Let's Not Overinterpret Revelation

Last week Mormon Interpreter published a treatise by Duane Boyce titled Sustaining the Brethren. In making the point that the personal views of Apostles do not trump First Presidency statements, Boyce wrote that "Elder Boyd K. Packer once said that he knew by personal revelation that man did not evolve from animals..." This is, of course, a reference to Elder Packer's 1988 speech, The Law and the Light, which was published with a disclaimer that it represented his personal views only. In footnote #37 Boyce quotes Elder Packer as follows:

“I said I would give six reasons for my conviction [i.e., that ‘the theory that God used an evolutionary process to prepare a physical body for the spirit of man … is false’], and I have listed only five. The sixth is personal revelation” (emphasis in original).

Boyce quotes and paraphrases Elder Packer accurately, and yet it is incomplete. Here is more of what Elder Packer said about his personal revelation.

Do not mortgage your soul for unproved theories; ask, simply ask! I have asked, but not how man was created; I have asked if the scriptures are true [emphasis added].

In a sense, the speech is anti-climactic because just as we get to the ultimate reason for his conviction, it turns out that Elder Packer asked a different question than the one we were led to expect. Revelation that evolution is false vs revelation that the scriptures are true, is an important distinction in my book [1]. We would hardly expect God to reveal that the scriptures are NOT true, and yet if pressed even the most conservative saint will concede that some things in the scriptures not entirely accurate (or are figurative, or whatever).

There is no doubt that Elder Packer believes evolution to be false. However, I believe it is claiming too much to say that he knows by revelation that it is false--at least based on what he has shared publicly.

Incidentally, former BYU professor and Biology department dean Lester Allen once described his own (anti-climactic) revelation in response to a more direct question.

After some struggle, I decided to ask the Lord how the separate stories [evolution and creation] relate to each other. Even though I was surrounded by those superior to me scientifically, as well as spiritually, I was brash enough to hope the Lord would assist me in finding an answer. After personal preparation, I petitioned the Lord and asked, "What is the answer?" There came clearly into my mind the statement, "There is an answer." I didn't learn what the answer is, but it is reassuring to know that it all fits together.

Notes:
1. In fairness to Boyce, his footnote #38 cautions that different people can mean different things when talking about evolution, so caution is warranted in interpreting statements.

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Medicine is an Important Part of Addiction Recovery

See update below.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is such a part of American culture that even those of us untouched by alcoholism [1] know some of the basic principles of the AA approach. In fact AA is popular enough that the Church has modeled its Addiction Recovery Program (ARP) after it, as stated in the ARP guide. So The Atlantic got my attention when I saw the title of a new article, The Irrationality of Alcoholics Anonymous, and I was a little surprised by what I read. Here are a few excerpts that, together, summarize the article.

The problem is that nothing about the 12-step approach draws on modern science: not the character building, not the tough love, not even the standard 28-day rehab stay.

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The 12 steps are so deeply ingrained in the United States that many people, including doctors and therapists, believe attending meetings, earning one’s sobriety chips, and never taking another sip of alcohol is the only way to get better. Hospitals, outpatient clinics, and rehab centers use the 12 steps as the basis for treatment. But although few people seem to realize it, there are alternatives, including prescription drugs and therapies that aim to help patients learn to drink in moderation. Unlike Alcoholics Anonymous, these methods are based on modern science and have been proved, in randomized, controlled studies, to work.

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Bill Wilson, AA’s founding father, was right when he insisted, 80 years ago, that alcohol dependence is an illness, not a moral failing. Why, then, do we so rarely treat it medically? It’s a question I’ve heard many times from researchers and clinicians. “Alcohol- and substance-use disorders are the realm of medicine,” McLellan says. “This is not the realm of priests.”

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Although AA claims a success rate of 75%, another estimate suggests it is closer to 5 - 8%.

We’ve grown so accustomed to testimonials from those who say AA saved their life that we take the program’s efficacy as an article of faith. Rarely do we hear from those for whom 12-step treatment doesn’t work. But think about it: How many celebrities can you name who bounced in and out of rehab without ever getting better? Why do we assume they failed the program, rather than that the program failed them?

In the October 1989 General Conference, Elder Boyd K. Packer said the following:

It is my conviction, and my constant prayer, that there will come through research, through inspiration to scientists if need be, the power to conquer narcotic addiction through the same means which cause it. I plead with all of you to earnestly pray that somewhere, somehow, the way will be discovered to erase addiction in the human body.

As discussed by the article, there are several medical drugs available that can help relieve the urge to drink--or to drink heavily--although they are not effective for everyone. Unfortunately, however, I am unable to find any encouragement in the Church's ARP guide for afflicted persons to seek medical treatment. That seems to me like an important omission. Tackling addiction issues using Gospel principles is great, but as Elder Dallin H. Oaks has reminded us,

Latter-day Saints believe in applying the best available scientific knowledge and techniques. We use nutrition, exercise, and other practices to preserve health, and we enlist the help of healing practitioners, such as physicians and surgeons, to restore health. The use of medical science is not at odds with our prayers of faith and our reliance on priesthood blessings.

I'm not qualified to render judgment on 12-step programs; they obviously do help some people. For its part, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) (part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)) recommends social support, including joining AA or a similar program, as a part of recovery efforts.

I guess the bottom line is this: People with substance addictions should, by all means, join support groups like AA or the Church's ARP program. But chances for improvement are best if medical help is also sought. Chemistry caused the problem; it can also be part of the solution.

[3/21/15] Update: For some push-back on the Atlantic article, see Why Alcoholics Anonymous Works.

Notes:
1. Disclaimer: To my knowledge, nobody close to me has (or has had) a substance addiction, so I have little personal experience with these issues.

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