• LDS cosmology (the nature of the universe)
• LDS ontology (the nature of reality, including God and humanity)
• LDS epistemology (the nature of truth and ways of knowing it)
• the organization and functioning of the LDS Church

The challenge is that they are all interrelated, which is why you get so many goofy and misinformed postings about the LDS Church and its doctrine (as a parallel example, try to write intelligently on the Catholic doctrine of the immaculate conception of Mary without reference to original sin, St. Augustine, or the Fall). I’m not quite sure yet how I’m going to tackle all this — except that I may just pick an arbitrary starting point and go from there.  ..bruce..

I’ve actually been tracking this over on my other blog (And Still I Persist) but felt it was more appropriate here at Adventures in Mormonism. The rest of this posting is a slightly updated version of my original post explaining why I’m walking 1305 miles by early October. Now I’ve got to go walk my 11 miles today. ..bfw..

A friend of mine used to say that if I wasn’t playing in a ‘big enough game’ (referring to life itself, not World of Warcraft or even The Lord of the Rings Online, which, uh, I actually am playing in), that I’d screw things up in order to make things more interesting. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, since — in my own opinion — I’ve been mostly coasting for the past year or more. On top of that, I’ve been unhappy with my general state of physical fitness, including my weight and blood pressure (both stubbornly high).

And thus was born the Trek: I plan to walk 1305 miles between April 1 and October 6 of this year.

Why 1305 miles and why those particular dates? Funny you should ask.

As is abundantly evident from this blog, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, aka the Mormons. This year marks the 160th anniversary of the start (in 1847) of the Mormon migration out of the United States to the Great Salt Lake Valley due to the ongoing violent religious persecution they suffered (including, believe it or not, an “extermination order” issued by the Governor of the State of Missouri). Over the next 22 years (until the Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869), some 70,000 Mormon pioneers crossed the plains. During a brief period of time (1856-1860), several thousand of those pioneers actually walked across those plains, pushing or pulling handcarts containing supplies and what remained of their earthly belongings.

And so my decision to commemorate them by walking the same distance most of them did: 1305 miles, the distance from Iowa City, Iowa, to the Great Salt Lake Valley.

Since I do have a family and a business to attend to, I am not attempting to walk along their actual route, nor am I trying to attempt to complete the distance in the same 3-month time span that most of them did. Instead, I’ve plotted out an 11-mile route that starts and ends at my front door. By walking this five days a week, I can cover the 1305 miles in six months. And I’ve fit those six months between the end of the just-concluded LDS General Conference and the start of the next one (they’re held twice a year, in April and October).

So far, since April 1, I have walked 238 miles (a bit behind my projected schedule). My thoughts so far?

I am in awe of what these people did. I have very comfortable (and pricey) shoes, thick socks, a walking stick, and a small hiking backpack with built-in water pouch and drinking tube. I walk mostly on paved roads, graded shoulders, and sidewalks. I sleep each night in my own bed and have a whirlpool bathtub (which I used heavily the first week). I do 20 minutes of stretching every morning before I walk (as well as most mornings when I don’t plan to walk).

By contrast, these handcart pioneers often had ill-fitting shoes with worn-out socks; in some cases, they had no socks and, at times, no shoes. They pulled or pushed fully-loaded handcarts across open country — following known trails, true, but still nothing paved or smooth. They slept in tents, bathed with cold water (when they could bathe at all), and ate sparingly. And they covered twice as many miles per day as I do.

That truly boggles my mind. My 11-mile walks have taken me from just under 3 hours to nearly 4 hours, depending upon weather and my own stiffness and tiredness. I am usually quite tired and my feet aching by the time I get back home. For the whole first week, I would go sit in a hot whirlpool bath with epson salts for an hour or so after getting home. So when I think about covering twice that distance each day while pulling a handcart with a total weight of roughly 300 lbs across open country…well, it astounds me.

I am adding a new tab on this blog to track my progress. I am blogging about this not to call attention to myself but to follow the well-known principle of telling others about your goals so as to make it harder to quietly quit. But most of all, these people deserve to be remembered for what they accomplished. ..bruce..

Actually, just the opposite is true.

Sociological studies within the United States have typically shown an inverse relationship between level of education achieved and church activity for most major religions — in other words, the higher the educational level, the lower the religious activity.

By contrast, at least one study[1] has shown a dramatically different result for Mormons: the higher the educational level, the greater the religious activity. In other words, Mormons with graduate degrees are more active and faithful (weekly attendance, paying a full tithe, praying daily, studying the scriptures, stating that personal beliefs are important) than those with college degrees, who in turn are more active and faithful than those with just high school degrees or less. (One exception: the authors note their survey showed “that Mormon women who continue their education beyond college graduation do show a slight decline on all our measures of religiosity. Whether this is a function of a secularizing influence of education or other forces is a question that we are unable to address with the data currently available.”) The same article above also demonstrates that Mormons within the US, both males and females, are generally more highly educated than the US population at large. (I was going to post the actual tables here, but WordPress keeps eating my HTML; maybe later.)

This same emphasis on education in underscored by statistics for incoming freshman at Brigham Young University: the average GPA is 3.78 and the average ACT score is 27.8 (see here), which places them at or above the 90th percentile for college-bound high-school graduates (cf. here).

BYU – The cultural and intellectual center of the Mormon Church, where professors who have sacrificed salary and tenure teach students who are there to get married. — Orson Scott Card, Saintspeak: A Mormon Dictionary (1984)

Now let’s look at the top leadership of the LDS Church, viz., the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve (information taken from [2]):

• Gordon B. Hinkley (President): BA in English, University of Utah, 1932.
• Thomas S. Monson (1st Counselor): BA in Business Management, University of Utah; MA in Business Management, BYU.
• James E. Faust (2nd Counselor): BA, JD from University of Utah, 1948.
• Boyd K. Packer (Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve): BA, MA from Utah State University; PhD in Educational Administration, BYU.
• L. Tom Perry: BS in Finance, Utah State University.
• Russell M. Nelson: BA, MD from University of Utah; PhD from University of Minnesota (was a practicing heart surgeon).
• Dallin H. Oaks: BA in Accounting, BYU; JD (cum laude), University of Chicago (clerked for US Supreme Court Justice Earl Warren; served as President of BYU; served as Utah Supreme Court Justice).
• M. Russell Ballard: attended University of Utah.
• Joseph B. Wirthlin: BA in Business Management, University of Utah.
• Richard G. Scott: BS in Mechanical Engineering from George Washington; post-graduate nuclear engineering studies at Oak Ridge, TN (worked on staff of Adm. Hyman Rickover).
• Robert D. Hales: BA, University of Utah; MA in Business Administration from Harvard.
• Jeffrey R. Holland: BA in English, MA in Religious Education from BYU; MA and PhD in American Studies from Yale (served as President of BYU for nine years).
• Henry B. Eyring: BS in Physics from University of Utah; MA, PhD from Harvard (served as President of Ricks College for seven years).
• Dieter F. Uchtdorf: studies in engineering, business administration and international management (in Germany) (was VP of Flight Operations and Chief Pilot for Lufthansa Airlines).
• David A. Bednar: BA in Communications, MA in Organizational Communications from BYU; PhD in Organizational Behavior from Purdue (served as President of BYU-Idaho [formerly Ricks College]).

Out of these fifteen men, almost all have college degrees; nine have graduate degrees; five have PhDs; three have graduate degrees from Yale or Harvard. Two have law degrees (and were practicing lawyers). Four served as college or university presidents. Three have technical or scientific backgrounds; one of those has a medical degree (as well as a PhD), was a practicing heart surgeon, and served as Chairman for the Council on Cardiovascular Surgery for the American Heart Association.

I would frankly be interested to see if anyone else can find another worldwide organization led by 15 people with such academic and professional credentials. And were I to start getting into the educational and professional experience of the remaining full-time leadership of the LDS Church (Presidency of the Seventy (7 individuals), First Quorum of the Seventy (41), Second Quorum of the Seventy (28), Presiding Bishopric (3)), you would find the same trend. In fact, as far as I can tell, the education and professional backgrounds of the top LDS Church leadership are, by most independent standards, at least equivalent and generally superior to those of the September Six.

In short, to attempt to characterize the LDS Church as being inherently against education or intellect goes against the actual facts.

Fundamentalist – 1. In the world, someone who believes that the words of dead prophets, as recorded in the Bible, are all the word of God that mankind will ever need. Some Mormons occasionally get confused and think we have something in common with Christian Fundamentalists…. — Orson Scott Card, Saintspeak

On the other hand, honesty compels me to admit that there has been an anti-intellectual current in a subset of LDS Church leadership and membership during the latter half of the 20th Century, though it is (in my opinion) definitely on the wane, with its roots in the 1920s and 30s. Back then, on the scientific side in the Quorum of the Twelve were Elders James E. Talmage (who had studied chemistry and geology), John A. Widstoe (who had a PhD in chemistry), and Joseph F. Merrill (who had a PhD in physics), as well as B. H. Roberts (not an Apostle, but a very influential member of the First Council of the Seventy); on the other side was a younger Apostle, Joseph Fielding Smith, who (unlike the others) was very much a creationist as that term is generally used today (young earth, no evolution, special creation), who served both as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve and then as the 10th President of the LDS Church; and later on his son-in-law, Bruce R. McConkie, who ultimately became a member of the Quorum of the Twelve as well. Both Smith and McConkie wrote unauthorized, unapproved but highly influential doctrinal works (Man: His Origin and Destiny and Mormon Doctrine, respectively). (See pp. 45-53 in [3] for contemporaneous documentation of the issues surrounding these books; also see pp. 176-186 in [4].)

Talmage, Widstoe, Merrill and Roberts were all dead by the time Smith brought out Man: His Origin and Destiny (1954), and Smith (and later McConkie) ended up having significant influence on LDS Church religious educational materials. When I arrived at BYU in 1971 as a microbiology major, my faculty advisor, Dr. Duane Jeffery, expressed his ongoing frustration with efforts by “a few people” in LDS Church headquarters who actively preached against evolution and accepted geology, in spite of a statement by an early LDS Church Presidency (under Heber J. Grant) in 1931 that the church should “[l]eave Geology, Biology, Archaeology and Anthropology, no one of which has to do with the salvation of the souls of mankind, to scientific research, while we magnify our calling in the realm of the Church.” (p. 67 in [5].)

My personal observation is that the neoliteral creationist viewpoint (to use Paul’s phrase; see [4]) is fading from the LDS Church in general, though it lingers in LDS Sunday School and Institute (college) materials. A year or two ago, when the “teaching creationism” issue was getting major play in the media, someone (it may have been Pat Bagley, the LDS cartoonist) quipped that “the only place where creationism is taught at BYU is in the Religion department.” It certainly is not taught in any of the science departments, nor was it taught 36 years ago, when I was an undergrad microbiology student.

I am not in a position to judge any of the specific issues raised at the disciplinary councils for the September Six, simply because I did not attend and the LDS Church has released no information as to what has gone on. My personal prayer is that the individuals involved can fine the peace they seek, in or out of the LDS Church. On the other hand, I have personally known enough self-professed “Mormon intellectuals” to appreciate the classic definition of such: “Someone who does what the Prophet [or, in some cases, God] would do if he [or He] had all the facts.”

In all my decades of study, reading, and pondering in a variety of disciplines, I have become only more convinced of my own ignorance and more reliant upon the Lord to guide me through the pitfalls of life. Furthermore, in my 40 years of LDS Church membership, including as both a student and an instructor at BYU, I have never felt particularly constrained in exercising my intellect. On the contrary: I find LDS theology and doctrine to be far more intellectually expansive and logically consistent than most other Christian theology, particularly when it comes to the “terrible questions” (to use Hugh Nibley’s phrase): Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? What happens after I die?

“But in this [the LDS] Church you don’t have to believe anything that isn’t true. You go over to the University of Arizona and learn everything you can, and whatever is true is part of the gospel. The Lord is actually running this universe.” Advice of Edward Eyring to his son Henry Eyring; Henry Eyring went on to become a world-famous chemist while remaining a faithful and believing Latter-day Saint; his son, Henry B. Eyring, is currently a member of the Quorum of the Twelve. See [6], pp. 6-8. Note from the link I just gave that Dr. Eyring likewise engaged Elder Joseph Fielding Smith on these issues.

That advice sums my attitude towards intellect, searching and truth, and I believe it is generally reflected throughout the LDS Church. I feel liberated, not constrained, both intellectually and spiritually — remembering, however, that I am neither free to make up what I want to be true (a weakness of many ‘liberal’ religions) nor compelled to profess what appears to be clearly contradicted by available evidence (a challenge to many ‘fundamentalist’ religions).

However, in all this I also keep in mind that I worship a God Who created this space-time continuum (and thus exists outside of it); Who comprehends its entirety — not just moment to moment, but throughout its entire existence; and Who is farther above me in intellect, perfection and power than I am above the simplest virus. Given that, it would be foolish of me indeed to decide a priori what God could or could not do, including in creating and populating this particular world we live upon. That, to me, is my fundamental caution in weighing in on the science/creationist debate or, for that matter, any other doctrinal or theological debate. Folks on both sides tend to state definitively what God could or could not have done, which strikes me as somewhat presumptive and not at all useful. As Pres. Grant said, as a Church we are best off leaving science to those of us choosing to do scientific research and to focus on serving and blessing those around us as the Lord directs us. ..bruce..

Mormons – People who believe: … 3. That the only difference between them and God is a few years of training. — Orson Scott Card, Saintspeak (1984).

[1] Albrecht, Stan L. and Tim B. Heaton. “Secularization, higher education, and religiosity.” Published in Review of Religious Research, 26:43-58; reprinted in Latter-day Saint Social Life: Social Research on the LDS Church and Its Members (James T. Duke, ed.), Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 1998, pp. 293-314.

[2] 2006 Church Almanac, Deseret News, 2006, pp. 22-27.

[3] Prince, Gregory A. and Wm. Robert Wright. David O. McKay and the Rise of Modern Mormonism. University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, UT, 2005.

[4] Paul, Erich Robert. Science, Religion, and Mormon Cosmology. University of Illinois Press, Urbana, IL, 1992.

[5] Evenson, William E. and Duane E. Jeffrey. Mormonism and Evolution: The Authoritative LDS Statements. Greg Kofford Books, Salt Lake City, UT, 2003.

[6] Eyring, Henry. Reflections of a Scientist. Deseret Book, Salt Lake City, UT, 1983.

First, as Terryl Givens noted in the show, we only have one side of the story. Church leaders do not announce, discuss, or otherwise release information on what goes on in LDS disciplinary councils, even in the face of any public statements made by the person for whom the court was convened.

Second, this section of the show several times cut back to footage of a large semi-circle of old-fashioned wooden chairs all facing a single wooden chair sitting by itself in a large open, high-ceiling space — implying that this was the setting of such a council. This was just silly. LDS stake high council rooms are built pretty much like a small to mid-size corporate conference room: rectangular, carpeted, low ceiling, few windows (mostly glazed over and/or with curtains), and just enough room to fit a long conference table with padded (but fixed-leg or folding) chairs all around.

Third, the show left the impression (due to statements by Ms. Toscano) that it was her “alone against sixteen men” (or words to that effect). This was an outright falsehood in terms of those defending her. In a stake disciplinary council, half of the stake high council (six of the twelve) are assigned to present arguments in favor of the accused, while the other six present arguments against the accused. The stake presidency does not present arguments one way or the others; they simply listen to the evidence and arguments presented by the high council, as well as statements by the accused.

Fourth, the show referred to “disfellowshipment” as being “just short of excommunication”. This is only true in the same was that probation is “just short of” actual jail/prison time — which is to say, there’s a big difference for the person involved. Excommunication is an actual termination of LDS Church membership; should the person choose to rejoin the LDS Church (and thousands do), they must be re-baptized. Disfellowshipment involves a temporary restriction for that person on certain activities within the LDS Church (attending the temple, taking the sacrament, holding callings), but it can be lifted by a simple decision on the part of that person’s bishop.

Fifth, the show left the impression that there is wholesale excommunication and discipline of “Mormon intellectuals”. Again, not true; indeed, one would be hard pressed to find examples outside of the so-called “September Six” (one of whom has since been rebaptized and another of whom continues to attend LDS meetings), the principal one being Margaret Toscano (in 2000) — and this in a church with nearly 13 million members.

In the meantime, thousands of LDS Church members are disfellowshipped or excommunicated each year due to moral transgressions (sex outside of marriage, spousal and child abuse, polygamy and so on). For that matter, in roughly the same timeframe as the “September Six”, the LDS Church excommunicated or disfellowshiped large numbers of ultraconservative survivalists in southern Utah — but I don’t think that fit into the “persecution of free-thinking liberals” theme that this section of the show appeared to put forth.

Again, I think the issue itself was a fair one to raise, but I think the amount of time spent on it was disproportionate, particularly given that the show gave almost no time to the strong intellectual and educational roots within Mormonism — which is the subject of my next post. ..bruce..

[UPDATED 06/15/07 - 2036 MDT]

Since I seem to be getting a steady stream of people coming into this post (usually via Google), here are two follow-up posts I have written on the PBS special, “The Mormons”:

• LDS disciplinary councils
• Mormons, education, and intellect

And here are a few other posts that, while not directly responding to the PBS special, do address some of the issues raised therein:

• Who gets saved?
• The arc of individual existence
• A few observations on LDS temples

And, finally, here’s my own background and qualifications to write about all this.

Welcome to the site; I hope these posts are useful. ..bruce..