[3] As recently as 1997, the Church was publishing materials that conveyed the impression that Brigham Young did not practice polygamy. Mormons are very familiar with the phrase “restoration of all things,” but we don’t say “restitution of all things.” Perhaps Joseph Smith did say that (once? On the other hand, in August 1863, Quantrill’s Raiders, a confederate militia from Missouri, attacked Lawrence, Kansas, in a continuation of the slaveholders versus free staters border war that had already killed some 60 people (icnluding several murdered by abolitionist John Brown), and they killed over 150 civilians. [ftnt 1]. But at first, I kept thinking, “Hey, Mormon [=the editor of the Book of Mormon], quit telling me what to think!”. Also on the same topic: “similarly, Young told another man that ‘if you have drawn a red hot iron between your legs and scorched yourself bear it without grunting.’ He observed that he offered such advice against his pecuniary interest, as he charged ten dollars for a certificate of divorce.” And: Brigham Young said that he had tried bathing every week, but concluded that he “was well aware that this is not for everyone” (page 256). Thanks for this, Julie. [ftnt 4] Maybe it is Turner’s fault for not giving the reader a sense of why people would have followed Brigham Young. Elder Snow doesn’t name any historians, but his admonition brought to my mind John G. Turner, a professor of religious studies at George Mason University. But that doesn’t make it any less true. Turner sometimes resisted this urge, but there were times when I wish Turner hadn’t punted on certain claims made by Young or others, or regarding aspects of Young’s evolution as a leader.
No ebook version? Check (page 53). I was going to read this sooner or later, but, after reading your review, it’s moved from the “sometime” to the “as-soon-as-Amazon-can-deliver-it” category. Brigham was alternately stingy and generous, saintly and foul-mouthed, bluntly bold and selectively secretive. It’s an honest question, and one I am struggling to figure out. Neither portrait is accurate” (page 379). Finally, does the biography address the relationship between Joseph and Brigham? Check (page 349 and 350). Nice review, Julie! Strong meat. There are sad or confusing episodes in our history that we seek to understand better, but some of [our] questions might not be answered on this side of the veil.” Mormon leaders, including Joseph Smith, aren’t exempted from imperfection, since “[a]ll prophets have challenges and difficulties,” and even sometimes offend others. Those early Church members had their difficulties and struggled with things just as we do today.” Although he offers no specific examples, he candidly explains that Mormon ancestors “were human and made mistakes. He does well to situate polygamy theologically in Young’s thought, but also examines the practical outcomes of the Mormons’ peculiar institution. I’m interested in (#4) Ben P’s comment. I assume the Saints were very aware of their relationship before they endorsed Brigham as Joseph’s successor. For example, I don’t recall Turner noting that Brigham wept when he met arriving handcart companies. My Sunday reading time looks like it will be taken up for awhile!
I think there is a substantial risk that people raised on hagiographic, presentist images of prophets would have their testimonies rocked, if not shattered, by this book. As to the handcart companies, the disaster of 1856 could have happened just as easily with a conventional wagon train that left too late in the year. I won’t dwell on the irony that people with Brooks’ or Turner’s status are able to do things to defend the church that orthodox insiders are unable to do. The collegiality is apparent in an excellent panel discussion published last year at the Juvenile Instructor Blog in which a number of students and scholars assess aspects of the biography. Major hypocrisy? (My respect wasn’t so high before, having known most of the negatives without the powerful framework that made sense of them.)
Of course, mass killings in the Old World were a common feature of history, with a crescendo in the 20th Century. But he avoids overemphasizing things like blood atonement and Brigham’s Adam/God teachings by also examining Young’s vision for economic and political salvation—Brigham’s was a practical faith with eternal implications. But as Bushman seems to suggest on the book’s back cover, its contents may be more difficult for practicing Mormons to digest. He also doesn’t discuss Young’s relationship with Mormon apostle Amasa Lyman, which would have provided a good opportunity to examine Young’s views on the nature and person of Jesus Christ. Turner gives a richer account of the 19th century than the 20th century, which is understandable, given his research expertise, but overall this is a well written, compelling intellectual/religious history. Specifically, his discussion of BY becoming the Church’s Chief Priest is absolutely brilliant and one of the best contributions of the book. Perhaps the book’s biggest lapse comes in the final pages when Turner breezes past the ecclesiastical reorganization Young executed shortly before his death that helped shape the face of modern Mormon Church in a big way. Official website of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. That’s why I focus on following the Spirit–it will confirm what the Prophet says if we seek that confirmation for ourselves.”. Check (pages 59, 76, and 153). Lyman was accused of teaching heresies in regards to Jesus and was ultimately excommunicated. “Restitution of all things,” for example, is the phrase from acts that we somehow overlook in favor of “restoration”; Turner only had access to early temple documents which are not only somewhat different than today but shrouded through both public discourse on a private practiced and jaded/misremembered accounts from ex-mormons/outside observers; Turner probably plucked “Chief Priest” out of the BoM, and it mostly fits the academic religious discourse of ecclesiastical jurisdictions; etc. Turner tackles the ominous task of constructing the life of a 19th century historical figure, where documents are scattered and deteriorating. Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Also a quick note regarding the ebook. Somewhat in the line of Richard Bushman’s Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, Turner’s book is a careful, critical overview of Young’s life that pays attention to the wider historical context in which Mormonism developed. Handcarts were used through 1860 without any major problems, and were replaced by the “down and back” wagon trains that started empty in Utah and went to Omaha to pick up pioneers.
[7] One more thing: You know the picture on the cover? As to Brigham’s racial attitudes, I wonder if Turner has addressed the contrast between Young’s opposition to ordination of blacks, and his support of the missions to the Indians and to Tahiti and Hawaii, while other missionaries took the more conventional journey to Europe. All about Reviews: The Mormon Jesus: A Biography by John G. Turner.
October 3, 2020 16:00 55:00. However, I am no longer able to simply wait for “the Spirit” to confirm everything I don’t agree with that happened in our church. Turner adroitly and frankly discusses the controversial subject of polygamy without descending into prurience. For example, he points out that belief in prophets, speaking in tongues, and angelic visions were common (page 29). I’m happy to see he’s even making an appearance at BYU! What Leaders Taught at the Women's Session .
I agree that hagiography has really put the church in a corner and Brigham Young even more than Joseph pushes the boundaries between how he is presented in the church and how he really was, not because we don’t acknowledge that BY had some “rough edges” but because his rough edges were so much more extreme than your average Mormon as learned to uneasily laugh off. In the original, Brigham Young is sitting with his arm around one of his wives.
The book covers Young’s pre-Mormon life, his conversion, his penchant for speaking in tongues, his missionary work, the succession crisis, his crucial role in sustaining temple work, planning the Mormon exodus, a little about his family life, and other matters. I’ll have to pick this up, but sad about no e-book version. (I realize that this is not fair. *Vader voice*: Nooooooooooooooo! That’s why I focus on following the Spirit–it will confirm what the Prophet says if we seek that confirmation for ourselves. No doubt there are people who live in Western Missouri or Arkansas who are descendants of both the Raiders and the victims of Mountain Meadows. We see Young performing wedding ceremonies, granting or denying divorces, giving advice in a variety of circumstances, courting, marrying, divorcing, and moving families from place to place. That is, I think, the standard LDS reading, but what is not standard is to summarize the event by saying that “in practical terms, Zion’s Camp was a predictable failure” (page 37) or that “by mustering an armed force to ‘avenge’ the Lord of his ‘enemies,’ Smith had associated his church in the minds of many Americans with violence and vigilantism” (page 38). Hi Cameron. I also cannot imagine an LDS historian writing this about polygamy: “Whether Smith was motivated by religious obedience or pursued sexual dalliances clothed with divine sanction cannot be fully resolved through historical analysis” (page 88). This is a summary review of a post by LDSBookReviews.com on Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet by John G. Turner. Obviously, Brigham Young was a man of many parts. There are other instances where an LDS author would have been nicer. Many people did fear Young, but is also abundant evident from contemporary accounts that many viewed him as a deeply spiritual, lovingy and fatherly figure as well. :). (Philip L. Barlow, author of Mormons and the Bible: The Place of the Latter-day Saints in American Religion) Turner's broad historical perspective clarifies why Young's ecclesiastical successors have still felt the man's influence--even after abandoning polygamy. So, here’s the Readers’ Digest version of my review: this book is a real treat, but it might completely destroy your testimony if you can’t handle a fallible, bawdy, often mistaken, sometimes mean, and generally weird prophet. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Mormon Jesus : A Biography by John G. Turner (2016, Hardcover) at the best online prices at eBay!
I haven’t finished it yet, and will make add more commentary when I do. Overall, this is a good thing. But it may also be a troubling thing, at least for some people. Turner isn’t a member of the LDS Church, but he invested considerable time and effort to understand the Mormon past in order to write a new biography of Brigham Young. Great review, Julie.
[ftnt 6]. I got the feeling that John intended to portray the unpleasant side of BY, yet I bought and read the book anyway, and I’m glad I did. As for some of the lingo you point out will be unfamiliar with LDS readers, I agree that it is mostly the case of speaking the language of a different community. First off I admire that you are able to wade through such difficult information with your testimony in tact. There is no question that it won’t appeal to all LDS Church members, but by reading such a book, members might become better acquainted with some of the more difficult aspects of Church history. (He also calls it an “unmitigated disaster” [page 54].)
We’ve gotten rid of Whig history, but Whig meta-history is still with us, I guess. (Turner points out that the banking debacle was the one time that Brigham Young doubted Joseph Smith, before quickly abandoning that thought.) Maybe it is some combination of the above. Someone needs to write a book about Mormon women with this photo on the cover. Not uplifting but highly informative. Or perhaps what Amasa Lyman writes about polygamy could be helpful: “we obeyed the best we know how, and, no doubt, made many crooked paths in our ignorance” (page 156). There are times when he could have made hay but chose not to. I would’ve enjoyed some analysis of Young’s legacy.
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