Letters.

Mormonizing?

I was disappointed with Stephanie Mencimer's article criticizing the influence of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah ("Theocracy in America," April 2000). Even as a non-Mormon who has spent only a week in Utah, I found numerous inaccuracies in her critique.

The use of the word "Gentile" to mean "non-Mormon" has been gradually declining among Mormons for years; the Church itself discourages it, and non-Mormons are now just non-members. The Mountain Meadows Massacre happened in 1857, not 1848. Young Mormon missionaries are certainly not required "to get married within six months of their return, and produce a baby within a year after that." Many may do that, but that's not much different from the Baptists I grew up with in rural North Carolina, who often got married and had babies right out of high school. (The only difference is that the Mormon grooms are two years older and have some worldly experience under their belts.) Also, young Mormon males aren't even required to become missionaries--there is a lot of pressure for them serve on a mission, and most faithful ones do, but many do not.

Recruitment of Mormons by the CIA (for which Mencimer provides no statistics) probably has more to do with the language skills and the familiarity with foreign cultures that they pick up as missionaries than with any spying on members done by the LDS Church (which Mencimer also does not document). Her references to Mormon history, such as attributing polygamy solely to Joseph Smith's lust and mocking the literary quality of the Book of Mormon, are only repeats of the oldest and crudest attacks by anti-Mormons. Mencimer ignores the extensive work of modern historians and scholars of religion, both Mormon and nonMormon, who have attempted to treat Mormonism with the same respect and seriousness as any other world religion.

There are, no doubt, many things to criticize about the conduct of the Church in Utah, but Mencimer details few incidents besides the most obvious that have been picked up by the mass media. Other than that, she repeats the standard negative stereotypes about Mormons being priggish, a cult, etc., and spends most of her time criticizing them on the grounds that she simply felt uncomfortable living among them--which is nothing more than classic prejudice.

SAMUEL BELL Raleigh, NC.

Down `n' Out in Ogden

What an excellent article! Stephanie Mencimer's "Theocracy in America" perfectly articulated what it is like...