DIALOGUE a journal of mormon thought is an independent quarterly established to express Mormon culture and to examine the relevance of religion to secular life. It is edited by Latter-day Saints who wish to bring their faith into dialogue with the larger stream of world religious thought and with human experience as a whole and to foster artistic and scholarly achieve- ment based on their cultural heritage. The journal encourages a variety of view- points; although every effort is made to en- sure accurate scholarship and responsible judgment, the views expressed are those of the individual authors and are not neces- sarily those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of the editors. ii Dialogue, Summer 2017 Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is published quarterly by the Dialogue Foundation. Dialogue has no official connection with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Contents copyrighted by the Dialogue Foundation. ISSN 0012-2157. Dialogue is available in full text in electronic form at www.dialoguejournal.com and is archived by the University of Utah Marriott Library Special Collections, available online at www.lib.utah.edu/portal/site/marriottlibrary. Dialogue is also available on microforms through University Microfilms International, www.umi.com. Dialogue welcomes articles, essays, poetry, notes, fiction, letters to the editor, and art. Submissions should follow the current Chicago Manual of Style. All submissions should be in Word and may be submitted electronically at https://dialoguejournal.com/submissions/. For submissions of visual art, please contact [email protected]. Submissions published in the journal, including letters to the editor, are covered by our publications policy, https://dialoguejournal.com/ submissions/publication-policy/, under which the author retains the copyright of the work and grants Dialogue permission to publish. See www.dialoguejournal.com. EDITORS EMERITI Eugene England and G. Wesley Johnson Robert A. Rees Mary Lythgoe Bradford Linda King Newell and L. Jackson Newell F. Ross Peterson and Mary Kay Peterson Martha Sonntag Bradley and Allen D. Roberts Neal Chandler and Rebecca Worthen Chandler Karen Marguerite Moloney Levi S. Peterson Kristine Haglund Dialogue, Summer 2017 iii CONTENTS ARTICLES AND ESSAYS What Do We Know of God’s Will for His LGBT Children?: An Examination of the LDS Church’s Position on Homosexuality Bryce Cook 1 Mexicans, Tourism, and Book of Mormon Geography Colleen McDannell 55 “In Christ All Things Hold Together”: A Christian Perspective (via Levinas and Shimony) on Quantum Entanglement David Grandy 87 A Double Portion: An Intertextual Reading of Hannah (1 Samuel 1–2) and Mark’s Greek Woman (Mark 7:24–30) Julie M. Smith 125 PERSONAL VOICES That’s Where the Light Enters Lon Young 139 Dreaming After Trump Gail Turley Houston 147 POETRY Two Ideas C. Dylan Bassett 153 Not the Truman Show R. A. Christmas 154 Averted Vision Joanna Ellsworth 155 The Grammar of Quench Ronald Wilcox 156 Echo of Boy Darlene Young 157 FICTION What Happened Sunday Morning Erika Munson 161 The Home Teacher Heidi Naylor 163 iv Dialogue, Summer 2017 REVIEWS Attempts to Be Whole Scott Russell Morris 185 Scott Abbott. Immortal for Quite Some Time The History that Dares Speak Its Name Gary James Bergera 189 J. Seth Anderson. LGBT Salt Lake The Garden of Enid: By a Mormon and For Mormons Brittany Long Olsen 191 Scott Hales. The Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl, Parts One and Two Laughter, Depth, and Insight: Enid Rocks Them All Steven L. Peck 194 Scott Hales. The Garden of Enid: Adventures of a Weird Mormon Girl, Parts One and Two Baring Imperfect Human Truths Elizabeth Ostler 197 Holly Welker, ed. Baring Witness: 36 Mormon Women Talk Candidly about Love, Sex, and Marriage Fresh Honesty in Authentic Mormon Identity Maxine Hanks 202 Jamie Zvirzdin, ed. Fresh Courage Take: New Directions by Mormon Women FROM THE PULPIT Why I Stay John Gustav-Wrathall 209 ART Reflections Robert De Groff 217 Islamic Art and the LDS Faith Lisa DeLong 218 CONTRIBUTORS 223 WHAT DO WE KNOW OF GOD’S WILL FOR HIS LGBT CHILDREN?: AN EXAMINATION OF THE LDS CHURCH’S POSITION ON HOMOSEXUALITY Bryce Cook Perhaps no other social issue in recent times has experienced such rapid change in public opinion as that of homosexuality and same-sex marriage. To many, it has been the civil rights struggle of our time, to others—particularly conservative religious people—it is seen as a sign of the moral decay of our time. The LDS Church has been greatly affected by this issue, garnering much negative attention in the media due to its public fight against same-sex marriage and the perception that it treats LGBT people unfairly.1 Its positions and policies, particularly A version of this article was first published online. 1. In using the term “Church” as the entity that promulgates the positions and statements discussed throughout this essay, I am generally referring to the mem- bers of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency who are authorized to make policy and pronounce doctrine for the Church. While it is generally held that such policy and doctrine require the unanimous consent of the members of these governing bodies, it is also understood that individual members of these councils often have differing personal opinions. The lack of publicity associ- ated with the Church’s launch of its original mormonsandgays.org website and the inconsistent messaging and tone in Church initiatives and statements on this subject seem to indicate differences of opinion among the top leadership in how to address LGBT issues. For additional examples, see Gregory Prince, 1 2 Dialogue, Summer 2017 the November 2015 policy that labels members in same-sex marriages apostates and prohibits their children from receiving Church ordinances, have caused some members to question the Church’s stance and others to leave the Church. As an active, believing member of the Church, I have struggled with the Church’s positions and policies that have affected so many of the LGBT people I love. In the thirteen-plus years since our oldest son came out as gay, followed by a second son five years ago, I have studied, read, prayed, and pondered extensively on this subject. More impor- tantly, perhaps, I have gotten to know hundreds of LGBT people on a very personal level. I have observed their lives and struggles, and I feel like I have come to know and understand the unique challenges they and their families face as Mormons. Because of this experience and the relationships I have with my LGBT family and friends, I felt compelled to write this article. Recognizing that many of the questions I raise and observations I make in the article may challenge the current thinking of some Church members, I feel that the words of President Dieter F. Uchtdorf at a recent worldwide leadership training conference are particularly appropriate: Unfortunately, we sometimes don’t seek revelation or answers . because we think we know the answers already. Brothers and sisters, as good as our previous experience may be, if we stop asking questions, stop thinking, stop pondering, we can thwart the revelations of the Spirit. Remember, it was the questions young Joseph asked that opened the door for the restoration of all things. We can block the growth and knowledge our Heavenly Father intends for us. How often has the Holy Spirit tried to tell us something we needed to know but couldn’t get past the massive iron gate of what we thought we already knew?2 “The Exclusion Policy and Biology vs Behavior,” Rational Faiths (blog), Jan. 13, 2016, http://rationalfaiths.com/biology-vs-behavior. 2. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Acting on the Truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Feb. 2012, https:// Cook: An Examination of the LDS Position on Homosexuality 3 The purpose of this article is to examine the LDS Church’s position on homosexuality and same-sex marriage from a doctrinal, moral, and empirical perspective. I hope that through such an examination the thoughtful reader may: (1) gain a better understanding of the Church’s justifications for this position even as it faces mounting criticism and membership loss; (2) gain a more empathetic understanding of what it means to be LGBT in our church; and (3) sincerely and humbly consider our current state of knowledge about what we as a Church community believe to be God’s will for our LGBT brothers and sisters. Like opinions held by society in general on this issue, the Church’s position on homosexuality has evolved quite significantly in recent years, although much of the general membership is likely unaware of the shift. The current official position on homosexuality is perhaps most concisely summarized in its recently updated gospel topic entry on homosexuality (which redirects to “same-sex attraction”) on LDS.org: The Church distinguishes between same-sex attraction and homosexual behavior. People who experience same-sex attraction or identify as gay, lesbian, or bisexual can make and keep covenants with God and fully and worthily participate in the Church. Identifying as gay, lesbian, or bisexual or experiencing same-sex attraction is not a sin and does not prohibit one from participating in the Church, holding callings, or attending the temple. We may not know precisely why some people feel attracted to others of the same sex, but for some it is a complex reality and part of the human experience.3 www.lds.org/broadcasts/article/worldwide-leadership-training/2012/01/ acting-on-the-truths-of-the-gospel-of-jesus-christ?lang=eng. 3. “Overview,” Same-Sex Attraction, https://www.lds.org/topics/same-gender- attraction.