Latter-Day Skeptics: Liberal, Yet Loyal Mormon Scholars Are Bringing Long-Kept Secrets about Joseph Smith into the Open

John Kunich is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He also holds degrees in biological science from the University of Illinois. Last year he authored a study examining the population sizes shown in the Book of Mormon. The article presents compelling evidence that tales of a long-lost North American civilization of the size described in the Latter-day Saints’ sacred book simply cannot be based on fact.

Richard Van Wagoner has written a book examining the history of polygamy in the Mormon church. His research details how founder Joseph Smith routinely lied to hide his involvement in plural marriage. Van Wagoner cites evidence that Smith branded the practice a “false and corrupt doctrine” at a time when he was engaged in it.

Joseph Smith’S Dirty Laundry

Critical voices are nothing new to the Mormon church. Most Christian book stores contain scores of titles that describe the difficult aspects of the faith of the Latter-day Saints. The writings of the two men cited above, however, will not be found in these stores. John Kunich and Richard Van Wagoner are both active, believing members of the Mormon church. Additionally, their works are published by Mormons and are aimed at a Mormon readership. They are representative of a growing segment of liberal believers within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

Unlike most of their fellow members, these individuals wrestle with the intellectual difficulties they see in their faith. And at a time when church leaders increasingly promote Mormonism as a viable mainstream denomination, these scholars and researchers are demonstrating that the church’s history and scripture are fraught with difficulty. They are writing the so-called New Mormon History.

Signature Books is a publishing house based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company is owned by a Mormon, and most Signature books deal with topics revelant to LDS culture and theology. Some of their titles explore controversial issues, like Van Wagoner’s Mormon Polygamy: A History.

Though polygamy is one of the more colorful elements of early Mormonism, it is a topic that rarely receives official attention. Van Wagoner takes a close look at Mormon plural marriage from its inception with Joseph Smith to its contemporary practice among LDS splinter groups. He reveals Smith as a man who led two very different lives—one in the open, the other in secret.

In public, Smith preached monogamy as the God-ordained pattern for marriage. In 1835 the church placed into its canon of scripture a section that proclaimed, “All legal contracts of marriage made before a person is baptized into this church, should be held sacred and fulfilled. Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband” (Book of Commandments, 1835 edition).

Smith’s public position is extremely problematic, however, because 1835 is, according to Van Wagoner, the same year he likely began his foray into polygamy. And despite Smith’s canonized edict shown above, Van Wagoner notes that he did not limit his affections to single women: “He sought to marry wives of several living men, refusing to recognize their civil marriage.” Smith’s duplicity appears yet more pronounced when it is shown that the revelation he claimed to have received from God sanctioning polygamy is dated July 12, 1843—long after he began the practice.

When Smith was killed in 1844, he left behind at least 27 widows. He also left a body of teaching declaring polygamy to be a false and corrupt practice. Church leaders concealed his revelation condoning polygamy until 1852.

Rocking The Boat Rockers

In the tranquil seas of Mormon life, the liberals stand out as a most peculiar group. Uniformity is the Mormon way. Their chapels all look alike; their missionaries dress alike; and church leaders encourage members to think alike. In departing from this traditional mold, some liberals are finding themselves at odds with church leaders.

In April of 1989, during the church’s semiannual general conference, Apostle Dallin Oaks referred to liberals as “alternative voices” within the church. Oaks conceded that a few may operate with good intentions, but he accused others of being motivated by selfishness and pride. The Mormon apostle labeled some as “lost souls who cannot hear the voice of the Shepherd and trot about trying to find their way without his guidance.”

Mormon church spokesman Donald LeFevre insists there is room in the church for the liberals. Speaking from LDS headquarters in Salt Lake City, LeFevre explained to CT, “We have members of our church clear across the spectrum: from total believers, to middle-of-the-road, to inactive, to nonbelievers. Is there a place for them in the church? Of course there is.” Nevertheless, some are having a hard time finding that place.

In 1986 D. Michael Quinn, a highly respected Mormon scholar, was voted Outstanding Teacher by students at church-owned Brigham Young University, where he served as professor of American history. In 1987, however, Quinn’s relationship with the church took a bad turn when Signature published his book, Early Mormonism and the Magic World View. Quinn had already expressed criticism of the church’s insistence that LDS historians confine their writings to “so-called ‘faith-promoting’ Church history which conceals controversies and difficulties of the Mormon past.”

In his book, Quinn concludes, “Joseph Smith evidently participated extensively in magical pursuits and he shared with others of his contemporaries a magic world view of the world.” Evidence linking Smith to occult practices had surfaced previously. In 1971 documents were discovered relating to an 1826 trial in Bainbridge, New York, where Smith had been convicted of glass-looking, a form of divination. Hugh Nibley, one of the church’s most prolific apologists, denied the charge and claimed that if a connection could be established between Smith and such an occult practice, it would be “the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith.”

Now we have Quinn’s book, the most comprehensive and thoroughly researched work linking Joseph Smith to the practice of magic. Remember, Quinn is a Mormon.

Ron Priddis, vice-president of Signature Books, detailed the church’s reaction to Quinn’s work. “He was basically given the choice at B.Y.U. of either resigning or being fired.” According to Priddis, Quinn chose to resign. To date, neither Quinn nor the church has issued any statement about the incident.

Like most LDS historians, Valeen Tippetts Avery, professor of history at Northern Arizona University, did not set out to write a controversial book. But, as she notes, “You can’t write a biography about a married woman without talking about her husband.” The biography she cowrote with Linda King Newell is titled Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith. Emma Smith was the first of Joseph Smith’s wives.

“When you look at it from his wife’s point of view,” Avery explains, “he is the creator of problems in her life. And he creates them by doing things which are manifestly unacceptable in the Mormon church today: manipulating his friends, lying to his wife, being caught in flagrante delicto with servant girls, and so on.” Contrary to official portrayals, Mormon Enigma depicts Emma Smith as staunchly opposed to her husband’s polygamous pursuits.

Although the book received two prestigious awards from Mormon historical associations, its reception among many church leaders and members was icy. Shortly after the book was published, church authorities issued a ban prohibiting Newell and Avery from speaking of the book during church meetings. The reaction among church members was even more pointed. According to Avery, the response ranged from the sincere—believing Mormons who urged her to repent—to the violent. “I have had the police around my office to protect me from bombers,” says Avery.

Mettlesome Pens

Despite such opposition, the liberals continue to be mettlesome, confidently displaying the results of their research. This newfound boldness is evident in the demeanor of John Kunich.

An air force attorney stationed in Washington, D.C., Kunich joined the Mormon church 12 years ago at the age of 25. Since his conversion, Kunich has been very active in church callings. He does, however, recognize that he is not like most of his fellow members. “I do hold some heretical beliefs,” he says with a laugh. “I usually keep my mouth shut in church meetings because you don’t want to be known as a freethinker in church.” But Kunich is a freethinker, and he has uncovered evidence that casts doubt on the veracity of the Book of Mormon.

The Book of Mormon claims to be the story of a small group of Jews who migrated from Jerusalem to the New World long before the birth of Christ. It indicates that this group, about 30 in number, grew to become a huge civilization that splintered into warring factions. According to the book’s narrative, these wars resulted in millions of deaths.

“From my biological background I knew that something was wrong in what I was reading there,” says Kunich. “I did some research into human population growth over history and found that none of the rates reported could have produced the results in the Book of Mormon.” The book simply has too many people living and dying. Kunich discovered the rate of growth shown in the text is 50 times that found in any civilization that existed prior to the twentieth century. He has a difficult time imagining the book to be an accurate historical account.

Kunich believes he is far from alone in his unorthodox beliefs. “I think there are a lot of people who have reached similar conclusions for different reasons.… They pretty much keep quiet in meetings so that they can remain part of the community and not have to explain themselves.”

While silence in church may be safest for these closet doubters, there are avenues of expression available. Kunich’s study on the Book of Mormon population sizes was published in Sunstone magazine, one of the few forums where Mormons can debate these issues. Two other publications, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought and Brigham Young University Studies, provide similar opportunities. These journals enjoy considerable editorial freedom because they are not directly affiliated with the church. With a circulation of 8,000, Sunstone is the most widely read.

Elbert Peck, editor of Sunstone, says the magazine’s purpose is to promote open discussion of issues relevant to Mormonism. Both liberal and conservative voices are encouraged to participate. According to Peck, Sunstone’s readership is composed largely of college-educated members of the LDS community “who want to deal with their faith in a slightly more rigorous fashion than they can through the standard fare offered by the church.”

Moroni’S Spiritual Truth

While those outside the faith may view the findings of the new historians as sufficient for abandoning Mormonism, the liberals reject such conclusions. Most find ways to reconcile the inconsistencies in Joseph Smith’s life and writings with their perception of his divine calling. Many are convinced that the rigorous examination of any faith will result in disillusionment. In this respect, they feel they are like liberals of many traditions, believing that intelligent participation in religion requires the putting away of myths and the lowering of standards.

Additionally, they approach their faith in a way that is peculiarly Mormon. To many observers, Mormonism is less a body of doctrine than it is an entirely separate culture with its own unique world view.

The LDS are culturally adapted to viewing physical or historical evidence as largely irrelevant to the validation of spiritual truth. Spiritual matters are discerned spiritually. Mormon missionaries often introduce this concept of truth using a passage from the Book of Mormon known as “Moroni’s promise”: “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4).

On the strength of this prayer, LDS missionaries will testify of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. They don’t think it’s true, they know it’s true, and potential converts are assured that they, too, can come to the same knowledge. The missionaries offer no archaeological evidence, nor do they give convincing internal proofs of the book’s veracity. True spiritual knowledge, they insist, is gained only by praying according to the pattern found in Moroni’s promise. Those who are willing to accept the challenge are often told to anticipate an answer described as anything from an overwhelming feeling of peace and love to the more traditional “burning in the bosom.” They believe this is “the power of the Holy Ghost.”

John Kunich was converted to Mormonism by this type of experience. “I had prayed about what [the missionaries] were asking me to study and I felt like I was being enveloped by love. It was a beautiful experience; it brought tears to my eyes. I felt it was spiritual confirmation of what I had been studying.” He has had a number of subsequent experiences of a similar nature that he sees as evidence of the truthfulness of Mormonism. And his experiences are the rule, not the exception. Most of the LDS adherents interviewed for this article pointed to similar phenomena as their foundation for belief.

Having validated their faith with subjective experiences, the liberals are inclined to subordinate findings that indicate Mormonism may be founded on shaky ground. For them, the truthfulness of Mormonism is not necessarily found in the character of Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon, but in the experiences the religion creates.

Sandra Tanner, a recognized expert on Mormonism and a former Saint herself, believes there is another key element to the resilient faith of the liberals. Although many come to reject some tenets of the Mormon faith, they still adhere to certain basic LDS teachings. She says most liberals retain an unbiblical view of sin and God’s judgment. According to Tanner, “They say, ‘I’m a decent person; therefore, I’m going to get a good shake.… If there’s a God, he’ll be fair, so I don’t have anything to worry about.’ That’s why they don’t need to look anywhere else.”

And most of them don’t. They labor within an authoritarian structure that is designed for information to flow from the top down. Pragmatic leaders undoubtedly realize that a Joseph Smith who was involved in occult practices and sought to marry other men’s wives is not the awe-inspiring Moses-like figure the church promotes. And while some LDS liberals feel free to debate the historicity of the Book of Mormon, church leadership has no alternative but to disregard their evidence. The New Mormon History may be accurate, but it is not acceptable.

It appears there are no easy solutions to the tension between church leadership and the liberals. The liberals are small in number, but the substance of their findings could rock the very foundations of the Mormon church and destroy the faith of many followers.

At present the church and the liberals are in an uneasy truce—one that is punctuated by occasional altercations. On November 22, 1990, the Salt Lake Tribune reported that Sunstone editor Elbert Peck had been barred by church authorities from participating in temple ceremonies because they objected to the content of a Sunstone article.

Such gestures serve to express the church’s displeasure with the writers and researchers of the New Mormon History, but they do not silence them. As the tension continues to build, the liberals increasingly characterize their struggle in terms that are reminiscent of the Protestant Reformation.

Perhaps they are watching and waiting for their Wittenberg door.

Eugene H. Peterson is pastor of Christ Our King Presbyterian Church, Bel Air, Maryland, and author of A Long Obedience in the Same Direction (InterVarsity) and Answering God (Harper & Row), both of which are about the Psalms.

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