The Aspirational Language of Mormonism

Last updated on: August 8, 2014 at 8:12 am by Guest Contributor

The Aspirational Language of Mormonism 2014-08-08T08:12:31-05:00 Guest Contributor

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

This post is a guest submission from Isaac Black.

Recent events in Mormondom, including the excommunication of Kate Kelly and the Church’s blog posts on controversial topics like the priesthood ban and polygamy, have prompted a higher scrutiny of seemingly basic terms of the religion. What defines apostasy? What precisely is priesthood? Even, what is doctrine? It is my observation that Mormon vocabulary, rather than being strict and legalistic as some of the more textually inclined among us would hope it to be, has a performative aspect. Usage of key Mormon terms, a few of which I’ll elaborate upon, is a speech act which binds one to the mainstream community by affirming a shared ideal.

Consider the all-important testimony. A testimony is colloquially (and monthly) glossed as knowledge that the Church is true, the implication being that a proper testimony is inclusive of all aspects of Mormonism. But the Doctrine & Covenants lays out that knowledge is a spiritual gift and that different ones are doled out to different members: “For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God… To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God… To others it is given to believe on their words” (D&C 46:11,13-14). The assertion of a scripturally improbable complete testimony is a statement of the kind of testimony that one should have rather than one that has been achieved. Oft heard counsel to missionaries is that a “testimony is to be found in the bearing of it” (“The Candle of the Lord,” Boyd K. Packer). This is because to bear testimony that the Church is true is to reinforce the ideal of one’s community and inscribe one’s personal experience in the larger, shared narrative. In other words, bearing testimony that one is not sure of draws upon the ideal to bolster one’s personal testimony.

“Faith” is another term in which the usage is more aspirational than literal. Joseph Smith taught that “doubt and faith do not exist in the same person at the same time” (Lectures on Faith). Because of this, the mainstream tends to assume that public expression of doubt or disbelief proves that one lacks faith. But whose personal story doesn’t involve doubt or uncertainty? Faith is something that the community aspires to, not something that every member achieves with a perfect record.

From faith comes blessings, as the leaders frequently remind members. The fact that “blessings” proceed from some positive behavior is illustrated by the popularity of “tender mercies,” which by contrast happen for no particular reason. Members often express blessings in public, but the identification of one’s blessings doesn’t come with any sense of self-aggrandizement. Rather, it is because of the shared narrative, reaffirmed in one’s personal testimony, that the community expects the faithful to receive blessings from God. One does not distinguish oneself from the community on account of having received blessings, rather the opposite: one’s blessings confirm that one belongs.

The aspirational usage of the most fundamental concepts of Mormonism seeks to encourage the participant to shape her or his experience to fit the larger narrative of Mormonism with its attendant cultural, political, and historical biases. Those members who would like to communicate their idiosyncratic experiences in the language of scripture find themselves without the words to do so. Instead, their failure to participate linguistically in conflating the real with the ideal sets them apart from the larger community. It makes it difficult to gain validity in the eyes of other members or even for themselves, because those terms not associated with the master narrative or that convey ambiguity or uncertainty carry negative connotations. Their reluctance to use these terms, among many others, in an aspirational sense drives a wedge between them and their community.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 29, 2014

An Apologetics of Care

Next Post

September 3, 2014 Pseudonyms Rule, Names Drool

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2013 Scriptures Administrative Apologetics Atonement Bible Book of Mormon Book Review BYU Doctrine Extra-Biblical Literature Family Feminism Guests History LDS Church History Leadership Marginalia Metaphysics Mormon Culture Mormon Studies Personal Issues Political Philosophy Politics Scripture Sexuality Speculation Spotlights Studying Religion Ten Tidbits The Tenure Track Theology Tips on Applying Series Tips on Being an Independent Scholar Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 July 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz