The Weak Things of the World

Ask a Latter-Day Saint how they gained a testimony of the Gospel, and more likely than not you will hear a story akin to Brigham Young’s, who said “when I saw a man without eloquence, or talents for public speaking say, ‘I know, by the power of the Holy Ghost, that the Book of Mormon is true, that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of the Lord,’ the Holy Ghost proceeded from that individual (and) illuminated my understanding….” The testimony that Brigham Young heard was given in the common rhetorical pattern of Mormon orators. They focus on simple doctrines, and glory not in themselves, but in the Lord. While generally well educated, Mormons are exhorted not to boast in their learning, and to choose instead to earnestly invoke the spirit as they preach “Christ crucified.” This can be made more poignant in smaller settings that allow probing questions and silence to invite the presence of the Holy Ghost.

When analyzing Elder Holland’s talk, Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments, we see the Mormon theory of rhetoric in practice, combined skillfully with many sophisticated rhetorical elements. Holland’s talk is structured around a simple alliterative list, enabling easy recall and application by the audience.  Before beginning his doctrinal exposition, Elder Holland establishes his ethos by citing many statistics to illustrate the breadth of the problem he is going to address, and then he makes an allusion to the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob who decried sexual immorality. Following this he appeals to logos, using simple logic to explain how sexual relationships are related to Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments. 

In addition to the form in this talk, Elder Holland uses powerful phrases to drive home various points. He uses the parallel and inverted phrase “We are imperfect and mortal, while God is perfect and immortal” to illustrate both our similarities to and differences from our Heavenly Father. At other times, he uses powerful figurative language such as “Moral Schizophrenia” to describe the worlds depravity. In another instance, he uses a repeated prefix “unspeakable, unfathomable, unbroken”, to drive home the sacred nature of our procreative power.  Despite these relatively sophisticated phrases, Elder Holland’s talk remains approachable to most average readers, and throughout his message he maintains the focus on “Christ crucified”.