- What did Packer and Kimball expect to read as the greatest poems, hymns and literature of the Restoration?
- I feel that the Book of Mormon and other works done through God are what not regarded as outstanding literature - why is that?
- I feel that there are works done by religions that are very popular like "Amazing Grace". Are there any works that the LDS church has created that could be held up to that standard?
- Can testimonials and singular diary entries be considered literature (like a poem), or would they have to be group together in a journal?
- I think that it is important to understand that Mormon fiction aren't Mormon "lies". Where did the thought that fiction was evil come from?
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Marcus's Questions about LDS Literature
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Hi Marcus, I really like a lot of your questions. You definitely raise some interesting points. In answer to your second question, I think that on the whole, people tend to avoid thinking of scripture in general as literature (not even just the Book of Mormon, but the Qu'ran and the Bible as well). Because literature has to have criticism written about it to some extent, it is difficult to classify scripture as literature. People don't like hearing incongruencies pointed out in what they consider to be divine.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to your third question, I totally think that we have our own "Amazing Grace" Hymns! There are hymns like "Come, Come, Ye Saints" and other early Restoration hymns that are shared among many different Restoration churches. In fact, the Community of Christ and the Church in Missouri get together every once in a while to sing these hymns together and feel the spirit of the music and words!
To answer your third question, I think what it boils down to is the who and when. For example, Disney a few years ago did a film (I think in 2001) on "The Other Side of Heaven," which was based on a book by a member of the seventy, John Groberg. After the movie came out, the book became more popular (the story behind the movie did two, both for members of the Church and people not of the faith). So it really depends on the timing because I think there can be great potential for many religious texts, even outside of the Church.
ReplyDeleteI think that your fourth question has an interesting premise--why does literature have to have breadth as well as depth? I think that most literature is best understood at a singular level, but yeah, I understand that thought. How can you really make one journal entry literary?
ReplyDeleteI think poems can definitely fall into the LDS literature category. Just as poems can stand alone today, they can in this category
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