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Author's Preface, About Mormon History
Calling All Mormon Scholars
The Quote
One Nation under Gods, page xv
According to Mormon scholar Allen Roberts, LDS leaders do indeed "attempt to control depictions
of the Mormon past."5
The Reference
Endnote 5, page 477
5. Allen Roberts, Private Eye Weekly, October 20, 1993, 12. Quoted in Jerald Tanner and
Sandra Tanner, "Legacy: A Distorted View of Mormon History,: Salt Lake City Messenger
(#88), May 1995, 4, online at http://www.utlm.org/newsletters/no88.htm.
The Problems
There are any number of people--Abanes included--who insist that the LDS Church is biased, wrong,
dishonest, and misleading because it won't publish a history that tells every piece of trivia,
uncovers every wart, and discloses every negative comment ever uttered about the Church. They
refuse to admit that it is reasonable and acceptable for the Church to be selective in what it
chooses to publish, and even in how that information is presented.
In reading the above quote by Abanes, where he quotes Allen Roberts, I couldn't help but think
that perhaps there is a double standard at work. Abanes introduces as a "Mormon scholar." This made me wonder
exactly who Allen Roberts is, so I went looking for information. He is a published book author, and
his publisher, Signature Books, has the following short vita about Roberts at their Web site:
Notice that there is nothing in the vita that would qualify Roberts as a scholar, unless (perhaps)
he was writing about architecture or historical preservation. I am not dismissing Roberts' work, or
even (in this single instance) saying that Abanes misused his source. What I do find interesting
is the way that Abanes lends credence to his witness of choice--Allen Roberts--by indicating he
is a "Mormon scholar."
It is ironic, indeed, that in a paragraph devoted to detailing the suppression that the LDS Church
supposedly exerts on scholars, in a preface the bemoans the lack of objectivity in LDS histories,
and in a book that seeks to bare everything about the LDS Church, Abanes would choose the term
"Mormon scholar" to describe Allen Roberts, rather saying he is an "award-winning architect specializing
in historical restoration." Consider, for a moment, if we recast Abanes' own wording to reflect the
historical truth concerning Roberts:
According to the award-winning architect Allen Roberts, LDS leaders do indeed "attempt
to control depictions of the Mormon past."5
Of course, I guess that if Abanes was not selective in which words he used, and didn't
promote Roberts as a Mormon scholar, Roberts' words would not have the intended affect on his readers. This
recast isn't nearly as authoritative as Abanes' original choice of words.
Wait a minute... Isn't this one of the things Abanes criticizes the LDS Church of doing?
Of being selective in what is presented and always presenting things in the best light possible? Perhaps
we should apply the same remedy to One Nation under Gods that Abanes recommends in relation to
the LDS Church--recognize the bias, discount the source, and look for truth elsewhere.
In an attempt to defend his choice of adjectives for Allen Roberts on January 27, 2003, Abanes
stated the following on the ZLMB message board:
...look at this guy's credits and the periodicals for which he
has wrtten [sic]. Look up the word in a simple dictionary. Mine says: "A learned
or erudite person. One considered an authority in a specific field. I think
Roberts qualifies.
Unfortunately, Abanes misses the point completely. There is no question that Allen Roberts
is a scholar; as the definition states, he is "an authority in a specific field." Unfortunately, that field
is architecture and architectural history, not necessarily LDS history. Abanes, as an author, has the right
to choose the adjectives he uses in his writing. His choice of adjectives, in this instance, indicates a
clear "inflation" of his source's credentials in a field far removed from his formal training.
Written by Allen L. Wyatt
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