Latter-day Saint theology has many questions without settled answers. Was Jesus married? Does God progress? How important is the King Follett Sermon? In each case, Latter-day Saint leaders have expressed differing opinions. Editor Eric A. Eliason discusses a new edition of BYU Studies Quarterly devoted to the concept of ‘open questions’ with answers yet to be revealed.
Learn more about the power of understanding and teaching doctrine.
What is the Yet to Be Revealed issue of BYU Studies about?
Here is the description we put together for selecting the topics and giving guidance to contributors, “an anthology of essays by specialist scholars, on topics distinctive to Latter-day Saint religion, about which there have been more than one school of thought, with a significant history of discussion, that have not been authoritatively resolved.”
What was the catalyst for the BYU Studies “Yet to be Revealed” issue on open questions?
Back in the early 1990s, I read in The Encyclopedia of Mormonism (which passed through rigorous scrutiny from Church headquarters) that the Restoration tradition had two main schools of thought on the nature of God’s progress.
Even though there had been strongly expressed views on both sides, neither point of view had been promulgated as official doctrine; and neither had been officially declared anathema.
This was a new perspective to me!
Our purpose in assembling this collection of essays is simple: we wish to celebrate the miracle of continuing revelation and the promise of more to come, in which God will “yet reveal many great and important things” (Articles of Faith 1:9).
Eric A. Eliason and Terryl L. Givens, “Introduction to a ‘BYU Studies Quarterly Special Issue’ on Open Questions in Latter-day Saint Theology”
Before then, my young brain was pretty black and white, as young brains often are. I thought one point of view must be right, and the other must be wrong. I was relieved to learn there was space for things to be unsettled because I admired and sustained the voices on all sides of this issue.
An epic conversation on this with my mother-in-law was the genesis of this book. Later, more topics came to mind. A few years ago, I shared some of them with Terryl Givens at the Mormon History Association Meeting. He said, “we should do a book!” I said, “OK.”
We were delighted when BYU Studies agreed to publish the “Yet to be Revealed” volume both a special issue and a book.
Is there a single definition of what constitutes Latter-day Saint theology?
Heavens, no. Our lead essay by Michael Goodman considers several proposed formulations. However, they are all quite similar in their understanding that only general authorities have the Divinely-appointed stewardship to make any such determinations.
In previous decades, Latter-day Saint writers might use the term “doctrine” more loosely to mean various things that today might be called “ideas and beliefs that have come up in the history of our faith tradition.”
More recently, the Brethren, notably Dallin H. Oaks, seem to be making a concerted effort to define the term “doctrine” more precisely, as something more like: only official Church teachings that are currently taught, through official Church channels, by the unified witness of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, speaking in an official capacity.
As doctrine has been more narrowly defined, it may be important to remember that doctrine is a smaller sub-category of truth. Our heritage has bequeathed us many wonderful beliefs that are still precious and worth reflecting on, even if we would not call them doctrine today.
What lessons can we learn from a documented history of prophets sometimes taking opposite viewpoints in their teachings about Latter-day Saint theology?
A great number of things, I reckon. Maybe the Lord, for reasons we don’t yet understand, needed his servants to emphasize different things for different audiences at different times.
Maybe language is often an imperfect instrument for conveying truth.
Maybe this is an instance of the old story where five blind men go around the corner to tell us what they find, and they come upon an elephant. One grabs the trunk and says, “a snake!” The next grabs the tail and says, “a rope!” The ear, “a curtain!” The torso, “ a wall!” And a leg, “a tree trunk!”
Are they all wrong and contradicting each other?
Or has each given us a useful insight pointing toward a deeper more complex truth not yet fully seen?
Maybe they are not really “blind” after all? Maybe they are seeing much more than we do, which was nothing until they gave their report.
Does God progress? Who are some well-known apostles who have taken different sides on the issue?
Yes. There is no disagreement that He continues to progress quantitatively in the number of his creations, bringing to pass the immortality and eternal lives of men and women on worlds without end.
As Matt Bowman shows in his chapter in the book, there has been disagreement on whether His progress is qualitative in knowledge and wisdom.
Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff said that He is progressing in this way. Orson Pratt and Bruce R. McConkie said He is not.
What are some key “doctrines” that trace their roots back to the King Follett discourse?
One of the points Jim Faulconer and Susannah Morrison make in their chapter is that there are not as many key doctrines in the King Follett Sermon as Church members often suppose.
Many are also found elsewhere in Joseph Smith’s teachings.
Why does Jim Faulconer say that Church leaders rarely refer to the King Follet discourse?
Not sure. Jim Falcouner and Susannah Morrison could answer that one better. But I suspect it has to do with the previous answer.
What was the purpose of the Gold Plates if Joseph Smith rarely consulted them?
Wow, that is waaay above my pay grade. But I do know the Lord works in mysterious ways. I’m pretty sure there is something to be said for their value as an attention-getter. The Tin Plates? Not as memorable.
Was Jesus married?
In our book, Chris Blythe looks closely into this, martials all the available evidence, and delivers a confident and resounding, “There is no official position.”
But a wide variety of interesting things have been said about whether Jesus was married—by interesting people, for interesting reasons.
Does the reality of “open questions” in Latter-day Saint theology strengthen or threaten your faith? How so?
Strengthen! No doubt about it!
Oops. I just imagined for a second my own perspective as the only valid one. Not really in keeping with the spirit of the book. I suppose your question is an “open question,” too.
Open questions show that ours really is a religion of revelation and not systematic theology. Trying to shoehorn revelation into our own tidy little mental categories, that we imagine are properly non-contradictory, may not be the best way to benefit from them.
Open questions also show what a full and rich tradition we have and how every question that revelation answers seems to give us three new ones to wonder about.
They also show that, over the years, many thoughtful Latter-day Saints have been pondering seriously on the implications of revealed truths.
Isn’t that exactly what we should be doing? I don’t think that is an open question.
Further reading
- What is the Relationship Between Grace and Works?
- Love vs. Lust: Is the Song of Solomon Scripture?
- Knowing ‘Brother Joseph’ Through the Joseph Smith Papers
- Joseph Smith’s First Vision with Steven C. Harper
- Tad Callister on Unanswered Questions
- Eugene England and “Questions to Gospel Answers”
- What’s the Relationship Between Women and the Priesthood?
Latter-day Saint theology resources
- Approaching Mormon Doctrine (Church Newsroom)
- What Latter-day Saints Believe about Jesus Christ
- Toward a Mormon Systematic Theology: Essay on Wrestling the Angel by Terryl Givens
- A Latter-day Saint Theology of Suffering
- Doctrinal Mastery Scripture List
- Latter-day Saints 101: What Church Members Believe
- Understanding Latter-day Saint Doctrine and History (Video—BYU Religious Education)
- Feeding the Flock: The Foundation of Mormon Thought
- A Look at Mormon Theology and Practice (Los Angeles Times)
Yet to Be Revealed: Open Questions in Latter-day Saint Theology
Table of contents
“Oh Say, What Is Truth?”: Approaches to Doctrine (Michael Goodman)
Is Sure Knowledge an Ideal for Everyone or One Spiritual Gift among Many? (Blair Dee Hodges and Patrick Q. Mason)
Is God Subject to or the Creator of Eternal Law? (James M. McLachlan)
What Is the Nature of God’s Progress? (Matthew Bowman)
Was Jesus Married? (Christopher James Blythe)
The King Follett Discourse: Pinnacle or Peripheral? (James E. Falcouner and Susannah Morrison)
Understandings of the Relationship between Grace and Works (Terryl L. Givens)
Shards of Combat: How Did Satan Seek to Destroy the Agency of Man? (Philip L. Barlow)
How Limited Is Postmortal Progression? (Terryl L. Givens)
Each Atom an Agent? (Steven L. Peck)
The Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible: Ancient Material Restored or Inspired Commentary? Canonical or Optional? Finished or Unfinished? (Jared W. Ludlow)
Is the Song of Solomon Scripture? (Dana M. Pike and Eric A. Eliason)
Book of Mormon Geographies (Andrew H. Hedges)
The Book of Mormon Translation Process (Grant Hardy)
Narrating Religious Heritage: Apostasy and Restoration (Miranda Wilcox)
Civil Disobedience in Latter-day Saint Thought (Nathan B. Oman)
What Is Women’s Relationship to Priesthood? (Lisa Olsen Tait)
On the Foreknowledge of God: Time, Knowledge, Reality, Agency (Rosalynde F. Welch)
Will Things Get Better or Worse before the Second Coming?: Are the Latter-day Saints Premillenarians or Postmillenarians? (Jed L. Woodworth)
