Reviews -- The Sanctity of Dissent



	*The Sanctity of Dissent*

Journal of Church and State, Geoffrey C. Bowden
In ten exuberant speeches delivered in different contexts, Paul James Toscano reveals his own intellectual and spiritual journey in the Mormon church. Having been excommunicated from the Mormon church in September 1993, the Salt Lake City lawyer has compiled these speeches that often sharply criticize the hierarchy of the church.

Some of the topics of the speeches are: the growing presence of narcissism in American and Mormon life; the call to openness in the face of the dominating authority and abusiveness of the hierarchy of the Mormon church; a "plea" for a more loving and less patriarchal understanding of obedience as propounded by the church hierarchy; the need for a healthy feminism in the Mormon community as buttressed by the historical role of women in the church; openness concerning the finances of the affluent church; the spiritual value of dissent in a religious community; the particularity of the interpretation of doctrinal issues which pacify church members; and finally, the distinction between "love" and "sentimentality."

Toscano is outspoken and lucid on the subject of the lack of concern by church leaders for the membership of the Mormon Church. The most riveting dissent comes in his call for the hierarchy to be more open concerning the finances of the church and the call for the church to repent of the "tithing requirement [which] systematically disfavors the poor and favors the rich." While raging at the church at times, Toscano elucidates his belief that Mormonism can be redeemed with a deeper analysis of the Christian tradition, specifically the teaching and example of Jesus. While the Mormon Church has sought to integrate basic Christian tradition as her own, Toscano images the ripe tension between the spirit of freedom and the call to obedience which now infuses the church.

Having converted to Mormonism from Catholicism Toscano provides an interesting perspective on the need for both "orthodox" Christian teaching and maintaining the community focus of the Mormon tradition. While he continually makes reference to the teachings of Jesus, because of the nature of the work, he fails to offer a systematic reinterpretation of Mormon tradition in light of a renewed focus on God's grace through and in Christ. However, this does not seem to be the book's purpose. Toscano succeeds in inspiring and providing a moral foundation from which to begin his desired redemption of the Mormon Church.