Utah Books

In "Major Problems of Mormonism" Jerald and Sandra Tanner examine historical and theological difficulties faced by the Church of Latter Day Saints (LDS). For readers unfamiliar with the authors, the Tanners are famous (or infamous) ex-LDS members. I offer the following comments for potential readers.

Although the authors do not appear to be professional academics their work is well researched and presented. Whether or not one agrees with their conclusions, the Tanners come across as sincere and passionate seekers of the truth. Disillusioned by the LDS the Tanners seem to be advocating a more-or-less mainstream Protestant perspective.

The text covers many doctrinal and historical issues plaguing the LDS, including;

- Changing doctrine (e.g. polygamy, views on non-white peoples, blood atonement)
- Absence of archeological evidence for Book of Mormon
- Smith's apparent plagiarism (from Bible and other historic sources)
- The Adam/God doctrine (God was once a man)
- Smith's personal credibility
- LDS deviation from the Book of Mormon (e.g. polytheism)

Though some individual claims advocated by the Tanners can, and have been, challenged, en masse they present a compelling evidentiary and logical argument against Mormonism. To be fair to the LDS no belief system is immune from criticism, and historically based religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam and Mormonism are subject to a particular range of challenges. It is in this historic context that I feel the LDS position is weakest (from a philosophical perspective they also have significant difficulties). Despite LDS denials the church's position has changed significantly on a range of issues. Frequent adjustment of divinely revealed truth is tremendously problematic for any religion. As significant as these changes are, however, perhaps even more concerning is the LDS' seemingly Orwellian attempt to clandestinely rewrite its history and surpress documentation.

From a stylistic perspective the text has some minor drawbacks. Its older type setting and poor quality photocopies give it an un-polished look. The book is in large part an abbreviation of the author's longer works and as a result occasionally has a choppy feel. These drawbacks are minor and have only limited impact on the book overall effectiveness.

Overall, it is a good read with many references for further research. I recommend it to all LDS members as well as to students of comparative religion. I have been unable to find a comprehensive rebuttal to the challenges raised by critics such as the Tanners, but, would welcome such a recommendation from other readers.

This was an excellent book! I highly reccomend it to anyone! The plot was pretty good, and the characters were well developed. You could really relate to the main character. The only downfall I think for some people was that not many people are interested in the subject matter, which is history and archeaology (sp?). It was, however, very interesting and enjoyable. If you haven't read this book yet, I suggest that you do!

Increasingly in recent years historians of Mormonism have turned their attention to the question of the church's history outside the United States, certainly a positive development as those plowing the field begin to move beyond the hidebound story of Joseph Smith and the founding and first generation experiences of the Mormon movement to consider other aspects of the religion's history. This exploration of Mormonism in Canada was precipitated by the centennial of the settlement of Mormons in Alberta in 1887 and a symposium that was organized to review the subject. It is from this conference that the articles published in this collection were derived.

While a subject of significance, until the recent centennial most historians did not investigate this subject extensively or with any real seriousness. "The Mormon Presence in Canada" is a gleaning of some of the best short research on the subject, placing emphases on the topic and serving as a partial corrective of past neglect. As a result, it is a most welcome collection of articles. Taken altogether and arranged roughly chronologically, the 17 chapters, each written by a different specialist, represent a particular aspect of Mormon history, culture, and social development in Canada during the period since the 1830s.

Some narrow and others broadly interpretive, the articles in this book are far more interdisciplinary than most works of this type, another positive trend as several social sciences and arts interchange perspectives, methodologies, and interpretive models to explain various aspects of the subject.

Any collected work's quality is uneven and this book is no exception. Some of the essays are more challenging than others; I found particularly rewarding and convincing Armand L. Mauss, "Mormons as Ethnics: Variable Historical and International Implications of an Appealing Concept," in which he argued that Mormons should not be considered a distinctive ethnic group. While Mauss takes only a little exception to the framework of Mormon ethnicity to explain the historical development of the religion, used so convincingly by Thomas S. O'Dea, The Mormons (1957) and Jan Shipps, Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition (1985), he found that the cultural differences that set Mormonism apart from the rest of society have largely withered away in the twentieth century and the religion can no longer sustain the ethnicity claim. He commented, "during the past century there has been an obvious convergence between Mormons and their host societies in North America, so that Mormons are required to reach ever more deeply into the bag of cultural peculiarities to find traits that will help them mark their subcultural boundaries, and thus their very identity as a special people" (p. 348).

Also especially challenging was Dean R. Louder's "Canadian Mormon Identity and the French Fact," which explores a genuine ethnic issue in Canada as it relates to the Mormon experience: the French/Anglo makeup of the nation. Using sociological tools and a perspective sharpened by personal as well as scholarly experience, Louder criticizes the Mormon church for its lack of missionary activity among French Canadians, for its neglect of French-speaking Mormons in Canada, and for its overarching emphasis on American, and therefore Anglo, aspects of its religious culture. This flies in the face of a resurgence of ethnicity officially sanctioned in Canada. "Thus," he wrote, "the official church and, by extension, its membership deny the cultural specificity of Canada and the existence of an international church within that country" (p. 322).

Although each of the articles stands on its own and is a useful contribution, some themes and events are unevenly represented. There are no fewer than four contributions relating to Mormon polygamy, and five on the settlement of Charles Ora Card and the Mormons at Cardston and other parts of southern Alberta beginning in the 1880s. Important topics to be sure, but some other areas go begging as a result. Only Richard E. Bennett's essay on Mormon activities in eastern Canada during the early part of the church's history, for instance, deals with that important subject. Only Dean Louder's contribution already mentioned considers the multi-ethnic nature of the country and its implications for Mormonism. I was disappointed to find only modest information, even though some was presented, on the political and economic activities of the Mormons in Canada.

There was also no systematic discussion of the evolution of the Mormon church's official policy toward Canada, something which would have been a useful study for present-day policy makers in the Mormon hierarchy. Finally, one of my pet peeves, there is absolutely no mention of the history of the Reorganized Church or of any other of Mormonism's factions in Canada. While a much less important part of the overall history of Mormonism, the Reorganized Church and probably the Strangite experience in Canada deserve some discussion in a book such as this and could have provided a useful counterpoint for analyzing church member backgrounds, relations with larger society, organizational structures, and the like.

These criticisms aside, this collection of essays is a good beginning in exploring the Mormon experience in Canada.

Originally published as "The Utah Expedition" by the Arthur H. Clark Co. in 1958, this is a documentary history of this important military operation in 1857-58. It is also significant for making available once again an impressive collection of key documents. This account--while neither exhaustive nor fully representative of the extensive records available--contains many valuable official records and an impressive sampling of privately held documents.

The editors, LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann B. Hafen, both members of the Latter-day Saint church and acclaimed as leading authorities of frontier America, arranged the material into eleven chapters touching upon the most critical issues of the expedition. They provided the general orders which authorized the expedition; an account of the mission of Captain Stewart Van Vliet, sent to Utah to scout the territory and acquire necessary provisions for the army; the reports of Colonel Edmund B. Alexander, the senior officer of the advance troops destined for Utah; the diaries of members of the expedition; documents bearing upon Albert Sidney Johnston's movement into winter quarters at Fort Bridger; the reactions of the Mormons and Congress to the expedition; Thomas L. Kane's effort to negotiate a settlement; Governor Alfred Cumming's reports and correspondence concerning the affair; and documents dealing with the Utah Peace Commission.

The Hafens have chosen their documents well and have annotated them to provide additional background information. Annotation prevents the over-editing which has caused many documentary collections to suffer. This modest and fair appraisal of the controversial expedition is also still as valid today as it was when first published twenty-seven years ago. Yet although the Hafens have avoided over-editing, there are hazards to under-editing as well. On this point this account could have benefited from additional items. For instance, the editors chose to ignore the immediate causes of friction between the United States government and the people of Utah. The only apparent reasons for this military operation are those described in the letters of federal officials W.F.M. Magraw and W.W. Drummond, which unnecessarily charged the Mormons with open rebellion against the United States. As a result, the expedition seems to take place without sufficient justification. More documentary evidence to demonstrate the reasons behind the administration's approach would have been helpful.

This is a very important work and its republication is most welcome. The elements of the adventure--the expedition's initial activities, the reactions in Congress and in Utah, the Mormon efforts at resistance, Thomas Kane's heroic conciliation mission, Governor Cumming's good intentions, and the final settlement--all find illustration in well-selected journals, letters, government documents, and newspaper accounts.

Stephen Taggart, before he died, penned what may be the classic statement of the so-called "Missouri thesis," framed by Mormon scholars as an argument that their Church's "Negro Doctrine" - which both denied the Priesthood to men of African descent and condemned interracial marriage - developed out of a pragmatic response to the peculiar historical circumstances of the Mormon experience in Missouri.

By characterizing the Mormon Church's position as a pragmatic response to temporary local conditions, proponents of the Missouri thesis apparently hoped to deprive it of doctrinal authority, and to open the way to its repudiation.

That repudiation came, of course, with the Mormon Church's June 1978 revelation that men of African descent should not longer be excluded from the Priesthood of the Mormon Church. See Newell G. Bringhurst, Saints, Slaves, and Blacks: The Changing Place of Black People Within Mormonism (Contributions to the Study of Religion, No. 4)

Eric Alan Isaacson

Anniversaries typically spark the reconsideration of historic events in all kinds of ways, from reinactments to ceremonies to historical publications. The 150th anniversary of the Mormon opening of the British mission in 1987 was no exception. For example, the Mormon History sponsored an annual meeting at Oxford University which focused on the Mormon experience in Great Britain.

It is largely from this conference that the articles published in this collection were derived. While a subject of significance, until the sesquicentennial most historians did not investigate this subject very extensively. "Mormonism in Early Victorian Britain," a gleaning of some of the best short work on the subject, places emphases on the topic and serves as a partial corrective of past neglect. As a result, it is a most welcome publication.

Richard L. Jensen, Research Historian of the Joseph Fielding Smith Center for Church History, and Malcolm R. Thorp, a member of the History Department, both at Brigham Young University, have assembled a set of diverse essays on various aspects of the Mormon experience in Great Britain. Taken altogether and arranged roughly chronologically, the 16 chapters, each written by a different specialist, represents a particular aspect of Mormon culture in Britain during the nineteenth century.

Some narrow and others broadly interpretive, the articles in this book contain a heavy emphasis on social history. This is probably as it should be, with the current state of historical inquiry emphasizing social science methodology and themes. Essays on the backgrounds and lifestyles of Mormon converts, regional and local studies of Mormon life, and the overall cultural setting in Britain which allowed Mormonism to flourish abound. There is also something included here which has been largely ignored in recent Mormon historical writing: administrative history. One of the potentially productive avenues that can be explored in seeking to understand the place Mormons occupy today, administrative history in this book takes the form of detailed studies of regional conference organization and functioning, church courts and governing, and the unique organization in Britain of Mormon pastors and pastorates.

These essays represent an added appreciation of the potential of administrative history and a fine beginning toward greater understanding of the church's development. Finally, there are several essays which deal with Mormon/non-Mormon interrelation- ships and difficulties which serve as additives and in some instances correctives for similar studies in other nations.

Any collected work's quality is uneven and this book is no exception. Some of the essays are more challenging than others; I found particularly rewarding Grant Underwood's analysis of "The Religious Milieu of English Mormonism" and Susan L. Fales' demographic portrait of Mormons in Leeds. There are, however, two built-in difficulties with collections of this type. First, although Mormons in Early Victorian Britain is an important attempt to present detailed contributions on aspects of the topic, it views the Mormon experience in Britain only through the lens of selected events, institutions, personalities, or whatever. There are also huge gaps in the story of the British mission that a reader can only guess at from this publication. There remains, unfortunately, no synthesis of the overall field of study. Each essay stands essentially alone.

Second, themes and events are unevenly represented. An obvious omission is the complete lack of discussion of the history of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Britain. While a much less important part of the overall history of Mormonism, the Reorganized Church experience deserves some mention in a book such as this and could have provided a useful counterpoint for analyzing church member backgrounds, relations with larger society, organizational structures, and the like. Were the people who joined the Reorganized Church like those that joined the larger Mormon organization? Were there commonalities of background and economic, social, and political status between the two groups. How did the institutional frameworks of the two church's adapt to the surroundings and problems of Victorian Britain? These and a host of other questions could have been asked in essays on this subject. Although several papers relating to the Reorganization's experience in Great Britain were presented at the Oxford conference, none were included in this collection and this omission is a glaring example of a lack of concern among many new Mormon historians about issues and themes outside the mainstream of Mormon historical interests. Not even David J. Whittaker's otherwise excellent bibliographical essay on Mormonism in Victorian Britain mentions any of the literature on the Reorganization's history there, although there are a half-dozen or so useful publications on the subject.

These criticisms aside, this collection of essays is a fine beginning in exploring the Mormon experience in Great Britain. It, along with other studies published as a result of interest sparked by the sesquicentennial, have rescued the subject from obscurity. This book will be of interest to scholars and general readers alike as a fine introduction to a complex and fascinating subject.

Bromka does a good job of organizing a very large group of rides. His descriptions, however, were often limited and repetitive. Overall, though, I found the book to be very helpful.

Backus is a distant relative of Phillip Klingensmith a participant in the Mountain Meadows Massacre. The author seeks to tell Klingensmith's life story by weaving her narrative with the testimony he gave in the first trial of John D. Lee. It is a unique way to carry her story and her writing is engaging, and favorable towards Klingensmith. She does tend to take Klingensmith at his word, and doesn't deal with the few times he was misleading or lied during his testimony, especially when he was talking about the massacre. On the whole a good book, and well worth the reading.

I really like this book in as much as it is the actual life of Mountain Sheep, except for the beginning. He has a life full of adventure and sorrow. It is a book that kept me spell bound and wanting to read the next chapter as soon as possible. A good book to read. The chapter about the confession is very facinating and from what I learned, factual. Good story

In southern Utah and northern Arizona there is a beautiful, historic mountain--Navajo Mountain--a giant, green often snow-covered dome, a laccolith, surrounded by canyons and slickrock desert. The mountain is the highest point of the entire Navajo Nation, 10,388 feet above sea level, and five thousand feet above the surrounding area. It rises over a thousand horizons of mesas, buttes, cliffs, and other abnormalities.
On one of the mountain's flanks, there is a small town--the community of Navajo Mountain itself. That's what this book's about.
In the town there's an abandoned stone school, a chapter house (or town hall), a few shack-like churches, countless scattered homes, and the gray brick buildings of the old, shutdown Navajo Mountain Trading Post. The trading post once served as the center of activity around Navajo Mountain; people used to go there to buy flour and sugar and coffee, sell their rugs and nuts and jewelry, and wash their clothes in coin-operated washing machines, but it's been closed down since 1990.
Now, no stores are open in Navajo Mountain anymore, and people drive a long, badly graded dirt road an hour and a half to Page, Arizona to shop, or more than fifty miles south to a gas station-grocery store known as Tonalea, Arizona, where there's also a post office. Navajo Mountain has no hospital or police station, either--the closest ones are in Tuba City, Arizona, eighty-five miles away--and because of its isolation it's perfect for an anthropological study, perfect to be the subject of a book like this.
Navajo Mountain used to be considered the most isolated town in the lower forty-eight states. In the late-1920s a road was built to it against the strong wishes of many local Navajos, but the town is still considered the most isolated town in the Navajo Nation. Many of the town's people are descendants of Navajos that escaped or survived the infamous Long Walk that was designed to relocate and to break the will of the West's Navajos.
The few that escaped the Long Walk were led by a rebellious Navajo sheepherder named Hoskininni, "the Angry One," and those few hid in the canyons beneath Navajo Mountain for years, foraging for plants, hunting for mountain sheep, and laying low. Any white prospectors that wandered into the area during that time mysteriously disappeared--Hoskininni didn't like visitors--and the Navajos believed themselves to be protected by the twin gods Monster Slayer and Born-for-Water, and by the spirit of Navajo Mountain herself. They were the start of the Navajo Mountain community.
This book is a fascinating account of the area, of Hoskininni's descendants, and of the town. The book is unfortunately dense with esoteric anthropological terms, but used in conjunction with Karl Luckert's "Navajo Mountain and Rainbow Bridge Religion," it can be a very valuable resource, full of great stories, and fascinating information on skinwalkers, Navajo history, Paiute-Navajo relations, folklore, and the role of traditional Navajos in a modern world.
I highly recommend this for anyone interested in any of the above.