Dialogue 21.4 (Winter 1989): 135 – 139
Latter-day Saints, with other groups in the Judeo-Christian tradition, accept as scripture the stories of creation found in Genesis 1-3 but are unique in accepting as scripture three other parallel versions of the same stories. These include chapters in the books of Moses and Abraham brought forth by Joseph Smith, Jr.
Sterling M. McMurrin has been a leading philosopher and educator for many years. Among his publications pertaining to the philosophy of religion are Religion, Reason, and Truth (1982) and The Theological Foundations of the Mormon Religion (1965). He served as United States Commissioner of Education under President John F. Kennedy and is currently E. E. Ericksen Distinguished Professor at the University of Utah. The 7th East Press, then an independent student newspaper at Brigham Young University, published this interview on 11 January, 1983. The concluding comments on ritual and the temple were added by Ostler and McMurrin later. Some adjustment in the order of the questions and answers has been made in the interest of consolidating related comments. Paragraphing, punctuation and typographical errors have been corrected silently, when necessary.
Dear Sirs: I enjoyed William Robinson’s article [Autumn, 1968], “Mormons in the Urban Community.” In order to expose our children to something other than our very isolated Mormon community (Utah Valley), two years ago we…
The letters in this issue reflect accurately the relative quantity of letters received on the different subjects as well as the various points of view. Dear Sirs: I am much interested in the cover of…
Dear Sirs: . . . I could not agree more with the comments and views expressed by McMurrin and Bitton (Winter, 1967). I became an ardent admirer of B. H. Roberts from the moment when,…
Dear Sirs: Re: Secretary Udall’s letter The Lord has not spoken, The Prophet is silent, And so am I. Alexander T. Stecker Belmont, Massachusetts *** Dear Sirs: You wanted a Dialogue—so now you have a dialogue;…
On August 23, 1967, Dialogue editors Eugene England, Joseph Jeppson, and Paul Salisbury taped the following interview with Michigan’s Governor George Romney in Salt Lake City, Utah; since he was the only Democrat in the…
In this important historical letter, Stewart Udall reflects on the need for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to reconsider its historical stance on race, particularly its practice of denying full fellowship to Black individuals. Udall argues that this practice, rooted in the belief in a divine curse on Black people, contradicts the principles of equality and brotherhood that the Church should embody. He concludes asserting that the time has come for the Church to abandon its racial restrictions and embrace full fellowship with Black individuals. He argues that recognizing the worth of all people, irrespective of race, is essential for the Church to fulfill its spiritual and moral ideals and to contribute positively to society’s progress toward greater human brotherhood.