Henry's Final Essay

LDS authors face a difficult challenge in their writings. There is a distinct set of values within the LDS culture that the writing must fit under in order to be considered “LDS literature.” This raises the question, however, of who the audience should be for works that qualify as LDS literature. There are pros and cons to both sides of whether said literature should be intended for primarily member audiences or non-member audiences. For the outcome that I see most effective, LDS literature should be written for a member audience.

The advantage of creating works that are intended for LDS audiences are that they are a great way for members to connect with ideas they are already familiar with, to ideas that are perhaps more unique and unencountered in Sunday school. If an author is writing a science fiction piece, like Seventh Son for example, the author is able to create a thoughtful space for the reader to experiment and think about the gospel and its teachings in a deeper way. Another advantage is that if the book or media is explicitly LDS themed, the audience is going to be majority LDS anyways, so it might as well be intended for them. If an LDS-themed piece is read by a non-member who is unfamiliar with the church’s theology and teachings, the main point of the story will be lost on them. The same principle, however, does not apply for Christianity. Christian literature is a good way for those who are unfamiliar with its ideology to learn Christian values on a general level. For the most part, LDS theology can be a little too complex for someone to understand when mixed in with other literary tropes.

The disadvantages of writing exclusively for an LDS audience is that, like I stated above, it limits the available or interested audience. A piece of work that is advertised as LDS will likely dissuade audiences from being interested in it. Something like My Book of Life by Angel is a great example of a story with LDS themes, but still relatable to a wide audience. A book like this is a perfect opportunity for non-members to connect with certain teachings of the gospel, yet aren’t necessarily explicit in the text itself. When LDS authors make their work for all audiences, they run the risk of incorporating false doctrine and confusing those who do not already have a solid grasp of the teachings. Mixing in narratives of fantasy, sci-fi, or drama with LDS doctrine can distort the intended LDS message.

Overall, it is a better option to limit LDS writing to LDS audiences. This way, the church can control what messages are being put out into the world and make sure that nothing they don’t want written about them is being written.