposes theMX and tuition tax credits.

American Secruity Council.ASC feels that American security ispreserved by developing and main-taining large weapons systems toachieve strategic military superior-ity. It favors the MX, neutron wea-pon development, and aid to ElSalvador and Chile. It opposes thenuclear freeze.

Chamber of Commerce. C of Cis a voice for organized business. Itsupports balancing the budget andeasing sanctions against hiringillegal aliens. It opposes a publicservice jobs program.

Christian Voice. CV looks atwhich issues have moral signifi-cance to the family. It opposesschool busing, the Legal ServicesCorporation, and abortion. It favorsschool prayer, capital punishmentfor certain crimes, and religiousequal access.

League of ConservationVoters. LCV lobbies for legislationand executive action favoring theenvironment. They are for theSuperfund, a larger EPA bu~;Iget,

42 SUNSTONE/JULY 1985

and the Clean Air Act. They areagainst federal subsidies for tem-porary nuclear waste storage andfederal coal lease sales.

National Women’s PoliticalCaucus. NWPC supports the CivilRights Restoration Act, federalchild care support, aid to divorcedmilitary spouses, and other issuesof concern to women and children.

National Taxpayers Union.

NTU fights big government by try-ing to curb government spendingand by promoting a balancedbudget.

The Committee for a SaneNuclear Policy. SANE works forpeace and nuclear disarmamentand is currently working activelyfor peace in Central America. Itopposes the MX missile, chemicalweapons, and military buildup ingeneral.

SenatorsJake Garn (R-UT) 100 0 40 100 95 100Orrin Hatch (R-UT) 100 10 9 100 83 92Paula Hawkins (R-FL) 70 25 20 90 74 92RepresentativesGeorge Hansen (R-ID) 100 0 0 100 100James Hansen (R-UT) 100 0 11 100 81Cecil Heftel (D-HI) 33 42 75 29 45Dan Marriott (R-UT) 85 5 27 100 82Howard Nielson (R-UT) 100 0 18 100 81Ronald Packard (R-CA) 95 0 27 100 75Harry Reid (D-NM) 14 75 73 40 38Norman Shumway (R-CA) 100 0 10 100 81Morris Udall (D-AZ) 10 85 89 11 40

5 911 961 36

5O 045 035 0

IO0 0 0 82 0100 21 0 69 030 58 67 32 53100 12 22 47 0100 17 11 71 0100 15 11 54 025 .82 78 19 38100 16 0 73 0

0 84 100 20 69

THE CHURCH ANDLEGISLATORS

In the last few years, leadersof the Mormon church havespoken out against two majorpolitical issues--the ERA andthe MX missile.

The ERA last came before theU.S. House of Representatives in1983. Seven of the nine Housemembers who listed an LDS affil-iation voted against it: G. Hansen,J. Hansen, Marriott, Nielson,Packard, Reid, and Shumway.Udall and Heftel were both ERAcosponsors and voted for it. Theamendment fell six votes shortof the two-thirds majority itneeded to pass.

In the March 1985 MX missilefunding vote in the Senate, allthree LDS Senators, Garn, Hatch,and Hawkins voted for funding.In the House, six LDS legislatorsvoted for MX funding: Hansen,Monson, Packard, Reid,Shumway, and Nielson. Stallings,Heftel, and Udall took theChurch’s position on the MX.

Ricks College President Bruce C.Hafen has been named dean ofBrigham Young University’sJ. Reuben Clark Law School. Hafenleaves the Idaho-based, LDSchurch-owned college after sixyears as president.

BRUCE C. HAFENUnder Hafen’s administration,

student enrollment at the schoolreached over 6,000 making Ricksthe nation’s largest private two-year college.

Hafen helped establish the Clarklaw school at BYU while he was a

presidential assistant to DallinOaks. He has continued his teach-ing and research activities at BYUon a part-time basis. At present ................Hafen serves as a member of theCommission of Colleges of theNorthwest Association of Schoolsand Colleges and is president ofIndependent Colleges and Universi-ties. He is also an Associate for theCenter on Religion and Society, aconservative group which exam-ines the sociological role of religionas seen by leaders in the religiouscommunity. In 1982, he was a con-sultant to recently resigned Secre-tary of Education T. H. Bell inWashington, D.C.

Hafen, his wife Marie, and their -seven children plan to move toProvo in August as Hafen willassume his post as dean thisSeptember.

REX E. LEE

Former U.S. solicitor general Rex E.Lee has accepted an endowed pro-fessorship at Brigham Young Uni-versity to begin this fall. He willteach a one-week class at the J.Reuben Clark law school then willreturn periodically throughout theacademic year 1985-86.

Since his resignation as solicitorgeneral effective June 1, 1985, Leehas joined the Washington, D.C.,office of the Chicago-based lawfirm, Sidley and Austin.

Lee was appointed dean of theClark law school when it wasfounded in 1972. From May 1975 toJanuary 1977 his tenure was inter-rupted when he served as assistantattorney general, head of the CivilDivision in the U.S. Department ofJustice. In 1981, he left BYU tobecome the nation’s highest-

JULY 1985 / SUNSTONE 43

ranking advocate. He and his staffof twenty-three lawyers repres-ented the federal government in theSupreme Court.

Lee was criticized often duringhis four years as solicitor general.Liberals argued that Lee was turn-ing the Supreme Court to the right.

Conservatives, on the other hand,accused Lee of being too liberal onsuch Republican platform issues asabortion and voluntary schoolprayer.

Lee and his family will reside inthe Washington, D.C., area for atleast another year.

Anti-Mormons: Thenand NowSECRET HISTORY: A TRANSLATION OF VOR TIDS MUHAMEDJOHN AHMANSON.TRANS. GLEASON L. ARCHERMOODY PRESS, 1984, 179 PP.

Reviewed by Davis Bitton

L et it be said immediately thatSecret History: A Transla-tion of Vor Tids Muhamed

promises much more than it deliv-ers. Originally published in Danishin 1876, this book is not, as thedust jacket proclaims, "an eye-witness account of the rise ofMormonism." Nor is it in any mean-ingful sense a "secret" or an"invaluable" history. Then whyreview such a book? To answerthat question and thus understandwhat is really significant about thispublication it is necessary to con-sider the book from three differentpoints of view. First, what does thebook tell the student of historyabout Mormonism in the nineteenthcentury? Second, what does itreveal about its author? Andfinally, what does its publication inthe 1980s say about those whopromoted and financed theundertaking?

To answer the first question wemust immediately distinguishbetween those matters about whichJohn August Ahmanson was in factan eyewitness and those aboutwhich he was decidedly not. Welearn some information aboutAhmanson from a court trial whichoccurred when he was preachingMormonism in Norway. (See GeraldM. Haslam, Clash of Cultures:The Norwegian Experience withMormonism, 1842-1920 [Bern,Switzerland: Peter Lang, 1984].) Hewas apparently an illegitimatechild born in Sweden in 1827; heserved as an apprentice and

became a journeyman bookbinderin Sweden; he moved toCopenhagen, where he joined aBaptist congregation. In the presentbook, although some of the namesare garbled or slightly misspelled,he gives a seemingly factualaccount of the first Mormon mis-sionaries coming to Denmark in1850, the impression they made,and the exportation of the messageto Norway. About such matters he,as a convert who served as a mis-sionary in both Denmark andNorway, was indeed aneyewitness.

Ahmanson’s brief account of theWillie handcart company and thedeaths occasioned by the unusu-ally early winter is also firsthand.A brief description of Salt Lake Cityin 1856 follows, but strangely witha couple of paragraphs on thepresent Tabernacle, whichAhmanson could not have seen butwhich by the time he published hisbook he had heard about. In facthis entire chapter on "TheMormons in Utah" is a mixture offact and editorial comment. It ishighly important, therefore, to notethat the author stayed in Utah foronly four months. He did not gothrough the Endowment House, forexample, but relied on hearsay. Heheaded east in April 1857, "ready tobegin a new life again, with a sin-cere desire to see once more thecharming, fertile islands ofDenmark." He made it only as faras Omaha where he settled in 1859and lived--as a grocer, a hardware

merchant, and finally a homeopa-thic doctor--until his death in 1891.

In Omaha he filed a lawsuitagainst Brigham Young, askingthat he be reimbursed for $900worth of personal belongingswhich had been stored in Devil’sGate during the overland crossingand an additional $300 on the claimthat he had been "employed" ascaptain and interpreter fromLiverpool to Salt Lake City. Even-tually, in 1864, the case was settledout of court by a one-thousand dol-lar payment. It was also in Omahain 1876 that he published"Mohammed of Our Time," proba-bly intending the book (could iteven have been solicited?) to influ-ence opinion against BrighamYoung during the John D. Lee trialthen taking place.

Chapters five through twelve ofAhmanson’s book thus containnothing but secondhand reports.Although Ahmanson was in theMormon church only seven years,he continued to accumulate all theinformation available in the periodi-cal press and in anti-Mormonbooks like John Hyde’s and T. B. H.Stenhouse’s. Ahmanson includes inhis own book sections aboutpolygamy, endowments, Danites,the Morrisites, and of course theMountain Meadows Massacre--alaundry list of the standard anti-Mormon fare of the 1860s and1870s. Considered among thenumerous travel narratives anddescriptions of brief visits toTerritorial Utah which have sur-vived, Ahmanson’s is near the bot-tom in terms of precise observationand insight.

But if the book fails to present areliable, firsthand treatment ofMormonism, it does provideinstructive insight into its author.What he was, obviously, was anenthusiastic convert--the impres-sion of the trial in Norway is of afire-and-brimstone Baptist laypreacher who brought that styleinto his Mormonism--who becamedisillusioned and left the fold. Likemany others who felt impelled todenounce their former faith,Ahmanson was faced with adilemma. How could he explain thefact that he had been taken in byMormonism in the first place? Andhow should he describe his formerfellow-believers? As stupid dupes?As rank sensualists? This wouldnot sound very convincing. RatherAhmanson followed what hasbecome the standard form of anti-

44 SUNSTONE/JULY1985

Mormon autobiography, past andpresent: sincere faith, good people,outwardly Christian teachings onthe one hand; secret, evil ceremo-nies, sinister conspiracies, andimmoral, wicked leaders on theother. The writer presents himselfas having been taken in by thegood people, their obvious sincer-ity, even the plausibility of theMormon message. But then hefinds out the truth, forthwith leavesthe fold, and now, motivated bynothing short of humanitarian con-cern for others, writes an expose.John August Ahmanson was notthe first or the last to go throughthis highly predictable sequence.

I wish I knew more aboutAllmanson. Obviously he wasintelligent. He labored diligently asone of the first missionaries inScandinavia. He seems to havebeen effective enough as a leaderduring the transoceanic voyageand as one of the "captains" in theill-fated Willie handcart company.What was it about Utah that mostdisappointed him and led him todepart? From what he says, it waswealth in the possession ofBrigham Young combined with theshocking doctrines heard in the]abernacle--about bloodatonement, polygamy (though hehad learned of polygamy while hewas a missionary but "of course itdid not come into practical use inDenmark"), the duty of absoluteobedience, Adam-God--that weresimply too much. Was there alsodisillusionment at not receivingsufficient attention? Did he faceharsh economic prospects like somany others in the difficult winterof 1856-57: We do not know. Hesays he would have gone on toCalifornia early in the year but"because of the fearsome threats"against apostates and heathensdecided instead to return to theEast with the large companies"organized for mutual security."

Vor Tids Muhamed then is asdiisappointing as an autobiographyof an apostate as it is as history ofMormonism in the nineteenthcentury. Other books in the genreare simply more detailed, morecolorful, more interesting, and evenmore reliable. Instead Ahmanson’sbook is most significant for what ittells us about the anti-Mormonismof the 1980s. It seems that astudent named William Welty senta photocopy of the 1876 Danishbook to his professor, Gleason L.Archer, at Trinity EvangelicalDivinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.

This professor decided to crowd itstranslation into his busy schedule.This he did "at the behest of" theFieldstead Institute, which hadreceived a microfilm copy of thebook as part of the papers of theAhmanson family, "with a directiveto have the book translated intoEnglish for the purpose of scholarlystudy." So the Institute "retainedthe services" of the professor. Ithink this might mean he got paidto do the job, although it is notclear just who did the initiating.

Now Gleason L. Archer is aprofessor and a scholar. Of what?Of biblical studies. He haspublished an introductory textbookabout the Old Testament andworked as an associate editor ofthe significant TheologicalWordbook of the OldTestament. "After I had got deeplyinto Mr. Ahmanson’s narrative," hewrites, "1 realized that l waslooking at the most effective anddevastating expose of Mormonismthat I had ever seen." Query: Howmany had he seen?

Archer is not so obtuse as tomiss the fact that "much of it maybe classed as hearsay evidence,"but, he assures us, "the early dateof its publication serves to enhanceits credibility and trustworthinessin a very significant way." He doesnot hide his intention. If the workhad only been available sooner, "itwould unquestionably havedissuaded multitudes of families¯.. from being taken in by thisdangerous counterfeit of thehistoric Christian faith." Even nowit may do much to warnprospective converts and even"those who have been reared inthat religion."

All this is pretty blatant. Its one-sidedness might be recognized byalmost anvone. So to give evidenceof fairness, Archer enlisted thecooperation of the following"experts" on Mormonism: ChrisAlex Vlachos, the Rev. Wesley P.Waiters, Dr. Walter Martin, andJerald and Sandra Tanner. Vlachos,we are told, "Utilized the excellentresources available in the library ofBrigham Young University forresearch into both the accuraciesand the inaccuracies of theallegations made by Ahmanson."Quite a feat! The results ofVlachos’s scholarship areconveyed in one set of footnotes,those marked by Arabic numerals.If he had been assigned to supplyup-to-date documentation forfootnotes of this type in any

university class in historicalmethodology and had turned inwhat he gives here, the resultwould be an unequivocal failinggrade. With the exception ofmentioning Juanita Brooks on theMountain Meadows Massacre andJ. LeRoy Anderson on theMorrisites, most footnotes simplycite the work of the Tanners. Whatcan always be safely assumed isthat any footnote citation orcomment will be negative. WhenAhmanson writes of polygamy thatdivorces "naturally belong to theorder of the day in Utah," Vlachosgratuitously remarks at the bottomof the page that "Utah divorcerates have been above the nationalaverage in recent years."Essentially this book is a repeat,presented in a shiny new format, ofthe anti-Mormon litany of theBrigham Young era.

Since I cannot assume my ownattitude is known to everyone, letme make it clear that I do not ruleout any of these problems as in-appropriate for investigation. I donot fault this present book formentioning them but rather fortreating them polemically and inmy view dishonestly. If that is trueof Ahmanson’s writing in thenineteenth century, it is true afortiori of those who have nowpublished this book for a purposethat is anything but scholarly.Archer, having better things to dowith his time, has not been party tothis activity in the past; he seemsjust recently to have got religion ofthe anti-Mormon variety. But theothers on the team--Vlachos,Martin, Waiters, the Tanners--arewell-known, as is of course theMoody Press, publisher of theTanners and other anti-Mormonpolemical material.

This book is doubtlessly nowbeing sold in "Christian"bookstores across the country andalong with other tracts at showingsof The Godmakers. Its mainsignificance is as one furthermanifestation of current anti-Mormonism, whose unofficialmotto is "the end justifies themeans."

DA VlS BITTON is professor ofhistory at the University of Utahand coauthor of the book, TheMormon Experience.

JULY 1985/SUNSTONE 4,5

Pickaxes RequiredPREFACE TO FAITH:A PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY INTO RLDS BELIEFSPA UL ED WA RDS.SlGNA TURE BOOKS, 1984, 107 PP.Reviewed by Larry Conrad and Bob Mesle

p reface to Faith is a goldmine; there is plenty of trea-sure there, but the vein twists

and turns and seldom comes to thesurface. Pickaxes and hard workwill be required to mine it. It is amasterpiece of neither clarity norwit. The lack of clarity and thetwisting and turning are hardlysurprising. Dr. Edwards is trying toidentify and analyze the commonmetaphysical beliefs of a group ofpeople who (a) don’t have a com-mon perspective; (b) would behappy to sell you all of their meta-physical beliefs if they only knewwhat they were; and (c) neitherrecognize nor much care about thepresence of massive contradictionswithin those beliefs. How can yoube clear about that?

The barriers to clarity go deeper.It often seems that Edwards has apassion for making the form fit thecontent. Is life inconsistent, con-tradictory, confusing? Then letdescriptions of it reflect thosefacts. Such a style has the addi-tional advantages of disguising theauthor’s own position and of en-abling him to use images and jokeswhich are so "inside" that onlyvery close friends have much hopeof catching them. Occasionally, thiscan make for a brilliantly wittyarticle which can also illuminatethe darkness by showing it to bedark.

Then why the lack of wit here?The answer may be that Edwardshas written about something whichis really important to him. Perhapshe cannot bear to treat it with hisusual disdain, even though the sub-ject matter often deserves it.Further, it is something so close tohis heart that he cannot be clearabout it without being clear abouthimself. The result is an uncomfor-table compromise between hisdesire to help people understandsomething he cares about and hisdesire to avoid revealing his pri-vate thoughts too clearly. The ten-sion seems to weaken his usual giftfor barbed images (though thereare a few) without moving him toentirely abandon his "make the

form fit the fact" style ofobscurantism.

There are a number of smallproblems with the book, of whichonly a~ few can be mentioned. Whendealing with inconsistent state-ments on complex issues, it isimperative to let the reader seethis. Yet even a careful reader islikely to be confused by Edwards’contradictory conclusions concern-ing the church’s position.

Compare, for example, his state-ments about the necessity ofhuman existence on pages 14 and40. Alamo, he misquotes and perhapsmisunderstands at a couple ofplaces the report of the RLDS BasicBeliefi~ Committee, Exploring theFaith, published in 1970. On page22 he rnisquotes page 14 of thattext, ~sing the word "revelations"where it is of great theological sig-nificance that the committee choseto use the singular. The problemdoes not seem to be merely typo-graphical. And even if the error ismerely a slip in his own notes,Edwards should have been alertenough to the importance of thisdifference to double check. Ironi-cally it seems that he may alsohave f.ailed to note changes in hisown father’s position (F. H.Edwards) on creation ex nihilo.But then little or no attention isgiven Ihere to the work of RLDStheologians writing since 1970.Finally, page 8 is poor.

Despite these problems the goldis worth mining. The book reflectsthe author’s profound understand-ing of both the LDS and RLDS tradi-tions ~.=~nd the philosophical issuesdiscussed. It is true, after all, thatpeople do have views of reality(metaphysical perpectives) whetherthey know it or not. And thoseviews--however unconscious, con-fused, and contradictory--do affecttheir other beliefs and their behav-ior. Those perspectives need to bemade explicit so that we can evalu-ate them. Edwards does this, andat times he even succeeds in bring-ing the gold to the surface, writingwith a striking clarity which makesus realize what the book could

have been like. See, for example,pages 30, 38, 46, 49, 60, 70, 81. Andeven in places where he is not veryclear, where mental picka;(es arerequired, there are some treasuresburied, waiting for those willing todo some of the author’s work forhim.

The concluding chapter, "Com-mentary on Joseph Smith,"’ has an,excellent beginning and enid, and avery good middle. Edwards sayshere some things which really needsaying about our private and com-munal self-deceptions, and he saysthem well. Again, this shows what:the book could have been like hadhe put his mind to the task ofclarity.

The middle section of the con-cluding chapter is also good; it isjust devoted to a philosophicalissue crucial to Edwards but sureto seem unimportant to most read-.ers. This, however, is the case withthe entire book., and the disparitybetween what Edwards is able tosee as important and what heshows to be important is perhapsthe central problem of the text.Paul Edwards is uniquely qualifiedto undertake the important taskthis book addresses, but h~ fails towrite in a manp.~er which will helpthe less qualified reader (almosteveryone) see what he is saying orwhy it matters. Nominalisn~ andrealism, particulars and u~iversals,existence and essence, and espe-cially idealism are categorieswhich say nothing to most people.Yet they might have cast bright,new light on both the LDS andRLDS traditions~ (and also on theauthor) if Edwards had only com-mitted himself wholeheartedly tothat task. Unfortunately, perhaps.,he could not illuminate the tradi-tions or issues without disclosinghimself. And though we see moreof Paul Edwards here than in mostplaces, he is still largely hidden.

Suggestions: Read the openingand closing pages of chapter 7,then finish the chapter. Read the"clear" parts listed above. Thentackle chapters 4 and 5. If ~all goeswell, start at the beginning. If youare willing to diig for the gold, youmay find a rich mine of insightsinto the philosophical and religiouslegacy of Joseph Smith.

LARRY CONRAD is pursuing amaster’s degree in theology atVanderbilt University.BOB MESLE is an associal’e pro-fessor of philosophy and religion atGraceland College.

46 SUNSTONE / JULY 1985

ALEXANDER SCHREINERREMINISCESB Y ALEXANDER SCHREINERPUBLISHER’S PRESS, 1984$9.95, 177 PP.

By’ James Welch

Throughout this century thename Alexander Schreiner hasbeen synonymous with the organ--specifically, the Mormon Taberna-cle organ in Salt Lake City. One ofthe last of a certain kind of organ-ist:s, Schreiner studied in Paris inthe 20s, played theater organ, andappeared on literally thousands ofradio broadcasts. Today’s organ-ists may well covet the profes-sional experiences related in thisbook. I personally have had theprivelege of knowing and studyingwidth Schreiner, and I am grateful tothose members of his family whohelped him prepare this book forpublication. Although these chap-ters represent only a fraction ofSchreiner’s experiences, they arenevertheless informative, entertain-ing, and inspiring. It is also inter-esting to observe which subjectsfrom his memoirs he chose to havepublished.

The book is dedicated toSchreiner’s fellow organists of TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After relating the storyof his family’s conversion to theChurch in Germany in 1903, heexpresses his deep convictions andcommitment to the Church forwhich he has rendered a lifetime ofservice. The music world has longrecognized Schreiner’s skill as anorganist and composer but may notappreciate the fact that without hisfamily’s conversion and immigra-tion to the United States, Schreinermight never have become an organ-ist at all.

Short chapters relate his earliestexperiences as a student, hisacquaintance with the Salt LakeTabernacle organists, his studieswith Widor and Vierne in 1925-26 asa young man, his work as a Mor-mon missionary in Southern Cali-fornia; his appointment as Univer-sity Organist at UCLA (where hewas chosen over several other "aca-demic" organists in spite of his nothaving an advanced degree), his sub-sequent appointment to the Taberna-cle post, travels with the Choir, anddescriptions of the various Taberna-cle organs over the years.

Other vignettes presented de-scribe his days as a theater organistat Grauman’s Theatre in Hollywood(where he must have developedmany of his trademark techniques)and encounters with such personal-ities as John McCormack, EdwinLemare, Werner von Braun, Rus-sian Soyuz cosmonauts, and presi-dents of the United States. He giveshis comments on music pedagogywith a list of recommended basickeyboard literature. Several of hisarticles from The Diapason andClavier are reprinted, along with adiscography of his recordings anda list of his publications.

The photos in the book withSchreiner’s own captions are veryentertaining and provide a story ~;~themselves. Reprints of letters fromdignitaries, honorary degrees,press reviews, a concert itineraryfor one year (1944), and sampleprograms all point to Schreiner’sprofessional success.

In addition there are loving trib-utes to his wife Margaret, proudmentions of his children andgrandchildren, and detailedaccounts of Church-related expe-riences. In site of his worldlyhonors, it is apparent that he con-siders his family and Church hisgreatest treasures. One realizesupon reading this short but fasci-nating history that Schreiner is arare individual who has been suc-cessful both in his personal andprofessional life, leaving a richlegacy to his family and Churchand great music for more listenersthroughout the world than perhapsany other organist in history.

THE LONGEST DEBATE

BY CHARLES AND BARBARAWHA L ENSEVEN LOCKS PRESS, 1985,$16.95, 289 PP.

By John Sillito

As Charles and Barbara Whalenobserve, prior to the 1960s therules of Congress often preventedthe passage of important legisla-tion for social change. The passageof the Civil Rights Act of 1964represents one of those rarewatershed moments when a pro-

foundly different course in Ameri-can politics was charted. In thecase of this particular legislation,years of "presidential timidity andcongressional indifference" wereshaken by dramatic events of civildisobedience, by public outrage,and by editorial demands; hence"the president and the congresswere forced to deal with thenational disgrace of racialdiscrimination."

Twenty years ago, ~,mericansnot only observed the drama of theunfolding events in Washington butjoined in smaller debates withintheir homes. I remember well mygrandfather, whose racial viewswere vastly different from mine,saying, "Change is coming, but itwill take the passing of old atti-tudes like mine to bring itabout."

Drawing upon their Washingtonexpertise (he is a former con-gressman and she a journalist) toproduce a detailed study whichshould be of interest to scholarsand general readers alike, theWhalens trace the legislative his-tory of the bill from its introductionto the signing by PresidentJohnson. At that point, surroundedby civil rights leaders and legisla-tive sponsors, LBJ basked in aglory that neither Barry Goldwaternor the war in Vietnam, whichseemed then so far away, could yettarnish.

But the main engineers of the billwere Everett Dirksen, an "oldguard" Republican Senator fromIllinois whose behind-the-scenesmaneuverings assured cloture, andHubert H. Humphrey, the ebullientand loquacious Minnesotan whoseday-to-day guidance of the billundoubtedly led to his nominationfor Vice President. Utah’s TedMoss, who along with Wallace F.Bennett voted for the bill, mar-veled "at the way he handled thebill’s opponents .... he was astutein the parliamentary process...and knew what he needed andcould count noses."

The struggle for civil rights andracial equality did not end with thepassage of this bill but is going onstill. In many ways, however, theCivil Rights Act of 1964 was a firmfoundation for future generationsto build upon. And the story of itspassage is one that needs contin-ual retelling.

JULY 1985/SUNSTONE 47

COUGAR TALES

B Y PA UL JA MESRANDALL BOOK CO., 1984,$7.95, 180 PP.

GREATEST MOMENTS IN BYUSPORTSBY BRAD ROCK AND LEEWARNICKBOOKCRAFT, 1984, $7.95, 184PP.

By Jim Cartwright

These two books capitalize onBYU’s surprising football season,though much if not all of the writ-ing of both books occurred beforeBYU’s rise to the nationalchampionship.

Paul James’s book is unified instyle and point of view. Jamesshares experiences with variousplayers and coaches he hasworked with during the twentyyears he has broadcast BYU bas-ketball and football games. Hedetails the humorous experienceshe has had with the practical jok-ers on various BYU teams, espe-cially Steve Trumbo and ReedNoble and shares experiences por-traying more serious charactertraits as well.

James also gives insight into thebroadcasting profession, highlight-.

CLASSIFIED ADS are 35¢ a word, paid in advance, witha ten-word minimum. For a schedule of regular adrates and further information, write to Sunstonemagazine, 59 West 100 South, Salt Lake City, UT84101, or call (801) 355-5926.

MORMON MISCELLANEOUS REPRINTS now avail-able. 1. "Spaulding Manuscript Theory Then andNow" by Lester Bush; 2. "The Writing of JosephSmith’s History" by Dean Jessee; 3. "The EarlyAccounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision" by DeanJessee; 4. "How to Study the Bible" by J. R.Dummeiow; 5. "The Translators to the Reader" bytranslators of the KJV. To order, send $1.50 each plus50¢ postage to Mormon Miscellaneous, 8865 South1300 East, Sandy, UT 84092.

MORMON MISCELLANEOUS NOTECARDS, an expandingcollection of notes, comments, and references tocover the entire history of Mormondom, standardworks, noncanonical writings, gleanings from earlyChristian writers and recent biblical scholars. Serieswilt include contributions from the files of manyMormon scholars and researchers on topics of his-tory, doctrine, polemics, statistics, current events,Mormon, non-Mormon, anti-Mormon--in short, allsubjects from any source (both published and un-published) in any way related to Mormonism. Note-cards will be published in sets of 100 4x6 cards at$6.00 per set. 800-1200 notecards will be publishedper year. First two sets now available. To order, send$6.00 to Mormon Miscellaneous, 1433 East 9175South, Sandy, UT 84092.

THE JOHN TAYLOR PAPERS. Volume I. The Apostle;Volume II, The President. Each $11.95, plus $1 ship-ping. The inside story of a half century of warbetween the Saints and the outside world. The lastpioneer tells it like it was. Samuel W. Taylor, 1954Stockbridge Ave., Redwood City, CA 94061.

ing humorous, frustrating, andembarrassing experiences. One ofthese occurred in Fort Collins in1974.. With five seconds remainingin the football game, BYU held a sixpoint lead at 33-27 and owned theball, first and ten on their owntwenty. CSU recovered a fumble onthe next play, scored a touchdownon tile last play of the game,recei, ved an unsportsmanlikepenalty after the touchdown, andso had to attempt the extra pointfrom the eighteen yard line insteadof the three. They missed the PAT.Though the referee signaled thekick wide, he also had to signal theend of the game by holding thefootball in both hands above hishead. The football, however, was inthe stands, so he came out towardthe middle of the field and raisedboth hands above his head, whichthe scorekeeper interpreted asmeaning the kick was good, givingCSU .l~, one-point victory. Hechanged the scoreboard accord-ingly. Later the scoreboard waschanged back to reflect a tie, thenstill later back to 34-33 for CSU.James’s frustration came from notknow ing who won the game eventhough he was announcing it. Peo-ple from the wire services and thenetwcl, rks were telephoning him,asking who had won, but he didn’tknow. It took about fifteen minutesafter the end of the game before

SALT LAKE SCHOOL OF THE PROPHETS MINUTE BOOK. 80pages, illustrated. $5.00 postpaid. GRAFFAMGRAPHICS, P.O. Box 2234, Palm Desert, CA 92261.PRIVATE COLLECTION-- 19th Century Mormon Prints,Books and Post Cards as well as large standardMormcn library--for sale. Call Robert Christian (215)349-8059, or write, 406 S. 43rd St., Philadelphia, PA19104.SKETCIIING WITH A TECHNICAL PEN by Merle H.Graffam 32 pages of pen and ink illustrations withnotes on technique. $5.00 postpaid. GRAFFAMGRAPHICS, P.O. Box 2234, Palm Desert, CA 92261.EXTENSIVE MORMON LIBRARY--Standard, fundamen-talist, and anti-Mormon collection. Five-page index.P.O. Be;( 187, Montrose, CA 91020.THE PL,AYS OF RUTH AND NATHAN HALE. Available forimmediate performance. Encore Performance Pub-lishing P.O. Box 692 Orem, UT 84057.LDSF: MORMON SCIENCE FICTION, $4.95; Animals andthe Gospel, $200 Scott Smith, 2455 Calle Roble,Thousand Oaks, CA 91360."SELECTED MANIFESTATIONS"--AII Temple DedicatoryPrayers and nearly All Church Revelations not in theD&C in ONE BOOK!! Call (415) 339-9674 or send SASE:Sister Fleay, c/o 4770 Lincoln Avenue, Oakland, CA94602.COMMLINITY SERVICES COUNCIL. Our effort is to helplow ino)me, elderly, & handicapped people live inde-pendently. Retired craftsmen-painters, plumbers,carpenters, etc.--or anyone else interested. A mod-est wage is negotiable. Caii Lowell Bennion or TedKeefer at 486-2136.212 West 1300 So., SLC, UT 84115.USEO/RARE LDS BOOKS for sale. FREE UPDATED LIST.We bu!l & sell. The Book Connection, Box 1, Provo,Utah 8,~,603.

someone carried official ~vord fromthe referees that the extra pointwas not good and the gan~e hadended in a tie.

Brad and Lee Warnick relatesome less known but highly impor-tant milestones in BYU sports. Forold timers, perhaps the most nos-.talgic is BYU’s first modern era(post-1920) football victory overUtah in 1942. ]hey give an interest-ing account of BYU’s first NCAAchampionship,, won by the 1981golf team. The book contains chap-ters on the two NIT championshipsin 1951 and 1966 and on the foot-ball victory over Texas A & M. Ofcourse, Rock and Warnicl~: retell therecent famous victories as well: theNCAA basketball victories overPrinceton, UCLA, and Notre Damein 1982 and the Miracle Bowl.

Like James’s book, the Rock-Warnick book is a general book,entertaining reading for a Cougardevotee. However their book doesnot have James’s consistency ofstyle. Moreover, the Rock-Warnickbook is not a carefull researchedhistory. In referring to the fact thatBYU had a football team before the1920s, for example, Rock and War-nick indicate only that the teamexisted near the turn of the cen-tury; they have not provided specif-ics, apparently, because they ha\,enot searched the questionthoroughly.

STILL SINGLE? No new faces? Cold shoulders but nowarm hearts? Try adw,=rtising yourself in SUNSTONEPERSONALS! Rate is 35¢ per word paid in advance,with a ten-word min,imum Call (801) 355-5926 orsend your ad to Stunstone, 59 West 100 South, SaltLake City, UT 84101.

To respond to an ad, ,’~end your letter to SUNSTONEBOX... (fill in the box number), 59 West 100 South,Salt Lake City, UT 84101. Your letter will be for-warded to the lucky advertiser in question.

LOS PROFESSIONAL MAN, 49, 6’4", 240 Ib,’;., B.A., M.A.,inveterate reader with eclectic interest,,~ seeks a tall,attractive, sensitive, affectionate, (jood-figured)rofessional female 30-40. Someone who craves

meaningful dialogue and communication, as I do.Prefer never married, but will respond to all. Pleasesend photo, phone, will return. (Southe,’n Californiaarea,) Reply to Box S..031.

MALE, 45, divorced, Ph.D. Mostly normal, sometimescrazy, but always caring Looking for an open andhonest, independent, professional wor~an who hasalmost worked through the guilt maze. Willing togive lots of space. Smothering not wanted. I get to d,ohalf of the cooking and you most of the driving.Southern Utah camping, fishing in Idaho and no)olyester part of any deal. (Salt Lake, Provo,Ogden area.) Reply to Box S-011.

his vows of celiba;y for the righl Spi ua yJMaturated Maiden. I .am a former Green Beret wh~has found peace in Prayer, Scholarship, and the Loveof Truth. Resume, Polygraph, & Photo L pon request.(Southern California area.) Reply to Bo): S-046.

48 SUNSTONE/JULY 1985

1985 SunstoneTheological Symposium

Recorded "Live"May 18, 1985

Reston, Virginia

$6.00 Per Cassette__85319-010

__85319-020

__.85319-040

__85319-080

__85319-090

__85319-100

__.85319-110

__.85319-120__.85319-130

__.85319-140

__.85319-150

__.85319-160__.85319-170

___85319-180

___85319-190___85319-200

___85319-220

PLENARY SESSION: A PORTRAIT OFBRIGHAM YOUNGMORMON HISTORY AND TRUTH: APERSONAL RESPONSE TO THE LIFE OFEMMA HALE SMITHFUNDAMENTALISTS AND MORMONS INTHE MIDEASTTHE MORAL AND RELIGIOUS DEVELOP-MENT OF MOHANDAS K. GHANDtTHE GREAT AND MARVELOUS WORKYET TO COME FORTHMORMON ISM IN THE TWENTY-FI RSTCENTURY: ORTHODOX, CONSERVATIVEAND LIBERAL TRENDSESPIONAGE AND THE JUDAEO-CHRISTIANETHIC IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETYPILLARS OF MY FAITHTHE ROLE OF ROLE MODELS FOR LDSWOMENMORMONISM, SCIENCE, AND NATURALTHEOLOGYWEALTH AND CONSECRATION:CAN A RICH MAN GETTO HEAVEN?THE RLDS AND THE TEMPLETHE RESPONSE OF BYU STUDENTS TOMILITARY SERVICE AND THE DILEMMASOF WAR AND IS THERE AN LDS DOCTRINEON WAR AND PEACELOOKING AT MORMON BUILDINGS AREWE GETTING WHAT WE’RE PAYING FOR?TOWARD A MORMON CUISINETHE MORMON MISSION: A RITE OFPASSAGETHE THREE NEPHITE STORIES- WHEREDID THEY GO?

__.85319-230

__.85319-240

__85319-250__.85319-260

__85319-270

__85319-280

__85319-399

CHALLENGES FOR THE INTERNATIONALCHURCHMORAL REASONING IN MORMONLITERATURE AND DID ADAM AND EVE SIN?THE PROPER ROLE OF GOVERNMENTPSEUDO-POLYANDRY: POLYGYNY’SPARADOXICAL COMPANION ANDWOMEN’S REACTION TO EARLYMORMON POLYGAMY 1842-44THE INTEGRITY OF THE INDIVIDUALAND THE ORGANIZATIONAL CHURCHAND PRIESTHOOD LEADERSHIP VS.ORGANIZATIONAL ADMINISTRATION INTHECHURCHMORMONISM: A NEW/OLD RELIGIOUSTRADITIONCOMPLETE SET 1985 STS CASSETTES --$132.00 (Includes 1 FREE Cassette and 2FREE storage albums!)

ACCESSORIES

__ AIIsop Cassette Deck Cleaner ($7.50)__ Panasonic RQ Cassette Recorder Player ($89.95)

__ Custom 12-Cassette Storage Album ($6.00)

Total Individual Cassettes at $6.00 each = $__Total 12-Cassette Specials at $66.00 each = $__

__ Other: = $__(please specify item and price)

Maryland residents add 5% state and sales tax = $.__Postage & Handling = $3.00

GRAND TOTAL = $.__

Handsome12-Cassette Package

ONLY $66.00!

Purchase any 11 cassettes andreceive a 12th cassette and

Custom Storage Album free!

TO ORDER CASSETTES: Simply check off the sessions you wish to purchase. Cassettes are $6.00 each. Be sure to take advantageof the Cassette Special! Fill in the information below, and the GRAND TOTAL space. Any order to be mailed requires the additionof $3.00 to cover *Postage and Handling. Send completed form, with payment to: Eastern Audio Associates, 6330 Howard Lane,Elkridge, Maryland 21227 --or, for credit card orders, phone-- (301) 796-0040

PAID- [~ MONEY ORDER [~CHECK C]CREDIT CARD ]

AMEX ~J VISA i MASTERCARD

CREDIT CARD NUMBER

CA~DHOLI~E~S NAMe - - EXPIRATION DATEX

SIGNATURE (required on all charges)All purchases under $10.00 must be paid by check or money order.

Make checks payable to: Eastern Audio Assoc. Inc.PAYMENT $ ENCLOSED

Please fill out the Information below before placing your order.PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY

CO

Street

Z,p

State

Phone