BYU Studies Quarterly

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1 BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 35 Issue 1 Article Brief Notices BYU Studies Follow this and additional works at: Recommended Citation Studies, BYU (1995) "Brief Notices," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 35 : Iss. 1, Article 26. Available at: This Notice is brought to you for free and open access by the All Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact scholarsarchive@byu.edu, ellen_amatangelo@byu.edu.

2 Studies: Brief Notices brief notices special issue on homosexuality complete human being and homosexuality as a functional culture amcapjournal amc4pjournal 19 no betray the hopes of so called few subjects offer more oppor- homosexuals who would reorient tunities for missteps by christian themselves to a full range of life oriented professionals than dis- giving emotions and relationships cussions of male and female homosexuality it is a credit to the homosexuality no more defines the complete person than does integrity and the ability of those heterosexuality who produced this special issue one anticipates the day when of the journal of the association of LDS social scientists address the far mormon counselors and psy- larger subject of human sexuality chotherapists that they avoided and its encompassing ramifications such missteps one misstep would victor brown jr have been to produce a parochial apology for LDS IDS irs views the second most tempting misstep would have been to give undue space to rocky mountain divide selling the politically driven views of and saving the west by john B homophilic homophylic clinicians instead they wright university of texas have brought under one cover useful articles about the ongoing press 1993 biological debate secular clinical john B wrights rocky mountain divide selling and approaches that apply to latter day saving saint clients historical perspectives the west contains a unique examination of mormon attitudes toward on policies of the church of jesus christ of latter day saints and land conservation in spite of inaccurate statements about mormon insights from people who personally have struggled with homosexual thoughts and behaviors book is a valuable resource on land history doctrine and practice the this volume is a necessary tool conservation in the west and a for any responsible student of the careful examination of the present subject any competent therapist status of conservation efforts in and perhaps most usefully for those utah and colorado who have experienced homosexual emotions a call to arms for voluntary land wrights book is intended to be the effectiveness of this edition conservation through land trusts underscores a larger need however those who insist on using the which engage in land protection private nonprofit citizen groups term homosexual as denning defining a activities 14 the mission of the Published by BYU ScholarsArchive,

3 BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 35, Iss. 1 [1995], Art byustudies BYU Studies land trust is to conserve private pay attention to the state of the lands of significant natural scenic land now and historic value most land trusts wright is also disturbed that little has been done by the church in receive tax exempt status from the US treasury departments internal revenue service at the time suggests that the LDS church spon- land conservation leadership he wrights book was written utah sor a mormon trail land trust and a had only one land trust while colorado had twenty seven 14 simultaneously exemplify mormon sanpete county cultural park to wright seizes upon the dramatic values and land conservation 242 contrast in land trusting in colorado and utah and recounts as a wrights book represents an see also historical geographer the evolution important opportunity for self of land use and land conservation examination as utah finds itself in the two states As one would with one of the highest growth expect wright finds utahs mormon heritage its most significant unfortunate factual errors and use rates of any state in the nation the distinction recounting the initial of controversial sources will impair wrights ability to reach the general mormon settlement efforts of utah wright notes audience he needs to the reverential attitude of the persuade early pioneers toward their new nevertheless the books overview of land territory over and over in their conservation efforts in utah and colorado makes diaries pioneers noted streams it a valuable resource flood plains excellent soils tall david nuffer grass and a dry climate tempered by cooling canyon winds 162 he also finds that early mormon statements on land use were very westfrom fort bridger the pioneering of immigrant trails high minded but the book also contrasts the across utah edited saints early idealism with the real- byjj roderic koms korns and dale morgan revised and updated by will ity of their monopolization deforestation and overgrazing and bagley and harold schindler utah recounts the land and water exploitation that has now filled the state university press 1994 trailing the pioneers A guide to salt lake valley with development utahs emigrant trails 1829 wright contends that utahns utahna conserve 1869 edited by peter H only incidentally not as a delafosse utah state university press 1994 matter of focus he blames the mormon belief in millennialism lisin for for the earliest pioneers making utahns utahna attitude toward their the overland journey to the west lands if earth will appear as the coast utah was a problem that garden of eden and be renewed most chose to go around by pro- and receive its paradisiacal glory viding excerpts from early explorers journals and reports A of F 10 there is little reason to west 2

4 erienotices stief btief brie Erie erfe Studies: Brief Notices notices 253 from fort bridger documents the mals for most of the early travelers pioneering of emigrant trails for the donner dormer party the losses that did cross utah the were disastrous 55 editors include notes and commentary to clarify the journal entries companion to peter delafosses DeLafosses west from fort bridger is a west from fort bridger first trailing the pioneers which attempts to correlate the old trails published in 1951 has a tangled genealogy in 1941 dale morgan with modem roads and highways started an eight year correspondence with J roderic koms a salt a series of automobile tours the book which describes itself as lake businessman and charles intended for the general tourist kelly an amateur explorer who traveling in an ordinary passenger rediscovered the salt desert trails car 1 includes five trail tours in the 1920s the three men performed the research at the heart of the spanish trail from monticello each written by a different author the book and argued out facts theories discoveries and problems to st george the bidwell bartleson trail from soda springs idaho to through hundreds of pages of letters ix when koms korns died in july wendover nevada the pioneer trail from fort bridger to salt lake 1949 dale morgan compiled and city the hastings cutoff from salt published the book in the name of lake city to wendover and the his friend it was an instant success salt lake cutoff from salt but was published in a very limited lake city edition and it has to city of rocks idaho always been difficult to find using trailing the pioneers as my guide I1 working from extensive notes recently took a visitor left by morgan who died in 1971 from england on a circumnavigation of the great the current editors have clarified salt lake we followed the hastings cutoff tour to and expanded the work one of the stated purposes of the new edition is to update the geographical the bidwell bartleson trail and wendover then we backtracked descriptions to reflect modern modem hensleys Hensleys salt lake cutoff to salt highway routes and names never- lake city the tours are not set up theless the maps or lack of maps well for backtracking and we frequently felt like the pioneers accompanying the volume are perhaps its greatest weakness looking at our vague nearly fea- the book offers a thorough dis- tureless maps and scratching our cussion of the route south of the heads in dismay great salt lake the hastings cutoff perhaps in his desire to problem and we made it back to this however was a minor promote the road which carried salt lake city having gained an appreciation for this handy little his name hastings consistently misrepresented the length of the guidebook and for the pioneers we waterless crossing of the salt trailed across utahs rugged terrain plain resulting in losses of ani- fred C pinnegar Published by BYU ScholarsArchive,

5 BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 35, Iss. 1 [1995], Art Bbyustudies BYU leadership and the new science the assertion that while the universe is strange uncertain and learning about organization from an orderly universe by bizarre it remains a universe of margaret J wheatley berrett inherent order 151 a point koehler 1992 that must be made if wheatley is to establish her claim that we can margaret wheatley states that leam learn about organization from an she is at heart a lapsed scientist orderly universe still hoping that the world will david grandy yield up its secrets to her in pre- dictable formulation 6 having harvested a number of secrets from recent popularizations of science behold the messiah new testament insightsfrom latter day wheatley applies these secrets as insights into her own field of organizational leadership the result bookcraft 1994 revelation by robert J matthews is an unabashed almost euphoric now that gospel doctrine affirmation of quantum physics teachers are provided only a set of self organizing systems chaos theory and the philosophical lessons questions and a quotation for each lesson many are on the lookout that are routinely drawn from for additional resources other those disciplines church members are seeking new most books can be experienced insights and a wider appreciation at more than one level of understanding this book works best at ior ix this relatively slim vol- of the life and ministry of the sav- the celebrational cerebrational level although ume aims to provide such an wheatley deals with some abstruse appreciation via a discussion of concepts she is not overly cerebral and her larger message reported in the gospels and acts many but not all of the episodes attempts to liberate us from outmoded ways of thinking she pos- the latter day saint cannon the matthews draws primarily upon tulates that the new science in all teachings of joseph smith and of its ideological upheaval sends a course his own observations clear signal to managers and organizational specialists because cally instead of chronologically the book is organized themati- attitudes shape organizations but the reader can find specific dis- no better way exists to achieve cussions through the scripture organizational reform than persuading people that their personal atti- one valuable chapter is a collec- index and a fairly detailed index tudes are not sacrosanct some may tion of quotations from the teachings of the prophetjoseph smith find this a frightening prospect but on the other hand loss of rigidity concerning jesus can also be cause for exultation the contributions or lack thereof wheatley ends her book by discussing chaos theory a move that the bible JST are usually high- of the joseph smith translation of allows her to wrap things up with lighted rather than those from the 4

6 Studies: Brief Notices brief notices 255 book of mormon and doctrine and sometimes unpolished laying a covenants such an emphasis is no scriptural and prophetic foundation surprise coming from a man who this work presents tolerance as a has devoted much of his life to virtue taught and practiced by the studying the JST however since savior our exemplar in matters of the current LDS edition of the tolerance elder carmack wisely bible includes most of the significant changes in the JST this ance to become an antidote for the counsels that in order for toler- emphasis is not as useful as poison of worldwide hatred and another might be strife individuals must adopt attitudes and practices appropriate to As is usual in commentaries the discussions vary in depth and freshness nevertheless the general then offers advice about how prin- the saviors teachings the book i n reader will find many passages that ciples of tolerance may be applied are both instructive and inspiring in family church and public life doris R dant but tolerance is not a principle without limits it does not signify indiscriminate and therefore meaningless respect for all actions and tolerance principles practices ideas elder carmack offers strong obstacles limits by john K carmack bookcraft 1993 counsel on the limits of tolerance as he discusses a variety of public readers familiar with elder issues especially free speech and john K carmacks Carmacks levelheaded and pornography his reasoning influenced by his legal training recog- plaining gospel principles will not nizes the liberality of the principle common sense approach to ex- be disappointed with his thoughts while at the same time improving on tolerance written in light of his our understanding of the general experiences as a church leader in relation between moral and ethical california and asia this book is a standards and public behavior plea for broader understanding and also of timely interest is his counsel regarding the role of tolerance practice of tolerance in its christian context experience has convinced elder carmack of the explanations of the place of church in the church he offers clear increased need for tolerance in our discipline in regard to tolerating encounters with people of diverse diversity of belief within the church backgrounds to grant the timeliness of the message one need only sary addition by a committed LDS tolerance is an overdue and neces- consider recent outbreaks of violence across the world as previing and practice of the gospel leader to our overall understandously segregated religious and neal W kramer ethnic groups rekindle prejudice and hatred the strength of this book lies in its straightforward approach although its rhetoric and style are Published by BYU ScholarsArchive,