Comment posted by R. Gary on 4/2/2010:

This is my response to a comment from SmallAxe posted 4/1/2010 on my post, "The implications of key LDS doctrines for evolution."

Between 1978 and 1991, I wrote several letters every year to Deseret Book and to various general authorities about the shift in obscenity law that was taking place, allowing material as explicit as anything ever produced prior to 1960 to be sold above the counter to the general buying public.

One of the letters was a 54 page "friend of the court" brief that argued in favor of holding a Church court (now called disciplinary council) on behalf of an imaginary businessman who sells pornography claiming it is well within the law. Copies of this letter went to most of those with whom I corresponded. The connection was obvious to anyone who knew of my frustrations with Deseret Book.

I made repeated contact with each of the two members of the Twelve and one other general authority who were on Deseret Book's board of directors. All three answered similarly: "Because of the number of responsible people who have already been involved and are currently addressing the issue, I feel confident in leaving the matter with them." In other words, We don't need your help, we can take care of our own bookstores. Yet their marketing standards continued to slide unabated.

I also wrote letters to other general authorities, including two more members of the Twelve. These replies were answered on a more friendly note. Here are two examples:

1. "Your letter to me concerning the subject of pornography was much appreciated, and I appreciated very much the opportunity of discussing with you over the telephone. You ... added to my understanding of the issue by helping to clarify some matters. I find your letter to be to the point and much in line with the way I think about this issue."

2. "I agree with your concern about pornography and believe it to be a far more serious ... problem than virtually anyone understands.... Congratulations to you on the obvious good work you are pursuing in this realm. Thank you for sharing with me a copy of your materials."

Victor Cline, who wrote the Encyclopedia of Mormonism article on Pornography, wrote this about my 54 page letter: "I agree with nearly everything you say. The legal definition of pornography and the higher church definition are miles apart.... There are ... higher standards as you so eloquently point out. And I believe in those higher standards."

A former vice president and general manager of Deseret Book who at the time was publisher of the Deseret News wrote this: "I have finally been able to get to your long, but excellent treatise on pornography. I commend you for this well-researched, and properly stated document.... I happen to agree with you on the key issues you pose — that of defining obscenity.... Thanks for sharing this material with me ... it was well worth the time once I got into it."

At one point, my wife and I were invited to a meeting in the Church office building, held in the office of our Area Presidency who were all in attendance, along with our Regional Representative and Stake President. They listened to me for 90 minutes while I explained in detail a 210 page handout about pornography at Deseret Book.

Nearly a decade later, the Area President remembered that meeting. He wrote: "I appreciated very much your [recent] letter ... concerning my interview.... I must say of all the dozens of letters I have received, yours was the most thoughtful and helpful to me personally. It reminded me of the thorough work you did in times past on Deseret Book's marketing practices, and it makes me grateful there are people like you who pay the price to be informed and therefore useful."

There is much more. But the point is this: You can do a lot without going public.

Steve cannot make a place for evolution in the Church without opposing at least two of the current Twelve, just like I opposed two of the Twelve when I boldly and unceasingly criticized their Deseret Book ministry. But — and this is a very important "but" — I never made my criticism of those apostles public.

This advice does NOT contradict what I'm trying to get Steve to do because I have never suggested he make public his personal differences with an apostle. What I am saying is that he can't just ignore those differences.

Anti-evolutionists (like Packer and Nelson) will continue to dominate official LDS media until someone walks quietly up to the Church office building (like I did) and, in private, makes the case for a different point of view.