| Title | : | No Unhallowed Hand: 1846-1893 (Saints, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 675 |
| Publication | : | First published February 12, 2020 |
Finding a new home is only the beginning of their story. In their quest to serve God and build Zion, the exiled Saints struggle against new obstacles and greater persecutions. Stalwart women and men work together to forge communities where the faithful can gather near temples established for the glory of God and the redemption of the living and the dead. At the same time, hundreds of missionaries journey to distant lands to invite others to come to Christ and help establish Zion.
No Unhallowed Hand: 1846-1893 (Saints, #2) Reviews
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Review for Nonmormons: a fun, easy, interesting romp through a pretty wacky period of US pioneer history. Really fascinating to learn more about US legislation against polygamy. Crazy how many times Mormons were able to waltz into different US presidents’ offices to talk politics (shoutout to the Abe Lincoln cameos). Interesting look at the origin story of a really peculiar religion with a fascinatingly-devoted membership group.
Review for ex-Mormons: ditto everything above. You might feel like this is a breath of fresh air after an admittedly less-than-heartening 2 centuries of church transparency about its own history. Definitely pulls punches, but not ALL the punches (like Our Heritage did). You might find it less sordid than the stuff you can find on /r/exmormon or around the Internet (and it will DEFINITELY feel apologist to you — c’mon, it’s an official Church publication!), but it’s interesting even just to see what the Church says about itself.
Review for active Mormons: fantastic read. I’d say mandatory for any active churchgoer. I came away enlivened and thrilled to learn that pioneers were ACTUAL HUMAN BEINGS who fought with their church leaders and got divorced and remarried and had doubts about polygamy (and doubts about polygamy’s reversal). Besides seeing a more human side of them, it was also great to get a traditional dosage of “God bless those faithful forefathers, they really did some amazingly faithful things”.
5/5 stars. I’m a complete unapologetic Stan for the Saints books. I know they’re written on a 7th grade level but they’re just so damn approachable and well-sourced!
PS LOVE the amount of women’s history in here. 60% about women instead of traditional “and Brother Brigham said the temple goes here and Brother Orson Pratt preached something”. -
This one was a lot harder for me to read and plug through. Not so much because of the writing and layout, but more from the content and topics discussed. There are just some things that are difficult for me to read about, polygamy and massacres being some of them. Overall I’m glad I finished.
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4.5
Undoubtably, this was an extremely well researched and edited book. The demonstrated ability of the team to weave interconnected, but at times disparate, characters and story elements together deserves to be considered masterful.
The writing is compelling, if at times just a tad dry. On the other hand, I was impressed at the effort to demonstrate the varied interests and activities of the church in its early days. You will find more individual stories as well as narratives celebrating the church’s effort and growth in the Pacific islands most prominent. Places such as the early pioneering activities around the territorial areas, Europe, and California also plays a considerable part of the book.
It would be hard to read this and not reflect upon the categorical way the modern church addressed the questions of race and gender. It did not hide from the somewhat surprising about-face in early Mormonism with regard to black saints; the question was even raised with regard to sharing the gospel on the African continent itself in the early days. They also “go on record” as saying Ham and Cain teachings are wrong. Discussion of the Saints highly progressive early stance on women’s suffrage and how it was also lost was intriguing, as well as the juxtaposition of the treatment of polygamy.
In many respects, polygamy and its practice was both the central protagonist and antagonist of this work. As a major question in the church and without in that era, I found its treatment fair. Even early temple construction and the Salt Lake City Temple itself plays second fiddle to polygamy. Readers will find the book informative on this topic and many others. For example, you will find reference to early ministrations of sisters to each other for healing, the relief society, prophets and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, blood atonement (lightly) and others. I thought Mountain Meadows was handled appropriately also.
So, where did it fall short in my opinion?
First, after talking about the Pentecostal experiences of the dedication of the first two temples in the first installment, this topic got sort shrift, as did other documented early temple manifestations and the general sacrifices for their construction. One of the most memorable stories from this work to me was that of Joseph Dean’s story of sacrifice for the Salt Lake Temple.
Second, we kind of dropped Emma off as well as the Saints that stayed behind with only a brief discussion of her photo being up during a Relief Society celebration and the visits of Joseph F. Smith’s cousins. I think more detail is warranted here.
Finally, and speaking of the Eastern remnants of the early church, there was a brief discussion of the return of some prominent early leaders, but not any of the factors that drove a wedge between them and the consensus leadership, e.g. Martin Harris. A tasteful presentation of dissension on a wider scale was missed. Some of this may have landed on the cutting room floor, but I will tell the editors that the stories of Walter M. Gibson, and Elias Harrison and William Godbe were engaging.
I’m looking forward to the next one. I just loved the global approach and am really anxious to see how the continued growth of the church will be depicted. They tackle difficult issues and bring awareness to many unconventional topics in a compelling way.
A last word on listening to this: I enjoyed it very much. The voice artist from the Deseret version, not sure if it’s the same elsewhere, was very good. I just listened and then highlighted some compelling sections on a digital version. I highly recommend this approach. -
RTC!
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I was grateful to receive an advance copy of this second volume of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a volume that focuses on the history of Latter-day Saints from the time they arrived in Salt Lake Valley to the completion of their ambitious construction of the Salt Lake Temple in 1893.
The book is hefty, 835 pages, and nearly 140 of those pages are historical notes and bibliography. The detail of this history is comprehensive and exhaustive: it includes, of course, the central figures of this era, Brigham Young and other men who led the Church, but it also tells the story of the many women who played leadership roles and who helped settle Salt Lake valley and establish the foundations of the Church and its society. This volume also accounts for others who may have been overlooked in previous historical accounts: African Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and others who were affected by the spread of the Church in the west and abroad, particularly in the South Pacific.
This book's comprehensiveness is not limited to who is included, but also what. Dark moments of Mormon history are covered, most notably the infamous Mountain Meadows Massacre, but also the Bear River Massacre, the Church's treatment of African American members, the widespread practice of polygamy, and the fallibility of Church leaders and Church members at various times in the Church's early history.
If the mission of this book was to be comprehensive, it easily accomplished its goal. -
An absolutely gargantuan task which was done incredibly well. Very grateful for all of the female and POC voices/sources used here. Somehow, amidst the hundreds of sources, they still maintain a simple, accessible, engaging narrative. Bravo.
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Very informative and I learned a lot. It’s very transparent about the history of the church, polygamy, political struggles, struggles within quorums, the mountain meadow massacre, women’s suffrage and retrenchment and sharing the gospel through out the world. There’s A LOT going on. Content was hard at times. Definitely a hard time period to live in.
I enjoyed this part of the book. “Emily longed to leave Manassa as well. “They went spinning off,” she wrote Heber, “and we returned to this desolate place.”
My ancestors were from Manassa and having lived in the area can only imagine how desolate it was when it was first settled.
Also this excerpt from Wilford Woodruff, “Every man has as much right—prophets, apostles, saints, and sinners—to his political convictions as he has to his religious opinions,” Wilford had declared. “Don’t throw filth and dirt and nonsense at one another because of any difference on political matters.” -
I love listening to the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in this way. History is complicated and can be very messy. I don't understand why certain things happened the way they did, but I do recognize that God works with flawed people. But, miracles still happen, even if we aren't perfect.
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I am loving this series.
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I had a hard time putting this book down. This church history is my history. My great-great grandfather is mentioned in the book as one of the early settlers of Tooele, Utah, and most of my early ancestors emigrated to Utah during this time. This narrative captures the trials and tribulations of those early saints. Religion is messy. Our history is a bit messy. I came to appreciate that despite human failings and frailties, God can work miracles and accomplish His work through us as inperfect beings. It really does take a lot of faith, however, to cut through those difficult things -- mistakes of others, prophetic revelations that you may not agree with, hardships caused by others, just to name a few. I also liked reading about the role of women in those early days of the church. Yes, they were wives, mothers, and homemakers, but they were also independent thinkers and doers -- educating themselves, becoming doctors, midwives, writers, speakers, and political and social activists. This book is an unvarnished look at our history that made me appreciate all the more my membership and belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ and his church.
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I feel like this volume was even more beneficial to me in my understanding of the Church’s history than the first. I learned some new things in the first volume, but I was familiar with most of the events and people. In this volume, the bulk of it after they reached the valley was new to me, and I was inspired just as much by the struggles and adversity they faced and managed to overcome as I was previously. I’m sorry to say I really had no idea of the difficulties that were a part of gaining statehood. I also really appreciated the references to the women writers that had a role in documenting this time period.
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*audiobook* I learn so much when I read about church history. Saints 2 clarifies polygamy in a way I never heard growing up and provided great insight and profound understanding for me about doctrines of God. I loved this book. But it was also difficult because of the extensive suffering and anguish the saints went through over and over again. Their faith is unlike anything I’ve ever heard and although I don’t wish to experience what they did, I admire them for accomplishing such a great work under such horrible opposition and circumstances.
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Every Latter-Day Saint should read these books! They are fascinating but also very informative. They answered many questions I had about church history.
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I love these books. This covers the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1846 – 1893. It’s a narrative history that is very thoroughly researched from diverse accounts, and it is written beautifully in a way that is easy to read without being overwhelming with all the research (as some history books can do). This book tries to show the history of the Church as non-biased as possible by pulling in from as many different accounts as possible, while trying to tell the history as more of a story line, from different perspectives. This one shows accounts from the saints in Utah to ones in Samoa, Hawaii, Tonga, and other places around the world, as the gospel of Jesus Christ is taken to all peoples. This volume also covered some more difficult topics that happened during this time, including polygamy and lots of politics with Utah trying to become a state and women stepping up to fulfill more active roles in the Church and working to get suffrage. I found the peoples and topics super interesting, and found myself gaining empathy for a different time period and different religious and political culture at that time. It would be wrong to judge them by today’s standards, as I hope they wouldn’t judge me today by theirs. I absolutely love all the research that has gone into these books by a team of historians and experts of these time periods. They have done an excellent job at writing in as unbiased way as possible and making it easy to read and follow, without getting lost in too many facts. I’m actually in awe at what they’ve accomplished. It seems like this would be a daunting task, but they really pulled it off well. Looking forward to the future when volume 3 comes out.
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I enjoyed Volume 2 as much as I did Volume 1, despite its more shameful period of Church history. There was, of course, much that was inspirational and commendable here, but everything is obscured by the shadow of polygamy and the Church's bungled handling of race relations in this period.
The thesis of this volume is in its subtitle, No Unhallowed Hand (can stop the work from progressing), and it does a good job of supporting it throughout. This was the "make-or-break" period of the Church's history, and there were so many times that it could have all crumbled to the ground and yet didn't. I continue to appreciate and applaud the Church for its willingness to reckon with its past and commit to transparency. -
Some powerful stories. As the church grows the stories become more disjointed as we jump across continents and oceans, and I sometimes had trouble keeping track of who had been where. Very sensitive treatment of some heavy subjects in this volume.
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Such an informative book. There is so much judgment on the saints during this period of the church, but this book brings them to life. They were real people with struggles and heartaches and doubts and unbelievable faith. I knew many of the stories, such as the handcart companies crossing the plains and the Mountain Meadows massacre. Even some of my ancestors followed James Strang for a time after Joseph Smith died.
But I was surprised at how little I knew about other subjects, such as the history of the Hawaiian saints, the beginnings of the church in Africa, or how much the women did politically in the church. Though I still have my reservations about some issues in church history, I appreciated the things I learned from this book.
*It was fun to see my ancestor Abel Garr in the book as one of the rescuers of the handcart companies! -
This one is a roller coaster.
It is easy to love Volume 1, because it covers themes of the restoration and follows the lives of early members of the church seeking to follow the will of God. It's that exciting new beginning, the commencement of the restoration, the hope of Zion.
Volume 2 is the "Empire Strikes Back", it's a heavy volume. Tough themes are covered. This one has a lot to do with politics, court cases, polygamy, human rights, and the difficulties of a growing & expanding society. I think the "locations" between Volume 1 and 2 provide a good symbolism of the sentiment of the two books. Volume 1 takes place in the lush green, fertile soils of New York, Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. While the challenges of crossing the plains, adapting to the dry desert heat, and seeking to cultivate the hard soil of the west is the location of Volume 2. They are two completely different chapters of the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Both are inseparably connected. Volume 1 does introduce the challenges and themes that dominate Volume 2.
First, a warning: I believe both volumes may act as stumbling blocks, unless one dives into these volumes with a prayer in their heart, honestly desiring to understand God's will.
Second, a promise: I believe both volumes provide valuable transparency and insight into the lives, challenges, circumstances, mortality, frailties, and shortcomings of the people it follows. Laced throughout the narrative is their hope, faith, repentance, hard work, love, kindness, diligence, and meekness before the Lord. If you read these books with a prayer in your heart, seeking to understand the hand of God, your faith will be strengthened and you will stand in awe of the faith of those who came before us. You will see that following Christ does not mean walking in perfection, but seeking to align our will with that of God, repenting when we need to, striving to let cultural norms go and do and be what Christ would have us become (Matthew chapter 5)
Third, my take: I loved learning how early members of the church struggled with the themes that we struggle with today. I loved reading about how they knelt in prayer and personally sought to understand the workings of God. I loved the descriptions of them engaging in politics, human rights, and confronting the challenges of settling a new region (ps I especially enjoyed learning more about the work women engaged in through politics, human rights, and the economy).
No they didn't get everything right, yes errors were made. Turns out, they were human. We don't get everything right today, we also make mistakes. We too, are human. I loved being uplifted by their determination to endure, to repent, to move forward, to seek to be more faithful, understanding, helpful, kind, and good. It was also interesting to see how they handled trying to be in the world but not of the world, especially as the communities in the west expanded and grew.
I believe when we learn from the faith of others our own faith is fortified. Therefore read this volume. Seek to read it from a standpoint of faith. When questions or doubts arise, and they will, pause figure out what is disconcerting to you, identify your questions and the motive behind your questions, then pray with the humility akin to "Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven." Then continue. -
This is the second installment in the latest attempt to bring detailed church history to the rank and file. This tome is thick and extensive and covers a turbulent time in Church history: Nauvoo through the dedication o the Salt Lake Temple, which includes the public start and public end of polygamy.
For as much as the modern church distances itself from polygamy these days, it was nice to see it discussed thoroughly and unflinchingly. The difficulties the families had accepting and implementing the practice, and even heretofore unacknowledged phenomenon of polygamous divorces—even from prominent leaders—all gets mentioned here.
While it is at it, this book also gives some notable air time to the issues surrounding black people and women, and the largely untold stories involved in freed slaves joining the Saints, and single women charting their course, even in some cases (as with Susa Young Gates) divorcing their husbands and pursuing education.
This installment also goes out of its way to highlight the non-American facets of the church at the time, in particular England, Scandinavia, South Africa, and the Pacific Islands (Hawaii, Samoa, etc.) It becomes clear that the international church is not a modern development.
Through it all, the sacrifice and endurance of the Saints of the period are highlighted well, despite the stumbling along the way. One very awkward, yet candid episode deals with Thomas Kane, a non-Mormon back east who had respected the Saints and defended their cause to the political powers that be as an ally.With the public decidedly against the Saints, many people were calling on the president to remove Brigham from the governor’s office. Brocchus and the other officers, moreover, had written a detailed report of their tenure in Utah to the president. The report claimed that Brigham and the Church dominated the region, controlled the minds and property of Church members, and practiced polygamy. After the report was published, Jedediah took a copy to Thomas [Kane] and they reviewed it together. Thomas read the claims about polygamy and dismissed them outright. They were nothing but absurd rumors, he believed. Jedediah grew uncomfortable. The rumors were not all false, he told Thomas. In fact, the Saints had been practicing plural marriage for as long as Thomas had known them. Thomas was stunned. For five years, he had loved and defended the Saints, often putting his reputation on the line for them. Why had they never told him that they practiced plural marriage? He felt betrayed and humiliated. (p. 147-148)
This does well to highlight the tensions between the growing eastern United States, and wild-west Saints of the great basin. As the distance continued to shorten, so did the patience with the we-do-as-we-please posture of the church. Especially when it came to secrecy and defiance of accountability (compounded by associations with sex and violence), the end of the book details the difficult start of a transition from an isolated religious fundamentalist desert kingdom to a responsible community of citizens of a broader nation. -
I liked this book much less than the first. There were instances that I had not heard about before and information I had not cared to learn about until now.
The Mountain Meadows massacre was particularly confusing to me. I’m not sure how that event transpired still. It made me sick for several days and I could not continue reading. I was glad to hear a more full account of how those town people acted of their own accord, when Brigham Young strongly discouraged any violence whatsoever, but it still was scary to read how misled those people were in thinking it was justified. I was glad to hear the instigator of the massacre was finally prosecuted years later.
I don’t pretend to understand plural marriage either, which was more fully laid out in this book than I had read before. This book did not shy away from the difficulties the saints endured because they chose to follow that commandment. I can’t imagine being asked to live with those ramifications: First, sharing your husband with other wives and children, not your own. Then, to his possible imprisonment and then enduring personal exile from family and friends, while raising your children alone, to keep your shared husband safe. This all, many multiple wives had to do at that time. It is unthinkable for me. And yet, I am a product of that practice and that generation.
From this text I gained a partial knowledge of said women who vehemently argued for their right to practice plural marriage. It confounds me and leaves me astonished at their faith. I am quite sure I could not have abided it. I was impressed with the leadership, focus, and pursuit of women’s rights and education that women of the church personified at that time, even when the nation lagged so in those areas and greatly misunderstood plural marriage as it was actually practiced. I was struck anew with the corruptness of the government in reference to the Latter-day Saints, to take away basic rights, possessions, and properties at their will. That generation suffered much and supported their country in spite of the great injustices they experienced at the hand of the law once again.
I wish the book laid out in plainer detail and greater spiritual emphasis, the final close of the practice of polygamy within the church, but perhaps they did the best they can, as all breaks are not clean. I can see why fundamentalist Mormons’ way of life can still exist with the end of the practice being shrouded in the careful, respectful language that it was for those apart of the faith already practicing it and at the same time, a hard directive to new generations to no longer practice it. That must have been a strange and confusing place for many members of the church. -
I am not a professionally trained historian but have read and studied more LDS Church history than the average bear. I'm pretty familiar with the good the band and the ugly, the faith promoting, the apologetic, and the ax grinders. Writing religious history of any church is an almost impossible task that cannot please all camps. I am fortunate to know several of those involved in the beginnings of this effort and know of their intellectual honesty, integrity and professionalism. They have done an outstanding job for all but the true critics who cannot say a single positive thing about the Church and its history.
The great thing about this book is the resource material. One can go as deep as they want and by using the electronic version can be looking at original source material within a few clicks. Tell me any historical work that allows that. All of the hard issues are addressed, polygamy, Mountain Meadows, Bear River, Hawaii, race and the priesthood and more. This certainly is light years ahead of previous apologetic efforts.
My great grandfather was a member of the Q12 and served as Church Historian. He was a prolific writer and one of the great defenders of the faith along with the likes of Talmage, Roberts and others. I applaud their efforts and especially the record keeping that allowed for the Saints project to unfold has it did. When I hear modern arm chair historians criticize those earlier efforts I have to remind myself that they were a generation away from Missouri, Nauvoo, the Martyrdom, Expulsion, and the Westward Trek. They lived through a hellish time and somehow survived and thrived. Is it any wonder that they were a little defensive? So cut them some slack and be grateful they kept the records that allows Saints to make that amazing history come alive. A history that inspires us and challenges us.
Favorite Quote:
'But now, for the first time, Saints were caught up in heated battles with one another over differing political views. The conflict troubled Wilford Woodruff, and he had urged the Saints at the April 1892 general conference to stop their bickering. "Every man has as much right - prophets, apostles, saints, and sinners - to his political convictions as he has to his religious opinions," Wilford had declared. "Don't throw filth and dirt and nonsense at one another because of any difference on politcal matters." "That Spirit will lead us to ruin," he warned.' -
Really well-done. Much better than the first, and I really enjoyed Kirby Heyborne as a narrator. The chapters covering the Mountain Meadows Massacre and ALL of the polygamy stuff were very difficult emotionally, but I appreciate the church's transparency.
I loved reading about some of the feminism in the early church--this is stuff we definitely don't hear enough about.
Very good, and much more linear than the first volume -
I'm having difficulties with my reviews. It seems I get a FLAG with each review, and have done so for over several years. Is there a way the FLAG CAN BE REMOVED from the review? Let me know. Thank you. I sent this note to HELP, and got the following response.
This is the response I got!!!
"FLAG" is just the button you would use if you want to flag a review. It does not mean that your review has been flagged. There is no flag indicator on Goodreads. If a review is flagged, only Goodreads staff sees it. So it appears that the FLAG is there to stay, but I'm not being penalized for my reviews. If you know something else, please let me know.
No Unhallowed Hand: 1846-1893 (Saints #2): Volume 2 of Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints tells the story of the Saints' exile from Nauvoo and later trials as they gathered in the western United States. It documents their settling of the Wasatch Front in Utah and ends with the Salt Lake Temple's dedication in 1893.
We think we know the story of Brigham Young and the thousands of Latter-Day Saints who crossed the plains to establish Zion in the American West. But what happens when they get there? In "No Unhallowed Hand," the Saints encounter new obstacles and foes in their determination to build up the kingdom of God and gather His people from the four corners of the earth.
With mobs threatening to drive them from their homes, thousands of Latter-Day Saints flee Nauvoo, their gathering place for the last seven years. Following Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, they travel west across prairie and plains, putting their trust in God to prepare a home for them beyond the towering peaks of the Rocky Mountains.
Finding a new home is only the beginning of their story. In their quest to serve God and build Zion, the exiled Saints struggle against new obstacles and much heavier persecutions. Amazing women and men work together to forge communities where the faithful can gather near temples established for the glory of God and the redemption of the living and the dead. At the same time, hundreds of new members are sent on missions journeying to distant lands to invite others to come to Christ and establish Zion.
There were two very difficult stories that were covered that really touched me. The first is plural marriage (polygamy), and the second is the Mountain Meadows Massacre. I've read other references on both of these, but it still is SO difficult to grasp.
The building of Temples was one of the most important yet exciting parts of this book. The building of the Nauvoo Temple, the St. George Temple, the Manti Temple, and of course the finishing and Dedication of the Salt Lake City Temple. I could feel the Spirit of the Lord while reading these important pages. It blessed their lives so much when they also finished the Tabernacle Building in Salt Lake City. We learned means of building and dedicating these special
spots in order to bring about the Lord's work.
A bit of excitement hit as I was reading this morning. My Great Great Grandfather, Karl G. Maeser was noted in the book! Yahoo. In the Summer of 1858, around the time the army passed through Salt Lake City, a school teacher named Karl G. Maeser received a flattering offer from the family of John Tyler, a former President of the United States. For months Karl had been teaching music lessons to the children of John and Julia Tyler at a spacious plantation in the southern United States. A German immigrant, Karl had impressed the Tylers with his good education, gentlemanly manners and subtle humor. Now they wanted to pay him a salary to live near them and continue teaching their children. Several years later, he was called by the Prophet Brigham Young to start a college, and he planted the seed as an educator which later became Brigham Young University.
Showing how more than 40 years of global Latter Day history, the narrative employs the same engaging style, fast-paced storytelling, and attention to historical detail that has captivated readers of Saints, Volume #1 The Standard of Truth, written under the direction of the First Presidency. "No Unhallowed Hand, Saints #2" introduces us to the women and men who faithfully and with so much courage in serving the Lord following the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Brother Kirby Heyborne does a fabulous job of narrating this book. What a career he has had. I remember when he was in "The Best Two Years" and other good and well done productions. This book is quite long (like 675 pages), but I was hooked to it like glue. I highly recommend this book. Great read. -
I appreciate the direct, simple manner in which this book (and Volume 1) was written. Like Vol. 1, it covers a lot of information, but does not get bogged down in too many details. It gives a fairly direct, frank account of the Mormon Meadows Massacre. I credit this series for not shying away from some of the more controversial topics while maintaining its pace (i.e., not focusing for too long on any particular event or issue). I recognize this is a product of the church, and for me it has served to pique my interest in a number of areas rather than to be the end-all be-all perspective on church history.
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As I read, I became more comfortable with the style of this history. From time to time my eyes watered up as I read about the difficulties they had.
Now, I eagerly anticipate the publication of Volume III. -
Review incoming
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Long but fantastic! My spirit was moved many times by the faith of early Saints as well as their many struggles. Loved it so much!
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I loved this book so much! Other than the pioneer trek west I basically knew nothing about this period in church history. At least beyond the basics/bullet point version (polygamy, missionary work, establishing various settlements). This book gives you a real insight into how real people lived and struggled through some really hard things. Polygamy was hard, and the ending of polygamy was hard. The grief from the government which led to husbands in hiding. People who left the church only to go try to defame and destroy the church. Husbands and sons leaving on 3-7 year long missions. Yet accounts of saints filled to the brim with faith, supporting and sustaining leaders who were imperfect people seeking the Lords revelation to do His will. As a descendant of saints who lived through these challenges my appreciation and love for my them has only grown. My faith has been strengthened as I think about their commitment to the Lord’s church and His chosen prophets, and most importantly to the Lots Jesus Christ. I think I can seek to endure my trials in like manner.
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This is a fascinating time period to study, if only because it's a time period that isn't often talked about, at least in the church. I love this approach the church is taking in being open about the past, warts and all. In this case, that includes all the usual suspects which include the Mountain Meadow Massacre, polygamy, polygamy, and more polygamy. Just as morbidly fascinating as these subjects are, it's just as interesting to see what the authors left out (and therefore the church leadership, as this is an officially sanctioned volume).
To be more specific, I kept waiting for Blacks and the Priesthood to come up. If the church is being open some of the unsavory aspects of their past, there has to be at least a little bit of Blacks and the Priesthood in there, right? Well, there is, but it equates to 2 paragraphs worth in the entire 800ish page book. This left me unsatisfied, and extremely curious about the reason behind what seems to be an obvious and glaring omission. They seem to have no problem talking about plural wives, and in fact, the book was rather apologetic about the practice. The Mountain Meadow Massacre wasn't much of a problem to talk about, because the main leadership of the church didn't sanction it. The only reason I can think of to not talk about B&P is to protect Brigham Young (and every prophet thereafter who was complicit in following this policy).
Why not just admit that he was a product of his time and had racist ideas? Maybe they're just as confused as the rest of us about how a prophet of God could decree a policy stripping a specific race of their ability to go to the temple, sealed to their families, and other ordinances that are required to go to heaven. To be apologetic about the practice would implicitly posit that God is racist, so I guess the answer is just to keep quiet.
It's clear that church leadership still believes that polygamy was instituted by God. To me, if I'm going to play the probabilities on this, it seems much more probable that polygamy is nothing more than a loophole around the social and religious taboo of "sleeping around". But it's fun to ask "what if". What if it's all just a funny coinidence that some men would love to have sex with multiple women and that also God said it was ok to do just that? The book did tell the stories of women who did not enjoy sharing their husband with other women (imagine that), and I appreciated those perspectives in what felt like an honest effort to be balanced.
Maybe, it's weird that I enjoy these things, but I liked reading all the "wartsy" stuff like the political infighting with various Apostles. It's just nice to read a history that clearly is attempting to not be propaganda. And that's ultimately why I truly enjoyed this book, to learn more about history and to pull back the curtain a bit and see what the church thinks about its own history .
