Monday, May 24, 2010

Skousen and the Atonement

May 24, 2010
by Tim Barker

In 1999, while serving as a missionary in Tampa, Florida, I read Cleon Skousen's talk on the Atonement for the first time.  It was a typescript of an address that had been delivered to missionaries in the Dallas, Texas Mission on December 18, 1980.1  At the time I read the discourse, it was one of the most fascinating talks I had ever read (up to that point).  Brother Skousen presented a number of issues that I had not previously considered that caused me to ponder the gospel from a new perspective.  I wasn't prepared to accept everything put forth because there were a number of items that frankly, seemed strange; particularly, Skousen's concept of "intelligences."  Regardless, I felt that the talk was inspiring and uplifting.  I am not providing the content of the talk here because I believe it is protected under copyright laws, however, it is available for purchase online, or an abbreviated summary is also available in Skousen's work The First 2,000 Years.2