I have a testimony of CMOS.

I made this myself. You can tell, can't you? Images from pacensepatoso/Flickr, CMOS Facebook page

The other day I was reading the latest of Chicago Manual of Style‘s Q&A page. It’s often peppered with geeky, smartmouth humor like this:

Q. My library shelves are full. I need to make some difficult decisions to make space for new arrivals. Is there any reason to keep my CMOS 14th and 15th editions?

A. What a question. If you had more children, would you give away your firstborn? Find a board and build another shelf.

So here is my goofy logic train. So, in the editing world, the Chicago Manual is kind of like the Bible. Well, hey, let’s go for a straightup metaphor: in the editing world, the Chicago Manual IS the Bible. Moving on. In addition to the canonical authority of the manual itself, the University of Chicago Press provides further clarification and insight with its Q&A section. Also, for editorial matters in which the manual makes no recommendation or when several options are acceptable, CMOS often encourages users to simply follow their best judgment and strive for consistency.

That got me thinking. See, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our Bible is, well, the Bible, plus some other scriptures. We also have a resource that provides further clarification and insight–modern revelation. This is manifest primarily through general conference addresses, Church magazines (I’m a little biased on that one), and official Church statements. Also, the Church teaches that all who seek to understand and receive a testimony of God and His gospel can receive personal revelation through prayer and the Holy Ghost.

These uncanny parallels led me to the following conclusion: I totally have a testimony of the Chicago Manual of Style.

I am a geek. A silly, blasphemous geek.

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