Entertaiment

God’s Purpose For The Artist In The Gospel Plan
by Kieth Merrill

Where are our Michelangelos and Shakespeares, our Mozarts and Beethovens who are members of the Church and will share the restored gospel in their work?

God’s purpose has been stated thus; “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” The gospel plan makes it possible for men and woman to bring to pass their own salvation through the grace and atonement of Jesus Christ. God’s purpose for the artist in the gospel plan–if indeed it differs in the slightest degree from his purpose for plumbers, electricians, teachers and Indian chiefs–has only to do with the language we speak. Most people are constrained by a language tied to their tongues and limited to a few thousand words. Their ideas are isolated among those who speak and understand “their language.” There are over 400 different languages on earth ! They are defined by geography, heritage, and history. No one speaks all of them. No one but the artist!

The artist speaks in a language, unconstrained. The artist does not utter idioms delimited by cultural boundaries. He expresses himself in universal symbols, images, sounds, and feelings. As artists we have the unique opportunity to present our opinions, ideas and perspective of eternity in visual and aural symbols universally understood. Great art touches the soul in unique and uncommon ways. Inspired art speaks in the language of eternity, teaching things to the heart the ears can never understand. Aristotle said; “The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.”

To understand God’s purpose, we may look with confidence to the expression of his prophets. The Lord has said, ” whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.” Prophets have defined the purposes of the church in specific terms: perfect the Saints, proclaim the gospel, and redeem the dead.

Is it too simple to suggest God’s purpose for the artist in the gospel plan is “perfect, proclaim and redeem” in the universal language of their gift? Spencer W. Kimball put it simply:

“…create great art to communicate the truth… the arts should build…. Brigham Young said there is ‘no music in hell.’ Our art must be the kind which edifies man, which takes into account his immortal nature, and which prepares us for heaven, not hell.”

The films Legacy and more recently, The Testaments, which I had the privilege to write, and direct, are interesting examples of the power of art over language. I have received many reports of inactive members of the church who have returned to full participation following the experience of these films. For all the history and instruction, for all the words and facts, for all the years of gospel text, it was finally, the feelings of art that touched their hearts, tenderized their spirit, and brought them home to their heritage. I could write an entire volume about the making of Legacy and Testaments as they are in a unique way, “works of art” conceived, designed and executed in an attempt to achieve the purpose of God. They were commissioned by a prophet, conceived in accordance with his instruction, directed in accordance with his vision as we were able to understand it.

The word “artist” is not included in Holy Scripture, but their presence and importance is unmistakable. There are myriad references to “all manner of workmanship”, described as “exceedingly fine” and “curious”. That the creative process is rooted and revered in heaven is evident in the Lord’s use of the word “workmanship”, not only to define the artistic accomplishments of his children, but the results of his own creation. ” And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.”

Artistic talent is not named among the gifts of the spirit, but no one would deny that divine inspiration is the fountain from which the greatest masterpieces flow. In his writings regarding the Spirit of Christ, Bruce R. McConkie said; “It–the Spirit of Christ— is the means by which the Lord invites and entices all men to improve their lot and to come unto him and receive his gospel. It is the agency through which the Lord strives with men, through which he encourages them to forsake the world and come unto Christ, through which good desires and feelings are planted in the hearts of decent people. It is the medium of intelligence that guides inventors, scientists, artists, composers, poets, authors, statesmen, philosophers, generals, leaders, and influential men in general, when they set their hands to do that which is for the benefit and blessing of their fellow men.

Prophets understand with clarity. Philosophers recognize the connection between great art–inspired art–and the powers of heaven. Ruskin said, “All great art is the expression of man’s delight in God’s work, not his own.” The greatest artists have been humbled in acknowledgement of the source of their inspiration and the power behind their creation. No one can feast their eyes on the art of Michelangelo nor be consumed by the spirit of his master works, and not see the hand of God. The artist himself knew it.

“The true work of art is but a shadow of the divine perfection.”
Michelangelo

Free agency allows abuse of creative capacity, but “… the highest art is always the most religious, and the greatest artist is always a devout man. A scoffing Raphael, or an irreverent Michelangelo, is not conceivable.”

For many years now, I have carried the prophetic longings of Spencer W. Kimball on the front page of my planner. As an artist, ordained to the priesthood and endowed with the ordinances and covenants of the temple, there is no greater passion than to use my talent, experience, and universal symbols of my craft to perfect, proclaim and redeem. Consider the familiar words of Spencer W. Kimball again, but this time, as the defining daily creed of an artist in the gospel.
“For years I have been waiting for someone to do justice in recording in song and story and painting and sculpture [and film] the story of the Restoration, the reestablishment of the kingdom of God on earth, the struggles and frustrations; the apostasies and inner revolutions and counterrevolutions of those first decades; of the exodus; of the counteractions; of the transitions; of the persecution days; of the plural marriage and the underground; of the miracle man, Joseph Smith, of whom we sing, “Oh, what rapture filled his bosom, for he saw the living God!”; and of the giant colonizer and builder, Brigham Young, by whom this university was organized and for whom it was named. The story of Mormonism has never yet been written nor painted nor sculptured nor spoken [nor filmed] It remains for inspired hearts and talented fingers yet to reveal themselves. They must be faithful, inspired, active Church members to give life and feeling and true perspective to a subject so worthy….Our writers, our moving picture specialists, with the inspiration of heaven, should tomorrow be able to produce a masterpiece which would live forever. Our own talent, obsessed with dynamism from a cause, could put into such a story life and heartbeats and emotions and love and pathos, drama, suffering, love, fear, courage, and the great leader, the mighty modern Moses who led a people farther than from Egypt to Jericho, who knew miracles as great as the stream from the rock at Horeb….”

In the end, the artist’s passions to create may likely overpower our sense of destiny and blur the line between God’s purposes and our own. In some artistic expression, God’s purpose–defined by presumptions compatible with our own passion to create–does not always seem to be reflected by what one might call “the Church’s purpose.” Ironically, the words which best describe the character of discipline and faith find in their antithesis, the words most often used to describe the creative personality.

In the film “Amadaeus”, there is a powerful scene where the devoted old master, Soleri, laments before the cross of Christ; “Why”, he asks in utter despair, “… when you have one such as I who has given his life and passion to the creation of music in praise of God, have you chosen to give your greatest gifts to an obscene, irreverent boy?” It is easy for us to wonder why artists, embracing the fullness of the gospel within “the true church”, are not blessed with the superior gifts so evident all around us. I find shallow solace in Elder Maxwell’s statistical explanation:

“It is often asked, “Where are the great Mormon painters, sculptors, artists, etc.?” It is presumptive for one with such “middlebrow” tastes to attempt a response, but perhaps a “middlebrow” has some special clinical detachment. For instance, since Church members now constitute about .001% of the world’s population, it is not statistically likely that we will have any Michelangelos or Beethovens — let alone several….”

Curiously, while we can easily argue it is God’s purpose for artist in the gospel to use our talent our passion, our gifts and inspiration to ” Perfect Proclaim and Redeem”, it may ultimately be less important to the master plan than we like to believe. As my own expectations of Church support for “art” exceeds the actual–or at least apparent–support of “art” and artists, I retreat to that assumption.

There is another issue. Mortality is ultimately about selflessness. In it’s finest form, art is a jealous mistress. It is an obsessive, selfish passion. The egocentric obsession demanded by truly inspired art may be inconsistent with the selflessness that lies at the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Neal Maxwell alluded to this conflict.

“Perhaps, some say, there is reason to expect us to over-produce so that we account for at least a few blips on the cultural radar screen. But I know of no scriptural promise that suggests such over-production. But it is often said, shouldn’t we at least “try harder?” Perhaps, yet the commitment to family and the chores of the Kingdom mitigate against the harsh, unrelenting disciplines that even genius requires.”

There is one other aspect. I have dealt with the impact of art on the church. What of the impact of art on the artist? The greatest value of art–both in and out of the church–may be the growth and development of the individual. If we only examine the artist’s role in the rarified air of God’s purposes, we may miss the most important role of art in the grand scheme. Only a few artists are masters. Only some art is enduring. But artistic passion and the desire to create is ubiquitous. There is an “artist” hiding within each of us. It is easy to say our modern Michelangelos should speak to the masses–perfecting, proclaiming and redeeming– in the language of the soul, but of the mediocre results of equally remarkable passions? What of road shows, stake plays, pageants, choirs, performing groups, art shows, art instruction and education? Unfortunately, some of these church sponsored opportunities for artistic expression have waned in recent years. Too bad. Brigham Young believed in art. He was an artist himself. I truly hope beyond the scene and beyond the painful scrutiny that defines their lives, many of our General Authorities take time to paint a picture, compose a sonata or act in a play. Those who do will surely be more sympathetic to the struggle and passions of artists within the church.

The purpose of the artist in God’s great plan may surely be to speak in the mystic language of feeling, but the purpose of art in the lives of God’s children is far more reaching and personal. Only those who have experienced the remarkable enlightenment of creativity can appreciate the value of art to the artist. Whatever the relationship between God Purpose and the truly gifted artists of the church and world, the church should encourage art and artistic expression as an important part of perfecting the saints. If we accept that “man is that he might have joy”, then an aggressive, proactive attitude encouraging art and artistic expression is part of God’s purpose.Few things bring greater joy.

God’s purpose for the artist in the gospel plan is ultimately the same as for all his children; to bring to pass their immortality and eternal life. Each of us must use our tools, our gifts and opportunities to triumph in the contest of mortality. Immortality is a gracious gift. Eternal life may demand that we discover God’ purpose for the curious artistic passions he has given us. Whether it is given us to declare the gospel in quiet, singular ways, or proclaim that Christ is Savior with the power of universal symbols, it may be the same to God’s purposes. But to the extent He has commissioned those us who bear his Priesthood with the burden of creative passions, we must strive to understand our role in the shadow of His purpose. And, as in all things spiritual, only the process of prayer and inspiration can yield sufficient guidance.

* * * * *

In March of 1995 Elder Ballard called me and requested that I write “some thoughts on God’s Purpose for the Artist in the Gospel Plan” and send them to him. It was in preparation for an address he had been asked to give at the Tuacahn Mormon Arts Festival, April 8, 1995.

On March 25 I wrote the following “thoughts” [see cut and paste that follows] and sent them to his office in Salt Lake. I keep files of my writings of course so the “thoughts” were filed away and forgotten. I did not hear Elder Ballard’s presentation in Tuacahn, nor did I see a transcript.

Much later – in June, 2001 — I was very busy and did not have time to write an article for Meridian as promised. I plunged into my archive and dredged up old talks, articles and notes stashed there for future reference in the hopes I could put a fresh face on an old talk or article and run it for June.

I ran across a file called, “Some Thoughts on God’s Purpose for the Artist in the Gospel Plan.” In my rush I did not remember nor focus on why and when and for what I wrote it, but since I give so many talks I presumed it must have been for a fireside or film class at BYU.

I cleaned it up and posted it on Meridian.

When a reader spotted the similarities between my article and Elder Ballard’s address they wrote a scathing letter to the editors accusing me of “stealing” Elder Ballard’s ideas. I was terribly perplexed because even then I did not remember Elder Ballard’s casual request several years earlier.

BUT I KNEW WITH CERTAINTY THAT I HAD NEVER PLAGIARIZED ANYONE’S WORK and knew there HAD to be a logical explanation.

Because I keep a copious journal however the mystery was soon unraveled, On March 15, 2001, three weeks before Elder Ballard’s presentation in Southern Utah, the notes appear in my personal journal along with the reason they were written. Elder Ballard had asked me for my thoughts.

The words used in the address “belonged” to Elder Ballard because I wrote them at his request and gave him unlimited permission to use them, but they were written by me. That he elected to quote me word for word so profusely in the early part of his address is a quiet compliment that he and I have never discussed.

The address is his but the written words seemingly duplicated in the Meridian Article 6 years later are completely mine.

Please spread the word among your suspicious friends. I recall that there was a notice explaining all of this printed in Meridian not long after our discovery.

Thanks for reading Meridian
Kieth

2001 Meridian Magazine.  All Rights Reserved.