BY COMMON CONSENTO ‘ RMON N E W S L I Z T T I Z R ( ) l ' ' l l l E M O R N I O N A L L I A N C I ;LLIIANCE

,qsVol. 4. No. 2 April 1997

The first Conference Critique in‘itsexperimental new format will be heldWednesday, April 8, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. inthe third floor auditorium of the Salt LakeCity Library, 209 East 500 South, indowntown Salt Lake City.‘ According to Janice Allred, this semi‑annual conference critique, for the firsttime in four years, will differ from thetraditional format of presentations by fouror five panelists reflecting on the just‑past semi-annual general conference,interspersed with audience reactions."Now, everyone who attends is a

participant," she said. "The MormonAlliance considers general conference tobe theChurch’s most important collectivetradition. Even people who think theydon’t like general conference or arebored by it or can’t stand to watch itdiscover that it feels very different whenyou”re watching to make sense out of it.You notice different things than whenyou're just sitting through it. You getengaged on a different level. You payattention to what works anddoesn't work.Most panelists in the past have foundconferencewatching to be not only inter‑esting but even enjoyable and healing.“l Due to scheduling problems at thelibrary, the original plan to meet in theroomwhere the chairs could be arrangedinformally had to be postponed until theOctober conference critique, "but well

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Conference Critique: Come Prepared!work with the limitations of fixed seatingthis time and enjoy the difference inOctober," she commented.

Conference Watchers’ GuideAs part of watching conference inter‑

actively, consider these questions:1. Did this conference seem to have a

theme with several speakers addressingthe same topic? (Growth and retentionhave been two of President Hinckley’semphases at regional and area confer‑ences.)2.Were any "problems" singled out for

particular mention?3. How inclusive were the addresses?

Does the audience continue to be tradi‑tional two-parent families with youngchildren in the home? What about thedivorced, the never-married men andwomen, the inactive, and those threetypically rebuffed audiences: feminists,gays, and intelleCtuals?4. What were the messages to wom‑

en, particularly at the Young Women’smeeting? What were the messages tomen at the priesthood session?5. Were any social issues addressed?6. Were there any theological innova‑

tions or new interpretations?7.What about structural changes, new

officers, releases, and other changes?8. What are your general conference

fantasies?

ORGANIZATIONAL STATEMENTThe Mormon Alliance was incorporatedon July 4. 1992.

Its purposes are to identify and document ecclesiasti‑cal/spiritual abuse. to promote healing and closure for itssurvivors,to buildmoresensitiveleadership.to empowerLDSmembersto participatewith more authentrcrtyIn Mormonism.and to foster a healthier religiouscommunity.; By Common Consent is the quarterly newsletter of theMormonAlliance.Comments.articles.and itemsfor inclusionare welcome. it they are submitted thirty days before themailingdeadlines.which are the firstweeks of January,April.July. and October. Please send them to Mormon Alliance.6337 S. Highland Drive. Mailbox 215. Salt Lake City. UT84121.‘ Subscriptionsare$30 foreachcalendaryear. Atanypointduringthe year thata subscriptionbegins.youwill receivethefournewslettersof thatyearandthe CaseReportsvolume forthat year. On request.youmay receivemeetingnoticesat nocharge. Copiesof earlier Case Reports. 1995 and 1996, areavailablefrom SignatureBooksfor$20apiece (pn'ce includesshipping)at 564W. 400North.Salt LakeCity. UT84116.Theorderline is (801) 531- 0164.I To report cases of ecclesiastical and spiritual abuse.contact Lavina FieldingAnderson. 1519 RobertaStreet. SaltLakeCity. UT84115 (801)467-1617.Please report changesof address here as well.

i Late Againj The now-traditional announcement thatthe annual volume of the Case Reportsis late is a yawner for those originally toldto expect Volume 3. 1997 in Novemberof 1997. "What can I say?" says LavinaFielding Anderson. bottleneck and apo‑logue. “The problem certainly isn‘t lack ofhigh-quality material or lack of interest inprevious volumes."{ Expect the 1997 volume in early MayWith itsaccounts of missionarieswho hadconsiderably less than the best two yearsof their lives. the experiences of gaysand lesbians who tried to talk to theirecclesiastical leaders, and the documen‑tary history of DavidWright, excommuni‑cated in 1993 for his essays applyingbiblical criticism tools to the Book ofMormon.The 1998 volume, due out in the fall.

will deal with the 1993-95excommunica‑tions and firings from BYU.|

Uncommon DissentGeneMahalko

As usual, the annual winter convening of theUtahState Legislature is one of the most popularspectator sports in the state. This year’s sessionwas remarkably restrained compared to pastyears’ exhibitions of peculiar morality legislation.What was lacking in quantity. however. wasmade up f o rIn quality.

The minimum marriage age in Utah is four‑teen the youngest in the entire United States. Astate representative planned to propose raising itto sixteen but had second thoughts when hefound out that, in addition to parental consent. ajudge has to approve the marriage. He had thirdthoughts when informed that all a judge could dowas ask if the marriage were coerced and whenhe saw the general public outrage that fourteen‑year-olds were being allowed to marry. He rein‑troduced the bill to raise the marriage age.

The Salt Lake County Clerk enthusiasticallysupported the bill because she was the one whohad to perform or license some marriages thatshe foundvery questionable. Couples from out ofstate were coming, if not in droves, certainly inthe dozens per year. so middle-aged men couldmarry middle-school-aged girls.

The bill had one dissenting vote in committeeand passed the house by about an 80 percentmargin. There was some surprise among radiotalk show hosts that it was not passed unani‑mously. But sanity seemed to be clearly in con‑trol.

Then the state senate balked. The bill failednarrowly, was brought up for a vote again in theclosing minutes of the legislative session. andfailed by one vote. The only sense I could makeout of comments from the I'nay" voters was thata raised age wouild somehow take away a basicfreedom and that. since fourteen-year-olds couldget or cause a pregnancy. they should be al‑lowed to many. (No one actually quoted the LDSChurch’s basic position that the option of choicefor pregnant teens is to marry followed, in thisorder, by not marrying and placing the infant foradoption. and by not manying and keeping thebaby. but did I hear ever-so-faint echoes?)

By this logic, since fourteen-year‐olds clearlycan haveboth the capacity andwillingness to getdrunk, we ought to lower the drinking age to

|llfourteen. As it stands right now, the underagebride or groom cannot legally toast his or herunion in champagne at his or her own weddingreception.3 Marriage is the most important, far-reachingdecision a person will make in his or her life, yetthe state requires less experience and maturityfor marriage than it does for getting a credit card,a beer, or a driver’s license. A minor who wantsto get tattooed must have a parent physicallypresent--not a requirement for a maniage.. Thanks to our vigilant legislature, you may re‑ceive wedding invitations engraved: "The coupleis registered at Toys FlUs.“

li The Modern Practice ofi Mormon Kitechcrafi;

Troy Williamsls anybody else bugged by Mormon kitsch‑

craft? You know, the shameless production ofcheap, sentimental, LDSmemorabilia like porce‑lain temples, Nephite lunch pails, and JohnnyLingo action figures? I think part of the sealedportion of the Book or Mormon reads:l "God commandeth that there shall be nokitschcrafts; for, behold kitschcrafts are that menmarket the gospel that they might get gain, butthey seek not the welfare of Zion."l Of course there is no doubt that manufactur‑elrs honestly convince themselves they seek thewelfare' of Israel. Obviously, one can build thekingdomand still make a quick buck at the sametime!; And to prove it, let’s lookat the Lord's person‑ally owned and operated Deseret Bookstore.Here we find Mormon kitschcraft at its zenith.Besides cheesy books and music, you can alsopurchase framed and mounted Proclamationsonthe Family (embellished with hand-painted flow‑ers), Book of Mormon action figures and boardgames, CTR rings and car hood ornaments,Return with Honor (FtTW) T-shirts, temple tiesand Christmas ornaments, and (my favorite)Gordon B. Hinckley fridge magnets.‘ The demand for quality wares in LDSpop-cul‑ture is increasing so rapidly that even an autho‑rized proclamation from the First Presidencycouldn’t stop it!Well, okay, if you can't beat ‘em,join ’em! Here are some ideas that I think would

‐ . . ‐ _ ‑‐‑‐ _ _ _ _ _ ‐ ‑. . ‐ . . _ _ ‐ . ‐ ‑‐ _ ‐ . ‑‐‑bless the LDS community enormously and turn ahandsome profit as well!

1. Temple-Chase: The Board Game. Be thefirst to make your calling and election sure! byPacker Brothers. Also on CD-ROM.2. Electric Seer Stones. Also from Packer

Brothers. Look into the stone and find youreternal companion! Batteries not included.

3. Life-size President Hinckley cardboardcut-outs.

4. FI'B rings. To encourage our youth‘toalways 'Follow the Brethren.“

5. CTR. RWH, and FTB insignia nose andnavel rings. Because kidswill bepiercinganyway

6. Electronic Mortal-Pets: Experience life asGod! Create an electronic spirit-child and raise itin the palm of your hand. Punish it for sinning!Bless it for obedience! Give it revelations! Causenatural disasters randomly!

And then think of the commercial appeal ofexpanding a new line of Mormon action figures.Noyouth in Zion would be complete without thefollowing:

1. Joseph Smith: "Treasure Seer" actionfigure: complete with seer stone, shovel, diviningrod, and hat.

2. Joseph Smith: 'Nauvoo Legion' actionfigure: In royal regalia with sword-cutting actionarm and white horse.

3. Joseph Smith: 'Polygamist' action figure:complete with drop-away trousers. Additionalwives sold separately.

4. Joseph Smith. “Master Mason" actionfigure: complete with apron, Masonic robes.compass and square.

5. EmmaSmith: “Elect Lady," polygamy's foeaction figure.

6. Porter Rockwell: with two-gun-slingingaction.

And for those of you who like your actionfigures to be a little more contemporary:

1. Spanish Fork Barbie: with gravity-defyinghair.

2. Jerald and Sandra Tanner: 'Career Apos‑tates' actionfigures completewithmix-and‐matchanti-Mormon tracts.

3. Last Days Survivalist: with army fatigues,ammunition, and copy of An Enemy Hath DoneThis. Food supply and survival bunker play-setsold separately.

There is also a need to make Church history

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more accessible to our youngsters. I’mpresentlynegotiating with Breathing Scriptures aboutproducing animated adaptations of the popularbooks, The Mountain Meadows Massacre, TheMormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, and Sala‑mander: The Story of the Mormon ForgeryMur‑ders.

Just consider the great spiritual boon theabove products would bring to the Saints. Thepotential here is endless! As long as the LDSdemand is high, I feel prompted to supply! Maywe all seek the welfare of Zion and bring eco‑nomic blessings upon our heads continually.IlI

Being a Class Heretic:Ten Tips for Success

LewWallaceEvery Sunday School class worth its salt

needs a class heretic (CH) who will keep theteacher on his or hertoes import relevant knowl‘edge from strange fields play devil’s advocatewhen needed inject variety when the tedium ofthe recycled lessonmanualbecomesovenlvhelm‑ing,andoccasionally prickthe consciences of themembers by posing questions having to do withthe actual consequences of living the gospel asOpposed to the pharisaical fancy-footwork ofkeeping the rules.l As someonewho called myself to this positionas a teenager and who has seen no signs in themany decades since then that such a calling isneither desirable nor necessary, I offer the dis‑tilled wisdom of how to make this calling a suc‑cessful one. i usemasculine pronouns for conve‑nience only, since some of the most successfulCHs l have met have been feminine.I 1. Be prepared! Know the lesson well. Knowwhat the anonymous lesson authors purposelyleft out (or didn’t know about) and be armedwithchapter and verse of your source-preferablescripture or top Church authority from memory.(My personal preferences are Joseph Smith andthe 0&0, since they are rarely toppable.), 2. Be friend and ally to the teacher. You cansay things as a 'student' that he, as 'teacher'might like to say, but can't. Help amplify andreinforce the good pointsyf the lesson. Help himconclude the lesson as he planneduyou canguess it from the direction--perhaps by keepingquiet the last ten minutes or by limitingyour input

‐‑‐_‐‑‐ _ ‐ ‑

to very brief, pungent, supportivepoints. Beade‑pendable source of discussion-provoking com‑mentswhenever he needsyou to pep up a class.3. Use humor where possible. Humor and

informal banter relax the class and make it morereceptive to new or unusual views or ideas.Come prepared with a few good one-liners.Self-deprecating humor is good. You can intro‑duce some very touchy ideas if you are laughingat yourself.

4. When you take on dumb ideas, chooseyour battles carefully and try not to offend classmembers. Instead of issuing direct challenges,use Socratic teaching by asking: 'How do youreconcile that with . . 7" "Should we . . . 7"“Does that meanwe believe . . . ?' 'What if . . .7'Asking others for their opinion is much betterreceived than overt assertions. This technique isparticularly good for combatting ignorance, error,slothfulness. prejudice, and malice--especiallywhen their proponents employ them ”for a righ‑teous purpose.‘

5. Always make it a policy to turn over everyidea or concept to look at unforeseen and/orunintended consequences. 'What about . . . .7““Doesn't this sometimes produce . . . 7" Bringoutthe beef jerky when the soft stuff has gone down.Hammer homethe 88thand 121st sectionsof theDoctrine and Covenants.

6. Cultivate allies in the class by praising,amplifying, and (if possible) clinching with goodscriptural referencesthe good pointsthat anotherclass member has made, especially if he issomewhat antagonistic toward you. Bring booksor photocopies which may augment the lesson,but show them to the teacher before class. Lethim read your great quotation or pass aroundyour handouts.

7. Be faithful and enthusiastic about aspectsof Churchwork that youfindworthwhile-genealo‑gy. music. Scouting, etc. After all, the basicprinciples of the gospel will produce a healthier.happier, and more productive life for anyone andare worth working for.

8. Stay with the practical. Dodge or ignore (ormakemildfun of) the 'mysteries' like the numberof angels that can dance on the head of a pin.Opinions and speculation will not change reality,but they easily distract us from thinking clearlyand realistically about what it actually means tolive the gospel. Joke about "we mystery‐lovingMormons" if you can get away with it.

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