Did you see this statement by the church newsroom? They’re assembling a committee to revise the Hymnal and Primary Children’s songbook!
More information also here at the LDSCHurchNews site.
What’s so notable about this?! Everything!
They’re going to make every hymnal have the same songs on the same page in every language, including translating language specific hymns into English! Hopefully this will be a representative work of many styles of music from all the various cultures of the world where the church has members.
Did you see the teeny snippet about making sure the hymns fill “Doctrinal Gaps”?!? Wouldn’t it be great if this means we’ll be seeing hymns and primary songs about Heavenly Mother?!
Please, oh please, poets and musicians of the Exponent II ilk, submit your songs about inclusion and Heavenly Parents to them for consideration!
And I’ll add that if you’re a poet who has a lovely text that would set well to a hymn or primary song, get in touch with me about finding a composer to set it for you. It can be a joint submission.
You can also submit just lyrics or just music.
And be sure to take the survey telling them what hymns to keep or drop!
https://lds.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2m20pSAlCEcevVb
I’m curious which hymns will make the cut? I’m mostly hoping they’ll keep my favorite peppy college fight song/armed forces section completely in tact. Anything with “hark, helmet, vanquish, coward, corridors, demons, thwart, shirk, plundering, or shunning perdition” should get automatic immunity from being voted off. As a concession, I could live without the combat hymns as long as they leave every single one of the sunshine hymns unscathed. Or un-scattered. 😉
I want all the fighting hymns out. I’m happy to keep the sunshine ones in, as long as they come with a caveat that the tempo be played as though you’re being chased by wolves. There is nothing more pitiful than “Scaaaaaaattttttteerrrrrrrrr sunnnnnnsssssshhhhiiiiinnnnnneeeee allllllllllll alllllllonnnnngggggg yooooooooouuuuuuuurrrrrr waaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy…” sung at the speed of a dirge.
Or I Believe in Christ or I Know that My Redeemer Lives that last for 15 minutes and puts everyone to sleep.
I want the fighting ones out, the ode to the Prophet ones, and the more Utah-centric ones about mountains and the Utah valley. I also want the imperialist ones, like God of our Fathers, written by the author of White Man’s Burden, gone. I would also like more international Christmas carols. And Souviens Toi, the French hymn included. But I am also a bit skeptical about the direction of all of this. Worried that there will be more with the theme of damning doubt, apostasy, and heresy.
I want to be thrilled by this, but when they say “doctrinal gaps,” I hear “gender roles and anti-LGBT dogma.” Ten bucks that “The Family is of God” ends up in one or both hymnals.
Use your vote to fight against it! That is what we all need to do. All of the family songs that talk about family units looking just one way and are not inclusive need to be revised, actually. They make so, so many children feel excluded whenever they are sung. Songs about mom and dad all there–nope. The only family we all share is God and heavenly mother, full stop. We can sing about the eternal nature of the family in doctrinal terms, but lyrics that talk about having a father in the home and talking about how great he is needs to be voted out as exclusionary or in need of revision. Ditto for so many other songs. I’m excited that they’re soliciting our input–I’ve got a LOT to say, as a former primary chorister who watched lots of fallen faces on certain holidays where I was required to make them perform certain songs . . .
Yes, we skipped Father’s Day this year. Just couldn’t take it.
One thing I didn’t notice until this year is that the only Primary songs about fathers are ridiculously juvenile. (My tell ten old refused to sing “I’m So Glad When Daddy Comes Home” on Sunday – she hasn’t called her father “daddy” in about seven years.) On the other hand, the one about picking flowers for your mother is a nice message for any age.
I thought of you yesterday when I read this. At the very least, a new primary songbook will liven up my calling as the forever primary pianist…
I’ll bet you an ebenezer “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” gets put back in.
I’ve asked to take all the “Sons of God” and “brother’s keeper” hymns out of coed meetings. Nothing to horrible as hearing sisters around me singing that they hope to become sons of God! At least to make the change to “each other’s keeper” or “child of God.”
“so horrible.” Need to proof my entries!
I am thrilled that they intend to seek member feedback as they look for hymns, and that they are moving away from English-originating hymns toward multicultural hymns originating in many languages. Hurrah for a less Western European hymnal!I hope they will be open to a wider variety of musical styles. They didn’t mention anything about updating outdated patriarchal language in the hymns (unnecessarily using words like “men” instead of “all”) but since they are seeking input from members, perhaps now is the time to make a push for that?