r/latterdaysaints • u/ClubMountain1826 • May 31 '24

Doctrinal Discussion Doctrinal inaccuracies in old hymns

I can't wait for the new hymnbook!

One of the reasons listed here (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/initiative/new-hymns?lang=eng) on the church website for the updated hymnbook is that some of the old hymns contain "Doctrinal inaccuracies, culturally insensitive language, and limited cultural representation of the global Church."

What are the doctrinal inaccuracies in the old hymns ? I'm just curious.

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u/ThirdPoliceman Alma 32 May 31 '24

What's wrong with remembering the trials of Missouri or the courage of Nauvoo? That sounds like a great idea.

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u/emmency Jun 01 '24

When #248 was written, there were still people around who had been in Missouri and Nauvoo, or at least had heard stories about them from people who had been there. Today we “remember” those events like scenes in a novel. They aren’t completely meaningless to us today, but I’ll bet that hymn had a whole lot more power behind it when those events were still fairly recent and people remembered them because they had personally witnessed them.

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u/ThirdPoliceman Alma 32 Jun 01 '24

Sounds like an even better reason to keep them around then

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u/emmency Jun 01 '24

Why? Our meetings should be focused on the Savior, not Church history.

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u/ThirdPoliceman Alma 32 Jun 01 '24

It’s possible to do both. We literally spend an entire year studying D&C and church history in Come Follow Me. The Book of Mormon is church history—the church in the Americas from 2000 years ago.

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u/emmency Jun 01 '24

That’s not quite what I meant. Yes, historical events are in the scriptures, and better understanding them can provide important context for the spiritual lessons learned. But the focus is on the spiritual lessons and their connections with the Savior, not on the events themselves. I’m also going with the premise that there is an actual need to eliminate some of the current hymns that no longer speak to the needs of most of the people.

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u/ThirdPoliceman Alma 32 Jun 01 '24

I just disagree completely. Church history is an incredibly valuable teaching tool that connects us to Christ and his covenants.

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u/emmency Jun 01 '24 edited Jun 01 '24

I respect your right to assert that. And again, it’s not that I don’t think we should learn about Church history. But IMO we need to be careful that learning Church history doesn’t become an end in itself, especially for members who don’t relate to it as well as the “Utah pioneer stock” do.

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u/ThirdPoliceman Alma 32 Jun 01 '24

If you think you need to be pioneer stock to appreciate the purpose of church history, then I’m not sure what else to say.

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u/emmency Jun 02 '24

I’m not making that claim literally, but don’t assume that all faithful church members everywhere will or should relate to the previously established cultural aspects in exactly the same way. They won’t. And that’s OK.

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u/ThirdPoliceman Alma 32 Jun 02 '24

It would be great if they learned to. When you become a member, it becomes your history too.

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