By Will Zobell
Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are to read "the best books" Does their definition intersect with the world's?
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often refer to a scripture that is normally used within the context of reading scripture. However, the scripture has also been used when talking about literature: “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith” (The Doctrine and Covenants, 88.118). This verse is interesting in its ambiguity of what is considered the “best books.” Both Church leaders and members who are part of the faith have given thoughts on what those books could be. The opinions vary wildly which, for an organization that is united in so many other things, seems strange. As a lifelong member of the Church and as an English major at Brigham Young University (a private school operated and owned by the Church), I feel qualified to approach the subject and shine some light on the matter.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Definition
So what makes a book one of the “best books”? Is it the subject of the book? The lessons it teaches? Its contents? The Church has an Article of Faith that might help narrow down the definition
the 13th Article of Faith states,
We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things. (The Pearl of Great Price, Articles of Faith 1.13)
According to this, we can assume that the “best books” (1) are “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy,” and (2) have characters that exemplify being “Honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men." However, if a book contains depictions of evil that are the antithesis of these things, does that book become unworthy of being a “best book”? Elder Boyd K. Packer, in an address given in 1976, said teachers of literature are “assigning their students to read degenerate compositions that issue from the minds of perverted and wicked men” (Packer). As a current student at BYU, I can say that I haven’t read too many works that I would say are “degenerate” or “issuing from minds of perverted and wicked men” or women. There have been a few which had scenes or sections that I would have rather not read, but they were no worse than what is heard on the street or in television and film.
Packer continues:
There is the temptation for college teachers, in the Church and outside of it, to exercise their authority to give assignments and thereby introduce their students to degradation under the argument that it is part of our culture. Teachers in the field of literature are particularly vulnerable. I use the word warning… Those who convey a degraded heritage to the next generation will reap disappointment by and by. (Packer)
Packer, and by extension the authority he has within the Church, seems to be calling for a reform of what literature members of the Church consume and produce. The rest of his address continues to advise members of the Church to produce works of art that will inspire and uplift while still being a part of the high standard of morality that we hold for ourselves. Modern-day members of the Church’s First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles have continued along this line of thinking.
In a pamphlet for the youth of the Church entitled, “For the Strength of Youth,” they say:
Select only media that uplifts you. Satan uses media to deceive you by making what is wrong and evil look normal, humorous, or exciting. He tries to mislead you into thinking that breaking God’s commandments is acceptable and has no negative consequences for you or others. Do not attend, view, or participate in anything that is vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic in any way. Do not participate in anything that presents immorality or violence as acceptable. (For the Strength of Youth)
Using these quotes, we can determine that if a book does include vulgarities, immoralities, violence, or pornography, that members of the Church are to stay away from it. The books that contain such things are not the “best books.”
Other Members of The Church definition
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| Photo Credit: Bob Henderson Henderson Photography, Inc. |
However, this may not always be the case. Orson Scott Card, a very prominent author who is also a member of the Church, includes various themes that are in line with the Church’s beliefs and practices in his books. Michael Collings said that Card’s works "are so fundamentally colored by and informed with Mormonism, that in some cases evidence for his Mormonism is barely discernible to LDS readers and virtually invisible to others" (44). These themes are in keeping with the idea of a “best book” being a book that is “virtuous, lovely and of good report.” If the books exemplify the Church’s beliefs, it should be a part of that category. However, Card includes things in his books that can be considered vulgar, immoral, violent, or pornographic. In his book Pastwatch, there are sections that describe innuendos of a sexual nature, genital piercing for a religious ritual, murder, rape, and child rape. None of these scenes are overly descriptive of the acts themselves, but nevertheless they are included in his work. So what could Card’s reasoning for writing such scenes in his book be when they are so clearly in conflict with what the religion has asked for its members to produce and partake in? In his collection of essays entitled, “A Storyteller in Zion,” Card has an essay that directly tackles this problem. In his essay titled, “The Problem of Evil in Fiction,” he speaks about the necessity of the inclusion of evil in a work. “I am a radically orthodox Mormon today and have no intention of changing my beliefs on the subject. But as a writer of fiction, I have found it impossible to write well without dealing directly with evil portraying it in my work.” (Card 70) So for one, he includes evil in his works so that he can write well. He goes on to say that stories about happy people being happy in a happy world are not going to be interesting. He also argues that evil must exist in the world because we can not learn from or without it. In the middle of his essay, he says, “There are three types of evil in relation to fiction. Evil depicted in fiction. Evil advocated by Fiction. Evil enacted by fiction.” (78) The first type of evil being the depiction of it, is argued by Card to not be evil within itself. The average person can read of evil acts and not believe that they are the norm. Evil advocated by fiction is not evil within itself as well. Individuals still have the power to choose to believe in the advocacy or not. What Card argues, is the line that is not to be crossed is the Evil that is enacted by fiction. He uses pornography as an example of this. It is fiction that is written to directly cause evil to take place. “It is designed to give direct or indirect sexual gratification...the effect of pornography is not aesthetic, but orgasmic” (79). This direct and intentional purpose of enacting evil is what Card considers to be the line Church leaders are telling members not to cross.
Card concludes his thoughts on depictions of evil by talking about how the eye needs to be trained to recognize passages that are enacting evil. He argues that an untrained reader, or perhaps a better term would be an inexperienced reader, might read a passage in a book that describes an act of evil and not understand the purpose of the passage. The inexperienced might read “To Kill a Mockingbird” and recognize the racism contained within the book. Upon realizing what the book contains, they might argue it “represents institutionalized racism under the guise of good literature” (Banned & Challenged Classics). This reader, Card would argue, has missed the point of why evil was included in the book. To Card, the “best books'' need to contain evil to be interesting but they must also have limits as to what the depiction of Evil is for. Just because a book contains scenes of immorality does not disqualify it from being considered a worthwhile endeavor.
It should be noted that the disparity between what Card believes and what Church authorities have preached is not an act of rebellion by Card. Due to the ambiguous nature of what a “best book” is, there is an allowance for the disparity among the faithful members of the Church.
The World's Definition
The world already has a list of books that are considered some of “the best books.” These are contained within the Literary Canon’s subcategory of “Great Books.” This list of “great books” was put together primarily by Mortimer J. Adler. Adler was a man of many hats, a few of which include author, philosopher, educator, and encyclopedist. In a note to the Western Canon Mailing List, he laid out his three requirements for a book to be considered a “great book.”
Mortimer Adler, 1989
Bachrach
The first was the book's contemporary significance -- relevance to the problems and issues of the twentieth century … The second criterion was their infinite rereadability … It is inexhaustibly rereadable. It cannot be fully understood on one, two, or three readings. More is to be found on all subsequent readings ... The third criterion was the relevance of the work to a very large number of great ideas and great issues that have occupied the minds of thinking individuals for the last twenty-five centuries. (Alder)
These three requirements for “great books” seem to be inclusive enough, but Alder’s lists of “great books” have received criticism for not being inclusive enough with Latinx and African literature. Jay Stevenson, a critic of the list has said, “Traditional literature has been found to have been written by "dead white males" to serve the ideological aims of a conservative and repressive Anglo hegemony” (9-10). As of late, more and more diverse works have been added to the Literary Canon and are being taught in education programs.
The world’s standard for “great books” or “best books” does little to consider the depictions of evil in the works. Their standard focuses more on the philosophical ideas contained within the books. This is due in part to the varying beliefs and moral standards that exist in the world. So it is within the culture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While the members of the Church all have their core doctrines that they can agree on, there are many suggestions within those doctrines that are up to personal belief and morality to decide upon. While the LDS culture may be more strict than the world's, they are still able to enjoy many books.
The point I am trying to make here is, that while The Church argues for more enlightened and moral works to be created, read, and shared, they are also not restrictive in what their members can or cannot read. While some members may be restrictive in what they themselves or their families read, others are more fluid with their choice of “best books.” Many members are readers of the “great books” but perhaps what separates the “great books” from the “best books” is not solely the topics, rereadability, relevance, or depictions of evil, but rather, it is the enjoyment of the book as a whole. It is the combination of all those principles combined, with comprehension and spiritual enlightenment, that provides members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the definition of the “best books.”
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