DIALOGUE A JOURNAL OF MORMON THOUGHT 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 human experience as a whole and to foster artistic and scholarly achievement based on their cultural heritage. The Journal encourages a variety of viewpoints; although every effort is made to ensure accurate scholarship and responsible judgment the views expressed are those of the individual authors and are not necessarily those of the Mormon Church or of the editors. CONTENTS LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ARTICLES AND ESSAYS ART AND THE CHURCH: OR "THE TRUTHS OF SMOOTHER" Wayne C. Booth 9 THE PASSAGE OF MORMON PRIMITTVISM Peter Crawley 26 REVELATION: THE COHESIVE ELEMENT IN INTERNATIONAL MORMONISM Candadai Seshachari 38 NEW VOICES, NEW SONGS: CONTEMPORARY POEMS BY MORMON WOMEN Linda Sillitoe 47 POETRY WRITTEN IN CHURCH Sonia Johnson 63 TAKE, EAT Colin Douglas 64 WEDDING SONG Colin Douglas 65 FICTION SHOCKS OF GRAIN Robert L. Egbert 66 PERSONAL VOICES A MIGHTY CHANGE OF HEART Edward R. Hogan 71 SOME SENTIMENTAL THOUGHTS ON LEAVING THE FOLD Kent L. Walgren 75 FROM THE PULPIT PERSONAL CONSCIENCE AND PRIESTHOOD AUTHORITY L. Jackson Newell 81 NOTES AND COMMENTS POLYNESIAN ORIGINS: MORE WORD ON THE MORMON PERSPECTIVE Russell T. Clement 88 DIALOGUE: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Vol. XIII, No. 4, Winter 1980 UTOPIANISM AND REALISM IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: SOME SCRIPTURAL PERSPECTIVES Ray C. Hillam 99 AMONG THE MORMONS Edited by Stephen W. Stathis INDEX TO VOLUME XIII Compiled by Gary P. Gillum ART CREDITS COVER Marilyn R. Miller ILLUSTRATIONS, pp. 13, 17, 25 Calvin Grondahl ILLUSTRATIONS, p. 62, 128 Marilyn R. Miller Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought is published quarterly by the Dialogue Foundation, Editorial Office, 4012 N. 27th St., Arlington, Virginia 22207. Dialogue has no official connection with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. Third class postage paid at Arlington, Virginia. Contents copyright ©1981 by the Dialogue Foundation. ISSN 002-2157 Subscription rate in the United States is $20.00 per year; students $10.00 per year; single copies, $6.00. Write Subscriptions, P.O. Box 1387, Arlington, Vir- ginia 22210. Many back issues are available; write for information. Dialogue is also available in microform through University of Microfilms International, Dept. F.A., 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106, and 18 Bedford Row, London, WC1R 4EJ, England. Dialogue welcomes articles, essays, poetry, fiction, notes and comments, and art work. Manuscripts should be sent in triplicate, accompanied by return postage, to Editor, Dialogue. A Journal of Mormon Thought, P.O. Box 1387, Arlington, Virginia 22210. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR the dialogue habit operative." It seems that on this point, at I just got my issue of Dialogue (Vol. XIII, least, Pratt was "right" and Young was 2) and read it from cover to cover. Well, I "wrong." Either that, or truth is like didn't read all of the footnotes to Bergera, Humpty Dumpty had it, whatever it was but other than that, I plowed right declared to be. A third possibility, less through. I can't resist my ingrained habit likely to my mind, is that the Lord him- of critiquing the issue, so I'll give you self has some difficulty with theological some of my impressions and questions. concepts as well and periodically rede- If you don't feel like reading them, I fines truth. won't be offended—just can't break an Whichever it is (or none of the above), old habit! it is difficult to hang in there with the I like the way you handled the LDS, where a sort of democratic cen- cover—effective visually and I'm sure it tralism appears to be controlling. was cheaper than a lot of possibilities. Ted C. Slack I've always liked that picture of Pratt, Miami, Florida though. Original wild man/Santa Claus combination. mighty singers in zion I do hope you can work out some sys- tem for Gene Sessions to keep on doing Regarding the last sentence of my essay the Brief Notices. I missed them in this "Family Presentation" in the summer issue. Maybe some people thought he issue (Vol. XIII, 2): I did not hear my was too biting sometimes, but I enjoyed brothers singing in the back row of the his irony. Someone ought to be pointing chapel from my position on the stand; I out attempts to Milk the Mormons—too could see them singing. If the error ap- many Mormons will buy anything if the pears in the manuscript I sent you, I sales pitch is slanted toward the Church. claim it as my own, but I don't think it In this town it isn't books, but tacky does. And I did correct it in the galley ceramic plaques and dried foods. proofs but to no avail. Perhaps the fates are trying to tell us something—that to I'm really looking forward to the next some is given the gift of exceeding fine issue of Dialogue—it should have more hearing? That the Tabernacle Choir is things that I haven't read yet. Only the missing out on two dynamite tenors? poems were new to me in this one. Dian Saderup Maybe I'll like the fiction better. I've read Salt Lake City, Utah that "Ford Mustang" now several times, and I still feel I've completely missed the point. I just can't grasp this "modern lit- perdoneme erature." It was nice to see my review of Jim Benita Brown Welch's records in print; I hope this lim- (former Dialogue Managing Editor) ited exposure will help church members Richland, Washington become acquainted with Mr. Welch's work and talent. Several people have inoperative asked me about obtaining records; they The account of Orson Pratt's travail with should write directly to Prof. Welch, (1) LDS theology and (2) Brigham Young Dept. of Music, University of California was one of your best. (Volume XIII, 2.) at Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA I couldn't help but be reminded of 93106. Records cost $7.95 each plus $1.00 Galileo's problems with his ecclesiastical for handling. hierarchy, and that they were resolved in One small correction: although I was a similar way. once an organ major, I am now an Asst. Of course the Church still holds to Professor of Spanish—not a Professor of some of Br. Brigham's concepts, but the Music as stated in the review. Adam-God theory is now, to quote a Nicolas Shumway former presidential press secretary, "in- New Haven, Connecticut Letters to the Editor I 5 addresses please sionaries, there was always an under- My wife and I were pleased to receive the ground feeling that lady missionaries spring issue on the international Church. would lower your district's percentages, We were particularly moved by the lower your district's image, lower what- testimony and story of S. Paul ever it was that the elders thought they Thiruthuvadoss whose plea for assist- had going for them. ance could not go unnoticed. If available, I remember in my first district I went could you send us Brother Thi- to we were told that the district was hav- ruthuvadoss' address? ing a two-day fast and that we were Grant M. Boswell going to break the fast together at a sun- Arcadia, California rise testimony meeting on diversion day. [Ed. Note: S. Paul Thiruthuvadoss can be I had just experienced a first-time reached do A.C.C. Cement Ltd., Madukkarai airplane flight and much exhaustion and Cement Works, Madukkarai P.O. (641105), fatigue from farewell to mission home to Coimbatore Dist., Tamil Nadu, India.] mission field, and my body was on jet lag. I was dehydrated and weak by the time we broke the fast; nevertheless, I dialogue grows up managed to hold myself together until I am writing in praise of LaMond Tullis' the district leader announced that the fast article in your International issue. ("The had been held on behalf of the new sis- Church Moves Outside the United ters coming into the district. (It became States," Vol. XIII, 1.) The article was clear to me later that the elders were fear- clearly and forcefully written, and it said ful of lady missionaries, and that is why things that have needed saying for a long they held the fast.) It was then that I time. I will be looking forward to con- began to convulse with dry heaves, and tinuing works of comparable maturity in they all got scared that I would doom the your journal. district for sure. I experience delayed Patty Hart Molen stress even now when I think back to this Salt Lake City, Utah missionary experience and others. It is comparable to what veterans of Viet Nam emotional rip-off say they experience. I am a thirty-eight-year-old Mormon Mary Jean Uebelgunne mother who was born and raised in Ogden, Utah Utah. Being raised female in Utah was very difficult for me because I could never understand why boys got to be Boy gallic gaffe Scouts and play basketball when we girls Today the mailman brought your journal always had to prepare for "getting mar- (Vol. XIII, 1), and I immediately settled ried." I loved the Church deeply and down for a non-stop reading adventure. never realized until my adult years what It was a wonderful, educational and tragic narrowness my church imposed on enjoyable afternoon—and then—the my life.