When I was a youth, I loved apostle Hugh B. Brown. He was extremely funny and grandfatherly. But he was a liberal, a damned Democrat, and while he was a member of the Quorum of Twelve, he was not well-liked by his quorum members because they practically considered him a hippie. Anyway, to study him is to study what the church could have been if the Twelve surrounded themselves with others like him. Here's a HBB quote I love:

"I admire men and women who have developed the questing spirit, who are unafraid of new ideas as stepping stones to progress. We should, of course, respect the opinions of others, but we should also be unafraid to dissent--if we are informed. Thoughts and expressions compete in the marketplace of thought, and in that competition truth emerges triumphant. Only error fears freedom of expression... This free exchange of ideas is not to be deplored as long as men and women remain humble and teachable. Neither fear of consequence or any kind of coercion should ever be used to secure uniformity of thought in the church. People should express their problems and opinions and be unafraid to think without fear of ill consequences. ... We must preserve freedom of the mind in the church and resist all efforts to suppress it."

Notice how he went all Thomas Paine in his quote. What a threat the dear old guy must have been to his brethren in the quorum. They broke the mold when he passed away, and never replaced any of the GAs with the likes of him. More of his kind could have saved the floundering and foundering Mormon church, now bobbing in the sea as if without an anchor, Captain Peter "Wrongway" Peachfuzz at the helm.

(NOTE: Sorry for the obscure naval reference. You'd have to know your Rocky and Bullwinkle.)

For a great book on the life of Hugh B. Brown, I suggest reading a book by his grandson, Ed Firmage, called "An Abundant Life". A great read. In it, it is pointed out how he was marginalized after the death of McKay and was moved back to the Q12 (not retained in the FP). First time that had happened in over 100 years. On a similar vein, it will be interesting to see if Eyering or the Dieter Dude are retained when Monson dies. Both young, both more free thinking. Both more personable than many of the more senior jokers.

I was on my mission in Kentucky. One of the missionaries was obsessed with Hugh. He asked to speak in sacrament meeting. He got up and gave his speech imitating Hugh. His same voice and inflection and one of his speeches. I was laughing inside so hard I about split my gut.

Ed's his grandson? I didn't know that. I encounter Ed all the time in the SLTrib comments. He's regular and is fun to read.

cuz I think it's one of the few quotes by LDs leaders that I can still get behind.

Cludgie,

Love Brown's thinking too. It has been blasted into oblivion by the current 15 Morg grand wizards.

>>>HUGH B, BROWN<<<

October 4, 1953 – April 10, 1958 Assistant to the Quorum of Twelve
April 10, 1958 – December 2, 1975 – Apostle
June 22, 1961 – October 12, 1961 – Third Counselor in First Presidency
October 12, 1961 – October 4, 1963 – Second Counselor in First Presidency
October 4, 1963 – January 18, 1970 – First Counselor in First Presidency

The excerpt posted by cludgie is priceless. It comes from Brown's March 25, 1958, BYU Speech, “MAN AND WHAT HE MAY BECOME.”

Brown: "Only error fears freedom of expression...Neither fear of consequence or any kind of coercion should ever be used to secure uniformity of thought in the church. People should...be unafraid to think without fear of ill consequences."

>>>Compare that philosophy to the current brainless dribble<<<

1958 was another world. There was no DNA testing so no DNA evidence. The BoA papyri hadn't resurfaced. Racism and misogyny were rampant. There was no internet. There was very little religious diversity, little introduction of Eastern religious thought, and atheism wasn't an option. Honest questioning of the BoM leads to its destruction. How do you get around that?

"While I believe all that God has revealed, I am not quite sure I understand what he has revealed, and the fact that God has promised further revelation is to me a challenge to keep an open mind and be prepared to follow wherever my search for truth may lead ... And while all Mormons should respect, support, and heed the teachings of the authorities of the church, no one should accept a statement and base his or her testimony upon it, no matter who makes it ..." Hugh B. Brown



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2013 03:48PM by iris.