Shifting Views of Heroes: or, What Works for Some . . .

So it looks like a balance has to be found where the weaknesses of people (including leaders and prophets) can be acknowledged and treated candidly—perhaps even usefully for homiletic purposes—without slipping down the other side of sloping cynicism. Maxwell also exemplified this, though without the concrete details that make stories really stick, our “clinical material” as Maxwell often called it:

One of the realities of the kingdom is that we work with each other in the midst of our imperfections. We see those imperfections as well as the traits and talents that God has blessed us with. And during this process of life together in the community of Saints, we watch each other grow.3

Noticing the foibles of our heroes can help us understand that life is difficult, that people aren’t perfect, that God can be found working in the mud and muck of Church history as well as in our very own personal lives. What if, to use Elder Oaks’s example, George Washington’s (hypothetical) early affair was mentioned in terms of helping a person avoid something like that? Or in terms of helping people who have done similar things become aware that all is not lost for them? Or that we ought not so harshly judge people who do such things because hey, even George did it? Call it the “Mormon 9:31 schema.”

Overall, I think Elder Oaks put his finger on the problem (one of several, really) that I’m trying to dance around here—that times change, and the sorts of heroes that speak to us deeply change, too. For the most part I think he says it right especially here:

And so there is no way to avoid this criticism. The best I can say is that we’re moving with the times, we’re getting more and more forthright, but we will never satisfy every complaint along that line and probably shouldn’t.

This for me is the big ticket take-away. I really wish that GC and GA’s would start presenting prophets as the human beings they are. I know it will get some kick back because all of us want some assurance for the road ahead and in LDSdom we have made Prophets that assurance, but what if we went by Brigham Young and Moses ideas. Young worried that the saints would follow blindly and not seek their own witness from God if the prophet was correct – today we see that fulfillment. Moses “would that every man was prophet”. I like the “stuttering-boy”, limping Joseph, much more than the velvet coat one. The human one inspires me.

Hawkgrrl. Please pass along :thumbup: to your husband. I concur.