Richard Bushman on the dominant narrative within Mormonism—can it be sustained?

[sub] Historian Richard Bushman ON THE DOMINANT NARRATIVE WITHIN MORMONISM—CAN IT BE SUSTAINED? – powered by Happy Scribe

Yes sir.

So. All of the incongruity

that exists now, but it’s given

that the basic situation seemsto be caused in my view by

the disparity between the dominantnarrative, the dominant—what I would call

the orthodox narrative,—which iswhat we learn as missionaries,

it’s what we teach investigators,what we learn in Sunday School.

And then as you get older,

you kind of start to experienceMormonism in different ways.

And those ways become

very important to you and dear to you,that sometimes they may not,

but they may not jibe withsome elements of the orthodox narrative.

And so what I’m wonderingis—in your view, do you see

room within Mormonism for

several different narratives—multiplenarratives—of a religious experience?

Or do you think that in orderfor the church to remain strong,

it would have to holdto that dominant narrative?

I think that the church remains strong, it has to reconstruct its narrative.

The dominant narrative is not true.

It can’t be sustained.

So the church has to absorb all this new

information or it will beon very shaky grounds.

And that’s what it’s it’s trying to do.

And it’ll be a strain for a lot of people,older people especially.

I think it has to change.

Elder Packer had the sense of protecting

“the little people.”He felt that the scholars were

an enemy to this faith.

And there was the grandmothers

living in San Pete County. And that was a very lovely pastoral

image.But

price of protecting the grandmotherswas the loss of the grandsons.

They got a story that didn’t work.

So we’ve just had to change.

It seems to me that because of the—what you’re saying I agree with you.

I just wonder

we have such a strong tradition

of themdeciding what the dominant narrative.

And sohow how does the church do that without

like you say, like,pushing some people away while also

introducing the idea that it’s OK toexperience Mormonism in a different way?

Yeah, yeah. The question is,will we leave room to experience Mormonism

in different ways or is our strengththe fact we all hold the same tree?

All hugging that same trunk?

Tree Huggers.

I actually am concerned about that.

And I think people who have a more

progressive view or who areup to date on what’s going on

–they know a truer version

–have to be very sympatheticto people who are having trouble letting go.

There just has to be manyways to approach the church.

. We want them to be sympatheticof us as we struggle on.

And there has to bea brotherly and sisterly act.

We don’t want to break up our community,which is our great strength in the beauty

of the church in the nameof finding some abstract

truth that works better for each one of us.

So it’s going to be a strugglefor the next—I don’t know—

two or three decadesanyway, as we go through this process.

9convert.com – Faithful Mormon historian Richard Bushman admits Mormon church leaders have been misleading members_480p.mp4 – powered by Happy Scribe

This one, so many of the incongruity that exists now, but it’s given that the basic situation seems to be out of my mind you, by the disparity between the dominant narrative, the dominant what I would call the orthodox narrative, which is what it’s what we teach investigators, we learn from the school. And then as you get older, you kind of start to experience them in different ways. And those waves become very important to you, dear to you, that sometimes they may not, but they may not jive with some elements of the Orthodox.

And so what I’m wondering is like in your view, you see within Mormonism for several different narrative, multiple narratives of a religious experience. What do you think that in order for the church to remain strong, it would have to hold today?

I think that the church remains strong. It has to reconstruct. The dominant narrative is not true. It can’t be sustained. So the church has to absorb all this new information will be on very shaky grounds. And that’s what it’s it’s trying to do. And it’ll be a strain for a lot of people, older people especially. I think it has to change of elder character, the sense of protecting the little people. You’ve got to get me to the faith.

And there was the grandmothers stepping in. And that was that was a very ugly past for me. But of course, the grandmothers was the loss of the grandsons. They got a. So we’ve just had to change. It seems to me that I like what you’re saying and I agree with you. I just wonder how long tradition. All of them the same thing. And so how how does the church do that without you seeing, like, pushing some people away while also introducing the idea that it’s OK to experience one in a different way?

Yeah, yeah. The question is, will we see Brandt experience Mormon in different ways or is our strength the fact we all hold the same tree or tree huggers? Because I actually am concerned about that. And I think people who have a more progressive view or who are up to date on what’s going on in those triggers that speak very sympathetic people, let him go. There just has to be many religious groups we want them to be sympathetic about as we struggle.

And there has to be a brother and sister. We have to break up our community, which is a great strength is the beauty of the church in the name of finding some abstract to choose. So it’s going to be a struggle for the next two or three decades as we go through this process.