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King Follett Discourse Extracts VOLUME EIGHT, NUMBER FIVE SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER Publisher/Editor PEGGY FLETCHER Managing Editor HISTORY 5 THE KING FOLLETT DISCOURSE: VAN HALE SCOTT C. DUNN TEXTUAL HISTORY AND CRITICISM Art Director How have the LDS and RLDS faiths dealt with doctrinal issues in Joseph Smith’s greatest sermon? BRIAN E. BEAN Poetry Editor RELIGION 13 UNORTHODOX ORTHODOXY: THE IDEA OF PHILIP L. BARLOW DENNIS CLARK DEIFICATION IN CHRISTIAN HISTORY Production Manager What would early Christians say about MARCELYN RITCHIE man becoming God? Development Director 36 HULDAH AND THE MYTHS OF LAURENCE R. IANNACCONE MARY DELAMARE- MALE SUPERIORITY SCHAEFER In the Bible, the calling of prophet is not restricted to men Circulation/Promotio’t~ MARTHA HALES BALL FICTION 19 CAMP OF ISRAEL CARLA KELLY CHARLOTTE HAMBLIN MATT HANSEN REBECCAH T. HARRIS CONTEMPORARY 24 THE SACRED AND THE PROFUSE MICHAEL HICKS Mass reproduction of sacred symbols may undercut Staff their power JOANN ARBON KERRY WILLIAM BATE 3O MORMONISM AND A TRAGIC SENSE OF LIFE U. CARLISLE MIKE BUNDY An LDS view of anxiety, autonomy, and randomness HUNSAKER GARY HOFFMAN NICOLE HOFFMAN PERSONAL ESSAY 39 FIRST VISIONS: PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS ON LAWRENCE FOSTER JULIE NICHOLS JOSEPH SMITH’S RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE GRANT OSBORN A non-Mormon perspective of Mormonism’s JOHN SILLITO founding revelation MADLYN TANNER DEPARTMENTS 2 READERS’ FORUM 44 THE NOUMENONIST PAUL M. EDWARDS 45 PARADOXES AND PERPLEXITIES MA R VtN R YTTING 47 THE LAW OF THE LAND JAY S. BYBEE 48 J. GOLDEN NUGGETS JAMES N. KIMBALL SUNSTONE is published six times each year by the Sunstone Foundation, a non-profit corporation with no official connection to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Articles represent the attitudes of the writers only and not necessarily those of the editor/publisher or editorial board. Manuscripts for publication should be submitted in duplicate, typewritten and double-spaced, and should not exceed six thousand words. For increased readibility, SUNSTONE discourages manuscripts with excessive footnoting. Manuscripts should conform to the Chicago Manual of Style. Unsolicited manuscripts should be accompanied by sufficient return postage. United States subscriptions are $18 for one year. Outside the U.S. subscriptions are $25 per year by surface mail. Airmail subscriptions in the U.S. are $18 per year plus airmail postage charges. SUNSTONE is mailed third class bulk in the United States and is not forwardable. Subscribers are responsible to notify the magazine at least one month in advance of address changes. SUNSTONE is not responsible for undelievered issues. Send all correspondence and manuscripts to SUNSTONE, P.O. 2272, Salt Lake City, Utah 84110 (Phone 801-355-5926). ~_opyright © 1983 by the Sun.~tone Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Mormons who hate their parents but can’t quite break away must have great appeal, because they appear with some regularity. Who is it, exactly, that reads these stories? And more importantly, what is it that they get rs’ForumI out of reading them? Perhaps what bothers me is that I share some of the feelings and doubts of the protagonists of stories such as Saderup’s; but I am always brought up short because the details used to Certainty Better Than Probability A startling reversal can follow from portray Mormonism have little to do C. Robert Mesle misrepresented the this analysis. If by evidence we mean with any Mormons I ever knew. position of Elder Boyd K. Packer in reality itself (the only absolutely Having grown up in a Mormon family suggesting that Elder Packer reliable evidence) then it is possible outside Utah (and Idaho and Wyoming understands faith as "belief without that Elder Packer bases his belief on and California), it strikes me that evidence" (SUNSTONE vol. 7:6). On the evidence while it is certain that these stories have a lot more to do contrary, Elder Packer would surely Brother Mesle holds his belief without with Utah than they do with maintain that faith, built upon the evidence. Elder Packer at least claims Mormonism, even though they claim witness of the spirit, is itself a fully to have immediate access to reality; to deal with religious issues more reliable "evidence of things not seen." historians cannot make this claim. than just local culture. By immediate spiritual intuition Elder And if Elder Packer does absolutely Richard Popp Packer and many others know beyond know that Joseph Smith saw God, he Chicago, Illinois a shadow of doubt that ]oseph Smith is quite right to insist that no one can experienced the First Vision just as properly write Mormon history he described it in the official 1838 without believing Joseph’s report. A "Both-sideism" Charged account. Elder Packer claims to have historian should try to explain away Gary Browning’s article, The Russian perfect evidence and certain knowledge the apparent contradictions between Chimera, in the November-December in the only way one could have it: by Joseph’s various reports if he shared SUNSTONE (VOl. 7:6) was, to put it an indubitable, immediate intuition. Elder Packer’s certain knowledge that mildly, exasperating. He is apparently Brother Mesle might argue along with a practitioner of what Meg Greenfield Joseph saw God. That which is certain has called irreverently "both-sideism." Bertrand Russell that many people must always take precedence over "know" many contradictory things by that which is merely probable. For those who may have missed her "indubitable intuition." But this does editorial a while back, I will just say not prove that Elder Packer is mistaken. For my part, I share Brother Mesle’s that "both-sideism" describes the He may be right where others are assumptions, and I applaud his effort stance that blame should in all cases wrong. In any case, no historian can to preserve faith from historical falsi- be evenly distributed among the be certain that Elder Packer is wrong. fication by mythologizing our dogma. contending parties, e.g. the Soviets As Brother Mesle pointed out, a I think, however, that he has not have thus and such good reasons for historian’s knowledge is always properly emphasized the cost of arming themselves because America provisional, never fully objective. changing one’s definition of "faith" has shown itself to be untrustworthy from true belie] to loving commitment. I in thus and such ways, just as Pol Pot But Brother Mesle did not carry his have followed the course he outlines in Cambodia had good reasons for critique of historical knowledge far in recent years, and I am keenly aware decimating his country’s population a enough. He correctly pointed out that that one loses a good deal in making few years ago. Do you get it? All for historians "the past is never the transition. I do not think that the bastions of fashionable thought, such directly observable," that historians Utah church could survive as the as the national media, feel obligated so are confined to the interpretation of dynamic, confident faith that it is if to be "fair." interpretations of the past. However, the Saints generally regarded our As Latter-day Saints who believe he failed to point out that even if a dogma as myth rather than as history. passionately in our religion (many or historian could be on the scene and Delivered before the Mormon History directly observe a historical event, he most of us), we may draw a clear line. Association or published in SUNSTONE, The skeptics and naturalists among would still have just another "History, Faith and Myth" is a you out there may smile condescend- interpretation of the event, not blessing. If published in the Ensign, it ingly as I say this, but I cannot deny objective knowledge. Most might be a curse. philosophers nowadays concede that that I have experienced the reality of Val Larsen an influence in this world that is we have no access to ultimate reality; committed to the degradatio~n of man- we simply have a set of assumptions kind and of an influence that is and a version of reality consistent Religion or Culture committed to our betterment. For the with our assumptions. Brother Dian Saderup’s story "Out There" sake of convenience I think of those Mesle’s assumptions surely color his influences as God and Satan. talk about "evidence" and "our contains all the essential elements for good SUNSTONE fiction: a little How can a Latter-day Saint equate, dilemma" (our cannot include Elder apostasy, a little death, some slightly Packer or thousands of other Latter- however roughly, the policies of the day Saints); his assumptions color the illicit sex, a little carefully placed USSR which denies its citizens access assertion that "one thing does seem profanity, and lots of nostalgia and to the gospel, and one like the United certain: we cannot be certain about bittersweet memories of home and States which permits this access? the First Vision" (thousands of people bottled fruit. Browning suggests that the Soviets with other assumptions are certain). Stories of disenchanted young fear us for precisely the same reasons we fear them, but more on this later. state so that the affairs of every us is still dominant. But here, too, This is the tactic of the "both-sideist." department of life may be directed by regrettably, it will only be a matter of One is implementing policies which social planners in order to bring about time before all the hopes and further Satan’s enterprises, while the one, uniform, materialistic utopia for expectations of which we can conceive other is pushing in the other all citizens. as Dr. Jekyll will appear achievable direction. If our Church is God’s What Browning and many others only by means of Mr.
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