Difference between revisions of "Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Use of sources/The Mormon Quest for Power"
m (Robot: Automated text replacement (-Source(s) of the criticism +{{Criticism source label English}}, -Source(s) of the Criticism +{{Criticism source label English}}, -==Criticism== +=={{Criticism label}}==, -==Response== +=={{Response label}}==, -==Qu)
Line 38: Line 38:
 
</blockquote>
 
</blockquote>
  
−
==Conclusion==
+
=={{Conclusion label}}==
  
  

Revision as of 06:21, 4 May 2010


An Example of Biased Histories
A work by author: Richard Abanes
 Perception and Reality

Introduction, A Thread of Prophecy: The Mormon Quest for Power

The Claim

One Nation under Gods, page xvii-xviii (hardback); page xi-xii (paperback)

The book claims that the "Mormon American dream" is to transform the United States government into a "Mormon-ruled theocracy." The hardback edition claims that this "continues to be a dominant element of the faith," while the paperback edition changes this, and instead claims that this topic "has never ceased being a popular topic of discussion" within the Church. Support for this claim in both editions is provided using the following quote from Fred Esplin, who is said to be a "Mormon journalist" and University of Utah spokesperson:

Mormons believe they have a divine commission to prepare the world for Christ's millennial [i.e., 1000-year] reign in which they will serve as officers and administrators. The faithful Saint believes he is building the Kingdom of God. This is what motivates thirty-thousand full-time missionaries [60,000 in 2002] to preach the gospel, and this is what keeps men in their eighties working at a pace that would pitch younger, less-motivated men into their graves.

The Reference

Endnote 5, page 479 (hardback); page 477 (paperback)

Fred Esplin, "The Saints Go Marching On," Utah Holiday, June 1981, 34.

The Problems

The use of this quote shows a distinct and deep-rooted misunderstanding of Mormons. The change in the paperback edition from a "dominant element of the faith" to a "popular topic of discussion for Smith's followers," is still out of touch with reality—the "transformation of the U.S. government into a Mormon-ruled theocracy" is never a subject of discussion among Latter-day Saints. The only people who discuss this subject on a regular basis are critics of the Church.

First of all, notice that the author, not Esplin, asserts that the desire to transform the US Government into a Mormon-ruled theocracy "continues to be a dominant element of the faith." The first question one could reasonably ask is how this could possibly be. Is the author suggesting that the "dominant" nature of this aspiration is evidenced somehow by the current teachings within the Church? If so, where are those teachings? The case for this concept as a current teaching is never fully presented, developed or supported; it is only asserted.

Further, does the author believe that such a teaching would hold any relevance for the non-US majority of the Church's members? Of the eleven-million-plus members in the Church, well over 50% live outside of the United States, and it is reasonable to assume that for them, a desire to somehow transform the US Government would be somewhat less than dominant. Of course, the average non-LDS reader may not be aware of the incongruity of the author's assertion in the reality of a world-wide Church.

The use of Esplin's Utah Holiday quote is very odd, particularly since Esplin is not talking about the US Government or an LDS takeover. Instead, Esplin is discussing missionary work in this portion of his article, and is explaining what motivates the membership to do such work. As Esplin clearly explains, the motivation is a desire to prepare the world and its peoples for the return of Jesus Christ, not a desire for taking over the US Government. The author apparently confuses the two issues as he asserts that Esplin's quote "explains" his concept of the Church's alleged real goal. Thus, the author uses a quote explaining one facet of LDS membership to support an assertion with which it has nothing whatsoever to do.

It is interesting to note that the author chooses not to use an earlier statement by Esplin, in the previous paragraph of the same article, where he says,

While the most cynical might suggest that a subliminal quest for power flaws the Mormon character...such simplistic explanations ignore the core of the faith: Nearly every believing Mormon is convinced he or she is a steward of a divinely restored plan and is under the obligation to share it with others. While the only non-Mormon on a suburban Salt Lake Valley block no doubt finds little comfort in this explanation, it is difficult to understand the Saints without appreciating this.

==

Answer

==


Further reading

Template code Inserts this reference Click to edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: 8: The Mormon Proposition}} To learn more box:responses to: 8: The Mormon Proposition edit
{{To learn more box:''Under the Banner of Heaven''}} To learn more about responses to: Under the Banner of Heaven edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Robert Price}} To learn more about responses to: Robert Price edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Ankerberg and Weldon}} To learn more about responses to: Ankerberg and Weldon edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Ashamed of Joseph}} To learn more about responses to: Ashamed of Joseph edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Beckwith and Moser}} To learn more about responses to: Beckwith and Moser edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Beckwith and Parrish}} To learn more about responses to: Beckwith and Parrish edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Benjamin Park}} To learn more about responses to: Benjamin Park edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Bible versus Joseph Smith}} To learn more about responses to: Bible versus Joseph Smith edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Bible versus Book of Mormon}} To learn more about responses to: Bible versus Book of Mormon edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: ''Big Love''}} To learn more about responses to: Big Love edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Brett Metcalfe}} To learn more about responses to: Brett Metcalfe edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Bill Maher}} To learn more about responses to: Bill Maher edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Bruce H. Porter}} To learn more about responses to: Bruce H. Porter edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Carol Wang Shutter}} To learn more about responses to: Carol Wang Shutter edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: CES Letter}} To learn more about responses to: CES Letter edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Charles Larson}} To learn more about responses to: Charles Larson edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Christopher Nemelka}} To learn more about responses to: Christopher Nemelka edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Colby Townshed}} To learn more about responses to: Colby Townshed edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Contender Ministries}} To learn more about responses to: Contender Ministries edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Crane and Crane}} To learn more about responses to: Crane and Crane edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: D. Michael Quinn}} To learn more about responses to: D. Michael Quinn edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Dan Vogel}} To learn more about responses to: Dan Vogel edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: David John Buerger}} To learn more about responses to: David John Buerger edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: David Persuitte}} To learn more about responses to: David Persuitte edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Denver Snuffer}} To learn more about responses to: Denver Snuffer edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Dick Bauer}} To learn more about responses to: Dick Bauer edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Duwayne R Anderson}} To learn more about responses to: Duwayne R Anderson edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Earl Wunderli}} To learn more about responses to: Earl Wunderli edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Ed Decker}} To learn more about responses to: Ed Decker edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Erikson and Giesler}} To learn more about responses to: Erikson and Giesler edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Ernest Taves}} To learn more about responses to: Ernest Taves edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Fawn Brodie}} To learn more about responses to: Fawn Brodie edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: George D Smith}} To learn more about responses to: George D Smith edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Grant Palmer}} To learn more about responses to: Grant Palmer edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Hank Hanegraaff}} To learn more about responses to: Hank Hanegraaff edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Hurlbut-Howe}} To learn more about responses to: Hurlbut-Howe edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: James Brooke}} To learn more about responses to: James Brooke edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: James Spencer}} To learn more about responses to: James Spencer edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: James White}} To learn more about responses to: James White edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Jerald and Sandra Tanner}} To learn more about responses to: Jerald and Sandra Tanner edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Jesus Christ-Joseph Smith or Search for the Truth DVD}} To learn more about responses to: Jesus Christ-Joseph Smith or Search for the Truth DVD edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: John Dehlin}} To learn more about responses to: John Dehlin edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Jonathan Neville}} To learn more about responses to: Jonathan Neville edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Kurt Van Gorden}} To learn more about responses to: Kurt Van Gorden edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Laura King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery}} To learn more about responses to: Laura King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Loftes Tryk aka Lofte Payne}} To learn more about responses to: Loftes Tryk aka Lofte Payne edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Luke WIlson}} To learn more about responses to: Luke WIlson edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Marquardt and Walters}} To learn more about responses to: Marquardt and Walters edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Martha Beck}} To learn more about responses to: Martha Beck edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Mcgregor Ministries}} To learn more about responses to: Mcgregor Ministries edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: McKeever and Johnson}} To learn more about responses to: McKeever and Johnson edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: New Approaches}} To learn more about responses to: New Approaches to the Book of Mormon edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Richard Abanes}} To learn more about responses to: Richard Abanes edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Richard Van Wagoner}} To learn more about responses to: Richard Van Wagoner edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Richard and Joan Ostling}} To learn more about responses to: Richard and Joan Ostling edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Rick Grunger}} To learn more about responses to: Rick Grunger edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Robert Ritner}} To learn more about responses to: Robert Ritner edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Rod Meldrum}} To learn more about responses to: Rod Meldrum edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Roger I Anderson}} To learn more about responses to: Roger I Anderson edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Ronald V. Huggins}} To learn more about responses to: Ronald V. Huggins edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Sally Denton}} To learn more about responses to: Sally Denton edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Simon Southerton}} To learn more about responses to: Simon Southerton edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Thomas Murphy}} To learn more about responses to: Thomas Murphy edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Todd Compton}} To learn more about responses to: Todd Compton edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Vernal Holley}} To learn more about responses to: Vernal Holley edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Walter Martin}} To learn more about responses to: Walter Martin edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Wesley Walters}} To learn more about responses to: Wesley Walters edit
{{To learn more box:responses to: Will Bagley}} To learn more about responses to: Will Bagley edit
Retrieved from "https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/index.php?title=Criticism_of_Mormonism/Books/One_Nation_Under_Gods/Use_of_sources/The_Mormon_Quest_for_Power&oldid=71546"