Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power/Index

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Index to claims made in The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power

A FAIR Analysis of: The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power, a work by author: D. Michael Quinn

This is an index of claims made in this work with links to corresponding responses within the FAIRwiki.

Response to claim: 20 - Apostle Neal A. Maxwell said that Boyd K. Packer "has grown" out of such behavior

The author(s) of The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power make(s) the following claim:

The author states, "While they acknowledge that Packer previously was "less than diplomatic," "dogmatic, bigoted," "offended people," and got "agitated and lashed out" as a church administrator, his biographer and Apostle Neal A. Maxwell have recently said that Packer "has grown" out of such behavior."

Author's sources: Lucile C. Tate, Boyd K. Packer: A Watchman on the Tower (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1995), 264.

FAIR's Response

Fact checking results: The author has stated erroneous information or misinterpreted their sources

The author attributes such claims to the biographer and another apostle; in fact, the biographer notes that "in the minds of some few" this has been the case. Reading the entire chapter conveys nothing like the author's version. One wonders if the author's problems with the Church, which became more prominent after he publically attacked a talk given by Elder Packer, explains his current animus and willingness to distort what others have said.

From the cited source:

[President Packer's] talks have been listened to and appreciated by members throughout the Church. But in the minds of some few he has been viewed as controversial, dogmatic, bigoted.

• See also: Duane Boyce, "A Betrayal of Trust (Review of: The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power, by D. Michael Quinn)," FARMS Review of Books 9/2 (1997): 147–163. off-site

Response to claim: 20 - The author claims that Elder Maxwell said Elder Packer might have been "'agitated and lashed out' as a church administrator"

The author(s) of The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power make(s) the following claim:

The author claims that Elder Maxwell said Elder Packer might have been "'agitated and lashed out' as a church administrator."

Author's sources: Neal A. Maxwell, cited in Lucile C. Tate, Boyd K. Packer: A Watchman on the Tower, (Salt Lake City, Utah: Bookcraft, 1995),162; citing Neal A. Maxwell interview, 8 December 1989.

FAIR's Response

Fact checking results: The author has stated erroneous information or misinterpreted their sources

Elder Maxwell's praise of Elder Packer is clear. The author omits the indication that any lashing out is against a thing, not a person. He also ignores key attributes of patience, meekness, anxious concern for the right, and willingness to suffer for the truth, since these are not the characteristics which he wishes to ascribe to Elder Packer. Text without context results in error and misrepresentation of Elder Maxwell's intent. From the cited source:

Whereas Boyd formerly might have been agitated and lashed out against something that wasn't right, he has grown. With his increased spiritual composure his influence and impact are quiet, steady, and deep. He does not simply point out problems; he reconnoiters them perceptively, then in a prophetic, apostolic way he becomes a clarifier, a mover, and a resolver. In patience and meekness he uses his insights and influence to bring about what needs to be done.
Boyd possesses another attribute that relates to the one just mentioned. He is quite unconcerned with self. He is anxiously engaged in good causes, and if issues require him to stand alone until others catch the vision, he'll pay the price and doesn't worry about the consequences for him. He takes the eternal view that if what you have done is right, the fact that you got bruised a bit in the process doesn't matter much; the bruises will heal and the progress will have been made.

Response to claim: 349 - The author claims that David O. McKay liked his "celebrity status"

The author(s) of The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power make(s) the following claim:

"a First Presidency secretary acknowledges acknowledged that [David O.] McKay liked his ‘celebrity status,’ and wanted ‘to be recognized, lauded, and lionized."

Author's sources: Francis Gibbons, David O. McKay: Apostle to the World, Prophet of God (Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1986), 347, 263.

FAIR's Response

Fact checking results: The author has stated erroneous information or misinterpreted their sources

Quinn twists his source beyond recognition, inverting its meaning from praise of McKay's humility and kindness into a claim of ego and pride.

Question: Did David O. McKay like to be "recognized, lauded, and lionized"?

It takes a certain talent to transform an account that praises McKay as a “modest, private person,” into an “admission” that McKay “liked” his celebrity

Some claim that David O. McKay "liked his ‘celebrity status’ and wanted ‘to be recognized, lauded, and lionized'."

<onlyinclude>Snuffer quotes D. Michael Quinn: “a First Presidency secretary acknowledged that [David O.] McKay liked his ‘celebrity status,’ and wanted ‘to be recognized, lauded, and lionized’” (349). He cites Quinn’s Extensions of Power volume, which gives as its source a book by secretary Francis M. Gibbons. A check of these references is discouraging, but not surprising for those familiar with Quinn’s methods. The actual text of Gibbons’ volume for the pages cited reads:

[263] The encroachment on [McKay's] private life that celebrity status imposed...was something President McKay adjusted to with apparent difficulty. He was essentially a modest, private person, reared in a rural atmosphere, who at an early age was thrust into the limelight of the Mormon community. And as he gained in experience...as wide media exposure made his name and face known in most households, he became, in a sense, a public asset whose time and efforts were assumed to be available to all. This radical change in status was a bittersweet experience. To be recognized, lauded, and lionized is something that seemingly appeals to the ego and self-esteem of the most modest among us, even to David O. McKay. But the inevitable shrinkage in the circle of privacy that this necessarily entails provides a counter-balance that at times outweighs the positive aspects of public adulation. This is easily inferred from a diary entry of July 19, 1950....The diarist hinted that it had become so difficult to venture forth on the streets of Salt Lake City that he had about decided to abandon the practice. For such a free spirit as he, for one who was so accustomed to going and coming as he pleased, any decision to restrict his movements about the city was an imprisonment of sorts. But the only alternatives, neither of which was acceptable, were to go in disguise or to ignore or to cut short those who approached him. The latter would have been especially repugnant to one such as David O. McKay, who had cultivated to the highest degree the qualities of courtesy and attentive listening.

It was ironic, therefore, that as the apostle's fame and influence widened, the scope of his private life was proportionately restricted.... [347]

Everywhere he traveled in Australia, or elsewhere on international tours, President McKay received celebrity treatment. Enthusiastic, cheering, singing crowds usually greeted him at every stop, sometimes to the surprise or chagrin of local residents. A group of well-known Australian athletes, about a flight to Adelaide with President McKay's party, learned an embarrassing lesson in humility. Seeing a large, noisy crowd at the airport, and assuming they were the object of its adulation, the handsome young men stepped forward to acknowledge the greeting [348] only to find that the cheers and excitement were generated by the tall, white-haired man who came down the ramp after them.

It takes a certain talent to transform an account that praises McKay as a “modest, private person,” (whose privacy and personal convenience suffered because of how unwilling he was to appear rude or short with anyone) into an “admission” that McKay “liked” his celebrity. The original line about being “recognized, lauded, and lionized” is obviously intended to point out that such things are a danger to anyone because they appeal to the ego, and all would be tempted by them—but it is likewise clear that Gibbons does not think that McKay succumbed to that temptation. Snuffer is helping Quinn bear false witness against both McKay and Gibbons.

Response to claim: 757 - Brigham Young tells this special conference that Joseph Smith disobeyed revelation by returning to Nauvoo to stand trial

The author(s) of The Mormon Hierarchy: Extensions of Power make(s) the following claim:

"Mar 21,1858 - Brigham Young tells this special conference that Joseph Smith disobeyed revelation by returning to Nauvoo to stand trial, that the church’s founding prophet lost Spirit of God the last days of his life, and died as unnecessary martyr. He published this talk as pamphlet"

Author's sources: No citation given

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: Did Joseph defy warning to flee to the west?

Vengeance hymns

Summary: D. Michael Quinn cites several LDS hymns as evidence that the Saints encouraged vengeance against their enemies. The hymns ask instead for God to revenge them of their wrongs in the coming judgment—they do not anticipate taking matters into their own hands, and in some cases even explicitly rule it out.

 ^{[needs work]}

Further reading

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