Cover.qxd 12/23/02 12:46 PM Page 2 MORMON EXPERIENCE SCHOLARSHIP ISSUES & ART Hugh Nibley SUNSTONESUNSTONE Folklore Boyd Petersen separates fact from fiction (p.18) ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, GUITARS IN CHURCH? England MANY CHAT ROOMS contest award-winning essay by Gael D. Ulrich (p.7) Who are the Ormites? Let Kevin Smith tell you! (p.47) REDEEMING THE DEAD Brown fiction contest winner by Todd Robert Petersen (p.52) Sunstone History: Peggy Fletcher Years by Lavina Fielding Anderson (p.24) A LAMENTATION FOR PEACE by Michael Nielsen (p.60) NEWS The Church Plaza controversy; Writers face Church discipline, protesters hold vigil; General Conference brings new policies; Survey seeks better understanding of Mormon women; New standards at Deseret Book, and much more! (p.70) MORMONS, THE INTERNET, AND THE December 2002—$5.95 COMPLEXITIES OF OPEN SPACES BY HUGO OLAIZ ifc.qxd 12/23/02 12:47 PM Page 1 2003 SUNSTONE SYMPOSIUM WEST 18–19 APRIL, SAN FRANCISCO AIRPORT CLARION HOTEL CALL FOR PAPERS CALL FOR PROPOSALS. Sunstone seeks to celebrate and explore Mor- SUBMIT PROPOSALS TO: mon experience, issues, and art through diverse approaches and from many By email: Richard Rands <[email protected]> perspectives. From scholarly paper to artistic expression, we strive for Kim McCall <[email protected]> excellence in thought and quality in presentation. John Hatch <[email protected]> FORMATS. Sessions may be scholarly papers, panel discussions, inter- (Please send proposals to all three addresses.) views, personal essays, sermons, dramatic performances, literary read- By snail mail: 343 N. Third West, Salt Lake City, UT 84103 ings, debates, comic routines, art displays, or musical presentations. CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS. We welcome all who would like to assist in PROPOSALS SHOULD INCLUDE. Session title; a one-hundred word putting Sunstone West together. Please contact the symposium coordi- abstract; presenters’ names, vitas, backgrounds, and contact informa- nators at the emails above if you would like to help. tion; a summary of the topic’s relevance and importance to Mormon OTHER UPCOMING 2003 SYMPOSIUMS studies; description of any audio or visual equipment needs. Washington, D.C. • 2–3 May DEADLINE. Submit proposals by 15 FEBRUARY 2003. Those submitted Salt Lake City • 13–16 August after the deadline will be considered on a time/space-available basis. Watch for details! GOD, HUMANITY, AND REVELATION PERSPECTIVES FROM MORMON PHILOSOPHY AND HISTORY Yale University Divinity School 27–29 March 2003 Open to the public To register or learn more, visit http://www.yale.edu/mormon_conference Co-sponsors: Institute for the Study and Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts, Richard L. Evans Chair for Religious Understanding, Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History, Yale University Divinity School THE 2003 EUGENE ENGLAND William G. and Winifred F. Reese MEMORIAL PERSONAL ESSAY CONTEST Memorial Award Deadline extended to 1 February 2003. Entries are being accepted for the annual William G. and Winifred F. Reese Memorial Award. The $500 recognition of achievement will be given to the person completing or pub- lishing the best doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis in the field of Mormon history in a given year. Approved final versions of manuscripts should be submitted by 1 February 2003 to the Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History, 121 KMB, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602. These will not be returned to the authors. For additional details please visit <www.sunstoneonline.com> This year’s award, based upon material completed or published or contact the Sunstone office in 2002, will be given at the Mormon History Association annual meeting in Kirtland, Ohio, 22–25 May 2003. 343 N. Third West, Salt Lake City, UT 84103 (801) 355–5926 Fax (801) 355-4043 Email <[email protected]> 01 toc.qxd 12/23/02 12:48 PM Page 1 MORMON EXPERIENCE, SCHOLARSHIP, ISSUES, & ART DECEMBER 2002 Issue 125 FEATURES 7 Gael D. Ulrich. GUITARS IN CHURCH?: 2002 Eugene England Memorial Personal Essay Contest Winner 18 Boyd Petersen. TRUTH IS STRANGER THAN FOLKLORE: HUGH NIBLEY—THE MAN AND THE LEGEND 24 Lavina Fielding Anderson . “IMMEDIATELY IRRESISTIBLE IDEAS”: SUNSTONE AND PEGGY FLETCHER, 1980–1986 36 Hugo Olaiz. ONE LORD, ONE FAITH, MANY CHAT ROOMS: MORMONS, THE INTERNET, AND THE COMPLEXITIES OF OPEN SPACES 47 Kevin Smith . THE BOOK OF ORME OR HIGH ADVENTURE ON THE OPEN SEAS OR A SUPPOSEDLY FUN THING I’LL NEVER DO AGAIN UNTIL NEXT YEAR SUNSTONE (ISSN 0363-1370) is published by The Sunstone 52 Todd Robert Petersen . REDEEMING THE DEAD: 1998 Brookie & D.K. Education Foundation, Inc., a non-profit corporation with no Brown Fiction Contest Winner official ties to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Articles represent the opinions of the writers only. POETRY SUNSTONE is indexed in Religion Index One: Periodicals, 51 Stephen Frech . WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT THE OWL SO FIERCE? the Index to Book Reviews in Religion, Religion Indexes: RIO/RIT/IBBR 1975– on CD-ROM, and the ATLA Religion Database, published by 55 Gerald R. Wheeler . CELLO PLAYER the American Theological Library Association, 250 S. Wacker Dr., 16th Flr., Chicago, IL 60606 59 Anita Tanner . WHAT I WANTED FROM SNOW (e-mail: [email protected], WWW: http://atla.com/). 67 Clayton Hansen. THREE VISITS Submissions may be on IBM-PC compatible computer diskettes (MS Word or WordPerfect format), or by e-mail attachment. COLUMNS Submissions should not exceed 8,000 words and must be accompanied by a signed letter giving permission for the 4 Dan Wotherspoon . FROM THE EDITOR: Saving the Whole World manuscript to be filed in the Sunstone collection at the University of Utah Marriott Library (all literary rights are retained by CORNUCOPIA authors). Manuscripts will not be returned; authors will be 12 Richard H. Cracroft . THE NAKED TRUTH: A Widow from Scipio notified concerning acceptance within ninety days. 14 Vickie Stewart Eastman. RIGHTEOUS DOMINION: The Ward Christmas SUNSTONE is interested in feature- and column-length articles Wreath relevant to Mormonism from a variety of perspectives, news stories about Mormons and the LDS church, and short reflections 15 . ALTERNATE VOICES: Main Street Mania: Projects and commentary. Poetry submissions should have one poem per That Didn’t Make It page, with the poet’s name and address on each page; a self- 15 Bruce Smith . CALLED TO SERVE: A Father’s Advice addressed, stamped envelope should accompany each submission. Short poems—haiku, limericks, couplets, and one- 56 D. Jeff Burton. BRAVING THE BORDERLANDS: Explorations liners—are very welcome. Short stories are selected only through in Openness the annual Brookie and D. K. Brown Memorial Fiction Contest (submission deadline: 30 June 2002; $5 fee per story). 60 Michael Nielsen . NONSTANDARD DEVIATIONS: A Lamentation for Peace Letters for publication should be identified. SUNSTONE does not acknowledge receipt of letters to the editor. Letters addressed 80 Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark, . AN OLIVE LEAF: Bravely and Heroically Choose to specific authors will be forwarded, unopened, to them. a Better Course of Life Upon request by subscribers, SUNSTONE will not provide BOOK REVIEWS subscriber addresses to mail list solicitors. David O. McKay Send all correspondence and manuscripts to: 62 Robert H. Briggs. WRESTLING BRIGHAM: Blood of the Prophets: SUNSTONE Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain 343 N. Third West Meadows by Will Bagley Salt Lake City, UT 84103-1215 66 Lisa Tensmeyer Hansen . COINCIDENCE WITH POTENTIAL: Consider the (801) 355-5926 fax: (801) 355-4043 Butterfly: Transforming Your Life Through Meaningful email: [email protected] Coincidence, by Carol Lynn Pearson website: www.sunstoneonline.com 68 Sonja Farnsworth. GETTING “REAL”: Women and Authority: Re- United States subscriptions to SUNSTONE are $36 for 6 issues, emerging Mormon Feminism, ed. by Maxine Hanks $65 for 12 issues, and $90 for 18 issues. International subscriptions are $48 for 6 issues; $89 for 12 issues; $126 for 18 issues. All payments must be in U.S. funds drawn on a U.S. bank. NEWS All international subscriptions will be sent via surface mail. 70 . Defeated in court, Church launches vigorous public Bona fide student and missionary subscriptions are $10 less than the above rates. A $10 service charge will be deducted from campaign for Temple Square Plaza; LDS writers face refund amount on cancellations. Church discipline in wake of publications; General Conference brings new policies; Church conducts Relief Printed by A “Green” Shop Society survey; Deseret Book institutes new standards; and much more! Copyright © 2002, The Sunstone Education Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. Cover Concept: Hugo Olaiz • Design: Jonathan Coombs and John Hatch 02-03_letters.qxd 12/23/02 10:57 AM Page 2 SUNSTONE YEA, YEA NAY, NAY Founded in 1974 SCOTT KENNEY 1974–1978 ALLEN D. ROBERTS 1978–1980 PEGGY FLETCHER 1978–1986 DANIEL H. RECTOR 1986–1991 ELBERT EUGENE PECK 1986–2001 Editor DAN WOTHERSPOON This is SUNSTONE’s 125th issue! Publisher WILLIAM STANFORD And they said it’d never last. Associate Editor CAROL B. QUIST Managing Editor JOHN HATCH Section Editors Thank you for your wonderful support! MICHAEL AUSTIN, book reviews PHYLLIS BAKER, fiction contest SCOT DENHALTER, Cybersaints ALAN AND VICKIE EASTMAN, Righteous Dominion HUGO OLAIZ, News/Update DIXIE PARTRIDGE, poetry MARY ELLEN ROBERTSON, women’s studies 125 MICHAEL SCHOENFELD, Sunstone Gallery DARRON SMITH, The Long-Promised Day?