SALT LAKE CITY -- Among Mormons, Elder Paul H. Dunn is a popular teacher, author and role model. As a prominent leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than 25 years, he has told countless inspirational stories about his life:
Like the time his best friend died in his arms during a World War II battle, while imploring Mr. Dunn to teach America's youth about patriotism. Or how God protected him as enemy machine-gun bullets ripped away his clothing, gear and helmet without ever touching his skin. Or how perseverance and Mormon values led him to play baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals.
But those stories are not true.
Mr. Dunn's "dead" best friend isn't dead; only the heel of Mr. Dunn's boot caught a bullet; and he never played for the St. Louis Cardinals or any other major league team.
Mr. Dunn acknowledged to the Arizona Republic that those stories and others were untrue, but he defended fabrications as necessary to illustrate his theological and moral points.
He compares his stories with the parables told by Jesus -- acknowledging, however, that Jesus' parables weren't about himself.
One of the Mormons' "Thirteen Articles of Faith" deals with honesty.
Other Mormon leaders apparently were concerned about this in September 1989, because, within weeks of investigating allegations that his war and sports stories were fabricated, they quietly placed Mr. Dunn, 66, on "emeritus" status "for health reasons."
As a "general authority" since 1964, Mr. Dunn had been among the top 90 men who govern the 7.3-million-member worldwide church.
The church also pressured Salt Lake City free-lance writer Lynn Packer, a Mormon, not to publish stories about Mr. Dunn's fabrications. In the fall, after the church had terminated Mr. Packer's teaching contract at Brigham Young University for pursuing the story, he provided information he has collected over the past four years to the Republic.
Despite Mr. Dunn's "retirement," his grandfatherly demeanor and down-home, self-deprecating storytelling style continue to make him a popular public speaker and author.
He also remains the most prolific author among current and former church leaders. He receives royalties from 23 inspirational cassette tapes and 28 books, many of which contain his exaggerated war and baseball stories.
