Mormonism And Its Meanings

[Gervin]

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/atlarge/2012/08/13/120813crat_atlarge_gopnik

Gopnik is one of my favorites and I think he does a good job; many will disagree. Feel free to discuss.

[volgadon]

http://www.newyorker..._atlarge_gopnik

Gopnik is one of my favorites and I think he does a good job; many will disagree. Feel free to discuss.

Thanks. I think he did a good job, the silly Mark Twain line of criticism notwithstanding.

[Calm]

He got some pretty significant errors though. Makes me wonder if he did more than open the BoM to the first page:

And then the Book of Mormon, unlike anything in the five books of the Torah, is told in a kind of flat first person: the book’s opening chapters all begin with the formula “I, Nephi.

????

[DavidB]

a book as boring as this could have been inspired only by the breath of God.

That is a far as I could get into the article....

[DavidB]

Would also note that an appeal to Twain, concerning religious text, is an empty appeal, as Twain held animosity towards religion.

[JeremyOrbe-Smith]

Meh. I was pretty unimpressed. Read to me as just another patronizing New Yorker article.

Edited August 11, 2012 by JeremyOrbe-Smith

[Bill “Papa” Lee]

Thanks. I think he did a good job, the silly Mark Twain line of criticism notwithstanding.

I know a guy who uses this quote...I guess he things Trwain is a great theologian.

[pmccombs1]

I thought Gopnik wasn't very fair in his portrayal of Brigham Young, but that he painted a fascinating picture of Mormonism that won't fail to be further investigated.

I'm curious about what people here think of this assertion:

It isn’t the truth of the Book, or the legends of Nephi, that undergird Mormon solidarity even among lapsed or wavering believers; it’s the memories of what other people were prepared to do in order to prevent your parents from believing.

[JeremyOrbe-Smith]

It's patently false (or at least incomplete), since a lot of us are first-generation converts.

The entire piece just seemed very disconnected from what it's actually like to be a part of a ward, and filled with a lot of irrelevancies. It really didn't capture my experience with Mormonism at all. I am frankly not very fond of a lot of the non-doctrinal cultural aspects of the Church; I'm in it for our unique scriptures and teachings and Temples.

Edited August 11, 2012 by JeremyOrbe-Smith

[DavidB]

I thought Gopnik wasn't very fair in his portrayal of Brigham Young, but that he painted a fascinating picture of Mormonism that won't fail to be further investigated.

I'm curious about what people here think of this assertion:

It isn’t the truth of the Book, or the legends of Nephi, that undergird Mormon solidarity even among lapsed or wavering believers; it’s the memories of what other people were prepared to do in order to prevent your parents from believing.

There are many who claim "Cultural Mormon" and some of the ones I see making this claim make a point to identify their Pioneer stock. But otherwise, I believe he is trying to make an exception the rule.

To me the article is not worth the read. The bias is apparent within the first paragraphs, and the author is biting his tongue the rest of the way to not appear outright antagonistic.

[Kevin Christensen]

If you want a really good New Yorker piece, I'd stick with Woody Allen's classic, "The Whore of Mensa."

This struck me as shallow, superfical, inaccurate on points that matter to me (how hard is it really to figure out that the Book of Mormon is NOT about that lost 10 tribes, or that Joseph Smith was not convicted of glass looking). How hard is it really to figure out that Brigam Young actually had many interesting and relevant things to say, in a marvelous prose style? (See Eugene England and Hugh Nibley, for instance.) How hard is it to explain that most anti-Mormon literature comes from Evangelical Counter cultists? It is perfectly illustrated by the iconic New Yorker figure, wearing a top hat, exaggerated stiff necked collar, and despite holding up a monicle, he clearly has his eyes closed, the perfect representation of one who is obviously more interested in being looked at, than in being perceptive.

FWIW

Kevin Christensen

Pittsburgh, PA

Edited August 11, 2012 by Kevin Christensen

[The Nehor]

Smith mimicked the endless, generation-counting longueurs of the Old Testament so skillfully that he rendered the book dead as literature while giving it credibility as a sacred text: a book as boring as this could have been inspired only by the breath of God.

I laughed.

I also agree. The Book of Mormon is many things (holy, comforting, rebuking, engrossing) but I rarely find it entertaining.