35 years ago today - 35 years ago - Sep 9, 1983-Friday

[Leonard Arrington]
I learned more yesterday about the ongoing church controversy over history. In the meeting of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve on Thursday, September 1, Elder [Boyd K.] Packer commented that the Church ought to do something to prevent the Sunstone Symposium; it was damaging because it generated criticism of the General Authorities. No person picked up on the comment, however, so there was no discussion and no action taken. Apparently, others present either thought there was nothing that could be done, or nothing that should be done, or that the comment was unfair. In any case, Elder Packer, in this instance, seems to have been a lone crusader. I learned also that Elder [David B.] Haight had been assured by some friendly persons that Sunstone wasn't anti-Mormon. It was an open forum, and things were said and written that might be regarded as anti-Church. But the objective was an open forum, not the perpetuation of anti-Mormon literature. All concerned were active church members. Apparently, Haight later corrected another person who had reportedly made a statement in his presence that Sunstone was anti-Mormon and said that it was merely nonChurch, not anti-Church.

[Source: Confessions of a Mormon historian : the diaries of Leonard J. Arrington, 1971-1997, Gary James Bergera, editor, Signature Books, 2018]

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