The Spiritual Perspective In Lds Poems

By Kate McMahon


Lds poems have their origin in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Days Saints and continue to form a part of their liturgical recitations and literature. They have a heavy spiritual or religious theme. The church has been in existence since the early 1800s and continues to use poetry as a tool for evangelization. They consider it an art form that brings the Holy Spirit closer to its faithful.

Lds poetry is also regarded as Mormon poetry and has branches that include fiction literature. Early works by these poets were recorded in old literature journals like the Elders Journal that published James Marsh. The editors of the journal were Joseph and Don Smith. The themes and presentation in this poetry was exceptional to capture the eyes of these editors.

Mormon general conferences continue to use poetry to capsulate their messages. The tradition has been sustained since the church was founded. This art is used by the apostles to give current affairs a spiritual perspective. Some of the poems have ended up as hymns because they capture the theme in a perfect way. I Believe in Christ was written by Bruce McConkie and later turned into a hymn.

Contemporary writers have gotten inspiration from pioneers in Mormon poetry. One of the modern day writers by the name Boyd Packer sites McConkie as his inspiration. He wrote the poem Washed Clean after an encounter with Jesus as He is described in I Believe in Christ. There are many other writers who have followed this trend.

Early poets have dominated the literature of most of the general conferences in the church. Present day leaders have maintained the passion for poetry. The president and leader now is Monson Thomas and is said to be an avid reader. He loves the art so much and has incorporated it in most of his writings. His talks during conferences and on various occasions are filled with poetry citations. Using religion as the main theme has not taken anything away from this writing.

Mormon literature database contains an excellent collection of both fiction and poetry from this group of writers. Literary critics have singled out several authors because of their outstanding writing. The collection also includes hymns considering that a good number of them began as poetry. Some of the work adheres to the traditional definition while others open new grounds in the genre.

Mormon poets can broadly be classified into traditional and contemporary depending on their eras of existence. The first group began writing in the 1830 until 1950s when the style changed. This ushered in the contemporary writers who have continued to produce excellent poetry to date. They defer because of their support themes and the audience. It is possible to see the distribution of audience across different corners of the world through their poetry.

The Spirit of God by Phelps W and O My Father by Snow Eliza best represent pioneer Lds poems. Current day works include The Epic as was written by Orson Whitney. Contemporary poets have expanded their themes to include violence. All these writings have a spiritual perspective.




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