Ronald E. Poelman
| Ronald E. Poelman | |
|---|---|
| Emeritus General Authority | |
| October 3, 1998 – November 19, 2011 | |
| Called by | Gordon B. Hinckley |
First Quorum of the Seventy | |
| April 1, 1978 – October 3, 1998 | |
| Called by | Spencer W. Kimball |
| End reason | Granted general authority emeritus status |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ronald Eugene Poelman May 10, 1928 Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Died | November 19, 2011 (aged 83) Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
Ronald Eugene Poelman (May 10, 1928 – November 19, 2011) was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1978 until his death. In 1984, he delivered a controversial sermon in the LDS Church's general conference which he asked to redo to clarify some points. The church retaped and spliced this second version into the conference before publishing. It is also the version published in church periodicals.
Biography
Poelman was born in
Poelman lived in
Poelman was married to Claire, who was for a time a consultant with Stanford University.[2] After she died, he married Anne G. Osborn, a doctor connected with the University of Utah.[4]
At the age of 83, Poelman died of "causes incident to aging" at his home in Salt Lake City, Utah.[1][5]
Controversial sermon
In the October 1984 general conference of the LDS Church, Poelman delivered a sermon entitled "The Gospel and the Church". Controversy ensued when the version of his sermon that was published in the November 1984 Ensign magazine differed from the sermon Poelman had delivered orally.
According to Poelman's brother, after Poelman had delivered his sermon, it had been pointed out to him by apostles that the text of his talk might support claims that people do not need the LDS Church. In response, Poelman had revised the text of the sermon for publication in the Ensign[6] and re-delivered the edited sermon on film. A "cough track" was included in the retaping to make it appear that the revised sermon was delivered in front of an audience.[7] The church spliced the retaped sermon into the tapes of general conference prior to their distribution and archival.
One commentator has criticised the changes to the sermon as a dramatic shift in the meaning of Poelman's address:
"The rewriting and refilming of Elder Ronald Poelman's October 1984 Conference address, originally a rare and inspiring defense of free agency, so that it became yet another cry for obedience. His text was not edited — his ideas were turned inside out."[8]
Poelman spoke again in general conference after four-and-a-half years.[7]
Notes
- ^ a b Walker, Joseph; Hatch, Tom (2011-11-21), "Elder Ronald E. Poelman dies at 83", Deseret News
- ^ a b c Gardner, Marvin K. (May 1978), "Elder Ronald E. Poelman of the First Quorum of the Seventy", Ensign, pp. 104–105
- ^ 2005 Deseret Morning News Church Almanac (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Morning News, 2004) p. 102
- ^ "Amulek Alternative, The: Exercising Agency in a World of Choice", AML-List Review, Association for Mormon Letters, 1997-12-13
- Salt Lake Tribune
- Sunstone: 44
- ^ a b Anderson, Lavina Fielding (1993), "The LDS Intellectual Community and Church Leadership: A Contemporary Chronology" (PDF), Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 26 (1): 23
- ^ Newell, L. Jackson (1986), "An Echo from the Foothills: To Marshal the Forces of Reason" (PDF), Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 19 (1): 27
External links
- Ronald E. Poelman at Grampa Bill's G.A. Pages
- "The Gospel and the Church". www.churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved 2019-09-11. : Poelman's October 1984 conference sermon (including video)
- Poelman, Ronald E. (November 1984), "The Gospel and the Church", Ensign: 64 : Poelman's October 1984 conference sermon as published in the Ensign
- "The Gospel and the Church: Elder Ronald E. Poelman of the Seventy", Messenger, 2002-07-22, archived from the original on 2007-10-07: sets out changes to Poelman's 1984 conference sermon
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