How Mormon Studies is like ruining the movie

"LDS students at the University of Utah need to know that their church encourages secular knowledge and religious knowledge. And they need to know that religious studies represent the opportunity for crucial secular knowledge about a religious topic. Many of them are going to think, 'Why do I need secular knowledge about my religion?' This is a bit like thinking 'God made my body, why would I need medical knowledge about my body?'"  Philip Barlow: Arrington Chair of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University speaking on the need for a Mormon Studies program at The University of Utah.*

There been have been a few movies whose releases I’ve really anticipated.  The first Star Wars prequel, the new Star Trek, and even the new Indiana Jones (sigh).  But the movie whose release I anticipated more than any other was the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (that’s right, the one movie to rule them all).  And while it wasn’t perfect, seeing it was a real experience.  The best part was how well the film’s makers recreated Tolkien’s world as it existed in the books and in my mind.  It felt as if the scenes were actually shot in Middle Earth. 

The DVDs came with something like 15 hours of extended features and, being the geek that I am, I eventually got around to watching each and every one of those hours.  That’s like an entire waking day of my life!  Most of these extras were in-depth making-of features that covered almost every scene from the film.  They showed the sites in New Zealand as they looked in real life and how they transformed these locations with sets and CGI.  They showed the masks, and models, and how they produced the digital effects.  There were even interviews with the actors talking about what was going on in their minds and around the set when various scenes were filmed. 

The next time I saw the movie it was different.  I didn’t just see Middle Earth on the screen, but instead I also saw the real locations.  I saw where the lights had been placed.  I saw acting techniques and motion capture animation.  In short the movie was ruined just a little bit.

Watching movies requires the audience to suspend disbelief.  You have to be able to accept the show as it is presented or else the film becomes nothing but lighting, acting styles, location scouting, plot construction, composition etc... 

This is not unique to films, but everything (or virtually everything) that we experience requires us to engage in similar suspension of disbelief in order for that activity to be comprehensible.  When your professor is giving a lecture, you have to ignore teaching styles and techniques if you are going to learn the material being conveyed.  You have to just take for granted everything that has been artificially constructed around you and pretend, at least for a moment, that this artificial system is real.

When you seriously study something it becomes much harder to suspend this thinking.  This is because the most important part of studding a subject is being able to step outside of that subject, as much as possible, so that you can approach it with an objective mind set.  Once you step outside a system that you are studying it becomes more difficult to experience that system as it is meant to be experienced from within itself. My background in philosophy and law makes watching presidential and other TV debates almost paralyzing.  I find it almost impossible not to focus exclusively on rhetorical devices, logical fallacies, inference chains, and narrative techniques.   It’s almost as if I can’t even hear the messages that the candidates are attempting to communicate.  Of course, philosophical and legal training enhance my understanding and appreciation of these debates, but to a certain extent they also get in the way.

This same phenomenon occurs with the secular study of Mormonism.  To properly study Mormonism it is necessary to go beyond the spiritual point of view and approach the religion with secular eyes.  This entails understanding the Gospel not just through spirituality, but also through politics, economics, philosophy, history, law, sociology, psychology etc…  It is like stepping outside of the movie in order to see lighting techniques and acting styles. 

Now, I believe that a purely secular viewpoint is insufficient to explain Mormonism.  Mormonism is necessarily spiritual and therefore cannot be fully explained by appealing solely to secular disciplines and explanations.  Still, it would be just as wrongheaded to claim that there is no need engage in secular approaches to study the faith.  Surely Mormonism is influenced by the same principles that govern secular systems and secular tools can provide a better understanding of the religion.

The problem is that secular study of Mormonism, as important and rewarding as it is, makes it harder see the Gospel without reducing it to purely secular concepts.  A good example is the use of the cross.  Mormons usually explain that they do not widely incorporate the image of the cross because the cross focuses on the Savior’s death rather than his resurrection.  But a secular study offers a different explanation. Mormonism’s aversion to the image of the cross is largely the result of geography and history. When Mormonism began, the image of the cross did not have much widespread use among American non-Catholic Christian churches.  The fact that the Church did not embrace the use of the cross was typical of Protestant churches of New England and the Midwest during that period.  Later when the LDS church was relatively isolated in the West, the cross gradually became more and more prominent in American Protestant congregations. By the time Mormon and Protestant cultures began to more fully interact with each other in the twentieth century, Mormonism had missed the boat on crosses. By then the cross was seen as a way to distinguish the LDS faith from other religions and church members had begun to associate the cross with the apostasy.**

Explanations like these are fascinating but they can also change the way we experience our Faith.  For example, now, every time someone talks about Mormon theological aversion to the cross, I can’t help but focus on this historical/geographical explanation and I tend to ignore the doctrinal side of the discussion.  I worry that I may even, unconsciously at least, dismiss the point of focusing on the Savior’s resurrection.

I love the secular study of my faith.  Not only is it interesting, but my understanding of the Gospel is enhanced.  However, secular study can never have the same life altering effect as spiritual study and I worry that focus on secular study can detract from spiritual understanding.   

I like Barlow’s analogy to medical knowledge.  By possessing medical knowledge we can better understand what we need to do to improve our physical health.  Likewise secular knowledge of the Gospel can help us better know what we must do to improve our spiritual health.  But we can never forget that the focus must always be on doing as opposed knowing. 

Aristotle makes a similar observation.  After explaining that the only way to become good is to do good acts he observes: “Yet most men do not perform such acts, by taking refuge in argument they think that they are engaged in philosophy and that they will become good in this way.  In so doing they act like sick men who listen attentively to what the doctor says, but fail to do any of the things he prescribes.  That kind of philosophical activity will not bring health to the soul any more than this sort of treatment will produce a healthy body.”***

We cannot let ourselves be deceived into thinking that simply by engaging in secular study we will become better Mormons. The only way to become better Mormons is by doing.  It is the spiritual side of the gospel that gives us the courage and motivation to live it.

* Grote, Michael. “Mormon Studies may join University of Utah curriculum.”  Mormon Times 09,Sep. 2009

 ** This historical/geographical explanation of cross use is discussed in Givens, Terryl. People of Paradox.  pages 114-115.

 ***Aristotle.  Nicomachean Ethics Book II 1105b 11-18

Santa Barbara

This weekend April and I drove up to Santa Barbara for a mini “babymoon.” A babymoon, as I just learned, is a sort of last hurrah before that little gift from heaven anchors you to your apartment for the next few months.  I guess the analogy is more akin to a bachelor party than a honeymoon.  We also wanted to visit Solvang so that I could get in touch with my Danish roots.  It was nice of our friends Scott and Rebecca to let us crash at their place and show us city dwellers around.

April and I got up to Santa Barbara first thing Friday morning.  We had a nice early morning stroll on the pier.

We visited the old courthouse as seen in Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law, which is possibly the best law-themed show ever.  The courthouse, which is still in use, is spectacular. 

They even let you go up on top of the tower.

Fortunately Scott was able to get the afternoon off from his residency shifts at the hospital so we all drove up to Solvang.  Solvang is just like Koreatown except that it is smaller, was made by Danish people, and they don’t speak Korean.  As far as I could tell, nobody spoke Danish either.  For you Simpsons fans out there, Solvang is where Millhouse’s uncle is from. 

We toured the beautiful streets and shops and saw the old mission.  We also went to this really strange place called Solvang Ranch that was a mix between the Old West and Denmark.  They had cowboy boots and Wrangler jeans next to traditional Danish dresses. There were also depictions of Danish monarchs along side of photos of George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.   It almost made me feel as if we had teleported to a “red state.” 

The town offers spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and vineyards. 

The other thing about Solvang is that the entire town is obsessed with Hans Christian Anderson.  There are at least ten statues of the guy (giant nose and all), a couple of streets named after him, a museum, and a square in his honor.  It’s almost as if he is the only cool guy to ever be Danish.  What about Niels Bohr, I might ask?  Or what about Søren Kierkegaard (who is way cool, by the way), or even Beowulf? Oh yeah, plus I’m Danish (ethnically speaking that is).  Where’s my statue?

But the best thing about Solvang is that I was finally able to get my hands on some imported salt licorice.   Salt licorice is basically like crack for licorice junkies.  I also found some marzipan, and to my pleasant surprise, some amar bidder stang (it was fifteen dollars a pound and worth every penny). 

The next morning we hung out on the wharf and then went sea kayaking.  We got within a few feet of some sea lions which was way cool.

Thanks Scott and Rebecca. We’ll have to come back sometime.

Mulholland Hike

On Saturday April and I drove up to Mulholland Drive and hiked along the crest of the Santa Monica Mountains.

Nike got into the spirit of the wild and showed some intimidating fang.

The view of the LA skyline.  You can see Century City to the left and Westwood to the right.   Notice also the smoke from the fires.

Office Baby Shower

Last night, my office threw me a baby shower! A little awkward being the center of attention, but so much fun!!! Thanks so much to all of you for all your hard work, effort, and creativity! I am so lucky to have coworkers like you! 

The best part of baby showers is always the games.  My favorite was "Measure the Belly" where everyone had to guess how big my belly was and rip off streamers.  We measured to see who was closest.  

Ashlee was not (her estimate wrapped around me twice).

Neither was Maria (1.5X)

Esther won, by virtue of having the smallest measurements (Steve was a very close second, measurements obtained by using his own belly). 

Another fun game we did was to chug KoolAid out of baby bottles.  Janel won by biting the nipple and gulping it all down.

Our office tradition for birthdays and other celebrations is to have the guest of honor cut their own cake.  Here I am with the delicious Strawberry Shortcake Ice Cream Cake that Ruby made:

I have great coworkers.  They all pitched in (even the boys, who opted out of actually coming to the shower, probably for fear of becoming too girly) to get me some blankets and a jogging stroller!  I love that they know me so well and chose the perfect gift!!! I'll think of them every time Liam and I run together. Thanks everyone!!!

How 'bout a little fire, Scarecrow?

Last night April and I walked down to City Hall to watch one of my all time favorite movies; The Wizard of Oz.  The Wizard of Oz was filmed at Sony Studios (formerly MGM) just down the street from our apartment.  To celebrate the 70th anniversary of its release the city put on a free screening of the film as part of the Made in Culver City series.

Judy Garland's son was there, which was cool enough.  But even better, Jerry Maren, one of the original Munchkins showed up.  He was the leader of the Lollypop Guild and was the one who gave the giant lollypop to Dorothy.   

Maren talked about what it was like shooting the movie in Culver City back in the 1930's and shared some stories about hanging out in the Culver Hotel with all the other Munchkins. It was the largest gathering of little people in history and their hijinks there are the stuff of legend.

But it gets even better.  Maren actually performed the Lollypop Guild song and dance on the stage for us.  I'm so glad I brought my camera.

It's really fun to have all this stuff right here in Culver City.

There's no place like home.

Labor Day at Kenneth Hahn

You've Got it in Print

Steven got his law school diploma this week.  For a graduation gift, I got him a frame to put it in. Since we had to wait for the actual diploma to get mailed, it's just been an empty frame on the wall. Well, no more!  Everything else we've said about law school and graduation was inadmissable heresay, but Steve has graduated from law school and now we have proof!!!

My favorite part about getting the diploma (other than the fact that it means Steve did, in fact, graduate and having something to put in the frame) is that now we have Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph:

Update by Steve:  I have to add that Arnold is not the only celebrity to sign my diploma.  My law school dean, Dean Schill, was (unwittingly) on The Daily Show.  He was interviewed as part of one of the show's mock news segments.  Here's the video. I should warn you that there is some crude language, though the worst offenders are bleeped.  Dean Schill appears about 2 minutes and 45 seconds into the clip.

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I think he did an excellent job.  When the interviewer started getting offensive, he told him so and then ended the interview instead of letting himself fall into the trap like so many Sacha Baron Cohen victims.