Church Authorities as Fathers

Of course like most, most of my life I have been shielded from the darker sides of prophets and other church leaders. I heard all the stories about Joseph Smith refusing alcohol for surgery and all that. I really didn’t realize the extent of the church’s white washing history that leads LDS people to think that JS and BY and all others were about as perfect as men could get while still walking on this earth. After having been exposed to more “history” I have a much more open mind. Although, I am not sure how much “history” is true and unbiased, how much is the white-washed church version, and how much is fabricated and/or exaggerated by the antis. As in all things, I would like to consider the source. So as my first tangent, what reading would you all recommend as probably the most accurate and unbiased version of church history?

And on to my thought process: So I realize that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young (and I am extrapolating to probably every church authority ever since) were very flawed men. Not everything they ever said, believed, or taught was inspired of God. In some cases they screwed up big. So I was trying to reconcile my belief that they were men called of God to establish the most correct version of the gospel on this earth. (After studying it out, I do not think that Mormons hold the monopoly on all truth, but I do think it is the closest it comes compared to everything else I have experienced.) Because the prophets screwed up bad and made huge mistakes and even taught as doctrine things that the church has now openly denounced, does that make them not prophets? Does that make them not inspired? Does it make the entire Gospel not true?

I got to thinking about the position/calling of fathers in a family context. (OK well really parents but for simplicity’s sake I will use fathers here) There are good ones and bad ones, but most truly love and care for their children and want to protect them and have them grow up to be happy and successful. Fathers screw up, sometimes even very good fathers screw up big, They are not always right. But most people in society would agree that the role of the father over children is an inspired, if not divine, role that should not be negated.

There is a point in child development when we need to follow what our father says, absolutely and without question. Following in this way keeps us from getting hurt or killed. Then at some point we start questioning the things he has taught us. Is he really right about everything? Clearly he isn’t. And blindly following everything he says without question can actually put us on paths of destruction. Not everything he says and believes works for us, in our current time and in our situations. And sometimes he is just plain wrong for anyone’s time and situation. Does that mean we shouldn’t listen to anything he has to say and never follow any advice? He does have much more experience than us, and in some cases more knowledge or inspiration. I think we would be fools if we as adults blindly followed everything our fathers said, just as we would be fools to never listen.

Just as I would with my father if he gave me advice, I think I would study out what he tells me. I would consider the source, look for evidence to back it up and compare it to my experience. If everything checked out and I felt good and right about it, I would probably follow it. If it didn’t, if things didn’t add up, I wouldn’t. Either way my choice may be the wrong one but I think it’s the wisest most informed choice I could make. I am thinking that this is a much healthier path for the prophets and other church authorities. Knowing they are old, in so many ways out of touch of our reality, and very flawed men– their perceptions of what they even believe God is saying to them may be quite off at times. That doesn’t mean their calling isn’t real and they don’t know anything about anything. It doesn’t make them false even if they screw up really big. With every aspect of the teachings I think I would; study it out, consider the source (and by source I don’t just mean who said it but why: What were their personal biases, what was the historical and social context etc.?), compare it to my experience, and see how I feel about it. My choice might still be the wrong one but it’s the wisest, most informed choice I can make. In this way, despite major mistakes, I can reconcile how these men can both me majorly flawed and wrong about so much, but also be wise and inspired and chosen of God.

Thoughts?