As some of you may know, Sheri Dew (former 2nd counselor in the General Relief Society) is president of Church owned Deseret Book.
The issue that has risen with some is whether or not Deseret Book should carry the vampire based "Twilight Series" of stories by Stephanie Meyer. Currently, they do. These best-selling books are very profitable and popular and they are about vampires. By carrying this title is Deseret Book sending a message that vampires are cool or acceptable? Stephanie Meyer is a member of the church and it is profitable so I can understand how they have made their case to justify carrying the title.
However, with the backdrop of the 13th article of faith where we as saints claim to seek after things that are lovely, virtuous, and of good report, or praiseworthy, do these books meet that criteria? There are some that believe that by carrying this book it is indirectly giving license for youth of the church to indulge in vampire-ish type stuff including the goth /death culture that often accompanies such society. "We believe in Joseph Smith and in saving doctrines not in vampires." While others feel that it is a fictional story and it should be taken as such. "We have been taught correct principles and should be able to govern ourselves".
So lets try this: If you feel that Deseret Book SHOULD sell the book, comment back with your case as to why it is acceptable.
If you feel that Deseret Book should NOT carry the title, comment back with your reasoning as to why it should be pulled.
You have all weekend to go at it. As for me.... since I know that they have chosen to not carry certain titles about Joseph Smith because perhaps the are too controversial, but they have chosen to carry this title, I think they are at the very least being money grubbing hypocrites. I understand some of the arguments for allowing the Meyer titles to be sold in the stores, and I feel that there is some merit to them. But as for me, I would think that with such close ties with the church, perhaps it would be better to avoid the appearance of evil.
Not having read them, I feel like I cannot adequately make a judgment here.... But hey! That's what the 'net is all about, right? Unsubstantiated opinion!
ReplyDeleteThat being said, back in the dark ages I was an employee of DB. In those days, you were instructed to pass along any information or criticism of a product that had questionable material. We had customers come in once a week at least with concerns. It took some doing, but it was possible--through corporate policy--to get a book pulled from the DB shelves.
Now, however, one would think it was a much simpler matter. Most if not all the DB stores have DRASTICALLY reduced the number of non-LDS fiction titles. At one time you could find anything from a Star Wars novel, to Grisham and Clancy, to Robert Jordan.
In a move that I was told was to better represent the ideals of DB, they reduced the non-LDS fiction offerings with the further explanation that "a customer can get those anywhere; we want to be more specialized. Someone can just go to Barnes and Noble/Borders/Waldenbook to get that." This, I believe, is their current stance.
Unless, of course, they can make a lot of money selling something.
Yes. I am that cynical.
Just because an author/actor/singer is of the LDS persuasion doesn't make their work any more worthy, enlightning, or uplifting than a non-LDS individual's work. I think this is somewhat taken for granted in the LDS circles, however. "But mom, so-and-so is LDS. Of course there is nothing wrong with the book/music/movie." The standards may not always show through.
To the contrary, there is a lot of music, for example, that I feel is a lot more uplifting and Spirit-inducing than the majority of the LDS-Pop that fills the racks of DB's audio shelves. The same goes with movies (Home Teachers anyone?)
IMHO DB needs to take an all or nothing stance: if they want to be the Church's bookstore, then they need to limit themselves to certain imprints. Period. Cut all the national, non-LDS, non-DB/Signature/Covenant/Bookcraft/Shadow Mountain/etc. titles.
If they want to be a mainstream bookstore, then they better expand their shelves and be more willing to come under fire for their shelf-stocking decisions.
Well said montana! I guess that is more my issue, are they a strickly LDS bookstore? or are they mainstream? The church teaches quite heavily that you can't keep one foot in and one foot out. (Anyone remember lot's wife?)
ReplyDeleteRead the books for all I care. It is not an attack on the books themselves but a simple inquiry as to the mindset or rationale that went into allowing these books to be sold over others.
I think it is funny that you refer to working at DB as the dark ages. Did you work under the direction of Sheri Dew?
No...she was in the hierarchy, but had not yet "ascended." This was around the time that President Hunter was alive.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, it was his biography that first gave me so much disdain for Sis. Dew. I read it once--barely, for I think it's utterly unreadable (disjointed, choppy, cursory) and I have yet to read anything else by her that I've enjoyed.
Hope I'm not skirting the line of speaking ill.
But you said it. Get one foot in or get the other one out. Stop playing the Hokey-Pokey and decide.
(My only real beef with these books is the incredible hype. I tend to shy away from those: Harry Potter, Da Vinci Code, etc. because they never live up to the hype and I prefer the less mainstream.)
I have met Sheri Dew and I found her to be a kind person. Perhaps this decision has some factors missing from our view of it, but since that is the information we have been given that is what I am going off of.
ReplyDeleteI read "God Wants a Powerful People" and while I found the book to be okay, it was not real original. Most of the book was spent reiterating ideas that had previously been brought up or were simply not very applicable to most people since we are not CEO's or in the church hierarchy. It is a safe book in other words.
think at least 75% of LDS fiction should be pulled from the shelves, not because they are a bad influence but purely on the grounds that they are bad literature. What's next are we going to tell our children not to read Tom Sawyer because Mark Twain was anti-Mormon? Who cares if there is vampires in the books? If your kids are stupid enough to buy into it then you screwed up as a parent.
ReplyDelete