Letters to the Editor

song of glory the Lord to Abraham recorded in Abra- Robert Rees (in his letter in the Spring, ham 3:22-23 indicates that among the 1977 issue) finds it "hard to imagine a pre-existent spirits there were some who celestial world filled with more heavenly were "noble and great" and the Lord said strains or deep spiritual joy than one of such, "these I will make my rulers." finds in the great Christian music of The entire doctrine of foreordination im- Western civilization." Having been to plies some pre-existent worthiness for Israel, I don't find it hard at all to imag- the ordination. Alma (Alma 13:3) stated, ine, because I have heard The Song of "And this is the manner after which they Glory (Shir ha-Kavod, or Anim zmirot) were ordained—being called and pre- and can testify that this is as beautiful a pared from the foundation of the world piece of religious music as anything pro- according to the foreknowledge of God, duced in the West. After all, Hebrew on account of their exceeding faith and music is what Jesus himself as well as good works. . . . " This concept of the Isaiah, Nephi, Paul and all the prophets Lord having a deliberate part in the pre- of Israel used to sing. existence in determining a man's respon- sibilities, "bounds and inheritances" is Benjamin Urrutia further substantiated in Romans 8:28-30 Guayaquil, Ecuador and Deuteronomy 32:7-8. A danger exists in dogmatically as- serting that the good and noble ones of the narrow way the pre-existence will always have the I believe Karl Keller (See Letters Section, most favorable and comfortable circum- Vol. 11, No. 1) is right in many ways. But stances in this life. Is it not possible that I think his view of Dialogue and its func- a loving Father would send some of His tion may be a little restrictive. It doesn't, weakest spirits to those situations where for example, count the purely informa- they would have the greatest opportunity tive material—like that in the current to hear and accept the gospel, and some issues on RLDS/LDS, Eliza Snow and of His more "valiant" children to less O'Dea. Besides, even though some mat- favorable areas of the earth? To those ters may have been resolved in the Mid- who subscribe to the theory that little dle Ages, it doesn't mean they have been children who die are guaranteed salva- resolved in Saskatoon or, I suspect, in tion because of premortal worthiness, Arizona—and perhaps elsewhere. As for does not the fact that nearly half the the contradiction of the Mormon intel- population of some underprivileged lectual—well, maybe so ... countries die as small children indicate Lewis Home that larger proportion of the best spirits Saskatoon, Canada are going to those locales? It would seem to be a dangerous misapplication of the the gilbert challenge premortal worthiness concept to feel In the Autumn 1977 issue Cecil A. Gil- smug or superior because of having been bert issued a challenge to provide "any born in this country or within the scriptural evidence that a person's pre- Church. Perhaps one is born into favor- mortal life determines his place in the able circumstances because a loving Fa- present mortal life." If premortal consid- ther wanted to give an unstable spirit a erations played no such role, then it fighting chance to return to him. would seem to be purely a matter of Certainly all the information is not in, chance. Yet the Lord has said, "Behold, and dogmatism on either side is fraught mine house is a house of order . . . and with danger, but one seldom goes wrong not a house of confusion. . . . And will I in listening closely to the brethren. Re- appoint unto you, saith the Lord, except garding scripture Hugh Nibley wrote, "to it be by law, even as I and my Father read is by very definition to unriddle, to ordained unto you, before the world expound to one's self, to interpret. In the was?" (D&C 132:8,11). The revelation of reading of the scripture we must always Letters to the Editor / 5

have an interpreter. But who qualifies for ERA again the task of interpreting God's work to I thin k many political and social liberals men?" His answer is the Lord and con- in the Church live in apprehension of a tinues, "without a living prophet, the day when they will be trapped between scripture is indeed what the Medieval the conflicting pressures of personal con- Church called it: a mystery. " (The World science and existing or new church doc- and the Prophets, pp. 185, 188). One trine or policy. This choice became pain- would indeed have difficulty in finding ful and real for me during the Florida a prophet who interprets the scripture as legislature's debate on the ERA in their excluding any effect of the pre-existence 1977 session. on our mortal situations. From 1974 to 1977 I was an Executive s Speaker of the Lee Smith Assistant to Florida' e of Representatives, Donald L. Salt Lake City, Utah Hous Tucker. He is a six-term Democrat, a d a considerable power in fan mail moderate an Florida politics. He is also an active Lat- d all the issues and par- I have so enjoye ter-day Saint. ticularly the Media and Sexuality issues. three previous occasions Tucker The article "Passive Aggression and the On ratification of the ERA in the Believer" by K-Lynn Paul was very in- voted for . He had campaigned for teresting. As I sat in Sacrament Meeting Florida House t of the ERA and in last night with the last speaker rambling reelection in suppor 62 co sponsors of the well over his time and thus undoing all 1977 was one of s occurred before that the previous speakers had done, I House bill. All of thi l position on the recalled the article "Speaking in Church" the Church took a forma n in the face of by Nels Nelson and took heart! Amendment. In 1977, eve newly announced church opposition he Olga M. Caddick was regarded as a solid supporter. One Manchester, England of the Speaker's hallmarks in the legis- lature was that he always honored his As always, your latest edition is a sleep word once it was given, and he had given robber. Keep up the good work and my it many times on the ERA. subscripiton active. Fortune Magazine This time the main battle would be in came in the same day's mail and, by way the Senate, which had defeated the ERA of contrast, despite face lifting, it on three previous occasions. They would promptly put me to sleep. consider it first this year, a defeat mean- d never reach the House. Marc Sessions ing that it woul e had ratified the amendment Los Angeles, California The Hous in two previous sessions, and both sides 6 / DIALOGUE: A Journal of Mormon Thought conceded that the pro-ERA coalition had became so intense that it stifled almost a large and comfortable margin in the all other legislative matters, and the bit- 1977 House (in no small part due to terness spilled over into the House. Tucker's steadfast support). Chartered buses brought hundreds of On March 27, 1977, a little over a "Stoppies" to the Capitol where they week before the Legislature convened, I filled the halls. They dressed in red, wrote in my journal that the Bishop was many wearing aprons in the shape of a instructed to read an article from the stop sign, and the pro-ERA lobbyists, Ensign by Boyd Packer denouncing the fewer in number, adopted green as their ERA. This was especially difficult for the identifying color. A great many young Bishop to do because of his very long girls and baby strollers added to the and close friendship with the Speaker. props employed by both sides.

To the surprise and discomfort of a great Phyllis Schafley brought her traveling many faithful Saints the Church had now anti-ERA revival to the Capitol steps, taken a hard, official position in opposi- and for several days prior to her visit, tion. there were persistent rumors that she Two days later I had a long conver- would be joined by a General Authority sation with a committed member of the of the Church to denounce the ERA pub- Church who was deeply troubled by the licly in Florida. No General Authority new position. He was an individual ever arrived. whose profession required a public po- A large part of the crowd was com- sition on the ERA, and he had voiced posed of familiar faces from two wards strong support. He was considering with- in Tallahassee and from other units in drawing from that position, a move the Tallahassee Florida Stake. They came which would result in enormous profes- down to the Speaker's suite in little clus- sional injury to him. Like myself, he was ters but he was able to schedule only a especially troubled at the five-year lag few of them. Some of them, spilling over between the arrival of the ERA as a major into my office, would smile and make national issue and the Church's tardy small talk, hardly mentioning the ERA. decision to oppose. The few who did try to lobby were so On Sunday lobbying on the Speaker ill-informed that it was obvious they had by other Saints became so great that the done no serious study on the issues and Bishop made a plea in Sacrament Meet- were simply mouthing platitudes. Hardly ing to leave the man alone on his day of any knew the text of the Amendment, rest, suggesting that they get an appoint- and some were even surprised when I ment with him during office hours. Dur- read it to them. Very few expressed an ing the next two weeks the lobbying by interest in hearing the other point of the various factions on the Senate side view. Letters to the Editor / 7

Some of my friends began to wonder out to lobby without even a minimal out loud if I was to be trusted because I effort to inform them on the issues. In was a Mormon, if my integrity were solid Florida, the Saints involved in the ERA in the face of "absentee control" from controversy had an overwhelming tend- Salt Lake City. It was the first time I had ency to make false accusations, to gen- ever had my principles questioned be- eralize, often characterizing ERA sup- cause of my religion. It reminded me of porters in the most vicious terms. It was the kind of whisper campaign John Ken- almost as if they had been instructed that nedy suffered when it was suggested that those who supported the ERA were uni- the Pope would really run the United formly motivated by evil intent. States. Those of us who had first hand ex- Vote by vote the margin of victory in perience with the new "Nauvoo Legion" the Senate slipped away. The Senators sent forth to our nation's legislatures can who switched from yes or uncommitted only view it as a most unfortunate period positions to a no vote were less influ- in our faith's history. Few friends were enced by the "stoppies" than they were won for Mormonism, and a great many by the high-pressure tactics of the Senate were lost. leadership who had taken it as a chal- lenge to kill the ERA in a show of Ken Driggs strength. From a high of about 22 votes, Macon, Georgia support ebbed and on April 13, 1977 the ERA lost on a 21-19 vote, killing it for scholarly trappings and imitation issues the session. Dialogue was born in the 60's, a child of Heads are cooler now and the ERA unusually strong talent with all the traits has departed the Legislature. Last year's of honest vitality, fresh curiosity, courage experience demonstrated once again that to travel uncharted territories and simple instead of uniting us, human rights issues faith in the goodness of the search for have a way of dividing us, as a nation which children are traditionally noted. and as a faith. I know now that my fears The strength of the young journal in over official church pressure on those promoting the integrity of inquiry and who support the ERA were unfounded. intelligent faith has never been equaled Except for the inescapable excesses and by any other publication in the 150 year abuses of some local church leaders, history of "Mormonism." which were wrong but committed with What about Dialogue in the '70's? Un- good intentions, there has been no ap- fortunately, in my opinion, Dialogue parent action to silence the dissenters. isn't cutting it. The vitality that carried The whole ERA controversy has, the journal to such consistent highs of however, left so many unsettling ques- excellence has waned and become un- tions in the minds of many faithful Saints even. It has been rumored, by a former that I can only hope the Church will be contributor, that Dialogue has been more sensitive in the future. Perhaps the "baptized" into speaking merely for the most obvious is the question of why the official interests of the fraternity of ERA rested before us as a major national which it reports. If the charge is correct, issue for five years without any indica- and the quality and style of many recent tion that such forceful political guidance was coming? If the ERA was evil in 1977, it must certainly have been evil in 1972. Some Saints, like myself, went so far as to write General Authorities for clarifi- cation of the many rumors circulating about Church position that did so more than a year before the policy statement was issued. No indication was given that anything was coming. It was pointless to counsel with the Bishop or Branch Pres- ident because they also had received no official statement either. The Church, acting locally or nation- ally, did itself and individual members a great deal of harm by sending members 8 / DIALOGUE: A Journal of Mormon Thought articles indicate that it may be, then Dia- Mormon literature were presented in a logue has lost the very genius and pur- morning and afternoon session. Dur- pose for which it was founded. ing the luncheon meeting, the presi- The early issues solidified a sense of dential address was given and awards pride in Mormonism and its heritage and were presented in recognition of dis- tradition that gallons of the more time tinguished accomplishments in Mor- tested whitewash couldn't begin to mon fiction, poetry and crtical writing match. The whitewashers have never un- during the period 1975-77. In a more derstood the difference between criti- informal evening session, several au- cism and contempt. While those con- thors read selections from their poetry temptuous of the Church merely seek to and prose in progress. gather information molded with distor- The morning session began with tion to destroy the Church, the white- Maureen Ursenbach Beecher discuss- washers gather one-sided self-serving in- ing three different autobiographical formation to justify the traditional inter- modes used by Eliza R. Snow and the pretation of every last claim. The honest psychological, social and aesthetic im- critic strikes an objective balance that could lead to truthful insights. Dialogue is not measuring up as it did to the standards I've tried to express. The bot- tom line is that I fear that if Dialogue doesn't speak up soon on the issues of Mormon doctrine, ethics, history and so- ciety that need addressing, it will die from the lack of support of those who once loved it most. Dialogue, which first tapped the thirst for LDS scholarship was the pacesetter for the excellence of succeeding journals and magazines. It has now fallen victim to the popular manipulation of scholarly trappings which pervades all scholarly journals currently in the Church. When some saw that what a segment of church membership wanted was "scholarship," they proceeded to serve up imitation is- sues smothered with "scholarship," full of sound and fury signifying nothing! Such is the rut, from my vantage point, that Dialogue finds itself in. I hope that this slackening quality does not signal an irreversible dwindling of interest. If the new editor is truly charting an untram- meled course, then word of Dialogue's demise, as the cliche goes, is "grossly exaggerated." To those of us whose Mor- mon heritage is indelible, the prospect for Dialogue's contribution to a renais- sance in LDS thought is fondly hoped for. David L. Rowland Salt Lake City, Utah mormon letters On October 7,1978, the Association for Mormon Letters held its third annual symposium at the Marriott Library on the campus of the University of Utah. Papers dealing with a wide range of topics relating to many aspects of Letters to the Editor / plications of each. Lavina Fielding "Letter to a Four-Year-Old Daughter" Anderson analyzed the role that iden- (B.Y.U. Studies 16 [1976], 234) and "The tity crises have played in missionary Old Philosopher" (B.Y.U. Studies 17 fiction and drama. Davis Bitton de- [1977], 222) and that to Professor King scribed the career of Claude T. Barnes, for "The Field Behind Holly House" a little-known Utah naturalist with (B.Y.U. Studies 16 [1976], 606-7). Clif- limited but nonetheless interesting ton Holt Jolley received the prize in poetic gifts. Eugene England provided critical writing for his essay, "The Mar- a commentary on the three papers and tyrdom of Joseph Smith: An Ar- insight into some of the issues that re- chetypal Study" (Utah Historical Quar- main to be explored in relation to the terly 44 [1976], 329-50). topics considered. During the after- The evening session of poetry and noon session, William Wilson com- prose in progress was chaired by mented on the uses of folklore in The Elouise M. Bell and included selections Giant Joshua, and Richard Cracroft ex- from the recent work of Professor Bell, amined the comic elements in Samuel Dennis Clark, Donald R. Marshall, Taylor's Heaven Knows Why. The after- Linda Sillitoe, and Emma Lou W. noon session concluded with Stephen Thayne. Examples of the work of Den- Tanner calling for a renewed interest in nis Clark, Linda Sillitoe, and Emma moral approaches to literary criticism Lou W. Thayne may be had for similar and Levi S. Peterson furnishing the reading groups any place in the world final commentary. by addressing requests to Linda Sil- New to this year's symposium was litoe, The Association for Mormon Let- the awarding of prizes to recognize ters, 1718 Lake Street, Salt Lake City, especially important and accom- Utah 84105. (All other matters concern- plished contributions to the field of ing the Association, including mem- Mormon letters. The prize for fiction bership and nominations for future was shared by Douglas H. Thayer and prizes, should be addressed to The As- Donald R. Marshall. The award to Pro- sociation for Mormon Letters, 1346 fessor Thayer was given in specific South 18th East, Salt Lake City, Utah recognition of the short stories "Indian 84108.) Hills" and "Zarahemla," both con- At the business meeting, Eugene tained in Under Cottonwoods and Other England was elected vice-president of Stories (Provo: Frankson Press, 1977) the Association, Levi S. Peterson pro- and that to Professor Marshall for "The gram chairman, and Candadai Secha- Wheelbarrow" and "The Reunion" chari and Elizabeth Shaw members of from Frost in the Orchard (Provo: the council. Brigham Young University Press, 1977). Linda Sillitoe and Arthur Henry Steven P. Sondrup King shared the prize for poetry. The Brigham Young University prize to Mrs. Sillitoe was for her poems