The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power Rating :
Customer Reviews
Most helpful customer reviews
110 of 119 people found the following review helpful.
Quinn's Out of Control - Thank Goodness!
By Missing in Action
Every time I read one of Quinn's "monsters," I have to laugh at the shear volume of reference material he cites. He's out of control! And let me be among the first in line to thank him for wading through the tons of materials he has in order to produce this kind of work. He takes a lot of heat from polemicists and apologists alike who fear that his interpretation is somehow threatening to their comfort level regarding their own belief. They criticize his work because they would come to a different conclusion reading what he has read. So...write your own book! This book is Quinn's interpretation, and from my assessment, it's an excellent one.
The book itself is a careful examination of the evolution of the power structure in the Mormon church, taking you from the time when Joseph Smith was just "a charismatic visionary" with a few followers who shared his vision, up until he was annointed "King in Israel," running for President of the United States. Along the way you learn about the creation of the different offices in the priesthood, their quirks and difficulties, and how they all shake out in the end. His chapter on the Theocratic kingdom, with the emphasis on "theocratic ethics," (Quinn's self-coined phrase) is brilliant and illuminating. Additionally, his treatment of the succession crisis following the murder of Joseph Smith is the clearest, most complete explaination I have ever read. I have never been comfortable with the way a new Church President just ascends to office, but when you're done with Quinn's book, the widsom in the system is self-evident.
I expect many of his critics struggle with the fact that Quinn is not bashful about pointing out the discrepencies between authorized Church History or canonized revelations, and the original journals, meeting minutes, and all too often, the original published version of a revelation that no longer served the needs of a changing hierarchical structure. Well, the bottom line is, documents WERE changed, and meaning was subsequently altered, and those stories are important in understanding the evolution of leadership in the Mormon Church.
This is an excellent book, and is surprisingly easy to read given the academic subject matter. Quinn is often original in his thinking, is obsessive in his research, and is probably among the most insightful historians on the Mormon Church today. I'm on my way now to read the second volume, "Extensions of Power," a bigger "monster" than this one!
39 of 44 people found the following review helpful.Good research
By T. Schade
For those who haven't read the book, or at least respond as if they haven't, ought to realize that Quinn wrote previous books BEFORE he was excommunicatedand; the tones in those books are identical to the tone in this book. If there is a bias, it is not because he was excommunicated; he was excommunicated after writing, and that wasn't his choice, just as it wasn't his choice to resign from BYU. His point is not to say Mormonsim is false, or wrong; in the same way that early Christianity (catholicism) had an interesting beginning (very pagan, magical, etc.), it does not have to ruin the religion today -- that depends upon the reader.
Re: The March 9 and 10th "Inaccurate" response isn't much at all. It's not apt, and it proves Quinn's point perfectly. As all scholars or students of any field know, outside perspectives are necessary to a historical study, especially tainted or hidden histories (did Smith not say no man knows my history?). To be brief, inside views are naturally biased; to compare xerox machines to religion only comments on the person making the poor analogy. Current Mormons are not the source for historical Mormonism; they are the source for current Mormonism, for practicing their faith and spreading their beliefs. They are a source for the current beliefs, faith, and testimony of Mormonism, as it is seen today. Most mormons do not want to hear about the troubled, problematic past of their religion; those who do, and are comfortable with it, are chastized. A person within a religion, intimately connected, has great trouble being unbiased and unprejudiced, and in most instances, is impossible; but taking an historical view, over a faith view, presents a more objective, more matter-of-fact view, and thus, more trustworthy. If Quinn had an axe to grind, I'd be more skeptical; however, for the most part, he keeps his polemics mild, unlike FARMS, other apologists and critics of Mormonism (e.g. Albanes).
To see the truth of the historical mormonism requires a temporary suspension of belief, an opening of the eyes to possible alternative views; something difficult for the faithful.
33 of 38 people found the following review helpful.
Historical on Mormon Authority
By Kolby
This book examines the origin and theology of "power" in the LDS Church.
The term "power" seems a little missleading. What the book is really about is the origin of Mormon "authority." Specifically, this refers to the concept of Mormon "Priesthood," or the "authority" of Mormon leaders to act in the name of God.
The book addresses how Joseph Smith received this authority, what he did with it, and how it helped to shape early Mormon society and theology.
Joseph's traditional account on how he received this authority from God is addressed, as well as the historical problems and evolution of that account over time.
It also explains how this authority became paramount in his theology. How his belief in this authority gave birth to, "theocratic ethics" (i.e. If God says something is right, it doesn't matter what man says), and to Joseph's being ordained King by his secret council of 50.
The book is well written, heavily annotated (typical of Quinn), and important in pointing out revisions to Mormon scripture as Joseph's traditional account became canonized.
See all 28 customer reviews...Product Description
Not until seven years later did Mormons first learn that authority had been restored by angels or of the need for a hierarchy mirroring the Pauline model. That same year (1835) a Quorum of Twelve Apostles was organized, but their jurisdiction was limited to areas outside established stakes (dioceses). Stakes were led by a president, who oversaw spiritual development, and by a bishop, who supervised temporal needs.
At Smith’s martyrdom in 1844, the church had five leading quorums of authority. The most obvious successor to Smith, Illinois stake president William Marks, opposed the secret rites of polygamy, anointing, endowments, and the clandestine political activity that had characterized the church in Illinois. The secret Council of Fifty had recently ordained Smith as King on Earth and sent ambassadors abroad to form alliances against the United States.
The majority of church members knew nothing of these developments, but they followed Brigham Young, head of the Quorum of the Twelve, who spoke forcefully and moved decisively to eliminate contenders for the presidency. He continued to build on Smith’s political and doctrinal innovations and social stratification. Young’s twentieth-century legacy is a well-defined structure without the charismatic spontaneity or egalitarian chaos of the early church.
Historian D. Michael Quinn examines the contradictions and confusion of the first two tumultuous decades of LDS history. He demonstrates how events and doctrines were silently, retroactively inserted into the published form of scriptures and records to smooth out the stormy, haphazard development. The bureaucratization of Mormonism was inevitable, but the manner in which it occurred was unpredictable and will be, for readers, fascinating.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #108085 in Books
- Published on: 1994-12-15
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 9.29" h x6.18" w x1.97" l,2.83 pounds
- Binding: Hardcover
- 686 pages
No comments :
Post a Comment