The Sanctity of Dissent, Paul James Toscano

jacket flap

Paul James Toscano traces in ten eloquent speeches the odyssey of his life from conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1963 to excommunication in 1993. Included are the sermons that resulted in church action against him.

“Authority is adored as the dominant divine characteristic” in contemporary Mormonism, Toscano alleges; “patriology blows unimpeded through the church like a cold wind, chilling compassion, hope, and faith.” He worries that “unless there is a spiritual revival of mythic dimensions, (Mormonism) is doomed to resolve itself into yet another sect full of ethical pretension and xenophobic aspiration.”

Toscano, who considers himself a latter-day Saint-in-exile, remains confident that Christian love may yet “overflow the banks of righteousness, sweep away respectability, turn dignity into mud, lay waste the levees of our vaunted invulnerability, and contaminate us with holiness.” Mormonism, according to Toscano, will yet become an open, compassionate, and forgiving religious community dedicated to the spiritual empowerment of each individual, the celebration of diversity, and the sanctity of dissent.

Cover design by Ron Stucki.
Photo illustration by John Rees.

Signature Books is a registered trademark of Signature Books, Inc.
Printed in the United States of America.

about the author

Paul James Toscano, a member of the Salt Lake City law firm of Woodbury & Kesler, has practiced law since 1978 and currently serves as Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 Standing Bankruptcy Trustee for the District of Utah. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from Brigham Young University and his J.D. from the J. Reuben Clark Law School. He is author/co-author of numerous articles and four books: Gospel Letters to a Mormon Missionary; Invisible Religion in the Public Schools: Secularism, Neutrality, and the Supreme Court; Music and the Broken Word (with Calvin Grondahl); and Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology (with Margaret Merrill Toscano). He is founder and co-president with Margaret of the Mormon Alliance, a non-profit corporation organized in 1992 to counter defamation of and spiritual abuse within the LDS church. A 1963 convert from Catholicism, he was excommunicated on 19 September 1993 as one of the September Six.

title page

The Sanctity of Dissent
Paul James Toscano
Signature Books Salt Lake City 1994

copyright page

Cover design by Ron Studki
Cover photo illustration by John Rees

∞ The Sancity of Dissent was printed on acid-free paper
and meets the permanence of paper requirements of the
American National Standard for Information Sciences.
This book was composed, printed, and
bound in the United States.

98 97 96 95 94 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Toscano, Paul, date
The sancity of dissent / Paul James Toscano.
p. cm.
ISBN 1-56085-049-3
1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—Controversial literature
2. Mormon Church—Controversial literature.
3. Ex-church members—Mormon Church—Religious life.
I. Title.
BX8645.T675 1994 289.3'32—dc20 94-26589 CIP

	The Sanctity of Dissent by Paul James Toscano Signature Books, Salt Lake City, 1994. Table of Contents: Prologue 1. The Pandemic of Narcissims 2. Beyond Tyranny, Beyond Arrogance 3. Liberty and Justice for All 4. A Plea to the Leadership of the Church 5. The Call of Mormon Feminism 6. Silver and Gold Have I None 7. Dealing With Spiritual Abuse 8. The Santity of Dissent 9. All is Not Well in Zion 10. On Love Epilogue Cover



			"Responsible dissent possesses the spiritual power to awaken consciousness, raise awareness, create paradigms, alter opinions, heal wounds, and bring wholeness and holiness to our community. But it must be remembered that dissent raises the stakes. It is by nature confrontational. Even when carefully and artfully advanced, truth telling and dissent are usually not well-received. One of the recurring mistakes of my life has been my silly belief that I would somehow endear myself to others by telling them what I believe to be the truth. Jesus, however, did not say that the truth would make us well-liked. He said that 'the truth shall make you free' (John 8:32). What he did not say was that it would first make everybody madder than hell."
	jacket flap Paul James Toscano traces in ten eloquent speeches the odyssey of his life from conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1963 to excommunication in 1993. Included are the sermons that resulted in church action against him. “Authority is adored as the dominant divine characteristic” in contemporary Mormonism, Toscano alleges; “patriology blows unimpeded through the church like a cold wind, chilling compassion, hope, and faith.” He worries that “unless there is a spiritual revival of mythic dimensions, (Mormonism) is doomed to resolve itself into yet another sect full of ethical pretension and xenophobic aspiration.” Toscano, who considers himself a latter-day Saint-in-exile, remains confident that Christian love may yet “overflow the banks of righteousness, sweep away respectability, turn dignity into mud, lay waste the levees of our vaunted invulnerability, and contaminate us with holiness.” Mormonism, according to Toscano, will yet become an open, compassionate, and forgiving religious community dedicated to the spiritual empowerment of each individual, the celebration of diversity, and the sanctity of dissent. Cover design by Ron Stucki. Photo illustration by John Rees. Signature Books is a registered trademark of Signature Books, Inc. Printed in the United States of America. about the author Paul James Toscano, a member of the Salt Lake City law firm of Woodbury & Kesler, has practiced law since 1978 and currently serves as Chapter 12 and Chapter 13 Standing Bankruptcy Trustee for the District of Utah. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees in English from Brigham Young University and his J.D. from the J. Reuben Clark Law School. He is author/co-author of numerous articles and four books: Gospel Letters to a Mormon Missionary; Invisible Religion in the Public Schools: Secularism, Neutrality, and the Supreme Court; Music and the Broken Word (with Calvin Grondahl); and Strangers in Paradox: Explorations in Mormon Theology (with Margaret Merrill Toscano). He is founder and co-president with Margaret of the Mormon Alliance, a non-profit corporation organized in 1992 to counter defamation of and spiritual abuse within the LDS church. A 1963 convert from Catholicism, he was excommunicated on 19 September 1993 as one of the September Six. title page The Sanctity of Dissent Paul James Toscano Signature Books Salt Lake City 1994 copyright page Cover design by Ron Studki Cover photo illustration by John Rees ∞ The Sancity of Dissent was printed on acid-free paper and meets the permanence of paper requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences. This book was composed, printed, and bound in the United States. © 1994 by Signature Books, Inc. All rights reserved. Signature Books is a registered trademark of Signature Books, Inc. 98 97 96 95 94 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Toscano, Paul, date The sancity of dissent / Paul James Toscano. p. cm. ISBN 1-56085-049-3 1. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—Controversial literature 2. Mormon Church—Controversial literature. 3. Ex-church members—Mormon Church—Religious life. I. Title. BX8645.T675 1994 289.3'32—dc20 94-26589 CIP