The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power Rating :
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58 of 70 people found the following review helpful.
The Human History of "Gods in Embryo"
By Richard Garrard
Dr. Quinn's book is a remarkable accomplishment. For a brief time, in the 70's and 80's, the historical office of the LDS church allowed for some objective, professional examination of its records. Quinn brings us some of the fruits of that time. This is not "faith-promoting" history-Deseret Book and Bookcraft have taken care of that-but shows the Brethren in all their human glory. Some reviewers have indicated that this volume has not threatened their LDS testimonies, but only confirmed what they already knew, that church leaders are human and fallible; other reviewers may be threatened by this realization, although many past presidents have pointed it out. The marketing of the infallibility of church leaders continues, perhaps because it gives comfort to those church members who are intolerant of ambiguity, but also because toadying is often rewarded in organizations.
Extensions of Power is actually several books. It is topically arranged to consider more or less controversial aspects of the church leadership-violence, involvement in politics, etc. It also includes, as the earlier companion volume did, hundreds of pages of notes and a detailed chronology of church activities from 1848 to 1996. We are afforded a glimpse into the complex personalities, power factions, and challenges of maintaining, growing and adapting a religious movement to a constantly changing and evolving U. S. and world culture. I was by turns frustrated with church leadership and empathetic with them in their struggle to understand and accommodate `the world' without losing their unique identity. I was also able to see how present problems have their roots in the past, and the futile efforts of those leaders--such as Gordon B. Hinckley and Boyd K. Packer--who would like to bury the past.
Mormonism is a religion which was established and grew during historical, literate times, and leaders and members must come to terms with the difficulties of their history. Despite Correlation committees, Strengthening the Members Committees and million dollar public relations and marketing campaigns, and particularly since the advent of the internet, historical problems will not go away. For the questioning believer or the student of religions and U. S. history, Dr. Quinn's book is a very useful tool in understanding how the present Mormon church came to be.
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful.Incredible accomplishment
By A Customer
I have read the Extensions of Power, and found that the accomplishment of such a study is on par with ground breaking studies in other fields of historical research. Quinn has obviously spent a great deal of effort in providing a clear and concise and convincing argument. I hope that he will continue his work and perhaps augment the appendices - particularly the chronology section with footnotes. Again, extremely well written by a reliable historian, and a pleasure to read and recommend.
45 of 57 people found the following review helpful.
The Other Side of the Patriarchal Coin
By Missing in Action
This is a fascinating book. Don't be disuaded by the number of pages, and don't fret the large number of citations. Quinn is a master researcher, but more important, he has some strong and insightful opinions regarding the power structure of the Mormon Church. He respectfully (and candidly) explores some difficult issues, such as the evolution of the various offices of general authorities, (no, it's not the same today as it was 150 years ago, or the way it was in Old Testament times...), the degree of familial relationship among general authorities, and the manner in which decisions are made to appear unanimous, even when there is real dissent. Along the way, he shines his detective's light on stories tucked away in the collective cognitive closet of Mormondom, such as efforts to keep black men from receiving the priesthood nearly 15 years earlier than they eventually did, political entanglements on the Equal Rights Amendment and homosexual issues, and especially fascinating was the chapter on Ezra Taft Benson's extremely controversial John Birch Society association and his partisan political activities during the tumultuous "cold war" years. This is a fascinating read, and a great opportunity for folks to see "the other side," the real, human side, of the men Mormons revere as "prophets, seers and revelators."
A note about Quinn's critics. Quinn takes a lot of heat for his copious, almost obscene number of footnotes and references. Many reviewers of Quinn's writings are not convinced that his research is reliable. I say "hogwash." The reason I say that is that the author of a book such as this is doing more than just reporting a list of facts, dates, times and places. He's consuming massive amounts of information, and synthesizing it according to his own experience, education, history and paradigms, and producing an interpretation of his study. This is not unique to Quinn...I would argue that every historian, no matter how objective they think they are, in the final analysis produces nothing more than their personal interpretation of events that are only observable from a distance. The reality is, the Mormon people are, and always have been, a "record keeping people." Subsequently, Michael Quinn has a remarkable amount of material available to him. As the historian consumes such material, an integrated picture begins to form; his interpretation. It may not represent the same conclusions that another, equally well-read researcher might come up with, but it is valid non-the-less. So my response to the critics below who are concerned that their interpretation of Quinn's reference material is not the same as his is, "so what?" You are apparently standing and looking at what he is looking at from a different perspective, with different ideas, learning and study, and you are entitled to a different oppinion. That in no way minimizes Quinn's efforts, but rather magnifies the point that such scholarly investigation and study is well worth the time and effort.
Well done, Mr. Quinn, and thanks for sharing your thoughtful observations with the many of us who will never gain access to the materials that you have studied. To those who disagree with him, feel free to write a book, and we'll explore your conclusions, too!
See all 31 customer reviews...Product Description
But by interviewing former church aides, examining hundreds of diaries, and drawing from his own past experience as an insider within the Latter-day Saint historical department, D. Michael Quinn presents a fuller view. His extensive research documents how the governing apostles, seventies, and presiding bishops are likely to be at loggerheads, as much as united. These strong-willed, independent men–like directors of a large corporation or supreme court justices–lobby among their colleagues, forge alliances, out-maneuver opponents, and broker compromises.
There is more: clandestine political activities, investigative and punitive actions by church security forces, personal “loans” from church coffers (later written off as bad debts), and other privileged power-vested activities. Quinn considers the changing role and attitude of the leadership toward visionary experiences, the momentous events which have shaped quorum protocol and doctrine, and day-to-day bureaucratic intrigue from the time of Brigham Young to the dawn of the twenty-first century.
The hierarchy seems at root well-intentioned and even at times aggressive in fulfilling its stated responsibility, which is to expedite the Second Coming. Where they have become convinced that God has spoken, they have set aside personal differences, offered unqualified support, and spoken with a unified voice. This potential for change, when coupled with the tempering effect of competing viewpoints, is something Quinn finds encouraging about Mormonism. But one should not assume that these men are infallible or work in anything approaching uninterrupted unanimity.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #197621 in Books
- Published on: 1997-01-15
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.17" h x6.18" w x2.05" l,3.13 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 960 pages
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