From: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com (aml-list-digest) To: aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: aml-list-digest V1 #294 Reply-To: aml-list Sender: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-aml-list-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk aml-list-digest Thursday, April 5 2001 Volume 01 : Number 294 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 20:29:56 -0500 From: Larry Jackson Subject: [AML] MN Hear Ye, Hear Ye -- Utah Judge Writes Best-selling LDS Mystery: Covenant Communications Press Release From: Covenant Communications To: Mormon News Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 23:15:00 -0500 Subject: MN Hear Ye, Hear Ye -- Utah Judge Writes Best-selling LDS Mystery: Covenant Communications Press Release 2Apr01 B4 [From Mormon-News] Hear Ye, Hear Ye -- Utah Judge Writes Best-selling LDS Mystery AMERICAN FORK, UTAH -- Being a judge and an author has proven to be a compelling combination as Clair Poulson uses his unique insight into the criminal mind to create I'll Find You, the #1 best-selling LDS novel. "I've worked with so many different kinds of lawbreakers after twenty years in law enforcement and ten years in the courts-people as tough as they come," said Clair Poulson. "It is a part of me." It is with this understanding that Poulson creates a story that is as gripping as it is believable. At age six, Jeri Satch witnesses her best friend Rusty Egan being kidnapped and can only yell "I'll find you" as the stranger speeds away. Now, seventeen years later, Jeri feels a spark of recognition when she meets a prison inmate who resembles her childhood friend. Clair Poulson uses this web of drama, tragedy, and love to paint the vivid tale of the life of a criminal and the changes that are possible. "I've witnessed firsthand the struggles of prisoners, and I have seen ones who could be reformed" he said. "Remarkable changes can happen when prisoners are touched by the gospel and the right example." - -more- "I'll Find You has sold the entire first printing of 6,500 copies since its release one month ago. The response to the book has been phenomenal. Clair Poulson is the LDS version of John Grisham," said Robby Nichols, vice president of Marketing at Covenant Communications. "As our best-selling book, I'll Find You continues to fly off the shelves-far exceeding our expectations," said Jackie Gibb, assistant manager of Seagull Book and Tape. "Customers like it because it is a book that breaks the mold. It isn't just a mystery or a romance, but an intriguing combination of both." I'll Find You by Clair Poulson (14.95 softcover and $24.95 book on cassette) is available at Seagull Book and Tape, Deseret Book, and bookstores everywhere, or at http://www.covenant-lds.com . ### About Clair Poulson Law Enforcement Career: 1983-1991 Duchesne County Sheriff 1981-1983 Duchesne County Deputy Sheriff 1972-1981 Utah Highway Patrol 1970-1972 U.S. Army Military Police Criminal Justice Career: 1991-Present Duchesne County Justice Court Judge 1999-Present Member of the Utah Judicial Council 1995-Present Member of the Board of Justice Court Judges About the Book I'll Find You, by Clair Poulson, 310 pages, softcover, $14.95, or book on 6 cassettes, $24.95 No one, not even Jeri Satch herself, could explain exactly why she had taken a job hundreds of miles away from her family, friends, and Warren, her perfect boyfriend. It was just something she had to do--because it felt right. Assigned to work with the bookkeeping staff at a minimum security prison, Jeri was invited to tour the facilities. There she saw a strong young man with piercing blue eyes. Could it be Rusty? When she was just six years old, Jeri has witnessed her best friend, Rusty Egan, being kidnapped by a menacing stranger. As the old green car sped away with Rusty inside, Jeri screamed, "I'll find you!" Those words-that promise-had haunted her for seventeen years. As years passed, thoughts of Rusty were never far away from Jeri's mind. And she never ceased to watch for the one thing that would identify him-his unforgettable blue eyes. The muscular inmate named Randy Moore wasn't sure how he knew the attractive young woman who was staring at him. But the name she murmured-Rusty-sent a shiver down his spine, and made long-forgotten memories claw for the light of day. He didn't have time for this. With only months to go before his parole, all Randy could think about was the half a million dollars he had hidden, and the serial killer who would soon be on his trail. Brimming with intrigue, suspense, and an unlikely love, I'll Find You by Clair M. Poulson tells the incredible story of a young woman's search for a long-lost friend, and the adventure of a lifetime that finds her. >From Mormon-News: Mormon News and Events Forwarding is permitted as long as this footer is included Mormon News items may not be posted to the World Wide Web sites without permission. Please link to our pages instead. For more information see http://www.MormonsToday.com/ Send join and remove commands to: majordomo@MormonsToday.com Put appropriate commands in body of the message: To join: subscribe mormon-news To leave: unsubscribe mormon-news To join digest: subscribe mormon-news-digest - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 23:21:01 -0600 From: "Scott Tarbet" Subject: RE: [AML] _Anne Frank_ Performance > Having not seen this production of Anne Frank, but having acted > in several other productions of the play, both as Mr. Van Daan > and (back when I was skinny) as Mr. Frank, I have one tiny > question: how do you deal with the smoking? I smoked as Mr. Van > Daan, and I think it's essential to the play. (I got the props > people to make me some good non-tobacco cigs that looked and > smelled real.) But nowadays lot of stage actors (not just LDS) > won't smoke on-stage, and power to them. How'd y'all deal with it? > > Eric Samuelsen Being Utah Valley and a 100% active LDS cast, crew, and director there just wasn't ever an issue. Lighting up on a Utah Valley stage would have been so distracting for the audience that it would have interferred with the more worthwhile content of the play. Fortunately I think it's essential to the play that Mr. Van Daan be a convincing nicotine addict, but I don't think it essential that he be seen smoking. Early in the first act we know that he's out of tobacco, that it's making him irritable, and that his wife thinks it's a filthy habit. In the same scene he talks about using his empty pipe in his mouth just for something to have in his mouth. (This guy was weaned too early.... ;-d) In the Hannukah scene when Anne gives him a present of two home-made cigarettes we have him go for a match to light up but added a line for his wife, who says, "Don't light that filthy thing in here!" Later in the arc of the character his withdrawals are such that he is willing to sell his wife's most prized possession to fund his habit. I think the general reluctance to smoke on stage, of which I approve, is a reluctance to glamorize or otherwise promote the habit, but I think Van Daan's addiction is an ugly thing that has the opposite effect. [Scott Tarbet] - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 00:57:41 -0600 From: "D. Michael Martindale" Subject: Re: [AML] Question for Irreantum's Editors Gae Lyn Henderson wrote: > Suppose a writer wants to challenge the notion that inner goodness is > represented by outer conformity to rules. However, Sue Shmoe, a reader > says, "oh, this is written by so-and-so inactive Mormon, therefore I can't > give much credibility to what he is saying." Sue Shmoe, who could possibly > learn something about not judging by outward appearances, does not have the > chance to learn from inactive Mormon because she won't even consider his > ideas. If the labels weren't used, Sue Shmoe would eventually find out that so-and-so is inactive anyway, then blame Irreantum for not warning her, and will stop reading the entire magazine. If people want to judge based on superficial reasons, an editorial policy ain't going to stop them. When you're looking for an excuse, any excuse will do. Every 4th of July there are those who make noise about de-legalizing fireworks in Utah, because a select group of idiots hurt themselves or start fires with them. Yet how many people are handling fireworks responsibly that night? I suspect the idiots are a tiny percentage of the total. So why should the rest of us suffer? At a father-son campout our ward had two summers ago, several boys were standing around the campfire poking it with sticks, including my two boys. Most of them (including my two boys) were causing no problems. But the bishop's boys (who are rather rowdy anyway--imagine that!) _were_ causing some problems by being careless. So the bishop came along and told all the boys to stop doing it. I resented that. Why should my boys be punished because his boys were careless? I was there watching them--they were fine. Personally, I'm sick to death of everyone making policy based on the lowest common denominator. I have good reasons for wanting to have a general idea of an author's attitude toward the church, and none of those reasons involve judging their worthiness to speak to me. So why should I be denied that information (especially if the author has publicly described him/herself with the label) just because some people out there will use it as an excuse for judgmentalism? I think more readers of Irreantum than not will fall into the same category I'm in. Anyone hypersensitive about reading "safe" material won't be reading Irreantum. They won't be venturing out of the cocoon of the Deseret Book imprint. - -- D. Michael Martindale dmichael@wwno.com ================================== Check out Worldsmiths, the new online LDS writers group, at http://www.wwno.com/worldsmiths Sponsored by Worlds Without Number http://www.wwno.com ================================== - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 09:24:55 -0500 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Question for Irreantum's Editors My take on all of this is that I would like some author-defined label which identifies whether the author is for or against the Church. Whether the person is active or not makes no difference to me. But I have found there is some truth to the saying that "you can leave the Church, but you just can't leave it alone." I want to know from what platform the person is writing from. If it's antagonistic and Anti-Mormon, I want to know that. It provides a lens, or filter, for me. There is a difference between writing which simply uses Mormonism as a backdrop or Mormon characters, and writing that is designed to tear down or malign the Church. But I really have no interest in finding out whether so & so home teaches or studies scriptures regularly or attends regularly. That's not my business. So, basically, my opinion is that if the _author_ defines their standing in or out of the Church, it should be included. I include my standing in my book (as active and recommend-holding) because I want to. I am questioned often on "how I was able to create such realistic drug-use scenes if I never..." My answer is no, I have never used illicit drugs. I have friends who have, and other research which made the scenes possible. (In my FAQ on my website, I state I don't believe in "method writing." Do I have to smoke to write about a smoker? No.) Since I dislike the apparent autobiographical assumptions people do tend to make, I prefer having my "good" status known right up front, because my good standing is something that's important to me. Some definition should be made as to how the author's work is either "by, for, or about" Mormons, so Irreantum readers know how it fits the cultural context, but I don't think this necessarily has to include the person's relationship with the Church. Maybe that's the question to put to the authors for them to define: How is your work by, for, or about Mormons? Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 11:19:19 -0500 From: Linda Adams Subject: Re: [AML] Writing Schedules Hello, everyone, I started this thread and then went to lurking. I've been reading all the posts with interest. I do appreciate everyone's input. It's been very useful. I wanted to reply briefly, so you know I'm still paying attention. Rachel, this one thing defines it all: At 04:00 AM 3/27/01, you wrote: >I think writing first might really help you with the rest of the day. Some >people are disciplined enough to write later (or even during the night), but >I find that I have to be fresh in order to be in my best writing form. A-HA! Bingo. Viva la difference. You're "fresh" in the morning--a _morning_ person. (Oh. One of _those._) :-) Not me; I need mindless tasks for a while until my brain wakes up to catch up with my body. Also Rachel has been extraordinarily blessed that her baby weight "melts away" within three months after her babies (except this last one, but it was still gone in only six months? of only "no snacks at the computer?") Do you know how lucky you are? :-) (Sisters, was anyone else out there jealous when they read this?) Mine sticks like glue. To get rid of it I have to WORK an hour to and hour and a half 5-6 days a week, consistently, hard sweaty nasty exercise. Since I can't find *that* much time right now, I walk my poor fat dog around the block to help us both, but it doesn't do much (for either of us! ...and I watch his diet better than my own). And although I refuse to mention particulars of my size in this forum, but while Rachel "like[s] to fit in [her] clothes," _I_ liked fitting through doorways... (i.e., exercise has to take a somewhat higher priority in my life, for my health's sake.) :-) I do like the FHE idea and we can incorporate that pretty easily. My schedule is most like Annette Lyon's, and I think I'll do best if I work around something like that. I tried the first-thing-in-the-morning approach last week, and still accomplished little until it was late enough that my brain was actually "awake." I used to use the 12-3 A.M. schedule when the kids were smaller, but my body just can't handle that anymore. I also really liked the shop once-a-month idea. I think I can do that, and trust my husband to pick up more of the small stuff (it's harder to go wrong picking out eggs and milk). I'll try it this month. All told, though, I had to laugh when Eric Samuelsen posted his "schedule," because THAT'S ME. Dead-on, 100%. I hate any kind of schedule, I hate being told what to do and especially when to do it, and telling myself I'll write from 1-3 P.M. is a surefire way to encourage myself to do something else during that time. Luckily for Eric, he's a playwright (and his novel was short too). Most plays are 120 pages long or so and a few hours grabbed here and there is sufficient. I dragged myself into this Thing of Epic Proportions, a 500+ page first novel with people thirsty for MORE as soon as they can get it. I can't run on Eric's schedule any more. I no longer have the freedom to be flighty and fickle. Gotta get to work. Which is what I should be doing right now, actually... whoops. Linda Linda Adams adamszoo@sprintmail.com http://home.sprintmail.com/~adamszoo - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 10:57:22 -0600 From: "Brown" Subject: Re: [AML] _Anne Frank_ Performance Come see. Marilyn - ----- Original Message ----- From: Eric R. Samuelsen To: Sent: Tuesday, April 03, 2001 12:42 PM Subject: Re: [AML] _Anne Frank_ Performance Having not seen this production of Anne Frank, but having acted in several other productions of the play, both as Mr. Van Daan and (back when I was skinny) as Mr. Frank, I have one tiny question: how do you deal with the smoking? I smoked as Mr. Van Daan, and I think it's essential to the play. (I got the props people to make me some good non-tobacco cigs that looked and smelled real.) But nowadays lot of stage actors (not just LDS) won't smoke on-stage, and power to them. How'd y'all deal with it? Eric Samuelsen - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 12:58:59 -0600 From: Jacob Proffitt Subject: Re: [AML] Question for Irreantum's Editors On Tue, 03 Apr 2001 20:56:40 -0600, Jacob Proffitt wrote: >[MOD: I am doing some preemptive moderating here. I take Jacob's "you" = later=20 >in this post (in talking about activity/inactivity) not to be a comment=20 >directed at Gae Lyn, but a rhetorical question directed toward artists=20 >within the community.]=20 Exactly correct. Thank you for clarifying. Jacob - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 13:11:14 -0600 From: "Scott Tarbet" Subject: RE: [AML] Question for Irreantum's Editors Linda Adams: > So, basically, my opinion is that if the _author_ defines their standing in > or out of the Church, it should be included. I think that if an author has self-defined as Anti or Former then and only then is it relevant to Irreantum's readers. Otherwise an author's level of activity is completely irrelevant. Externally-applied labels are by nature prejudicial and therefore anathema. I have never in my life been satisfied with my level of orthodoxy although I have always striven -- there has always been something I've been doing or not doing that makes me feel I'm not exactly where I want to be in my relationship with the Lord. But I have always been a Latterday Saint. Even more pervasively I have always been and could never be anything but a Mormon. If for some reason I were to renounce my membership in the Church or I were judged no longer worthy of the company of the Saints I would still be a Mormon down to my very bones. Plain and simply it is who I am irrespective of a label that anyone else cares to place on me. Recently in a discussion with a relative covering various sf/f authors he stated that he doesn't read Scott Card and won't let his kids do so either "because he's obviously an apostate." I was flabbergasted. But then I have a hard time grasping that sort of blind, uninformed, baseless judgementalism. Apropos of very little, now let me throw in how much I absolutely loved Eric Samuelsen's Couch Potato Mormon post. It's a keeper. Amen Brother Spud! - -- Scott Tarbet - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 13:30:40 -0600 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] _Anne Frank_ Performance "J. Scott Bronson" wrote: > > Saw a show once where there was a program note that said something like, > "For the health, safety and comfort of the actors as well as the > audience, the smoking of cigarettes in this production will be > pantomimed." It took all of two seconds to buy into the convention. When you mean pantomimed, do you mean with no cigarette, or with a cigarette that was never lit? It was never lit, I wouldn't buy it for a second. OTOH, I've seen an actor raise a lighted match to a cigarette, but never actually light it, and I didn't even notice it had never been smoked until the show was over. - -- Thom Duncan Playwrights Circle an organization of professionals - -------------------------- Shameless Plug - ------------------------------- Don't miss the Playwrights Circle Summer Festival at UVSC! *J. Golden* - a one-man play by James Arrington, starring Marvin Payne *SFX5* - 5 original short science fiction plays *Peculiarities* - a new full-length play by Eric Samuelsen For more information about the Playwrights Circle and our summer festival: http://www.playwrightscircle.com - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 13:43:35 -0600 From: Thom Duncan Subject: Re: [AML] Question for Irreantum's Editors Jacob Proffitt wrote: > > Why should we hide who we > are, active *or* inactive? Because, frankly, it is no one's business, outside of ourselves and God's. It no more reflects the level or quality of literary output than the fact that they may be fat and bald. > Are you ashamed of your activity/inactivity? I was talking with Eric Samuelsen last night during auditions for the Playwrights Circle SF*5 (shameless plug) and I said, "Another reason I don't like to self-label is that I'm not the same person from week to week. I've run the gamut from faithful to doubter and back again so many times I'm getting jet lag. Any label put on me would only be good for about a week. > If people are pre-judging others, then the liability lies with them, not > with those who gave them the information they used to pre-judge. And > frankly, when it comes right down to it, an author's (in)activity will > eventually find its way to the ears of the audience. Do you want that > information accurate, or would you rather give full reign to rumor and > speculation? Again, a label is not the way to do this. I once had to write a 12-page letter to dissuade a cast of actors who believed a rumor that I was pocketing their percentage of box office. - -- Thom Duncan Playwrights Circle an organization of professionals - -------------------------- Shameless Plug - ------------------------------- Don't miss the Playwrights Circle Summer Festival at UVSC! *J. Golden* - a one-man play by James Arrington, starring Marvin Payne *SFX5* - 5 original short science fiction plays *Peculiarities* - a new full-length play by Eric Samuelsen For more information about the Playwrights Circle and our summer festival: http://www.playwrightscircle.com - -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 14:46:25 -0600 From: Christopher Bigelow Subject: [AML] Dissertations on Mormon Literature I've been trolling through the dissertations on www.contentville.com and found a few of interest to Mormon literary types. With prices beginning at $31 for unbound, they're a little too pricey for me personally to buy, but I thought the info was worth passing on. THE INFLUENCE OF MORMONISM ON AMERICAN LITERATURE by francis j. manning Degree : PHD School : UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI (0125) Date : 1983 Pages : 401 Subject: literature, american (0591) ABSTRACT Of the American religious sects which have engendered imaginative literature, little has been said concerning the influence exerted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. The previous studies of Mormon literature have concentrated on contrasting the portrayals of Mormons in pro-Mormon and anti-Mormons writings. This dissertation proposes to identify the literature written about the Mormons and add to the pro-Mormon and anti-Mormon categories a third group, the Mormon-feature work by which term is meant a novel, poem, or play which does not focus on Mormonism but contains a Mormon allusion for a particular purpose. This study will evaluate the fiction, poetry, and drama associated with the Mormon experience and describe the effect it has had ........ THE TWENTIETH CENTURY MORMON NOVEL by kenneth burnice hunsaker Degree : PHD School : THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY (0176) Date : 1968 Pages : 177 Subject: language and literature, modern (0589) [No abstract included] APPROPRIATE INCONGRUITY IN MORMON HUMOROUS EXPRESSIONS by timothy petersen larsen Degree : MA School : UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY (0241) Date : 1995 Pages : 133 Adviser: jay a. anderson Subject: american studies (0323); folklore (0358); religion, general (0318) ABSTRACT This thesis is an attempt to remove humorous expressions from the domain of the trivial and to assign them high scholarly seriousness. Two theoretical approaches to humor are presented: Sigmund Freud's psychoanalytical approach to wit and the unconscious, and a theory recognized as appropriate incongruity. Emphasis is placed on appropriate incongruity in order to support and advance its fundamental approach to humor theory. Although recognized as a religion, Mormonism includes an identifiable culture with an intriguing range of discernible characteristics. The joke narratives selected and examined in this study effectively articulate the perceptions of these cultural characteristics from both an interior and exterior viewpoint. Furthermore, the fictional inventiveness of humorous expressio ........ Chris Bigelow - ---- For a sample copy of IRREANTUM, the literary quarterly published by the Assocation for Mormon Letters, send $4 to AML, P.O. Box 51364, Provo, UT 84605-1364. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 15:10:06 +0000 From: Jeff Needle Subject: [AML] John TVEDTNES, _Organize My Kingdom_ (Review) Review ====== John A. Tvedtnes, "Organize My Kingdom A History of Restored Priesthood" 2000, Cornerstone Publishing Paperback, 258 pgs + Appendix + Index, $16.95 Reviewed by Jeffrey Needle "Organize My Kingdom" takes on the large, and complex, story of the restoration of God's priesthood in the latter days. Tvedtnes' book is detailed and thorough, studying each new development in the Restoration not just as a discrete event, but also as to how it fits in the sequence of preceding events as well as its historical context. Beginning with the calling of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Tvedtnes leads us through the early growing pains of the Church, the evident desire to conform to the Lord's wishes as to the organization of the Church, and the willingness of leadership to adapt to differing circumstances. The major success of this book, in my opinion, is its ability to keep the narrative moving, thus keeping the reader interested. How easy it would have been to get bogged down in details - and there are, to be sure, plenty of details to be had here. Instead, Tvedtnes opens a window into the minds and lives of the leaders who brought about these changes, bringing to the story a nice human interest angle. Within each chapter, "Organize My Kingdom" brings to our attention some lesser-known, but very interesting, insights into early Mormonism. For example, in the chapter "The Kirtland Period," we learn of the evolution of the role of the bishop in the Church. New members will be surprised at how differently the early bishops functioned than they do today. Likewise, reflections on the development of stakes and wards give the reader insight into how the Church has gotten to where it is today. Tvedtnes renders a great service to us by documenting the evolutionary nature of some of the revelations. Beginning with the Book of Commandments, he shows how the revelations themselves changed as they passed to early editions of the D&C, and finally into the present edition. Such changes became necessary as the meanings of words changed. I found the whole process fascinating. Especially interesting to me was the chapter reserved for Mormonism's transition from an American church to a worldwide movement. So many changes had to be made to adapt to this situation. And, I believe, we haven't seen the end of this. As the Church continues to grow by leaps and bounds, so also will the Church have to adapt to these changing circumstances. I do have two minor problems. The first has to do with typography. Note reference numbers, found within the text and referencing footnotes at the bottom of each page, are normally presented in a smaller type size and superscripted. These numbers are indeed superscripted, but the note numbers themselves are in the same type size as the rest of the text. The result is something of a distraction. One would have hoped the publisher had followed custom in this matter. The second is a minor quibble with Tvedtnes' understanding of the Stone-Campbell Restoration movement, which, as you know, preceded the Joseph Smith Restoration (if I may call it that). From page 37: "A dramatic increase in the number of Church members soon followed. One of the early converts was Parley P. Pratt, ' 'Campbellite' preacher. The Campbellites were officially known as the Disciples of Christ, founded in the state of Ohio by Alexander Campbell, Walter Scott, and Sidney Rigdon. The group believed in the imminent return of Jesus Christ and in the restoration of the priesthood with all of its powers, as reflected in the Bible." I believe there are several problems with this statement: 1. According to reliable sources, the Disciples of Christ began in Pennsylvania, not Ohio, although Ohio had an important early role. 2. In view of the fact that Rigdon didn't join the movement until the 1820's or so, he really isn't classed as a "founder," given the stated founding date of the movement as 1805. 3. Campbell was a post-millenialist. This, de facto, precludes any thought of the "imminent return" of Jesus Christ. 4. And finally, readers might be confused at Tvedtnes' reference to the "restoration of the priesthood with all of its powers" as referring to the Campbellite movement. Alexander Campbell did not believe that the authority to perform priesthood offices - baptism, etc. - were removed from earth at any time. They always believed, and still believe, that the authority to baptize has always been present, and is inextricably linked to the authority to preach. Yes, they looked to the restoration of the primitive organization and belief of the church, but not the priesthood, as it is understood by Mormons. These minor quibbles aside, "Organize My Kingdom" is a fine book and merits a place on the bookshelf of every thoughtful Latter-day Saint. Here, in one volume, the reader will find a wealth of information and insight, in a readable and enjoyable format. I liked this book, and believe I will return to it again and again as a primary source for understanding just how the holy priesthood was restored to the earth. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 22:17:06 -0700 From: harlowclark@juno.com Subject: Re: [AML] Satire On Thu, 15 Mar 2001 11:42:20 -0700 Jacob Proffitt writes: > But we'd much rather stay on message than be diverted to our > humanity in public. We have a divine mission and we want to > take our personalities out of the lime light as much as possible > as a result in order to make the message paramount (this also > explains the bland missionary uniform and other cultural blandnesses). This is also how some people see the role of literary critic, a bland person who shouldn't let his (or her--but I'm referring to a chastisement I once got for being too personal in my criticism: "Literary criticism is a formal impersonal academic discipline," i.e., not about your personal reactions to the work. My criticism, however, is a testament about how and why and what I read. Dennis Clark said, after my last performance at AML: "If you don't stop undercutting the proper humility of the critic you're going to end up creating a new genre." (Darn, he's insightful. Hmm, maybe that Marden in his name means he's related to Marden Clark--both Marden Clarks. Being in the middle that would make him the son and the father--which reminds me of that wonderful opening line to a sacrament meeting talk on the role of Savior (love it when I have occasion to hear Dennis and Valerie speak): "I am a father, and I am a son, and I will be a holy ghost, but I will never be a Savior." > We want to protect our dignity, but > in a weird deflected way--not because we don't want to admit our > flaws, but because we don't want our flaws to affect our message. An odd kind of pride, assuming that we are so powerful that we could stop someone from joining the church. Didn't someone write a letter from jail about the folly of thinking you were strong enough to reach out your arm and stop the flow of the MO, Curly, Larry and Shemp River? (BTW, marvelous scene in Dean Hughes' _As Wide as the River_ where Joseph Smith asks this boy to throw a rock across the river and he can't, then Joseph tries and says, "You see, I can't do it either." He's showing the boy that he's human like anyone else.) > We don't want our flaws compounded into sin because > they were used by somebody to not accept the gospel. But of course, if someone uses my behavior as an excuse not to accept the gospel that's their responsibility. It's perfectly proper to ask someone, "Do you always keep your bow strung?" We are not responsible for other people's behavior. Harlow S. Clark ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. - - AML-List, a mailing list for the discussion of Mormon literature http://www.xmission.com/~aml/aml-list.htm ------------------------------ End of aml-list-digest V1 #294 ******************************