Hugh Nibley Meets with the “Swearing Elders”–A Group of Liberal Mormons

Jared on May 6th, 2008 in Doubt, Example of Faith

Maybe the term “liberal mormon” got it start with a group of men who were referred to as the “swearing elders”. If anyone knows for sure please let me know.

This is an interesting story, but the reason I am presenting it is to make it clear to all that Hugh Nibley was a testimony bearing member of the church, first, and foremost.

Following is a quote from: Hugh Nibley: A Consecrated Life, p. 160.

At some point before his 1955 debate with Sterling McMurrin, Hugh was invited to speak to a meeting at the University of Utah, of the “Swearing Elders”-a group of liberal Mormons associated with Utah universities. After giving his presentation, Hugh says they took him aside and told him “You’re among friends now, you can say what you really feel about the Book of Mormon.” Hugh simply bore his testimony that the Book of Mormon is, in fact, a true record of ancient people and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. “Oh, were they mad,” Hugh states. “They were just boiling.” He recalls one member of the group launching into a harangue about the Book of Mormon and how “we have to get rid of it. It’s driving the best minds out of the church! You can’t see it, but with my training, I know it. Joseph Smith was a deceiver, but he was a sly deceiver.” Hugh was chilled by such reactions: “They had a real active hatred of the Book of Mormon.” These were, for the most part, members of the Church in good standing.

From the same book, page 159, Hugh in a letter to Sterling McMurrin makes an interesting comment about the church, along side another testimony:

…I am stuck with the gospel. I know perfectly well that it is true; there may be things about the Church that I find perfectly appalling-but that has nothing to do with it. I KNOW THE GOSPEL IS TRUE.

Comments

Ben
Posted on 6th May, 2008

While some of the members of the “swearing elders” may have held views like that, not all of them did. I agree that Nibley “was a testimony bearing member of the church, first, and foremost,” but I dont think it is right to make the rest of the intellectuals appear like the opposite. Hugh was one for hyperbole and exaggeration, and this was no doubt the case here.

But, in the spirit of your post, Hugh Nibley was a great example for standing up for traditional church doctrines.

Jared
Posted on 7th May, 2008

Ben-I’m with you. I feel Hugh Nibley was and is an example for all Latter Day Saints, and in particular those who possess the gift of a “questioning mind”. Brother Nibley consecrated his gift and set an example for all to see.

Swearing Elder
Posted on 10th November, 2008

“There may be things about the Church that I find perfectly appalling-but that has nothing to do with it.”

To that statement you can either say, “Wow!” or “Huh?”

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