What I find frustrating is not the facts. I knew a lot of this decades ago when I joined the church. That was because I sought out the material and did not just simply dismiss it as "anti-mormon". I agree with Bushman that the human side of religious figures needs to be taken into account. Too often in the past, the church has placed Joseph Smith on such a pedestal that his human flaws cause this "serious disruption" as Richard Bushman calls it. However these facts about doctrine and church history had to have been known by church leaders and historians in the past. All this "new" material really isn't new at all and had been hidden from members in the past. So that is why current members are questioning, having faith crises, and leaving the church. They feel lied to by church leaders. The past narrative of the church held by people such as Bruce McConkie was what was taught to members. Church manuals also included such narratives. Priesthood manuals on early prophets neglected issues like their stance on Blacks and the priesthood or plural marriage. Now the carpet is rolled back to reveal what is underneath (dirt and all) and members don't like it.
Good question. What Bushman is saying is that is that in the past there was so much anti Mormon material to glean from and the leaders of the Church wanted to dismiss everything that was being said from that perspective about Joseph or the church remarking it as negative therefore false. This showed that from the historical point of view their was an unprofessionalism that disallowed criticism in or out of the church. To reconstruct the narrative is referring to how leaders needed to allow historians to handle information professionally, not become overly bias one way or the other, rather present records as it is to allow a better wholistic determination rather than an partial one. The presentation of history needed to be reconstructed. Something that I believe is a very difficult or unique attention to give any religious history.
What I find frustrating is not the facts. I knew a lot of this decades ago when I joined the church. That was because I sought out the material and did not just simply dismiss it as "anti-mormon". I agree with Bushman that the human side of religious figures needs to be taken into account. Too often in the past, the church has placed Joseph Smith on such a pedestal that his human flaws cause this "serious disruption" as Richard Bushman calls it. However these facts about doctrine and church history had to have been known by church leaders and historians in the past. All this "new" material really isn't new at all and had been hidden from members in the past. So that is why current members are questioning, having faith crises, and leaving the church. They feel lied to by church leaders. The past narrative of the church held by people such as Bruce McConkie was what was taught to members. Church manuals also included such narratives. Priesthood manuals on early prophets neglected issues like their stance on Blacks and the priesthood or plural marriage. Now the carpet is rolled back to reveal what is underneath (dirt and all) and members don't like it.
Reconstruct the narrative? If the church is true why do we have to reconstruct it?
Good question. What Bushman is saying is that is that in the past there was so much anti Mormon material to glean from and the leaders of the Church wanted to dismiss everything that was being said from that perspective about Joseph or the church remarking it as negative therefore false. This showed that from the historical point of view their was an unprofessionalism that disallowed criticism in or out of the church. To reconstruct the narrative is referring to how leaders needed to allow historians to handle information professionally, not become overly bias one way or the other, rather present records as it is to allow a better wholistic determination rather than an partial one. The presentation of history needed to be reconstructed. Something that I believe is a very difficult or unique attention to give any religious history.