Part I: Most Latter-day Saints read the Book of Mormon as a historical narrative. As David Hume predicted, they feel a strong connection to the actors and events, which helps them internalize the doctrines. But when some Saints lose their faith in the historicity of the Book of Mormon, they feel compelled to abandon it as completely false. if we can read the Book of Mormon as a fictitious text—what Hume calls a romance—then we can embrace the truth we find in the text without being dissuaded by the perceived improbabilities and inconsistencies that shatter the faith of the either/or believer. Part II: I always thought of fairy tales as entertaining stories for children. But having recently read many different fairy tales, I discovered that they speak profoundly to me (which may confirm that I have entered second childhood). Furthermore, I think they reveal truths that, by right of doctrine, and by public assertion, all Latter-day Saints confess they seek. In this presentation, I suggest there is something of the fairy tale in every religious denomination’s preferred story, with a particular focus on the LDS Church. I hope to show that fairy tales have more to say about life’s journey, spiritual and secular, than many of the cherished stories heard at church.

Rachel Mabey Whipple, Parker Blount