The newest prophets “Wait until I finish,” she said
in response to my question about showing the PBS Frontline documentary, The
Mormons, to my Humanities class.
She, Susan, mother of seven who was baptized a Mormon when
she was 18, was about to lecture my class on what it meant to be a Mormon.
“We don’t have any paid ministers,” she told us, after
having used pictures screened from an overhead projector to provide historical
illustrations. “Actually, we are The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Most know us as Mormons,” she
said.
Because she’d lived as a Methodist until her baptismal
conversion, she was well aware of the differences between her Mormon faith and
her former denomination.
Central to the story of her religion was its founder’s
question, “Which is the true church?” That man, Joseph Smith, received a startling
vision along with an answer: “None!” Hence, he quietly started his movement.
It seems that Mormons believe that Smith was a prophet
followed by Brigham Young. Instead of believing, with the completion of the Old
and New Testaments, that the line of prophets had ended, Smith proclaimed that,
in 1844, he was revealed to be a latter day saint.
Others have followed, as appointed by the Church’s twelve
Apostles. Fascinated by that and by the strict ethical code that forbids
alcohol and drugs, my class and I listened as Susan described her “monthly”
visits to the Temple in Apex, NC. “When we arrive, we change into white
clothing before we enter for services.”
For many, that conjured a picture of exemplary piety; none
balked at the ritual. Later, when I asked my students to write their responses
to Susan’s presentation, only a few mentioned it; their comments were positive.
Most were appreciative; they had wondered about Romney’s
religion. A majority, including my one student who claims to be an atheist,
wrote that they no longer had misgivings about Romney as a candidate even if
they didn’t support him. All but one, in light of Susan’s lecture, were pleased
that a person of such good character was running for office. Many wrote that
such a man was the kind of leader who could save America from its current
disaster.
Indeed, a few stated that, until Susan’s lecture, they
weren’t sure which candidate they would vote for. Thanks to Susan, they had
become Romney supporters.
As they watched the documentary that followed Susan’s
presentation, they didn’t make a sound. Like me, they were fascinated by the
visionary abilities of Joseph Smith as well as his talent for being able to
divine where gold could be found. That ability eventually led Smith to discover
gold plates that had been buried centuries earlier near his home in New York.
After he and his wife unearthed them, he translated their
hieroglyphs. That translation became the Book of Mormon, more than 500 pages
long.
“You can get a free copy,” Susan told me. “Just go to
mormon.org.”
I thanked her, then asked a question that I hoped she
wouldn’t find offensive. “About those gold plates,” I began, “did anyone else
see them?”
She opened her Book of Mormon and flipped to its first
pages. “Three people saw them,” she told me as she pointed to the statement
that had been printed and signed before the actual text began. “And eight more
signed this testimonial,” she added, as she pointed to that list of names.
Although I’d known Susan and her family for more than twenty
years, and although I’d known her to be a brilliant woman, I’d never talked
about her faith in such depth. Nor had I ever been so curious about it.
But I knew I wanted to research the gold plates now that I
was aware of them. To that end, I’ve ordered my free copy of the Book of
Mormons. On the website, I was notified that it will be delivered by church
members who will probably be just as gentle and well informed as Susan.
My hope is that, like me, they will want to be religious
detectives. That mystery, I’m sure, will last much longer than our early
November search for a President.
B.
Koplen 10/13/12
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