Posted on 04/23/2010 9:33:26 AM PDT by Colofornian
One of the quirkiest, and enjoyable edgy Mormon fiction out there remains “Brother Brigham,” (2007, Zarahemla Books) It’s a pity that probably only a few hundred people have read the novel. Utah Author D. Michael Martindale’s bizarre, at times sexy tale prompts the attentive LDS reader to really wonder if they’re faith is as strong as they might like to think it is.
“Brother Brigham,” set in Salt Lake County, involves Cory Horace “C.H.” Young, descendent of Brigham Young, married in the temple to Danielle. A BYU “marriage” dropout with dreams of being a violinist, he works in a bookstore and lives in a tiny duplex with his wife and two sons, Petey and Glenn. At the bookstore there’s a cute bohemian girl named Sheila who dabbles in satanism.
One day, out of the blue, “Brigham Young” appears to C.H. and tells him that the LDS Church has slipped into apostasy and that he, C.H., has been called of God to restore the Gospel. “Brigham” informs C.H. that polygamy must also be restored. “Brigham” leads C.H. to hidden away money in the desert west of Salt Lake City. The angel, using the same type of language as the Prophet Joseph Smith records in Mormon accounts, pushes C.H. to get things rolling. C.H. reluctantly agrees. He manages to convince his skeptical wife, and then follows the angel’s commandment to marry Satan-dabbler Sheila, who perhaps not surprisingly given her personality, accepts C.H.’s offer. Things start to spiral out of control when “Brigham” commands C.H. to take an underage ward teen, Cyndy, as a second plural wife.
“Brother Brigham” is a lighter novel than may appear from the brief partial synopsis. C.H. is very reluctant to take on what he’s been commanded to do despite promises from “Brigham” that he will be successful. There’s a lot of sex in Martindale’s prose. This will never be a novel found on the virgin shelves of Deseret Book. One funny, sexy sequence involves C.H. and Sheila’s wedding night where, at least for the groom, “plural love” turns into solo lust.
I won’t give away the ending of Brother Brigham, although a turn in the plot and the climax are quite clever. Mormon lore abounds in “Brother Brigham.” A promise in C.H.’s patriarchal blessing seems to hint at what will occur to him. When “Brigham” appears to C.H., he follows Mormon lore by asking the angel to shake hands with him. The plot also includes references to the Book of Mormon and wrestling with demons and raging theological debates Parley P. Pratt-style.
“Brother Brigham” is not a book critical of the LDS faith, but its very plot forces the honest Mormon reader to confront two uncomfortable thoughts. How many of us, if we had lived in the time of Joseph Smith, would have believed a 14-year-old boy had been visted by Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? And, a question perhaps even more difficult to answer, is: Had we been members of the early LDS Church, how many of us would have agreed to ditch our matrimonial covenants and pursue wives half our age? Would we have thought that was of God, or a product of lust?
These are not questions that today’s Mormons ponder often. In fact, most of us have become quite comfortable scorning fundamentalist polygamist Mormons for their “sinful” lifestyles.
“Brother Brigham,” besides being a great read, reminds us that we’re pretty lucky to be Mormons in 2010, where C.H’s experiences remain something that we’re not likely to have to deal with.
No
it made me think you are a moderator
__________________________________________
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
A Godzilla receives the same awe and respect and obedience that an honorable mod would...
:)
Just wanted to make sure
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Clouds...
Bet no mod gets that...
And it's NEVER your ATTITUDE, but ALWAYS your THEOLOGY that gets you booted?
Matthew 12:37
For by your words will your righteousness be seen, and by your words you will be judged.
Live by the sword - die by the sword.
Leave MY thread!!!
You're not WELCOME in my threads!
No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time.
Matthew 12:38
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
Like when smith ordered the Expositor's destruction eh.
That maybe your understanding but it is not mine.
bank fraud & bank-ruptcy in Kirtland;
In MO, an assassination attempt on a governor's life;
in Nauvoo, Polygamy-on-demand, including taking a dozen wives already spoken for;
freemasonry galore (once Joseph became one, 11 of the 12 Lds apostles joined up, too);
willful destruction of the Free Press and an attack on the First Amendment which undergirded it (how would you like it if your means of publishing on FR was destroyed at will by your local mayor?);
In Utah, the Mountain Meadow Massacre & its ensuing cover-up from the top-down;
blood atonement murders in the 1850s;
communism established under the guise of The United Order in communities like Orderville;
blacks denied rights of association because of theologically based skin color-as-a-curse
throughout, theological fraud based upon made-up 'scriptures'
That maybe your understanding but it is not mine
You're lecturing me on attitude? That's rich.
As “evil” and good” are defined by the “living prophet”, and the Mormon mind is typically programed not to receive contrary arguments, then when evidence that Mormonism produced bad fruit is provided, then Mormons provide a unrealistic and unreasonable means of understanding such evidence.
That maybe your understanding but it is not mine.
Oh?
Just who DID order it's destruction?
What has the Mormon Religion Organization taught you about this matter?
Is this a yes or a no?
I think the MOD lectures you get are the ones worth noting...
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