SOC 327 - Soc of LDS Church and People
Winter 2013
Section 001: 3716 HBLL on T Th from 3:00 pm - 4:15 pm
Name: Howard Bahr Office Phone: 801-422-6275 Office Location: 2021 JFSB
Email: hmbahr@byu.edu
Office Hours: T,Th 10:00 am to 11:00 am or By Appointment
Course Information
Description
We have four general objectives.
1. To begin to know a literature, that is, to acquire a familiarity with the images of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, its history and its people, as they are presented in a sampling of the social science literature
on the Church, and to consider the validity and implications of those images as they compare to our own
experience.
2. To apply the sociological imagination to that literature in a constructive substantive, theoretical, and
methodological critique. Our critique may be defined as an exercise in the sociology of religion, an exercise
intended to increase our understanding of the history, institutions, and culture of Mormonism, and of its social
and temporal context. To that end we will systematically and conscientiously apply varying perspectives and
ask searching questions as we consider relevant social science literature and some media presentations on the
Church.
3. To increase our sensitivity to both the advantages and the limits of sociological inquiry, by confronting openly
the modernistic assumptions and professional biases that have tended to accompany sociological practice as
applied to religion generally and Mormonism in particular. Applying the metaphor of sociology as tool, we shall
be interested not only in talking about the advantages of the tool and how best to use it, but also in identifying
the tool's limitations, and those circumstances in which its use may be inappropriate. Further, we shall try to
identify writers and works which exhibit excellence in the use of the “tool” of social science as a way of crafting
meaningful images of Mormon thought and practice.
4. To heighten our sensitivity to the ways LDS location in and definition of the present societal context and
trends is shared by other observers, and especially others committed to Christian worldviews or to realities
beyond modernistic empiricism. That is, we shall try to learn not only from social scientists who have looked
specifically at Mormonism in contemporary context, but at the writings of others who, from alternative
perspectives, assess contemporary trends and try to discern where we are, and where we are headed.
Texts
Vendor
Price
(new)
Price
(used)
PACKET SOC 327 READINGS Required
by H, BAHR, ISBN: 9780700376070
PACKET EXCERPTS FROM THE MORMONS (OP BOOK)
Required
by T, O'DEA, ISBN: 9780700397112
PACKET IMAGES OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH (OP
BOOK) Required
by D, BITTON, ISBN: 9780700397167
People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture Required
by Givens, Terryl L. Oxford University Press
ISBN: 9780195167115
BYU
Bookstore
$23.40
$17.55
BYU
Bookstore
$6.10
$4.60
BYU
Bookstore
$6.80
$5.10
BYU
Bookstore
$29.99
$22.50
Learning Outcomes
Major substantive areas of sociological analysis
Students become “conversant with the substantive areas of sociology and the variety of theories and research
methods associated with these substantive areas,” as they apply to the sociology of religion in general and the
sociology of Latter-day Saint life in particular. They learn several of the “major controversies and debates, new
developments, emerging issues, and current trends” as they impact the study and interpretation of Latter-day
Saint life in the contemporary academic and intellectual world. Students also are helped “to critically assess the
strengths and weaknesses of current sociological theories and research relating to substantive areas,” in this
case Latter-day Saint life both historically and in the 20th and 21st centuries.
Diversity of social life, inequality, social conflict, and r
Students have direct experience in comparative analysis both at the individual and group level, in interpersonal
contexts as well as in vicarious and analytical experience, whereby they learn “the limitations of extrapolating
from their own experience” and confront “how the life experience of others may differ from their own,” both
within social categories (e.g., comparisons with the life experience of other Latter-day Saints) and across social
boundaries (e.g., comparisons with members of other faiths or national populations). Students experience “how
race, class, and/or gender intersect with other social categories,” in this instance, religious membership or
national identities, “to create a variety of life experiences.” They also learn to “articulate the sources of social
conflict and describe the relations of power in modern society” as they consider both the history of the oftenhated minority that was the Latter-day Saints and the contemporary setting and participation of Latter-day Saint
people in modern and postmodern society.
Theoretical perspectives that inform sociological analysis
Students consider the underlying assumptions and “basic ideas and arguments forming sociological inquiry” as
they apply to the sociology of religious life, especially the experience of Mormon people and Mormondom
generally. Conflict theory, functionalism, social psychological perspectives, demographic perspectives are all
brought into play as they affect the study of Latter-day Saint culture. Special attention is paid to the differences
between postmodern and modern theoretical perspectives as they impact definitions of “truth” and “reality” and
as they apply to theorizing about and doing research on people’s ideas of religion and transcendence.
Diversity of research methodologies
Diversity of research methodologies are illustrated; the “fit” of various approaches to the study of religious life
are evaluated. This is not a methods course, but as issues of research methodology affect the confidence one
can have in the findings of researchers who study Mormonism, issues of methodology are discussed and we
learn to distinguish good from poor research.
Accessing, reviewing, and analyzing current sociological lit
Because our focus is social science literature on Mormonism across more than a century, the emphasis on
“current” is limited, but because many of our readings and several of the “classics” students review are current,
we contribute in part to awareness of the current state of social science analysis of religion, and Mormonism in
particular. Students demonstrate their knowledge of substantive areas as applicable to research on LDS
populations in their critiques of “classic” sociological studies of Mormonism, ideally demonstrating both the
strong points and weaknesses of high quality and/or high profile studies of Mormon thought, life, and people.
Opportunities for integrating life goals and professional an
Both the advantages and the disadvantages of sociological perspectives (the plural here is important; there are
many social science perspectives, and to speak of the sociological perspective is a distortion) with respect to
interpreting daily life and religious life are emphasized throughout the course. Dilemmas and challenges of
trying to live an integrated spiritual and successful temporal existence within contemporary societies are
stressed throughout the course. Throughout, we stress the importance to the religious life of systematic,
honest, and sophisticated awareness of intellectual fads and foibles, changing trends and worldviews, varying
standards and assumptions, patterns of globalization and secularization. More than many sociological courses,
this one is devoted to the overall aim of BYU education to integrate spiritual and secular life goals and interest,
to combine professional and career interests with a more specialized awareness of how religious organizations,
beliefs, and institutions fit within and change along with the wider society, and the challenges associated with
the sometime conflict of individual, family, organizational and societal interests.
Grading Scale
Grade
Percent
A
93% to 100%
A-
91% to 92%
B+
89% to 90%
B
83% to 88%
B-
81% to 82%
C+
79% to 80%
C
73% to 78%
C-
70% to 72%
D+
67% to 69%
D
62% to 66%
D-
60% to 61%
E
0% to 59%
Grading Policy
The book report accounts for 15% of the grade. Attendance, essays and quizzes, and participation in
discussion account for another 10%. The remaining 75% is based on three examinations, two midterms and a
final, weighted equally. Examinations cover assigned readings, discussions and lectures, as well as any
enrichment materials such as class handouts or films viewed as a class. The second mid-term examination will
emphasize material covered since the previous exam. The final is a comprehensive examination, in principle
covering assigned materials for the entire course. In practice, it too is weighted to emphasize the material
covered since the last midterm. Letter grades are not assigned until the final distribution of total points is
computed. All tests are "anchored" by the highest score achieved by anyone in the class, which is set at 100%.
The conversion of numerical points (percentage grade) to letter grades is determined by the following factors:
1) A given class rarely is statistically normal; the fitting of letter grades to the numerical distribution should not
violate common sense or distributive justice standards. That is:
A. Regardless of where cutting points normally would be drawn, students with nearly identical point totals
should get the same grade; the pre-established percentage limit should not divide “natural” clusters.
B. Conversion from numerical to letter grades should, where possible, not obscure meaningful differences in
achievement; for example, two clearly distinct clusters would normally receive different grades.
C. The nature of the total distribution–how these particular students are scattered across possible levels of
achievement–may also influence cutting points. For example, a class including a handful of extremely talented
students at the top could “raise the curve” such that students who “normally” would receive Bs would, when
compared to the atypical top students in this class, find themselves in the numerical C range. Where possible
the teacher will take into account such unusual class compositional factors in applying a mindless numerical
standard to a class whose capabilities are, to a degree, known.
D. Borderline grades are up to the discretion of the teacher; In making borderline decisions, factors such as
pattern of improvement over the course, consistency, participation, and evidence of extra effort are considered.
Participation Policy
Much of the class activity will be organized in a seminar mode. This means that students are to come to class
having read the materials assigned for that day. It is expected that anyone may, if requested, provide a
summary of the assigned reading, answer questions on it, and offer insights and queries based on one's having
thought about the meaning and implications of the assigned readings as reflected in one's own experience.
Some students raise their hands often to participate; others wait to be called on, and may never participate
unless requested. I will make a conscious effort to call on persons who normally do not raise their hands, trying
to offer everyone opportunity to take part in the discussions.
We will be somewhat flexible in our coverage of the text material, reacting to particular student interests and
current happenings. Everyone is encouraged to think about the contemporary application of the insights and
perspectives that we consider. Not all assigned readings will be discussed in class, and we will sometimes
spend time on apparent "side issues" that turn out to be relevant to our central concern of interpreting the LDS
experience in the context of the varying social science paradigms available.
Attendance Policy
I will not always take roll, but it is expected that students will attend class regularly. Much of the benefit of
taking this course, rather than simply reading and watching life around you, is the "flexibly focused" interaction,
the give-and- take that having prepared for and then participated in a lecture or class discussion makes
possible. If you miss classes, please arrange for someone to take notes for you while you are gone.
There are no excused absences apart from medical (notes from your doctor), emergencies in your immediate
family, and being away on university activities (notification from university offices). Material discussed in class
is more likely to appear on tests than material we do not discuss. Also, class discussions and handouts, or
anything else that emerges from our living encounter with the topic, counts as "testable" material; here we will
not be limited merely by the written word as enshrined in the texts. Judging from previous classes, students
who miss class meetings are severely handicapped on the examinations. In addition, number of classes
missed is factored into the attendance portion of your grade.
Teaching Philosophy
I have tried to be true to C. Wright Mills’ view of the “sociological imagination,” an approach to understanding
where we are and where we are headed that requires a sober and systematic understanding of relevant
history, contemporary social institutions, and personal biography. Each student must, to a degree, supply this
last component, the biography. The readings prescribed below aim to shed light, often the non-traditional, that
is, non-modernist alternative light, in addition to whatever illumination may be derived from social science as
typically practiced in the past century, upon Mills’ first two elements, history and contemporary societal
practices and structures as they impact Mormon life and culture.
The course is designed to be true to the charge at BYU to combine spiritual and secular learning. The
sociology of religion, as typically practiced, is solely a secular approach. Rarely have practicing sociologists of
religion departed from Emile Durkheim’s view that society was god and that all norms, rules, commandments,
and moralities were the products of human society. That is, there were no moral absolutes, no “rights” and
“wrongs,” except as society made it so. We will consider alternative perspectives, allowing the possibility of
foundational assumptions and worldviews other that those incorporated in the “modern Western mindset.”
In combination with the desire to include “alternative” perspectives on Mormonism and religion generally in
American at the beginning of the 21st century, I wanted to help students become familiar with some of the
landmarks of the social scientific literature on Latter-day Saints. The assignment of “classic” texts for student
book reports and class discussion is an attempt to do that in a way that maximizes the exposure of the entire
class to the set of classics, without raising the required reading to an impossible level. Others might disagree
with the set of classics chosen. My criteria included the requirement that the books be published by reputable
“external” scholarly presses and be recognized, even if controversial, as representing sound scholarship or a
legitimate, if contested, position from some quarter of the academic establishment. As we discuss these
books, we will invite “nominations” of others that class members feel should be added to the list, and will listen
to arguments to “de-legitimate” any that critics suggest do not belong in the set.
Student Writing
Student writing assignments are of two kinds:
1. One or more brief essays, generally of one to three pages, to be assigned periodically during the
term. These writings have two main purposes: to stimulate personal applications of course material and
thereby heighten its utility and relevance, and to provide feedback to the instructor on student progress and
involvement. These periodic writing assignments are neither examinations nor research papers, but rather are
intended as “thought pieces” or “response papers.”
2. Book review and reaction report: Each student will read one of the classic works or anthologies listed above,
and prepare a review/critique report. Length will vary; as much as needed, no more than essential, perhaps 812 double-spaced pages. Books will be selected early in the semester. The written reports are due near the
end of the term, as scheduled on the prospectus. They will be graded for creativity and insight, thoroughness,
content, writing style, and editorial excellence. Book reports are expected to represent the student's personal
involvement (dialogue, reactions negative and positive, appreciations and objections) with the book, and to
demonstrate a two-way critique and encounter with the author and material, rather than a mere summary of the
contents. Questions to be covered are the same as those that would be expected of any expert reviewer of the
book, e.g., what was the author's purpose, did he or she succeed (why or why not?), what are the strong and
weak points of the book, how was it received, what are the problems with it, how might it be improved, what
new insights and problems did reading the work raise, would the reader recommend it to everyone (why and
why not?), etc.
Please do not quote from the book you are reviewing; I prefer your paraphrase, summary and evaluation rather
than your taking up space quoting the work word-for-word. Brief quotations of a phrase or sentence may be
necessary to illustrate or make your points, but please do not quote more than that.
For your information, here is the grading rubric I will use for your book reports:
Style (4 points): Careful writing, editing, proof-reading?
Format and organization (5 points): How systematic, imaginative, effective, well-organized?
Content (6 points): Your summary and analysis of portions of work relevant to your review
Your Evaluation (10 points):
1) How thoughtful, thorough, creative, insightful?
2) Quality of comparisons to other books, events, persons?
3) Quality of comparisons to issues discussed in class?
4) Critical comments (pro or con) related to your personal experience or other reading or general
knowledge?
5) Comments and recommendations?
TOTAL possible = 25.
3. There may also be an occasional brief quiz, designed to encourage keeping up on the reading, stimulate
discussion, and heighten retention.
"Classic" Works for Reading and Review, and Useful Anthologies
The following "classics" in the history of social science and Mormonism are recommended for your reading and
review. You will choose one of these for your book review; some of the others will be encountered along the
way in the course of our inquiries and discussions. Most of them are available in the BYU library.
1. Sir Richard F. Burton, The City of the Saints. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1963 [1861].
2. Phil Robinson, Sinners and Saints: A Tour Across the States, and Round them; with Three Months among
the Mormons. Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1883. Reprint New York: AMS Press, 1971.
3. Franklin S. Harris and N. I. Butt, The Fruits of Mormonism. New York: Macmillan, 1925.
4. Nels Anderson, Desert Saints. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1942.
5. Fawn McKay Brodie, No Man Knows My History. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1945.
6. Lowry Nelson, The Mormon Village. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 1952.
7. Kimball Young, Isn’t One Wife Enough? New York: Holt, 1954.
8. Thomas O’Dea, The Mormons. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.
9. Leonard Arrington, Great Basin Kingdom. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1958.
10. Wallace Stegner, The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail. Lincoln: Univ. of Nebraska Press.
1964.
11. Mark P. Leone, Roots of Modern Mormonism. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1979.
12. Klaus J. Hansen, Mormonism and the American Experience. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1981.
13. Harold Bloom, The American Religion. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1992.
14. Terryl L. Givens, The Viper on the Hearth. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
15. Terryl L. Givens, By the Hand of Mormon. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.
16. Coke Newell, Latter Days: A Guided Tour Through Six Billion Years of Mormonism. New York: St. Martin’s,
2001.
17. Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005.
Other useful anthologies and monographs which reflect current scholarly work on Mormonism at the time of
their publication include the following. These also may be chosen for reading and review.
1. Marvin S. Hill and James B. Allen, eds., Mormonism and American Culture. Interpretations of American
History Series. New York: Harper & Row, 1972.
2. Marie Cornwall, Tim B. Heaton and Lawrence A. Young, eds., Contemporary Mormonism: Social Science
Perspectives. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1994.
3. Douglas J. Davies, ed., Mormon Identities in Transition. London and New York: Cassell, 1996.
4. James T. Duke, ed. Latter-day Saint Social Life: Social Research on the LDS Church and its Members.
Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1998.
5. David C. Dollahite, ed., Strengthening Marriage and Family: Proclamation Principles and Scholarship. Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000.
6. Tim B. Heaton, Stephen J. Bahr, and Cardell K. Jacobson, A Statistical Profile of Mormons: Health, Wealth,
and Social Life. Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellon Press, 2004.
7. Cardell K. Jacobson, John P. Hoffman, and Tim B. Heaton, eds. Revisiting Thomas F. O’Dea’s The
Mormons: Contemporary Perspectives. Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2008.
Schedule
Date
Column 1
Column 2
TJan
08
Introduction: Overview. How can we know?
Epistemologies and mindsets; competing
worldviews
Th Jan
10
Methodological Reflections: On Sociology,
Modernism, Religion, & Mormon Studies.
Packet: Elder Bateman #1 “Secular Learning” 1-7;
Hancock #2 “Mormon Intellectuals”; Tolley #3 “Doing
Business in Babylon”
TJan
15
Intellectual perspectives and priorities; History
and testimony
May #4 “Writing from Within”; Bitton.#5 “I Don’t
Have a Testimony of the History of the Church”
Th Jan
17
Thoughts on truth and knowledge: Modes of
inquiry and knowing: The truth we feel, the truth
we are told, the truth of reason, and the truth of
empiricism. Knowing and feeling
Little #6 “Seeing and Caring”; Budziszewski #7
“Feeling Moral”
TJan
22
Knowing ourselves via traditional modernist
inquiry: O'Dea's The Mormons
O’Dea’s The Mormons: Preface, and Who are the
Mormons? vii-ix, 1-21; The Book of Mormon, 22-40
Th Jan
24
O’Dea’s The Mormons (cont'd)
O’Dea, The Gathering, 41-75; The Values of
Mormonism, 119-133
Date
Column 1
Column 2
TJan
29
O’Dea’s The Mormons (cont'd)
O’Dea: Values of Mormonism, 133-154
Th Jan
31
O’Dea’s The Mormons (concluded)
Sources of Strain and Conflict, 222-257; O’Dea,
Epilogue, 258-263.Midterm I (Testing Center, Jan.
31-Feb. 4)
TFeb
05
Modernist studies: Survey research
Survey Research: Judd #8 “Mormonism & Mental
Health”; Fellingham et al. #9 “Statistics on Suicide”;
Harris and Butt (1925) and Nelson (1925) through
Heaton et al. (2004) and Jacobson et al. (2008)
Th Feb
07
Master trends: Secularization and recovery
Elder Maxwell #10 “Behold, the Enemy Is
Combined"; Hunter #11 “Evil: Back in Bad
Company.” Rosenbaum #26 “Rescuing Evil
TFeb
12
Secularization and recovery (cont'd)
Niemeyer #12 “Recovery of the Sacred;”#13
“Beyond the Modern Western Mind Set”
Th Feb
14
Mormon villages revisited
Sandberg #14 “Tales and Truth of Widtsoe”; Walker
#15 “Brigham Young on Social Order”
TFeb
19
Monday Instruction
Th Feb
21
Alternative knowledge: Truths we feel
Shumway #16 “Loving God and Mankind”; Barrus
#17 “Song of the Heart”
TFeb
26
Self-knowledge; Conversion narratives and
LDS folklore
Faulconer #18 “Self Image, Self-Love, and
Salvation”; Eliason #19 “Toward Folkloristic Study of
Conversion Narratives”
Th Feb
28
Conversion narratives (cont'd);Thinking
theoretically: The Restoration and the wider
culture
Kummar #20 “Stepping Stones”; Tuong-Vy #21 “Out
of the Tiger’s Den”; Wright #22 “Red Knit Scarf";
Williams #23 “Restoration and Turning Things
Upside Down”; Mauss #24 “Marketing Miracles”
TMar
05
Definitions of the Situation: A SocialPsychological Perspective
Bergin, #25 "Theopsychology" (Midterm II, Testing
Center, March 5.-March 8)
Th Mar
07
Definitions of the Situation (cont'd): A History of
Images
Bitton, Images of the Prophet, vi-51
TMar
12
Images of the Prophet Joseph Smith (cont'd)
Bitton, Images of the Prophet, 53-126
Th Mar
14
Images of the Prophet Joseph Smith
(concluded)
Bitton, Images of the Prophet, 128-170
TMar
People of Paradox: Strains and paradoxes in
Givens, 3-35
Date
Column 1
Column 2
19
LDS culture; Endless quest, perfect knowledge
Th Mar
21
People of Paradox: The sacred and the banal
Givens 37-51
TMar
26
People of Paradox: Election and exile; Life of
the mind 1
Givens 53-82
Th Mar
28
People of Paradox: Life of the mind I, II
Givens 82-99, 195-210
TApr
02
People of Paradox: Life of the mind II;
Architecture and city planning
Givens 211-224; 100-116
Th Apr
04
People of Paradox: Music and Dance I, II
Givens 117-142, 253-263
TApr
09
People of Paradox: Cinema as Sacrament
Givens 265-283
Th Apr
11
Book Review/Reaction Essay Due; Book
Essays Discussion; LDS media: Cinema and
more
TApr
16
LDS media/ Course Review
Apr
1924
Final Exam: Testing Center, April 19-20, 2224
University Policies
Honor Code
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their
academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in
fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the
course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress
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student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have
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students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work
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misconduct.
Plagiarism
Intentional plagiarism is a form of intellectual theft that violates widely recognized principles of academic
integrity as well as the Honor Code. Such plagiarism may subject the student to appropriate disciplinary action
administered through the university Honor Code Office, in addition to academic sanctions that may be applied
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of intellectual carelessness that is unacceptable in the academic community. Plagiarism of any kind is
completely contrary to the established practices of higher education where all members of the university are
expected to acknowledge the original intellectual work of others that is included in their own work. In some
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the deliberate act of representing the words, ideas, or data of another as one's own without providing proper
attribution to the author through quotation, reference, or footnote. Inadvertent Plagiarism-Inadvertent plagiarism
involves the inappropriate, but non-deliberate, use of another's words, ideas, or data without proper attribution.
Inadvertent plagiarism usually results from an ignorant failure to follow established rules for documenting
sources or from simply not being sufficiently careful in research and writing. Although not a violation of the
Honor Code, inadvertent plagiarism is a form of academic misconduct for which an instructor can impose
appropriate academic sanctions. Students who are in doubt as to whether they are providing proper attribution
have the responsibility to consult with their instructor and obtain guidance. Examples of plagiarism include:
Direct Plagiarism-The verbatim copying of an original source without acknowledging the source. Paraphrased
Plagiarism-The paraphrasing, without acknowledgement, of ideas from another that the reader might mistake
for the author's own. Plagiarism Mosaic-The borrowing of words, ideas, or data from an original source and
blending this original material with one's own without acknowledging the source. Insufficient AcknowledgementThe partial or incomplete attribution of words, ideas, or data from an original source. Plagiarism may occur with
respect to unpublished as well as published material. Copying another student's work and submitting it as one's
own individual work without proper attribution is a serious form of plagiarism.
Respectful Environment
"Sadly, from time to time, we do hear reports of those who are at best insensitive and at worst insulting in their
comments to and about others... We hear derogatory and sometimes even defamatory comments about those
with different political, athletic, or ethnic views or experiences. Such behavior is completely out of place at BYU,
and I enlist the aid of all to monitor carefully and, if necessary, correct any such that might occur here, however
inadvertent or unintentional. "I worry particularly about demeaning comments made about the career or major
choices of women or men either directly or about members of the BYU community generally. We must
remember that personal agency is a fundamental principle and that none of us has the right or option to criticize
the lawful choices of another." President Cecil O. Samuelson, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010
"Occasionally, we ... hear reports that our female faculty feel disrespected, especially by students, for choosing
to work at BYU, even though each one has been approved by the BYU Board of Trustees. Brothers and sisters,
these things ought not to be. Not here. Not at a university that shares a constitution with the School of the
Prophets." Vice President John S. Tanner, Annual University Conference, August 24, 2010