A More Embracing Mormonism

Review of Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt, by Patrick Q. Mason

**********

I am surprised — and delighted — that Deseret Book and the Maxwell Institute co-published this book by Mormon scholar Patrick Mason. It acknowledges that there are “troubling episodes” in the LDS church’s past and “apparent contradictions and conundrums in the church’s history, doctrine, and positions on current issues.” It discusses several of these issues at length, including withholding priesthood and temple blessings from blacks, Joseph Smith’s treasure digging, and the Mountain Meadows massacre. And it doesn’t shy away from honest critique.

But Mason is no rabble-rouser; he’s “all in” with respect to Mormonism, describing himself as a “believer and a belonger.” He “find[s] redemption and sanctification in the gospel of Jesus Christ,” and he “can’t imagine being more convinced that God has ordained The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to accomplish its divine mission.”

Mason wrote this book because “a number of church members are either questioning their place in the church or leaving it altogether.” Although Planted discusses Mason’s own views about a few problematic issues, he is “less concerned … with delivering definitive answers than with having a conversation.” He wants the church to become “a more welcoming place for those who struggle.” Quoting President Uchtdorf, Mason believes that “the church is truly ‘a place for people with all kinds of testimonies.’” To that end, Planted is written for Mormons all along the spectrum of belief, from those who have difficulty believing in God to those whose faith is "rock solid."

Mason writes with respect and compassion toward those who struggle with challenging historical and doctrinal issues. For example:

• “[T]he challenges are real and … most of the people who face them are earnest.”
• “[F]inding better ways to think and talk about [challenging] issues is an act of compassion in the original sense of the word — ‘to suffer with.’”
• “How we deal with doubt in the church today is one of the most pressing tests of our collective discipleship.”
• “Doubt is … less a problem in need of a solution than a common part of the mortal experience.”
• “The quest to eradicate all doubt becomes counterproductive to God’s call for us to live by faith in a mortal existence where uncertainty is so often the norm.”
• “Stigmatizing doubt to the point that people feel guilty for even having questions is not conducive to spiritual growth.”
• “Will we reduce those who doubt to the status of lost souls who must correct their views in order for us to maintain association with them, or will we treat them as family members whom we love and care for — and maybe even learn from?”

I have often been told (by well-intentioned individuals, I’m sure) that the answer to my own struggles with Mormonism is simply to read the scriptures and pray more. While Mason sees this as “good advice in principle,” he also recognizes that it is “often unhelpful”:

For one thing, chances are the person has already tried reading her scriptures and praying about her questions. For another, a formulaic answer demonstrates a lack of concern for the person and his actual problems. While reading scriptures and praying are always necessary, they are rarely sufficient for the range of profound human dilemmas, whether it be financial disaster, a failing marriage, death or chronic illness, or a crisis of faith.

Instead of “giving prepackaged answers,” Mason encourages believing members of the church to “mourn with” and “comfort” (see Mosiah 18:8–9) those who struggle with faith:

When the people we love are in pain, our first response is not to blame them or dismiss them or trivialize their hurt. We go to them. We embrace them. If words fail us, we simply sit with them … Mostly, we love them regardless of their beliefs or place in the church.

In addition, Mason encourages all members of the church — including those whose faith is strong — “to seek and learn and ask and dive deeply into the best books,” which include but are not limited to the scriptures. Mason believes that “willful ignorance” about challenging issues “impedes our ability to minister to one another.” A suggested reading list is provided, which Mason sees as modeling “faithful, rigorous, and variable ways of authentically engaging questions about our history and belief.”

The first few chapters of Planted discuss “basic principles that can help in addressing historical and doctrinal challenges to Mormon belief.” Mason’s openness to complexity and nuance pervades these chapters:

• “I typically do not think in black-and-white terms.”
• “[F]acts are rarely, if ever, self-evident. They are always subject to interpretation, and interpretation is always subject to debate.”
• “[H]istory is always a work in progress. It is not just there. … Our understanding of the past … is always subject to change … as fresh evidence and interpretations emerge.”
• “[T]hose who make peace with the difficult elements in our past … suspend final judgments and are content with preliminary hypotheses when the evidence is incomplete.”

Mason doesn’t hide from the fact that prophets and apostles have “faults, even … occasionally severe ones.” He also recognizes that members of the Church may “disagree with a prophet, not out of convenience or whim but out of deep-seated and gospel-inspired moral conviction.” (The priesthood-temple ban is discussed at length.) At the same time, Mason sees our prophets and apostles as “reliable guides for a life of faith in an age of doubt,” and he sees the path of discipleship as an attempt to “walk the harder way situated between the easier paths of blind obedience and blanket rejection.”

The final few chapters of Planted are spent “reflect[ing] … on the importance of the church as an institution and community.” Mason’s great love for the church is evident in these chapters. While drawing upon the insights of four thoughtful believers (Claudia and Richard Bushman, Lowell Bennion and Eugene England), Mason describes the church as “one of the most important means we have for developing Christlike character.” Although Mason acknowledges that “our church community is far from perfect,” he also “doubts … whether there is anything much better, not only in terms of doctrinal truth and priesthood authority but also in terms of providing personal purpose, meaning, and opportunities to develop Christlike character.”

Mason recognizes that those who leave the church may have “exceedingly good” reasons for doing so. But he hopes that those who leave “have somewhere to go to rather than just flee from, … remain connected to the good people and godly principles … encountered in Mormonism, and … keep the door open to come back someday.”

Planted didn’t answer all of my questions or resolve all of my concerns — nor was it intended to. Indeed, Mason acknowledges that Mormonism “necessitates a certain tolerance for snares, stumbling blocks, and offenses rooted dually in human fallibility and divine mystery.” But I came away feeling considerably more hopeful about the future of Mormonism. If members of the church would be willing to heed Mason’s call for a “more embracing Mormonism,” I believe that members like me would feel comfortable “work[ing] through questions and doubts in the midst of the body of Christ rather than feeling excluded from it.”

I highly recommend this excellent book to my LDS family and friends who (like myself) struggle with various aspects of Mormon doctrines and/or policies, or who know someone who does.