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60th out of 152 books
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139 voters
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The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power (Mormon Hierarchy)
The Mormon church today is led by an elite dynasty of older men, nearly three-quarters of whom are related to current or past church authorities, who meet in private; neither their deliberations nor the church's finances are available for public review. Public relations spokesmen assure church members that all is well and that harmony prevails among these brethren.
But D. M
...moreHardcover, 928 pages
Published
February 1st 1997
by Signature Books
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A companion volume to Quinn's "Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power," this book chronicles the inner-workings of Mormon leadership throughout its short history. Following the evolution of Mormon administration through the 19th and 21st centuries, Mormon readers will likely come away with mixed views as to whether Quinn went "too far" in revealing the more personal matters of Mormon leaders, though Quinn assures his readers that prophets can still receive revelation in spite of ...more
Quinn is the kind of historian I like: skip the platitudes, find the controversies and pack the footnotes. I was struck by Quinn's description of the violence on the early Utah frontier, but my favorite chapter was on the LDS church's fight against the ERA.
As a kid I debated hotly with Mom over the history of the church. I knew beyond a doubt that MY priesthood leaders would never tell me anything except the complete truth.
Fast forward to this book. Quinn is very detailed, and the footnotes and references are longer than the actual book. I learned so much about church history, and it was really devastating to learn that church leadership isn't above lying (or at least telling half-truths and leaving out important facts, which is their ...more
Fast forward to this book. Quinn is very detailed, and the footnotes and references are longer than the actual book. I learned so much about church history, and it was really devastating to learn that church leadership isn't above lying (or at least telling half-truths and leaving out important facts, which is their ...more
Loads of footnotes which is a Quinn trademark. Although much of what is in the book is really interesting, Quinn's negative and almost gossipy tone (the "behind the story" stuff) and his obvious beefs with Church authorities really wore me down as a reader. I could go on. But I won't. I'm glad I own these books but I'm not going to recommend them.
D. Michael Quin is always a pleasure to read. His academic honesty is superb. If anyone is serious about Mormon history I would purport that it would be almost impossible to avoid his writings.
If I have any qualms with his writing it would be that sometimes is too meticulous and I occasionally get lost in the details.
If I have any qualms with his writing it would be that sometimes is too meticulous and I occasionally get lost in the details.
Picking up where his Origins of Power book left off, Extensions of Power chronicles the leadership of the church from Brigham's ascension through the 20th century. It's a fascinating education in how the church works at the highest levels.
Not for the faint of heart. It exposes a lot of what really goes on in the LDS church. The faituful will dismiss it because the author is gay, but he was a historian and had access to the archives....
This book really frightened me by how powerful and inbred the LDS hierarchy currently is. But it was also encouraging by showing the cracks in the Mormon monolith....
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