When I turned 64: Playlist

In preparation for my 64th birthday, I created a playlist of 64 of my favorite Beatles songs.  You can listen to them at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4_TXuU9ars&list=PLJzJSEuDBz7qxCpAYHo-LHsQOTz3k0f9r&index=1

These are not exactly my 64 favorites--though most of them would make it on such a list.  But for special reasons I added a few that are not among my top 64: "Strawberry Fields Forever" because it's paired with "Penny Lane" (which is one of my very favorites); "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" because it leads into "With a Little Help from My Friends" (also among my favorites); "Her Majesty" because it finishes off the closing medley of Abbey Road.  And there are a few others that snuck in for such reasons.  Also, there are at least a half dozen that could easily have made it into the top 64 if I'd left out some of the extras or been in a different mood when I made the list.  But I had to make it come out to 64--so I had to draw the line somewhere.

After listing the songs, I'll explain why they're in the order they are.

Magical Mystery Tour
I'll Follow the Sun
You're Going to Lose That Girl
Good Day Sunshine
For No One
Doctor Robert
If I Fell
It Won't Be Long
Day Tripper
We Can Work It Out
Here Comes the Sun
Eight Days a Week
Any Time at All
In My Life
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
P. S. I Love You
Eleanor Rigby
Help! (with James Bond intro)
I'll Be Back
I'm Looking Through You (Anthology Version)
Please Mr. Postman
Not a Second Time
Little Child
Paperback WRiter
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
With a Little Help from My Friends
Yesterday
Got to Get You into My Life
Penny Lane (promo version with trumpet fanfare at the end)
Strawberry Fields Forever
Your Mother Should Know
You Won't See Me
Thank You Girl
She Loves You
Wait
I'll Get You
Every Little Thing
Baby's in Black
From Me to You
Hello Goodbye
Things We Said Today
No Reply
I'm a Loser
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
Drive My Car
Girl
Let It Be (single version)
Lovely Rita
Think for Yourself
You've Got to Hide Your Love Away
What You're Doing
Here, There, and Everywhere
Please Please Me
One After 909 (Anthology version)
Ticket to Ride
Blackbird
The Fool on the Hill
When I'm Sixty-Four
Twist and Shout (live)
Hey Jude
Golden Slumbers
Carry That Weight
The End
Her Majesty

Notice that there are some special entries: a live performance of "Twist and Shout" (with John's famous line about "rattl[ing] your jewelry"); "I'll Get You" as presented on a teen TV show; "Hello Goodbye" on Ed Sullivan; "Penny Lane" in my favorite version (with trumpet fanfare at the end) that you won't find on any of the CDs or vinyl albums; the Anthology version of "I'm Looking Through You" (which I quite like, though I like the Rubber Soul version as well); and "One After 909" in the only version I really like (and I like it a lot in this version)--the Anthology mix that makes a full song of what were incomplete parts.

As for the order, it is neither in order of how much I like the songs nor in chronological order.  It's an order that I quickly and intuitively put together on the basis of organic connections.  "Magical Mystery Tour" begins the adventure, and the adventure ends appropriately with the closing medley from Abbey Road.  Just before that is "Hey Jude," which (if I'm not mistaken) often comes near the end of McCartney's concerts, with audience participation.  And I put a couple of other numbers before "Hey Jude" as part of the final suite: "When I'm Sixty-Four" (the title track for my birthday celebration) and "Twist and Shout" (to add a reminder of the excitement that got the Beatles phenomenon started).  Just before "When I'm Sixty-Four" is "The Fool on the Hill," which I'm NOT saying is a reference to me . . . but take it as you will.

Some of the connections among other groups of songs are obvious; some are not.  Sometimes it's just a matter of contrast or continuity.  Note, for instance, the subtle links between "Here Comes the Sun," "Eight Days a Week," "Any Time at All," and "In My Life" (the theme of time being one of the links).  And note the theme of communication in "From Me to You," "Hello Goodbye," "Things We Said Today," and "No Reply."  Transportation (by train) links "One After 909" and "Ticket to Ride."

Having made my list, I can affirm with confidence that I could easily add another 90 or so songs to the list.  In fact, I'm sure I've left many people's very favorite songs off my list (for instance, "A Day in the Life," which might be in my top 100, but not in my top 64).  But my list of 64 songs is already roughly 3 hours long, and my longer list of favorites would be almost three times as long.  So I'm happy to have had a reason to try to trim things to 64.

When I turned 64: Guest list

For any who are interested, here's the list of all who attended my 64th birthday party on November 3, 2014.  (If you know of anyone I left out, please let me know.)  The list totals 52, including 3 who came very briefly; also an infant and 3 very young children, as well as a few who were older.

Margaret Blair Young
Bruce Young (that would be me)
Rob (my son)
Jules (Julia Young, my daughter) and her boyfriend, Travis Wagstaff
Victoria and Henry Lisowski
Yoko Stevenson
Sheila & Branden Kennedy, and their sons T. J. & Justice Krein
Dell Blair

Jenette Blair

Nkoyo Iyamba (briefly)
Melody Newey
The Scovilles: Caleb, Amy, and Kimball
Matt Sabey
The Elwoods: Mary, Rod, Rowen
Ed Carter (briefly)

Marlena Smith (briefly)

Malea and James Schmitt plus 2 kids

Paul and Katee Westover plus 3 kids (sorry I don't remember all their names)

Daniel Sabey

Josh & Sarah Sabey

Brian & Dia Sabey & baby

Emily Adams & husband Trent

Zina & Boyd Petersen
Daniel Muhlestein
Phil & Delys Snyder
Gideon Burton & wife

Pat Madden
Traci & Sophie Blair

I believe I got birthday wishes from another 50 or so via Facebook or text or phone calls.

Thanks to everyone for your kindness and for coming to my party!

A Day in the Life of a Beatles Fan

Actually, it's ended up being more than a day--and somewhat inconveniently during days I needed to focus on other things.  But what would life be without a few distractions?

Here's what happened: My wife, Margaret Young, jokingly (I think) threatened on Facebook to toss my Beatles albums, and many, many people objected, some with great fervor. (And several said to toss them in their direction.)

After first pleading for mercy (actually requesting that nothing traumatic be done and that I not be tempted to spend time on Facebook for the next few days), I later responded:

To all you Beatles fans: Sorry for my earlier reply to Margaret's posting (I'm tempted to say I’m a loser--and I love her). I should have offered no reply or simply said something like: You can't do that! Or Help! or Wait! Or Misery! Or That’ll be the day! Actually, do you want to know a secret? If I fell for Margaret’s posting, I should have known better. Next year (when I’m 64--it won't be long!), I want to tell you, you won’t see me make a big deal about what goes on Facebook. But at the moment, I’m so tired of people taking it all so seriously. (Tell me why they do? I’d love you to.) When I get home, I will be able to share some things we said today, not to mention yesterday. (A brief preview of what she said: She said, “The two of us keep getting on Facebook, in spite of all the danger. You need to watch what you’re doing--because it’s all too much.” I said, “Yes, it is. But it’s getting better.”) Well, I've got to get back home. Good night. (The end.)

******
A colleague of mine--Pat Madden, a fine writer of creative non-fiction--counted 28 Beatles songs in my comment, but he missed several. In fact, there are over 30, including a couple extra cleverly present and easy to miss; also one that's ambiguous--it's really a Buddy Holly song--but the Beatles did record it. I'm counting the Beatles Anthology albums as well as the ones released back in the day. I think I've got something from just about every album.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should also say that, in the current version, I increased the references by one simply by expanding a contraction.  In other words, the original 34 song titles were increased to 35 when I changed "I'll" to "I will."  In a moment I'll list all the songs.

All this happened on Oct. 28.  Then, the next day, I added another comment:  "I'm afraid some of you are going to say, 'Not a second time'--but actually this is my 4th comment (maybe last?). I just wanted to give a link to a blog post on my history with the Beatles, including an interview at the Provo Central Stake picnic 16 years ago you may find interesting and entertaining: http://faceofother.blogspot.com/.../introducing-beatles.html"

And finally today (Oct. 30), I added:

Since no one else has risen to the challenge, I am designating Pat Madden as the winner of the competition to count the Beatles song titles in my comment from the night before last.  He came awfully close- -28 out of 34 or 35.  (I admit picking songs from the Beatles Anthologies or Live at the BBC is a bit unfair--but I was hoping to separate the real experts from the casual fans.  I've put a list of the 35 titles on the following site: http://secret-memo.blogspot.com/2013/10/a-day-in-life-of-beatles-fan.html )  I wanted to imagine dozens crying, waiting, hoping to know if they would win, but apparently no one else was up to the challenge, for no one else even made a guess.  Of course, I will be giving Pat some kind of prize.  What it is I don’t know yet: we could throw him a birthday party, or I could let him drive my car.  (I've got a feeling I’ll have to come up with something more modest.)  In any case, we can work it out.

OK . . . it' s a bit predictable.  And maybe a bit scary.  This could go on in an endless loop, with every little thing I say becoming another challenge for song identifiers.

For now, I'll just list the references in the original message:

I’m a loser (from Beatles for Sale)
And I love her (from A Hard Day's Night)
No reply (from Beatles for Sale)
Something (from Abbey Road)
You can't do that (from A Hard Day's Night)
Help! (from Help)
Wait (from Rubber Soul)
Misery (from Please Please Me)
That’ll be the day (from Beatles Anthology 1)
Do you want to know a secret? (from Please Please Me)
If I fell (from A Hard Day's Night)
I should have known better (from A Hard Day's Night)
When I’m 64 (from Sgt. Pepper)
It won't be long (from With the Beatles)
I want to tell you (from Revolver)
You won’t see me (from Rubber Soul)
What goes on (from Rubber Soul)
I’m so tired (from The Beatles aka "the White Album")
Tell me why (from A Hard Day's Night)
Love you to (from Revolver)
When I get home (from A Hard Day's Night)
[I will (from The Beatles ["the White Album"]) (I'm putting this in brackets because originally I had "I'll" instead of "I will")]
Things we said today (from A Hard Day's Night)
Yesterday (from Help)
She said, she said (from Revolver)
Two of us (from Let It Be)
In spite of all the danger (from Beatles Anthology 1)
What you’re doing (from Beatles for Sale)
Because (from Abbey Road)
It’s all too much (from Yellow Submarine)
Yes, it is (from Past Masters 1)
Getting better (from Sgt. Pepper)
Get back (from Let It Be)
Good night (from The Beatles ["the White Album"])
The end (from Abbey Road)

And now if anyone would like to list the song titles in my other comments . . .

(By the way, I see that in the list above, I don't have anything from Magical Mystery Tour or Past Masters 2, though this second is actually one of two compilations of singles that didn't appear on the UK albums.  And there are, of course, other Anthology albums and various other compilations, most of which repeat songs found elsewhere.)

Provo City Elections!

Lots of people--even people who take their civic responsibilities seriously--neglect local elections.  Years ago I heard someone say that local elections are even more important than national ones.  At least they have more direct and detailed impact on everyday life.  With that in mind, I've decided I'd better vote today.

Today is municipal election day in Utah (that's my understanding anyway), and so it's the day to vote in Provo, Utah, where I live, for mayor and city council.

John Curtis is running for re-election as mayor.  He has several opponents, some of whom might be OK--an idealistic college student, another man who has run for mayor many times and who might be an interesting change of pace but probably wouldn't be as effective in terms of basic competence . . . , etc.   I really haven't looked carefully at all the candidates.  I believe Curtis has done a good job and plan to vote for him.

There doesn't appear to be a race this year in my city council district, though there are races in some of the others.

But there is a race for a city-wide council member.  I've looked at the websites of all the candidates, and, in my view, there are three that would be OK and two that could be disastrous.  If one of the disastrous candidates is elected, it will be in part because so few vote in local elections and because so few pay much attention or get informed.

Here are the websites of the three I think would not be disasters:

http://www.davesewell.org/

http://ryanfrandsen.com/

http://wrightforprovo.com/

As I've looked at the sites, it appears to me all not only are sincere (so I take it are the other two, the ones I don't favor) but also seem capable and have wise and insightful things to say.  I'm grateful these folks have been willing to run for office and, if elected, serve.

One of the three stands out for me a bit, in part because of his own views and qualifications, but also because of the people supporting him, several of whom I know quite well--Lewis Billings (I was his counselor in a local stake presidency for several years), John and Susan Tanner (John is a colleague of mine in BYU's English Department, and John and Susan are part of a book group my wife and I have belonged to for over 20 years), and Lenore Davis and Patti Stirling (members of the same book group).  Another endorser is Cynthia Dayton, a former city council member and daughter of Welby Ricks (a stake patriarch and member of my ward) and mother of Lindsay Spencer (another ward member--she just gave birth a few days ago).

The candidate is Dave Sewell, and the page with endorsements is http://www.davesewell.org/supporters/.  Lewis Billings, who likes to make lists, says:

 If you will take the time to get to know him you will find him to be:

• Completely honest
• Genuine and real
• An exceptional listener
• Courteous and always respectful
• An effective communicator
• Very bright and quick to understand
• Able to synthesize and bring order to divergent ideas
• A hard worker and proven neighborhood leader
• A good businessman and employer
• Humble and not politically ambitious

(By the way--this is me again--for voting information in Provo, go to http://provo.org/elections.main.html.)

Honestly, I wish I could vote for more than one of the city-wide council candidates: I think several of them could make great contributions, and they would bring a diversity of perspectives.  But, alas, one of the points of voting is to narrow down the list of our representatives to a manageable size.

My main reason for writing this blog post is to encourage everyone to think local--to be aware that you benefit from, and can also be threatened by, decisions made at the local level; to remember that your side walks, roads, garbage pickup, recycling, power, water, the quality of your neighborhoods and schools, and much, much more are affected by the people you elect to local offices.

The past few days . . .

I usually don't use blogging simply to report on my daily activities.  But the past few days have been exceptionally packed, and I thought it would be useful (for myself anyway) to make a record of this little slice of my life.  Here, to start with, is what I put as my status update on Facebook:

I was going to use Facebook to report on the past few days but realized the "update" box doesn't have near enough space. So here are some highlights followed by a link for more. Today I spent over an hour helping a former student with his application to run for office in India (that's a first for me). Yesterday included a visit to the Utah County Jail and finishing a summary of my life for the past 30 years (the spiritual and emotional side anyway) that will be published as part of a book on faith. The preceding few days included jumping off a platform from about the height of the top of a telephone pole; surviving a 7-mile hike; teaching a Sunday School lesson to teenagers on priesthood and gender; watching the film "Hitchcock" (as well as some episodes of The West Wing, Dick Van Dyke, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents); plus continuing my reading of "Team of Rivals" and doing some of the grading that has to get done by the time final grades are due on Friday . . .

In reality, any one of these items could be the subject of an essay.  Team of Rivals is a wonderfully illuminating and thought-provoking book.  The film Hitchcock was interesting (was he really that messed up? I'm glad he and his wife somehow managed to make a go of it).  The West Wing is a remarkably stimulating and engaging series.  The lesson on priesthood and gender went remarkably well, though I felt a bit nervous teaching it in the presence of my wife, who--quite rightly--has strong feelings on the subject.  I was happy to hear the students--young people about 16-18 years old--speak openly about their questions and feelings.

The seven-mile hike to the top of Big Baldy almost did me in, but I hope it's preparing me for the High Adventure experience I'm planning to take part in with young men of the area at the end of July and beginning of August.  Jumping off a platform from about the height of the top of a telephone pole: well, that was quite an experience.  This was part of a "ropes course" the young men and young women in our ward did for their activity last Thursday evening.  I was in a harness, so it was safe.  But the body and mind naturally rebel against jumping from that height, and so I had to push through a wall of panic (maybe "terror" is a better word) to make the jump.  Quite a tale could be told of how various adults and youth dealt with that jump and other "ropes course" experiences.

But moving on . . .

Monday morning I had a plumber do some major work in our home.  Monday evening we had a bit of a family crisis (in that same home), but it's turned out pretty well.  Tuesday I finished writing an addendum to an essay titled "The Miracle of Faith, the Miracle of Love: Some Personal Reflections," published in the book A Thoughtful Faith in 1986.  The book is soon to be reissued.  So my addendum, among other things, reflects on my life over the past 30 years.  (A draft of the addendum may be found here: http://faceofother.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-miracle-of-faith-miracle-of-love.html.)

Last evening, I visited the Utah County Jail and had a nice chat (ending with a prayer) with a young man I've known since his childhood.  I have great hopes for him (joined with concerns).

Besides reading Team of Rivals, I've been reading The Life of William Shakespeare: A Critical Biography by Lois Potter (one of the best of many recent Shakespeare biographies)--and, just about daily, I've been reading the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants.  I've read the Book of Mormon over 20 times but keep learning and experiencing new things.  I've read the Doctrine and Covenants fewer times, but still quite a few.

And just to fill in a few more details:

• On Friday, I consulted with a project aiming to present Hamlet along with a Christian interpretation for international broadcast.  And in the evening (before we watched Hitchcock), mi esposa Margaret and I went to an avant-garde local eating establishment (Station 22) and then tried to get her dying cell phone upgraded (I ended up ordering one online).
• On Saturday (besides the 7-mile hike--which took about 7 hours) I spent about an hour in the Provo LDS Temple and then did some shopping at Costco.
• On Sunday, I spent 7 1/2 hours in local church meetings and interviews (that included the Sunday School lesson plus lots more) and then watched a 2-hour Worldwide Leadership Training broadcast that, among other things, told me some of the things I should be doing or making sure get done.
• On Sunday evening, my wife and I spent some relaxing time with extended family, eating and conversing.
• I spent about a half hour swimming on Friday, Monday, and Wednesday (today)--something I'm doing to try to keep in shape and, well, just keep alive.  Actually, I've been sick (chest and nasal congestion, achiness, etc.) most of the past week, but have still managed to keep an active schedule.

Also, on Monday, I finished a letter assessing the teaching of a colleague who'll be up for a review.  The assessment is based on visits I made a few months ago to her class on Chaucer.

And of course, since I also live to some degree vicariously through my family, I should mention that my oldest son placed 5th in a Salt Lake Arts Festival poetry slam over the weekend.  My wife is, as always, doing amazing things, which I've helped with by working on some flyers she's putting together and printing off PDF contract or disbursement request forms for her to send to Oxford University Press and IFP (Independent Filmmaker Project).

In addition, I've kept in touch with family and friends in various ways and spent much, much, much time doing church-related business via e-mail and phone (and in person).  And just to make it clear that I don't do everything I'm asked, I've neglected or turned down various requests over the past few days.

But I am also aware that I'm overdue getting back to several people on a book proposal I need to send in (for something to be titled Shakespeare's Dramas of Atonement), for a book on Levinas and early modern literature, and for a panel on Shakespeare and Levinas for a conference next year in Paris.  And I need to quickly do an online letter of recommendation . . . and of course, get a pile of exams, papers, and other assignments graded in time for final grade submission on Friday at noon.

This is not necessarily a typical week.  But it's not especially atypical.  Except maybe for getting involved in a political campaign in Tamil Nadu.

Bruce Young on Christians, Romney, and Voting

[NOTE: This piece dates back to 2008 and consists of my response to an evangelical pastor who claimed, not only that Christians should not vote for anyone believing in a "false Christ" (meaning specifically a Mormon and, in the context of the time, Mitt Romney) but that Christians should not wish such a person well, on the basis of a verse in one of the epistles of John.  One argument he used for not voting for such a person is that, if we are not to welcome heretics into our homes and if the White House is in some sense a "home" belonging to the people, we should not welcome a heretic into the White House.  My piece originally appeared as a comment on the "Pastors 4 Huckabee" site (see http://pastors4huckabeeblog.com/are-christians-bigiots-if-they-can-not-support-mitt-romney-because-he-is-a-mormon/ ) and was reposted by Kaimi Wenger on the blog "Times and Seasons" (see http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2008/02/bruce-young-on-christians-romney-and-voting/ ).]

My response (to Pastor Haisty’s argument that, according to John the apostle, Christians should not wish someone who believes in a “false Christ” well and should not welcome such a person into their home or any “house” that in some sense belongs to them):

(1) Even those who believe in absolute scriptural inerrancy must grant that, as human beings, we are seeking to understand the text (of which none of us, by the way, has the autographs from the hands of the apostles). Always, I believe, that understanding must take place in the light of Christ--that is, in harmony with “the mind of Christ” and with “the meekness and gentleness of Christ,” in a manner Christ himself would approve of, and with Christ’s direct words taking precedence and all other things being interpreted so as to be compatible with Christ’s words.

(2) With that in mind, John’s counsel not to wish unbelievers or antichrists well cannot be properly understood as contradicting Christ’s teaching to love your enemies, bless them that curse you, and pray for them that despitefully use you. And so I agree with those that have said John means we should not wish unbelievers or antichrists well in their false or destructive endeavors. But a Christian can--in fact, must--wish them well in general, in the sense of desiring their ultimate happiness and salvation. I think we can even wish for their immediate prosperity--that they will be safe, happy, and successful in any good endeavors--insofar as that is not incompatible with their salvation. But I suppose in wishing anyone well, in a temporal sense, we ought to add, “God willing,” since God of course knows what is best for all of us and when adversity might do us more good than success.

(3) Extending the idea of not welcoming an unbeliever or antichrist into one’s home so that it applies to any “house” that in some sense you have a part in could lead to horrific consequences. It could be used to exclude Mormons (or others deemed non-Christian) from shelter or care in any kind of hospital, homeless center, residence, or other facility supported in whole or in part by public funds or by any other contributions you have made. It could be used to exclude them from any role in government or public life. I doubt that’s what John had in mind.

(4) What the pastor says about Mormons has, in the past, been said about Roman Catholics. From the Reformation onward, some Protestants have explicitly identified Catholics as antichrist. Should what the pastor says about Mormons be applied to Roman Catholics? Should it be applied to Jews? (You could argue, for instance, that Joe Lieberman’s view of Christ [="the Messiah"] is not only defective but false in fundamental ways.) How about other Protestants who do not believe literally in the historicity of Christ, or in his divine Sonship, or in his resurrection, or in the virgin birth, or in his miracles? That would include plenty of Episcopalians, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others (not to mention Unitarians)--including not only some nominal members with little interest in theology but, in some cases, ministers and theologians themselves. Should John’s counsel be applied in the same way to them? Does that mean that, with each presidential candidate, we should seek to examine carefully if their view of Christ is biblical (not whether they BELIEVE it is biblical, but whether WE believe it is biblical) and then counsel others not to vote for candidates if they don’t meet the standard? If the answer is “Yes” (as the pastor’s logic would demand), why not treat all the candidates equally and put them all to the test? There could then be a “Biblical Case” against voting for Giuliani, or McCain, or any number of others--perhaps even Huckabee himself, if he should happen to fail the test.

(5) As for who counts as a Christian, I believe the best test (as someone else has noted) is that given by Christ: “By their fruits ye shall know them.” It’s difficult to apply this to large groups of people, since, in any group I’ve discovered, there is great variety. But we can perhaps make a stab at testing a professed Christian by his fruits. And what should be those fruits? “Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”

With that in mind, I believe that, while there may be many grounds on which to determine that people are believing in a “false Christ,” the one that matters most is whether believers show in their own words and actions evidence of “the mind of Christ.” If not, then even if all of their statements about Christ are theologically correct, their real knowledge--their personal and spiritual knowledge--of Christ must be defective. When Jesus said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent,” I’m confident he meant knowing the Father and the Son in a personal and experiential sense, not in a merely theoretical, abstract, propositional sense.

Besides the statement “by their fruits,” Jesus gave at least three other tests of discipleship I can think of: obedience to the Father (“Not everyone that saith unto me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ . . . but he that doeth the will of my Father”), love (“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another”), and care for others (“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”). Interestingly the “doing” specified in this last standard is comfort and service--feeding, clothing, visiting--not correcting people’s theology. I would be most confident in identifying as a believer in the “true Jesus” someone who meets these standards.

(6) But perhaps, as I believe Governor Huckabee himself has suggested, there is a danger in trying to figure out who the true Christians are out there, when we are told, “Let a man examine himself.” Each of us needs to look in our own hearts. Each needs to ask, “Am I a true Christian--a follower in word, deed, and heart of the Son of God?”
 

Captain Moroni, Pahoran, and politics

The title of my post could suggest many different directions for discussion.  But for now, I'm just offering a few short comments.

Terryl Givens wrote something about Captain Moroni that reminds me of a friend and former roommate I’ve recently been in touch with.  Here’s what Givens writes:

Moroni's uncompromising intolerance for slackness, his violent repression of dissent and his impetuous judgment, make him a stark counterpoint to his contemporaries, the long-suffering Alma and the pacifist converts of Ammon.  But he seems to be the preferred hero of the book's editor Mormon, himself a general caught up on the losing side of an apocalyptic war. "Verily I say unto you," he writes, "if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of men" (Alma 48:17). (54)

This is from Terryl Givens's The Book of Mormon: A Very Short Introduction (published by Oxford University Press).  Many things in the description of Moroni--the passionate commitment, the refusal to give any quarter to what is viewed as dangerous or evil, the instinct for quick, pointed judgments, and the high idealism, including a love for what is judged as supremely good and valuable--remind me of my friend.

Givens also notes Captain Moroni's capacity to be passionately mistaken--specifically in his accusations against Pahoran.  In his response to Moroni's accusations (including the accusation of treason, accompanied by a threat of military attack), "we see Pahoran's magnanimity overshadow even Moroni's righteous outrage: 'And now, in your epistle you have censured me, but it mattereth not; I am not angry, but do rejoice in the greatness of your heart.' And then invoking Moroni's miitary assistance, he closes his epistle to his 'beloved brother, Moroni' (Alma 61:9, 21)" (53-54).

Earlier Givens notes how the message of the Book of Mormon transcends what would seem to us a stark political or even ethical choice--namely in the accounts of the people of Ammon and of their sons who served in the army of Helaman.  In these "stories of steadfast pacifism and lethally efficient militarism,” “[t]wo groups, separated only by a generation, are lauded respectively for their pacifism even at the cost of life, and for their valor and disciplined effectiveness as warriors.  Yet the former are not condemned for inaction in the face of national peril and the death of their protectors.  And their children are not condemned for their armed struggle against their former brethren. . . . The moral of this story, where righteous pacifism and righteous warfare find comfortable co-existence, would seem to be that faithfulness to covenants righteously entered into trumps both" (48, 50-51).  Which would be why, I think, humble obedience to God brings salvation, while commitment to one side or another of an issue or a partisan or ideological divide, even when these seem critical in human terms, doesn't.

(Note: For my view on war and peace from an LDS perspective, see http://english.byu.edu/faculty/youngb/peace.htm )

Seeing my friend as a Captain Moroni--and myself perhaps as an Alma or Pahoran or maybe a humble member of the people of Ammon--helps me view our partisan division as less crucial than our covenantal connection.  That relative valuation of politics and covenants is part of what explains the importance of this warning from twentieth-century Church president George Albert Smith: “Whenever your politics cause you to speak unkindly of your brethren, know this, that you are upon dangerous ground." President Gordon B. Hinckley similarly reminded us that "political differences never justify hatred or ill will," adding, " I hope that the Lord's people may be at peace one with another during times of trouble, regardless of what loyalties they may have to different governments or parties" (see "Instruments of the Lord's Peace," Ensign May 2006).

One of the many lessons of the Book of Mormon may be that our parties and positions on the issues of the day are less important than our covenants--and that as long as we can remember that, we can all, Pahoran and Captian Moroni, people of Ammon and sons of Helaman, not only live at peace but join as companions in the records of righteousness.