Mormon Thunder recaps the life of Jedediah Morgan Grant

 

----

Review by Doug Gibson

---

Jedediah Grant was possessed of looks reserved for movie matinee idols, the counselor to Brigham Young was a major player in mid-1850s Utah ... and then he died.

One reason Grant may not get the same publicity as his peers is that he was a fiercely devoted advocate of the Mormon reformation, and spoke favorably of now-taboo doctrines such as blood atonement. Nevertheless, he had a fascinating life. Soon after his conversion, he became brother in law to William Smith, prodigal brother to the Prophet Joseph Smith. He served many missions for the church, worked closely with the Mormons’ non-Mormon ally Thomas Kane, and self taught himself to becoming a powerful speaker.

More than a generation ago, Gene A. Sessions, Ogden scholar, wrote a strong biography, “Mormon Thunder: A Documentary History of Jedediah Morgan Grant” (I have a 2008 edition published by Greg Kofford Books). Sessions captures the personality of this early-Mormon leader, and how a tender familial side could go to a bowery pulpit and strike fear in the hearts of the faithful.

Sessions writes: “Apparently believing that the bloodstream of the body of the Saints needed purification, he (Grant) openly fought dangerous notions that Restoration had lost its way under its new leadership. The Church, he maintained, could and ought to change, but only under the laws set down by the rule of the priesthood. That must be the unchanging order of the universe.”

Many of Grant’s discourses are in “Mormon Thunder,” and they are treasures. Here’ just one excerpt I enjoyed, particularly Grant’s use of slang for a cat: “... I know some of our milk and water folks thought all the fat was in the fire. ’Brother Brigham has gone rather too far; he might have spoken a little milder than he did. I think it would have been much better,’ &c. This was the language of some hearts; and I feel to say, damn all such poor pussyism. ...”

Sessions includes a major tragedy of Grant’s life, losing his wife and infant child on the Pioneer trail. The account includes his return to gather the infant’s body, only to discover the corpse had been picked apart and scattered by wild animals. Overall, “Mormon Thunder” is an interesting account of a remarkable church leader.

-- Originally published at StandardNET

Review: Exploring Mormon Thought - God's Plan to Heal Evil

It's difficult to blend the "good news" of the Gospel of Christ with evil. Evil is the opposite of righteousness. Yet it will not discriminate the wicked from the faithful. Evil can cause us to doubt our creator's divinity, his powers and his consistency. Its residual effects can lead to permanent discouragement, bitterness, and apostasy. 

In contrast, others can use their faith to endure evil, and even strengthen their beliefs.

How can we explain evil? Or more so, how can we place evil in a plan of a benevolent God? Blake T. Ostler, author of the Exploring Mormon Thought series for Greg Kofford Books, has written the fourth volume, "God's Plan to Heal Evil," 2020, Salt Lake City. (Here are purchase links to Greg Kofford Books and Amazon.)

Examples of evil include the murder of a young child, senseless deaths due to accidents, and examples of disease causing lives to end prematurely. As a father who helplessly held his infant son as he died -- due to an imperfect heart -- soon after birth, I can understand this as evil. Evil moves from a theory to be discussed to a unique, deeply personal experience, when one suffers from it.

Ostler addresses this question: how powerful can God be if he allows evil? All of us have heard the phrase, "it's God's will." Or we have heard that "God respects natural law," so evil has to occur. These are well-meaning arguments that anyone who has experienced will hear. But are they are inconsistent statements, more platitudes than explanations? 

God's power may only be persuasive, and not definitive. If so, prayer is essential.

But how consistent is God if he allows countless innocents to suffer evil while sparing others the same fate through "miracles?" Some miracles are related in the Scriptures; others by well-meaning but insensitive individuals thanking God for providing a miracle that spared them death or other adversity. The question can develop: why are they favored, and not me or my family? Is that really God's plan?

Ostler's solution to these seeming inconsistencies -- which he does not regard as reasons to doubt God -- is to turn evil into love. As followers of the Gospel who are on a path to becoming like God, we must learn "the kind of love that commands us to love our enemies." We need to repay evil with love, the author asserts. It's part of our life-on-earth contract that we consent to suffer the consequences of evil and work to turn the adversity into love. 

Ostler writes: "... we must elicit love both for and from those who carry out such evils ..." He uses Christ's Sermon on the Mount as an example of this theology. "... Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; ..." 

God wants us to have a fulfilling and challenging life, Ostler writes. We are asked to progress spiritually through life. Turning evil into love is a challenge, but -- as the author notes -- we have divine assistance. Angels are on earth, ready to help us achieve the spiritual strength necessary to heal evil and turn it into a positive spiritual force.

This concept reminds me of C.S. Lewis' book, "The Great Divorce,' in which "The Teacher," guiding the narrator through his tour to the outskirts of heaven, says: "They say of some temporal suffering, 'No future bliss can make up for it,' not knowing that Heaven, once attained, will work backwards and turn even that agony into a glory."

Turning "agony into a glory" captures the theme of Ostler's "God's Plan to Heal Evil." Placing that theme in the context of Mormonism provides an opportunity for that to be accomplished on earth. Learning to love like God loves is part of our learning process toward divinity.

A final note: There is a lot of valuable information in "God's Plan to Heal Evil." I recommend it. But be patient with the writing. It is dense, thick writing, to a fault. I fear that may stifle readers. But persevere through the text; perhaps limit reading to 10, 20 pages a day. And buy a dictionary. It's worth the read.

--- Doug Gibson

A Mormon dissident in Nauvoo - The Writings of Oliver H. Olney

Review by Doug Gibson

Until recently, not many interested in Mormon history knew of Oliver H. Olney. Now, at least 170 years after his death, we can peruse the writings and life of a Nauvoo-era church member-turned-critic.

We are not even sure when this Mormon dissident in Nauvoo died. Probably about 1847 or 1848; and he'd left the city by then, says Dr. Richard G. Moore of BYU's Religious Studies Center. Moore merits respect for spending nearly a decade reading, deciphering, studying and editing Olney's writings, which are stored at Yale University. The result is "The Writings of Oliver H. Olney: April 1842 to February 1843 -- Nauvoo, Illinois," Greg Kofford Books, Salt Lake City, 2019. (Amazon link is here.)

It makes for interesting but very tough reading; Olney was mostly a poor writer. A few examples of his writings, which dominates the book, will be shared later. I have read the book once and watched a conversation with the author twice (link below in paragraph). Key historical nuggets are Olney's  knowledge and opinions of polygamy in Nauvoo, and plans of the church moving West. Olney was no major player in Nauvoo, and his ruminations on these issues, to me, indicate they were talked about in the city in greater detail earlier than history has assumed.

For me, Olney is the subject of Moore's book, more so than an account of life in 1842 Nauvoo. Other than one recollection that he was a strong man, picturing him is difficult. Trying to grasp his motivations, beliefs, his change, his candor, pride, and why he changed is the challenge. He seems a fascinating man with an impressive early LDS Church history. Yet he gradually became an obsessed, sometimes delusional Mormon apostate. Moore shares what we know of his life in a well-researched introduction. (I also urge readers to watch this interview with Moore at a Greg Kofford Books lecture series).

He married Alice Mary Johnson in 1820 and they were baptized about 11 years later. Alice was the sister of early LDS apostles Luke and Lyman Johnson. In the 1830s, Olney led the teacher's quorum in Kirtland, Ohio, and is listed as an elder and seventy in church records. His family moved to Missouri and later fled to Nauvoo. The Olney couple must have valued their dedication and sacrifices for the young church and its prophet, Joseph Smith.

The death of his wife, Alice, in the summer of 1841 must have broke Olney. As Moore notes, Olney was in Connecticut, likely on a mission. That's a harsh situation in which to learn your spouse has died. When he returned to Nauvoo, he changed from, by appearances, a devoted follower of the church hierarchy to harsh critic. Olney publicized his harsh revelations and criticisms, with a predictable result. He had his membership taken away in early-mid 1842, in a court led by the soon-to-be-discovered scoundrel John C. Bennett. Olney was slammed in the church newspaper Times and Seasons as one peddling revelations and preferring darkness and evil deeds, writes Moore.

But he was not the average, stereotypical dissident. His criticisms were of a populist nature. Olney was displeased by what he saw as an elite hierarchy of church leaders living off the hard work and sacrifice of poorer members. Furthermore, he charged these leaders with hypocrisy and sinful behavior, such as elitism, greed and polygamy. He believed that the interest in Masonry, and the new Relief Society, were also part of the elitism.

Moore adds Olney was later charged with stealing from Joseph Smith's store. According to Moore, he confessed, citing his poverty as an excuse. He escaped from incarceration, and as Moore adds, there's no record of the case resolution. It's a mystery that Olney continued to live close to a year longer in Nauvoo, attending Mormon meetings, and even marrying again, to a devout LDS woman named Phoebe Wheeler. Despite being out and about, Olney claimed his presence in Nauvoo was dangerous for him. Perhaps he lacked the means to leave. He was so poor that he wasn't always able to take care of his two daughters.

He also believed he would lead the church to repentance and restore its glory. He claimed heavenly visits with the Prophet Elijah and his wife, Jesus Christ, a group of heavenly beings, the "Ancients of Days," and even the slain early LDS apostle, David Patten. He must have known Patten in Missouri, talked with him and was likely impressed by him.

 Although he never collected any wealth, he claimed he would be led to riches to support his efforts. He also claimed God would rise him as a great leader after he reformed the church. Although he was a harsh critic of polygamy, Olney seems to contradict himself, claiming that God would provide him up to 60 women to be female companions and assist him. One of those women, Moore notes, was his future wife, Phoebe.

Here is a fragment of Olney's writing in April of 1842 indicating his disapproval of Joseph Smith: "... I see many by by Joseph directed he said by the Othoroty of the Father and son but I said in my hart he lied but we read that the sin of ignorance is to be winked at so it is not laid to his charge Altho I could a told him long since of his standing before God that had no more power with him than any other man ..."

From July, 1842, Olney describes his experience with the "Ancients of Days." "... They have put things in commotion that will cause a Revolution in this and foren lands Much is adoing that speaks of a savior That died that has taken a stand on the Earth A spirit of confusion discord disunion is the theme from this time forth But the time has ariven, That much is adoing to prepare for the coming of the son of man as he is soon a comming In power and Glory ... Dark shades must be removed in honour of the Savior ..."

In August of 1842, Olney expresses his frustration with a church he believes is corrupt. After citing examples such as The Danites and John C. Bennett and other, unnamed church leaders, he writes: "... I have looked for their good deeds but they keep out of my sight or they have known that comes to light ... (Moore adds in a note that Olney probably meant "none,' not "known".)

In January of 1843, his disillusionment is near completion: "I again feel it my duty to write of a party that Is highly exalted for Piety and fame They have much a going and saying that looks to me strange for people that profess to be men of God As I am daily with them I am inclined to say that if they ever had wisdom it is flead ..."

Olney wrote songs and poetry. Late in his life he published two small books, anti-Mormon tracts on the absurdity of Mormonism and evil of spiritual wifery. Letters are included, one of encouragement allegedly by William Smith, church patriarch at the time, and soon to be excommunicated. Both books are included in "The Writings of Oliver H. Olney." They seem to have been edited; there's far more coherence in these than in other, more spontaneous writings.

The secret, in my opinion, of discovering Olney's populism, and his apostasy, lie in his admiration of President Andrew Jackson, and his probable deep reliance on his wife, Alice. Moore comments on both Jackson and Alice in the book and the online lecture. Alice Olney received a very reverent obituary from Eliza R. Snow. It's highly likely that she was a source of strength to her husband, and a widely admired church sister. Oliver and Alice had survived a lot of persecution, and it's easy to see Olney reaching to his wife to strengthen his faith. Her death, coupled with poverty and perhaps internal anger at his current state and exclusion from higher levels of the faith, gradually exiled Olney from the church.

His Jacksonian political beliefs, placing the common man as an opponent of wealthy, elite interests, respecting the Constitution, living a good, honest life, and not exploiting others for greed, would provide him sustenance as he moved from a church that he believed was corrupted. As an American Jacksonian, Olney would resist any situation in which he believed he was being discriminated against. Here is a portion of a poem Olney wrote about Jackson that is published in the book:

"... He soon took an honourable station
To defend a free Constitution
With weapons of war He moved in array
Against those that did oppose
The American wrights
He honoured his station
At home and abroad
By being honest valient
Upwright and Prudent. ..."

During his above-mentioned lecture, Moore offers another motivation for Olney's apostasy. "Olney wants the Kirtland church," he said. He adds that wanting "the Kirtland church" was shared by many members who became disillusioned with the church's history in Missouri and Nauvoo. The idea that "Nauvoo was a bad place" was shared by Olney who likely idealized what he saw as an earlier, more pure, uncontaminated church.

It's likely that academics and Mormon history buffs (I am among the latter) are perhaps the only people who will read "The Writings of Oliver H. Olney." But I hope it sells well, and gets in many libraries. I recall scholar Maxine Hanks, in a recent Dialogue, urging people to respect everyone's faith journey. It's possible that Olney's faith journey was not inappropriate given his life history, sacrifices and trials. I hope we can learn more about him. That's unlikely; but I can hope that he's at peace and loved by a deity who understands why he felt it important to take a shift away from the norm in 1842.

The Lost 116 Pages book explores Mormonism's great mystery

Review by Doug Gibson

Mormonism is a young religious movement. Perhaps our most prominent mystery is what's in the missing 116 pages of The Book of Mormon. The story, told so often: Transcriber Martin Harris pesters Joseph Smith to let him take a stack of translated pages to assuage his skeptical wife, Lucy. Once he has the pages, Harris loses them. The Lord rebukes Smith and Harris, and because of that, we have a shorter Book of Mormon.

The lost 116 pages is a sort of Holy Grail-mystery for many of the LDS faithful. What's in it, we wonder. Don Bradley, a prominent Latter-day Saint historian, has tackled the task of interpreting the timeline and what may indeed be in those lost pages. "The Lost 116 Pages: Reconstructing the Book of Mormon's Missing Stories," Greg Kofford Books, Salt Lake City, 2019, is not an easy read. It's a scholarly work, and moves at a slow, deliberate, very detailed pace. It can be a slog at times, but it is ultimately rewarding.

I don't want this to be too much of a spoiler review, revealing to readers what is undoubtedly the most important part for many: what's in those lost pages, according to Bradley. A few tidbits of what is offered: The author's research leads him to opine that the Lost Pages are a narrative-heavy version of the time of Lehi and family in Jerusalem through the early chapters of Mosiah.

Bradley believes that the annual Passover observance coincides with the exodus from Jerusalem and the eventual possession by Nephi of the Brass Plates. Also, he believes that Lehi's followers constructed a movable temple during their journey. Readers may guess correctly that short accounts in the Book of Mormon, after the Book of Jacob, are opined to possess more detail in the Lost Pages. Topics include internal apostasy and more detail on a character named Aminadi, described as a forefather of Amulek, a missionary. In the Book of Mormon, Aminadi, an ancestor of Ishmael, is noted for interpreting writing on the wall of the temple, penned by the finger of God.

A LARGER 116 PAGES?

According to Bradley, the portion of the first 116 pages lost by Harris was much larger than what we would conceive as 116 pages today. The type of paper that was used to transcribe was roughly 13 by 17 inches. Also, through research of the various transcribers used by Smith and estimates of time spent and what could be accomplished, Bradley posits the possibility that the "116 pages" are at least 200 pages, and possibly as many as 300. The author devotes a section on potential thieves of the manuscript. He assigns a low possibility of guilt to Harris' wife, Lucy, who has often been blamed for the theft in Mormon lore.

Bradley's research is impressive. The book is heavy with footnotes, some dominating pages. Sources include Lucy Mack Smith's recollections, as well as a critical edition of same edited by historian Lavina Fielding Anderson. There arevarious 19th century published accounts of the translation from persons close to those involved. Also, the author draws parallels to events depicted or hinted at in the Book of Mormon to similar events or religious rituals depicted in The Bible.

A final note: I have noticed in conversations with friends about this book a distinction in reception. Some members seem interested, and even excited. Other members seem more reserved, even skeptical of the attempt. Granted I have only a few to several subjects, but I wonder if some members feel that the lost 116 pages should remain a great mystery, and not the subject of scholarly speculation. Is it a cultural issue?

As for me, I think it's a great, fascinating read. You can buy it from the publisher here, or via Amazon here.

Review: William Smith: In the Shadow of the Prophet

Originally published at StandardNET

In “William B. Smith: In the Shadow of the Prophet” (Greg Kofford Books, 2015), author Kyle R. Walker seeks an analogy between the well-known younger brother of Joseph Smith, and their lesser-known malcontent uncle, Jesse Smith, who eventually alienated his entire family, and presumably friends, with a self-righteous anger that threatened violence at times. It’s an interesting comparison, but the sheer lack of knowledge on Jesse’s life leaves it suspect. The nephew mellowed at the end of his life; we don’t know if Jesse did but the odds are against it.

The biography of Smith is very long, somewhat psychological, and the author frequently repeats information, but it is a magnificent work. Through extensive research, Walker has compiled a detailed biography that highlights not only the many dysfunctions that hampered Joseph’s younger brother, but spotlights his talents, and provides a poignancy, particularly in his later years, that makes you admire and root for the younger brother who was tossed from the main LDS Church a year-plus after Joseph’s death.

It’s appropriate he get a good, fair biography. Growing up in the LDS Church, I heard him described as immature, impulsive, adulterous, violent, profane, hypocritical .... He was all that, but I never heard the good, the missionary work, the defense of his slain brother, his suggestion the LDS Church expand to England, his tenure as editor and state legislator, and his later failed religious initiatives that otherwise set the framework for the now-named Community of Christ’s theological foundation. They were an aversion to polygamy and a belief in a lineal hierarchy of Smiths to head the “Reorganized LDS Church.”

Smith was a complex of emotions, alternating between damning the Utah Mormons post-excommunication, to proposals, whether to Brigham Young and Orson Hyde, that he rejoin the Utah Church, but only with a promise of a renewal of apostleship and the church patriarch position, with hints that he be as highly regarded as Young. In fact, about 1860, long after his excommunication, William B. Smith impulsively was rebaptized into the Mormon Church. Nothing came of it, and Smith, entering a more stable phase of his life that would eventually lead to membership in the Community of Christ, never affiliated with his old faith.

These contradictory emotions were liabilities to Smith’s early tenure in Mormonism. Despite his time as an apostle and other leadership positions, he was never fully trusted by his peers in the hierarchy. His key strength was his familial ties, and the patience of his elder brothers, Joseph and Hyrum, who endured his weak sensitivity, grandiosity, sense of entitlement and flaring temper, which occasionally extended to violence. Smith had a stable but needy home life, married to a chronically ill wife, Caroline, and dabbling in polygamy as it was introduced. His church troubles intensified when he went on a mission in 1843 to head the Saints in New England. He alienated local leaders, eventually drumming some out of the church, and favored manipulative associates, such as George J. Adams, who flattered him.

The most serious error Smith made was to assume, due to his family name, that he had the sealing power to conduct polygamous marriages. That action eventually had him removed from the position about the time his brothers were murdered in Carthage. For the next year and a half, a shaky, oft-broken truce would last between Young, the Quorum of the Twelve and William Smith, who returned to Nauvoo in May of 1945 with a terminally ill wife who died soon after. This was a time of tension in which most of the Smiths broke association with Young’s leadership, but William’s behavior was particularly erratic. It included a strange public speech advocating then-secret polygamy, irresponsible marriages to very young teens, sympathy for criminal thugs, and constant arguments over compensation and his status as church patriarch. As Walker notes, though, even as the turmoil continued, Smith performed with enthusiasm his blessings duties as patriarch.

Smith’s church tenure was finished after he abandoned Nauvoo and published an anti-Brigham Young bromide, ironically printed in the newspaper of Thomas Sharp, the man chiefly responsible for killing his brothers. The next several years were spent moving around the region with his new family (he married his late wife’s younger sister) and allying himself with Mormon factions. As Walker notes, he had more affiliations with disaffected Mormons than any of his colleagues, including ventures with James J. Strang, Martin Harris, Lyman Wight, George J. Adams, and even John C. Bennett! 

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is Smith’s several-year church that he headed, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He was more successful in this venture than many perhaps realize. His church had several branches, a newspaper and several hundred members with William as the prophet. The author wryly notes that once Smith was established as prophet, he hedged away from earlier positions that Joseph Smith III eventually take over the church. Alas, the church failed when a key member, Isaac Sheen, discovered William’s polygamous past and heavily publicized it. Besides the church, William also lost his wife, Caroline’s sister Roxey Ann, who with their children left him.

William B. Smith lived a long life. The last 30-plus years of his life was spent mostly in a manner far more serene than the fiery decades of 1830 through 1859. He married a woman, Eliza Sanborn, with children and they had a few of their own. The newlyweds withdrew from Mormonism and its offshoots, and lived a rustic, semi-poor existence farming in Elkader, Iowa. Smith even briefly joined the Union Army during the Civil War to make some money. He eventually affiliated, with his wife,  with the Reorganized LDS Church, and served missions and as a branch president. His status as a brother of Joseph Smith made him an admired man, and Smith used his still-strong preaching skills to laud his brother and his faith. 

He never stopped hoping that he would achieve a major position in the Community of Christ, and frequently asked such of Joseph Smith III. The son, gifted with strong patience, compassion and interpersonal skills, never acceded to his uncle’s wish but flattered his frail ego and utilized his talents, allowing him to go on missions and speak at conferences. He outlived Eliza by a few years, and even remarried before his death at 82 in 1893.

William B. Smith, arguably a rogue as a much-younger man, was a better man late in life, a kind man who greeted Utah Mormon missionaries with tears and a hug late in his life. Walker notes that the Prophet Joseph Smith once said that William would be a good man late in his life; that proved to be true. 

There’s much I haven’t mentioned in this biography. Rest assured if you have a passion for LDS Church history, you won’t be disappointed by Walker’s biography.

-- Doug Gibson

Book argues that Book of Mormon a response to Anti-Semitism in New Testament

Review by Doug Gibson

Bradley J. Kramer, who has degrees from both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Brigham Young University, provides a provocative argument in a new book published by Greg Kofford Books, Salt Lake City. At least it's a provocative argument to readers such as myself, with a more casual relationship to Gospel knowledge and analysis.

The theme is described in the title, "Gathered in One -- How the Book of Mormon Counters Anti-Semitism in the New Testament." The author does not consider the New Testament to be uninspired nor anything less than essential to those who adhere to or seek to learn more about Christianity. In fact, it's mulled in the book that perhaps anti-Judaism is a better term than anti-Semitism.

With analysis augmented by references to religious scholars, Kramer argues that much of the New Testament, particularly in the Gospel of Matthew and John, can perpetuate a hostility and increasing prejudice against Jews. The aforementioned Gospels, including later parts of The New Testament, were written several decades after Christ was crucified. The Romans had utilized extreme force against the Jews, and this influenced sentiments within the still-young Christian faith.

An example of this cited in Matthew Chapter 27, is the Gospel author's assertion that all Jews present urged a hesitant Pontius Pilate to kill Jesus. This includes the so-called blood curse, where the Jews are quoted as saying "his blood be on us, and on our children."

As Kramer writes, "And now, before all its readers, the Gospel of Matthew passes judgment on the Jews ... inviting its readers to scourge and mock and ultimately execute them, just as the ancient Jews allegedly did Jesus."

Kramer's book dismisses the Gospel interpretation of Pilate as urging leniency to Christ, arguing that the Roman official historically was known for brutal leadership and disrespect to the Jews, and was eventually recalled to Rome. Another provocative argument broached in the book is that the Pharisees were not the hyper-judgmental, hyper-letter-of-the-law hypocrites as they are described. Rather, the Sadducees, were the party of the elites. The Pharisees, the book adds, represented the middle- and lower-classes. The book notes that some scholars even believe Christ may have sympathized with the Pharisees, and -- gulp -- might even have been one.

Quoting Fisher, Kramer writes, "(Matthew's Pharisees are) not the Pharisees of Jesus' time, but those of Matthew's own that the Gospel author is arguing against." As mentioned, The Gospel of Matthew was written several decades after Christ's earthly life.

The Gospel of John, it is argued in the book, can be perceived as being worse than Matthew's Gospel, as it casts the Jews as "(abiding) in darkness," "(wicked) masters of Israel," and "blind to all things spiritual," and more. As Kramer notes, the rhetoric makes it seem impossible that the Jews could remain God's covenant people.

The Book of Mormon provides a distinct, more forgiving interpretation that avoids anti-Judaism, asserts Kramer, who is the author of "Beholding the Tree of Life: A Rabbinic Approach to the Book of Mormon." As Kramer notes, 1st Nephi 14:14 assures that Jews will eventually be "armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory." Other Book of Mormon scriptures promise that righteous people will look toward the Jews to receive correct teachings and counsel.

Kramer also writes that in the Book of Mormon, when the sins of wicked groups or individuals are revealed, the rhetoric by prophets condemning the sinful behavior "seems not so much to revel in their moral turpitude, as the Gospels appear to do with respect to the Pharisees, as it is to reveal the strength of God's commitment to them."

An example of this, Kramer adds, is Laman and Lemuel, never cast out or left behind by their father or brothers. And that offer of forgiveness and inclusiveness is extended to their descendants, no matter how opposed their theologies are.

Also, as Kramer writes, The Book of Mormon urges Christians to listen respectfully to Jews who disagree with the prophets, and to consider them as friends. Nephi maintained that the Jews had much to teach us. (The book includes this reference from  2nd Nephi 25:5 -- "... I know that the Jews do understand the things of the prophets, and there is none other people that understand the things which were spoken unto the Jews like unto them, save it be that they are taught after the manner of the things of the Jews."

There's much more to this fascinating read. It addresses a harsh truth, which is that anti-Semitism clings to Christianity. However, without tarnishing the spiritual gifts of the New Testament, this problem can be addressed. The Book of Mormon serves as a guide to resolving this uncomfortable issue.

Mormonism and Dime Novels; pulp fiction and the culture of those times

Review by Doug Gibson

I really enjoy the Mormon-themed book offerings from Greg Kofford Books. They are often edgy, grizzly-bear history lessons. The Mormon Image in Literature book series provides reprints of pulp fiction (albeit to be fairly well written) from the 18th century and early 19th century. Besides melodramatic, thrilling tales, the series offers contemporary readers a glimpse into how the popular culture of those times viewed Mormonism in its chaotic youth. On this blog we have reviewed a book in the series, The Mormoness.

The latest series is titled Dime Novel Mormons, a collection of four novellas that sold many, many copies nationwide for no more than a dime, or even a nickel. Four novellas are offered: Eagle Plume: The White Avenger. A Tale of the Mormon Trail (1870); The Doomed Dozen; Or Dolores, the Danite's Daughter (1881); Frank Merriwell Among the Mormons; Or the Lost Tribe of Israel (1897); and The Bradys Among the Mormons; Or Secret Work in Salt Lake City (1903).

The plots reflect the times. Mormons are the bad guys; rough or old men constantly on the prowl to kidnap virginal young women. Handsome young men, Mormon opponents, of course, ultimately help save the day. The plots reveal controversial topics within Mormonism. Polygamy is a given, but also the more myth than reality "Danites" vigilantes are a plot staple, as is thinly veiled episodes that recall The Mountain Meadows Massacre, or Utah territory's near deadly conflicts with the federal government, and even Reed Smoot's struggle to be a U.S. Congressman 100-plus years ago.

In an introduction, editors Michael Austin and Ardis E. Parshall provide an entertaining overview of the Dime Novels. Advances in printing in the mid 19th century moved books from luxury-item status to a ubiquitous item. Fifteen thousand- to 30,000-word action novels, heavy on dialogue, action, stereotypes, hyperbole, danger and prejudices, won over the general populace. They were cheap, satisfying diversions, printed in tiny type on newsprint. Multiple scores of thousands were printed over generations.

From the introduction: "Though dime novels did a lot to promote literacy and book ownership they didn't do much for peace, love and understanding. Their narrative formulas required spectacular villains and their style guides did not allow floor depth or character development, so they turned to the most simplistic and outrageous stereotypes ..."

The novellas are extremely entertaining, even today. The best are short and to the point, lean and mean with not an ounce of exterior fat. Frank Merriwell ... was my favorite, as the protagonist, featured in a series of books, travels to a renegade fundamentalist Mormon town to rescue a young lovely from a depraved, elderly polygamist. Here's a very short snippet from Frank Merriwell where a misguided fundamentalist Mormon father prepares to place his daughter in the hands of a predatory, elderly polygamist:

"Ah, but you will discover your mistake when the good elder has made thee his wife."
"Which he shall never do, father! I refuse to become the ninth Mrs. Holdfast. Asaph Holdfast already has seven living wives and one has died. Ugh!" she cried with a shiver.

Eagle Plume ... was a great read. It's a tale of vengeance, with our protagonists traversing the western Frontier to find a dastardly Mormon who wrecked the lives of their womenfolk. It should be noted that the books portray Mormonism's sinful status as institutional; the heroes are literally combating an army division in the destroying "Danites."

The Bradys Among the Mormons ... is another series tale featuring father and son detectives. The 1903 plot of trying to save a young girl kidnapped to be married off in Salt Lake City features a rich Mormon wannabe politician (can you think Reed Smoot) and a sinister, elderly Church leader with a long white beard (think then-Prophet Joseph F. Smith.

My least favorite of the four is The Doomed Dozen ... It's not because of the plot, which features a Mountain Meadows Massacre-like slaughter on the trail led by a Mormon named John Leigh (think John D. Lee). There are virtuous young girls in peril and secret oaths, and dashing heroes sworn to stop the Mormons. Its fault is it's a little too long. There's an excess of plot and characters.

---

The stories are dialogue heavy, very descriptive, and perhaps large portions of the novellas -- depicting, for example, wagon trains, or big-city social life -- are reasonably accurate. On the other hand, as Austin and Parshall note, the writing reinforces stereotypes of the "wild West" that existed because in the closed society of those times, imagination ruled for lack of mediums that could provide tangible reality. Bigotry is found in the pages. Native Americans are slurred in Eagle Plume ..., for example, even though they are allies of our heroes. The authors are conversational themselves, occasionally offering asides to readers.

I hope Latter-day Saints are not offended by these books. They are history lessons, a reminder Mormonism's struggle to rebound from setbacks, some well-deserved, some unfair. I found myself chuckling through some passages and yes, cheering our Gentile heroes against those "evil," Mormon elders consumed with lust for the young maidens. The novellas have a kick; they grabbed readers and made a nation more literate.

When I say pulp fiction, I refer to the hasty plots and generalizations. The writing is sophisticated and talented for its time. In fact, the novels' prose reminds me in style of Parley P. Pratt's autobiography, as well as the LDS apostle's frequent polemics and other tracts, either in support of the church or in opposition to its enemies.

The Dime Novels often end a chapter in suspense. However, just a few paragraphs later and the danger has subsided until the next literary dire situation. These novellas are ancestors of film melodramas, cowboy hour-long C movies and of course, adventure movie serials.

Even today, where contemporary Dime Novels are virtually gone from bookstores, they exist in streaming services. Whether it's Stranger Things, Peaky Blinders, Bosch, etc., viewers can binge an entire season in less than 10 hours of a single day -- something that could be accomplished 150 years ago  reading one of these novellas.

Review: Life and Times of John Pierce Hawley ...

Historian Melvin C. Johnson's new book, Life and Times of John Pierce Hawley: A Mormon Ulysses of the American West," Greg Kofford Books, 2019, is a very interesting account of a man's life through various episodes of early Mormonism. Hawley was a not a major figure in the faith's history; he was mostly limited to regional prominence. However, his life traveled through significant eras of Mormon history.

Hawley's parents were baptized in the first half of the 1830s; Hawley was baptized in the midst of the Missouri turmoil and was part of the forced exodus from the state. His family ended in Wisconsin and his father served under church leader Lyman Wight. After Joseph Smith's murder, the family followed Wight's splinter group to Texas. After a short, unsuccessful marriage, Hawley had a successful lifetime marriage with Sylvia Johnson. He also helped build the Zodiac Temple and lived and served in the Cherokee Nation.

The decline of Wight's colony prompted Hawley's family, and his brother George's family, to cross the plains to Utah and join the "Brighamites." He and his family eventually helped to start the town of Pine Valley and build the church in Southern Utah. Hawley was a major figure there, serving as presiding elder, settling disputes, leading efforts at building, road creation and other initiatives. He rubbed both ecclesiastical and social shoulders with church leaders, including Apostle Erastus Snow and even President Brigham Young.

However, after serving an LDS Church mission in the late 1860s, Hawley slowly reconsidered his faith decisions, and he and his family left the "Brighamites" to join the "Josephites," or the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints (now Church of Christ). He remained a faithful member for the rest of his life.

Modern church may regard Hawley's actions as an apostasy but I'm sure he did not. Johnson's account underscores the animus between the two major LDS factions in the late middle 19th century but also notes both faiths' strong reliance on the teachings of Joseph Smith and belief in new scripture, such as the Book of Mormon. Also, Hawley reconnected with family members, most notably his mother, during his mission to the RLDS, as well as old friends. He must have felt a strong pull.

Hawley's was a hard life. He and Sylvia buried several small children during the years in Pine Valley. Johnson notes how dangerous life was for youngsters, and women, in that era, particularly when a family did not have a secure house-like living arrangement. He also notes the terrifying, adverse affects that colonization had on the Native Americans, particularly in Southern Utah. The loss of land and traditional ways of living killed many, and reduced them to a begging existence, which generally led to scorn, rather than compassion, from settlers. Johnson notes that Hawley's autobiography virtually ignores the Native Americans, despite his and others' impact on their lives.

Hawley's autobiography is very sparse on details. One manner in which Johnson beefs up his book is to provide additional research on experiences Hawley shared, such as life for pioneers on the trail, the experiences of women in early Mormonism, how colonization affected Native Americans, slavery, and the Mountain Meadows Massacre, etc. The massacre is a central incident in Hawley's life. He claims not to have been involved; indeed, a Johnson reports, he says he nearly lost his life protesting the murderous plans. That may be true; but the possibility also exists that Hawley may have succumbed to the pressure. Many of the victims were shot by revolvers. Hawley was one of only two men in the area who possessed revolvers.

I have neglected to mention that Hawley and family were in Utah during the Mormon Reformation. In the book Johnson provides a list of questions members were asked during the Reformation. An interesting anecdote involves an alleged conversation between Hawley and future LDS Prophet Wilford Woodruff in which the latter tells Hawley that some LDS apostles had confessed to adultery.

Hawley's  work and efforts in Utah were mostly respected. It's interesting he left the faith after a generation of setting roots in Pine Valley. It's possible that his failure to be called as bishop to the Pine Valley ward hurt him. He was called to be first counselor to a relative of the Snow apostles. This may have rankled as he had ruled against the Snows' interests earlier in a timber dispute and might have felt his "demotion" was a form of payback. In any event, after his mission to the RLDS, Johnson recaps Hawley's reassessing of personal religious beliefs, including church leadership lineage, a key dispute between "Brighamites" and "Josephites." Hawley reversed his belief in apostolic succession in family of a familial succession. This was likely prompted by his visits to RLDS prophet Joseph Smith III and his brother Alexander Smith.

Just before he left Mormonism, Hawley, who had always resisted polygamy, went back on his word to take a second wife, an action Erastus Snow had urged him to do. That probably sealed his decision to leave. I suspect his short-lived proposal to a much younger woman may have been a last effort to cling to a faith he was departing. It was doomed, as Johnson makes it clear Hawley and his wife Sylvia shared a lifetime bond that had no room for plural marriage.

As Johnson notes, Hawley's commitment to the RLDS late in life included omissions and fabrications that he had displayed while faithful to his Utah-based faith. For example, in a legal case, Hawley parroted the RLDS pleasant fiction that Joseph Smith had not taught or promulgated polygamy. He clearly knew that was not true.

Although he was conditioned by biases and prejudices that dominated his times, the Hawley depicted by biographer Johnson appears a basically decent, hard-working, loyal family-based man. He was clearly an asset to the various ecclesiastical leaders he swore allegiance to during his life. In fact, as Johnson notes, he received a second endowment during his tenure in Utah, one that guaranteed his exaltation.

We benefit from books such as "Life and Times of John Pierce Hawley." They underscore the uniqueness of the Mormon historical experience, for better or worse. Johnson's commendable effort provides us a looking glass into the daily life of an individual who helped shape that experience.

'The Mormoness' gets a reprint 163 years after its publication

Greg Kofford Books, as part of its The Mormon Image in Literature series, is re-publishing “The Mormoness: or, the Trials of Mary Maverick, a Narrative of Real Events." That’s quite a mouthful for an 1853 novella of about 25,000 words.

Written by a minister/educator/journalist of some note named Professor John Russell, it’s 1853 publication, in serial form, is significant because it’s virtually the only work of Mormon fiction derived from non-church sources that is sympathetic to Mormonism. But sympathetic is not intended to mean that Russell had any warm feelings toward the doctrines of the Latter-day Saints, and its founder. Indeed, Russell was contemptious of its doctrines, its leaders, its scriptures and lamented individuals who were ”ensnared“ by it.

But Russell was unique in that he vociferously condemned persecution of the young faith, primarily for two reasons. The first was that it violated the constitutional rights of Mormons. The second reason, more personal, was Russell’s fear — probably accurate — that outrage over Mormons being persecuted incited public sympathy for their plight, and improved the faith’s missionary efforts. In ”The Mormoness“ he writes: ”Employ Force and violence to put down the wildest delusion that fanaticism ever invented, and you inevitably insure its success. ... It is strikingly verified in the case of the Mormons. Hundreds who ridiculed the absurdities of that creed when its followers were unmolested, fell directly into the snare of Mormonism when their sympathies were awakened by seeing them calmly enduring persecution and death for their cause.“

In fact, Michael Austin and Ardis E. Parshall, who edit and annotate this volume, include a letter Russell wrote in 1841 to Thomas Gregg, the editor of the extremely anti-Mormon Warsaw Signal, chiding his friends for the newspaper’s tone. Russell was prescient when he wrote, ”I have not a doubt but that the Signal will destroy the settlement and town of the Mormons. I am fearful that on opening the next number I shall see the event announced in starring capitals.“ But he added, “the excitement will soon fade away and the deepest feelings of sympathy be awakened for that people. Their errors will all be forgotten in their suffering.”

Gregg was not as murderous a foe of Mormons as another Signal editor, Thomas Sharp, and the editors note that under Gregg’s guidence, the paper took a less harsh tone with Mormons and Nauvoo.

As for “The Mormoness,” Russell based the main characters, very loosely, on a father and son who were killed at The Hauns Mill Massacre in Missouri, leaving a widow. The Maverick family, James, Mary, and son Eddy, live in Sixteen Mile Prairie, a small settlement. They are happy, pious and very content, Mary such a wonderful housekeeper and mother that she inspires envious gossip from peers. James, once a vociferous opponent of Mormonism, is converted. Forced through pressure to give it up, he fears for his soul and nearly dies. To bring him back to health, Mary decides to convert to the faith. The family falls from esteem and eventually moves.

In Russell’s tale, the family grows in the faith, all are converted. On the night of the Hauns Mill-type  massacre, both James and Eddy are killed. Deeply depressed, Mary, the heroine, gathers her faith and courage and dedicates her life to Christ-like behavior. Russell shares passages in which Mary, a veritable saint, teaches children, is proposed to, unsuccessfully, by a rich man, goes among native Americans, nursing them through cholera, and gains the respect of everyone she meets, despite suffering discrimination due to her religion. The theme is clear — anything evil or bad that is thrown at Mary Maverick is returned with an excess of love, thereby increasing her esteem, and by extension Mormonism.

The climax of the novella involves Mary’s crisis when she discovers she is nursing back to health the man who killed her husband and son. A conflict arises when the man, enamored of her, insists they be married. 

As literature, this melodramatic tale will cause no sleepless nights to defenders of Charles Dickens. But it is readable, and I found myself eager to finish it in a sitting. Russell is progressive enough, for a faithful mainstream Christian of that time, to describe Mary Maverick as an example of a Christian, despite her religion. With his text, he shows how great suffering and humility moves the protagonist deeper into her faith, and a Christlike existence.

He writes, “These unmerited and cruel wrongs, inflicted upon that sect, and especially upon her own husband, made a deep impression upon the feelings of Mary, They enlisted her sympathies in the cause of the injured, and had a thousand fold greater effect than all the arguments of the prophet himself could have had, to change her opinions. Insensibly to herself, the daily abuse unjustly heaped upon her husband wrought an entire change in her views of Mormonism, and she now joined heart and hand with that sect, and willingly united her destiny with theirs. Such is ever the effect of persecution, even of those most deeply in error.”

Other portions of the book include a biographical sketch of Russell, the aforementioned letter to the Signal’s editor, and a chapter from another book Russell penned, an attack on Universalism.

-- Doug Gibson

-- Previously published at StandardNET

Novel Dream House on Golan Drive, Mormon Thunder Jedediah Grant

A Mormon-themed novel, “Dream House On Golan Drive” (Signature Books), by David G. Pace, a writer of considerable talent and regional note. “Dream House” is not likely to move beyond its genre but it’s extremely well written and thought-provoking.

It involves the lives within a Mormon quasi-celebrity family, the Hartleys, living in Provo in the late 1970s through the 1990s. The dad, Nelson, is the sort, not uncommon in the faith, who is a third spiritual giant, a third motivational speaker, and a third pitchman. Mom Joan is a former Miss Utah. There’s a whole passel of kids, and the story revolves around eldest son, Riley, taking us from childhood and well into his adulthood.

In an interesting quirk, Pace allows one of the Three Nephites, “Zed,” to be a narrator. The old Nephite, who seems to play a sort of guardian angel to Riley as well, also consorts with contemporaries, including The Wandering Jew. Through Riley, most of the traditional rites of passages of growing up Mormon are observed, an we get a peek of the many dysfunctions that accompany a “perfect Mormon family” headed by a ’spiritual celebrity.’”

Pace possesses talent with his prose. For example: “The power of the word is two-edged. It can constrain you, Riley learned. A kind of reverse logos. Back home he was struck by how religion seemed to be spoken into a wide-mouthed canning jar and quickly sealed, but the most amazing permutation of toxins bean in that sterile environment. Morality turned into moralism. Couragebecame obedience. Values were edicts. Self-discipline became mental-subjugation. The WORD became simply an act of preservation, of enduring toward some kind of end.”

There’s a strong passage of mother Joan’s frequent trips to the Provo temple, where she she can sit in solitude, contemplate and grieve for her wayward children’s dysfunctions. The fate of one character, a sort of mentor to Riley, left me in tears. Be warned, this is a grim novel, more concerned with the scabs than applying any balm to the wounds. There are random moments of humor that relieve the tension.

---

With the renewal of enthusiasm for Mormon history, led by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints itself, it’s about time that the historical personage of Jedediah Grant was resurrected. Possessed of looks reserved for movie matinee idols, the counselor to Brigham Young was a major player in mid-1850s Utah ... and then he died.

One reason Grant may not get the same publicity as his peers is that he was a fiercely devoted advocate of the Mormon reformation, and spoke favorably of now-taboo doctrines such as blood atonement. Nevertheless, he had a fascinating life. Soon after his conversion, he became brother in law to William Smith, prodigal brother to the Prophet Joseph Smith. He served many missions for the church, worked closely with the Mormons’ non-Mormon ally Thomas Kane, and self taught himself to becoming a powerful speaker.

More than a generation ago, Gene A. Sessions, Ogden scholar, wrote a strong biography, “Mormon Thunder: A Documentary History of Jedediah Morgan Grant” (I have a 2008 edition published by Greg Kofford Books). Sessions captures the personality of this early-Mormon leader, and how a tender familial side could go to a bowery pulpit and strike fear in the hearts of the faithful.

Session writes: “Apparently believing that the bloodstream of the body of the Saints needed purification, he (Grant) openly fought dangerous notions that Restoration had lost its way under its new leadership. The Church, he maintained, could and ought to change, but only under the laws set down by the rule of the priesthood. That must be the unchanging order of the universe.”

Many of Grant’s discourses are in “Mormon Thunder,” and they are treasures. Here’ just one excerpt I enjoyed, particularly Grant’s use of slang for a cat: “... I know some of our milk and water folks thought all the fat was in the fire. ’Brother Brigham has gone rather too far; he might have spoken a little milder than he did. I think it would have been much better,’ &c. This was the language of some hearts; and I feel to say, damn all such poor pussyism. ...”

Sessions includes a major tragedy of Grant’s life, losing his wife and infant child on the Pioneer trail. The account includes his return to gather the infant’s body, only to discover the corpse had been picked apart and scattered by wild animals. Overall, “Mormon Thunder” is an interesting account of a remarkable church leader.

-- Doug Gibson

Originally published at StandardNet.