Patrick Q. Mason - Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt

Image credits:

Page 181: A Conversation with the Master, 2008 Nathan Florence. Used by permission. Visit nflorencefineart.com.

Page 183: Wedding Feast, 1996 John August Swanson. Used by permission. Los Angeles artist John August Swanson is noted for his finely detailed, brilliantly colored paintings and original prints. His works are found in the Smithsonian Institutions National Museum of American History, Londons Tate Gallery, the Vatican Museums Collection of Modern Religious Art, and the Bibliothque Nationale, Paris. Visit www.JohnAugustSwanson.com.

Book design: Andrew Heiss

This book is the result of a joint publishing effort by the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship and Deseret Book Company.

Deseret Book is a registered trademark of Deseret Book Company.

Visit us at DeseretBook.com or maxwellinstitute.byu.edu

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mason, Patrick Q., author.

Planted : belief and belonging in an age of doubt / Patrick Q. Mason.

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-62972-181-1 (paperbound)

1. Christian lifeMormon authors. 2. Belief and doubt. 3. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsDoctrines. 4. Mormon ChurchDoctrines. I. Title.

BX8656.M3485 2015

248.489332dc232015033357

Printed in the United States of America

RR Donnelley, Harrisonburg, VA

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

To my mother

We live in an age of doubt, but we need not be overcome.
When we are planted in the Savior, we can be nourished as much
by our questions as by the answers.

Praise for Planted

An entirely honest and entirely affirming treatment of the challenges facing LDS believers. Mason brings a historians training and sophistication together with a disciples compassion and sensitivity to bear on an urgent topic. The result is a provocative and inspiring framework for faith.

Fiona and Terryl Givens

Authors of The Crucible of Doubt: Reflections on the Quest for Faith

Patrick Mason has carefully listened to the diverse community of Latter-day Saints. He has heard the love and the faith as well as the bewilderment and the pain. This book is his moving response. His deeply intelligent call to mutual understanding and his compelling invitation to faith and fellowship have had a transformative effect on me.

David Holland

Associate Professor of North American Religious History
Harvard Divinity School

Before reading this book, I anticipated a masterful discussion about how to intellectually and spiritually navigate the messier moments in church history. To my delight, Patrick Mason not only met my expectations; he exceeded them. This insightful, personable, and thought-provoking book places the complexities of faith and doubt within the context of discipleship. It reminds us of the importance of establishing and maintaining a Christlike community, despiteand because ofthe many struggles we face. Planted is a must-read.

Rachel Cope

Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine
Brigham Young University

Patrick Mason is a brilliant historian who has thought hard about the tough questions of faith and doubt. Now he has written about those questions with humor, refreshing candor, and genuine empathy. Readers all along the belief spectrum, so to speak, will be surprised to find how movingly this book speaks to them. Thats a tribute to the inclusive spirit that pervades Planted and will inspire everyone who picks up the book.

J.B. Haws

Author of The Mormon Image in the American Mind: Fifty Years of Public Perception

Every Latter-day Saint knows someone who grapples with faith, is dismayed at facts or rumors concerning the churchs history and policies, or feels bereft of a comfortable place in Mormon culture. Such people may chafe at the stigma of doubt, persuaded that no one understands their concerns. Patrick Mason shows he does understand. His book offers a safe space where legitimate questions are honored and where provisional answers will engage many an open mind and heart. Mental integrity and spiritual sanity, in a Mormon context, may look something like this.

Philip Barlow

Leonard J. Arrington Professor of Mormon History and Culture at Utah State University
Coeditor of the Oxford Handbook of Mormonism

In an age where the Internet has made all things present, confronting questions about church history and theology is the new norm. How we respond to those who doubt is, according to Mason, our generations test of true discipleship. He provides compassionate, wise, and reassuring advice for both those confronting doubt and those who minister to them. To find peace in the church one must find Christ there, for only there can we find fertile soil to plant our faith.

Boyd Petersen

Program coordinator for Mormon Studies at Utah Valley University
Editor of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought

In this honest, compassionate, and personal exploration of Latter-day Saint history, beliefs, and practices, Patrick Mason reaches out to those who might feel switched off from the bright light of faith that once animated their spiritual life, and those who sometimes feel squeezed out from their faith community because they might not fit the mold. Mason walks with his readers through nettlesome aspects of Mormon history without dismissing or downplaying difficulties. His approach is at once candid and pastorala welcome method that sheds warm light into dark corners. Planted articulates a vision of a capacious church that offers ample space for the marginalized and disenchanted to not merely stay, but to find joy in doing so. Ultimately, Mason believes in Zionits ideals, and its redemptive vision anchored in Christ. He offers compelling reasons for others to find belief and belonging, too. Mormons of all stripes should read this book and savor its messages.

W. Paul Reeve

Author of Religion of a Different Color: Race and the Mormon Struggle for Whiteness

A remarkable and unmatched resource for preserving faith and restoring empathy in a secular world. For Latter-day Saints who experience pressing doubts, isolation, or even disaffection, Planted is a healing balm that liberates people to engage with difficult, legitimate questions about LDS history and theology. And for those who live with more certainty, this book teaches how to empathize with others in their faith transitions. Patrick Masons narrative is humble and nurturing, never dismissive or condescending. He reminds us that the very difficult process of creating communities where doubt, faith, and differences coexist is an important means of developing Christlike character.

Andrea G. Radke-Moss

Author of Bright Epoch: Women and Coeducation in the American West

A triumph! Patrick Mason has crafted a singular book that will speak to many Latter-day Saints, from the most confident church members to any who struggle with questions. With compassion toward those who feel to leave the fold, Mason exemplifies great competence in the churchs rich history, showing why faithful study is a requirement, not an elective, for contemporary members.