As part of our work with the 10 Questions team I’m proud to announce their interview with Matthew J. Grow and R. Eric Smith, editors of The Council of Fifty.
The council of 50 is one of the more mysterious bodies Joseph Smith organized. Many people didn’t know of this government body in waiting that included non-Mormons. Those that have heard about it often have a lot of erroneous ideas. Check out both the interview and book.
“An “ugly” historical traveler judges the past solely based on our own standards; is impatient with historical actors without trying to understand their own circumstances and motivations; and refuses to learn enough to make sense of that history.”
I loved this statement, even though I’m one of those ugly tourists of history. :)
Don’t be too hard on yourself. I bet if we asked Matt, he would say we are all ugly historical travelers to some extent.
His answer to that question is the longest one we’ve had yet in the series – and yet I’ve heard from a number of people who commented on that section in particular. Faith and history don’t always mix together as seamlessly as we would hope. Matt does a great job acknowledging different perspectives and sharing a road map for what has helped him.