8 LDS GUIDE FALL 2018
Church doctrine vs. ‘Mormon Doctrine’ What’s the difference?
GENELLE PUGMIRE
A Daily Herald
ccording to Elder Bruce R. McConkie, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have an obligation to understand the doctrines of salvation. He cautioned members in a 1980 letter to avoid gospel hobbies, and to not be concerned about unimportant matters. Some LDS members focus on one or two general authorities as their ultimate favorite source, or an issue or topic as their sole study — such as the last day prophesies or food storage. The overwhelming acceptance and use by many Latter-day Saints of the book, “Mormon Doctrine,” could be seen as an example of this hobby study. McConkie’s first edition of “Mormon Doctrine” was published in 1958. At the time McConkie was in the presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy. The 776-page book was a first for its time, a type of encyclopedia of Mormon belief. Casey Griffiths, an assistant professor of church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University, said, “How remarkable it was when it was first produced. He (McConkie) was plowing new territory. It was a revolutionary attempt to create an encyclopedic gospel resource. There really wasn’t anything like it at the time.” This book had a profound impact on a generation of church members after publication. “It was almost like a Bible in most situations,” said Ann Chumbley Snider, through a social media message. “I’m grateful I was taught by wise CES (Church Education System) people who guided my thinking to broader ideas and church doctrine.” “It was on the book shelf in our home, and I think my dad would sometimes teach things from it, but it wasn’t referenced as a specific
EVAN COBB, DAILY HERALD
Photo of the “Mormon Doctrine”, which was published in 1958, by Bruce R. McConkie. source or with the same authority as scripture,” said Anne Flinders. Flinders added that while serving a mission, “a ward mission leader gave a copy to an investigator, who then flatly refused to read the Book of Mormon because, he said, ‘If your doctrine is in this book, I don’t need anything else.’ He didn’t join the church, and I didn’t read ‘Mormon Doctrine.’” For Deborah Whitehurst Nowland, it was a source of information
for her family. “My mother definitely was not a scriptorian, but it was an encyclopedia that we used on our shelves,” she said. At the time of its publishing, “Mormon Doctrine” was met with criticism from some, including President David O. McKay, president of the church at the time. He called McConkie out on several points in the book. “President McKay asked Mc-
Conkie to submit the book for review to ensure it was as accurate as possible,” Griffiths said. In the 1966 second edition, many of those concerns were taken out or reworded. Still, many within the membership embraced the publication as seemingly the newest addition to the church’s approved scriptures, known as the Standard Works. The Please see DOCTRINE, Page A10