Church History – Apostasy
January 30, 2004
Bruce
said we will be studying Church History in the late evening class throughout
the year. There will be 3 parts, this
class starts with the Great Apostasy and ends with the great debate of August
1844, between Brigham Young and Sidney Rigdon.
Read
the green manual chapters 1-4, he will go into greater detail in class.
Someone
in class asked Bruce how he remembered so much.
He answered with this method of teaching his brain. First, he studies the STORYLINE, and then you have a CONTEXT
of what is being discussed. Always study
the chapter headings, also, place each subject in a category in your long term
memory. I need to organize myself in
this manner.
1st
Great American Awakening – 1740-1760, a few Founding Fathers were Deists
About
Deism
Deism denies
the direct intervention in the natural order by God. It posits, to borrow an
old illustration, the idea that God is like a clockmaker. God winds up the
clock of the earth and it proceeds on its own without any further involvement
from Him. This idea, found as early as Nicolaus of Oresmes (d. 1382), rose to
prominence in
This belief
system never really caught on amongst the colonists- the majority of which were
Christian of the Calvinist order. Many states at the time of the Constitutional
Convention did not allow confessed deists to hold public office (Bowen, 1966),
as deism was generally held in low esteem. That is because roughly two-thirds
of the colonists held beliefs that aligned with Calvinist thinking (Boettner,
1972). Calvinism is a theological system that is, in many ways, similar to our
own. It asserts that God created man in an ideal state- but man fell into sin.
Mankind, therefore, possesses a sinful nature and is unable to please God by
his own efforts- though he certainly can choose to do good even though his
nature is inclined toward sin. To encourage moral conduct, laws were necessary
to set up checks and balances relating to both sin and power (Eidsmoe, 1987).
The challenge before the Great Convention in 1787 was to find ways to, given
the sinful nature of mankind, allocates power to government sufficient to serve
and restrain the masses without becoming a tyrant.
These ideas
were so accepted amongst the colonists that deism never was (or will be) a
dominant force in American life; how then, could deists have truly and deeply
influenced the American founding? Dr. M. E. Bradford (1982) of the
The three
delegates Bradford identifies as deist- Hugh Williamson of
In sum, while
I am not certain of Mr. Clifford’s point in raising the issue, I am certain
that deism was not the guiding light of the Constitutional Convention, at least
where understanding and petitioning God were concerned.
From
1790 to 1830 the Second Great Awakening took place in New England and western
(2
Thessalonians 2:2-3.)
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2 That ye
be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor
by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3 Let no
man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there
come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition;
Apostasy
in Greek:
The failure to
acknowledge God's omniscience is an enormous error that spreads through life
and touches all our doings. For if we truly believe God to be what He says He
is, and then we can follow His prophets, His proctors in this mortal school,
without resentment or murmuring. True, we will not always understand, nor will
we find counsel easy to take—but the challenges will be manageable, when we
have been humbled by knowing how great God is. This then makes us more
manageable! And even though it is true that there must be an "opposition
in all things," none of us has the personal obligation to provide that
opposition.
President Lee said on
one occasion: "I want to bear you my testimony that the experience I have
had has taught me that those who criticize the leaders of this Church are
showing signs of a spiritual sickness which, unless curbed, will bring about
eventually spiritual death." (Conference Report, October 1947, p.
67.)
The Prophet Joseph
spoke of how apostates often bring severe persecutions upon their former
friends and associates. "When once that light which was in them is taken
from them they become as much darkened as they were previously enlightened, and
then, no marvel, if all their power should be enlisted against the truth, and
they, Judas like, seek the destruction of those who were their greatest
benefactors." (HC 2:23.)
Strange, how often defectors leave the Church, but
they cannot leave it alone!
(Neal
A. Maxwell, All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1979], 107.)
Early
Church Apostasy {Darkness Enlightenment Restoration}
Great
Apostasy
1
Nephi 11-14 – verse 21 is the Lamb of God – the Atonement of Christ.
Verses
31-34 are about the last days of Christ, verse 35 the House of Israel rebelling
against their own God, 2 Nephi 10, Jacob pointing out the people were the only
ones to rebel against their own God.
1
Nephi 13:1 – Great=Large in the Book of Mormon.
Church=an assembly of people, not always a religious meeting.
1
Nephi 13:5-8 – Fight against God.
(1 Nephi
13:1-8.) – 1 Pride, 2 Wealth, 3 Immorality, the 3 desires of the abominable
church.
1 And it
came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying:
Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms.
2 And the
angel said unto me: What beholdest thou? And I said:
I behold many nations and kingdoms.
3 And he
said unto me: These are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles.
4 And it
came to pass that I saw among the nations of the Gentiles the formation of a
great church.
5 And the angel
said unto me: Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above
all other churches, which slayeth the saints of God,
yea, and tortureth them and bindeth
them down, and yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and bringeth them down into captivity.
6 And it
came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the
devil that he was the founder of it.
7 And I
also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets,
and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many
harlots.
8 And the
angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the
silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the
fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires
of this great and abominable church.
EARLY CHRISTIANITY AND
1 NEPHI 13-14
Stephen E. Robinson
In chapters 13 and 14
of 1 Nephi, the prophet Nephi describes the vision in which he saw the future
of the world and its kingdoms as it related to his posterity. Nephi's vision is
the type of revelation known in biblical literature as apocalyptic, and it is
represented in the New Testament most fully by the Revelation of John. The
revelations of Nephi and of John have more in common, however, than merely the
apocalyptic form, for Nephi's vision (1 Nephi
Before proceeding,
however, we must define our terms. The Greek word apostasia
(apostasy) means "rebellion" or "revolution." It conveys
the sense of an internal takeover within an organization or institution by
factions hostile to the intentions of its previous leaders. I personally prefer
the translation "mutiny" for apostasia,
as it calls up the image of a ship being commandeered by those who are not
authorized to do so and being taken in a direction the ship was not intended to
go. Since early Christians often thought of the Church as a ship, I think
"mutiny" conveys exactly the right sense of what Paul and others
meant by the term apostasy.
We must also analyze and
define the component parts of the phrase great and abominable church.
The word great in this context is an adjective of size rather than of
quality and (like the Hebrew gadol or the
Greek megas) informs us of the great size of
the abominable entity. Secondary meanings might refer to great wealth or power.
fn The term abominable is used in the Old Testament to describe that
which God hates, which cannot fail to arouse his wrath. In the book of Daniel
the abomination of desolation is that thing which is so hateful to God that its
presence in the temple causes the divine presence to depart, leaving the
sanctuary desolate. (See Daniel
The term church
(Hebrew qahal or edah;
Greek ekklesia) had a slightly broader meaning
anciently than it does now and referred to an assembly, congregation, or
association of people which bonded them together and commanded their loyalties.
Thus the term was not necessarily restricted to religious associations and, in
fact, at
While the revelation
of John does not use the exact term great and abominable church, the
entity so described by Nephi is clearly the harlot described by John in
Revelation 17-18, since the identical terms mother of abominations, mother
of harlots, and the whore who sitteth upon
many waters are used by both prophets (see 1 Nephi 14:10-12, 16 and
Revelation 17:1, 5).
Major characteristics of the great and abominable church
in 1 Nephi may be listed as follows:
1. It persecutes, tortures, and slays the Saints of God
(13:5).
2. It seeks wealth and luxury (13:7).
3. It is characterized by sexual immorality (13:7).
4. It has excised plain and precious things from the
scriptures (13:26-29).
5. It has dominion over all the earth, among all nations,
kindreds, tongues, and people (14:11).
6. Its fate is to be consumed by a world war, in which
the nations it incited against the Saints turn to war among themselves until
they destroy the great and abominable church itself (22:13-14).
These same characteristics are also attributed to the
whore (Babylon) in the Revelation of John:
1. She is drunk with the blood of the Saints and with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus and of the prophets (17:6, 18:24).
2. She is characterized by the enjoyment of great wealth
and luxury (17:4; 18:3, 11-16).
3. She (naturally) is characterized by sexual immorality
(17:1, 2, 5).
4. She has dominion over all nations (17:15, 18; 18:3,
23-24).
5. Her fate is to be consumed by the very kings who have
made war on the Lamb under the influence of her deceptions (17:14-16; 18:23).
It should be noted
that one characteristic not common to both prophetic descriptions is Nephi's
statement that the great and abominable church has held back important parts of
the canon of scripture. But since John's record is one of the very scriptures
Nephi refers to (
It must also be noted
that in John's Revelation the whore cannot be equated with the two beasts; they
do not represent the same things. The whore and the beasts are motivated by the
same evil genius, Satan. The one beast supports the whore (Revelation 17:3),
but the beast and the whore are separate entities with separate functions in
the evil empire. The whore of Revelation 17-18 is specifically the satanic
counterpart of the woman in chapter 12 who symbolizes the Church of Jesus
Christ which was forced into the wilderness (that is, became inaccessible to
human beings). Symbolizing the great and abominable church (the counterfeit) as
a whore underscores the nature of her evil: she is physically and spiritually
unfaithful, that is, she represents both sexual immorality and idolatry, the
twin abominations of the Old Testament. Thus she is the "mother of
abominations." It seems that in John's Revelation the symbol of the whore
is used narrowly to represent false religion, while the beasts, the image of
the beast, and the horns of the beast serve to represent other aspects of the
kingdom of the devil. Moreover, if the symbol of the virtuous woman of
Revelation 12 is intended to represent specifically the true Church of Jesus
Christ (and the crown of Twelve Apostles and her being driven into the
wilderness so indicate) fn, it follows that the whore, her counterpart,
represents specifically false and counterfeit religion. Satan has more than one
institution at his disposal, but the whore is false religion. The whore cannot
represent kingdoms or governments—the beast and its horns do that (Revelation
Moreover, since the
great and abominable church from 1 Nephi is identified in every aspect with the
whore, while the beast is never even mentioned in Nephi's vision, it follows
that when we discuss the great and abominable church, we must not
confuse the whore which Nephi saw and described with the beast which he didn't.
There are no references to the beasts of Revelation in Nephi's vision of the
great and abominable church. As both John and Nephi make clear, the nations
outlast the whore, and they eventually destroy her. Both beast and whore are
component parts of the kingdom of the devil, but they are separate parts
even though they sometimes work together.
Perhaps the greatest
difficulty in Nephi's description of the great and abominable church is an
apparent contradiction between chapters 13 and 14. In 1 Nephi 13 the great and
abominable church is one specific church among many. Indeed, Nephi's
description of it as "most abominable above all other churches"
(verses 5, 26) is nonsense otherwise. Moreover, it has a specific historical
description: it is formed among the Gentiles after the Bible has been
transmitted in its purity to the Gentiles by the Jews (verse 26), and it is the
specific historical agent responsible for excising plain and precious truths
from the scriptural record. It would appear that in chapter 13 Nephi is
describing a specific historical institution as the great and abominable
church. To this we must add the information given in Doctrine and Covenants
86:1-4, which states that the great and abominable church did its work after
the Apostles had fallen asleep, that is, around the end of the first century
A.D. Similarly, in the Revelation of John the role of the whore has a
historical frame. She comes into the picture after the beasts, upon which she
rides and which give her support, and she is eliminated from the picture while
they yet continue. Again, the great and abominable church (Babylon) is not a
term identical with "the kingdom of the devil," for the whore is only
one of the component parts of a larger empire, together with the beasts, the
image, the horns, and the false prophet—and also with other false churches.
This last idea is clearly brought out in 1 Nephi 22:22-23:
But it is the
kingdom of the devil, which shall be built up among the children of men,
which kingdom is established among them which are in the flesh—
For the time speedily
shall come that all churches which are built up to get gain, and all
those who are built up to get power over the flesh, and those who are built up
to become popular in the eyes of the world, and those who seek the lusts of the
flesh and the things of the world, and to do all manner of iniquity; yea, in
fine, all those who belong to the kingdom of the devil are they who need
fear, and tremble. (Italics added.)
Indisputably, the full
kingdom of the devil is made up of many churches (or denominations) and will be
until the end of the world. Taking 1 Nephi 13 and 22 as our starting points, we
might be justified in asking just which of all those false denominations is the
actual great and abominable church of the devil. The apparent
contradiction comes in 1 Nephi 14:10 where we are told that there are only two
churches: "And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only;
the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the
devil."
How can this be? How
can the devil's church or churches be one and many at the same time? The
apparent contradiction actually gives us the solution to the larger puzzle and
ultimately our identification of the great and abominable church.
The answer is that the
term is used in two different ways in these two chapters. In chapter 13 it is
used historically and in chapter 14 it is used typologically, or
apocalyptically. In apocalyptic literature (remember that both Revelation and
Nephi 13-14 are apocalyptic in nature) the seer is caught up in vision and sees
things from God's perspective. Time ceases to be an important element. This is
why the chronology of John's Revelation at times seems to be scrambled; with
God there is no time. Apocalyptic visions are highly symbolic, usually
requiring an angelic interpreter for the seer to understand what he sees. But
the symbols are inclusive; that is, they stand for archetypical categories into
which all specific instances of something can be placed. This is why the whore
can be called
In other words
Once we understand
that the term great and abominable church has two extensions, the one
open, inclusive, and archetypical, and the other limited and historical, the
rest is easy. In chapter 14, Nephi describes the archetypical roles themselves:
"There are save two churches only" (that is,
Apocalyptic literature
is also dualistic. Since it deals with archetypes, it boils everything down to
opposing principles: love and hate, good and evil, light and dark. There are no
gray areas in apocalyptic scripture. At the very least, everything can be reduced
to the opposing categories of A and not-A ("They who are not for me are
against me, saith our God" [2 Nephi
It seems to me that
many Latter-day Saints have made one of two errors in trying to identify the
great and abominable church. The first is to believe that some specific
denomination or other, to the exclusion of all others, has been the great and
abominable church since the beginning of time. This is dangerous, for if we
understand the great and abominable church to be one specific church, some will
want to know which one it is, and an antagonistic relationship with that church
or denomination will inevitably follow. It might, for example, be argued that
Judaism was the great and abominable church. After all, the Jewish religious
establishment of that day would seem to qualify on several points. They
persecuted the Church and spilled the blood of the Saints. They crucified the
Messiah, the Savior of the world. They joined religion together with civil
government and used the police power to enforce their religious views. Both
Pharisees and Sadducees were reproved by Jesus for their pursuit of wealth at the
expense of justice. Jesus told the Pharisees that Satan was their father, and
John referred to certain Jewish meetinghouses in
But while
More often it has been
suggested that the Roman Catholic Church might be the great and abominable
church of 1 Nephi 13, but this is also untenable, primarily because Roman
Catholicism as we know it did not yet exist when the crimes described by Nephi
were being committed. In fact, the term Roman Catholic makes sense only
after A.D. 1054, when it began to be used to distinguish the Western,
Latin-speaking Orthodox church, which followed the bishop of Rome, from the
Eastern, Greek-speaking Orthodox church, which followed the bishop of
Constantinople (in association with others). Indeed, in the period between
Peter and Constantine, there were other Christian churches besides the
orthodox: Ebionites, Syrian and Egyptian Christians, Donatists, Gnostics, Marcionites,
etc. We don't know very much about how they were related to each other. Even if
we were to use the term "Roman" Catholic for the church which
Constantine began making his state religion in A.D. 313 (and the other orthodox
churches would object to this), still the New Testament as we know it (that is,
without the excised plain and precious parts) had already been widely circulated
by then. In other words, the work of the great and abominable church in slaying
the Apostles and excising the scriptures had already been done. By the time
The Catholic (that is,
"universal") Church of the fourth century was the result of the
Apostasy, its end product—not its cause. To find the real culprits in the case
of the excised texts, we need to look at a much earlier period in Christian
church history. None of the Presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints has ever identified Roman Catholicism as the great and
abominable church. And, in speaking of Catholic and Protestant faiths, the
Prophet Joseph Smith said:
The old Catholic
church traditions are worth more than all you have said. Here is a principle of
logic that most men have no more sense than to adopt. I will illustrate it by
an old apple tree. Here jumps off a branch and says, I am the true tree, and
you are corrupt. If the whole tree is corrupt, are not its branches corrupt? If
the Catholic religion is a false religion, how can any true religion come out
of it? If the Catholic Church is bad, how can any good thing come out of it?
The character of the old churches has always been slandered by all apostates
since the world began. fn
It was Martin Luther,
not Joseph Smith, who identified the Roman Catholic Church as
Finally, I would like
to submit that no single historical church or denomination known to us can be the
great and abominable church in an exclusive sense. No single organization meets
all the requirements:
1. It must have been
formed among the Gentiles and must have controlled the distribution of the New
Testament scriptures, which it edited and from which it deleted plain and
precious things.
2. It must have slain
the Saints of God and killed the Apostles and prophets.
3. It must be in
league with civil governments and use their police power to enforce its
religious views.
4. It must have
dominion over all the earth.
5. It must pursue
wealth, luxury, and sexual immorality, and must last until essentially the end
of the world.
No one denomination
fits the entire description. Neither does world Communism in our own day. The
conclusion is inescapable—no single entity can be the great and
abominable church from the beginning of the world to the end. Rather, the role
has been played by many different actors in many different times, and the great
and abominable church that Nephi described in 1 Nephi 13 is not the same one
that crucified Christ or that martyred Joseph and Hyrum.
So the one error, as I
see it, is to try to blame some modern denomination for the activities of an
ancient great and abominable church described by both Nephi and John. The other
error is to go too far the other way and remove the great and abominable church
from history altogether. This latter approach does not acknowledge that there
ever was or ever will be a historical manifestation of the great and abominable
church. It allegorizes the term completely, so that it becomes merely a vague
symbol for all the disassociated evil in the world. We cannot accept this in
the face of clear and explicit scripture to the contrary, for if we do, we
shall not be able to recognize the historical manifestations of the great and
abominable church in our own time or in the times to come. On the one hand, we
must avoid the temptation to identify the role of the great and abominable
church so completely with one particular denomination that we do not recognize
the part when it is played by some other organization, but on the other hand we
must remember that the role will be played by some agency. Will
we be able to recognize it?
To return to our
original topic, can we identify the historical agency that acted as the great
and abominable church in earliest Christianity and which Nephi and others
describe? I would like to argue that the great and abominable church Nephi
describes in chapter 13 had its origins in the second half of the first century
and had essentially done its work by the middle of the second century. This
period might be called the blind spot of ecclesiastical history, for it is here
that the fewest primary historical sources have been preserved. Essentially,
what happened is that we have good sources for New Testament Christianity (the
New Testament documents themselves); then the lights go out (that is, we have
very few historical sources), and in the dark we hear the muffled sounds of a
great struggle. When the lights come on again a hundred years or so later, we
find that someone has rearranged all the furniture and that Christianity is
something very different from what it was in the beginning. That different
entity can be accurately described by the term hellenized
Christianity. The hellenization of Christianity is a phenomenon which has
long been recognized by scholars of Christian history, but it is one which
Latter-day Saints know better as the Great Apostasy. Hellenization means
imposing Greek culture on the native cultures of the East. The result was a
synthesis of East and West, with elements of the Greek West predominating, a
melting-pot, popular culture which was virtually worldwide.
But in the realm of
religion, synthesis means compromise, and when we speak in terms of the gospel,
compromise with the popular culture of the world means apostasy from the truth.
When Jewish Christianity and Greek culture met head-on in the gentile mission
field in the middle of the first century, the Greeks eventually won, and Jewish
Christianity was ultimately "revised" to make it more attractive and
appealing to a Greek audience. Primary prejudices of the Hellenistic world were
the "absolute" nature of God (that is, he cannot be bound or limited
by anything) and the impossibility of anything material or physical being
eternal. In order to accommodate these ideas and thus appeal to a broader
gentile audience, Christianity had to discard the doctrines of an
anthropomorphic God and the resurrection of the dead or else
"reinterpret" them in a manner that had the same effect. fn This is
precisely what some Greek Christians at Corinth had already done and against
which Paul responds with such force in 1 Corinthians 15:12: "Now if Christ
be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no
resurrection of the dead?"
One assumption
necessary to my line of reasoning is that the earliest apostates from the true
primitive Church constituted the great and abominable church among the
Gentiles. Therefore we need something to link the Apostasy with the great and
abominable church, and I think we have such a link in many places, but two will
suffice to make my point here. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul says: "that
day shall not come, except there come a falling away [literally, an apostasy]
first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition." This man of
sin will sit in the
Perhaps my point could
be made more quickly by citing Doctrine and Covenants 86:3, where the Lord
explicitly identifies the whore,
And after they have
fallen asleep the great persecutor of the church, the apostate, the whore, even
Babylon, that maketh all nations to drink of her cup,
in whose hearts the enemy, even Satan, sitteth to
reign—behold he soweth the tares; wherefore, the
tares choke the wheat and drive the church into the wilderness.
Clearly, whatever
denominational name we choose to give it, the great and abominable church
described by Nephi and John and the earliest apostate church are identical. The
fact is that we do not know really what name to give it. I have proposed hellenized Christianity, but that is a description rather
than a name.
NOTES AND REFERENCES
Stephen E. Robinson is
Associate Professor of Ancient Scripture at
Footnotes
1. See, for example, gadol and its cognates in W. L. Holladay, A
Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (E. J. Brill: Leiden,
1971) pp. 55f.
2. Where the context
is given, a large majority of occurrences of abomination and its forms
refer to immorality or idolatry. Compare R. Young, Analytical Concordance to
the Bible (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1978),
pp. 6f.
3. Originally, the
term ekklesia, from two Greek words
meaning "call" and "out," referred to those citizens who
were called out or summoned to their public meetings by the heralds. Thus it
was an ideal word to represent the body of individuals "called" by God
"out" of the world through the Holy Ghost—the Church. The civil
dimension of the word can be seen in Acts 19:32, where "assembly" in
the Greek text is ekklesia, elsewhere
translated as "church." However, we must remember that we don't know
the original word behind "church" on the plates, but whatever it was;
Joseph Smith chose to render it church and not assembly or
something else.
4. This was also the
view of the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Joseph Smith Translation of Revelation
12:7 reads: "nor the woman which was the
5. Compare also the
Joseph Smith Translation of Revelation 13:1: "And I saw another sign, in
the likeness of the kingdoms of the earth; a beast rise up out of the
sea."
6. See Nahum 3.
7. See Revelation
11:8.
8. History of the
Church 6:478.
9. One of the many
instances which might be cited is found in Table Talk, No. 4487 (
10. An example might
be cited in Acts 17:32-33 where the mere mention to the Greeks of the physical
resurrection breaks up Paul's meeting with the Areopagus
council.
11. The Joseph Smith
Translation makes this identification even more apparent: "for there shall
come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition. . . . For the mystery of iniquity doth already work, and he it is
who now worketh, and Christ suffereth him to work,
until the time is fulfilled that he shall be taken out of the way." (2
Thessalonians 2:3, 7.)
12. For Lucifer as the
man of sin, see Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3
vols. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1973), 3:62-64.
13. Joseph
Smith—History
(Monte
S. Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds., First Nephi: The Doctrinal
Foundation [Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1988], 177.)
Church History – Apostasy – Reformation
February 6, 2004
There
were several questions on terminology in the reading assignment. The word township means an area of land with
several villages therein, it’s an eastern
BIBLE
DICTIONARY
VULGATE
The name
of the Latin (or “common”) version of the scriptures in use since the days of
Jerome (4th century A.D.), which before his time was known as the Old Latin.
The Vulgate was the Bible of the Middle Ages and the parent of all the
translations into the modern languages of
The
KJV is made of several Bibles and texts translated by the scholars who put it
together. They used the Hebrew, Vulgate, Septuagint, and
an English version by John Wycliffe.
There was a great divide between Roman orthodox and Greek orthodox, they
even use different Bibles.
BIBLE
DICTIONARY
SEPTUAGINT
The Greek
translation O.T. (so called because Jewish tradition said it was made in 70
days by 72 elders sent from
Sectarian View of the
Godhead—The
consistent, simple, and authentic doctrine respecting the character and
attributes of God, such as was taught by Christ and the apostles, gave way as
revelation ceased and as the darkness incident to the absence of divine
authority fell upon the world, after the apostles and the Priesthood had been
driven from the earth; and in its place appeared numerous theories and dogmas
of men, many of which are utterly incomprehensible in their inconsistency and
mysticism.
God, Sectarian Views
of/In the year 325, the Council of Nice was convened by the emperor
Constantine, who sought through this body to secure a declaration of Christian
belief that would be received as authoritative, and be the means of arresting
the increasing dissension incident to the prevalent disagreement regarding the
nature of the Godhead and other theological subjects. The Council condemned
some of the theories then current, including that of Arius, which asserted that
the Son was created by the Father, and therefore could not be coeternal with
the Father. The Council promulgated what is known as the Nicene Creed; and this
was followed in time by the Athanasian Creed over
which, however, controversy has arisen as to authorship. fn The creed follows:
"We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding
the persons, nor dividing the substance. For there is one person of the Father,
another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is all one; the glory equal, the majesty
coeternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost.
The Father uncreate, the Son uncreate, and the Holy Ghost uncreate. The Father
incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost
incomprehensible. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Ghost
eternal. And yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal. As also there
are not three incomprehensibles, nor three uncreated;
but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is
Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty; and yet there are not
three Almighties, but one Almighty. So the Father is
God, the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God, and yet there are not three Gods
but one God." It would be difficult to conceive of a greater number of
inconsistencies and contradictions expressed in words as few.
God, Sectarian Views
of/The Church of England teaches the present orthodox view of God as follows:
"There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body, parts,
or passions; of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness." The immateriality
of God as asserted in these declarations of sectarian faith is entirely at
variance with the scriptures, and absolutely contradicted by the revelations of
God's person and attributes, as shown by the citations already made.
God, Sectarian Views
of/We affirm that to deny the materiality of God's person is to deny God; for a
thing without parts has no whole, and an immaterial body cannot exist. fn The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims against the
incomprehensible God, devoid of "body, parts, or passions," as a
thing impossible of existence, and asserts its belief in and allegiance to the
true and living God of scripture and revelation.
(James
E. Talmage, Articles of Faith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1981],
42.)
Bruce
discussed the Council of Nicea and its motive of revenge against Arius and his
teachings. He believed in mercy toward
those who lapse in their faith, the hardliners felt otherwise and didn’t
appreciate Arius’ change of heart.
The Nature of God
"It is the first
principle of the gospel," said the Prophet Joseph Smith, "to know for
a certainty the character of God." (TPJS, p. 345.) Knowledge of the
nature and character of God was destroyed, we assert, during the long night of
the Apostasy. It was restored by two Personages in a pillar of light and these
words spoken to the boy Joseph Smith: "This is My Beloved Son. Hear
Him!" (Joseph Smith-History 1:17.) More was learned about the character of
God in the few minutes of the First Vision than in all the church councils ever
called! The creeds of the world were finally canonized only in the fourth and
fifth centuries, following long and sterile debates about the nature of the
Godhead. The diverse views held today by much of Christendom have gradually
evolved from those unenlightened speculations.
Doctrinal confusion
about the mission of Christ and His relationship to the Father began within a
few years of the Savior's death and resurrection. By the fourth century this
confusion had resulted in deep doctrinal schisms within the church. The Emperor
Constantine, fearing that the controversy threatened his secular power,
particularly in the eastern parts of the
(Alexander
B. Morrison, Visions of Zion [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1993],
60.)
False Christ’s
JOSEPH FIELDING MCCONKIE
Joseph Fielding
McConkie is professor of ancient scripture at
The scriptural warning
against false Christs was the first of the signs of the times given by the
Savior to his disciples. It, like the other signs, would signal that the time
of the destruction of the kingdom of the Jews and their temple was upon them.
This same sign, the coming of false Christs, was then repeated by the Lord as
the first of the signs by which his disciples in our day are to know the time
of his coming and the time of the destruction of the wicked are close at hand
(Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:6, 21-22). Indeed, the signs of the times for the
meridian dispensation were a foreshadowing of those of the last days. The
events that lead to destruction in one era do so in another. This principle
makes history marvelously prophetic.
REJECTING THE MESSIAH BROUGHT DESTRUCTION [Pagenum39-40]
The Book of Mormon
makes it plain that the Jews were destroyed as a nation and scattered
throughout the earth because they rejected Christ. That was the cause of their
destruction and captivity in the days of Jeremiah and again after the
crucifixion of Christ (1 Nephi
The temple was the
focal point of Jewish worship in Jesus' day. It was a magnificent edifice, one
of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Herod's
The story is told with
plainness in the Book of Mormon. In some future day when the scattered remnants
(the stones) of
FALSE CHRISTS DESTROYED THE
"Take heed that
no man deceive you," Christ told the meridian Twelve, "for many shall
come in my name, saying—I am Christ—and shall deceive many; then shall they
deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you, and ye shall be hated of
all nations, for my name's sake" (Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:5-7). Surely the
message was sobering: You will be hated of all nations, and they will both
afflict you and kill you. But who in those nations were the disciples being
warned against? According to what we have just read, it was false Christs.
There seem to be two important implications here: first, the Twelve would be
betrayed from within the Church, not by those in the world who opposed their
message; and second, the betraying of the faith would spread to all nations. It
didn't matter where the Twelve went; they would be opposed and betrayed. That
conclusion is sustained by the prophetic dream of Nephi: "Behold the world
and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of
We can reconstruct the
story only in part, but that is sufficient to establish a pattern. The apostles
took the message to the various nations. Many were converted but not in full.
The Christian convert stood alone, overshadowed by the influence of the Jewish
temple on the one hand and the Greek academy on the other. From the temple came
the Judaizers, who wouldn't let go of their traditions; while from the academy
came those indoctrinated in the monotheism of Plato. As if that were not
enough, there were also the Gnostics, who were truer than true, straining
everything through the veil of mysticism. And so the newly converted, wanting
neither to give offense nor to appear as fools, sought common ground and a
spirit of conciliation. In so doing, they modified the Christian message until
it passed as it were into a new dialect, one that would have been very strange
to the ear of those initially commissioned by Christ.
DECLARING HIS GENERATION
In the Old Testament's
great messianic prophecy, Isaiah asked, "Who shall declare his
generation?" (Isaiah 53:8), meaning, Who shall declare the genesis, or
origin, of Christ? In early Christian history the answer became, Just about
anyone, and all the ideas differed. The one idea that no one considered was
that Christ was actually the Son of God. The idea that God could actually beget
a son was too far-fetched to deserve consideration. Words simply didn't mean
what they said where God and the gospel were concerned. The irony of this, if
lost on virtually everyone else, was not lost on the editors of The Shorter
One of the first
departures from the simple story of Christ's birth centers on the account of
his baptism. To capture the argument of the Adoptionists,
we must pass behind the synoptic Gospels and consult the "Gospel according
to the Hebrews," an apocryphal work thought by some to be the original
version of Matthew's Gospel. There, as in Justin Martyr and in the Acts of
Peter and Paul, the heavenly voice addresses Jesus at the time of his baptism,
using the Psalmist's words, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten
thee" (Psalms 2:7). The Adoptionists reasoned
that the investiture of sonship took place on the day
of Christ's baptism, that being the occasion on which the divine element
entered its human tabernacle and the heavenly adoption was announced by God.
This doctrine apparently was first advocated by the Ebionites
(Heb., "poor men"), a sect of Jewish Christians that flourished in
the early centuries in areas east of
It has also been held
that the apostle Paul was an Adoptionist but that he
differed with the Ebionites as to the time of
adoption. Paul, that argument goes, believed Jesus to have been adopted at the
time of his resurrection, and Romans 1:3-4 is cited as the proof text:
"Jesus Christ was born of the seed of David according to the flesh; and
declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of
holiness, by his resurrection from the dead." fn
Providing a complete
contrast with the Adoptionist view of Christ's
humanity is Docetism. Literally, the name means
"to seem," which captures the essence of the idea that Christ's
manhood and sufferings were apparent rather than real. Jesus, the Docetists held, came not in the flesh but rather as spirit
that exhibited the appearance of the flesh. They believed his body was a
"sort of a ghost that miraculously seemed to be a real body." The Docetists denied the birth of Jesus because a mortal birth
would have made him subject to the power of the material world. fn
Christian historians
tell us that after such notions developed, the idea of Christ's being divine
from birth originated. They argue that the Infancy Gospels, the apocryphal New
Testament writings that deal with Christ's childhood, appeared at this point,
along with the accounts of the Nativity in Matthew and Luke. "They could
not be prefixed, however, to the original baptismal scene without an obvious
discordance: if the sonship dated from the nativity,
it could not at the baptism be announced as beginning 'this day': and so the
phrase from the Messianic Psalm was removed; and in its place the prophetic
Spirit supplied the fitter words, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.'" This concept raised a host of questions for the mind trained in
the learning of the Greeks, for to such a mind the difference between that
which is divine and that which is not divine is the same as the difference
between that which "ever is" and that which "comes and
goes." Thus was the notion introduced that the sonship
of Christ could not have had a beginning in mortal conditions but must be
traceable to the pre-earth estate. The writers of scripture were said to have
introduced the idea of his "'glory before the world was'; [in] an eternity
'in the bosom of the Father' [John 1:14,” that is, the doctrine that Christ
obtained his divine nature even before the world was and only later became
flesh. fn
The Apologists
(Christian writers who, under the guise of defending the faith to the outside
world, irreparably compromised it with Greek philosophy, c. 120-220), were all
"ardent monotheists" and determined "at all costs" not to
betray that principle. "The solution they proposed, reduced to essentials,
was that, as preexistent, Christ was the Father's thought or mind, and that, as
manifested in creation and revelation, He was its extrapolation or expression.
In expounding this doctrine they had recourse to the imagery of the divine
Logos, or Word, which had been familiar to later Judaism as well as to
Stoicism, and which had become a fashionable cliché through the influence of
Philo." fn Devoid of the Spirit of revelation, that Spirit essential to
even the most fundamental understanding of the gospel declared by Christ, the
Apologists commenced their "speculations and developed a science about
Christ" called Christology, their great labor being "Logos
Christology, from the Greek term logos, meaning 'the Word.'" The Logos
notion was "a prominent concept in the prevailing Neo-Platonic philosophy
of the time and so provided the theologians with a means of correlating the
Christian revelation not only with the Old Testament but also with the insights
of the classical philosophers." fn That is a kind way of saying they sold
out. To cover the treachery of their deed, the argument of traditional
Christianity was that the pagan philosophers were "Christians before
Christianity" and so their philosophical speculations were more important
than the writings of the Old Testament prophets, which those speculations were
then used to reinterpret. fn
Thus with the aid of
pagan philosophers, the Christian Apologists were able to discover that Jesus
Christ was really just some kind of manifestation of the mind of a Christ in a
mortal body. He was Logos, meaning "the intelligence or rational
thought" of God. What he was not, in anything other than a metaphorical
sense, was God's Son. Such a notion would require God to be a personal being
and necessitate our accepting the language of the scriptures to mean what it
says. Among other things it would suggest that God actually appeared to the
prophets of the Old Testament and conversed with them as one man converses with
another. But the Apologists found it "inconceivable that 'the Master and
Father of all things should have abandoned all supercelestial
affairs and made Himself visible in a minute corner of the world'."
"Old Testament theophanies," their argument
runs, are "in fact appearances of the Logos. God Himself cannot be
contained in space and time, but it was precisely the function of the Word Whom
He generated to manifest His mind and will in the created order." fn Thus
Christ, or Logos, meaning some kind of intermediary expression of the mind of
Deity, appeared to the Old Testament prophets. Again, how have we come to such
an understanding? From Plato and his fellow philosophers, including the Jewish
apologist Philo.
These events provided
the setting for the famous Arian controversy which divided the Christian world
for hundreds of years. "Arius [c. 250-c. 336] was incited to action by the
teaching of Alexander the bishop of
Will Durant, in his classic work Caesar and Christ,
summarizes the early Christian era thus: "Christianity did not destroy
paganism; it adopted it. The Greek mind, dying, came to a transmigrated life in
the theology and liturgy of the Church; the Greek language, having reigned for
centuries over philosophy, became the vehicle of Christian literature and
ritual; the Greek mysteries passed down into the impressive mystery of the
(Watch
and Be Ready: Preparing for the Second Coming of the Lord [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1994], 39.)
There
was a great uproar in the Empire; they were divided by language, customs,
doctrine etc.
Many
doctrines came into the church that was not scriptural, but the people didn’t
know it!
Non-Biblical
Doctrines and Practices Developed
Within the Catholic Church
- Monasticism - The church
encouraged many to withdraw from society believing that in so doing they
would be alone with God; men who practiced monasticism were called monks
and woman were called nuns.
- Celibacy - Monks, nuns,
and priests believed they should not be married.
- Praying to Mary
or saints
(deceased persons who were officially recognized by the church as holy) -
They believed that Mary or the saints could stand before God on behalf of
sinners.
- Penance - Punishments
which a repentant sinner had to undergo to show their sorrow for their
sins.
- Purgatory - The place
after death where repentant sinners completed the portion of punishment
for sins not completed while living.
- Indulgences - A waiver from
the pope that excused the sinner from doing penance and shortened the time
one had to stay in purgatory.
- Transubstantiation - The belief
that elements of the Sacrament actually became the body and blood of
Christ.
- Infant baptism - The belief
that infants must be baptized to overcome original sin.
- Pilgrimages - Those who
visited the
THE
REFORMERS
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John
Wycliffe (c. 1330-1384)
John Huss (c. 1369-1414) ·
Selling
of indulgences ·
Burned
at the stake in 1414 Martin
Luther (c. 1483-1546) ·
95
Thesis: Selling of indulgences, celibacy, monasticism, etc John
Calvin (1509-1564) ·
Sovereignty
of God ·
Double
predestination ·
Denigration
of man ·
Elect ·
Visible
and invisible church ·
Two
Sacraments - Baptism and the Lord's Supper Jacob
Arminius (1560-1609)
Synod of Dordt (1618- 1619)
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The TULIP doctrines of Election, Grace,
Justification and Sanctification came from Paul’s writings in Romans, Ephesians
and Galatians.
Agency
vs. Predestination
By
John A. Tvedtnes
An
area of disagreement among Christians is whether we humans have agency--and
thus some measure of control over our salvation--or whether God has predestined
our fate. The argument is not a new one and was also known in early Judaism as
well as in medieval Islam. The problem is complicated by the fact that some
scriptures and other early texts seem to suggest that God has given us agency,
while others have been read as evidence for predestination.1
Augustine
(354-430 A.D.), bishop of Hippo in
Though
Luther and other reformers taught predestination, John Calvin was its foremost
proponent during the time of the Protestant Reformation.3
Many adherents of today's Protestant Evangelical movement lean heavily on
Calvin, though not all Evangelical Christians believe in predestination. Calvinistic belief is expressed by the
acronym TULIP, where each letter stands for one principle: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, and Perseverance of the saints.
We
begin by looking at the implications of these concepts.
Total
Depravity
The
term suggests that the "original sin" of Adam and Eve has so tainted
mankind that we would be lost forever without the atonement of Jesus Christ.
Latter-day Saints agree with this concept. The Book of Mormon prophet Abinadi
declared,
For
they are carnal and devilish, and the devil has power over them; yea, even that
old serpent that did beguile our first parents, which was the cause of their
fall; which was the cause of all mankind becoming carnal, sensual, devilish,
knowing evil from good, subjecting themselves to the devil. Thus all mankind
were lost; and behold, they would have been endlessly lost were it not that God
redeemed his people from their lost and fallen state. But remember that he that
persists in his own carnal nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion
against God, remaineth in his fallen state and the
devil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no
redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the devil an enemy to God.
And now if Christ had not come into the world, speaking of things to come as
though they had already come, there could have been no redemption. (Mosiah
16:3-6; see also D&C 20:20-21)
Amulek
repeated the concept, adding that repentance is necessary in order to qualify
for salvation through Christ:
Therefore,
as the soul could never die, and the fall had brought upon all mankind a
spiritual death as well as a temporal, that is, they were cut off from the
presence of the Lord, it was expedient that mankind should be reclaimed from
this spiritual death. Therefore, as they had become carnal, sensual, and
devilish, by nature, this probationary state became a state for them to
prepare; it became a preparatory state. And now remember, my son, if it were
not for the plan of redemption, (laying it aside) as soon as they were dead
their souls were miserable, being cut off from the presence of the Lord. And
now, there was no means to reclaim men from this fallen state, which man had
brought upon himself because of his own disobedience; Therefore, according to
justice, the plan of redemption could not be brought about, only on conditions
of repentance of men in this probationary state, yea, this preparatory state;
for except it were for these conditions, mercy could not take effect except it
should destroy the work of justice. Now the work of justice could not be
destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God. And thus we see that all mankind
were fallen, and they were in the grasp of justice; yea, the justice of God,
which consigned them forever to be cut off from his presence. And now, the plan
of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made;
therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the
world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice,
that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also. (
The
brother of Jared prayed, "for we know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy before
thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually" (Ether
3:2). Jacob taught that without the atonement of Christ, we would "become
devils, angels to a devil, to be shut out from the presence of our God" (2
Nephi 9:9; see also vs. 16), but, like Amulek, he stressed the importance of
repentance in the process of salvation: "O my brethren, hearken unto my
words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake
from the slumber of death; and loose yourselves from the pains of hell that ye
may not become angels to the devil" (Jacob 3:11).
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches "that men will be
punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression" (Article of
Faith 2), but only because "through the atonement of Christ, all mankind
may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel"
(Article of Faith 3). These laws and ordinances are defined in Article of Faith
4: "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are:
first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by
immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of
the Holy Ghost."
The
sole exception to this scenario is children who have not yet reached the age of
accountability and those whose mental abilities make them childlike. King Benjamin
said,
And
even if it were possible that little children could sin they could not be
saved; but I say unto you they are blessed; for behold, as in Adam, or by
nature, they fall, even so the blood of Christ atoneth
for their sins. And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name
given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children
of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent. For behold
he judgeth, and his judgment is just; and the infant perisheth not that dieth in his
infancy; but men drink damnation to their own souls except they humble
themselves and become as little children, and believe that salvation was, and
is, and is to come, in and through the atoning blood of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.
For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and
will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings
of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man
and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ
the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek,
humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit
to his father. (Mosiah 3:16-19; see also
From
this, we learn that all of us, by accepting the atonement of Christ and
submitting ourselves to him, can become childlike and thus indemnified by the
blood of Christ from guilt. The risen Savior told the Nephites assembled in the
city
Unconditional
Election
Calvin
believed that God elects some people for salvation and chooses others for
damnation, not based on any innate qualities of the individual, but does so out
of his own divine will. Taken to the extreme, it means that one whom God
chooses to save will be saved regardless of whether he is a good or evil
person, while one destined for damnation will be damned even if he is
righteous. The concept is expressed in the saying, "If you will or if you
won't, you'll be damned if you do, you'll be damned if you don't."
This
is where Latter-day Saints--and, indeed, most Christians--part company with
Calvin. The concept of predestination suggests that God is capricious, saving
or damning people at will, without regard to their righteous or sinful state.
It makes Peter a liar when he declared, "Of a truth I perceive that God is
no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth
him, and worketh righteousness, is
accepted with him" (Acts 10:34-35), a concept subsequently taught by Paul
(Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9). Indeed, Paul wrote "that of the Lord ye
shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But
he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there
is no respect of persons" (Colossians 3:24-25). The concept of
predestination also contradicts the biblical teaching that "he that
endureth to the end shall be saved" (Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Mark 13:13).
That
full salvation is available to everyone but is given only to those who believe
is suggested by Jesus' final instruction to the apostles: "Go ye into all
the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall
be damned" (Mark 16:15-16). Note, too, Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians
1:21-24: "For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not
God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But
we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock,
and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and
Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God."
Limited
Atonement
According
to Calvin, Christ died only for the elect. This is not to say that he died for
the righteous for, as the Bible (and the Book of Mormon) teaches, all are
sinners. One of the "proof texts" used to support the concept of
limited atonement is John 10:11, 15, where Jesus noted that he would die for
"the sheep." Another is Matthew 26:28, where he said that his blood
"is shed for many for the remission of sins," suggesting that the
atonement did not apply to everyone, only to "many." Similarly,
Isaiah prophesied that Christ would bear the sins of "many," but not
all (Isaiah 53:12).
The
Book of Mormon also uses this term, saying of the Lamanites that "many of
them will be saved, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his
name" (
Therefore,
blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their
God; for these are they that shall be saved. And may God grant, in his great
fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they
might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works. And I would
that all men might be saved. But we read that in the great and last day there
are some who shall be cast out, yea, who shall be cast off from the presence of
the Lord; Yea, who shall be consigned to a state of endless misery, fulfilling
the words which say: They that have done good shall have everlasting life; and
they that have done evil shall have everlasting damnation. (Helaman 12:23-26)
Other
passages cited in support of the concept of a limited atonement are John 17:9
(where Jesus prayed for those given to him, not for the entire world) and Acts
20:28 (Christ purchased the Church, not all people). The narrow interpretation
given such passages is contradicted by other New Testament writings. Peter
wrote that God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Paul wrote that "our Saviour...will have all men to be saved, and to come
unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:3-4). Like
John
the Baptist called Christ "the Lamb of God, which taketh
away the sin of the world" (John 1:29), while the apostle John
wrote that "he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 John 2:2).5
John also wrote that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:16-17). The
apostle Paul told the Corinthians, "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died
for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which
live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for
them, and rose again" (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). In verse 18, he noted that
Christians are reconciled to God through Christ, while in verse 20, he
admonished, "be ye reconciled to God," clearly showing that we
must do something to take advantage of this reconciliation. In an earlier
epistle to the Corinthian saints, Paul noted that one aspect of the atonement
of Christ provides a resurrection for all men:
For
since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as
in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every
man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he
shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have
put down all rule and all authority and power. (1 Corinthians 15:21-24)
Latter-day
Saints believe that Christ's atonement overcame temporal (physical) death for
all men, thus providing a resurrection for everyone, but that he provided
salvation from spiritual death only for young children and for adults who
choose to follow him (D&C 29:41-50). This view accommodates New Testament
teachings about salvation for all or for the few, and it corresponds to Jesus'
teaching about a universal resurrection:
"Marvel
not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves
shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of
damnation" (John 5:28-29). Looking at it from another perspective, we
learn from D&C 76 that all except the sons of perdition will be assigned to
one of the three degrees of glory (D&C 76:43-44), so they are all saved
from the devil.
In
the Book of Mormon, Amulek explained that Christ
shall
come into the world to redeem his people; and he shall take upon him the
transgressions of those who believe on his name; and these are they that shall
have eternal life, and salvation cometh to none else. Therefore the wicked
remain as though there had been no redemption made, except it be the loosing of
the bands of death; for behold, the day cometh that all shall rise from the
dead and stand before God, and be judged according to their works. Now, there
is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose
the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal
death. The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form;
both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are
at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we
know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. (
Irresistible
Grace
Calvin
held that when God calls his elect to salvation, they are unable to resist his
free gift. The "external call" goes to all mankind, but the
"internal call" from the Holy Spirit is intended only for those
chosen to be saved and cannot be resisted. Among the passages cited in support
of this concept is John 6:28-29, "Then said they unto him, What shall we
do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them,
This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."
Calvinists read Jesus' words as evidence that faith in Christ is a gift to the
elect. But Christ's response to the question "What shall we do"
really is that we should believe in God, and that this is what God wants of us.
It does not suggest that the elect can just go on in their sinful ways and
expect that God will make them believe in his Son.
Some
cite Philippians 2:13 ("For it is God which worketh
in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure") as evidence that men
have no free will. This latter passage, however, must be read in context with
the verses that precede it, which indicate that it is God's desire
That
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling. (Philippians 2:10-12)
Perhaps
the strongest passage used in support of the concept of irresistible grace is
found in Romans 9:16-24:
So
then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth
mercy. For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I
raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee,
and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he
mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted
his will? Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest
against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou
made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make
one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew
his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the
vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches
of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
This
concept is also reflected in Isaiah 7:20 and 10:15, where the king of Assyria
is said to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in punishing wicked
Latter-day
Saints do not believe that grace is irresistible. D&C 20:32-34 declares,
"But there is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from
the living God; Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they
fall into temptation; Yea, and even let those who are sanctified take heed
also." This is supported by the apostle Paul, who admonished his fellow
Christians "That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to
distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good
foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal
life" (1 Timothy 6:18-19).
Perseverance
of the Saints
Calvin
reasoned that Christ's elect cannot lose their salvation. Since the Father
elected, the Son redeemed, and the Holy Spirit applied salvation, those thus
saved are eternally secure in Christ. Some of the verses cited for this
position are:
- John 10:27-28, where Jesus said his
sheep "shall never perish." However, he defined his sheep as
those who "follow me," suggesting that those who do not follow
him do not have the same promise. Thus, mankind has free will.
- John 6:47, where Jesus declared "He
that believeth on me hath everlasting life." The real question here
is how to read the word "believeth." Does it refer to all who
profess a belief in Christ, or to those who demonstrate that belief by
their actions. The Savior told his disciples "If ye love me, keep my
commandments" (John 14:15; see also vs. 23). He also reworded it
"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love" (John
15:10). The apostle John, who preserved these words of Christ, also wrote,
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments" (1
John 5:3). Similarly, James wrote that "faith without works is
dead" (James 2:20; see also vs. 17). Paul wrote, "I declare unto
you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received,
and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in
memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For
I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that
Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians
15:1-3). Jude agreed, writing, "But ye, beloved, building up
yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep
yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ unto eternal life" (Jude 1:20-21).
- Romans 8:1, which declares that
"them which are in Christ Jesus" are not condemned, suggesting
to Calvinists that they are already saved. This interpretation ignores the
fact that the verse then adds, "who walk not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit," suggesting that only those who follow the
promptings of the Spirit will partake of full salvation, i.e., they will
be saved from spiritual death, which is total separation from God.
- 1 Corinthians 10:13, which teaches that
God "will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape." The truth of
this is undisputed, but one must also note the context of the passage.
Verse 12 reads "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall," suggesting that
one can, indeed, fall from grace. In verse 14, Paul wrote,
"Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." This clearly
suggests that action on our part is necessary. To the Galatians, Paul
wrote that Christians who performed circumcision were "fallen from
grace" (Galatians 5:4). The Latter-day Saint belief is summed up in
D&C 20:32-34: "But there is a possibility that man may fall from
grace and depart from the living God; Therefore let the church take heed
and pray always, lest they fall into temptation; Yea, and even let those
who are sanctified take heed also."6
- Philippians 1:6, which declares that God
"hath begun a good work in you [and] will perform it until the day
[second coming] of Jesus Christ." This is not a doctrinal assertion;
rather, Paul wrote that he was "confident of this very
thing." He was expressing his opinion, based on how the people
conducted their lives. In verses 10-11, he admonished, "That ye may
approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without
offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of
righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of
God."
In
several New Testament passages, Christ spoke of those the Father had given him
(Matthew 11:27; John 6:37-39, 44-45, 65; 10:26-29; 17:2, 11-12, 24; see also 3
Nephi 15:24; D&C 27:14; 50:41-42; 84:63). These seem, on the surface, to
suggest predestination, but do they? In John 10:29, Christ referred to the
Father giving him his sheep, but two verses earlier, he said, "My sheep
hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27), which
suggests free will.
Earlier,
Jesus said, "he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that
believeth on me shall never thirst. But I said unto you, That ye also have seen
me, and believe not. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:35-37). Coming and
believing again suggest free will, despite the fact that he speaks of the
Father giving them. I suggest that when Christ said "that no man can come
unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father" (John 6:65), he was
referring to the fact that only those who receive testimony of Christ from God
truly come unto him. I further believe that this is what Paul had in mind when
he wrote that "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost"
(1 Corinthians 12:3).
The
Father's giving of people to Christ does not suggest that they were predestined
to salvation, only that the Father gave Christ charge of them. If it meant
predestination, then we must note that Christ himself declared that one of those
given him by the Father had been lost: "Holy Father, keep through thine
own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While
I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the
son of perdition" (John 17:11-12).7
Jesus declared that it was "the Father's will...that of all which he hath
given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last
day" (John 6:39), and yet he lost Judas. This demonstrates that "the
Father's will" does not imply predestination, but only what he wants of
us.
Some
might object that Judas Iscariot was predestined to his fate, which begs the
question of why the Father had given him to Christ. The case of Judas
demonstrates that being given to Christ does not suggest predestination to
salvation. Some suggest that the words "that the scripture might be
fulfilled" at the end of verse 12 refers to Judas being predestined to
fall, but we must again read the passage in context and note what scripture
predicts this event. I suggest that the scripture being fulfilled is that
Christ would be brought to trial and put to death (e.g., Isaiah 53). It would
have happened by another means had Judas not chosen to betray him.
Calling and
Election
The
apostle Peter wrote, "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to
make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never
fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the
everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ" (2 Peter 1:10-11). His stress on the "diligence"
required to make one's calling and election sure suggests that salvation, while
possible only through Christ's atonement, also depends on our own actions. In
the verses that precede this statement, Peter explains what he means by
"diligence":
And
beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue
knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to
patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly
kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that
ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ. (2 Peter 1:5-8)
Peter's
concept of calling and election seems to rely on Christ's statement that
"many are called, but few are chosen" (Matthew 22:14; cf. Matthew
20:16; D&C 95:5; 121:34).8
Indeed, the Greek word rendered "calling" in Peter's epistle derives
from the same verb used by Christ in Matthew's account and means
"invite." Thus, the declaration in Matthew 22 is preceded by a
parable comparing "the kingdom of heaven" to a king's banquet to
which people were invited. The wealthy found excuses not to come and slew the
king's messengers, so the king sent his servants to seek out the poor and
others to attend the feast. One man, improperly dressed, was expelled and sent
"into outer darkness" (Matthew 22:2-13). The parable clearly notes
that all were invited into the kingdom, but some rejected the invitation, while
others accepted. But even among the latter group, one had to be expelled. The
parable clearly suggests that salvation depends on our coming to Christ, the
king, meaning that we must take action on the invitation. We must also come
properly "dressed" to the spiritual banquet. That one can be expelled
from the blessed state made possible through Christ's atonement is suggested in
Hebrews 6:4-6:
For
it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the
good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away,
to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son
of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Commenting
on Peter's exhortation to make one's calling and election sure, the prophet
Joseph Smith said
Now,
there is some grand secret here, and keys to unlock the subject.
Notwithstanding the apostle exhorts them to add to their faith, virtue,
knowledge, temperance, &c., yet he exhorts them to make their calling and
election sure. And though they had heard an audible voice from heaven bearing
testimony that Jesus was the Son of God [2 Peter 1:17-18], yet he says we have
a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a
light shining in a dark place [2 Peter 1:19]. Now, wherein could they have a
more sure word of prophecy than to hear the voice of God saying, This is my
beloved Son, &c. Now for the secret and grand key, Though they might hear
the voice of God and know that Jesus was the Son of God, this would be no
evidence that their election and calling was made sure, that they had part with
Christ, and were joint heirs with Him. They then would want that more sure word
of prophecy, that they were sealed in the heavens and had the promise of eternal
life in the
Joseph
further explained that "The more sure word of prophecy means a man's
knowing that he is sealed up into eternal life by revelation and the spirit of
prophecy, through the power of the holy priesthood" (History of the
Church 5:392). He also declared, "We have no claim in our eternal
compact, in relation to eternal things, unless our actions and contracts and
all things tend to this end. But after all this, you have got to make your
calling and election sure...1st key: Knowledge is the power of salvation. 2nd
key: Make your calling and election sure. 3rd key: It is one thing to be on the
mount and hear the excellent voice. &c., &c., and another to hear the
voice declare to you, you have a part and lot in that kingdom" (History
of the Church 5:403).
Predestination
or Foreordination?
While
some Christians use the term "predestination" in reference to what
God has appointed to mortals, Latter-day Saints prefer the term
"foreordination." The latter presumes the premortal existence of our
spirits in the presence of the Father, who selected or foreordained some of
those spirits to be his leaders on the earth (Abraham 3:21-28), of whom the
chief was his beloved and divine son, who came to be known as Jesus Christ.9
To discuss the evidence for this premortal existence would detract from the
theme of this article, so I simply note that, while many early Christian writers
believed that the souls of man came into being at the time of birth, others
taught that our spirits lived with God in a premortal realm. This concept is
also known from early Jewish texts.
It
is instructive to look at the views of some of the post-New Testament Church
Fathers. For example, Justin Martyr (died 164 A.D.) wrote that God
"foreknows that some are to be saved by repentance, some even that are
perhaps not yet born" (First Apology 28).10
Divine foreknowledge, like foreordination of premortal spirits, need not imply
predestination. Indeed, Justin believed in the agency of man:
But
lest some suppose, from what has been said by us, that we say that whatever happens,
happens by a fatal necessity, because it is foretold as known beforehand, this
too we explain. We have learned from the prophets, and we hold it to be true,
that punishments, and chastisements, and good rewards are rendered according to
each man's actions. Since if it be not so, but all things happen by fate,
neither is anything at all in our power. For if it be fated that this man,
e.g., be good, and this other evil, neither is the former meritorious nor the
latter to be blamed. And again, unless the human race have the power of
avoiding evil and choosing good by free choice, they are not accountable for
their actions, of whatever kind they be. But that it is by free choice they
both walk uprightly and stumble, we thus demonstrate. We see the same man
making a transition to opposite things. Now, if it had been fated that he were
to be either good or bad, he could never have been capable of both the
opposites, nor of so many transitions. But not even would some be good and
others bad, since we thus make fate the cause of evil, and exhibit her as
acting in opposition to herself; or that which has been already stated would
seem to be true, that neither virtue nor vice is anything, but that things are
only reckoned good or evil by opinion; which, as the true word shows, is the
greatest impiety and wickedness. But this we assert is inevitable fate, that
they who choose the good have worthy rewards, and they who choose the opposite
have their merited awards. For not like other things, as trees and quadrupeds, which
cannot act by choice, did God make man: for neither would he be worthy of
reward or praise did he not of himself choose the good, but were created for
this end; nor, if he were evil, would he be worthy of punishment, not being
evil of himself, but being able to be nothing else than what he was made. And
the holy Spirit of prophecy taught us this, telling us by Moses that God spoke
thus to the man first created: 'Behold, before thy face are good and evil:
choose the good.'11
And again, by the other prophet Isaiah, that the following utterance was made
as if from God the Father and Lord of all: 'Wash you, make you clean; put away
evils from your souls; learn to do well; judge the orphan, and plead for the
widow; and come and let us reason together, saith the Lord: And if your sins be
as scarlet, I will make them white as wool; and if they be red like as crimson,
I will make them white as snow. And if ye be willing and obey Me, ye shall eat
the good of the land; but if ye do not obey Me, the sword shall devour you: for
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.'12
... So that what we say about future events being foretold, we do not say it as
if they came about by a fatal necessity; but God foreknowing all that shall be
done by all men, and it being His decree that the future actions of men shall
all be recompensed according to their several value, He foretells by the Spirit
of prophecy that He will bestow meet rewards according to the merit of the
actions done." (First Apology 43-44)13
John
Cassian (ca. 360-435 A.D.), expressed the same idea,
saying that
though
each man's end is known beforehand to Him before his birth, yet somehow He so
orders all things by a plan and method for all, and with regard to man's
disposition, that He decides on everything not by the mere exercise of His
power, nor according to the ineffable knowledge which His Prescience possesses,
but according to the present actions of men, and rejects or draws to Himself
each one, and daily either grants or withholds His grace. And that this is so
the election of Saul also shows us, of whose miserable end the foreknowledge of
God certainly could not be ignorant, and yet He chose him out of so many
thousands of Israel and anointed him king, rewarding the then existing merits
of his life, and not considering the sin of his coming fall, so that after he
became reprobate, God complains almost in human terms and, with man's feelings,
as if He repented of his choice, saying: "It repenteth
Me that I have appointed Saul king: for he hath forsaken Me, and hath not
performed My words;" and again: "But Samuel was grieved for Saul
because the Lord repented that He had made Saul king over Israel." (Second
Conference of Abbot Joseph 25)14
Eusebius,
bishop of
the
consequence for those who hold these doctrines is that they utterly destroy our
free-will, and therefore also both praise and blame, and commendable, or on the
other hand blame-able actions.
But
if this is the case, there is an end of the proclaimed judgement
of God, and of threatenings against sinners that they
should be punished; also, on the other hand, of the privileges and beatitudes
promised to those who have devoted themselves to the better life: for none of
these things will any longer have a good reason for their occurrence.
Also
if any one would look at the consequences to himself of the doctrines he holds,
(he would see that) both his faith will be vain, and Christ's advent of no
avail, and all the dispensation of law and prophets, and the labours of the Apostles to establish the churches of God
through Christ.15
Calvin
acknowledged that of the early Church Fathers, "Ambrose, Origen, and
Jerome, were of opinion, that God dispenses his grace among men according to
the use which he foresees that each will make of it. It may be added, that
Augustine also was for some time of this opinion; but after he had made greater
progress in the knowledge of Scripture, he not only retracted it as evidently
false, but powerfully confuted it."16
From a Latter-day Saint perspective, Augustine introduced more false doctrine
into Christianity than anyone before his time and the concept of predestination
is as fallacious as other such notions that he penned. We maintain that the
Bible is a more reliable source of sound doctrine, and shall return to the
subject later in this paper.
Names
Written in Heaven
The
scriptures inform us that there is a "book of remembrance" or
"book of life" in heaven in which the names of the righteous are
written (Malachi 3:16-18; Revelation 13:8; 17:8).17
Christ declared that the names of the seventy disciples he had chosen were
"written in heaven" (Luke 10:20). Some might take such passages as
evidence for predestination, but this argument fails when one reads that the Lord
blots out the names of the wicked from the heavenly book (Deuteronomy 9:14;
29:19-20; Psalm 69:28; 2 Kings 14:27; Revelation 3:5; Alma 5:57-58).18
The scriptures are clear that if one whose name is written in the book of life
falls into sin, the Lord removes that person's name from the book.
Consequently, there is no predetermination for eternal life; God ordains that
gift for all of his children, but removes them from the list when they sin.
When
the Israelites sinned with the golden calf, Moses pleaded with the Lord,
"Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray
thee, out of thy book which thou hast written. And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever
hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book" (Exodus 32:32-33).
Noting
Moses' plea, John Cassian (ca. 360-435 A.D.) wrote
that "Judas [Iscariot]...killed himself by hanging, that he might not
after his name was blotted out be converted and repent19
and deserve to be once more written among the righteous in heaven. We must
therefore not doubt that at the time when he was chosen by Christ and obtained a
place in the Apostolate, the name of Judas was written in the book of the
living, and that he heard as well as the rest the words: 'Rejoice not because
the devils are subject unto you, but rejoice because your names are written in
heaven' [Luke 10:20]. But...he was corrupted by the plague of covetousness and
had his name struck out from that heavenly list."20
A Survey of
New Testament Passages
A
number of Bible passages are used as proof-texts to demonstrate the concept of
predestination. Here, we examine each to see how they should be read in context
and provide evidence that they can be used to support the concept of
foreordination rather than predestination.
John 1:12-13
"But
as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even
to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
All
Christians, including Latter-day Saints, acknowledge that salvation comes only
through Christ, who declared that he came to do the will of his Father (John
5:30). Without Christ's atonement, none of our good works would be sufficient
to save us. It is, therefore, the will of God that provides salvation but, as
noted in verse 12, we must first believe on the name of Christ and accept this
gift.21
John 15:16
"Ye
have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye
shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you."
Calvin
cited this as one of his evidences for predestination, saying that Christ
"not only excludes past merits, but declares that they had nothing in
themselves for which they could be chosen except in so far as his mercy
anticipated."22
Latter-day Saints, however, see this as a reference only to the twelve
apostles, whom Christ chose as his leaders.23
Because the Savior added, "I have chosen you out of the world"
(verse 19), the choice in question was made in mortality. The concept is akin
to Hebrews 5:4, which describes callings to the priesthood, saying, "And
no man taketh this honour
unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron" (see also
Article of Faith 5).
Acts 2:23
"Him,
being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have
taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain"
It
is interesting that this passage makes Christ the object of God's
foreknowledge. From numerous passages, mostly in the gospel account of John, we
learn that the Savior accepted the Father's will concerning him. (This is
particularly true of his suffering and death, as we read in Luke 22:42.) We,
too, can make the decision to obey God, though we can never in mortality be as
perfect as Christ.
Acts 2:39
"For
the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off,
even as many as the Lord our God shall call."
Taken
in isolation, this verse seems to be suggesting that God calls people to
salvation. Indeed, this does happen when one makes his/her calling and election
sure, as was discussed earlier in this paper. But one must read this verse in
the context of the two preceding verses, Acts 2:37-38:
Now
when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and
to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then
Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of
Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost.
Peter's
audience asked him what they must "do," and Peter told them to
"repent, and be baptized." If they were already consigned to
salvation, why would they have to "do" anything?
Acts 2:47
"And
the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."
The
unfortunate use of the expression "should be saved" suggests to some
readers predestination, but this is not reflected in the Greek text, which
refers to "those being saved." So people were being saved by joining
the Church. This verse must be read in conjunction with verse 41 of the same
chapter, which declares that "Then they that gladly received his word were
baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand
souls." Does the fact that God "was adding" them in verse 47
suggest that he had predestined them to be saved? The text does not so state,
but it is clear from verses 37-41 that Peter admonished the assembled listeners
to "repent and be baptized," and that those who did so were added to
the Church. They were saved because God forgave them when their sins were
symbolically washed away in the waters of baptism.
Acts 13:48
"And
when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the
Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."
In
his revision of the Bible, Joseph Smith reworded the last part to read,
"as many as believed were ordained unto eternal life," which fits
better with the concept of free will. The context of the passage also argues
against the concept of predestination. Verses 46-47 describe how Paul and
Barnabas gave the word of God to the Jews of Pisidian
Antioch, who willingly rejected it and became thereby "unworthy of
everlasting life," causing the apostles to "turn to the
Gentiles" with their message of salvation. It is ironic that throughout
the Bible, God's chosen people are Israelites, while here the Israelites are
deemed unworthy and are replaced by Gentiles. If God predestines individuals
for eternal life or damnation, why did he not cause these believing Gentiles to
be born Israelites? If all is determined beforehand, why does God change his
tactic at this juncture?24
Acts 17:26
"[God]
hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the
earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their
habitation."
Paul's
statement is based on Deuteronomy 32:8, where we read that "the most High
divided to the nations their inheritance...[and] set the bounds of the
people."25
Taken by itself, the passage suggests that God determined the boundaries of the
nations. From many historical records, we know that this determination was not
eternal in nature, for some nations fell while others arose both anciently and
in modern times. Indeed, Deuteronomy 19:8-9 allows for the borders of
Romans 8:28-30
"And
we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them
who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also
called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them
he also glorified."
Latter-day
Saints would see this as reference to the fact that we accepted Christ as our
Savior in the premortal council. The Greek term rendered
"predestinate" means to "appoint, determine, ordain
beforehand." While most English Bibles rendered it "predestined,"
others use terms such as "foreordained," "fore-appointed,"
"before-ordained," or "chosen." That the passage does not
refer to predestination is suggested by the verses that immediately precede it
(26-27), where we read that "the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us," and by verse 34, which says that "Christ...also
maketh intercession for us." If one is already
chosen for either salvation or damnation, why would there be a need for
intercession?
As
for those "who are the called," we must note that Christ declared
that "many be called, but few chosen" (Matthew 20:16). In Matthew
22:14, he used the same verbiage in connection with those who do not accept the
king's call. This suggests that one must heed the call in order to be chosen.
Paul admonished the Thessalonians to "walk worthy of God, who hath called
you unto his kingdom and glory" (1 Thessalonians 2:12). Though they had
already been called, they needed to do something to be "worthy of
God."
Romans 9:10-12
"And
not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father
Isaac; (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or
evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works,
but of him that calleth;) It was said unto her, The
elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated."
The
Greek word rendered "election" in verse 11 means "choice."
What we have here is merely God's choice of Jacob over Esau to receive the
birthright. Those who believe in predestination generalize from a specific
case, while others would see this as one more example that human beings had a
premortal existence in which some were foreordained to certain tasks on the
earth. Moreover, verse 13 cites Malachi 1:2-3 ("yet I loved Jacob, and I
hated Esau"), written many centuries after the time of Esau and therefore
is not evidence for God "hating" Esau prior to his birth.
Romans 9:15-18
"For
he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth,
but of God that sheweth mercy. For the scripture
saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I
might shew my power in thee, and that my name might
be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will
have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth."
Verse
15 cites Exodus 33:19, "I...will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,
and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy." Ultimately, it is God who will judge each
of us. Without the mercy available through the atonement of Christ, no amount
of good deeds can bring us mercy. Only the Lord can know our hearts and judge
according to his standards, not ours. This does not mean that he predestines
salvation for some and damnation for others.
Though
verse 17 speaks of the pharaoh of the exodus (citing Exodus 9:16), it could
just as easily apply to the kings of Assyria and
Romans 9:20-23
"Nay
but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?
Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel
unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make
his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the
vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory."
Verse
22 seems on the surface to be evidence for predestination, but it doesn't say
that it was God who made them "fit for destruction." We would say it
was their own sins that called for their destruction. As for verse 23, the
words "afore prepared" doesn't suggest a determination made in the
very beginning; it could refer to any time before God takes action. In verse
24, Paul says that it is the Christians whom God called from among the Jews and
others. Paul's point is not predestination, but acceptance of the call after
the original chosen people (the Jews) rejected Christ.
The
early Christian theologian Origen (185-253 A.D.), commenting on this passage,
wrote:
Some
one will perhaps say, that as the potter out of the same lump makes some
vessels to honour, and others to dishonour
[Romans 9:18-21], so God creates some men for perdition and others for
salvation; and that it is not therefore in our own power either to be saved or
to perish; by which reasoning we appear not to be possessed of free-will. We
must answer those who are of this opinion with the question, Whether it is
possible for the apostle to contradict himself? And if this cannot be imagined
of an apostle, how shall he appear, according to them, to be just in blaming
those who committed fornication in
Romans 11:2-6
"God
hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot
ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh
intercession to God against
God
foreknew us in the premortal world. The grace by which we are saved comes from
God and without that grace no amount of works could save us. Here, as in other
passages, Paul contrasts the grace that comes through the atonement of Christ
with the works of the law of Moses, as I discussed in my article "
Salvation by Grace Alone?"
1 Corinthians 1:8-9
"Who
shall confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord
Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord."
While
some may see this passage as suggesting that our eternal destiny has been
determined in advance by God, Latter-day Saints consider this passage to be
describing what is called "making your calling and election sure,"
described earlier. All who have heard the gospel message have been called to
Christ and many have heeded that call, but not everyone has yet been selected
to inherit the celestial kingdom. Note that the scripture uses the future tense
("shall confirm") rather than the past, suggesting that one's place
in the eternal scheme has not yet been fixed.
1 Corinthians 1:21-29
"For
after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased
God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews
require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto
the Greeks foolishness. But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks,
Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God
is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see
your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many
noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to
confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound
the things which are mighty. And base things of the world, and things which are
despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his
presence."
Depending
on one's perspective, this passage can be read in various ways. To those who
acknowledge God's predestination, it would mean that God choses
primarily the poor, the weak, and the unlearned to be saved. Others might
suggest that God deliberately makes those destined for salvation poor, weak, or
unlearned. Latter-day Saints, however, believe that those who are humble are
more open to receiving the message of the gospel. Laboring among the Zoramites,
Alma and his fellow missionaries found that the poor were more receptive to
their message because they were despised by the rich and hence had been humbled
by them. To them,
I
say unto you, it is well that ye are cast out of your synagogues, that ye may
be humble, and that ye may learn wisdom; for it is necessary that ye should
learn wisdom; for it is because that ye are cast out, that ye are despised of
your brethren because of your exceeding poverty, that ye are brought to a
lowliness of heart; for ye are necessarily brought to be humble. And now,
because ye are compelled to be humble blessed are ye; for a man sometimes, if
he is compelled to be humble, seeketh repentance; and now surely, whosoever repenteth shall find mercy; and he that findeth
mercy and endureth to the end the same shall be saved. And now, as I said unto
you, that because ye were compelled to be humble ye were blessed, do ye not
suppose that they are more blessed who truly humble themselves because of the
word? Yea, he that truly humbleth himself, and repenteth of his sins, and endureth to the end, the same
shall be blessed--yea, much more blessed than they who are compelled to be
humble because of their exceeding poverty. Therefore, blessed are they who
humble themselves without being compelled to be humble; or rather, in other
words, blessed is he that believeth in the word of God, and is baptized without
stubbornness of heart, yea, without being brought to know the word, or even
compelled to know, before they will believe. (
King
Benjamin declared that "the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been
from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth
off the natural man and becometh a saint through the
atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a
child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to
all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon
him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19). The Savior himself
taught, "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall
not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself
as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven"
(Matthew 18:3-4). Though there is no salvation without Christ's atonement, only
he who "shall humble himself" can "enter into the kingdom of
heaven." There is no hint of predestination in 1 Corinthians 1.
1 Corinthians 2:6-9
"Howbeit
we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world,
nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought.
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God
ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this
world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of
glory. But as it is written, Eye hath seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered
into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him."
The
word "perfect" may suggest to some that God has thus made those
destined for eternal life, but the passage does not say how they became
"perfect." Elsewhere, the apostle Paul wrote that "all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:23-24). Clearly,
perfection can only come through Christ's atonement, but we learn from other
Bible passages that we need to exercise faith, repent of our sins, be baptized,
and receive the Holy Ghost in order to receive all the blessings of that
atonement. (See the discussion in another of my FAIR articles, "
Salvation by Grace Alone?" The rich young man who had kept all the
commandments asked the Savior "What lack I yet?" whereupon Christ
replied, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and
give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow
me" (Matthew 19:20-21). From this, we learn that the Lord expects us to do
something in order to be perfected.
The
real point of Paul's discussion in 1 Corinthians 2 is that God established
before the world rewards for "them that love him," not that he
arbitrarily decided beforehand which of us would receive those rewards. God
wants all of us to be thus rewarded, but only grants this to those who are
"transformed by the renewing of [their] mind" (Romans 12:2).
1
Corinthians 2:7 is not the only Pauline epistle to note that God ordained
salvation "before the world." In 2 Timothy 1:9, he wrote that the
Lord "hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to
our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in
Christ Jesus before the world began," while in Titus 1:2 he wrote
of the "hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before
the world began." While some readers might consider such passages as
evidence of predestination, Latter-day Saints see them in the context of the
premortal council in which the plan of salvation was laid out for all of us
before we came to the earth. Thus, in D&C 121:32, we read of "that
which was ordained in the midst of the Council of the Eternal God of all other
gods before this world was, that should be reserved unto the finishing and the
end thereof, when every man shall enter into his eternal presence and into his
immortal rest." Similarly, we read of "those things which were from
the beginning before the world was, which were ordained of the Father, through
his Only Begotten Son, who was in the bosom of the Father, even from the
beginning" (D&C 76:13).
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
"Now
he which establisheth us with you in Christ, and hath
anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the
Spirit in our hearts."
Though
some modern translations use the word "guarantees" in place of KJV
"stablisheth," the passage does not imply
that God's actions predate our coming to earth. Paul's audience consisted of
people who had already accepted his message, had been baptized and, as he
notes, had received the Spirit. The Greek word rendered "earnest" has
the same meaning as English "earnest money," i.e., a down-payment
with a promise of more to come.
2 Corinthians 5:5
"Now
he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto
us the earnest of the Spirit."
This
passage must be read in the same sense as the one cited before it, both of
which speak of the "earnest of the Spirit," which one receives after
baptism. There is no hint of predestination here.
Ephesians 1:3-5, 9, 11
"Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen
us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and
without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of
children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his
will... Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his
good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself... In whom also we have
obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him
who worketh all things after the counsel of his own
will."
Latter-day
Saints see this as referring to the fact that we accepted the plan of salvation
in our premortal existence "before the foundation of the world." This
is what is meant by "heavenly places," where we first accepted Christ
as our Redeemer. We who followed the Savior in our premortal state were
selected by God to come to earth according to his plan, while those who
rejected Christ and followed the devil were expelled and deprived of the
privilege of obtaining a physical body.
Ephesians 1:13-14
"In
whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy
Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption
of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."
Here,
again, we have the "earnest" (down-payment) that we saw in 2
Corinthians 1:22; 5:5, coupled with the Holy Spirit by which the promises are
made sure. But this does not imply predestination.
1 Thessalonians 1:4
"Knowing,
brethren beloved, your election of God."
The
Greek term rendered "election" means "selection, choice."
The passage does not imply that the choice was made before one's mortal birth.
Indeed, Paul was writing to people who had, by his time, become Christians,
noted for their "work of faith, and labour of love,
and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 3) and who were
"ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia" (verse 7).
1 Thessalonians 4:7
"For
God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness."
As
elsewhere, we learn that God calls people, but the passage does not suggest
that this call is arbitrary. Indeed, in the verses preceding the one cited
here, Paul reminds his readers of the "commandments we gave you by the
Lord Jesus" and warns them of sexual promiscuity, saying, "For this
is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from
fornication" (verse 3). Thus, God wills that we be sanctified, but it
cannot happen if we do not abandon sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:9
"For
God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus."
A
superficial reading of this passage by those who maintain that God has already
determined our fate is not justified when one reads the passage in context.
Writing to those who had already taken the first steps toward salvation by
believing in Christ and becoming members of his flock, Paul admonished,
"but let us watch and be sober" (verse 6), "putting on the
breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation"
(verse 8). Verse 9 merely suggests that God wants us to be saved through Christ
and not suffer punishment. This view is also reflected in the Lord's words to
the prophet Ezekiel: "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby
ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will
ye die, O house of
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
"And
the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and
soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do
it."
Again,
we note that the Lord calls humans and that eternal life of both body and
spirit depends on Christ's atonement. A predestinationist
would read the words "will do it" as suggestive that God will, in
fact, preserve Christians blameless, but that is not what the text says. Paul
wrote that this is what he was praying for, not that it was an absolute.
If God has already chosen who will be saved and who will be damned, prayers
could have no effect on the outcome.
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12
"Wherefore
also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this
calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his
goodness, and the work of faith with power: That the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our
God and the Lord Jesus Christ."
As
with the previous passage from his first epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul
again notes that the brethren prayed for Christians that God might consider
them worthy of his "this calling." They had been called to Christ,
but had not yet been chosen.
2 Thessalonians 2:11-15
"And
for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a
lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure
in unrighteousness. But we are bound to give thanks alway
to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the
beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and
belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the
traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."
One
who believes in predestination would read the words "from the
beginning" as suggestive that all those who are destined to be saved were
selected at the time denoted as "the beginning" in Genesis 1:1, i.e.,
the creation of the world. But Paul wrote that those "chosen...to
salvation" were thus selected "through sanctification of the Spirit
and belief of the truth," i.e., they had come to believe and received the
Spirit. To these, they had been "called...by our gospel." The
term "gospel" means "good news," and "our gospel"
must refer to the good news preached by Paul and his companions. Hence,
"the beginning" alludes to when these converts to Christ received the
message Paul brought to them.
Elsewhere,
Paul wrote "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how
shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear
without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?"
(Romans 10:13-15). His words suggest that salvation depends on hearing the
gospel message and accepting it. Indeed, they reflect Jesus' words to the
apostles just prior to his ascension: "Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16). None of
this suggests predestination of some to salvation and of others to damnation.
2 Timothy 1:9-10
"Who
hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works,
but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus
before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath
brought life and immortality to light through the gospel"
This
passage informs us that God exercised his grace toward us in the premortal
world, when Christ was assigned the responsibility of bringing about the
atonement. Our Savior "abolished death" for all of humanity, thus
providing a resurrection for all who were born into mortality. This is the
salvation that requires no "works" on our part, for both the
righteous and the wicked will be resurrected (John 5:29). "For as in Adam
all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Salvation by resurrection overcomes the physical death that came into the world
through the fall of Adam and Eve. Our first parents also suffered a spiritual
death, being cut off from the presence of God. Christ overcame this death, too,
but only for those who willingly submit to his conditions for the spiritual
salvation that brings us back into the presence of God (see D&C 29:40-49; 2
Nephi 9:10-13; Alma 12:16; 42:2-16).
2 Timothy 2:19
"Nevertheless
the foundation of God standeth sure, having this
seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his."
Though
some believers in predestination may not see this as evidence for their view,
Calvin cited this passage in support of the idea. It is more readily understood
as God knowing which members of his Church are truly striving to do his will.
Titus 3:4-7
But
after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour
toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and
renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ
our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we
should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
While
Paul wrote that we are justified by divine grace, he also notes the necessity
of baptism by water ("washing") and "the Holy Ghost."
Throughout the scriptures, the Lord stresses that we will be judged by our
works, but the atonement of Christ did not come "by works of righteousness
which we have done, but [by] his mercy." Indeed, Christ suffered and died
for us because we were sinners, not because we earned salvation by good works.
God foreknew that we would fall into sin, so he provided the atonement to
enable us to acknowledge the gift of mercy and turn from wickedness.
Consequently, being saved by the grace of Christ does not imply that we are
predestined to salvation or damnation, only that the gift of the atonement, as
a means of rescue, was provided for all who would grasp it.
1 Peter 1:2
"Elect
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the
Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto
you, and peace, be multiplied."
Latter-day
Saints acknowledge God's foreknowledge but do not see this passage as evidence
for predestination in the sense that it does away with free will. Alma wrote of
ancient high priests who were "called and prepared from the foundation of
the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding
faith and good works; in the first place being left to choose good or evil;
therefore they having chosen good, and exercising exceedingly great faith, are
called with a holy calling, yea, with that holy calling which was prepared
with, and according to, a preparatory redemption for such" (Alma 13:3; see
also verse 7). We therefore believe that, as spirits in a premortal world, we
were allowed to choose between God's plan and that of Satan and that from those
who accepted the plan that Christ save them and bring them back to the Father,
God chose leaders who would implement his plan in mortality.
The
apostle Peter wrote of Christ "Who verily was foreordained before the
foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (1 Peter
1:20). The Greek term rendered "foreordained "means
"foreknown," which is the way the New English Translation Bible
translates it. Since all Christians would acknowledge that Christ had an actual
premortal existence, should we not be able to suppose that God's foreknowledge
of mortals also suggests that they existed before coming to the earth?
1 Peter 2:6-8
"Wherefore
also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion
a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not
be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them
which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made
the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even
to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were
appointed."
Predestinationists consider the words at
the end of verse 8 ("whereunto also they were appointed") to be
evidence for their case. JST leaves out this wording and reworks these verses.
But the real question is whether the passage means that God placed people into
a state of disobedience or whether they are put under the stone to be crushed
because of their disobedience. I presume that no one would suggest that God is
the cause of evil, so the second proposition would be correct.
Revelation 13:8
"And
all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in
the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
This
passage refers to those "whose names are not written in the book of the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." The reference to the
foundation of the world is to Christ as the chosen sacrifice, not to the time
when the names were inscribed (or, in this case, not inscribed) in the book.
Revelation 3:5 suggests that names can be blotted out of the book of life,
which is clear evidence against the idea of predestination to salvation or
damnation.
Revelation 17:8
"The
beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall
ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on
the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from
the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not,
and yet is."
On
the surface, this seems to suggest that those predestined to salvation have
their names inscribed "in the book of life from the foundation of the
world." But in the same book of Revelation, Christ told John, "He
that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white
raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will
confess his name before my Father, and before his angels" (Revelation
3:5). Since one's name can be blotted out of the book of life, it is clear that
we are not predestined to salvation or damnation. That names can be blotted out
of the book of life because of sins is also affirmed by other Bible passages,
as noted earlier in the section entitled "Names Written in Heaven."
Judged by
Their Works
The
Bible clearly teaches that God will judge us by our works. The apostle John
wrote, "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the
books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and
the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books,
according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and
death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged
every man according to their works" (Revelation 20:12-13; cf. Daniel
7:10).
Jesus
explained the principle of salvation to Nicodemus, saying that "Except a
man be born again, he cannot see the
And
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man
be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the
world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth
on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men
loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For
every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither
cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth
truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that
they are wrought in God. (John 3:14-21)
From
this, it is clear that, in addition to baptism by water and the Spirit, faith
on Christ and good deeds are necessary for salvation. Moreover, the passage
also notes that God "loved the world," not just some people in the
world, and that he sent Christ "that the world through him might be
saved." The fact that God contemplated the possibility that his Son could
save the entire world, excludes the concept of predestination, since all would
have a chance to hear the word and act in accordance therewith.
Repentance
and Baptism
Since
we are to be judged by our works, it is logical that we can be judged more
harshly by committing more sins and blessed more as we repent of our sins. This
is illustrated by Jesus' parable of the servants in Luke 12:42-48, where we
learn that "unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required:
and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." The
servant who is faithful to his absent master will be made "ruler over all
that he hath," while the unfaithful servant "shall be beaten with many
stripes." "But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of
stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes."
The
principle of repentance is essential to salvation. This is clearly illustrated
in the Lord's words to Ezekiel, in which he charged the prophet to warn the
wicked to repent so he can be saved. The repentant sinner will be saved, while
the righteous man who turns to sin will be punished. In addition, the prophet
himself will be rewarded or punished according to his attempts to turn the
sinner to God or his failure to do so (Ezekiel 3:18-21; 18:21-24; 33:11-16).
Exodus 34:6-7 describes the Lord as "merciful and gracious, longsuffering,
and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the
guilty," suggesting that he does not save the unrepentant.
The
principle underlying the responsibility to preach the word is explained in the
Lord's word to Joseph Smith: "Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn
the people, and it becometh every man who hath been
warned to warn his neighbor" (D&C 88:81). The apostle Paul explained
the principle thus: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord
shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?
and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall
they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be
sent?" (Romans 10:13-15). In 1 Thessalonians 2:16, he explained that the
Judaizers were "Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be
saved." Clearly, salvation comes by hearing the gospel message and obeying
its ordinances.
The
Savior himself had this principle in mind during his final admonition to the
apostles, when he said, "Go ye into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but
he that believeth not shall be damned" (Mark 16:15-16). Peter followed
this commandment when, on the day of Pentecost, he responded to his audience's
question about what they should do. He declared, "repent, and be baptized
every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye
shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). This passage (along
with Hebrews 6:1-2) lists the four things necessary for salvation, as explained
in Articles of Faith 3-4:
We
believe that through the atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by
obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel. We believe that the first
principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus
Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of
sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Note
that article 3 does not say that "all mankind will be saved,"
only that they "may be saved." As in the Acts 2 passage,
baptism is said to be "for the remission of sins." The term
"faith" is not used in Acts 2:38, but the fact that one is
"baptized in the name of Jesus Christ" suggests that baptism is of no
effect without faith in Christ. Other New Testament passages that indicate that
repentance and baptism are necessary for the remission of sins are Mark 1:4 and
Luke 3:3; 24:47; Acts 2:38.
And
behold, I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be
filled with the love of God, and always retain a remission of your sins; and ye
shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the
knowledge of that which is just and true. (Mosiah 4:12)
Concluding
Remarks
The
basic premise of predestination is that God appointed some of us for salvation
and others for damnation. This concept is refuted in Jesus' parable (Matthew
13:37-39) in which the "sower" (the Lord)
sows wheat (the righteous), while his "enemy" (the devil) sows tares
(the wicked). God did not place wickedness in the world; that was Satan's
doing. The parable of the sower indicates that it was
"the wicked one" who brought sin into the world (Matthew 13:19).
The
implication of such passages for those who believe in predestination is that
God would also have predestined the devil's evil works, making God the source
of evil!28
For those who, like the Latter-day Saints, believe in the free will of mankind,
the devil exercised his agency to reject God and become evil and continues
trying to influence others to do likewise.
The
Book of Mormon admonishes us to "retain a remission of your sins"
(Mosiah 4:12;
And
now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow
path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; for ye have not
come thus far save it were by the word of Christ with unshaken faith in him,
relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save. Wherefore, ye must
press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of
hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward,
feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the
Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:19-20)
The
Savior taught that we cannot enter into the
Notes
1
Related to this discussion is the debate over grace/faith vs. works. See my
"Salvation by Grace Alone?" posted at http://www.fairlds.org/Misc/Is_There_Salvation_by_Grace_Alone.html.
2
Not all Christians who believe in predestination accept all of Augustine's
premises.
3
See Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion 3.21. For a comparison
of the views of Martin Luther and Joseph Smith, see Dillenberger,
John. "Grace and Works in Martin Luther and Joseph Smith," in Reflections
on Mormonism: Judaeo-Christian Parallels, ed.
Truman G. Madsen (Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1978).
4
For a discussion, see chapter 41 ("Becoming as Little Children") in
John A. Tvedtnes, The Most Correct Book: Insights from a Book of Mormon
Scholar (Bountiful, UT: Cornerstone/Horizon, 1999), 278-281.
5
The Greek text actually reads "for the whole world (cosmos)," and the
King James translators added the words "the sins of."
6
Christ's last admonition to his apostles, uttered in the
7
Evidently alluding to Judas Iscariot.
8
Revelation 17:14 says that those who will participate with Christ in the final
war against evil are "called, and chosen, and faithful." The term
"faithful" indicates that something was expected of them and that
they were not arbitrarily chosen for salvation. This reminds us that Nephi
wrote that "the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath
chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of
deliverance" (1 Nephi 1:20). Other Book of Mormon passages indicate that
Christ chose his disciples because of their faith in him (3 Nephi 19:20, 28).
9
Chief among the biblical passages used to support the idea of man's premortal
existence in the presence of God is Jeremiah 1:4-5: "Then the word of the
LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and
before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified
thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
10
Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., Ante-Nicene Fathers 1:172.
11
Citing Deuteronomy 30:15, 19. A number of early pseudepigrapha
indicate that God said the same thing to Adam.
12
Citing Isaiah 1:16, etc.
13
Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., Ante-Nicene Fathers 1:177.
14
Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds., Nicene and
Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series (reprint,
15
E. H. Gifford, translator, Eusebii Pamphili Evangelicae Praeparationis (
16
Institutes of the Christian Religion 3.22.8.
17
See also JST Isaiah 34:16; Alma 5:58; 3 Nephi 24:16-18; D&C 76:68. Similar
statements are made about records kept on the earth: Mosiah 26:36; Alma 1:24;
D&C 85:5, 11-12 (alluding to Ezra 2:61-63).
18
Cf. Psalm 109:13. For blotting out names from church records, see
19
An allusion to Isaiah 6:10,which is cited in Matthew 13:15; John 12:40; Acts
28:27; 2 Nephi 16:10; 3 Nephi 9:13; D&C 112:13.
20
Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds., Nicene and
Post-Nicene Fathers, 11:472.
21
The Latter-day Saint view is reflected in D&C 88:33: "For what doth it
profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?
Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in
him who is the giver of the gift."
22
Institutes of the Christian Religion 3.22.3.
23
Some Latter-day Saints, citing Joseph Smith, believe that all priesthood
holders were foreordained to the priesthood in the premortal world. The
relevant passage, in History of the Church 6:364: "Every man who
has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that
very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose
that I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council." I read the
words "a calling to the inhabitants of the world" as those holding
keys for the entire world, which would mean that only apostles were intended by
the prophet Joseph, though it may apply only to presidents of the Church or
dispensation leaders. See also Abraham 3:23. For Joseph Smith's foreordination,
see also D&C 127:2 and History of the Church 5:143.
24
I am aware that God's thoughts and ways are infinitely greater than ours
(Isaiah 55:8-9), but since it was theologians and not God who devised the false
concept of predestination, their view must be subject to reason.
25
There is a translation problem in this passage, but it does not affect what is
said here.
26
KJV uses the word coast to denote a border, though modern English uses
it exclusively in the sense of the seashore.
27
Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., Ante-Nicene Fathers
(reprint
28
I have no doubt that some might rationalize this in ways other than I have
described here.
The great
conflict was between Calvin and the teachings of J. Arminius. The Puritans followed Calvin, while the
Methodists followed Arminius.
Arminian Dependence?
A popular theory among
those who believe Joseph Smith wrote all or part of the Book of Mormon on his
own is that the text reveals Arminian influences. The adjective
"Arminian" has both a descriptive and a derivative sense. In the
descriptive sense "Arminian" simply means any part of a
"theological reaction against the deterministic logic of Calvinism"
(Cross 90). In this sense of the term many things are called Arminian which are
not dependent upon the writings of the Dutchman Jakob
Harmenzoon, whose name is latinized
as Jacobus Arminius. fn It is in this sense that
Thomas F. O'Dea referred to the Book of Mormon as Arminian, since it (1) denies
the doctrine of predestination and (2) teaches that Christ died for all men and
not just for those predestined to be saved. However, other specialists reject
the term "Arminianism" as being
inappropriate to describe what was happening theologically in the northeastern
United States in the early nineteenth century (Smith et al., 1:374ff). The Book
of Mormon can be called Arminian only in the sense that its teachings on these
two points agree with those of Arminius and his Remonstrant followers. The full
Arminian doctrine as stated in the Remonstrance adds three more points: (3) man
cannot exercise saving faith without the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, (4)
man can fall from grace, (5) the grace of the Holy Spirit is sufficient for
continued victory over sin. But any similarity or agreement between the
teaching of Arminius and that of the Book of Mormon does not necessarily prove
influence or dependence, since many parties and individuals had held similar
beliefs even before the 17th century, from Pelagius and the semi-Pelagians down to Erasmus and Carlstadt, who lived a
century before Arminius himself. In fact, the provincial Council of Carthage
was convened in 418 AD for the sole purpose of dealing with these same issues.
Thus any argument that the Book of Mormon is dependent upon Arminianism
must also prove that the doctrine in question was exclusively Arminian.
Similarity is not necessarily dependence. One certainly didn't need to be a
student of Arminius to believe in free agency and a universal atonement. In
fact, after the Roman Catholic Counter-Reformation, the hard-liners known as Jansenists even accused the Jesuits of teaching
unrestrained free will and a universal salvation.
And yet, Arminius did
not believe in either moral agency or in a universal atonement in the same way
that the Book of Mormon teaches them. Arminius believed in original sin, and
that only Christians would be delivered from original sin by the Atonement of
Christ. All others would suffer for the sin of Adam. For Arminius the atonement
was potentially universal, but actually limited to believers. "As for the
universal removal of the guilt of original sin, Arminius says that there could
be such but there is not. Participation in Christ's benefits is by faith alone,
hence only believers are delivered from the guilt" (Bangs 339). This is a
far cry from the LDS belief that all men benefit from the Atonement through
which no one will suffer for Adam's sin. Arminius' view of free will can hardly
be compared to the Book of Mormon view, since he says:
In this state the free
will of man toward the true good is not only wounded, maimed, infirm, bent and
weakened; but it is also imprisoned, destroyed, and lost. And its powers are
not only debilitated and useless unless they be assisted by grace, but it has
no powers whatsoever except such as are excited by divine grace (Bangs 341).
For Arminius human
beings, though "free," have no power to choose the good in any degree
whatsoever without first receiving divine grace. Without grace man is not free
to choose the good, or indeed, to choose at all. This is hardly the Book of
Mormon doctrine of free agency:
Wherefore, men are
free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient
unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the
great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the
captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be
miserable like unto himself (2 Nephi 2:27).
In fact, Arminianism did not really constitute an identifiable
theology separate from the Reformed Church at all. As Frederic Platt has
observed: "Apart from these and kindred questions involved in the problem
of predestination, Arminianism has no definite
theological distinctness. It attempts no fresh statement of the doctrines of
God and man" (1:808). Therefore, to say that the Book of Mormon is
Arminian is nothing more than to say that it teaches moral agency and a
universal atonement, although in a fashion and with a logic totally distinct
from that of Arminius himself.
But the expansion
theory does not claim mere similarities or parallel beliefs; it claims actual
dependence of the Book of Mormon upon the writings of the Arminians
(Ostler 81-82). Such a claim must be based on more
than a few parallels, since "Arminian" parallels also exist for
movements and individuals who preceded Arminius and who could not therefore be
dependent. Mere similarities between documents or ideas do not prove that the
latter are dependent upon the former.
If the expansion
theory argues that the Book of Mormon is dependent on the writings of Jacob
Arminius, then its advocates are obligated to prove (a) that Book of Mormon
parallels involve exclusively Arminian doctrines, and (b) that specific verses
in the Book of Mormon show literary dependence (not mere parallelism) upon
specific passages in the writings of the Arminians.
But the expansionists have not so far attempted to do either. If dependence is
the claim, then a formal demonstration of that dependence is required.
Certainly, it needs more than just a dogmatic assertion of such dependence. The
Book of Mormon can rightly be described as Arminian only in the sense that, in
common with many before Arminius, it rejects predestination and teaches that
Christ died for all men.
Dr. Stephen Robinson
(Monte S.
Nyman and Charles D. Tate, Jr., eds., Second Nephi: The Doctrinal Structure
[Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1989], 406.)
We
discussed the Mayflower and who came over, John Howland and his descendants.
Joseph
Smith's Ancestry
__________
It was
decreed in the councils of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth
were laid, that Joseph Smith should be the man in the last dispensation of this
world to bring forth the word of God to this people and receive the fulness of
the keys and power of the priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord has had his
eyes upon him and upon his father, and upon his father's father, and upon their
progenitor’s clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, and from the
flood to Enoch, and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that
blood as it has circulated from the foundation to the birth of that man. Joseph
Smith was foreordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation.
Brigham Young
Journal of Discourses 7:289
Prominent
Descendents of John Lathrop
____________________
Outside
the Church:
Robert Bacon
- Secretary of State
Rederick Augustus Porter
Barnard - President of Columbia University
Kingman
Brewster, Jr. - President of Yale/Amabssador to
Gt. Britain
Melville
Fuller - Chief Justices of U.S. Supreme Court
Franklin
D. Roosevelt - President of U.S.
Thomas
Dewey - New York Governor
Adlai
Stevenson - U.S. Senator
John
Dulles - Secretary of State
Oliver
Wendell Holmes - Supreme Courty Justice
Ulysses
S. Grant - President of U.S.
George
Romney - Governor of Michigan
Benidict Arnold - American
Revolutionary Figure
George
Bush - President of U.S.
George W.
Bush - President of U.S.
Ebenezer
Huntington - Revolutionary War Officer, Congressman
Isaac
Huntington - Connecticut Convention, voted for Constitution
Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow - American Novelist
Within the
Church:
Joseph Smith Frederick G. Williams Marion G. Romney
Hyrum
Smith Wilford Woodruff N. Eldon
Tanner
Parley P.
Pratt Joseph F. Smith
Orson
Pratt Joseph
Fielding Smith
Brigham
Young Harold B. Lee
Heber C.
Kimball
Notable
Descendents of Henry Howland
______________________
[Underlined names are
sons of Henry Howland]
Arthur
Howland
Sir
Winston Churchill
John
Howland (Came over on the
Mayflower)
Joseph
Smith
Emma Hale
George
Bush
George W.
Bush
Henry
Howland
Richard
Nixon
Gerald
Ford
Reformation in
Kings and
Queens of England during early part of Reformation
Henry VIII
(1491-1547)
- Catherine
Mother of
Mary Tudor
- Anne Boleyn
Mother of
Elizabeth
- Jane Seymour
Mother of
Edward VI
Edward VI
(ruled during 1547-1553)
- Ruled six years (9 until 17 years
old)
- Reform ideas continued to grow
Mary Tudor
(ruled during 1553-1558)
- Catholic
- Persecuted those who held to
reformed views - "Bloody Mary"
- Elizabethan Settlement (1563) - a
theological statement that formed the basis of the Church of England
Puritans
- Did not feel that the Elizabethan Settlement did not go
far enough in rejecting Catholic theology and practices. They wanted to reject
the settlement and purify the church of all Catholic elements.
- Persecuted by English kings and queens
Colonization
of
Separatists (
- Separating
-
-
The Great
Migration (Puritan) (Massachusetts Bay Colony)
- English Persecution
- John Lathrop (common ancestor of Joseph Smith, Brigham
Young, etc.)
- Religious Intolerance
Roger
Williams (War of books between Williams and Cotton)
- Williams -
The Blood Tenet of Persecution. (The blood was from those killed because
of their religious ideas.)
- Cotton - The
Bloody Tenet Washed and Made White.
- Williams -
The Bloody Tenet Made Yet More Bloody by Mr. Cotton's Endeavor to Wash it White
in the Blood of the Lamb.
-
American
Revolution (1775-1783)
Constitution
and Bill of Rights
- Constitution ratified in 1788
- Bill of Rights ratified in 1791
The
Puritan believed they were establishing
John Adams –
Calvinist ----------------------------------- Thomas Jefferson – Anti Calvinist
- They wrote interesting letters to each other,
The question
of the day; is salvation limited or universal?
Joseph Smith’s question
JS History
1:5-8, 11-21
Various
versions of the 1st vision, different people want to hear the story;
the 1838 version is the official Church record.
The day was a clear and bright early spring day (no leaves on the
trees!). He wanted his sins forgiven; he
didn’t plan on the answers he received.
He didn’t plan on establishing a Church, or being the Prophet to usher
in the last dispensation of the fulness of times.
Some few days after I
had this vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist
preachers, who was very active in the before mentioned religious excitement
[probably the
I soon found, however,
that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me
among the professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which
continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen
and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of
no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice
sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter
persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute
me. fn
(Hyrum L.
Andrus, Doctrinal Commentary on the Pearl of Great Price [Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Co., 1967], 429.)
Methodist Minutes (New York, 1819), 51.
From July, 1820, to July, 1821, the Ontario Circuit was supplied by Thomas
Wright and Elihu Nash. Methodist Minutes (New
York, 1820), 44. Some LDS historians have identified
((Milton
V. Backman, Jr., Joseph Smith's First Vision: Confirming Evidences and
Contemporary Accounts, 2d ed. rev. [
Organization of the Church
February 12, 2004
The
Whitmer and Knight families played a great role in the restoration of the
gospel. Bruce said we will discuss the
Knight family in the near future.
D&C
20:61 – Church conferences are to be held every 3 months, the 1st
one was in June of 1830. Now with the
growth of the church, conferences are split between general and stake.
Martin
Harris had tremendous faith in the restoration.
He mortgaged his 120 acre farm for $3,000 to pay for the publishing of
5,000 copies of the Book of Mormon, much to the consternation of his wife
Lucy! The Smith’s paid $100.00 a year
for the rent of the farm, and needed help to pay it!
D&C
24:7-9 – Joseph’s calling was spiritual in nature not material. One of his weaknesses was finances and being
a provider for his family, it kept him humble relying on others for the
family’s welfare. The church does not
get out of debt until President Heber J. Grant.
(Doctrine and Covenants 24:7-9.)
7 For thou
shalt devote all thy service in
8 Be
patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I
am with thee, even unto the end of thy days.
9 And in
temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling.
Attend to thy calling and thou shalt have wherewith to magnify thine office,
and to expound all scriptures, and continue in laying on of the hands and
confirming the churches.
Prophets
are called for a specific purpose by the Lord.
Joseph was called to restore the gospel again on the earth, Brigham was
to lead the saints west and establish the kingdom in the mountains, John Taylor
led the church during intense persecution, and President Hinckley is a temple
builder throughout the entire world.
We
had a long discussion about the makeup of the Doctrine and Covenants. Joseph heavily edited sections; revelations
were added to sections over time, as 20, and 107, section 132 was given in 1831
but wasn’t written until 1843!
The Organization Revelations
(D&C 20, 21, and
22)
RICHARD LLOYD ANDERSON
What is the "most
distinguishing feature of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints"? President David O. McKay gave a succinct answer: "divine
authority by direct revelation." fn The three revelations surrounding
church organization give the same answer. The longest is section 20, prepared
as a declaration of doctrine and practice. Its two important satellites are
section 21, given on the founding day to clarify the position of the Prophet, and
section 22, given soon afterward to explain the need for rebaptism by the power
of the restored priesthood. All these revelations can be called the
"constitution" of the
The first page of the
first Latter-day Saint periodical printed section 20 with the title, "The
Articles and Covenants of the
There are more
eloquent revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants. After all,
The Restoration Revelations
The opening segment
(D&C 20:1-16) stresses the visions that brought about the Book of Mormon.
The angel's coming to Joseph Smith is seen in a brilliant verbal photograph
(D&C 20:6-8), fully explained later in the motion pictures of the Prophet's
historical narratives. fn Likewise, the vision of the Book of Mormon witnesses
is glimpsed: "Confirmed to others by the ministering of angels, and is
declared unto the world by them" (D&C 20:10). fn The First Vision is
also identified in a most important historical reference. Joseph Smith fell
into transgression "after it was truly manifested unto this first elder
that he had receive a remission of his sins" (D&C 20:5). So the
sequence is clearly a revelation of forgiveness, further transgression, and
then "after repenting . . . God ministered unto him by an holy angel"
(D&C 20:6). Joseph Smith's vision narratives detail his repentance before
the 1823 coming of
The review of
revelations closes with the testimony that "we, the elders of the Church,
have heard and bear witness to the words of the glorious Majesty on high"
(D&C 20:16). Literalism just seen in listing the other supernatural
experiences goes against interpreting these words allegorically. The presiding
elders are named in the opening language, and they stood together in the woods
when "the voice of the Lord commanded us" to bear record of the
revelation and translation of the Book of Mormon. fn In a similar setting they
had prayed for priesthood authority, when "the voice of the Redeemer spake peace to us," followed by the angelic ordination
by John the Baptist. fn And after the similar coming of ancient apostles, they
were authorized to use the restored apostleship by "the voice of God in
the chamber of old Father Whitmer," where Joseph and Oliver were
translating the Book of Mormon (D&C 128:21). fn In summary, the 1830
Articles and Covenants surveyed the same events that the Prophet gave in his
1832 journal and also in his history, which he began in 1838 specifically to
review his calling as a Prophet. All three accounts begin with some form of
"the rise of the
Articles of Faith and Doctrine
The next segment of
section 20 presents articles of faith. Like the fuller Articles of Faith done
in Nauvoo, they can be better understood by agreements and disagreements with
the prevalent Protestant creeds. Joseph and his family were involved with the
Methodist and Presbyterian churches. So their statements of belief are points
of departure for the Latter-day Saint Articles and Covenants. The LDS format
has marked similarities, though content deeply differs. Protestant creeds
generally began with God and moved to the fall, Christ's redemption, the saving
ordinances, and the believer's moral duties. That also summarizes D&C
20:17-26. But this simple LDS credo eliminates all language about the God
"without body" and "parts" as well as the strong
descriptions that the Father and Son are together "one substance." fn
Indeed, these phrases come from the later Christian councils, not the
scriptures. Joseph said that in 1820 the First Vision taught him the error of
Christian creeds, and in 1830 he avoided their nonscriptural
language in the first statement of Latter-day Saint beliefs.
Is
"Mormonism" Christian? Fully half of its first articles of faith
(D&C 20:17-26) concentrate on the reality of Christ's mission and how one
gains the benefits of his atonement. The oldest continuous test of Christian
belief is the Apostles Creed, a blending of convictions about Christ known to
have circulated from the early second century. fn Since section 20 repeats most
of these basics on Christ's mission (vv. 21-24), Latter-day Saints should
clearly be classed as early Christian. Section 20 then sets out to wash away
the later sediments that formed on the bedrock of Christ's saving work.
The doctrines of
"justification" and "sanctification" through Christ's grace
are affirmed, a necessity because they are prominent in the apostles' letters.
They explain that all are considered forgiven or "just" through their
acceptance of Christ's plan of salvation, and that by continued faithfulness
they may become holy, the literal meaning of "sanctify." New
Testament letters are not primarily letters of rejoicing but of
exhorting—asking believers in Christ to retain their holiness of life and
increase in it. fn Thus in the Articles and Covenants, "there is a
possibility that man may fall from grace" (D&C 20:32). This negates
the Presbyterian formula that those "effectually called and sanctified by
his Spirit can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of
grace." fn But in Latter-day Saint doctrine, human agency chooses, and
even God's decree cannot modify it. In the Articles and Covenants, man's choice
links with God's grace but is not a mere result of it. Protestant theory
generally defines the moral life as a desirable result of the Holy Spirit but
does not insist that salvation hangs on tough decisions of self-control. Thus
in section 20, salvation demands the grace of Christ, but also baptism,
followed by individual performance to "endure in faith to the end"
(D&C 20:25). fn
Section 20 also
attacks traditional theology on the idea of complete statements of belief. The
Westminster Confession freezes "the whole counsel of God"—meaning
"all things necessary for . . . man's salvation, faith, and
life"—into the cubicle of the listed 66 books of the Bible, "unto
which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the
Spirit, or traditions of men." fn Echoes of a completed canon and closed
system also come in the Methodist articles, where existing scriptures
"contain all things necessary to salvation." fn But the Prophet told
an inquirer that "the first and fundamental principle of our holy religion
is, that we believe that we have a right to embrace all, and every item of
truth, without limitation or without being circumscribed or prohibited by the
creeds or superstitious notions of men"—provided it comes "by any
manifestation, whereof we know that it has come from God." fn This became
a major theme of Joseph's striking Nauvoo discourses, but it was just as clear
at the foundation, when the Articles and Covenants declared faith both in past
"holy scriptures" and also in the call of new prophets "in this
age and generation, as well as in generations of old" (D&C 20:11).
John's warning not to add (Rev. 22:18-19) was seen as cautioning men and not
shackling God, whose revelations would "come hereafter by the gift and
power of the Holy Ghost, the voice of God, or the ministering of angels"
(D&C 20:35).
The Expansion of Section 20
Critics ridicule later
additions in section 20, but they have not faced the open-ended principle of continuing
revelation. As a basic statement of doctrine and practice, section 20 has been
rephrased far more than other revelations. And some additions, principally vv.
65-67, update the expanding priesthood offices of the Church. Thus the first
high priests were ordained in 1831, so reference to this office was later
inserted in the 1830 Articles. Yet there was no attempt to mislead, for the
earliest printing of this revision was subtitled, "With a few items from
other revelations," meaning the changes to section 20, for no parts of any
other sections were printed then. fn Indeed, section 20 had grown with the
Church, for Aaronic Priesthood restoration made baptism operative after 15 May
1829, fn as described by Joseph Smith, though he also said that the full use of
the Melchizedek Priesthood was not authorized until some time later. fn A
document giving 1829 Church practice was written by Oliver Cowdery and is the
forerunner of Section 20. It remarkably fulfilled his blessing of section 8 to
receive a "knowledge of the ancient records," for by the spirit of
revelation he compiled and explained church ordinances from the Book of Mormon,
opening with "A commandment from God unto Oliver how he should build up
his Church." Instructions on baptism and the sacrament were given, and
directions on ordaining teachers and priests. It closed: "Written in the
year of our Lord and Savior 1829—a true copy of the Articles of the
Thus the basic format
of section 20 preceded the formal organization of the Church, as Joseph Smith
wrote in indicating that the Lord gave a revelation that "pointed out to
us the precise day" of incorporation. fn The 1833 Book of Commandments
gave June, 1830 as the date of the revelation, though this could be the final
form. Yet there is no proof of a late revision, so it is safer to follow Joseph
Smith's chronology, for his history arranged the revelations in sequence, and
he approved listing section 20 before the March, 1830 revelation (D&C 19).
The Book of Commandments was published over 800 miles from Joseph Smith's
residence and is not necessarily accurate in its headings, since several
locations and dates were corrected in the Kirtland edition of the Doctrine and
Covenants. One interesting dating problem within the revelation concerns the
meaning of the Church organized "one thousand eight hundred and thirty
years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh"
(D&C 20:1). Does this give the exact year of Christ's birth? That
calculation places too much weight on what may have been an elaborate phrase of
dating or an incidental statement. The first edition of the Doctrine and
Covenants Commentary cautioned against using this to prove that Christ was born
at the exact beginning of the Christian Era; so have Bible scholars J. Reuben
Clark and Bruce R. McConkie. fn Part of the problem is that Christ was alive at
the death of Herod the Great, an event of 4 B.C. in careful chronologies.
D&C 21: The Prophet's Position
Joseph Smith's 1838-39
recollections of church organization seem clearly superior to David Whitmer's, made almost 50 years after that time. The latter
rationalized his "congregational" position by minimizing the
Prophet's authority, claiming that the main reason the young church organized
was to obtain legal status for marriages and holding of church property. fn
That is evidently part of the picture, since the Articles mention "being
regularly organized . . . agreeable to the laws of our country" (D&C
20:1). But the same preface stresses the "will and commandments of
God," similar phraseology to Joseph Smith's history of the founding day.
Was there a divine purpose transcending the attempt to establish a legal
corporation? Section 21 was given the day of organization and gives an
organizational answer. Before 6 April 1830, there were believers, some
baptized, in three major areas, Manchester-Palmyra, Fayette, and Colesville,
just north of the
As Joseph's leadership
was challenged in later situations, it was reinforced in further revelations.
But the doctrinal constitution of section 20 has the important organizational
supplement of section 21, showing that the church membership approves presiding
priesthood, which is the proper agency for originating official doctrine.
Section 21 was sealed with the power of the Spirit, for the recollections of
that day report harmony and inspiration. The Prophet remembered the setting for
the revelation: "The Holy Ghost was poured out upon us to a very great
degree—some prophesied, whilst we all praised the Lord and rejoiced
exceedingly." fn Joseph Knight, Sr., added in reference to the same
revelation: "They all kneeled down and prayed, and Joseph gave them
instructions how to build up the Church and exhorted them to be faithful in all
things, for this is the work of God." fn
D&C 22: Rebaptism Required
The founding documents
link the power of prophecy with the power of a presiding Prophet, the blending
of divine revelation and divine authority. The new Church was unschooled in
these principles, for section 22 soon came to explain what restored priesthood
meant in relationship to baptism. Joseph's history gives the setting of
applications for membership right after the organization meeting. His mention
of his mother is intriguing. In her early marriage she was miraculously healed
after a personal revelation assured her she would not die. Disagreeing with any
church she knew, she nevertheless found "a minister who was willing to
baptize me, and leave me free in regard to joining any religious
denomination." fn Whether or not she was one who raised the question
concerning rebaptism, her case illustrates the sincerity of baptisms performed
by other churches. The heading of section 22 is not just the surmise of
commentary but rephrases the heading printed in the Book of Commandments,
Kirtland Doctrine and Covenants, and the Prophet's history: "Given . . .
in consequence of some desiring to unite with the Church without rebaptism, who
had previously been baptized." It is instructive to see the Prophet's
history agree with earlier versions of the circumstances of section 22, but
change the location from Fayette to
Section 22 ties to a
passage in the book of Acts that puzzles commentators. On Paul's last eastern missionary
journey, he rebaptized those who were already
"disciples" (Acts 19:1-6). This last term in Acts indicates that they
already believed in Jesus, so rebaptism "in the name" logically means
not mere use, but proper employment of Christ's name, or its authorized use. fn
Roger Williams was typical of American restorationists
who considered Christian baptisms invalid until new authority should be sent
from God. And the first harvest of converts to the restored Church in
Churches lax on the
necessity of baptism would naturally not stress divine authority in
administering it. However, baptism stands out in modern revelation as the
foundation covenant for salvation. And to bring about this eternal result, the
following conditions must be met: full repentance as measured by a worthy life
before baptism (D&C 20:37), fn a condition that makes infant baptism
unnecessary (D&C 20:71); the proper form of immersion (D&C 20:73-74);
and performance by the true priesthood, a condition important enough to be
stressed in words of the ceremony (D&C 20:73). Christian churches regularly
use the trinitarian formula, since it is commanded by
the Savior (Matt. 28:19-20), but Latter-day Saints are distinctive in adding
words of authority to the baptismal prayer: "Having been commissioned of
Jesus Christ" (D&C 20:73). fn
Theologians have
resisted baptism as an essential element of salvation because a ceremony would
thus be valued higher than inner faith or righteousness. But since Latter-day
Saints view baptism as a covenant expressing faith and a means to virtue,
ritual and reality are designed to blend. This covenant is a profound causal
factor, a personal and social commitment, the specific obligations of which
continue in the covenant of the Lord's Supper (D&C 20:37 and 20:77).
Because the latter is the most visible and oft-repeated of all sacraments, it
is for Latter-day Saints the Sacrament. But for them it is not the
mystical sacrifice of the Roman Catholic Mass, or the focus on Communion that
gives the Protestant hope for divine companionship. For the Latter-day Saint
the Sacrament is an inspired personal promise for growth. Thus "the duty
of the members after they are received by baptism" is overall "works
and faith" (D&C 20:68-69). This "duty" of modern disciples
matches the challenge in New Testament epistles to desert the old
"conversation" (Gal. 1:13; Eph. 4:22), a Greek term (anastrophe)
meaning a way of life and not merely communication. Thus baptism commits one to
a lifetime of being inspired by Christ and living up to his standards "by
a godly walk and conversation" (D&C 20:69). These last two nouns are
synonymous, since "conversation" is there used in the older sense of
the King James Bible.
Summary
In perspective, the
three revelations associated with church organization proclaim neither
revelation only nor authority only, but the bonding of the two. New revelation
restored lost knowledge and the authority to reestablish the divine
organization and ceremonies so fully described in the Book of Mormon (Moro.
chapters 1-6). This first priesthood handbook, the Articles and Covenants, is
supplemented by the next two sections clarifying the presiding keys of the
Prophet, and the only valid priesthood of the
Notes The Organization Revelations
1. David O. McKay, Gospel
Ideals (Salt Lake City: Improvement Era, 1953), P.98 (1937), P.533
(1952). Cf. Wilford Woodruff's report of an 1843 Joseph Smith discourse:
"Whenever men can find out the will of God and find an administrator
legally authorized from God, there is the
2. No earlier
revelation begins to approach the length of section 20 except section 10, given
in the crisis of the loss of the 116 pages of Book of Mormon manuscript. Even
that section is about twenty percent shorter than section 20.
3. The Evening and
the Morning Star 1:1 (June 1832). But the earliest known copy appeared in
the non-Latter-day Saint press just a year after church organization,
antedating known Latter-day Saint printings and manuscripts by about a year: Painsville [
4. For a table of
early mss. and printings, see Robert J. Woodford, "The Historical
Development of the Doctrine and Covenants" (Ph.D. dissertation, Brigham
Young University, 1974), Table 20. Out of five copies dated 1832-34, only one
manuscript includes section 22 with section 20. Since another includes most of
the revelation giving the law of the Church (D&C 42), the tendency is
evident for section 20 to attract other revelations that had different titles
or circumstances. The earliest known copy of section 20 is printed in the Painesville
Telegraph, 19 April 1831, and it appends section 22 and also section 27 in
its early Book of Commandments form. However, the "Articles and
Covenants" heading applies only to section 20, since the added sections
have their own titles. Section 22 is headed: "A commandment unto the
Church of Christ, which was established in these last days A.D. 1830, on the
4th month and the 6th day of the month which is called April." Section 27
is headed: "A commandment given unto Joseph, concerning the Sacrament.
" Cf. n. 3.
5. Early priesthood
licenses refer to the proper authorization outlined in section 20, and Joseph
Smith referred to the opening part of section 20 in alluding to his youthful
weaknesses. On the latter point see Messenger and Advocate, December,
1834, conveniently printed in Dean C. Jessee, The
Personal Writings of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984),
p. 337. No known quotation from "The Articles and Covenants" refers
to any other revelation than section 20.
6. Section 22 appeared
as section 47 in the 1835 Kirtland edition and in the 1844 Nauvoo edition of
the Doctrine and Covenants.
7. Both minute entries
quoted appear under the dates given in the Far West Record. See Donald Q.
Cannon and Lyndon W. Cook, Far West Record (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Co., 1983), pp. 1, 3.
8. For additional
discussion of Book of Mormon references in section 20, see Monte S. Nyman,
"The Witnesses of the Book of Mormon," found herein.
9. See the Prophet's
principal vision narratives in Jessee, The
Personal Writings, pp. 4 95.; 74 ff.; 196 ff.; 212 ff. Cf. Richard Lloyd
Anderson, "Confirming Records of Moroni's Coming," Improvement Era
73 (October 1970): 82-89.
10. Doctrine and
Covenants quotations in this chapter are from the current edition, but they
have been checked carefully against the earliest copies. In the case of section
2O, there are verbal variations, none of which affect meaning in the quotations
used. The quoted sentence from section 20 clearly reflects the language of the
Three Witnesses, who "declare" that they saw the angel and the plates
in their printed testimony in the Book of Mormon. See also Monte S. Nyman,
"The Witnesses of the Book of Mormon," found herein.
11. See Jessee, The Personal Writings, p. 6: "I saw the
Lord, and he spake unto me, saying Joseph, my son,
thy sins are forgiven thee." And see ibid., p. 75: "Another personage
soon appeared like unto the first—he said unto me, 'thy sins are forgiven
thee."' My spelling and punctuation is used here.
12. Book of Mormon,
The Testimony of Three Witnesses. Cf. D&C 128:20.
13. Oliver Cowdery to
William W. Phelps, in Messenger and Advocate 1 (October 1834): 15-16,
also JS-H 71, n. Cf. the summary phrase concerning "the certainty that we
heard the voice of Jesus."
14. Cf. HC
1:60-61; see also Charles R. Harrell, "The Restoration of the
Priesthood," found herein.
15. Quoted phrases
appear in both the Westminster Confession of Faith (1647), chapter 2, and the
Methodist Articles of Religion (1784), article 1, cited in the edition of
Philip Schaff, The Creeds of Christendom
(Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1983 reprint) 3:606-8, 807. Section 20
has language of the unity of the persons of the Trinity, but not their
essential identity. Section 20 is verbally close to the individual statements
of faith on the records of each congregational church of the time. These retained
much Calvinism.
16. For known
background and text of the Apostles Creed, see John H. Leith,
Creeds of the Churches, rev. ed. (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1973), pp.
22-25.
17. For a survey of
the above issues, see Richard Lloyd Anderson, Understanding Paul (Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983), pp. 158-68; pp. 177-83.
18. Westminster
Confession, chapter 17, cited in Schaff, The
Creeds, 3:636.
19. Easy grace is not
possible in the formula of D&C 20:31, where Christ's offer is only
completed by the disciples' total and lifetime devotion. This high standard is
evidently a criticism of simplistic regaining of grace, as in irresponsible
practice of the Methodist view, "We may depart from grace given, and fall
into sin, and by the grace of God, rise again and amend our lives."
Methodist Articles, article 12, cited in Schaff,
The Creeds, p. 809-10. Cf. Joseph Smith's later label of this as a
half-truth: Ehat and Cook, The Words of Joseph
Smith, pp. 333-34; also TPJS, pp. 338-39.
20. Westminster
Confession, chapter 6, cited in Schaff, The Creeds,
p. 603. Cf. chapter 2.
21. Methodist
Articles, article 5, cited in Schaff, The Creeds,
p. 808.
22. Joseph Smith to
Isaac Galland, 22 March 1839, Liberty Jail, cited in Jessee, The Personal Writings, p. 420.
23. Evening and
Morning Star, 1835 Kirtland reprint of June, 1832 issue, 1:2. Doctrine and
Covenants editions from 1876 to 1920 carried a note that these verses had been
added later, the same procedure in all printings of HC 1:68.
24. HC 1:39,
44, 51.
25. Ibid., pp.
60-1.
26. A full
transcription of the Cowdery document is printed in Woodford, Historical
Background to section 20. The continued interdependence of section 20 and the
Book of Mormon is indicated in the major variant in the earliest present form of
the revelation in the 1831 Painesville Telegraph, cited in n. 3, above.
There the instructions on baptism and the Sacrament do not appear (D&C
20:72-79), but in their place is this sentence: "And the manner of baptism
and the manner of administering the Sacrament are to be done as is written in
the Book of Mormon."
27. HC 1:60-1. Cowdery's 1829 document indicates that he had the higher
priesthood, since he speaks of himself as "an apostle of Jesus Christ by
the will of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Instructions were
given on ordaining priests and teachers, the pattern of elders doing so in the
Book of Mormon (Moro. 3:1) or apostles in D&C 18:31-32. But since the
higher office of elder was evidently restricted at this time (after June, 1829,
since D&C 18 is quoted liberally), David Whitmer overstated that elders
were as operative before 6 April 1830 as afterward. This does not appear to be
true in the Cowdery document, so David may also be inaccurate in his claim of preorganization confirmation. He remembered the 1829
circulation of a document that might be the same as the Cowdery revelation:
"The Book of Mormon was still in the hands of the printer, but my brother,
Christian Whitmer, had copied from the manuscript the teachings and doctrine of
Christ, being the things which we were commanded to preach." See David
Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ (Richmond, Mo.: David
Whitmer, 1887), pp. 32-33, and cf. pp. 59-60.
28. HC 1:64.
29. Hyrum M. Smith and
Janne M. Sjodahl, The
Doctrine and Covenants (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1923),
p. 138. Cf. J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Our Lord of the Gospels (Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Co., 1954), pp. vi-vii. See also Bruce R. McConkie, The
Mortal Messiah, 4 books (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979-81),
1:349-50.
30. Whitmer, An
Address, pp. 32-33. Statutory requirements for church incorporation were
met except filing—see Larry C. Porter, "Was the Church Legally
Incorporated at the Time It Was Organized in the State of
31. Though the 1835
Doctrine and Covenants originally designated "first" and
"second" elders in D&C 20:2-3, Joseph Smith is called the
"first elder" in the early versions of D&C 20:5, perhaps written
before the explicit language on 6 April 1830 that Joseph Smith was
"first" (D&C 21:11).
32. HC 1:78.
33. Joseph Knight,
Manuscript of the Early History of Joseph Smith; also cited in Dean C. Jessee, "Joseph Knight's Recollection of Early Mormon
History," BYU Studies 17 (Autumn 1976): 37. The context is also given
in Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Provo, Ut.: Seventy's Mission Bookstore, 1981), pp. 32-33.
Spelling and punctuation are edited in my quote. Whitmer later disagreed with
the Prophet's presiding position, but he wrote of the harmony of members at the
time of organization: "We had all confidence in Brother Joseph, thinking
that as God had given him so great a gift as to translate the Book of Mormon,
that everything he would do must be right" (Whitmer, p. 33).
34. Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical
Sketches (Liverpool: Orson Pratt, 1853), p. 48, the same thought of the
preliminary manuscript, though worded differently.
35. Cf. Anderson, Understanding
Paul, pp. 593. Cf. the related incident (Acts 19:13-16), where Jesus' name
was ineffectual in casting out evil spirits when used by an unauthorized
individual.
36. See the
recollections of restored authority as the key issue in the conversions of John
Murdock and Edward Partridge: Milton V. Backman, Jr., The Heavens Resound: A
History of the Latter-day Saints in
37. HC 1:79-81.
38. See also ibid.,
pp. 104-5.
39. The earliest
manuscripts and printings followed the Book of Mormon language here:
"Having authority given me of Jesus Christ" (cf. 3 Ne. 11:25). The
shift of synonyms was made in the 1835 Kirtland printings. Cf. n. 26.
40. Edward L. Kimball,
The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1982), p. 421.
(Robert
L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The
Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 109.)
Section
20 is a series of revelations (look at the Amen’s), others came from various
sources.
Joseph
had to verbalize visions (76) Joseph and Oliver disagreed on the language to be
used. Oliver had to learn his place, he
wasn’t the Prophet.
The
Story of the Doctrine and Covenants
By Robert J. Woodford
Ensign, Dec. 1984, pp. 32-38
[Two kinds of referencing were used in this
article. Original footnotes are bracketed within the text.
References in parenthesis are original.]
We think of
the "knowledge explosion" as a twentieth-century phenomenon--modern
printing presses, humming computers, and chattering teletypes. But for
Latter-day Saints, the explosion started even before the organization of the
Church, with the Prophet Joseph receiving revelation upon revelation, sometimes
several a day, for the guidance and instruction of the Saints.
We think of
the Doctrine and Covenants as a tidily defined book, quietly resting with the
other scriptures. But the story of how those revelations were written, prepared
for publication, and moved through various stages until they reached our
present edition is the story of trying to keep up with a flood of revealed
knowledge--the story of how the prophets received revelation for the Church,
how it was recorded, and how it was edited for publication. This article tells
how we obtained our current edition of the Doctrine and Covenants.
Even before
the Church was organized, the Prophet had received a number of revelations--for
example, the First Vision and sections 2 through 19. Early Church members knew
that continued revelation from God was one of the most important and
distinctive aspects of the Church, and they were always eager to learn what the
Lord communicated through the prophet in their behalf, At the first conference,
in June 1830, members voted to receive from the Prophet "revelations and
Commandments for this Church" [Far West Record (microfilm of the
manuscript), Church Historical Department Archives, p. 2]. Members copied them
for their own study. Missionaries recorded them for help in instructing converts.
Orson Pratt remembers:
"We
often had access to the manuscripts [of the revelations] when boarding with the
Prophet; and it was our delight to read them over and over again, before they
were printed. And so highly were they esteemed by us, that we committed some to
memory; and a few we copied for the purpose of reference in our absence on
missions, and also to read them to the saints for their edification. These
copies are still in our possession." (The Seer [Mar. 1854]: 228.)
Many other
people made copies of the revelations; but because care was not always taken in
copying, many errors were made, repeated, and multiplied as the copies were
copied. Realizing the importance of having correct copies, the leaders of the
Church determined to publish them. Because the originals contained spelling and
grammar errors, a Church conference moved that Joseph Smith should make the
necessary corrections. (Far West Record, p. 16.) This was the beginning of
controversies and charges made by persons who do not know or understand that
the text of recorded revelation can be edited and "changed."
First, we
must recognize that Joseph Smith's purposeful changes are in a different
category from copying errors. Orson Pratt, who worked closely with him,
described some of these changes:
"Joseph,
the Prophet, in selecting the revelations from the Manuscripts, and arranging
them for publication, did not arrange them according to the order of the date
in which they were given, neither did he think it necessary to publish them all
in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, but left them to be published more fully
in his History. Hence, paragraphs taken from the revelations of a later date
are, in a few instances, incorporated with those of an earlier date. Indeed, at
the time of compilation, the Prophet was inspired in several instances to write
additional sentences and paragraphs to the earlier revelations. In this manner
the Lord did truly give 'line upon line, here a little and there a little,' the
same as He did to a revelation that Jeremiah received. And even though this
revelation was burned by the wicked king of
An example
appears in section 20. When part of this revelation was originally given in
1830, the offices of bishop, high councilor, and high priest were not yet part
of the Church, so Joseph Smith added them to the 1835 edition, as footnotes in
the editions between 1876 and 1920 explain. Section 107 is another example.
Close textual study shows at least five separate revelations received between
November 1831 and
The Book
of Commandments, 1833
At a
momentous conference of the Church in Ohio, beginning 1 November 1831, a
council of high priests of the Church in Ohio (Joseph Smith presiding) made the
decision to publish the revelations under the title Book of Commandments
and voted 10,000 copies for the first edition. (D&C 1; Far West Record, p.
15.) The Lord's will concerning the publication of the revelations was
manifested when Joseph Smith received section 1, the Lord's "preface"
to the book, during an interlude. Then began a lively discussion by Joseph
Smith asking the elders what testimony they were willing to attach to the
commandments. Some said they were willing to testify that the revelations came
from God; others, however, expressed criticism of the language in which the
revelations were expressed. (Far West Record, p. 16, History of the Church,
1:224.) Out of the discussion emerged a revelation, now section 67, in which a
challenge was given by the Lord to anyone present to write a revelation equal
to "the least" among those already given. (D&C 67; History of
the Church, 1:225.) William E. McLellin,
"having more learning than sense," tackled the project overnight and
failed. (History of the Church, 1:226.)
That
experience settled the controversy. Oliver Cowdery read section 67 the next morning
and "the brethren then arose in turn and bore witness to the truth of the
Book of Commandments." (Far West Record, p. 16.) During this same session,
Joseph Smith received by inspiration a statement intended to be a verification
of the truthfulness of the revelations that the elders were apparently going to
sign and include in the Book of Commandments, somewhat as the testimony of the
Three and Eight Witnesses included in the Book of Mormon. However, this
declaration was not published at the time, probably because the press was
destroyed in the middle of the project. (History of the Church, 1:226.)
With a few minor changes in wording, the revelation now appears in the
introductory pages of the Doctrine and Covenants as "Testimony of the
Twelve Apostles to the Truth of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants."
It may be a
surprise that the brethren at the conference would express any opposition to
the wording of the revelations. Elder Parley P. Pratt, describing how the
revelation which is now section 50 was given, wrote:
"After
we had joined in prayer … he dictated in our presence the following
revelation--(Each sentence was uttered slowly and very distinctly, and with a
pause between each, sufficiently long for it to be recorded, by an ordinary
writer, in long hand.)"
Elder Pratt
continued:
"This
was the manner in which all his written revelations were dictated and written.
… As he dictated them so they stood." (Autobiography, 5th ed., Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book, 1961, p. 62.)
Since all of
the sections have been edited at some time or other, Elder Pratt's description,
while it may be accurate in describing the dictation, is not complete in
accounting for the final form of the revelations. President Wilford Woodruff
defined revelation as "the inspiration of the Holy Ghost to man. Joseph
Smith said to Brother John Taylor in his day: 'Brother Taylor, you watch the
impression of the Spirit of God; you watch the whisperings of that Spirit to
you; you carry them out in your life, and it will become a principle of
revelation in you, and you will know and understand this Spirit and power.
Joseph Smith was full of revelation. He could translate anything given to him
of God. He could receive revelation without the Urim and Thummin.
… [The revelations] were given to him by the inspiration of Almighty God.' “(Millennial
Star, 12 Oct. 1891, p. 642.)
Elder Orson
Pratt confirmed President Woodruff's statement and added: "Joseph …
received the ideas from God, but clothed those ideas with such words as came to
his mind" (italics added) [Minutes of the School of Prophets, Salt Lake
Stake, 9 Dec. 1872, Church Historical Department Archives].
Joseph Smith,
acting on the vote of the conference that he corrects the errors of language
and clarity that he could discover, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost,
set to work at once. The conference did not end until November 12 and Oliver
Cowdery and John Whitmer, the messengers who would take the revelations to be
printed in
A few months
later, in the spring of 1832, Joseph Smith joined them for conferences and also
to transact more business about the book. At an April 30 meeting, they decided
to print only 3,000 instead of 10,000, to restrict availability of the
manuscripts to those concerned with the printing, and to appoint Oliver
Cowdery, W. W. Phelps, and John Whitmer to review the revelations again and
"select for printing such as shall be deemed by them proper, as dictated
by the Spirit and make all necessary verbal corrections." (Far West
Record, p. 25.) This last motion gave these brethren the responsibility of
selecting those revelations to appear in the LDS newspaper, The Evening and
Morning Star.
They made
their selections from revelations that Oliver Cowdery and John Whitmer had
brought to Independence in January 1832 and from those Joseph Smith brought the
following April. Starting in June 1832, each issue of the Evening and Morning
Star for over a year contained one or more revelations. Unfortunately, these
copies contained printing errors. When Oliver Cowdery began reprinting the
Evening and Morning Star in Kirtland in 1834, after mob violence stopped
publication in
While the
revelations were appearing in the Evening and Morning Star, the same
manuscripts were being used to print the Book of Commandments. This particular
printing involved a long and arduous process. Not only were they using a hand
press, but proofsheets had to go over a thousand
miles to Kirtland to be checked by the Prophet. Some sheets must have reached
him by
The next
major decision, written in a letter from Sidney Rigdon on
These
precious copies were bound and circulated--eagerly quoted by missionaries, and
cited officially [see Journal History of the Church, 2 Jan. 1834, Church
Historical Department Archives; History of the Church, 2:27; see also History
of the Church, 2:129; The Orson Pratt Journals, Elden
J. Watson, comp. and publ. (Salt Lake City, 1975), 2 Apr. 1834, p. 38].
The
Doctrine and Covenants, 1835
Persecution
in
While this
committee was preparing this edition, Oliver Cowdery was issuing the Kirtland
reprint of the Evening and Morning Star. The revelations contained in
the reprint were corrected, and since they agree favorably with the same ones
later published in the Doctrine and Covenants, he must have been using the same
manuscripts that the committee was using.
Some of the
revelations were reprinted on handbills or broadsheets in Kirtland, only a few
of which have survived. Sections 59, 88, 89, and 101 were printed in December
1833 or January 1834 [History of the Church,
Since the
book was to be presented at the conference of
The book was
bound in
The change of
the name from Book of Commandments to Doctrine and Covenants reflected a change
in the contents of the book. The Book of Commandments contained only
revelations. The Doctrine and Covenants contained the "Lectures on
Faith"--seven theological treatises--in the first part, which was titled
"On the Doctrine of the Church of the Latter-day Saints"; and the
revelations, or "PART SECOND, Covenants and Commandments" in the
[page 36] second part. The title, "Doctrine and Covenants," probably
came from the titles of the two parts of the book. In 1921 the "Lectures
on Faith" were removed from the Doctrine and Covenants, "not because
they were called in question, for they are excellent lectures of great value on
the the principles of faith, but because they were
not revelations." (Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1957, p. xvii.)
There were
some additional changes made in the Doctrine and Covenants. Some revelations
were combined; for example, chapters 17-19 in the Book of Commandments were
combined into our section 23; chapters 30-33 became section 30; and chapters
44-47 became section 42. Chapter 28 was combined with another revelation to
become our current section 27.
Additional
revelations, some of which had been received after the destruction of the press
in Missouri, were also included, along with the minutes of the 24 September
1834 high council meeting (which authorized the publication) and the minutes of
the 17 August 1835 conference (in which the book was approved). The title page
of this edition made it clear the book contained a "careful
selection" of Joseph Smith's revelations. A brief preface was also
included.
None of the
Quorum of the Twelve was present at that August meeting--they were all on
missions in the East but W. W. Phelps read into the minutes a testimony from
the Quorum of the book's truthfulness [The handwritten minutes in the Kirtland
Council Minute Book, pp. 98-106 contain no mention of the testimony, but the
published accounts of the minutes record it as read by W. W. Phelps]. This
testimony was almost identical to the statement the Prophet Joseph Smith had
received by revelation four years earlier during the 1831 conference in which
the Brethren approved the Book of Commandments. None of the Quorum objected to
his name being attached to this four-year-old document. But William E. McLellin would claim thirty-five years later that the
testimony was a forgery and that he could not have had faith in the Doctrine
and Covenants, since most of the revelations had been edited from those in the
Book of Commandments [The True Latter-day Saints Herald [Plano, Ill.] 19
(1 Aug. 1872): 472; History of the Church, 3:31]. Some dissidents have
relied on his testimony without realizing that it totally contradicts his
earlier support, recorded before his excommunication and apostasy. He had, as
clerk of the Quorum of the Twelve, signed a document citing the Doctrine and
Covenants as the basis for a decision. (History of the Church, 2:395.)
He was also present at the 1831 conference where the elders put on record their
willingness to bear witness to the Book of Commandments. (History of the
Church, 2:245; Far West Record, pp. 15-16.)
There were
some at the time the book was published who objected to the editing of the
revelations [David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ by a
Witness to the Divine Authenticity of the Book of Mormon (Richmond,
Missouri: David Whitmer, 1887), pp. 48-52; History of the Church, 2:481],
apparently misunderstanding the process of revelation and the principle of
"precept upon precept" that the Lord applied as he continued to give
new understanding to the Saints. The Church's viewpoint, however, is adequately
explained by Elder B. H. Roberts:
"Some of
the early revelations first published in the 'Book of Commandments,' in 1833,
were revised by the Prophet himself in the way of correcting errors made by the
scribes and publishers; and some additional clauses were inserted to throw
increased light upon the subjects treated in the revelations, and paragraphs
added, to make the principles or instructions apply to officers not in the
Church at the time some of the earlier revelations were given." (History
of the Church, 1:173.)
Editions
in 1844, 1845, and 1846
Soon after
all the Twelve arrived in
That second
edition came a little easier than the first. As early as July 1840 Samuel Bent
and George W. Harris were assigned as fund raisers; Ebenezer Robinson began
stereotyping (a type of printing) the Doctrine and Covenants and the hymnbook
sometime between spring and August of 1841; Joseph Smith "read proof"
on the new edition in February of 1843; the Quorum of the Twelve voted in
November 1843 to raise money for the paper, and on December 5 the Prophet had
them send the money to Orson Hyde in the East with an order to buy the paper [History
of the Church, 4:164; The Return 2 (July 1890): 302; Wilford
Woodruff Journal, 1-4 Feb. 1843, Church Historical Department Archives; History
of the Church, 5:264, 273; History of the Church, 6:66, 100].
On
Some changes
had been made: eight sections were added, including one written after Joseph
Smith's death--sections 103, 105, 112, 119, 124, 127, 128, and 135 in current
editions. The minutes of the approving 1835 conference were dropped.
Since
stereotyping is a process that produces metal plates, the 1845 and 1846 Nauvoo
editions duplicated the 1844 edition. During the exodus from Nauvoo, Church
leaders carefully instructed the three trustees left behind in Nauvoo to bring
the stereotype plates with them to Winter Quarters, but the plates were never
used again and must have been lost [Journal History of the Church, 28 Sept.
1846, pp. 2-3; 11 Nov. 1846, p. 2; 1 Apr. 1847, p. 3, Church Historical
Department Archives]. Instead, the Utah Saints imported copies from
British
Editions, 1845-1869
As in
This 1845
edition was useful for two reasons: it supplied books for members in Britain,
who were hungry for the Prophet's revelations, and it helped deflate slanderous
articles that the Church had printed a "secret book" in the United
States full of "heresy, blasphemy, slavery and treason" [Manuscript
History of the British Mission, 22 June 1841, p. 4].
This edition
copied the Nauvoo editions, as did later editions published in 1849, 1852,
1854, 1866, and 1869. From 1852 to 1869, stereotype plates were used.
The 1854
edition was intended for the Saints in Utah and most of the copies were shipped
to Saint Louis, then brought west by wagon.
The 1854
edition also established the need for a textual change. Orson Pratt, who was in
charge of publishing that edition, discovered that a disaffected member named
Charles B. Thomson was publishing a newspaper containing
"revelations" he supposedly had received from "Baneemy." Since "Baneemy"
was the code name for "the elders" that Joseph Smith had given in
Section 105:27, Elder Pratt proposed that the real names be printed in the next
edition, thus exposing Thomson [Orson Pratt to Brigham Young,
1876-1880
Editions
Orson Pratt
was an important figure in the next stage of the history of the Doctrine and
Covenants. In January 1875 he was deep into an extensive revision to divide the
sections into verses, add other revelations the Prophet Joseph Smith had
received, arrange the sections in chronological order, and add "in
parentheses" the real names after the code names--the change he had
recommended over twenty years earlier [Historian's Office Journal, 7 July
1874-14 Nov. 1875, p. 70]. He also wrote new introductions to many sections. In
all this he was following the counsel given him by President Brigham Young.
This edition was ready for distribution in 1876.
The major
change, however, was the addition of twenty-six sections. Sections 2 and 13
contain significant historical events; sections 77 and 113 include
interpretations of scripture by Joseph Smith; sections 85, 121, 122, and 123
are extracts of letters; section 109 was the dedication prayer for the Kirtland
Temple; section 110 recorded the visit of the heavenly beings who appeared in
the temple 3 April 1836; sections 116, 129, 130, and 131 were inspired
statements by Joseph Smith; section 136 was a revelation Brigham Young received
after the Prophet's death; and the greatest number--sections 87, 108, 111, 114,
115, 117, 118, 120, 125, 126, and 132--were revelations included in Joseph
Smith's history but never before published in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Orson Pratt
was also involved in a project to publish the Doctrine and Covenants in the
Deseret alphabet and left
However,
Orson Pratt returned yet again to
Soon, one
complete set of electrotype plates was shipped to
In the
October 1880 general conference, President George Q. Cannon held up copies of
the Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price and said, "As
there have been additions made … by the publishing of revelations which were
not contained in the original edition, it has been deemed wise to submit these
books with their contents to the Conference, to see whether the Conference will
vote to accept the books and their contents as from God, and binding upon us as
a people and as a Church." President Joseph F. Smith so moved, it was
seconded, and the congregation voted affirmatively. (Deseret Evening News,
11 Oct. 1880, p. 2, col. 4.)
1882-1920
Editions
In the next
thirty-eight years, no fewer than twenty-eight printings of the Doctrine and
Covenants were made, most from the electrotype plates made in 1879, others in a
similar format. Some were bound to make double or triple combinations; some
were vest-pocket size; later
When the 1908
edition came from the press, it contained the first addition since Orson
Pratt's edition in 1876: President Wilford Woodruff's declaration, the
Manifesto, concerning the practice of plural marriage. Most usually, the
Manifesto was on a separate page that was glued in; some printings, especially
vest-pocket editions, didn't contain the Manifesto as a regular part of the
text until the 1921 edition.
The 1921
Edition
The next
major changes appeared in the 1921 edition. On
Their
revisions reworked the footnotes, expanded the introductory statements at the
beginning of the revelations, divided the text into double columns, and deleted
the "Lectures on Faith."
The 1981
Edition
The edition
in use today was published in 1981. It was expanded to include Joseph Smith's
Vision of the
The new
edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, incorporating these additions, also
included some alterations. The footnotes were revised according to the format
of the footnotes in the LDS edition of the King James Version of the Bible,
which had previously been published and distributed to members of the Church.
These footnotes included cross-references to the Topical Guide in the Bible. In
addition, the introductory statements at the beginning of each section were
revised and a gazetteer was included. (For further information, see Bruce T.
Harper, "The Church Publishes a new Triple Combination," Ensign,
Oct. 1981, p. 8.)
With the
publication of this new edition, study of the Doctrine and Covenants enters a
new era. Members of the Church now have easier access to the historical and
doctrinal setting in which this book of scripture was produced.
President
Benson gave a masterful discourse on the roles of the Book of Mormon and the
Doctrine and Covenants for our day.
Book
of Mormon – Brings man to Christ
Doctrine
and Covenants – Brings man to Christ’s kingdom (Church)
The
Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants
President Ezra Taft
Benson
Ensign, May 1987, pp. 83-85
[Underling is NOT original.]
My beloved
brethren and sisters, I rejoice in this great conference. I am a better man
because I was here. I thank the Lord for the great record that has been made.
This has been another glorious conference of the Church. I commend to each of
you the counsel of these, my brethren, who have spoken to us. I love them and
sustain them, and I love the members of the Church everywhere.
I would like
to speak about two sacred volumes of modern scripture--the Book of Mormon and
the Doctrine and Covenants.
The Book
of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants are bound together as revelations from
Israel's God to gather and prepare His people for the second coming of the Lord.
The bringing
forth of these sacred volumes of scripture "for the salvation of a ruined
world" cost "the best blood of the nineteenth century"--that of
Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum (D&C 135:6).
Each divine
witness contains a great proclamation to all the world--the title page of the
Book of Mormon, and section 1, the Lord's preface to the Doctrine and Covenants.
"This
generation," said the Lord to Joseph Smith, "shall have my word
through you" (D&C
The Book
of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants testify of each other. You cannot
believe one and not the other.
The Book of
Mormon testifies of modern books of scripture. It refers to them as "other
books" and "last records" which "establish the truth"
of the Bible and make known the "plain and precious things which have been
taken away" from the Bible (1 Ne.
Excluding the
witnesses to the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants is by far the
greatest external witness and evidence which we have from the Lord that the
Book of Mormon is true. At least thirteen sections in the Doctrine and
Covenants give us confirming knowledge and divine witness that the Book of
Mormon is the word of God (see D&C 1; D&C 3; D&C 5; D&C 8;
D&C 10-11; D&C 17-18; D&C 20; D&C 27; D&C 42; D&C 84;
D&C 135).
The
Doctrine and Covenants is the binding link between the Book of Mormon and the
continuing work of the Restoration through the Prophet Joseph Smith and his
successors.
In the
Doctrine and Covenants we learn of temple work, eternal families, the degrees
of glory, Church organization, and many other great truths of the Restoration.
"Search
these commandments," said the Lord of the Doctrine and Covenants,
"for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are
in them shall all be fulfilled.
"What I
the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the
heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be
fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the
same" (D&C 1:37-38).
The Book
of Mormon brings men to Christ. The Doctrine and Covenants brings
men to Christ's kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,
"the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth"
(D&C 1:30). I know that.
The Book
of Mormon is the "keystone" of our religion, and the
Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone, with continuing latter-day revelation.
The Lord has placed His stamp of approval on both the keystone and the
capstone.
The ancient
preparation of the Book of Mormon, its preservation, and its publication verify
Nephi's words that "the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning;
wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his
works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the
fulfilling of all his words" (1 Ne. 9:6).
We are not
required to prove that the Book of Mormon is true or is an authentic record
through external evidences--though there are many. It never has been the case,
nor is it so now, that the studies of the learned will prove the Book of Mormon
true or false. The origin, preparation, translation, and verification of the
truth of the Book of Mormon have all been retained in the hands of the Lord,
and the Lord makes no mistakes. You can be assured of that.
God has built
in His own proof system of the Book of Mormon as found in
We each need
to get our own testimony of the Book of Mormon through the Holy Ghost. Then our
testimony, coupled with the Book of Mormon, should be shared with others so
that they, too, can know through the Holy Ghost of its truthfulness.
Nephi
testifies that the Book of Mormon contains the "words of Christ" and
that if people "believe in Christ," they will believe in the Book of
Mormon (2 Ne. 33:10).
It is
important that in our teaching we make use of the language of holy writ.
The words and
the way they are used in the Book of Mormon by the Lord should become our
source of understanding and should be used by us in teaching gospel principles.
God uses
the power of the word of the Book of Mormon as an instrument to change people's
lives:
"As the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to
do that which was just--yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of
the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto
them--therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue
of the word of God" (Alma 31:5).
We need to
use the everlasting word to awaken those in deep sleep so they will awake
"unto God."
I am
deeply concerned about what we are doing to teach the Saints at all levels the
gospel of Jesus Christ as completely and authoritatively as do the Book of
Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants. By this I mean teaching the
"great plan of the Eternal God," to use the words of Amulek (Alma
34:9).
Are we
using the messages and the method of teaching found in the Book of Mormon and
other scriptures of the Restoration to teach this great plan of the Eternal God?
There are
many examples of teaching this great plan, but I will quote just one. It is
Mormon's summary statement of Aaron's work as a missionary:
"And it
came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he
began from the creation of Adam, reading the scriptures unto the king--how God
created man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that
because of transgression, man had fallen.
"And
Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the creation of Adam, laying the
fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the plan of redemption,
which was prepared from the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all
whosoever would believe on his name.
"And
since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings
and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance" (
The Book of
Mormon Saints knew that the plan of redemption must start with the account of
the fall of Adam. In the words of
Just as a man
does not really desire food until he is hungry, so he does not desire the
salvation of Christ until he knows why he needs Christ.
No one adequately
and properly knows why he needs Christ until he understands and accepts the
doctrine of the Fall and its effect upon all mankind. And no other book in the
world explains this vital doctrine nearly as well as the Book of Mormon.
Brethren and
sisters, we all need to take a careful inventory of our performance and also
the performance of those over whom we preside to be sure that we are teaching
the "great plan of the Eternal God" to the Saints.
Are we
accepting and teaching what the revelations tell us about the Creation, Adam
and the fall of man, and redemption from that fall through the atonement of
Christ? Do we frequently review the crucial questions which
Do we
understand and are we effective in teaching and preaching the Atonement? What
personal meaning does the Lord's suffering in Gethsemane and on
What does
redemption from the Fall mean to us? In the words of
Now, what
should be the source for teaching the great plan of the Eternal God? The scriptures, of
course--particularly the Book of Mormon. This should also include the
other modern-day revelations. These should be coupled with the
words of the Apostles and prophets and the promptings of the Spirit.
The Doctrine
and Covenants states, "Let them journey from thence preaching the word by
the way, saying none other things than that which the prophets and apostles
have written, and that which is taught them by the Comforter through the prayer
of faith" (D&C 52:9).
Now, after we
teach the great plan of the eternal God, we must personally bear our
testimonies of its truthfulness.
"And
this is not all. Do ye not suppose that I know of these things myself? Behold,
I testify unto you that I do know that these things whereof I have spoken are
true. And how do ye suppose that I know of their surety?
"Behold,
I say unto you they are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I
have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And
now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them
manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which
is in me" (Alma 5:45-46).
Later Amulek
joined
"And
now, behold, I will testify unto you of myself that these things are true.
Behold, I say unto you, that I do know that Christ shall come among the
children of men, to take upon him the transgressions of his people, and that he
shall atone for the sins of the world; for the Lord God hath spoken it"
(Alma 34:8).
In His
preface to the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord said that the "voice of
warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom I have
chosen in these last days" (D&C 1:4).
The
responsibility of the seed of Abraham, which we are, is to be missionaries to
"bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations" (Abr. 2:9).
Moses bestowed upon Joseph Smith in the
Now, what is
the instrument that God has designed for this gathering? It is the same
instrument that is designed to convince the world that Jesus is the Christ that
Joseph Smith is His prophet, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints is true. It is that scripture which is the keystone of our religion.
It is that
most correct book which, if men will abide by its precepts, will get them
closer to God than any other book. It is the Book of Mormon (see Introduction
to the Book of Mormon).
God bless
us all to use all the scriptures, but in particular the instrument He designed
to bring us to Christ--the Book of Mormon, the keystone of our religion--along
with its companion volume, the capstone, the Doctrine and Covenants, the
instrument to bring us to Christ's kingdom, The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
Now, by
virtue of the sacred priesthood in me vested, I invoke the blessings of the
Lord upon the Latter-day Saints and upon good people everywhere.
I bless you
with added power to endure in righteousness amidst the growing onslaught of
wickedness, about which we have heard a great deal during this conference.
I promise
you that as you more diligently study modern revelation on gospel subjects,
your power to teach and preach will be magnified and you will so move the cause
of Zion that added numbers will enter into the house of the Lord as well as the
mission field.
I bless you
with increased desire to flood the earth with the Book of Mormon, to gather out
from the world the elect of God who are yearning for the truth but knows not
where to find it.
I promise you
that, with increased attendance in the temples of our God, you shall receive
increased personal revelation to bless your life as you bless those who have
died.
I testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Jesus is the Christ. Joseph Smith is His prophet. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
D&C
28:1-3 – The Hiram Page story of a stone which he claimed he could receive
revelations. Oliver believed it hook
line and sinker. The Lord teaches the
saints that there is one person only that receives revelation for the church, Joseph. Oliver was better educated, but was reminded
of his place, later; this would drive him out of the church. The thought of a prophet receiving revelation
for the church wasn’t comprehended yet.
(Doctrine
and Covenants 28:1-3.)
1 Behold, I
say unto thee, Oliver, that it shall be given unto thee that thou shalt be
heard by the church in all things whatsoever thou shalt teach them by the
Comforter, concerning the revelations and commandments which I have given.
2 But,
behold, verily, verily, I say unto thee, no one shall be appointed to receive
commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith,
Jun., for he receiveth them even as Moses.
3 And thou
shalt be obedient unto the things which I shall give unto him, even as Aaron,
to declare faithfully the commandments and the revelations, with power and
authority unto the church.
The Prophet, Seer, and
Revelator
(D&C 28 and 43)
A. GARY ANDERSON
In All Patience and
Faith
The very foundation of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the principle of present-day
revelation. From the prophet Amos came the declaration that "surely the
Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret
unto his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). President Spencer W. Kimball
declared: "Man never needs to stand alone. Every faithful person may have
the inspiration for his own limited kingdom. But the Lord definitely calls
prophets today and reveals his secrets unto them as he did yesterday, he does
today, and will do tomorrow: that is the way it is." fn The idea of
continuous revelation in our present day seemed consistent with the word of God
to many early converts to the gospel. One early lesson that needed to be taught
to the members of the restored Church was the relationship of the members to
the appointed prophet. Thus, on the very day the Church was organized, 6 April
1830, the Lord gave instruction to the early Church members:
Wherefore, meaning the
church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall
give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all
holiness before me;
For his word ye shall
receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
For by doing these
things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will
disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake
for your good, and his name's glory (D&C 21:4-6).
This revelation seems
to point out very clearly the special role of the prophet and the
responsibility of Church members to look to that prophet; this, however, was a
difficult lesson for Church members to learn and a test of their faith. The
Lord warned in a later revelation that enemies would prevail against the Church
as long as they did not give heed unto his commandments through his prophet
(D&C 103:4-8). Even in more modern times President Harold B. Lee brought
this to the attention of the Church in these words:
We have some tight
places to go before the Lord is through with this church and the world in this
dispensation, which is the last dispensation, which shall usher in the coming
of the Lord. . . .
Now the only safety we
have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the
Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to
the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet,
"as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness
before me: . . . as if from my own mouth, in all patience and faith."
There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what
comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views.
It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social
life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself,
with patience and faith, the promise is that "the gates of hell shall not
prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness
from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's
glory. . . .
Your safety and ours
depends upon whether or not we follow the ones whom the Lord has placed to
preside over his church. He knows whom he wants to preside over this church,
and he will make no mistake. . . . Let's keep our eye on the President of the
Church. fn
The Key Against Deception
One of the early
members of the Church who was present at the organization of the Church and had
shared many revelatory experiences with the Prophet Joseph Smith was Oliver
Cowdery. He was one who struggled to understand the role of the prophet in
giving revelation to the Church. Just months after the organization of the
Church, Joseph Smith received a letter from Oliver Cowdery which gave him both
"sorrow and uneasiness." The contents of the letter were as follows,
as recorded in the History of the Church:
He wrote to inform me
that he had discovered an error in one of the commandments—Book of Doctrine and
Covenants: (D&C 20:37) "And truly manifest by their works that they
have received of the Spirit of Christ unto a remission of their sins."
The above quotation,
he said, was erroneous, and added: "I command you in the name of God to
erase those words, that no priestcraft be amongst us!"
I immediately wrote to
him in reply, in which I asked him by what authority he took upon him to
command me to alter or erase, to add to or diminish from, a revelation or
commandment from Almighty God.
A few days afterwards
I visited him and Mr. Whitmer's family, when I found
the family in general of his opinion concerning the words above quoted, and it
was not without both labor and perseverance that I could prevail with any of
them to reason calmly on the subject. However, Christian Whitmer at length
became convinced that the sentence was reasonable, and according to Scripture;
and finally, with his assistance, I succeeded in bringing, not only the Whitmer
family, but also Oliver Cowdery to acknowledge that they had been in error, and
that the sentence in dispute was in accordance with the rest of the
commandment. fn
Joseph had returned to
Harmony,
To our great grief, however, we soon found that Satan had
been lying in wait to deceive, and seeking whom he might devour. Brother Hiram
Page had in his possession a certain stone, by which he had obtained certain
"revelations" concerning the upbuilding of
Zion, the order of the Church, etc., all of which were entirely at variance
with the order of God's house, as laid down in the New Testament, as well as in
our late revelations. As a conference meeting had been appointed for the 26th
day of September, I thought it wisdom not to do much more than to converse with
the brethren on the subject, until the conference should meet. Finding,
however, that many especially the Whitmer family and Oliver Cowdery, were
believing much in the things set forth by this stone, we thought best to
inquire of the Lord concerning so important a matter; and before conference, we
received the following." fn
Doctrine and Covenants 28 was then recorded. Joseph had
been quick to recognize that this whole affair was contrary to the New
Testament and previous revelations he had received. This revelation recognized
the Prophet as the man like unto Moses, which is also affirmed in later
revelations (D&C 103:15-16; 107:92). Newel Knight described the events
connected with this matter in his personal journal:
[Page] had managed to get up some discussions of feeling
among the brethren by giving revelations concerning the government of the
Church and other matters, which he claimed to have received through the medium
of a stone he possessed. . . . Even Oliver Cowdery and the Whitmer family had
given heed to them. . . . Joseph was perplexed and scarcely knew how to meet
this new exigency. That night I occupied the same room that he did and the
greater part of the night was spent in prayer and supplication. After much
labor with these brethren they were convinced of their error, and confessed the
same, renouncing [Page's] revelations as not being of God. fn
The Lord then commanded Joseph in the revelation to
"take thy brother, Hiram Page, between him and thee alone, and tell him
that those things which he hath written from that stone are not of me and that
Satan deceiveth him" (D&C 28:11). This then
becomes a key against deception for the Church. Oliver was recognized by the
Lord as the second Elder in the Church, but the Church must learn this
important lesson as reiterated by Joseph Smith in these words: "I will
inform you that it is contrary to the economy of God for any member of the
Church, or anyone, to receive instructions for those in authority, higher than
themselves; therefore, you will see the impropriety of giving heed to them; but
if any person have a vision or a visitation from a heavenly messenger, it must
be for his own benefit and instruction, for the fundamental principles, government,
and doctrine of the church are vested in the keys of the kingdom." fn
The proposed conference of the Church was convened on 26
September 1830, in which Hiram Page's revelation was discussed: "The
subject of the stone previously mentioned was discussed, and after considerable
investigation, Brother Page, as well as the whole Church who were present,
renounced the said stone, and all things connected therewith, much to our
mutual satisfaction and happiness." fn The Spirit of the Lord was strongly
felt at the conference and several revelations were given.
The Lord showed further concern in these revelations that
members of the Church remember the lessons learned from these events in
Fayette. He cautioned David Whitmer in these words: "You have not given
heed unto my Spirit, and to those who were set over you, but have been
persuaded by those whom I have not commanded" (D&C 30:2). And again to
the missionaries who were sent out to preach the gospel to the Lamanites the
Lord said: "And they shall give heed to that which is written, and pretend
to no other revelation; and they shall pray always that I may unfold the same
to their understanding" (D&C 32:4). These were all gentle reminders to
look to the Lord and his prophet for guidance and direction in order to avoid
confusion and deception. Later missionaries were cautioned to preach "none
other things than that which the prophets and apostles have written"
(D&C 52:9, 36).
The Church was slow to
learn this lesson concerning revelation for the Church coming only to the
Prophet. It was less than six months later in Kirtland, just after the Lord had
revealed his law to the Church (D&C 42), that the following transpired, as
recorded in the History of the Church
This woman's name,
according to the history of the Church kept by John Whitmer, was Hubble.
"She professed to be a prophetess of the Lord, and professed to have many
revelations, and knew the Book of Mormon was true, and that she should become a
teacher in the
Ezra Booth, an early
apostate to the Church, gave us added insight with respect to the purported
Hubble revelation:
A female, professing
to be a prophetess, made her appearance in Kirtland and so ingratiated herself
into the esteem and favor of some of the Elders that they received her as a
person commissioned to act a conspicuous part in Mormonizing
the world. Rigdon, and some others, gave her the righthand
of fellowship, and literally saluted her with what they called the 'kiss' of
charity. But [Joseph] Smith . . . declared her an imposter, and she returned to
the place whence she came. Her visit, however, made a deep impression on the
minds of many, and the barbed arrow which she left in the hearts of some, is
not as yet eradicated. fn
Continual reference
has been made to these revelations to prevent members of the Church from being
deceived. In 1972 President Harold B. Lee reminded the Saints of these early
events as he warned the Church by quoting a statement of the First Presidency
given in 1913:
From the days of Hiram
Page at different periods there have been manifestations from delusive spirits
to members of the Church. . . .
When visions, dreams,
tongues, prophecy, impressions or an extraordinary gift or inspiration convey
something out of harmony with the accepted revelations of the Church or
contrary to the decisions of its constituted authorities, Latter-day Saints may
know that it is not of God, no matter how plausible it may appear. Also, they
should understand that direction for the guidance of the Church will come, by
revelation, through the head. All faithful members are entitled to the
inspiration of the Holy Spirit for themselves, their families, and for those
over whom they are appointed and ordained to preside. But anything at discord
with that which comes from God through the head of the Church is not to be received
as authoritative or reliable. In secular as well as spiritual affairs, Saints
may receive Divine guidance and revelation affecting themselves, but this does
not convey authority to direct others, and is not to be accepted when contrary
to Church covenants, doctrine or discipline, or to known facts, demonstrated
truths, or good common sense. No person has the right to induce his fellow
members of the Church to engage in speculations or take stock in ventures of
any kind on the specious claim of Divine revelation or vision or dream,
especially when it is in opposition to the voice of recognized authority, local
or general. The Lord's Church "is a house of order." It is not
governed by individual gifts or manifestations, but by the order and power of
the Holy Priesthood as sustained by the voice and vote of the Church in its
appointed conferences.
The history of the
Church records many pretended revelations claimed by imposters or zealots who
believed in the manifestations they sought to lead other persons to accept, and
in every instance, disappointment, sorrow and disaster have resulted therefrom. Financial loss and sometimes utter ruin have
followed. fn
The Lord in section 43
promises protection against deception as the Saints meet together and are instructed
and edified by inspired leaders and are admonished to bind themselves to these
things and thus be sanctified (D&C 43:8-11). They are to support the Lord's
prophet both temporally and by the prayer of faith (D&C 43:12-14). The Lord
concludes this revelation by admonishing the elders to teach the truth to the
world and prepare for his Second Coming (D&C 43:15-28). He also reminds
them that at the day of the Second Coming there will be none to deliver them if
they have not believed the prophet (cf. D&C 133:71). The warning seems
clear that proper preparations for the Second Coming consists in looking to and
obeying his servants, the prophets.
The Power of God Unto Salvation
When the decision was
made in the November conference of the Church in 1831 to compile the
revelations given to the early Church, the Lord gave another revelation which
was to be the Preface to the Book of Commandments. Again the Lord stressed the
importance of listening to and obeying the words of his prophet and other
leaders in these words:
And the arm of the
Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the
voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the
words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people . .
. . What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and
though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but
shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my
servants, it is the same (D&C 1:14, 38)
Perhaps this is why
President Harold B. Lee said: "That person is not truly converted until he
sees the power of God resting upon the leaders of this Church, and until it
goes down into his heart like fire." fn
The Lord in another
revelation given in November 1831 further emphasized the importance of the
inspired words of his living servants: "And this is the ensample unto
them, that they shall speak as they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost. And
whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be
scripture, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall
be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation" (D&C
68:34). When the servants of the Lord, speaking within their assigned stewardship,
are moved upon by the Holy Ghost, then we have received scripture. President
Spencer W. Kimball made these remarks at the conclusion of a general
conference: "Let us hearken to those we sustain as prophets, and seers, as
well as the other brethren, as if our eternal life depended upon it, because it
does!" fn Certainly our salvation is at stake if we fail to be in tune
with the Holy Ghost which enables us to know when our leaders are moved upon by
the Holy Ghost.
When Frederick G.
Williams was called as a counselor in the First Presidency of the Church in
1833, the Lord again emphasized the importance of his word given to his
prophet: "Verily I say unto you, the keys of this kingdom shall never be
taken from you, while thou art in the world, neither in the world to come;
Nevertheless, through you shall the oracles be given to another, yea, even unto
the church. And all they who receive the oracles of God, let them beware how
they hold them lest they are accounted as a light thing, and are brought under
condemnation thereby, and stumble and fall when the storms descend, and winds
blow, and the rains descend, and beat upon their house" (D&C 90:3-5).
This revelation is certainly a key in interpreting what the Lord was trying to
say when he concluded the Sermon of the Mount with the story of the man who
built his house on sand (Matt. 7:24-27). His children are on shaky ground when
they take lightly the words of his prophet.
In the midst of
apostasy in the trying Kirtland years, the Lord reminded the Church of the
importance of the First Presidency: "Whosoever receiveth
me, receiveth the First Presidency" (D&C
112:20). President Marion G. Romney said, "What they say as a presidency
is what the Lord would say if he were here in person." fn The Saints again
in Nauvoo were told that they could not be blessed if they did not hearken unto
the voice of his servants (D&C 124:45-46). And in the same revelation Alman W. Babbitt was rebuked for rejecting the counsel of
the First Presidency (D&C 124:84). The warning of the Lord to those who
were responsible for the martyrdom of the Lord's prophet, Joseph Smith, should
not go unnoticed (D&C 136:34-36). President Ezra Taft Benson stated:
"The prophet and the presidency— the living prophet and the First
Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer." fn
President Benson further stated that the prophet is the only man who speaks for
the Lord in everything. He substantiated this thought with D&C 132:7:
"There is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the
keys of this priesthood are conferred."
Conclusion
From the day of the
organization of the Church in 1830 the Lord has taught and emphasized the
importance of his servants; he has carefully defined the special role of the
Prophet and President of the Church in receiving guidance and revelation for
the entire Church. That theme has been echoed and re-echoed throughout the
revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants. The Lord even said that all that his
Father promised to him could be shared by the Saints if they were true to the
covenant of the priesthood. Notice, however, that this is predicated upon these
words: "And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith
the Lord; For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me; And he that receiveth
me receiveth my Father" (D&C 84:35-39).
Certainly our happiness and exaltation depend on following the Lord through his
prophets.
Notes The Prophet, Seer, and Revelator
1. Conference
Report, April 1977, p. 115; Ensign, May 1977, p. 78.
2. Ibid., October
1970, pp. 152-53; Improvement Era, December 1970, pp. 126-27.
3. HC 1:105.
4. Ibid.,
1:108-10.
5. Lyndon W. Cook, The
Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Provo: Seveney's
Mission Bookstore, 1981), pp. 3940.
6. HC 1:338.
7. Ibid., p.
115.
8. Ibid., p.
154.
9. Ibid.,
footnote.
10. Cook, The
Revelations, pp. 61-62.
11. Conference
Report, October 1972, pp. 125-26; Ensign, December 1972.
12. Ensign,
July 1972, p. 103.
13. Conference
Report, April 1978, p. 117; Ensign, May 1978, p. 77.
14. Ibid.,
April 1945, p. 90.
15. "Fourteen
Fundamentals in Following the Prophet," 1980 Devotional Speeches of the
Year (Provo, Ut.: Brigham Young University Press,
1980), p. 29.
(Robert L. Millet and
Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The Doctrine and
Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 148.)
D&C
27:1-4 – August 1, 1830, 5-18 – September 4, 1830, preparing them for D&C
89
D&C
28:7 – Looking ahead to D&C 110
(Doctrine
and Covenants 28:7.)
7 For I have given him the keys of the mysteries, and the
revelations which are sealed, until I shall appoint unto them another in his
stead.
We
had a long discussion about the various corrections and editions of the Book of
Mormon. There wasn’t any punctuation or
chapters and verses, these were done during publishing and later worked on by
Joseph, Orson Pratt, who took the book to
"The Most Correct of Any Book on Earth"
The earliest edition
of the Book of Mormon came from the press during the week of 18-25 March 1830,
in
The second edition
came from the press in 1837 in
Let us be quick to
observe that these various editorial changes did not alter the central message
of the book in any edition; they were minor, not major, revisions. However,
from time to time critics have raised the question of the
"perfection" of the Book of Mormon in light of the many editorial
touches. In reply, it seems only reasonable that we at least point out that the
Prophet was speaking from the context of 1841. The message of the Book of
Mormon is the same no matter what edition one uses, but knowing the context of
the Prophet's statement tends to blunt what might at first look like a sharp
edge of the critics' attack.
(Robert
J. Matthews, A Bible! A Bible! [
Some Conclusions
1. The Book of Mormon
has been subject to problems in its printing, as have other books.
2. The English
language in
3. The original
grammar was Joseph's; the spelling was Oliver's; the punctuation was John H.
Gilbert's.
4. The
Prophet-Translator initiated the majority of changes in the first few editions.
5. There is a
difference between word changes and idea changes—the basic meaning of the text
has not been changed.
Based on his letter to
W. W. Phelps in 1833, his 1837 and 1840 editions, his statement in 1842, and
his 1842 edition (all previously referred to), it is clear that had Joseph
lived longer, he would likely have continued to correct the text of the Book of
Mormon to produce a book without human errors. It has been in this same spirit
that corrections have been made in succeeding editions.
Some of the sharpest
detractors of the Book of Mormon translation have confessed that "as we
stated earlier, most of the 3,913 changes which we found were related to the
correction of grammatical and spelling errors and do not really change the
basic meaning of the text." fn This reminds us of a statement the Prophet
Joseph made when he was criticized in 1834 for "glaring errors" in a
published revelation. He replied that shades of meaning or literary mechanics
were not as important as the general message: "We did not think so much of
orthography [spelling], or the manner, as we did the subject matter, as the
word of God means what it says." fn
"The Most Correct Book"
Even before the 1981
edition was published, a careful student of the original manuscript and
printer's copy said, "A great value of these early manuscripts is that for
the most part they substantiate the correctness of the present Book of Mormon
text—fully 99.9% of the text is published correctly." fn
Notwithstanding the
fact that this sacred Nephite witness of Jesus Christ already towers far above
many of the other scriptures in the integrity of its text, still the Church has
endeavored to make it even more correct, as is shown by the following statement
about the 1981 edition: "Some minor errors in the text have been
perpetuated in past editions of the Book of Mormon. This edition contains
corrections that seem appropriate to bring the material into conformity with
prepublication manuscripts and early editions edited by the Prophet Joseph Smith."
fn The changes and corrections are not only correct but appropriate. fn
When Joseph Smith said
"the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth," it
seems evident that he was not talking about grammar, fn punctuation, or
spelling. He was referring to the clarity and depth of doctrine, to the mission
and message of the book, to the spirit of inspiration that it fosters, to the
divine desire that it sparks in the soul to make the "mighty change,"
and to the abiding love of the Lord that it brings into our hearts. All of
these correct things help make the Book of Mormon just exactly what the Prophet
said it was: "The most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of
our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts,
than by any other book." fn
The Lord himself has
similarly testified with a solemn oath—"And he [Joseph] has translated the
book, even that part which I have commanded him, and as your Lord and your God liveth it is true" (D&C 17:6).
(Paul
R. Cheesman, ed., The Book of Mormon: The Keystone
Scripture [Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1988], 252.)
Joseph
lamented the lack of record keeping that was done in the early days of the
church, D&C 128:20, describes 2 events without dates or a history recorded.
We
had a discussion about priesthood, the offices, authority, keys, etc. Without keys, nothing happens, no meetings,
no ordinations, etc, see web site.
Joseph
and the 3 witnesses were apostles but never served in the Quorum of the 12,
however, they had to have the office to call others to the Quorum.
Priesthood
– The power of God
Authority
– Gods delegated power to man
Keys
– Right to direct priesthood authority
Offices
– Delegated responsibilities in the priesthood
Quorums
– Brotherhood, Fraternity who share responsibilities of that office together
Callings
– A Stewardship within the priesthood
Ordinances
– 1 Essential for salvation, sacred ritual settings in which covenants are made
that enact various aspects of the Atonement in our lives, officiated by
priesthood authority, by those who hold the keys. 2 Ordinances not of salvation, blessings,
dedications, given for instruction and comfort
Melchizedek
Priesthood
Aaronic Priesthood
Apostle General Bishop
Seventy Priest
Teacher
Patriarch Deacon
High
Priest Local
Elder
What
Every Elder Should Know--
and Every Sister as Well:
A Primer on Principles of Priesthood Government
Elder Boyd K. Packer
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, Feb. 1993, pp. 7-13
Because
elders cannot receive the fulness of the blessings of the priesthood without
the sisters, it was thought the sisters, too, could benefit from these excerpts
from a talk given at a training session of the General Authorities at general
conference, April 1992.
Less
than a year after the Church was organized, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a
revelation which said:
"Hearken,
O ye elders of my church whom I have called, behold I give unto you a
commandment, that ye shall assemble yourselves together to agree upon my word;
"And by
the prayer of your faith ye shall receive my law, that ye may know how to
govern my church and have all things right before me." (D&C 41:2-3.)
There are
some things about the priesthood that every elder should know if he is to
understand how the Church is governed to have things right before the Lord.
There are principles and precepts and rules which are often overlooked and
seldom taught.
Some of these
principles are found in the scriptures, others in the handbooks. Some of them
are not found in either. They are found in the Church. You might call them
traditions, but they are more than that. They are revelations which came when
the Brethren of the past assembled themselves, agreed upon His word, and
offered their prayers of faith.
The Lord then
showed them what to do. They received by revelation, "line upon line,
precept upon precept," true principles which form the priesthood way of
doing things. (See Isa. 28:13; 2 Ne. 28:30; D&C 98:12.) These are things we
do to have things right before the Lord.
The
Priesthood
Priesthood
is the authority and the power which God has granted to men on earth to act for
Him. (See JST, Gen. 14:28-31.) When we exercise priesthood authority properly,
we do what He would do if He were present.
The Melchizedek or Higher Priesthood
There
are in the Church two priesthoods, namely, the Melchizedek and Aaronic,
including the Levitical Priesthood. The first is called the Melchizedek
Priesthood because Melchizedek was such a great high priest: "Before his
day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God."
(D&C 107:1-3.)
The
Melchizedek Priesthood is also spoken of in the scriptures as the "greater
priesthood" or the priesthood "which is after the holiest order of
God" (D&C 84:18-19) and the priesthood "after the order of mine
Only Begotten Son" (D&C 124:123; see also D&C 76:57).
"Out of
respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too
frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that
priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood." (D&C
107:4.) We can understand why that should be. The name of the priesthood is
frequently talked about in meetings and lessons and is printed in handbooks and
manuals. It would be irreverent to use informally the sacred title which
includes the name of Deity.
Melchizedek,
the great high priest, is identified in the scriptures as the "king of
Salem" or, as we would say today, Jerusalem. (Gen. 14:18; Alma 13:17-18.)
"And it was this same Melchizedek to whom Abraham paid tithes." (Alma
13:15; see also Gen. 14:20.)
There are
references to a patriarchal priesthood. The patriarchal order is not a third,
separate priesthood. (See D&C 84:6-17; D&C 107:40-57.) Whatever relates
to the patriarchal order is embraced in the Melchizedek Priesthood. "All
other authorities or offices in the church are appendages to [the Melchizedek]
priesthood." (D&C 107:5.) The patriarchal order is a part of the
Melchizedek Priesthood which enables endowed and worthy men to preside over
their posterity in time and eternity.
The Aaronic or Lesser Priesthood
"The
second priesthood is called the Priesthood of Aaron, because it was conferred
upon Aaron and his [page 8] seed. … It is called the lesser priesthood …
because it is an appendage to the greater, or the Melchizedek Priesthood, and
has power in administering outward ordinances." (D&C 107:13-14.)
It is
sometimes called the preparatory priesthood because it prepares one for the
higher priesthood.
The Levitical
Priesthood (see Heb. 7:11; D&C 107:6, 10) is an order in or a part of the
Aaronic Priesthood. Moses and Aaron belonged to the tribe of Levi. (See Ex.
2:1-2, 10; Ex. 4:14.) During the exodus from Egypt, the Levites were given
priestly responsibilities concerning the tabernacle and always camped nearest
to it. (See Num. 3:5-39.) While the Levitical order does not function today,
its privileges and authority are embraced within the Aaronic Priesthood for
whatever future use the Lord may direct.
The Keys of the Priesthood
There
are keys of the priesthood. While the word key has other meanings, like keys of
wisdom or keys of knowledge, the keys of the priesthood are the right to preside
and direct the affairs of the Church within a jurisdiction. All priesthood keys
are within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and no keys exist
outside the Church on earth.
Apostles
All
men who are ordained Apostles and sustained as members of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles have all priesthood keys conferred upon them. (See D&C
27:13; D&C 110:11-16; D&C 112:30.)
The President
of the Church is the only person on earth who has the right to exercise all the
keys in their fulness. (See D&C 132:7.) He receives authority by setting
apart by the Twelve Apostles.
"The
power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood, is to hold the
keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church. …
"The
power and authority of the lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys
of the ministering of angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the
letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
agreeable to the covenants and commandments." (D&C 107:18, 20.)
Keys are
conferred upon a man when he is set apart to be a president, such as a
president of a stake, of a quorum, or as a bishop. Counselors do not receive
keys.
The Priesthood Is Not Divisible
The
priesthood is greater than any of its offices. When someone first receives the
Aaronic or Melchizedek Priesthood, it is conferred upon them by the laying on
of hands. After the priesthood has been conferred upon him, he is ordained to
an office in the priesthood. All offices derive their authority from the priesthood.
The
priesthood is not divisible. An elder holds as much priesthood as an Apostle.
(See D&C 20:38.) When a man receives the priesthood, he receives all of it.
However, there are offices within the priesthood--divisions of authority and
responsibility. One may exercise his priesthood according to the rights of the
office to which he is ordained or set apart.
"The
Melchizedek Priesthood holds the right of presidency, and has power and
authority over all the offices in the church in all ages of the world, to
administer in spiritual things." (D&C 107:8.)
Whoever holds
the Melchizedek Priesthood or higher priesthood holds all of the authority of
the Aaronic or lesser priesthood as well.
The Ordained Offices in the Aaronic Priesthood
The
ordained offices in the Aaronic Priesthood are:
Deacon
Teacher
Priest
The
bishop is the president of the Aaronic Priesthood. He has the keys conferred
upon him at the time of his ordination. He delegates responsibility to [page 9]
his counselors. The three of them form the bishopric, which is a presidency.
(See D&C 107:15-17.)
The
Ordained Offices in the Melchizedek Priesthood
The
ordained offices in the higher priesthood are:
Elder
High Priest
Patriarch
Seventy
Apostle
Besides
identifying a specific ordained office in the Melchizedek Priesthood, the title
"elder" is used to identify anyone holding the higher priesthood.
Therefore Seventies and Apostles may be referred to as "elder." (See
D&C 20:38.)
While all who
have had the Melchizedek Priesthood conferred upon them receive the full
priesthood, sometimes one office is spoken of as being "higher than"
or "lower than" another office. Rather than "higher" or
"lower," offices in the Melchizedek Priesthood represent different
areas of service.
There are
different rights, privileges, and authorities which expand with each succeeding
office. For instance, the offices of teacher or priest are spoken of as being
higher than the office of deacon. A priest in the Aaronic Priesthood can
perform any duty assigned to the teachers or deacons. For example, a priest may
pass the sacrament, a duty usually assigned to deacons. A deacon, on the other
hand, cannot bless the sacrament nor perform baptisms, duties which are
assigned to priests.
An elder can
perform any duty assigned to any office in the Aaronic Priesthood, but he
cannot do some things which belong to the office of high priest. These
principles of priesthood government are established by revelation and do not
change.
Quorums
In
the dispensation of the fulness of times, the Lord instructed that the
priesthood should be organized into quorums, meaning selected assemblies of
brethren given authority that His business might be transacted and His work
proceed.
A quorum is a
brotherhood. Except for the offices of bishop and patriarch, those ordained to
offices in the priesthood are organized into quorums.
Though one
may be called to and released from ecclesiastical assignments for which one is
set apart, membership in a quorum is a steady, sustaining citizenship. It
becomes a right of one ordained to an office in the priesthood. And the holding
of the priesthood, including the attendant membership in the quorum, is to be
regarded as a sacred privilege.
Melchizedek
Priesthood quorums are:
•
The First Presidency
• The Quorum of the Twelve
• Seventies quorums
• High priests quorums
• Elders quorums
Aaronic
Priesthood quorums are:
•
Priests quorums
• Teachers quorums
• Deacons quorums
Each
quorum is presided over by a president or a presidency. The Quorum of the
Twelve is presided over by one president, the President of the Twelve (see
D&C 124:127), as is the priests quorum presided over by the bishop (see
D&C 107:87-88).
The seventies
quorums are presided over by seven presidents. (See D&C 107:93.) All other
quorums are presided over by a presidency consisting of a president, a first
counselor, and a second counselor.
The Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood
There
is an oath and covenant of the priesthood. The covenant rests with man; the
oath with God. The Melchizedek Priesthood is received by covenant. A man's
covenant with God is to: be faithful and [page 10] magnify his callings in the
priesthood; give heed to the words of eternal life; and to live by every word
that proceedeth forth from the mouth of God. (See D&C 84:33, 43, 44.)
God, for his
part, declares with an everlasting oath that all who receive the priesthood and
obey the covenants that pertain to that priesthood shall receive "all that
[the] Father hath." (See D&C 84:38.)
"And
this is according to the oath and covenant which belongeth
to the priesthood.
"Therefore,
all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my
Father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved." (D&C
84:39-40.)
Ordination and Setting Apart
There
are two ways authority is conferred in the Church: by ordination and by setting
apart. Offices in the priesthood--deacon, teacher, priest, elder, high priest,
patriarch, seventy, and Apostle--always come by ordination. The keys of
presidency and the authority to act in callings in the priesthood are received
by setting apart.
For instance,
the office of elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood is an ordained office, but
the office of president of an elders quorum is an office to which one is set
apart rather than ordained. In either case, he is given a blessing to accompany
his service in an office to which he is ordained or set apart.
There are
many "set apart" offices in the Church in both the priesthood and the
auxiliary organizations. Some duties are inherent in the priesthood, and one
need not be set apart to do them. Visiting the homes of members (home teaching)
is an example.
Because women
are not ordained to the priesthood, when sisters are set apart to offices,
including the office of president in an auxiliary, they receive authority,
responsibility, and blessings connected with the office, but they do not
receive keys.
Limits to Authority
Ordinarily,
the privileges connected with an ordination to the priesthood may be exercised
anywhere in the Church. Priesthood holders need no prior authorization to
perform ordinances or blessings that are not recorded on the records of the
Church, such as consecrating oil, administering to the sick, and giving
fathers' blessings.
The
priesthood is always regulated by those who have the keys, and an ordinance
must be authorized by the presiding authority who holds the proper keys and
priesthood if the ordinance is to be recorded on the records of the Church.
Authority
connected to an office to which one is set apart has limits, including
geographic ones. The authority of a man set apart as president of a stake is
limited to the boundaries of that stake. He is not a stake president to members
in a neighboring stake, nor is a bishop the bishop over members outside his
ward. When a man is ordained a bishop, he is also set apart to preside in a
specific ward and has no authority outside its boundaries. When he is released
as bishop of that ward, he may still hold the ordained office of bishop, but he
cannot function unless he is set apart again to preside over a ward.
When a
patriarch is ordained, he is set apart to give blessings to members of his own
stake or to those who come into the boundaries of his stake with a recommend
from proper authority from a stake where there is no patriarch. These
principles of priesthood government are established by revelations.
Usual Age at the Time of Call to Priesthood Offices
So
that there may be order in advancement in the priesthood, a minimum age is set
for receiving the priesthood and for ordination to [page 11] each succeeding
office within the priesthood.
The Aaronic
Priesthood is conferred upon a young man when he is ordained a deacon at age
twelve or older. He then joins a quorum of up to twelve deacons. (See D&C
107:85.) When he is fourteen, he may be ordained to the office of teacher. He
then joins a quorum of up to twenty-four teachers. (See D&C 107:86.) When
he is sixteen, he may be ordained a priest. He then joins a quorum of up to
forty-eight priests. (See D&C 107:87.) When he is eighteen or older, he may
have the Melchizedek Priesthood conferred upon him and be ordained an elder. He
then joins a quorum of up to ninety-six elders.
The
revelations state that "duty of the president over the office of elders is
to preside over ninety-six elders, and to sit in council with them, and to
teach them according to the covenants." (D&C 107:89.) The high priests
have no specific age and there is no specific number in a high priests quorum.
High priests are organized into groups with group leaders. The stake presidency
is the presidency of the high priests quorum in the stake.
Calls to
Office
In
the Church we do not assume authority belonging to either an ordained or a set
apart office or calling. We must be called to a position and sustained, be
ordained or set apart and given authority. The fifth Article of Faith says,
"We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the
laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and
administer in the ordinances thereof." (A of F 1:5.)
Every elder
should know that a call is more than an invitation or a request, even more than
an assignment. Too frequently we hear such expressions as, "I have been
asked to serve as a counselor in the elders quorum presidency." It would
be more proper to say, "I have been called to serve as a counselor."
We do not
call ourselves to offices in the Church. Rather we respond to the call of those
who preside over us. It is the responsibility of those who preside to
prayerfully consult the Lord as to His will concerning a position in the
Church. Then the principle of revelation is at work. The call is then delivered
by the presiding officer who is acting for the Lord.
We do not,
under ordinary circumstances, refuse a call. Neither do we ask for a release
beyond calling to the attention of the presiding officer circumstances which
may make a release advisable.
When we refer
to those who have been called to a presiding position by the title of their
office such as bishop or president, it lends dignity to the office and reminds
the one holding it of his sacred responsibility and it reminds us of our
obligation to follow their counsel and respond to their calls.
Sustaining
in an Office
The
Aaronic or Melchizedek priesthoods are not conferred, nor is one ordained or
set apart to an office in either priesthood, unless he is willing to live the
standards of worthiness. Those standards include moral purity, the payment of
tithes, keeping the Word of Wisdom, and general standards of Christian conduct.
He must be
called by those who have the proper authority, and sustained, or voted on, in
an appropriate meeting, and ordained or set apart by one who has the authority.
This is called "common consent," or the voice of the people. (See
D&C 41:9.) This follows the instructions given in revelation:
"Again I
say unto you, that it shall not be given to any one
to go forth to preach my gospel, or to build up my church, except he be
ordained by some one who has authority, and it is
known to the church that he has authority and has been regularly ordained by
the heads of the church." (D&C 42:11.)
Notice that
there are two requirements: First, we must receive authority from someone who
has it and has been ordained by the heads of the Church. Next, [page 12] it
must be known in the Church that he has the authority.
The
sustaining in the priesthood and the setting apart to office is done openly
where it can be known to the Church who has authority, as the scriptures
require.
There is
great safety to the Church in having the names of those called to offices in
the Church presented in the proper meeting. (See D&C 20:65.) Anyone who is
a pretender or a deceiver will be recognized. If someone claims to have been
secretly ordained to a special calling or higher order of the priesthood, you
may know immediately that the claim is false!
The names of
those to be ordained to the Melchizedek Priesthood or to another office in the
Melchizedek Priesthood are presented in stake or district conferences. (A
district in a mission is like a stake. A branch in a stake or district is like
a ward.) The congregation is asked to approve the ordination by raising the
right hand, or, if opposed to the ordination, they may signify by the same
sign. This occurs in a stake meeting because the stake presidency presides over
the Melchizedek Priesthood.
In an
emergency, for instance if a young man is leaving for a mission and has not
been ordained an elder, the stake presidency should have his name presented for
sustaining in his own ward sacrament meeting. The ordination is then presented
for ratification at the first appropriate stake meeting. Only in an emergency
would this process be followed; otherwise it is not in order.
Advancements
in the Aaronic Priesthood are sustained in ward meetings because the bishopric
presides over the Aaronic Priesthood. Members called to positions in the
auxiliary organizations are also sustained before being set apart in the
appropriate stake or ward meeting.
The bishop,
as the common judge, presides over all members of his ward, including holders
of the Melchizedek Priesthood. (See D&C 107:74.) All members pay tithing to
the bishop and should seek counsel from him.
The bishop
must be a high priest (see D&C 68:19; D&C 84:29; D&C 107:17, 69-73)
and is designated as the presiding high priest in the ward. In this capacity he
may preside over the ward council and ward priesthood executive council
meetings, where elders quorum and high priests group officers are in
attendance.
While the
bishop may recommend that a man be ordained an elder or high priest, and verify
his worthiness, the approval and ordination are under the direction of the
stake presidency. A bishop does not call, nor can he release the presidency of
an elders quorum; they come under the direction of the stake presidency.
A bishop
might convene a disciplinary council to consider the transgression of an elder
in his ward. He may disfellowship the elder if that
is merited, but he cannot deprive him of his priesthood by excommunication.
That would require a disciplinary council presided over by the stake
presidency, who govern the Melchizedek Priesthood.
Temple
Recommends
The
bishop has authority to judge the worthiness of a member to receive a temple
recommend, and his counselors have the authority to assist in interviewing ward
members for subsequent temple recommends. The stake president or his counselors
also interview those going to the temple, because there members will
participate in ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood.
More Than One Ordained Office
Sometimes
a man may hold more than one ordained office at a time. For instance, both
bishops and patriarchs are also high priests. Also, a man may hold an ordained
office and be set apart to other offices. For instance, an ordained elder may
be set [page 13] apart to offices such as president of his quorum, a ward
mission leader, or Sunday School president.
Let Every Man Act in the Office to Which He Is Called
The
Lord counseled us to "let every man learn his duty, and to act in the
office in which he is appointed, in all diligence." (D&C 107:99.) An
elder who has been called to an office of presidency should respect the
callings of those over whom he presides. He should let, indeed help, them do
that which they are called to do without usurping their responsibilities.
In turn,
holders of the priesthood should avoid going around their file leader to a
higher authority supposing that they will receive better counsel, more wisdom,
spirituality, or authority. It is better to respect the callings of those over
whom we preside and of those who preside over us.
The Name of the Lord
Rather
than using "Mormon Church," we should call the Church by its
name--The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "for thus,"
the Lord told us in a revelation, "shall my church be called in the last
days." (D&C 115:3-4.)
When we
officiate in the priesthood, we always do it in the name of the Lord. (See 3
Ne. 27:1-10.) When we act according to the proper order of things, we act for
the Lord and it is as though He were there insofar as the validity of the
ordinance is concerned. The Lord said to one man who was being set apart to
preach the gospel:
"I will
lay my hand upon you by the hand of my servant Sidney Rigdon, and you shall
receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you
the peaceable things of the kingdom." (D&C 36:2; emphasis added.)
Exceptions
Sometimes
there must be exceptions to the rules and principles by which the priesthood is
governed. Care must be taken to see that everything having to do with
ordinations and settings apart are done in proper order. Generally, exceptions
are approved by the First Presidency of the Church.
Recording Ordinations and Settings Apart
Proper
records are always made of ordinations and settings apart in the Church. (See
D&C 20:63-64; D&C 85:1-2; D&C 127:9.) For "behold, mine house
is a house of order, saith the Lord God, and not a
house of confusion." (D&C 132:8; see also D&C 88:119; D&C
109:8.)
Ordinances
The
Melchizedek Priesthood "administereth the gospel
and holdeth the key of the mysteries of the kingdom,
even the key of the knowledge of God.
"Therefore,
in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.
"And
without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power
of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
"For
without this no man can see the face of God … and live." (D&C
84:19-22.)
The
priesthood, which is always associated with God's work, "continueth in the church of God in all generations, and is
without beginning of days or end of years." (D&C 84:17.)
"For
whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have
spoken, and the magnifying their callings, are sanctified by the Spirit unto
the renewing of their bodies.
"They
become the sons of Moses and of Aaron and the seed of Abraham, and the church
and kingdom, and the elect of God.
"And
also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith
the Lord;
"For he
that receiveth my servants receiveth
me;
"And he
that receiveth me receiveth
my Father;
"And he
that receiveth my Father receiveth
my Father's kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto
him." (D&C 84:33-38.)
The
critical component of priesthood is keys, not understood as much as it should
be in the Church!
Teachings
Concerning
Priesthood Keys
What is the Purpose of Priesthood?
Wilford
Woodruff
What is the
priesthood for? It is to administer the ordinances of the gospel, even the
gospel of our Father in heaven, the eternal God, the Eloheim of the Jews and
the God of the Gentiles, and all he has ever done from the beginning has been
performed by and through the power of that priesthood, which is "without
father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor
end of life," and the administration of his servants holding this
priesthood is binding, being the savior of life unto life or death unto death.
(The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.67)
What Are Priesthood Keys?
Church
Handbook of Instructions
The exercise
of priesthood authority is governed by those who hold its keys (see D&C
65:2; 124:123). These keys are the right to preside over and direct the Church
within a jurisdiction. (Book Two, p. 161 [Published by The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1998])
Joseph F. Smith
The
Priesthood in general is the authority given to man to act for God. Every man
ordained to any degree of the Priesthood, has this authority delegated to him.
But it is necessary that every act performed under this authority shall be done
at the proper time and place, in the proper way, and after the proper order.
The power of directing these labors constitutes the keys of the Priesthood. (Gospel
Doctrine, p.136)
Joseph Fielding Smith
These keys
are the right of presidency; they are the power and authority to govern and
direct all of the Lord's affairs on earth. Those who hold them have power to
govern and control the manner in which all others may serve in the priesthood.
All of us may hold the priesthood, but we can only use it as authorized and
directed so to do by those who hold the keys. ("Eternal Keys and the Right
to Preside," Ensign, July 1972, p. 87)
James E. Faust
To be
efficacious and valid, every act in the Church must be performed under the
authority of the keys at the appropriate time and place, and in the proper
manner and order. The authority and power to direct all of the labors of the
Russell M. Nelson
Preparation,
priesthood service, and keys are all related, but different. Service of any
type requires preparation. But proper authorization to give that service
requires keys. May I illustrate?
Prior to my
call to the Twelve, I served as a medical doctor and surgeon. I had earned two
doctor's degrees. I had been certified by two specialty boards. That long
preparation had consumed many years, yet it carried no legal permission. Keys
were required. They were held by authorities of the state government and the
hospitals in which I desired to work. Once those holding proper authority
exercised those keys by granting me a license and permission, then I could
perform operations. In return, I was obligated to obey the law, to be loyal,
and to understand and not abuse the power of a surgeon's knife. The important
steps of preparation, permission, and obligation likewise pertain to other
occupations. ( "Keys of the Priesthood," Ensign, Nov. 1987, p.
36)
Only President of Church Holds Priesthood
Keys in Fulness
Church Handbook of Instructions
The Lord
Jesus Christ holds all the keys of the priesthood. He has given His Apostles
the keys that are necessary for governing His Church. Only the senior Apostle,
the President or the Church, may use (or authorize another person to use) these
keys for governing the entire Church (see D&C 43:1-4; 81:2; 132:7). (Book
Two, p. 161 [Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt
Lake City, Utah, 1998])
Joseph F. Smith
In their
fulness, the keys are held by only one person at a time, the prophet and
president of the Church. He may delegate any portion of this power to another,
in which case that person holds the keys of that particular labor. Thus, the
president of a temple, the president of a stake, the bishop of a ward, the
president of a mission, the president of a quorum, each holds the keys of the
labors performed in that particular body or locality. His Priesthood is not
increased by this special appointment, for a seventy who presides over a
mission has no more Priesthood than a seventy who labors under his direction;
and the president of an elders' quorum, for example, has no more Priesthood
than any member of that quorum. But he holds the power of directing the
official labors performed in the mission or the quorum, or in other words, the
keys of that division of that work. So it is throughout all the ramifications
of the Priesthood -- a distinction must be carefully made between the general
authority, and the directing of the labors performed by that authority. (Gospel
Doctrine, p.136)
Joseph Fielding Smith
- This priesthood and these keys were
conferred upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery by Peter, James, and John,
and by Moses and Elijah and others of the ancient prophets. They have been
given to each man who has been set apart as a member of the Council of the
Twelve. But since they are the right of presidency, they can only be
exercised in full by the senior apostle of God on earth, who is the
president of the Church. ("Eternal Keys and the Right to
Preside," Ensign, July 1972, p. 87)
- I wish we could get it firmly
fixed in our minds that only one man upon the face of the earth at a time
holds, in their fulness, the powers, the keys, the authorities, of this
glorious priesthood. The man who holds these keys by virtue of his right,
that right which God himself has vested in him, has the right to delegate
authority and to withdraw authority as he sees fit and receives
inspiration so to do. No man, I do not care who he is or how much
priesthood he holds, has any right to officiate in any ordinance of this
gospel for any soul contrary to the sanction and the approval of the man
who holds the keys of authority in this Church. Now the Lord has told us
that. (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:135)
Bruce R. McConkie
The keys of
the
But since
keys are the right of presidency, they can only be exercised in their fulness
by one man on earth at a time. He is always the senior Apostle, the presiding
Apostle, the presiding high priest, the presiding elder. He alone can give
direction to all others, direction from which none is exempt.
Thus, the
keys, though vested in all of the Twelve, are used by any one of them to a
limited degree only, unless and until one of them attains that seniority which
makes him the Lord's anointed on earth. ("The Keys of the Kingdom," Ensign,
May 1983, 22-23)
Who Receives Delegated Priesthood Keys?
Church Handbook of Instructions
The President
of the Church authorizes presidents of temples, missions, stakes, and
districts; bishops and branch presidents; and quorum presidents to hold the
priesthood keys they need to preside. A person who serves in one of these
positions holds the keys only until he is released. Counselors do not receive
keys, but they do receive delegated authority by calling and assignment. No
priesthood keys exist on earth except with the officers of the Church. (Book
Two, p. 161 [Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt
Lake City, Utah, 1998])
What Are the Keys of the Kingdom?
Joseph Fielding Smith
We also hold
the keys of the
Joseph Smith Received All Priesthood Keys
Wilford Woodruff
Every key
relating to this dispensation was given to the Prophet Joseph, and they remain
with the priesthood today. (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, p.71)
Joseph Smith Gave Keys to the Twelve Apostles
Wilford Woodruff
All that
President Young or myself, or any member of the quorum need have done in the
matter was to have referred to the last instructions at the last meeting we had
with the Prophet Joseph before starting on our mission [to the eastern states].
I have alluded to that meeting many times in my life.
The Prophet
Joseph, I am now satisfied, had a thorough presentiment that that was the last
meeting we would hold together here in the flesh. We had had our endowments; we
had had all the blessings sealed upon our heads that were ever given to the
apostles or prophets on the face of the earth. On that occasion the Prophet
Joseph rose up and said to us: "Brethren, I have desired to live to see
this temple built. I shall never live to see it, but you will. I have sealed
upon your heads all the keys of the
Now, don't
you wonder why we, as apostles, could not have understood that the prophet of
God was going to be taken away from us? But we did not understand it. The
apostles in the days of Jesus Christ could not understand what the Savior meant
when he told them " I am going away; if I do not go away the Comforter
will not come." Neither did we understand what Joseph meant.
"But," he said, after having done this, "ye apostles of the Lamb
of God, my brethren, upon your shoulders this kingdom rests; now you have got
to round up your shoulders and bear off the kingdom." And he also made
this very strange remark, "If you do not do it you will be damned." (The
Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp .71-72)
How Have the Keys Been Passed On to the
Present?
See Bruce R.
McConkie, "The Keys of the Kingdom," Ensign, May 1983, 21-23
James E. Faust
Prior to the
martyrdom, no doubt with a sense of foreboding, the Prophet Joseph prepared for
his death. President Joseph Fielding Smith states:
"The
Prophet declared that he knew not why, but the Lord commanded him to endow the
Twelve with these keys and priesthood, and after it was done, he rejoiced very
much, saying in substance, 'Now, if they kill me, you have all the keys and all
the ordinances and you can confer them upon others, and the powers of Satan
will not be able to tear down the kingdom as fast as you will be able to build
it up, and upon your shoulders will the responsibility of leading this people
rest' " (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce
R. McConkie, 3 vols. [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1954-56], 1:259).
After
learning of the deaths of the Prophet Joseph and the Patriarch Hyrum, Wilford
Woodruff reports his meeting with Brigham Young, who was then the President of
the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, as follows: "I met Brigham Young in the
streets of
When Brigham
Young returned to Nauvoo, Sidney Rigdon, who had been a Counselor to Joseph
Smith, challenged the leadership of Brigham Young and the Apostles. Said
Brigham Young to the Saints in meeting assembled, "If the people want
President Rigdon to lead them they may have him; but I say unto you that the
Quorum of the Twelve have the keys of the
Brigham
Young, as the President of the Quorum of the Twelve, subsequently became the
President of the Church, following the Prophet Joseph Smith. So it was with
President Howard W. Hunter following the death of President Ezra Taft Benson.
As President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote:
"There
is no mystery about the choosing of the successor to the President of the
Church. The Lord [page 73] settled this a long time ago, and the senior apostle
automatically becomes the presiding officer of the Church, and he is so
sustained by the Council of the Twelve which becomes the presiding body of the
Church when there is no First Presidency. The president is not elected, but he
has to be sustained both by his brethren of the Council and by the members of
the Church" (Doctrines of Salvation, 3:156).
On
the fifth of June 1994, the Quorum of the Twelve, of which President Hunter was
then President, collectively holding all of the keys of the kingdom, convened
in the
A List of Some of the Priesthood Keys
Restored to Joseph Smith
[For an excellent article concerning this see, Bruce
R. McConkie, "This Final Glorious Gospel Dispensation," Ensign,
Apr. 1980, pp. 21-25.]
"Behold,
this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will
drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I
have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my
everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the
stick of Ephraim" (D&C 27:5)
John the
Baptist
"Upon
you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the Priesthood of
Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of
repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this
shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons of Levi do offer
again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness." (D&C 13)
Peter,
James, and John
"And
also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have
ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles, and especial witnesses of my
name, and bear the keys of your ministry and of the same things which I
revealed unto them; Unto whom I have committed the keys of my kingdom, and a
dispensation of the gospel for the last times; and for the fulness of times, in
the which I will gather together in one all things, both which are in heaven,
and which are on earth" (D&C 27:12-13).
"Peter,
James, and John, who were the First Presidency in their day, brought back the
Melchizedek Priesthood including the holy apostleship; they restored the keys
of the kingdom; and they conferred the keys of the dispensation of the fulness
of times." (Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, April 1980, p. 22)
"The keys
or power to go forth and proclaim the gospel was restored to Joseph Smith and
Oliver Cowdery when Peter, James, and John conferred upon them the Melchizedek
Priesthood before the organization of the Church. It is true that John the
Baptist had conferred upon them the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood before the
Melchizedek Priesthood was restored. This was necessary because the time had
come for them to be baptized and hold this priesthood preparatory to the coming
of the higher priesthood. We read in the Doctrine and Covenants that the
Aaronic Priesthood holds the keys of the preparatory gospel; that is to say,
the teaching of faith, repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins. This
authority was given on the fifteenth day of May, 1829, but there was no
commandment given for Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery to go forth to teach and
baptize until the Church was organized, although a few earnest souls who were
acquainted with the restoration had sought baptism and had been baptized. It
remained for Peter, James, and John to come with the keys of the Melchizedek
Priesthood to complete the authority to proclaim the gospel to the world."
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., Answers to Gospel Questions, 1:132)
Moses
"After
this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared
before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of
"Question:
"What is the difference between the keys of the missionary work given the
Prophet Joseph Smith by Peter, James, and John and the keys restored by Moses
for the gathering of
"Answer:
The answer to this question is a simple one. When Moses was called to gather
In these
latter days when
You will
recall the fact that it was immediately after the organization of the Church
that the spirit entered into the brethren to go forth and preach the gospel.
The coming of Moses was not until April 1836, six years following the sending
forth of missionaries to convert the world. So if it were dependent on the
restoration of the keys held by Moses for the preaching of the gospel, then it
would seem that Moses should have come April 6, 1830, at the beginning, but the
work of proselyting commenced immediately following
the organization of the Church. (Answers to Gospel Questions, 3:153-154)
"What
was the object of gathering the Jews, or the people of God in any age of the
world? . . . The main object was to build unto the Lord a house whereby He
could reveal unto His people the ordinances of His house and the glories of His
kingdom, and teach the people the way of salvation; for there are certain
ordinances and principles that, when they are taught and practiced, must be
done in a place or house built for that purpose." (Joseph Smith, Teachings
of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.307-308)
Elias
"After
this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham,
saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be
blessed." (D&C 110:12)
"And so,
the Lord be praised, the marriage discipline of Abraham was restored; it is the
system that enables a family unit to continue in eternity; it is the system out
of which eternal life grows." (Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, April 1980, p.
23)
Elijah
"After
this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for
Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before
us, and said: Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth
of Malachi--testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and
dreadful day of the Lord come-- To turn the hearts of the fathers to the
children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with
a curse-- Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your
hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is
near, even at the doors." (D&C 110:13-16)
"Elijah
restored the keys of the sealing power, by which the ordinances in the temple
are bound in heaven as well as on earth, for both the living and the
dead." (Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines of Salvation, 2:234)
Elijah
restored to this Church and, if they would receive it, to the world, the keys
of the sealing power; and that sealing power puts the stamp of approval upon
every ordinance that is done in this Church and more particularly those that
are performed in the temples of the Lord. Through that restoration, each of
you, my brethren, has the privilege of going into this house or one of the
other temples (I believe most of you have done so) to have your wife sealed to
you for time and for all eternity, and your children sealed to you also, or
better, have them born under that covenant." (Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., Doctrines
of Salvation, 3:129)
"The
keys of Elijah's work and ministry are extremely interesting. His coming was
the fulfilling of the promise made through Malachi. It is the planting in the
hearts of the children the promises made to their fathers, that in these last
days, the children should do the work which was denied the fathers upon which
their salvation depends. Many members of the Church have thought that the keys
restored by Elijah were keys pertaining to the dead, and therefore Elijah
practiced in his day ordinances in behalf of the dead. This is an error. There
was no work performed for the dead by Elijah or any other prophet before the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The keys held by Elijah were the keys of the
sealing power by which all ordinances are sanctioned and approved and upon
which the eternal seal of authority is placed." (Joseph Fielding Smith, The
Signs of the Times, p.188)
"Now for
Elijah. The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah is, that ye have power to hold
the key of the revelations, ordinances, oracles, powers and endowments of the
fulness of the Melchizedek Priesthood and of the kingdom of God on the earth;
and to receive, obtain, and perform all the ordinances belonging to the kingdom
of God, even unto the turning of the hearts of the fathers unto the children,
and the hearts of the children unto the fathers, even those who are in heaven.
. . Then what you seal on earth, by the keys of Elijah, is sealed in heaven;
and this is the power of Elijah, and this is the difference between the spirit
and power of Elias and Elijah; for while the spirit of Elias is a forerunner,
the power of Elijah is sufficient to make our calling and election sure; and
the same doctrine, where we are exhorted to go on to perfection, not laying
again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of laying on of hands,
resurrection of the dead, &c." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, pp.337-338)
Restoration – Ohio
February 19. 2004
Restoration
of Priesthood
Restoration
of Ordinances
Restoration
of Doctrine
The
Lamanite mission by Oliver Cowdery and Parley P. Pratt among others was one of
the most important events in Church history; it was an answer to a prayer by
Enos long ago, verses 11-17 of his book.
(Enos
1:11-17.)
11 And
after I, Enos, had heard these words, my faith began to be unshaken in the
Lord; and I prayed unto him with many long strugglings
for my brethren, the Lamanites.
12 And it
came to pass that after I had prayed and labored with all diligence, the Lord
said unto me: I will grant unto thee according to thy desires, because of thy
faith.
13 And now
behold, this was the desire which I desired of him—that if it should so be,
that my people, the Nephites, should fall into transgression, and by any means
be destroyed, and the Lamanites should not be destroyed, that the Lord God
would preserve a record of my people, the Nephites; even if it so be by the
power of his holy arm, that it might be brought forth at some future day unto
the Lamanites, that, perhaps, they might be brought unto salvation—
14 For at
the present our strugglings were vain in restoring
them to the true faith. And they swore in their wrath that, if it were
possible, they would destroy our records and us, and also all the traditions of
our fathers.
15
Wherefore, I knowing that the Lord God was able to preserve our records, I
cried unto him continually, for he had said unto me: Whatsoever thing ye shall
ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall
receive it.
16 And I
had faith, and I did cry unto God that he would preserve the records; and he
covenanted with me that he would bring them forth unto the Lamanites in his own
due time.
17 And I,
Enos, knew it would be according to the covenant which he had made; wherefore
my soul did rest.
THE
BY early spring of 1831
the church in Kirtland and vicinity had increased to more than one thousand in
membership. The
GATHERING AT KIRTLAND
A conference of the
church had been appointed for June. It convened on Friday the third and
continued until Sunday; the congregation is said to have numbered two thousand.
fn During the conference a revelation was received appointing by name
twenty-eight elders to travel through the western country in pairs, preaching
the gospel by the way, baptizing and confirming by the water's side those who
would receive the truth. These elders were to meet in conference in western
Joseph Smith, Jun.,
and Sidney Rigdon were to be among those who were to go upon this mission, and
if faithful the Lord promised to reveal to them the place of the saints'
inheritance in
Meantime the Colesville
saints, about sixty in number, led from
Joseph Smith arrived
in
THE LAMANITE
It appears that after
leaving Kirtland in November, 1830, the Lamanite mission visited the Wyandot
tribe of Indians near
On arriving at
Oliver Cowdery
addressed them at some length, during which he detailed the history of their
forefathers to them, their ancient glory and power, and the cause of their
decline and present fallen state. He announced the discovery of the record
containing an account of these ancient events, and recited the prophecies the
book contained of future deliverance of the red man from his thralldom of
savage life with its attendant physical hardships and moral and spiritual
limitations. In reply the venerable chief of the
"We feel truly
thankful to our white friends who have come so far and been at such pains to
tell us good news, and especially this new news concerning the book of our
forefathers it makes us glad in here"—placing his hand on his heart.
"It is now winter; we are new settlers in this place; the snow is deep;
our cattle and horses are dying; our wigwams are poor; we have much to do in the
spring; to build houses and fence and make farms; but we will build a council
house and meet together, and you shall read to us and teach us more concerning
the book of our fathers, and the will of the Great Spirit."
Elder Parley P. Pratt
in his report of the mission says:
"We continued for
several days to instruct the old chief and many of his tribe. The interest
became more and more intense on their part, from day to day, until at length
nearly the whole tribe began to feel a spirit of inquiry and excitement on the
subject. We found several among them who could read, and to them we gave copies
of the book, explaining to them that it was the book of their forefathers. Some
began to rejoice exceedingly and took great pains to tell the news to others in
their own language. The excitement now reached the frontier settlements in
(B.
H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1930], 1:
250.)
The
western reserve of
The
Book of Mormon is a way to separate the wheat from the tares. It’s here to gather the House of Israel and
testify of Jesus Christ, see the title page.
Bruce
mentioned an article about the Knight family in the January 1989, Ensign, there
is also a great book about the family in the BYU Studies website.
Doctrine
and Covenants
The Knight Family:
Ever Faithful to the Prophet
William
G. Hartley, “The Knight Family: Ever Faithful to the Prophet,” Ensign,
Jan.
1989, 43
Joseph Smith spied aged Joseph Knight hobbling down a Nauvoo street. He quickly
overtook his longtime friend from
After the
Smiths, the Joseph and Polly Knight family may be the second family of the
Restoration. The Knights knew Joseph Smith and accepted his claims before
Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, or David Whitmer knew him. The Knights also
stood by Joseph Smith more steadfastly than did the Three and the Eight
Witnesses and even some of the Smiths. They became a special type of witness, a
family witness of Joseph Smith’s prophetic work.
Joseph
Smith’s friendship with the Knights began when he was twenty years old. In late
1826, Joseph Smith became a hired hand for Joseph Knight, Sr., and others in
the Colesville,
While helping
the Knights, he bunked with Joseph Knight, Jr., who wrote that in November 1826
Joseph Smith “made known to us that he had seen a vision, that a personage had
appeared to him, and told him where there was a gold book of ancient date
buried, and that if he would follow the direction of the Angel, he could get
it. We were told this in secret.”
2
Another son,
Newel Knight, wrote that Joseph Smith visited them often and that they “were
very deeply impressed with the truthfulness of his statements concerning the
Plates of the Book of Mormon which had been shown him by an Angel of the Lord.”
3
Joseph Smith
was then courting Emma Hale, a romance Father Knight assisted: “I paid him the
money and I furnished him with a horse and cutter [sled] to go and see his
girl.”
4 Joseph and Emma married shortly after that, on 18 January 1827, and
moved to the Smith home near
When the time
came for Joseph Smith to obtain the plates, Father Knight traveled to the Smith
home, where the Prophet used his wagon to retrieve the plates. Late that night,
after Joseph Smith had returned from his mission, he said to Brother Knight,
“It is ten times better than I expected.” According to Father Knight, the
Prophet described the plates, though he “seemed to think more of the glasses or
Urim and Thummim than he did of the plates. ‘For’ says he, ‘I can see any
thing. They are marvelous.’ ”
By early
1828, Joseph and Emma had moved to Emma’s father’s property, about thirty miles
from the Knights. Joseph Smith found it impossible to both earn a living and
translate the plates. The Smiths asked Father Knight for help. Although the
Knights were “not in easy circumstances,” Joseph Knight, Sr., gave the young
man some goods: “some few things out of the store, a pair of shoes, and three
dollars.” A few days later, Father Knight visited the couple and gave them some
money to buy paper for the translation. Joseph Knight, Jr., recalled that,
prior to Oliver Cowdery’s arrival, “Father and I
often went to see him and carry him something to live upon.”
Mrs. Knight
was not yet a believer, so in March 1828 her husband took her by sled to visit
the Smiths. He wrote, “Joseph talked with us about his translating and some
revelations he had received. And from that time my wife began to believe.”
In early
1828, when Oliver Cowdery became Joseph Smith’s scribe, the two visited Father
Knight, seeking provisions. Father Knight paid for and delivered a barrel of
mackerel, about ten bushels of grain and six of potatoes, a pound of tea, and
some lined paper for writing. The two rejoiced at the food and paper, and “then
they went to work, and had provisions enough to last till the translation was
done.”
Years later,
Joseph Smith praised Father Knight for these items: they “enabled us to
continue the work when otherwise we must have relinquished it for a season.”
5 Joseph Knight, Sr., helped the world receive the Book of Mormon
sooner. If the Prophet had had to work full-time to support his family, the
translation might have taken years to complete.
In May 1829,
Joseph Knight, Sr., desired to know what he should do regarding the divine work
then unfolding. The Prophet inquired of the Lord and received a revelation
instructing Father Knight to “seek to bring forth and establish the cause of
In early June
1829, Joseph and Oliver finished the work of translation on the Book of Mormon,
and the Three Witnesses and then the Eight Witnesses were allowed to see the
plates. Sadly, none were Knights, who lived quite a distance away. But on the
day the Church was organized, one-third of the sixty people there were Knight
Relatives from Colesville.
Shortly
thereafter, Joseph Smith went to Colesville to preach and hold meetings,
probably because he knew that the Knights were ready to receive the gospel.
While there, he challenged Newel Knight to pray vocally. In the attempt, Newel
was attacked by an evil spirit that lifted him from the floor “and tossed him
about most fearfully.” Neighbors gathered and then saw the Prophet command the
devil in the name of Jesus Christ to depart. Newel felt great relief and gladly
accepted baptism. (This exorcism was the first miracle performed in the
restored church.)
7 He became the first of more than sixty of the Knight clan to join the
Church.
At the Church’s
first conference on 9 June 1830 at the Whitmer’s,
those attending experienced spiritual outpourings similar to those on the Day
of Pentecost. Newel was one. He beheld a vision much like the one Stephen the
Martyr saw: “I saw the heavens opened, I beheld the Lord Jesus Christ seated at
the right hand of the Majesty on High, and it was made plain to my
understanding that the time would come when I would be admitted into His
presence, to enjoy His society for ever and ever.”
Despite local
harassment, many Knight relatives were baptized on 28 June 1830. They included
Father and Mother Knight, son Joseph, Newel’s wife Sally, daughter Esther and
her husband William Stringham, and daughter Polly
(named after her mother). Mother Knight was a Peck, and among the Peck
relatives baptized were her brother Hezekiah and his wife Martha and her sister
Esther and her husband Aaron Culver.
8
Angry
neighbors prevented the converts from being confirmed, and a constable arrested
Joseph Smith. Father Knight, indignant, hired James Davidson and John Reid,
neighboring farmers well versed in the law, to defend his friend. They did, and
Joseph Smith was acquitted the following midnight.
9
Joseph
Knight, Jr., said that feelings in the neighborhood became heated: “That night
our wagons were turned over and wood piled on them, and some sunk in the water,
rails were piled against our doors, and chains sunk in the stream and a great
deal of mischief done.”
Within hours
after his acquittal, Joseph Smith was arrested again and tried in Colesville.
Father Knight’s lawyer friends felt too fatigued to help, but his pleadings won
them over. Mr. Reid said that Father Knight was “like the old patriarchs that
followed the ark of God to the city of
In September
1830, Newel Knight and his sister Anna’s husband, Freeborn DeMille,
attended the Church’s second conference, held at
At Fayette,
Newel Knight became the young prophet’s confidant during a crisis caused by
Hyrum Page’s claim of receiving revelations for the Church through a peepstone. Newel wrote that Hyrum Page carried “quite a
roll of papers full of these revelations,” which led many astray. Joseph Smith
“was perplexed and scarcely knew how to meet this new exigency.” Sharing the
same room, the two friends spent the greater part of the night in prayer. In
response, Joseph received a revelation (see D&C
28) that spelled out the proper channels for
revelation to reach the Church. Newel reported, “Brother Page and all … present
renounced the stone … much to our joy and satisfaction.”
After the
meetings, Hyrum Smith was appointed to preside over the Colesville Branch. He
and Jerusha lived with and became good friends with
Newel and Sally Knight. Later, Newel replaced Hyrum as branch president.
In December
1830, the Church was commanded to “assemble together at the
The family
settled on Leman Copley’s land near
On 25 July
1832, Joseph Smith welcomed his Colesville friends to
The Knights
eagerly pitched in to establish the area as a center place for
This outpost
colony of the Church saw a busy year of building, fencing, and establishing
homes while consecrating its properties to live cooperatively. When the Church
formed a council of high priests to govern the stake in
Father Knight
remarried, to Phoebe Crosby Peck, his first wife’s widowed sister-in-law.
Phoebe had four children of her own, and the couple had two more. Counting
Phoebe’s four, they were the parents and stepparents of thirteen children.
In the last
half of 1833, Missourians drove the Saints, including the Knight clan, from
Suffering
from poor food and shelter, many Saints became victims of fever and what was
called ague (probably malaria). Sally was one of them. She gave birth to a son,
who died, and then she died herself. “Truly she has fallen a martyr to the
gospel,” her husband, Newel, eulogized.
In 1835,
Newel traveled to
A few years
previous,
Newel took
Unfortunately,
the strife that had beset the Church did not abate. The Knights in
Within a few
months, the Knight and Peck families had moved to where Nauvoo would rise. They
now included at least eleven family units—four headed by members of Father
Knight’s generation, seven by Newel’s generation. They had passed the tests of
loyalty the troubles at Kirtland and
In
Once more,
the Knights went to work building up the Church and a
One day in
January 1842, the Prophet listed in the Book of the Law of the Lord the names
of those “faithful few” who had stood by him since the beginning of his
ministry—“pure and holy friends, who are faithful, just, and true, and whose
hearts fail not.” He included Father Knight: “My aged and beloved brother,
Joseph Knight, Sen., who was among the number of the first to administer to my
necessities, while I was laboring in the commencement of the bringing forth of
the work of the Lord. … For fifteen years he has been faithful and true, and
even-handed and exemplary, and virtuous and kind, never deviating to the right
hand or to the left. Behold he is a righteous man, may God Almighty lengthen
out the old man’s days. … And it shall be said of him, by the sons of
The Prophet
also recalled Father Knight’s sons, “Newel Knight and Joseph Knight, Jun.,
whose names I record … with unspeakable delight, for they are my friends.”
19
In Nauvoo,
the Knight group faced and passed another great test of faith. The Prophet
introduced several doctrines relating to the temple including the temple
ceremonies and plural marriage, which some could not accept.
20 But the Knights received the teachings. They helped to finish the
temple and then performed baptisms for the dead. By early 1846, more than
twenty adults in the Knight families had received their temple endowments and
sealings. Four of Father and Polly Knight’s children entered into plural
marriage.
When Joseph
and Hyrum Smith died, few mourned their passing more than the Knights. Newel’s
heart broke, and he vented his sorrow in his journal: “O how I loved those men,
and rejoiced under their teachings! it seems as if all is gone, and as
if my very heart strings will break, and were it not for my beloved wife and
dear children I feel as if I have nothing to live for. … I pray God my Father
that I may be reconciled to my lot, and live and die a faithful follower of the
teachings of our Murdered Prophet and Patriarch.”
Following the
martyrdom, the Knights passed still another severe test of loyalty. Unlike a
number of others, they did not forsake the faith and follow false successors.
They chose to follow the Quorum of the Twelve. All the relatives in Nauvoo
(except perhaps Nahum, for whom we lack records) left the city to go westward.
When ready to depart, Newel Knight “once more had the satisfaction of walking
through the streets of the City of
While moving
west with the exiled Saints, Newel died of exposure in northern
The Knights
are not silent witnesses of Joseph Smith and the restored gospel.
The Knight
families knew Joseph Smith in the earliest days, when he was accused of
gold-digging and using peep stones. If Joseph Smith were a charlatan or
disreputable money grubber as detractors charged, the large Knight clan would
not have felt such deep trust in him. Their loyalty to him was based on
firsthand, intimate knowledge, which stands today as a solid witness that the
Prophet’s character, from when he was twenty to his death at thirty-eight, was
righteous and good.
Critics of
Joseph Smith have questioned his motives, truthfulness, and divine claims.
Defenders have argued that God used him to restore the true church to the
earth. The debate and discussion should not ignore the faithful and solid
Knight family, who remained loyal to the prophet longer than any other family.
The Knights bear a powerful, persistent testimony that Joseph Smith was what he
claimed to be.
The cane that
Joseph Smith gave to Father Knight in Nauvoo continues to pass down the
generations of Knights from one Joseph to another. It is just one memorial of
the friendship and mutual faith Joseph Smith and the Joseph Knight family
shared.
Family Chart
Children
of Joseph Knight, Sr., and first wife, Polly Peck:
Nahum Knight (md. Thankfull)
Esther Knight (md. William Stringham)
Newel Knight (md. Sally Colburn and
Anna Knight (md. Freeborn Demille)
Joseph Knight, Jr. (md. Betsey Covert,
Adeline Johnson, Abba Welden, and Mary Woolerton)
Polly Knight (md. William Stringham)
Elizabeth Knight (md. Joseph W. Johnson)
Children
of Joseph Knight, Sr., and second wife, Phoebe Crosby Peck:
Hezekiah Peck (md. Jemima Smoot)
Samantha Peck (md. Hosea Stout)
Henrietta Peck (md. Thomas R. Rich)
Sarah Jane Peck (md. Charles C. Rich)
Ether Knight (md. Jane Terry)
Charles C. Knight (died as a child)
Gospel
topics: Church history, Joseph Smith
Notes
1.
This article is adapted from the author’s “They Are My Friends”: A History
of the Joseph Knight Family, 1825–1850 (Provo, Utah: Grandin
Book Company, 1986). The cane story is on page three.
2. In
this article, all quotations from Joseph Knight, Jr., are from his “Incidents
of History,” LDS Church Archives. The original spelling and punctuation from
this and other sources cited have been retained.
3. In
this article, all quotations from Newel Knight are from his unpublished
journal, LDS Church Archives.
4. In
this article, all quotations from Joseph Knight, Sr., are from his history as
published in Dean C. Jessee, ed., “Joseph Knight’s
Recollections of Early Mormon History,” Brigham Young University Studies
17 (Autumn 1976):26–39.
5. History
of the Church, 1:47.
6. See
D&C
12, D&C
23, D&C
37, D&C
52, D&C
54, D&C
56, D&C
58, D&C
124.
7. History
of the Church, 1:82–83.
8.
Ibid., 1:87–88.
9.
Ibid., 1:88–91, 95.
10. Ibid.,
1:91–96.
11. Another
account of the conference is in History of the Church, 1:109–20.
12. See Clare
B. Christensen, Before and After Mt. Pisgah (Salt Lake City: privately
published, 1979), p. 79.
13. Emily M.
Austin, Mormonism; or, Life among the Mormons (Madison, Wis: M. J. Cantwell, 1882), p. 72.
14.
“Homespun” (pseudonym for
15. See Lydia
Knight’s History, pp. 29–31; History of the Church, 2:320.
16. For high
council proceedings, see 1837 and 1838 entries in Donald Q. Cannon and Lyndon W.
Cook, eds.,
17. “
18. The
settlements are the settlement near Painesville, Ohio; Kaw Township, Clay
County, and Far West, Missouri; Nauvoo, Illinois; Mt. Pisgah, Garden Grove, and
Council Bluffs, Iowa; and Winter Quarters and Ponca, Nebraska Territory.
19. History
of the Church, 5:107, 124–25.
20. For
doctrines introduced at Nauvoo, see T. Edgar Lyon, “Historical Highlights of
the Saints in
They
were ambitious FOR the kingdom, not
ambitious IN the kingdom.
D&C
50:14, 21-22 – Troubles of discerning the Spirit were evident in the
Reasoning Together—Discerning the Spirit
When Joseph arrived in
Kirtland on the last day of January, 1831, he was immediately aware that the
Within days of his
arrival, directives were received "embracing the Law of the Church"
(D&C 42). FN Among the several subjects dealt with was the question posed
by "the Family." Those of that group who were baptized wished to
continue the common stock experiment while others wondered if the whole Church
should accept their communitarian life-style. In his response, the Lord made
clear that "the Family" was a confusing deception and was to be
replaced by his own program, the Law of Consecration and Stewardship (D&C
42:29-36). In section 51 of the Doctrine and Covenants specifics of the program
were revealed which, if followed, were designed to prepare a world community
wherein justice, equality, peace, and mutual love and respect would
predominate. FN
A more pressing
challenge for the Prophet was the seemingly unrestrained spiritual exercises
manifest in all the
Some had visions and
knew not what they saw, some would fancy to themselves that they had the sword
of Laban, and would wield it as expert as a light dragon, some would act like
an Indian in the act of scalping, some would slide or scoop on the floor, with
the rapidity of a serpent, which they termed sailing in the boat to the
Lamanites, preaching the gospel. And many other vain and foolish manoevers that
are unseeming and unprofitable to mention. . . . These things grieved the
servants of the Lord, and some conversed together on this subject, and others
came in and we were at Joseph Smith, Jr. the Seer, and made it a matter of
consultation, for many would not turn from their folly, unless God would give a
revelation. FN
Parley P. Pratt, who
returned to Kirtland in the early summer of 1831, wrote that "some very
strange spiritual operations were manifested, which were disgusting, rather
than edifying. Some persons would seem to swoon away, and make unseemly
gestures, and be drawn or disfigured in their countenances. Others would fall
into ecstasies, and be drawn into contortions, cramps, fits, etc. Others would
seem to have visions and revelations, which were not edifying, and which were
not congenial to the doctrine and spirit of the gospel. In short, a false and
lying spirit seemed to be creeping into the Church." FN
Obvious though it was
to Whitmer and Pratt that the excesses they observed were not of God, there
were others who were not easily convinced. Jared Carter, himself a
began to be tried with
certain transactions that took place in the Church, and especially certain
exercises which they called visions. The first instance of this kind, that I
witnessed, was at the house of a Mr. Barna, in
On a certain occasion
I attended a meeting together with Sylvester Smith, at
Section 42 had, in
effect, set the Church in order. In section 45 the faith of the Saints was
reinforced in the face of the debilitating criticism and sarcasm expressed by
some non-Latter-day Saint neighbors. The matter of spiritual excesses and
Satanic influences which had such a mesmeric effect on some members was
approached directly in D&C 46, given
The revelation further
detailed the sacred nature of gifts of the Spirit and the manner in which they
are dispensed. Emphasis was placed on the importance of understanding, of
properly discerning, and of profiting from that which was given. To further
guard against the abuse of sacred experiences and in order to detect Satanic
counterfeits, the bishop and other ecclesiastical leaders were named as having
the power of discernment (D&C 46:7-9, 27).
Throughout the spring
of 1831, the strange behavior of some members continued. Though all were awed
and some were repulsed by such actions, there was a hesitancy to resist them
openly. Finally, as Parley P. Pratt, who felt compelled to act, noted:
"Feeling our weakness and inexperience, and lest we should err in judgment
concerning these spiritual phenomena, myself, John Murdock, and several other
Elders, went to Joseph Smith, and asked him to inquire of the Lord concerning
these spirits or manifestations." fn The response to the Prophet's query
was section 50 of the Doctrine and Covenants. As was so often the case when
Joseph took a matter to the Lord, the answer became a means of teaching that
went far beyond the question asked.
After making plain the
Satanic nature of that which was plaguing the Church and acknowledging that the
actions of some had given the adversary power among them, the Lord in patient
and fatherly fashion bid Joseph and his fellow petitioners to "come, . . .
let us reason together, that ye may understand; let us reason even as a man
reasoneth one with another face to face" (D&C 50:10-11). The verses
that follow suggested to the brethren a simple procedure for knowing if a thing
be of God or of some other source. The basis for judging was their own growing
certitude as they had been taught the gospel and had gained testimonies and, as
teachers, had born witness of its truthfulness. On those occasions they were
first given and then themselves gave of the Spirit of Truth. Whereas, that
which is of God gives light and continues to enlighten until one knows with
perfect assuredness, they were told, that which is of the evil one is a
devourer of light and neither edifies nor magnifies the mind of the individual
(D&C 50:13-25).
Thus, sound reasoning
based on personal spiritual awareness was their key to discernment. If,
however, they faced a unique situation wherein the true nature of an event was
so camouflaged as to be undetectable, they should ask in the name of Christ
that such be revealed to them; if they still perceived not its truthfulness it
could be taken with certainty that such was of the adversary. With these
directions they were to go forward with confidence and a voice of authority in
proclaiming "against that spirit . . . that is not of God" (D&C
50:31-32).
Joseph Smith's concern
for the power and influence Lucifer might exercise among the Saints continued
throughout his lifetime. A warning to this effect that appears in section 52
was repeated on numerous other occasions. FN An extensive treatment of the
subject by the Prophet appeared in the
The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints has also had its false spirits; and as it is made
up of all those different sects professing every variety of opinion, and having
been under the influence of so many kinds of spirits, it is not to be wondered
at if there should be found among us false spirits.
Soon after the Gospel
was established in Kirtland, and during the absence of the authorities of the
Church, many false spirits were introduced, many strange visions were seen, and
wild, enthusiastic notions were entertained; men ran out of doors under the
influence of this spirit, and some of them got upon the stumps of trees and
shouted, and all kinds of extravagances were entered into by them; one man
pursued a ball that he said he saw flying in the air, until he came to a
precipice, when he jumped into the top of a tree, which saved his life; and
many ridiculous things were entered into, calculated to bring disgrace upon the
Church of God, to cause the Spirit of God to be withdrawn, and to uproot and
destroy those glorious principles which had been developed for the salvation of
the human family. But when the authorities returned, the spirit was made
manifest, those members that were exercised with it were tried for their fellowship,
and those that would not repent and forsake it were cut off.
At a subsequent period
a Shaker spirit was on the point of being introduced, and at another time the
Methodist and Presbyterian falling down power, but the spirit was rebuked and
put down, and those who would not submit to rule and good order were
disfellowshipped. We have also had brethren and sisters who have had the gift
of tongues falsely; they would speak in a muttering unnatural voice, and their
bodies be distorted like the Irvingites before alluded to; whereas there is
nothing unnatural in the Spirit of God." FN
(Robert
L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The
Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 209.)
Emotional
experiences do not change people, spiritual experiences change people.
Boyd K.
Packer,
"Candle of the Lord" (to new mission presidents) 6/25/82.
We do not have the words (even the scriptures do not have words) which
perfectly describe the spirit. The scriptures generally use the word voice,
which does not exactly fit. These delicate, refined spiritual communications
are not seen with our eyes, nor heard with our ears. And even though it is
described as a voice, it is a voice that one feels, more than one hears.
Once I came
to understand this, one verse in the Book of Mormon took on a profound meaning,
and my testimony of the book increased immeasurably. It had to do with Laman
and Lemuel, who rebelled against Nephi. Nephi rebuked them and said, "Ye
have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye
have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still
small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his
words." (1 Ne 17:45; italics added [by BKP].) ...
Should an
angel appear and converse with you, neither you nor he would be confined to
corporeal sight or sound in order to communicate. For there is that
spiritual process, described by the Prophet Joseph, by which pure
intelligence can flow into our minds and we can know
what we need to know without either the drudgery of study or the passage of
time, for it is revelation....
The Spirit
does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather
it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel
it at all. (No wonder that the Word of Wisdom was revealed to us, for how could
the drunkard or the addict feel such a voice?) ...
I have
learned that strong, impressive spiritual experiences do not come to us very
frequently. And when they do, they are generally for our own edification,
instruction, or correction. Unless we are called by proper authority to do so,
they do not position us to counsel or correct others.
I have come
to believe also that it is not wise to continually talk of
unusual spiritual experiences....
There is
something else to learn. A testimony is not thrust upon you; a testimony grows.
We become taller in testimony like we grow taller in physical stature; we
hardly know it happens because it comes by growth.
It is not
wise to wrestle with the revelations with such insistence as to demand
immediate answers or blessings to your liking. You cannot force spiritual
things. Such words as compel, coerce, constrain, pressure, demand, do not
describe our privileges with the Spirit....
Do no be
impatient to gain great spiritual knowledge. Let it grow, help it grow, but do
not force it or you will open the way to be misled.
We are expected to use the light and knowledge we already possess to work out
our lives. We should not need a revelation to instruct us to be up and about
our duty, for we have been told to do that already in the scriptures; nor
should we expect revelation to replace the spiritual or temporal intelligence
which we have already received--only to extend it. We must go about our life in
an ordinary, workaday way, following the routines and rules and regulations
that govern life....
Be ever on
guard lest you be deceived by inspiration from an unworthy source. You
can be given false spiritual messages. There are counterfeit spirits
just as there are counterfeit angels. (See Moro 7:17.) Be careful lest you be deceived,
for the devil may come disguised as an angel of light.
The spiritual
part of us and the emotional part of us are so closely linked that it is
possible to mistake an emotional impulse for something spiritual. We
occasionally find people who receive what they assume to be spiritual
promptings from God, when those promptings are either centered in the
emotions or are from the adversary.
Boyd K.
Packer,
General Conference, Ensign, Nov 1991, pp.21 ff.
... While we may invite this [divine] communication, it can never be
forced! If we try to force it, we may be deceived....
For the past several years we have watched patterns of reverence and
irreverence in the Church. While many are to be highly commended, we are
drifting. We have reason to be deeply concerned. The world grows increasingly
noisy. Clothing and grooming and conduct are looser and sloppier and more
disheveled. Raucous music, with obscene lyrics blasted through amplifiers while
lights flash psychedelic colors, characterizes the drug culture. Variations of
these things are gaining wide acceptance and influence over our youth. Doctors
even say that our physical sense of hearing can be permanently damaged by all
of this noise.
This trend to
more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity,
less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless....
Our sacrament and other meetings need renewed
attention to assure that they are truly worship services in which members may
be spiritually nourished and have their testimonies replenished and in which
investigators may feel the inspiration essential to spiritual conversion. Our meeting houses are designed so that we
may enjoy socials, dancing, drama, even sports. All of these are important. But these auxiliary activities should
be subdued when compared with what the world is doing. Music, dress, and
conduct associated with them are quite different from what is appropriate in
the chapel or classroom on the Sabbath day.
When we return for Sunday meetings, the
music, dress, and conduct should be appropriate for worship. Foyers are built
into our chapels to allow for the greeting and chatter that are typical of
people who love one another. However, when we step into the chapel we must--
each of us must--watch ourselves lest we be guilty of intruding when
someone is struggling to feel delicate spiritual communications.
Leaders sometimes wonder why so many active members get themselves into such predicaments
in life. Could it be that they do not feel what they need to feel because our
meetings are less than they might be spiritually? Irreverent conduct in our
chapels is worthy of a reminder, if not reproof. Leaders should teach that
reverence invites revelation....
There is
something else: We are drifting from the use of reverential words in our
prayers. Familiar terms such as you and yours are replacing thee
and thine in prayer. Teach the children and gently inform new members
that we use reverential terms when addressing our Heavenly Father in prayer.
Boyd K.
Packer,
Tasting Salt - Describing the Spirit Conference Report, October 1964,
p.126-129
Some time ago a representative of the Church on a plane bound for a large west
coast city was drawn into conversation with a young attorney. Their
conversation centered on the front page of a newspaper, a large city tabloid
with the sordid, the ugly, the tragic openly displayed.
The attorney
said the newspaper was typical of humanity and typical of life - miserable,
meaningless, and in all ways useless and futile. The elder protested, holding
that life was purposeful, and that there lives a God who loves his children,
and that life is good indeed.
When the
attorney learned that he was speaking to a minister of the gospel, he said with
some emphasis, "All right! We have one hour and twenty-eight minutes left
on this flight, and I want you to tell me what business you or anyone else has
traipsing about the earth saying that there is a God or that life has any substantial
meaning."
Boyd K.
Packer,
Ensign, Aug 1975, pp. 85 ff.
I think I should alert you to the fact that the talk I have prepared is not
really very interesting. That, I must claim, is not because I have not spent
time in preparing it, for I have -- a good deal more than usual. I want very
much to be informative, and if you find that the talk is not interesting -- and
you may -- be patient with the thought that in this case I would rather
teach a few of you than entertain all of you....
I have become
very anxious over the amount of counseling that we seem to need in the Church,
and the network of counseling services that we keep building up -- without once
emphasizing the principle of self-reliance as it is understood in the welfare
program. There are too many in the Church who seem to be totally dependent,
emotionally and spiritually, upon others. They subsist on some kind of
emotional welfare. They are unwilling to sustain themselves. They become so
dependent that they endlessly need to be shored up, lifted up, endlessly need
encouragement, and they contribute little of their own....
Has it occurred to you that many problems can
be solved by reading the scriptures? We should all personally be familiar with
the revelations. As part of your emotional self-reliance, read the scriptures.
I fear that leaders, both in the stakes and in the University, may be doling
out counsel and advice without first requiring you to call on every personal
resource and every family resource before seeking a solution of your problems
from the Church....
I think that
an emotional dole system can be as dangerous as a material dole system, and we
can become so dependent that we stand around waiting for the Church to do
everything for us. A few years ago I received a telephone call from a bishop
whose son had been inducted into the military service and was at an army basic
training center. The father said, "He's been there for three weeks and he
hasn't been to church yet." Then he described his son as being an active
Latter-day Saint, faithful in his duties. He had received his Duty to God award
and was typical of the fine young men in the Church. "He's never missed a
church meeting before," his father said. "Isn't there something you
can do to help?" The boy had telephoned and said that no one had come yet
to invite him to go to church.
I made an
investigation of the circumstances. Can you picture the following: In the
barracks a few feet from his bunk was a bulletin board. On it was an 8-1/2 x 11
bulletin with a picture of the
He, however, had been told before he left home that the Church had a wonderful
program to help young men in the military service. He was assured that the
Church was doing everything to take care of our men and that we would find them
and look after them and bring the full Church program to them. He had,
therefore, laid back on his bunk, propped up his feet, put his head on the
pillow, and waited for the Church to do everything for him. He waited three
weeks and was disappointed enough that he called his father, the bishop, to say
that the Church had failed him.
Now this was
not malicious. It was just that he had
been brought up with the idea that the whole effort and duty of the Church was
to look after him. (He had missed the very point that the whole effort of the
Church is to give him the opportunity to serve someone else.) Surely, since
he was away from home and in a strange place and needing attention more than he
had every needed it in his life, all of that help, he was sure, would be forthcoming
immediately without any effort on his part. He had been weakened by a dole
system and was now in mortal spiritual jeopardy because he would not act for
himself. That experience had a great effect on me, and when we reorganized the
military relations program, it was entirely changed in its emphasis from what
it had been before over the years. This change can be illustrated by one thing:
The old program urged the ward or the quorum to subscribe to the Church
magazine for every man entering the military service. It was the duty of the
bishop to see that the subscription was renewed during the time of his
enlistment. Now we have changed all of that. Now we counsel the young man to
subscribe to the magazine himself and to pay for it out of his own money. He
ordinarily has money to spend on less useful things, and he should learn to
take care of himself at the very beginning. If he cannot, for one reason or
another, then his family should supply it. If they cannot, or if in some cases
they will not, then and only then would it be the responsibility of the ward or
the quorum to step in and see that this important Church publication is sent to
him.
We found that
our men would not bother to file change-of-address cards for the magazines if
the subscriptions had been doled out to them. They had done nothing to earn
them, and they didn't appreciate them. On one occasion we had a communication
from the commanding general at
In virtually
every ward or branch there are chronic cases of individuals who endlessly seek
counsel but never follow the counsel that is given. That, some may assume, is
not serious. I think it is very serious! Like the common cold, it drains more
strength out of humanity than any other disease. We seem to be developing an
epidemic of "counselitis" which drains
spiritual strength from the Church. Spiritual self-reliance is the sustaining
power in the Church. If we rob you of that, how can you get the revelation that
there is a prophet of God? How can you get answer to prayer? How can you know?
If we move so quickly to answer all your questions and provide so many ways to
solve all of your problems, we may end up weakening you, not strengthening you.
Now I say
here that I know quite well that some counselors are apt to say, "My
counseling does not rob one of his self-reliance because I use the nondirective
counseling approach. I am scrupulously careful not to take a position. I merely
reflect back comments and feelings of the individual so that he will make the
decision totally himself. I do my counseling by nondirection
and never make a value judgment."
While I have
respect for that procedure of counseling as a method, I think that if that's
all they do, nondirection, very often that's
precisely what we get from the counseling -- no direction. When counselors
schedule interminable sessions to say as little as possible while the student
is struggling to try to decide if something's right or wrong, and the counselor
already knows, that's a waste of time. So is the fussing around trying to
determine whether it is right for you under the circumstances or wrong for you
under the circumstances, when anyone with any moral sense would know that if a
course is wrong, it's wrong for anybody and it's wrong for everybody.
In the
Church, the directive pattern of counseling is at least as respectable and
decent and desirable and needed as the nondirective approach to counseling.
Unfortunately, we see very little of it anymore. How sweet and refreshing for a
branch president or a bishop or a counselor to say clearly to a student,
"This course is right and this course is wrong. Now, you go and make the
decision." The student ought to know what is right and what is wrong by
the quickest method possible, and that may be very directive. There is a crying
need for counselors who will say pointedly and plainly, "This is wrong.
It's evil. It's bad. It will bring you unhappiness. This course is right. It is
good. It is desirable. It will bring you happiness." Then the agency comes
when the individual determines for himself whether or not he will follow the
right course.
In the world,
this preoccupation with counseling has led to a number of experiments from
which we are not entirely free in the Church. There are those counselors who
want to delve deeper into the lives of subjects than is emotionally or
spiritually healthy. I think I should explain here that when I use the word counselor
I'm not just talking about professional counselors. I'm talking about all
of us who are responsible for counseling. There are those who want to draw out
and analyze and take apart and dissect. While a certain amount of catharsis is
healthy and essential, overmuch of it can be degenerating. It is seldom as easy
to put something back together as it is to take it apart.
There have
been developed several procedures for group therapy. They are promoted under a
number of titles: sensitivity training, self-actualization, training groups or
T-groups, simulation, transactional analysis, encounter groups, marathon
counseling sessions. Some even function under such titles as value
clarification, one or two under the title of character education, and so on.
Although they differ in some respects (none of them is exactly alike), one or
more of the following elements is apparent in all of them: They recognize no
ultimate source for truth. All values are those established by the individuals
or by the group. There is no reference to God. They encourage a free and full
expression, something of a confession, before the group of every intimate and
personal feeling and experience. They encourage an openness, a touching, and a
closeness among the members of the group, and they attempt to resolve problems
simply by finding a comfortable ["spiritual"?] interaction. Above
all, they avoid any feeling of guilt.
There are
major emotional and spiritual dangers involved in such procedures, and members
of the Church would do well to be very cautious -- perhaps best to leave them
alone. [Some scriptural references: 2 Ne 28:31; 2 Ne 9:28-29; 2 Ne 2:4-5;
D&C 1:19.] ...
I think I
should mention one other thing, and I hope this won't be misunderstood. We
often find young people who will pray with great exertion over matters that
they are free to decide for themselves. Suppose, if you will, that a couple had
money available to build a house. Suppose they had prayed endlessly over
whether they should build an Early American style, a ranch style, modern style
architecture, or perhaps a Mediterranean style. Has it ever occurred to you
that perhaps the Lord just plain doesn't care? Let them build what they want to
build. It's their choice....
Now, if you
start receiving revelation for anyone else's jurisdiction, you know immediately
that you're out of order, that they come from the wrong source. You will not
receive revelation to counsel your bishop or to correct the leaders of the
Church....
Roy W. Doxey, Ensign, 2/73, p. 57
[Brigham Young said] he knew he had the Spirit of God with him because he thought
about the gospel continually.
Dallin H.
Oaks,
BYU 1981-82 Fireside & Devotional Speeches, pp. 20 ff.
President Lorenzo Snow declared that it is "the grand privilege of every
Latter-day Saint ... to have the manifestations of the spirit every day of our
lives" (CR, 4/1899, p. 52) [Study the scriptures daily.] ...
"There
are counterfeit signals" (Boyd K. Packer, "Prayers and Answers,"
Ensign, 11/79, p. 20). Satan is a great deceiver, and he is the source
of some of these spurious revelations. Others are simply imagined....
I have heard
of cases where a young man told a young woman she should marry him because he
had received a revelation that she was to be his eternal companion. If this is
a true revelation, it will be confirmed directly to the woman if she
seeks to know. In the meantime, she is under no obligation to heed it. She
should seek her own guidance and make up her own mind. The man can receive
revelations to guide his own actions, but he cannot properly receive revelation
to direct hers. She is outside his stewardship.
What about
those times when we seek revelation and do not receive it? We do not always
receive inspiration or revelation when we request it. Sometimes we are
delayed in the receipt of revelation, and sometimes we are left to our own
judgment. We cannot force spiritual things.
Joseph
Fielding McConkie,
Seeking the Spirit, p. 45
Nothing is imitated more often or counterfeited more frequently than
spirituality.
Joseph
Fielding McConkie,
Seeking the Spirit, p. 7.
Considerable effort is necessary to become fluent in the language of the
Spirit. Some who are unwilling to expend the effort to learn that language
justify their spiritual lethargy by denying the reality of such things. To all
such, gospel treasures or wisdom remain hidden.
Joseph
Fielding McConkie,
Seeking the Spirit, p. 10.
We choose to associate with those among us with whom we feel most comfortable;
the Spirit of the Lord does likewise.
Joseph
Fielding McConkie,
Seeking the Spirit, pp. 46-49.
The efforts of such people to assess true spirituality usually fall short of
the mark as do their efforts to imitate it. To some, spirituality is a
sanctimonious list of do's and don'ts; to others it is a religious rally and
a bumper sticker. Many are satisfied with a new set of terms to say that
what they were doing before is all right. To still others, it is regularity in
attending certain religious services or in obeying some other kind of
commandment. Some measure spirituality by the zeal with which they vocalize
certain tenets and the unrelenting attacks they make on the beliefs of others.
For others it takes the form of masochism or personal denial, while there are
those who use it as means to hide from the realities of life. Setting all such
aside, let us see if by carefully searching the scriptures we can paint a word
picture that at least leaves the proper impression in our minds as to what true
spirituality is and how it is obtained.
Isaiah
declared that "the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of
righteousness quietness and assurance forever." (Isa 32:17.) Just as it
was intended that good works be accomplished quietly, so it is that the
attendant spiritual rewards be unobtrusive. God is not a showman, and ostentatious
displays quickly alienate his Spirit. Loud and indecorous behaviors provide a
sharp contrast with the quiet assurance Isaiah suggested would be
characteristic of those whose lives have truly been touched by the Spirit.
One of the
most expressive passages dealing with the process of gaining spiritual
understanding is found in Doctrine and Covenants 98:12. It reads: "For he
will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept." Then
the Lord adds, "and I will try you and prove you
herewith." This passage limits the knowledge of spiritual things to the
faithful, notes that a process is involved -- undoubtedly spanning a
significant period of time -- and suggests that this slow schooling process of
the Lord's will in itself prove to be the test of faith. Faith, like any other
spiritual talent, grows gradually and is strengthened as it is used. We will
consider the manner in which revelation is granted at greater depth in a
subsequent chapter; yet, appropriately it could be noted at this point that the
Lord has announced his system for manifesting his will as one in which
understanding is granted "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a
little and there a little." (2 Ne 28:30.) Those who are obedient and
responsive to this process are rewarded with greater spiritual endowments,
while those who announce themselves satisfied with their present state -- not
desiring to move forward -- lose the understanding and light that they once
possessed. In both instances, the process is quiet and gradual.
In this same
context the Lord has said that those who live gospel principles will
"learn wisdom," and then he added, "for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say,
We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have."
(2 Ne 28:30.) Two basic concepts are involved here: First, that they key to
knowledge is knowledge. That is, obtaining knowledge increases our capacity to
obtain still more knowledge. In large measure, we learn by relating things to
each other -- by identifying how things are similar; thus, the obtaining of
knowledge becomes an ever-widening circle.
Conversely,
and this is the second concept, when we arrive at the point at which we say
"we have enough," we start to lose knowledge. For instance, President
Harold B. Lee said of George Washington that he was an educated man because he
never went to school -- thus he never quit learning. In the realm of spiritual
things any religion that says the heavens are sealed and the Lord no longer
speaks begins, like a schoolboy who has closed his books for summer vacation,
to forget or lose even that which it had. Even in the realm of spiritual things
the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
Faith comes
by righteousness. The Holy Ghost will associate with none but the clean. To the
extent to which we are able to sanctify ourselves, we are welcomed into the
association of those powers and influences reserved for the pure in heart.
"No man is possessor of all things except he be purified and cleansed from
all sin. And if ye are purified and cleansed from all sin, ye shall ask
whatsoever you will in the name of Jesus and it shall be done." (D&C
50:28-29.) The Lord has said that his eyes are upon us and that he is in our
midst though we see him not, "but the day soon cometh that ye shall see
me, and know that I am; for the veil of darkness shall soon be rent, and he
that is not purified shall not abide the day." (D&C 38:8.)
Nothing in
our spiritual growth exceeds in importance the need for good spiritual hygiene.
"Let virtue garnish thy thoughts exceedingly," wrote the Prophet;
"then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God," and
the Holy Ghost become our "constant companion." (D&C 121:45-46.)
If our faith
differs from the world, our works will differ also. Since the works are
produced by faith, if our works are good, our faith is good. The claim to
having the same faith as the ancients is evidenced only by producing the same
results. If they dreamed dreams, we can dream dreams; if they saw visions, we
can see visions; if they entertained angles, we can entertain angels; if they
had living prophets and revelation, we too can having living prophets and
revelation. If their faith made of them a peculiar people, in like manner we
can become a peculiar people.
Works are the roots of faith. A system of beliefs that is not rooted in works
of righteousness, like a tree whose branches have outgrown its roots, is
vulnerable to uprooting by every wind of doctrine or ideological storm that
comes its way. This is why the scriptures teach us that we can know the gospel
only to the extent that we live it. Salvation consists in our becoming like
God: we do that by learning to think as he thinks, believe as he believes, and
do as he would do. (Bruce R. McConkie, Conference Report, Apr 1972, p.
134.)
Having
already considered the manner in which Christ advanced from grace to grace, let
us now consider the implications of this doctrine as far as men are concerned.
Three times within a single sentence we are told that Christ did not receive
"a fulness at first," but rather acquired that fulness advancing
"from grace to grace." (D&C 93:12-14.) The revelation then
proceeds to explain that we have had the process by which Christ obtained
perfection taught us in order that we might gain an understanding of how and
what to worship, that in due time we too might obtain a fulness of the Father.
Salvation, then, consists in our advancing after the manner in which Christ
advanced. His salvation did not consist of some divine manifestation of power,
nor did it center in some particular event. He worked out his salvation with
"fear and trembling" over the course of time by making his works the
works of the Father, just as we have been commanded to do.
Christ showed
the way; the path that we must walk. Our lot, like his, is to learn the will of
the Father and do it, advancing from one grace to another, from good works to
greater works, from challenges to greater challenges, from service to greater
service, from hope to faith, from faith to power, in all things becoming like
unto him. True worship takes the form of works. Thus, in Peter's language we
become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Pet 1:4), or in Joseph
Smith's words, we are "assimilated into {his} likeness." (Lectures
on Faith, p. 66.) Testimony, spiritual strength, salvation itself, become
the product of the things we do -- not as the world would falsely tell us of
some spiritual experience that assures that we will be saved.
God, in his
wisdom, grants only that which we are prepared to receive. No purpose
would be served by legions of angels coming from the courts on high to preach
and teach in our meetings if they spoke a celestial language or taught
principles beyond our comprehension. If an angel is going to communicate
effectively with a man, he must condescend to speak in the language and
according to the understanding of that man. Any other form of communication
would be fruitless. Revelation, if it is to be meaningful, cannot exceed that
which we are prepared to receive. If our preparation and understanding are
puny, then the revelations we receive will be puny. We would not expect God to
add to that which we did not improve upon. "Whom shall he teach knowledge,
and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?" the scriptures inquire.
Answering, we are told, "them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn
from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line
upon line, line upon line; here a little and there a little." (Isa
28:9-10.)
Spiritual
growth cannot be programmed. It is not for man to schedule or establish
deadlines for the Spirit. The Lord has made it abundantly clear that spiritual
blessings are granted according to "his own time, and in his own way, and
according to his own will." (D&C 88:68.) The Lord has assured us that
if we ask we shall receive, but that the promised blessings will be granted
according to his timetable, not ours; confirmation, assurance,
understanding, all will come line upon line, precept upon precept, here a
little and there a little, as he wills it....
We cannot
program spiritual growth any more than we can program physical growth. Imagine
how silly it would be for a father to call all of his children in and establish
goals for each of them as to how much they should grow in the next six months
or year, and then to reward or punish them according to their success in
meeting the goals he had established. No one questions that proper nourishment,
exercise, and rest will facilitate proper growth, but we cannot demand it -- we
cannot schedule it. As Christ "waited upon the Lord for the time of his
ministry to come," so we too must learn patience, doing all e can to
facilitate the receipt of such blessings, but not supposing it to be our right
to dictate them.
Spiritual
growth takes effort. The development of spiritual senses takes time. As we
struggle in that process, what we learn today will be so much to our advantage
tomorrow. The more we know, the greater our capacity to learn. Gospel
principles are not mastered in a few days, weeks, or even months. For us to
suppose otherwise is to be like the naive child who assumes his education is
complete after a similarly short stint in school. The veil between man and the
heavens is not drawn in a day; rather, it is pulled back gradually.
The refining
of any of our senses takes time and effort. In that relationship we note with
interest that people will commonly compensate for the loss of physical senses
by developing others to a more marked degree. The ability to utilize these
other senses was always theirs but remained dormant simply because no need
required them. Similarly, within the soul of man rests a great host of
spiritual senses -- these latent spiritual abilities anxiously await a time
when we choose to develop them.
Joseph
Fielding McConkie,
Seeking the Spirit, p. 78.
Still the question persists as to why we were unable to get an answer and save
ourselves such anguish and difficulties. To this we can only respond that life
is a schoolmaster with some hard lessons to teach, and it is not in the
providence of the Lord that people of faith be excused from life's difficult
courses. It is almost axiomatic that life's greatest lessons come out of its
greatest struggles. In the twilight years of his life, Elder Hugh B. Brown
observed that he had "learned more from brick bats than bouquets."
Faith, wisdom, judgment, all have their roots in such experiences. As the child
must learn to stand on his own and then to walk without assistance, so we too
must learn to stand alone and walk alone as we meet some of life's difficult
challenges.
The Lord told
Joseph Smith, "A man may receive the Holy Ghost, and it may descend upon
him and not tarry with him." (D&C 130:23.) The implication of
this passage is not that unworthiness has forced the Holy Ghost to flee, but
rather that there are those occasions in which the Lord leaves us to our own
devices and understanding. Elder Bruce R. McConkie has explained that
"even a righteous person is often left to himself so that he does not at
all times enjoy the promptings of revelation and light from the Holy
Ghost." (Mormon Doctrine, p. 313.) ...
Joseph
Fielding McConkie,
Teach and Reach, pp. 5, 6.
Students who have been dined on a seven-course meal of fried fluff may have
enjoyed the sweetness of its taste [the emotion, the "spirit"], but
they soon find that such a meal does not produce sufficient spiritual energy to
sustain them when strength is needed....
We live in a world in which synthetics are commonplace: logic and reason,
argument and debate, science and archaeology, charisma and humor have
all at one time or another been used as substitutes for the Spirit in teaching
the gospel.
Joseph
Fielding McConkie,
The Spirit of Revelation, pp. 124 ff.
Revelation and spiritual experience, like true religion, always have
their counterfeits. This is as true within the Church as it is in
the world. In greater or lesser degree all of us, as we grow to spiritual
maturity, have been tempted with these spiritual shams. Perhaps it would be
helpful for us to briefly identify some of their more common forms.
The Spiritual-Bargain Hunters. These are the people
who are constantly on the alert for a spiritual sale. They desire salvation
without effort or inconvenience. They are often found shopping for counsel,
running from Church leader to Church leader seeking answers that justify the
course they have already determined to follow. They have mastered the art of selective
hearing and selective believing. They continue to shop until they find what
they want. These seekers of a bargain-basement theology are offended at the
price tag affixed to genuine spiritual experiences and real gospel
understanding.
The Saved Mormons. Having had some
special spiritual experience or some special relationship with the heavens,
these people become resentful when someone disturbs their pleasant spiritual
slumber. They have some kinship to those of whom Nephi spoke when he said,
"A Bible! A Bible! We have got a Bible, and there cannot be any more
Bible." Their motto seems to be "Knowledge! Understanding! We have
knowledge and understanding, and there cannot be any more knowledge or
understanding." Their attitude is often very condescending toward the rest
of the congregation who have not yet had the same spiritual experiences they
claim.
The Spiritual Con Artists. In one of its most
insidious forms, the con game in played by someone using Church membership or
priesthood position as collateral for a business deal. This sham also includes
the many young men and young women who have had dreams or visions in which they
have been given specific directions as to whom they are to marry. A frustration
to these manipulators of romance is that so many of them receive instructions
that they are to marry the same person. One of the identifying characteristics
of the spiritual con artists is the seeming ease with which they get answers
to their prayers and the freedom with which they communicate with the heavens.
The Crusaders. Always articulate,
these self-ordained spokesmen have a mission to straighten the church out on something
or other. Often they can trace their authority to some private
conversation with one of the Brethren (usually one who is now dead). Not
infrequently their pitch will need as part of its introduction an affirmation
of their testimony, loyalty to the Church, and positions that they have held.
Of such, beware! There is a world of difference between the person who says,
"I believe the Church is true and sustain the Prophet, but
..." and the person who says, "I believe the Church is true and
sustain the Prophet, therefore ..."
The Goose-Pimple Gang. These are those who
ride on an emotional wave. If it brings a tear to your eye or raises the hair
on your arms, it must be revelation. They love the sensational and the dramatic
but quickly lose interest in the scriptures and the basic principles of the
gospel. They cherish "hand-me-down" stories that they hold to
tenaciously even when confronted by eyewitnesses who tell them their stories
are embellished and inaccurate.
The Destroying Angels. These are those who
use gospel principles or leadership positions as a club to beat everyone else
into line. These angels of destruction are often found impugning the loyalty
and commitment of any whose experience, point of view, or spiritual maturity
differs from their own. What they see is all there is to be seen. Like the
spiritual mole, instead of building on the rock of revelation, they have
burrowed beneath it. These souls have made their Sunday clothes from 100
percent pure woolen zeal. They have yet to find out how much more comfortable
it is to wear a garment blended with patience, long-suffering, and love
unfeigned.
Spirituality
is something to be worked at, not something to be played with. Satan can and
does use such expressions as "I feel impressed to say," "It was
made known to me," "After much prayer," and "It is the will
of the Lord that ..." Satan, who can speak all languages, also speaks very
fluent Mormonese.
Truth can
stand on its own. It does not need an office or a position to lean on. It need
not be dressed up to appear respectable. It is not enhanced by shows of
force, nor is it made more recognizable by emotional displays. Everything
that comes from God carries with it its own evidence of its divine origin and
needs no artificial coloring to make it more palatable.
Hugh
Nibley,
"Historicity of the Bible," Old Testament & Related Studies,
pg 7-8.
... in the ways of disbelief the clergy have led the field. This can be seen in
Marneck's final definition of a "religion
without faith," for in the end he recommends "to the non-believing
person access to religious feelings through the substitution (Auslösung) of religious feelings by like feelings of a
non-religious nature." These "non-religious" feelings which are
accessible to the complete "non-believer" are found in
o social good
works,
o aesthetic experience,
o brotherly love,
o the psychological search for the deeper self, and
o the Ethical Gospel.
But these are
the very things that for many years have made up the substance of religion as
taught in liberal [Catholic and Protestant] theological seminaries everywhere:
truly a "religion without faith." "Never before," says a
leading Egyptologist, view our times against a sweeping background of world
history, "was the human race farther from the divine than it is today. It
has in this respect sunk to the lowest abyss."
Hugh
Nibley,
"A House of Glory."
[Re: D&C 109:35.] To carry us over we receive "anointing ... sealed
... with power from on high." Without that power we have nothing, as we
clearly see when we try to put on our own show, such as church films of various
kinds, including much sentimental kitsch with professional, non-LDS actors
waxing emotional about situations which they have never experienced.
Illustrations in study manuals, tear-jerking stories, photographs of sacred
ordinances suffused with frosted light to make them spiritual -- do we need all
this rhetorical and theatrical
Hugh
Nibley,
"Zeal without Knowledge." Approaching
... How many a Latter-day Saint has told me that he can understand the
scriptures by pure revelation and does not need to toil at Greek or Hebrew [or
English?] as the Prophet and the Brethren did in the School of the Prophets at
Kirtland and Nauvoo? Even Oliver Cowdery fell into that trap and was rebuked for
it. (D&C 9.)
The principle
of knowledge is the principle of salvation. This principle can be
comprehended by the faithful and the diligent ["and everyone that does not
obtain knowledge sufficient to be saved will be condemned. The principle of
knowledge is given us through the knowledge of Jesus Christ."]," says
the Prophet Joseph. (Teachings, p. 297.) New converts often get the idea
that having accepted the gospel, they have arrived at adequate knowledge.
Others say that to have a testimony is to have everything -- they have sought
and found the
Yet Joseph
Smith commends their intellectual efforts as a corrective to the Latter-day
Saints, who lean too far in the other direction, giving their young people and
old awards for zeal alone, zeal without knowledge -- for sitting in endless
meetings, for dedicated conformity, and unlimited capacity for suffering
boredom. We think it more commendable to get up at 5 a.m. to write a bad book
than to get up at 9 o'clock to write a good one -- that is pure zeal that tends
to breed a race of insufferable, self-righteous prigs and barren minds. One has
only to consider the present outpouring of "inspirational" books [and
tapes and videos] in the Church which bring little new in the way of knowledge:
truisms, and platitudes, kitsch, and cliches have
become our everyday diet. The Prophet would never settle for that. "I
advise you to go on to perfection and search deeper and deeper into the
mysteries of Godliness.... It has always been my province to dig up hidden
mysteries -- new things -- for my hearers." (Teachings, p. 364.) It
actually happens at the BYU, and that not rarely, that students come to a
teacher, usually at the beginning of a term, with the sincere request that he
refrain from teaching them anything new. They have no desire, they explain, to
hear what they do not know already! I cannot imagine that happening at any
other school, but maybe it does. Unless we go on to other new things, we are
stifling our powers....
Are we here
to seek knowledge or to seek the credits that will get us ahead in the world?
One of the glorious benefits and promises of the gospel given the Saints in
these latter days is that "inasmuch as they sought wisdom, they
might receive wisdom ... and inasmuch as they were humble they might be made
strong, and blessed from on high and receive knowledge from time
to time." (D&C 1:26-28.) But they had to want it and seek for it. What
is the state of things? The late President Joseph Fielding Smith wrote in the Melchizedek
Priesthood Manual, Answers to Gospel Questions, 1972-73, p. 229, "We
are informed that many important things are withheld from us because of the
hardness of our hearts and the unwillingness as members of the Church to abide
in the covenants and seek divine knowledge." Our faculties are
enlarged," says Joseph Smith, "in proportion to the heed and
diligence given to the light communicated from heaven to the intellect."
(Teachings, p. 51.) If a man "does not get knowledge, he will be
brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as those spirits
will have more knowledge and consequently more power than many men who are on
the earth. Hence it needs revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge
of the things of God. (Teachings, p. 217.)
Noel B.
Reynolds,
Academic Vice-President, BYU, Summer 1981.
... too much of the literature used, seen, and quoted in the Church today is
just sentimental trash which is designed to pull our heart strings or to
moisten our eyes -- but it is not born of true spiritual experience. The
tendency of our youth to use sentimental stories in Church talks creates a
culture of spiritual misunderstanding in which thinking and learning are
discouraged.
Because our
youth often respond positively to sentimentalism, there is a danger that we
might cater to that in the Church instruction more generally.... It [emotional
sentimentalism] should never be leaned upon as a substitute for spirituality.
Reliance on sentimentality will stunt our own spiritual growth by misleading us
and filling our understanding with false experiences.
Two
publishing houses which cater to an LDS audience are primarily interested in
books either authored by well-known Mormons or so simply written that they give
people a warm comfortable feeling without any challenging ideas. Such material
fosters flabby reasoning which can easily make us vulnerable to false gospels,
moralistic movements, and the irresponsible claims of some scholars and
scientists.
SPIRITUAL
EXPERIENCE
- Have been
taught by the Holy Ghost. Being
enlightened, educated, edified, and taught by God. There were no tears shed at the 1st
vision, nor were there any tears shed while D&C 76 was given.
Gospel Preached in Power by the Spirit
There was of old,
there is now, and to all eternity there shall be only one approved and proper
way to preach the gospel—Preach by the power of the Spirit. Anything short of
this is not of God and has neither converting nor saving power. All the
religious learning, of all the professors of religion, of all the ages is as
nothing compared to the Spirit-born testimony of one legal administrator.
Either ministers of
religion receive revelation or they do not, and if they do not their words do
not carry the final converting seal. Granted they may say things that are true,
but truth alone is not enough. Pure religion is a thing of the Spirit and not
of the intellect alone, and its truths must be carried into the hearts of
hearers by the power of the Spirit, otherwise the human soul is not changed,
the old man of sin is not crucified, and the seeker after salvation does not
become alive in Christ.
If there is any truth
of salvation that Deity has made imperishably clear, it is that first and last,
in all ages, now and forever, among the learned and the ignorant for all races
and peoples, and for that matter on all the endless worlds of the great
Creator, there is one formula and one formula only for conveying saving truth
to men—Preach by the power of the Spirit.
In a revelation to
Joseph Smith, God commanded his ministers: "If ye receive not the Spirit
ye shall not teach." Then he gave them this promise: "As ye shall
lift up your voices by the Comforter, ye shall speak and prophesy as seemeth me good; For, behold, the Comforter knoweth all
things, and beareth record of the Father and of the Son." (D. & C.
42:14-17.)
Reasoning with his
ministers on this subject, the Lord said: "I the Lord ask you this
question—unto what were ye ordained?" The answer, in Deity's language:
"To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent
forth to teach the truth."
Then the Lord asked:
"He that is ordained of me and sent forth to preach the word of truth by
the Comforter, in the Spirit of truth, doth he preach it by the Spirit of truth
or some other way?" And as though his voice thundered from Sinai, the Almighty
answered: "If it be by some other way it is not of God."
This revealed
reasoning then continues: "And again, he that receiveth
the word of truth doth he receive it by the Spirit of truth or some other way?
If it be some other way it is not of God. Therefore, why is it that ye cannot
understand and know that he that receiveth the word
by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached
by the Spirit of truth? Wherefore, he that preacheth
and he that receiveth, understand one another, and
both are edified and rejoice together." ( D. & C. 50:13-22.)
From Nephi's inspired
writings we learn that one of the signs of the great apostasy is that ministers
of religion "shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost,
which giveth utterance." (2 Ne. 28:4.)
Is it any wonder,
then, that Paul, who himself taught and wrote and preached by the power of the
Spirit, should divide preachers into two classes: 1. Those who preach with
enticing words of man's wisdom; and 2. Those who do so in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power.
In this connection,
however, it should be pointed out that there is much reasoning and
intellectuality in the world which prepares men for that preaching which
carries conviction and brings conversion. The Light of Christ is shed forth
upon every person born into the world, teaching all men to do good, to love
truth, and to come unto the gospel covenant. Those who heed the promptings and
follow the pleadings of this Spirit accept and conform to many true principles
and are thus ready to accept the fulness of revealed truth when it is taught to
them by the power of the Holy Ghost. (D. & C. 88:45-53.)
Wisdom is of two
kinds: 1. The wisdom of men or the wisdom of the world; and 2. The wisdom of
God. One is of the intellect alone; the other is in the mind of God and is
given to man by revelation. One is "foolishness" and "profiteth" nothing; the other leads to "that
happiness which is prepared for the saints." (2 Ne. 9:28, 43.)
(Bruce
R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [Salt Lake
City: Bookcraft, 1965-1973], 2: 318.)
- Trials –
Abraham and Isaac, the Atonement at Gethsemane and
Priesthood
Restoration
God
the Father – (Prayer)
(Omnipotent)
Jesus Christ Holy
Ghost
Creation Spiritual
Rebirth
Atonement Remission
of Sins
Church Revelation
Priesthood
Keys (Father) Sanctification
God
the Father delegated these to the Son and the Holy Ghost. Man (Apostles) receives keys that govern this
world, not all of the keys are here, (Resurrection).
Joseph
Fielding Smith
These keys
are the right of presidency; they are the power and authority to govern and
direct all of the Lord's affairs on earth. Those who hold them have power to
govern and control the manner in which all others may serve in the priesthood.
All of us may hold the priesthood, but we can only use it as authorized and
directed so to do by those who hold the keys. ("Eternal Keys and the Right
to Preside," Ensign, July 1972, p. 87)
James E.
Faust
To be
efficacious and valid, every act in the Church must be performed under the
authority of the keys at the appropriate time and place, and in the proper
manner and order. The authority and power to direct all of the labors of the
We
discussed various uses of keys in the Church, keys are not dormant once someone
is released, and they are bestowed to the next individual. So, once a Bishop or Stake President is
released we should not call them Bishop or President any longer.
Bishops
are called by the 12, not by Stake Presidents.
Offices
are ordained, there isn’t an end to them, callings on the other hand have a
beginning and an end, and they are set apart, not ordained. Offices in the Priesthood are a prime example
of this.
Priesthood Organization and Keys
As mentioned earlier,
to help accomplish the mission of the Church in an orderly manner, priesthood
bearers in their various offices are organized into ecclesiastical groups
called quorums. There are the five types of local quorums—deacons, teachers,
priests, elders, and high priests—and three quorums that preside over the whole
Church—Quorums of the Seventy, the Twelve Apostles, and the First Presidency,
FN (See D&C 107:21-37; 124:125-45.) Bishops and patriarchs are not
organized into quorums; they belong to the local quorum of high priests.
Other administrative
units such as stake presidencies, stake high councils, bishoprics, and other
regional or area groupings of priesthood bearers organized for particular
purposes are more correctly identified as councils and not quorums. One simple
way to distinguish these two terms is to remember that while all priesthood
holders are organized into quorums, the Church members, whether priesthood
holders or not, are governed by councils. FN
Sometimes confusion
also arises from misunderstanding about two other terms associated with the
priesthood: setting apart and keys of the priesthood. In establishing new
leadership in any priesthood quorum, the person performing the ordinance sets
apart the new leader and gives the president of the quorum any special keys, or
authority, to function in his calling. These keys constitute the distinctive
directive powers of presidency. fn Stake presidents are therefore called and
set apart by a General Authority of the Church, who also gives him the keys of
presidency over his stake. The stake president may then call and set apart
elders quorum presidents and give them the keys of their office because that
office comes under the jurisdiction of the stake president and the keys that he
holds.
The quorums are not
only organized to provide a group for joint instruction and united service, but
they also provide a source of rich fellowship and a brotherhood far more
valuable and lasting than found in any secular service or fraternal
organization. Quorum members who have the vision of their brotherhood willingly
care for each other and assist both temporally and spiritually in uplifting and
edifying each other.
Indeed, we say that the
PRIESTHOOD is the power and authority to act for God, and with it and through
various priesthood councils, Christ's church administers to all members. Worthy
men have the Aaronic or Melchizedek Priesthood conferred upon them, are
ordained to offices in that priesthood, are organized into quorums, and are set
apart and given keys to administer in certain callings. We recognize that,
along with having God's power on earth, righteous use of this priesthood
entails many responsibilities. We cannot take for granted the marvelous power
given us and expect the priesthood to remain in power in our lives. Like the
uniform and badge of a policeman, certain standards of righteousness and
displays of service are recognizable emblems of a proper priesthood that remains
in full force. As the priesthood is wisely used, both the priesthood bearer and
those he serves are richly blessed and strengthened as they journey together on
their way toward God's celestial realms.
(Victor
L. Ludlow, Principles and Practices of the Restored Gospel [Salt Lake
City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], 537.)
President David O. McKay:
You have just heard a
retirement speech from Bishop Carl W. Buehner. I
believe it was Brother Critchlow who was released as
president of the stake, who was called as one of the Assistants to the Twelve,
who said, "When I was released as president of the stake, I looked upon it
as a retirement. Now I find it is a retreading."
I would like to say to
Bishop Buehner and Sister Buehner
and those children who have looked forward to a time when Brother Buehner can sit with them in the evening chair and spend a
happy retirement experience, "That the best laid schemes of mice and men gae aft agley."
(President
David O. Mckay:, Conference Report, October 1961,
Third Day—Morning Meeting 100.)
Gathering of Israel
February 26, 2004
The
strength of the church was in
D&C
29:1-2 – Hen gathereth her chicks under her wings, this means danger is coming
and the Lord gives protection to those who obey His voice and keep their
covenants.
Recently, to the faculty of the Church
Educational System, President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve
declared that time is already upon us. “The world is spiraling downward
at an ever-quickening pace,” said President Packer, “I am sorry to tell you
that it will not get better.” He then declared: “I know of nothing in the
history of the Church or in the history of the world to compare with our
present circumstances. Nothing happened in
To understand
how the Spirit of the Lord is lost, the importance of the Spirit of the Lord
must first be understood. The Spirit of the Lord, also known as the light
of Christ [xii] ,
is essential to man’s agency. In order for agency to exist, there must be
opposing choices, knowledge of the consequences of the choices, and enticement
by the choices. Speaking of this, President Harold B. Lee, said: “Father
Lehi explained to his son that in order to accomplish that eternal purpose there
must be opposition in all things, and that to every individual upon the earth
there had to be given the right of free agency and also that there must be
in the world the power to entice to do evil and the power to entice to do good.” [xiii]
Mormon taught
that the light of Christ is the agent that entices men and women to do good
(see
But the light
of Christ may be lost. Men lose the light of Christ when their pride
leads them to continually sin against the light. Speaking to the brother
of Jared, the Lord said: “ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always
strive with man; wherefore, if ye will sin until ye are fully ripe ye shall be
cut off from the presence of the Lord” (Ether
As one
continues in sin, it becomes nearly impossible to repent. President
Kimball wrote, “A man may rationalize and excuse himself till the groove is so
deep he cannot get out without great difficulty. . . And if the yielding person
continues to give way he may finally reach the point of ‘no return.’ The
Spirit will ‘not always strive with man.’(D&C 1:33.)” [xvi]
This is the most damnable aspect of continuing in sin. “Free agency,”
declared President Marion G. Romney, “possessed by any one person is increased
or diminished by the use to which he puts it. Every wrong decision one
makes restricts the area in which he can thereafter exercise his agency.
The further one goes in the making of wrong decisions in the exercise of free
agency, the more difficult it is for him to recover the lost ground. One
can, by persisting long enough, reach the point of no return. He then
becomes an abject slave. By the exercise of his free agency, he has
decreased the area in which he can act, almost to the vanishing point [
When a
society as a whole reaches the point that the light of Christ no longer strives
with them, then they are “ripe for destruction” (
D&C
1:1, Isaiah 48, and 1 Nephi 20 – They all deal with the gathering of the
righteous from the wicked. Bruce related
the JST Genesis 19 scripture of
(Doctrine
and Covenants 1:8-9.)
8 And
verily I say unto you, that they who go forth, bearing these tidings unto the
inhabitants of the earth, to them is power given to seal both on earth and in
heaven, the unbelieving and rebellious;
9 Yea,
verily, to seal them up unto the day when the wrath of God shall be poured out
upon the wicked without measure—
Bruce
went through each verse of Section 1, a warning and a promise; he described the
section as a chiasm.
"Knowing the
Calamity"
(D&C 1)
GEORGE A. HORTON, JR.
A Modern Parable
They were singing, shouting, laughing, and talking about
their personal victories and adventures as the boat carried them peacefully
down the slow-moving river. In their merriment they did not notice a quiet
quickening of the current. Their preoccupation with each other kept them from
paying much attention to one who appeared on the nearby shore waving excitedly
for them to make their way to safety. A few waved back with curious smiles but
continued on with their immediate interests.
"Rapids! Rapids! Falls! Change your direction! Come
to shore quickly!" was the man's urgent call repeated over and over; but
they were unconcerned until they happened to observe the faster current and
looked ahead to see a short stretch of white-capped waves dashing around and
over jagged rocks. An increasing roar indicated that suddenly the river would
drop from sight, spilling into a roaring chasm of churning, foamy water.
With screams of horror they lunged for the oars and began
to row frantically for shore. But it was too late—they had waited too long. The
power of the current was too strong, and into the rapids they plunged—tossing,
turning, shrieking, and cursing; finally over the falls they went to a watery
grave.
Knowing that the world
is largely preoccupied with material and physical pleasures as it drifts faster
and faster toward the coming calamities, a loving Lord has called special
servants to raise a resounding voice of warning—"Repent! Repent! Change
your patterns of living before it is too late. 'Row' diligently toward the
shore of the loving grace of Jesus Christ, follow the counsel of his prophets,
and avoid the rocks and shoals of calamity and judgment that are just
ahead."
The Lord's Preface
When the revelation
that became known as section 1 of the Doctrine and Covenants was given in
November 1831, the Lord designated it as "my preface unto the book of my
commandments" (D&C 1:6. In this way he placed a sacred stamp of
approval on these divinely authored revelations which would be published to the
world to help mankind avoid impending judgments and gain eternal salvation.
Section 1, an important outpouring of the Spirit, came during a conference at
Could such a
monumental challenge—taking the message of the Restored
The reception of
section 1 on 1 November 1831 places it chronologically between sections 66 and
67. It was received when publication of the Book of Commandments was being
proposed, and it was designated by the Lord to be the "preface" to
the revelations (v. 6). The Book of Commandments, printed in 1833, contained 65
sections—similar in content and arrangement to the first 64 sections of our
present Doctrine and Covenants. Only a few copies were preserved after a mob
ransacked the W. W. Phelps Printing Co. at
Most of the
revelations to Joseph Smith (representing over ninety percent of the sections)
were received during the light of day, generally in the presence of other
people. Many persons saw and heard him pray, and the answers received were
spoken aloud or dictated by him to his clerk as they listened. fn
Notes and Quotes
Hearken (v. 1). To
"hearken" is not only to hear, but to obey as well. The injunction to
do so is directed "unto all men" (v. 2).
The voice of the Lord
(v. 2).
Jesus Christ is the Author and source of all true revelations given to the
inhabitants of this earth. "All revelation since the Fall," taught
President Joseph Fielding Smith, "has come through Jesus Christ, who is
the Jehovah of the Old Testament. In all of the scriptures, where God is
mentioned and where he has appeared, it was Jehovah who talked with Abraham,
with Noah, Enoch, Moses and all the prophets. He is the God of
There is none to
escape (v. 2).
Joseph Smith stated, "You cannot go anywhere but where God can find you
out." fn
The rebellious (v. 3). This refers to
"every soul who rejects the everlasting Gospel." fn
The voice of warning
(v. 4).
To the righteous it is a voice of hope, but to the wicked it is a notice of
judgment and woe unless they repent.
Unto all people (v.
4).
In the words of Joseph Fielding Smith, this book "belongs to all the
world, to the Catholics, to the Presbyterians, to the Methodists, to the
infidel, to the non-believer. It is his book if he will accept it, if he will
receive it. . . . It belongs to all the world, not only to the Latter-day
Saints. . . . They will be judged by it, and you will be judged by it." fn
Mine authority (v. 6). Section 1 contains
"the credentials given by our Lord to the Prophet Joseph and his
associates in the ministry, and by them transmitted to others, regularly called
and ordained, giving them divine authority to preach the gospel and warn the
world." fn
My preface (v. 6). A preface summarizes
in advance the message of the author and prepares the reader to receive the
content of the book in a proper perspective. This is "the only book in
existence which bears the honor of a preface given by the Lord himself. . . .
It was not written by Joseph Smith, but was dictated by Jesus Christ, and
contains his and his Father's word to the Church and to all the world." fn
Power given them to
seal (vv. 8-9).
By the Holy Priesthood, power is given to perform those ordinances or other
acts that have binding force unto salvation. Likewise, under the direction of
the Holy Spirit, when covenants are broken or sacred truths have been flaunted,
power is given to loose the binding ties and place "a seal" of
disapprobation upon those who persist in unbelief and rebellion. The unrepentant
transgressor will suffer the wrath of God.
Recompense unto every
man according to his word (v. 10). For the full elaboration of the meaning of
this verse, consider the whole of section 76. fn
Prepare ye (v. 12). This is a major theme
of the Doctrine and Covenants with the injunction appearing about ninety times.
It reflects the Lord's great desire to encourage his people to so live that
they will be able to escape many of the impending judgments and be ready for
his Second Coming. "Even today," wrote President Smith, "the
cleansing process is going on, but eventually it will come with dreadful
suddenness, and none who work iniquity shall escape." fn The Lord has
said, "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear" (D&C 38:30).
The anger of the Lord
(v. 13).
God is infinitely patient and long-suffering, but the world has now exceeded
the limits of justice, and even in love God can no longer forbear.
His sword (v. 13). The sword is a
metaphor that symbolizes powerful judgments and destruction upon the wicked
(see Isa. 34:5-6).
The arm of the Lord
(v. 14).
This represents the power of the Lord used either to protect or punish as the
case requires (see Ex. 6:6; Ps. 136:12; Jer. 27:5).
Cut off (v. 14). This includes being
severed from the community of believers, or excommunicated.
"For" (vv.
15-16).
This is one of the most helpful key words used throughout the scriptures. What
follows it usually reveals the specific reasons for an attitude or action. In
this case the Lord's anger is expressed because his children have (a) strayed
from his ordinances, (b) broken the everlasting covenant, and (c) succumbed to
the worship of idols.
After the image of his
own god (v. 16).
President Spencer W. Kimball has taught: "Idolatry is among the most
serious of sins. There are unfortunately millions today who prostrate
themselves before images of gold and silver and wood and stone and clay. But
the idolatry we are most concerned with here is the conscious worshipping of
still other gods. Some are of metal and plush and chrome, and of wood and stone
and of fabrics. They are not in the image of God or of man, but are developed
to give man comfort and enjoyment, to satisfy his wants, ambitions, passions
and desires. Some are in no physical form at all, but are intangible."
President Kimball continued:
Many seem to "worship" on an elemental
basis—they live to eat and drink. They are like the children of Israel who,
though offered great freedoms associated with national development under God's
personal guidance, could not lift their minds above the "flesh pots of
Egypt." . . . They cannot seem to rise above satisfying their bodily
appetites. . . .
Modern idols or false gods can take such forms as
clothes, homes, businesses, machines, automobiles, pleasure boats, and numerous
other material deflectors from the path of godhood. What difference does it
make that the item concerned is not shaped like an idol? Brigham Young said:
"I would as soon see a man worshipping a little god made of brass or of
wood as to see him worshipping his property" (JD 6:196).
Intangible things make just as ready gods. Degrees and
letters and titles can become idols. Many young men decide to attend college
when they should be on missions first. The degree, and the wealth and the
security which come through it, appear so desirable that the mission takes
second place. Some neglect Church service through their college years, feeling
to give preference to the secular training and ignoring the spiritual covenants
they have made.
Many people build and furnish a home and buy the automobile
first—and then find they "cannot afford" to pay tithing. Whom do they
worship? Certainly not the Lord of heaven and earth, for we serve whom we love
and give first consideration to the object of our affection and desires. Young
married couples who postpone parenthood until their degrees are attained might
be shocked if their expressed preference were labeled idolatry. fn
Knowing the calamity
which should come (v. 17). Because the Lord loves all men he has raised his voice
and has sent his servants to encourage them to prepare, so that their chances
of escaping the impending judgments will be greatly increased. The warning
voice is one of hope and reassurance—a reminder that the Lord has never allowed
a major calamity of judgment to come without forewarning. There is sufficient
time to prepare, organize, and change our lives if we do not procrastinate. We
must actively bring our lives into harmony with the great principles of eternal
salvation in order to be ready for the judgments that will come upon an erring
world. Can the Saints of the latter days learn any lessons from the experiences
of Enoch's city, Noah's family, Jared and his brother, Lot and his daughters, Moses
and Israel on Passover night, Nineveh at Jonah's time, Lehi and his family,
Christians fleeing Jerusalem before the Roman destruction, and perhaps others
who have heeded prophetic calls? Now the call is to this generation, to each
one of us—to every living soul. How is today's world drifting toward troubled
waters with catastrophies almost sure to follow? Who
will hearken to the warning voice soon enough to be saved by making their way
to the shore of salvation—through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance,
keeping the commandments, and through a life of love and service?
Many judgments are
mentioned by the prophets that will occur before the Second Coming. fn They are
horrible to contemplate. Jesus wept over
Most prophecy is
conditional. Many scriptural cases could be cited to illustrate this point. The
language of the text is usually something like this: IF you keep the
commandments, THEN you will be blessed; BUT IF you do not keep the
commandments, THEN the judgments will come upon you (cf. Lev. 26:3-4, 14, 24;
Deut. 4:25-40; 28:1-2, 15; 2 Ne. 1:9-10; D&C 5:16-24). Thus we see that in
the case of prophesied judgments they are usually contingent on whether a
person or a people repent and change their iniquitous ways. A case in point is
the wicked city of Ninevah which heeded Jonah's call
to repent and was spared destruction (Jonah 3:10).
Recently an American
President raised the question as to whether all the difficulties and wars in
the
President Smith
explained: "We have been taught how we might avoid them. . . . Hear the
counsels that come to us, heed the testimony of truth. . . . We may escape
these things through faithfulness." fn The Lord has offered hope: "
Another aspect of this
question is reflected in the Prophet Joseph's statement that "it is a
false idea that the saints will escape all the judgments, whilst the wicked
suffer; for all flesh is subject to suffer. . . . Many of the righteous shall
fall prey to disease, to pestilence, etc., by reason of the weakness of the
flesh, and yet be saved in the Kingdom of God." fn As another writer has
explained, "It would be wrong to assume that the more righteous one is . .
. the less he will suffer. . . . He will be blessed even though his blessings
may be strength to endure suffering. . . . The difference is that the wicked
must suffer the consequences of their sins in addition to the suffering that is
part of life. . . . Those who live faithful to their covenants can be assured
that they will not have to suffer in vain." fn Elder Bruce R. McConkie has
further declared: "We do not say that all the Saints will be spared and
saved from the coming day of desolation. But we do say there is no promise of
safety . . . except for those who love the Lord and who are seeking to do all
that he commands. It may be, for instance, that nothing except the power of
faith and the authority of the priesthood can save individuals and
congregations from the atomic holocausts that surely shall be." fn
President Joseph F.
Smith gave additional perspective: "Severe natural calamities are visited
upon men by the Lord for the good of his children, to quicken their devotion to
others, and to bring out their better natures. . . . They are the heralds and
tokens of his final judgment, and the schoolmasters to teach the people to
prepare themselves by righteous living for the coming of the Savior." fn
On another occasion he taught that "judgment is not an end in itself.
Calamities are only permitted by a merciful Father, in order to bring about
redemption. Behind the fearful storms of judgment, which often strike the just
and the unjust alike . . . there arises bright and clear the dawn of the day of
salvation." fn In summary: "All through the ages some of the
righteous have had to suffer because of the acts of the unrighteous, but they
will get their reward," fn for "the Lord receiveth
them up unto himself, in glory" (Alma 14:11).
The Lord knows what is
coming. Through his servants and these revelations he has forewarned all men in
order that they might gain strength, exercise faith, enter into covenants, and
be prepared for whatever comes. Thus, "knowing the calamity which should
come upon the inhabitants of the earth," the Lord has called upon his
servant Joseph Smith and others and has opened the heavens to them, revealing
to the Saints and to the world the things of eternity. Thereby the people of
God can prepare for the day of judgment and blessing. The Doctrine and
Covenants contains many of those revelations.
My servant Joseph (v.
17).
The Lord chose him! Of the millions out of every nation who could have been called
to head this last and greatest of all gospel dispensations—the fulness of times
and the period of the restitution of all things—the Lord chose a
"That" (v.
18).
This is another important word in scriptural interpretation because it alerts
us to the desired consequences of an action. The Lord called Joseph and others
in order that (a) they could proclaim this message, (b) the message would be
fulfilled, (c) men would know the Lord and could speak in his name, (d) faith
would increase, and (e) the fulness of the gospel would be proclaimed before
the great and the humble. All of these purposes are now in the process of
fulfillment.
Trust in the arm of
flesh (v. 19).
Refers to the weakness and imperfections of man when trusting in his own power.
The weak and the
simple (v. 23).
As Joseph Fielding Smith taught, "The Lord's ways are not man's ways, and
he cannot choose those who in their own judgment are too wise to be taught.
Therefore he chooses those who are willing to be taught and he makes them
mighty even to the breaking down of the great and the mighty." fn
After the manner of
their language (v. 24). One Latter-day Saint writer has observed:
The word of the Lord
can be only in the language of the prophet when the ideas received are clothed
in the prophet's own words. If the prophet's language is faulty and he is
subject in his speech to the grammatical errors common to most of us, we may
expect grammatical mistakes in the written revelation until they are discovered
and eradicated. The mistakes are not the mistakes of God. In all the
revelations received by men from God, as portrayed in the Bible, this human
element is present The poet clothes the message of God in beautiful phraseology
and sets in to meter; the psalmist sets it to music, while the writer of prose
stamps it indelibly with his own style. Thus the writings of Moses, Isaiah,
Micah, Amos, and Habbakuk are different in style and
perfection of expression, but all are the word of God spoken through prophets
in their language that mankind might come to understanding. fn
What was the status of
Joseph Smith's English during the period of the late 1820s and 1830s when the
majority of these revelations were given? During this time Noah Webster was
proposing many spelling changes in order to have a somewhat unique
"American" English. In 1828, when he introduced his big
"American Dictionary of the English Language," there were already
five other dictionaries being used in the
In what language do
the revelations of God come? Do they come in the pure Adamic
language? Ancient Hebrew? Aramaic? Greek? Reformed Egyptian? No! They come to
the prophet like they do any other humble disciple—in his own language: "These
commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness,
after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding"
(D&C 1:24). Elder George A. Smith suggested that "when the Lord
reveals anything to men, he reveals it in language that accords with their own.
If any of you were to converse with an angel, and you used strictly grammatical
language, he would do the same, but if you used two negatives in a sentence,
the heavenly messenger would use language to correspond with your
understanding." fn
When Joseph was
criticized in 1834 for "glaring errors" in a published revelation, he
replied that shades of meaning or literary mechanics were not as important as
the general message: "We did not think so much of the orthography
[spelling], or the manner, as we did the subject matter; as the word of God
means what it says." fn
The words are
abundantly clear! The message given through his chosen prophet to a drifting
world needs little explanation. The voice of warning, coming, as it were, from
the nearby shore is clear: Hearken! Repent before it is too late! "Prepare
ye, prepare ye for that which is to come. . ." (D&C 1:12).
"Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the
prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled. What I the
Lord have spoken, I have spoken . . . and though the heavens and the earth pass
away, my word . . . shall all be fulfilled, whether by my own voice or by the
voice of my servants, it is the same" (D&C 1:37-38).
Inasmuch as (vv.
25-28).
Several conditions are mentioned which would keep a person consciously or
unconsciously alienated from the Lord and what must be done to overcome such
problems—instruction, repentance, and humility would allow one to receive
knowledge, be made strong, and receive the Lord's blessings.
Having received the
record (vv. 29-30).
It would be difficult to overestimate the key role played by the Book of Mormon
in the restoration of the true Church of Jesus Christ. Its self-professed
objectives include being another witness of Jesus Christ and the confounding of
false doctrines. Elder Bruce R. McConkie has said:
The Prophet's
expression that "the Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion"
means precisely what it says. The keystone is the central stone in the top of
the arch. If that stone is removed, then the arch crumbles, which, in effect,
means that Mormonism so-called—which actually is the gospel of Christ, restored
anew in this day—stands or falls with the truth or the falsity of the Book of
Mormon. . . .
The Book of
Mormon—which has come forth to prove that God inspires men and calls them to
his holy work in this age and generation—establishes the verity of these great
truths which comprise the message of the restoration. If the Book of Mormon is
true, our message to the world is truth; the truth of this message is
established in and through this book. . .
This book is a witness
of the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph Smith and of the divinity of the
Church set up under his instrumentality. It establishes and proves to the world
that Joseph Smith is a prophet for he received the book from a resurrected
personage and translated it by the gift and power of God. And since the Book of
Mormon came by revelation, which included the ministering of angels, then
obviously Joseph Smith also received other revelations and was ministered to by
other heavenly beings. Among those revelations was the command to organize the
Church. The Church is thus the one true Church because it was set up by a
prophet acting under command of god. Thus the truth of the message of the
restoration is established in and through and by means of the Book of
Mormon." fn
Brigham Young taught,
"There is not a man or a woman who on hearing the report of the Book of
Mormon, but the Spirit of the Almighty has testified to them of its truth;
neither have they heard the name of Joseph Smith but the Spirit has whispered
to them, 'He is a true prophet."' fn Similarly, President Ezra Taft Benson
said, "The Book of Mormon was written for us today. God is the author of
the Book. It is a record of a fallen people, compiled by inspired men for our
blessing today. Those people never had the book—it was meant for us. Mormon,
the ancient prophet after whom the book is named, abridged centuries of
records. God, who knows the end from the beginning, told him what to include in
his abridgment that we would need for our day." fn
Speaking unto the
Church (v. 30).
Elder James E. Talmage observed: "I have no concern for the Church as a
whole; its destiny is foretold, it is going on to a glorious victory [sec. 65].
But that does not say that each of us who are members of the Church will go on
to glorious victory. . . . What are we doing individually?" fn
With the least degree
of allowance (vv. 31-32). This verse is a solemn reminder to the sinner that he
cannot be justified in sin (cf. 2 Ne. 28:8-9) but through sincere repentance
can receive loving forgiveness. President Harold B. Lee taught:
If the time comes when
you have done all that you can to repent of your sins, whoever you are,
wherever you are, and have made amends and restitution to the best of your
ability; if it be something that will affect your standing in the Church and
you have gone to the proper authorities, then you will want that confirming
answer as to whether or not the Lord has accepted of you. In your
soul-searching, if you seek for and you find that peace of conscience, by that
token you may know that the Lord has accepted of your repentance. Satan would
have you think otherwise and sometimes persuade you that now having made one
mistake, you might go on and on with no turning back. That is one of the great
falsehoods. The miracle of forgiveness is available to all of those who turn
from their evil doings and return no more." fn
As the Prophet Joseph
Smith said, "Our Heavenly Father is more liberal in his views, and
boundless in his mercies and blessings, than we are ready to believe or
receive; and, at the same time, is more terrible to the workers of iniquity,
more awful in the execution of his punishments, and more ready to detect every
false way, than we are apt to suppose him to be." fn
My Spirit shall not
always strive (v. 33).
"The Spirit He has withdrawn from the world is not the Holy Ghost (for
they never had that!)," explained Joseph Fielding Smith, "but it is
the light of truth, spoken of in our scriptures as the Spirit of Christ, which
is given to every man that cometh into the world. . . . Not because the Lord
desires to withdraw that Spirit, but because of the wickedness of mankind, it
becomes necessary that this Spirit of the Lord be withdrawn." fn
No respecter of
persons (v. 35).
The Lord is not partial and "grants to each man, if he will repent, the
same privileges and opportunities of salvation and exaltation." fn
Peace shall be taken
from the earth (v. 35). The First Presidency in the days of Brigham Young
stated: "We know that the revelations of Jesus Christ are true, and that
peace is taken from the earth, and that those who will not receive and obey the
Gospel of Jesus Christ, when they hear it, will grow worse and worse, in evil
passions, strife, war, and blood, until the wicked shall have overthrown the
wicked and destroyed themselves from the face of the earth." fn "The
beginning of the fulfillment of this day when peace was taken from the earth
appears to be at the commencement of the Civil War." fn President Wilford
Woodruff wrote:
When I have the vision
of the night opened continually before my eyes, and can see the mighty
judgments that are about to be poured out upon this world, when I know these
things are true . . . and while I am holding this position before God and this
world, can I withhold my voice from lifting up a warning to this people, and to
the nations of the earth? . . . God has held the angels of destruction for many
years, lest they should reap down the wheat with the tares. But I want to tell
you now, that those angels have left the portals of heaven, and they stand over
this people and this nation now, and are hovering over the earth waiting to
pour out the judgments. And from this very day they shall be poured out.
Calamities and troubles are increasing in the earth, and there is a meaning to
these things. . . . If you do your duty, and I do my duty, we'll have
protection." fn
The Lord shall come
down (v. 36).
From President Harold B. Lee: "One of the ways by which 'he comes down
among his people' is clearly explained in the revelation in which he defines
certain gifts of the Spirit . . . which men might enjoy," i.e., D&C
46. fn
Idumea, or the world (v.
36).
"Idumea or
Search these
commandments (v. 37).
Read? Study? Indeed even more—search! "Search the scriptures—search the
revelations which we publish," Joseph Smith pleaded, "and ask your
Heavenly Father, in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth
unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to his glory nothing doubting, he
will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for
yourselves and not for another. You will not then be dependent on man for the
knowledge of God; nor will there be any room for speculation." fn
"All members of the Church are commanded to search and obey these
commandments. . . . If we fail to do so and remain ignorant of the doctrines,
covenants, and commandments, we shall stand condemned." fn
Conclusion
Dear Reader: This
voice of warning is also a voice of love and reassurance. It is like the voice
of one calling from the shore to "row" to safety before it is too
late. Let those who love the Lord rejoice and let them sing: "In faith
we'll rely on the arm of Jehovah to guide through these last days of trouble
and gloom; and after the scourges and harvest are over, we'll rise with the
just when the Savior doth come." fn
Notes on "Knowing the Calamity"
1. HC 4:540.
2. For the history of
the Doctrine and Covenants, see Robert J. Woodford, "The Doctrine and
Covenants: A Historical Overview," found herein. For more information on
the seven "Lectures on Faith" which appeared in all printings of the
Doctrine and Covenants between 1835 and 1921, refer to HC 2:175-76 (and
note), 180; Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce
R. McConkie, 3 vols. (Salt Lake City, Bookcraft,
1954-56), 2:3034; Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake
City: Bookcraft, 1966), p. 439.
3. For additional
information on the process of revelation, see sections 8, 9, 18, and 68; see
also Joseph F. McConkie, "The Principle of Revelation," found herein.
4. Smith, Doctrines
of Salvation, 1:27; cf. Ex. 6:3 and D&C 110:1-4.
5. HC 6:366.
6. Hyrum M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and
Covenants Commentary, revised ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1965),
p. 5.
7. Joseph Fielding
Smith, Conference Report, October 1919, p. 146.
8. Smith and Sjodahl, Commentary, p. 5.
9. Joseph Fielding
Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 2 vols. (Salt Lake City:
The Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, 1953), 1:252.
10. See Larry E. Dahl,
"The Vision of the Glories," found herein.
11. Smith, Church
History and Modern Revelation, 1:254.
12. The Miracle of
Forgiveness (Sale Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969),
pp. 40-1; see also "The False Gods We Worship," Ensign, June
1976, pp. 3-6.
13. The judgments most
prominently mentioned by the prophets that will occur before the Second Coming
include the following: pestilence, overflowing rain, great hailstones, fire and
brimstone (Ezek. 38:22); the abomination that maketh
desolate (Dan. 11:31); wonders in the heavens, and in the earth, blood, and
fire, and pillars of smoke (Joel 2:30); the fire of the Lord's jealousy (Zeph.
3:8); a plague that will consume eyes, tongue, mouth, feet, and flesh (Zech.
14:12); famines, pestilences, and earthquakes (Matt. 24:7); a desolating
scourge or sickness (D&C 5:19; 45:31); desolations (D&C 29:8; 35:11;
45:19, 1, 1, 3; 84:114, 17; 88:85; 112:24); the destruction of the great and
abominable church (D&C 29:21; 88:94); the darkening of the sun, the moon
turning to blood, and stars falling from heaven (D&C 29:14; 34:9; 45:42;
88:87; 133:49); flies and maggots eating the flesh, a great hailstorm to
destroy the crops, flesh falling from the bones, eyes from their sockets;
beasts of the forest devouring people (D&C 29:16-20); lightnings,
thunderings, and earthquakes wreaking havoc (D&C
43:25; 45:33; 87:6; 88:89-90); wars upon the face of the earth (D&C 45:26;
63; 63:33; 87); the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds (D&C 88:90); a
sore affliction, pestilence, the sword, vengeance, and a devouring fire
(D&C 97:25-28); and a very destructive whirlwind (D&C 112:24). To the
foregoing, modern prophets have added floods, withdrawal of the Spirit from the
earth, bands of Gadianton robbers infesting every nation, immorality, murder,
and crime increasing, and the assurance that every man's hand is against his
brother. See Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3:29, 34; Bruce R. McConkie,
Conference Report, April 1979, pp. 131-32.
14. Smith, Doctrines
of Salvation, 3:29.
15. TPJS, pp.
47-49, 87, 161-63, 252-53.
16. Smith, Doctrines
of Salvation, 3:28.
17. Yehezkiel Landau, "Presidents and Prophets,"
18. Ensign,
January 1974, p. 68.
19. Ibid., p.
69.
20. Smith, Doctrines
of Salvation, 3:28.
21. Ibid., pp.
32, 34.
22. HC 4:11.
23. Book of Mormon
121-122 Student Manual, 2nd ed. (Sale Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints, 1981), p. 185.
24. Conference
Report April 1979, pp. 132-33.
25. Gospel Doctrine,
13th ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1963), p. 55.
26. Improvement Era
9 (June 1906):651.
27. Smith, Doctrines
of Salvation, 3:37.
28. TPJS, p.
365.
29. Conference
Report, October 1951, p. 117.
31. William E. Berrett, Teachings of the Doctrine and Covenants
(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1968), pp. 4-5.
32. JD 12:335.
33. Letter to Edward
Partridge, William W. Phelps, et al., 30 March 1834, from Oliver Cowdery's Letter Book, pp. 30-36. Quoted in Dean C. Jessee, ea., The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith
(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1984), p.315.
34. Conference
Report, April 1961, pp. 39-40.
35. Brigham Young,
quoted by B. H. Roberts, Ibid., April 1905, p. 45.
36. Ezra Taft Benson, Ibid.,
April 1975, p.94.
37. James E. Talmage, Ibid.,
October 1928, p.118.
38. Harold B. Lee, Ibid.,
April 1973, pp. 177-78; cf. Mosiah 4:2-3.
39. TPJS, p.
257.
40. "The
Predicted Judgments," Speeches of the Year (Provo, Ut.: Brigham Young University Extension Publications,
1967), pp. 5-6; an address delivered at
41. Smith, Church
History and Modern Revelation, 1:255.
42. The First
Presidency, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Willard Richards, Millennial
Star 15 (9 July 1853): 437.
43. Smith and Sjodahl, Commentary, p. 10.
44. Young Woman's
Journal 5 (24 June 1894): 512-13.
45. Conference
Report, October 1960, p. 16.
46. Mormon Doctrine,
p 374.
47. TPJS, pp.
11-12.
48. Smith, Church
History and Modern Revelation, 1:256.
49. Hymns of the
(Robert
L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The
Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 39.)
D&C
63:52-54 – The earth must be cleansed before the King can come; the fate of the
wicked will be sealed.
(Doctrine
and Covenants 63:52-54.)
52 Wherefore,
for this cause preached the apostles unto the world the resurrection of the
dead.
53 These
things are the things that ye must look for; and, speaking after the manner of
the Lord, they are now nigh at hand, and in a time to come, even in the day of
the coming of the Son of Man.
54 And
until that hour there will be foolish virgins among the wise; and at that hour
cometh an entire separation of the righteous and the wicked; and in that day
will I send mine angels to pluck out the wicked and cast them into unquenchable
fire.
D&C
115:4-6 – The church is the ark of safety for our day, it must be worldwide so
the ones who are gathered have a place of refuge.
D&C
D&C
Bruce
told the story of Sidney Rigdon challenging the
John Whitmer wrote the
following concerning the dedication of the new
And by the special
protection of the Lord, Bro. Joseph Smith, Junior, and Sidney Rigdon, in
company with eight other elders, with the church from
Do you pledge yourselves to see that others of your
brethren who shall come hither do keep the laws of God? We do. After prayer he
arose and said, I now pronounce this land consecrated and dedicated to the Lord
for a possession and inheritance for the Saints, (in the name of Jesus Christ,
having authority from him.) And for all the faithful servants of the Lord to
the remotest ages of time. Amen.
The day following
eight elders, viz., Joseph Smith, Junior, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, Peter
Whitmer, Junior, Frederick G. Williams, William W. Phelps, Martin Harris, and
Joseph Coe, assembled together where the temple is to be erected. Sidney Rigdon
dedicated the ground where the city is to stand, and Joseph Smith, Junior, laid
a stone at the northeast corner of the contemplated temple in the name of the
Lord Jesus of
Whitmer claimed that
the foregoing account was first written by Oliver Cowdery (see Ibid.). Although
the History of the Church, 1:199, notes that Joseph Smith dedicated the
temple spot, John Whitmer's account (above), credits
Rigdon with that action, and the Times and Seasons 5 (1 March 1844):450,
does not identify the individual that dedicated the site.
(Lyndon
W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and
Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1985],.)
Enoch
had 365 years to establish
President
Bednar told this story in a devotional address in January 2004 at BYUI.
Happiness
and Obedience and the Youth of the Church
In October of 1997 Elder Neal A.
Maxwell visited our campus to speak in a devotional. Sister Bednar and I
provided transportation to and from the
God has reserved spirits for this dispensation who have the courage
and determination to face the world, and all the powers of the evil one,
visible and invisible, to proclaim the Gospel, and maintain the truth, and
establish and build up the Zion of our God, fearless of all consequences. He
has sent these spirits in this generation to lay the foundation of Zion never
more to be overthrown, and to raise up a seed that will be righteous, and that
will honor God, and honor him supremely, and be obedient to him under all
circumstances (Journal of Discourses, 11:230 [May 6, 1866], emphasis
added).
We frequently are reminded by our church leaders that the young men
and women of this generation have been reserved for this day and are some of
the most valiant of Heavenly Father’s children. But these additional insights
by Elders Cannon and Maxwell help us further to understand that today’s young
people have a greater capacity for obedience and are to be valiant and “. . . obedient to him under all
circumstances.” And an additional and important implication of these
teachings is clear: those blessed with the greatest capacity to obey also have
the greatest opportunity for true and lasting happiness.
D&C
Sins
and Mistakes
By Elder Dallin H.
Oaks
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, Oct. 1996, pp. 62-67
I wish to
reason about a basic principle given in modern revelation but not as well
understood or applied as it should be. This principle was given to guide us in
our relationships with one another. It is especially important for parents with
teenage children.
Three verses of
the Doctrine and Covenants identify an important contrast between sins and
mistakes. I had never pondered these verses until about one year ago when I was
reading the Doctrine and Covenants for the 15th or 20th time. Their direction
came to my mind with such freshness and impact that I thought they might have
been newly inserted in my book. That is the way with prayerful study of the
scriptures. The scriptures do not change, but we do, and so the same scriptures
can give us new insights every time we read them.
The 20th
section of the Doctrine and Covenants, given the same month the Church was
organized, is the basic revelation on Church government. It contains one verse
giving this important direction: "Any member of the
The
scriptures contain various directions for dealing with members, but the key
direction is contained in two verses in the November 1831 revelation given as
the preface to the book that is now the Doctrine and Covenants. These verses follow
the Lord's explanation that he has given his servants the commandments in that
book "after the manner of their language, that they might come to
understanding" (D&C 1:24). Succeeding verses clarify the difference
between error and sin and give distinctly different directions for the
correction of each:
"Inasmuch
as they erred it might be made known …
"And
inasmuch as they sinned they might be chastened, that they might repent"
(D&C 1:25, 27).
In these
verses, "transgressing" is different from "being at fault,"
and "to err" is different than "to sin." I believe that in
these scriptures sin and transgression mean the same thing. Similarly, "to
err" and "to be at fault" are also equivalent. In referring to
this second category, I will use the more familiar description: "to make a
mistake."
Both sins and
mistakes can hurt us and both require attention, but the scriptures direct a
different treatment. Chewing on a live electrical cord or diving headfirst into
water of uncertain depth are mistakes that should be made known so that they
can be avoided. Violations of the commandments of God are sins that require
chastening and repentance. In the treatment process we should not require
repentance for mistakes, but we are [page 63] commanded to preach the necessity
of repentance for sins.
Mistakes
Are Not Sins
My first
illustration uses words I learned as a young boy reading a mail-order catalog.
In those days, each item of merchandise in the catalog was offered in three
different qualities: good, better, and best. The catalog didn't use the word
bad, but if I could add that word I would have four words that permit me to
illustrate my first point with clarity. For most of us, most of the time, the
choice between good and bad is easy. What usually causes us difficulty is
determining which uses of our time and influence are merely good, or better, or
best. Applying that fact to the question of sins and mistakes, I would say that
a deliberately wrong choice in the contest between what is clearly good and what
is clearly bad is a sin, but a poor choice among things that are good, better,
and best is merely a mistake.
Mortals make
those kinds of mistakes all the time. We can read some of them in Church
history. I believe some of the persecutions our forefathers endured were a
result of their sins. The Lord told them so by revelation (see D&C 101:2).
I believe some of their persecutions were also the result of mistakes. Thus,
Sidney Rigdon's defiant "salt sermon,"
which contributed to conditions that brought about the Saints' expulsion from
On a more
personal level, consider the mistake described by Truman G. Madsen: "In a
relaxed moment one day the Prophet [Joseph Smith] turned to his secretary,
Howard Coray, and said, 'Brother Coray
I wish you were a little larger. I would like to have some fun with you,'
meaning wrestling. Brother Coray said, 'Perhaps you
can as it is.' The Prophet reached and grappled him and twisted him over--and
broke his leg. All compassion, he carried him home, put him in bed, and
splinted and bandaged his leg" (Joseph Smith the Prophet [1989],
31).
In teaching
the Saints not to accuse one another, the Prophet said, "What many people
call sin is not sin" ( , sel. Joseph Fielding Smith, [1976], 193). I
believe that the large category of actions that are mistakes rather than sins
illustrates the truth of that statement. If we would be more understanding of
one another's mistakes, being satisfied merely to correct and not to chasten or
call to repentance, we would surely promote loving and living together in
greater peace and harmony.
The
appropriateness of that approach as applied to mistakes is surely illustrated
by the Prophet Joseph Smith's well-known teachings to the first Relief Society.
There he taught the sisters to be kind and loving toward those who made
mistakes, and also toward sinners. He said:
"Suppose
that Jesus Christ and holy angels should object to us on frivolous things, what
would become of us? We must be merciful to one another, and overlook small
things. …
"Nothing
is so much calculated to lead people to forsake sin as to take them by the
hand, and watch over them with tenderness. When persons manifest the least
kindness and love to me, O what power it has over my mind, while the opposite
course has a tendency to harrow up all the harsh feelings and depress the human
mind. …
"… There
should be no license for sin, but mercy should go hand in hand with
reproof" (Teachings, 240-41).
The book of
Proverbs is filled with advice on mistakes or errors, and the word most
frequently applied to the person who fails to behave appropriately in these
areas is the word fool. Our dictionary defines a fool as a person lacking in
judgment or prudence. A fool is a fool, not a sinner. Our English writers
understood that difference and used it in their frequent contrast of fools and
knaves.
Proverbs says
that "a fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise
man keepeth it in till afterwards" (Prov.
29:11). The Old Testament's usage of the word fool is evident in Saul's
confession "I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly" (1
Sam. 26:21). Stimulated by that expression, an English playwright penned these
lines, which remind us of mortality's abundant field for foolish conduct.
When we play
the fool, how wide
The theatre
expands! beside,
How long the
audience sits before us!
How many
prompters! what a chorus!
(Walter
Savage Landor, quoted in John Bartlett, Familiar Quotations, 16th ed., [1992],
388)
The Savior
used the term fool to characterize the lesson in his parable about the rich man
who built greater barns to store his abundant fruits and goods and then said to
his soul, "Thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease,
eat, drink, and be merry" (Luke 12:19). [page 64] Then the Savior taught:
"God
said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then
whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?
"So is
he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not
rich toward God" (Luke 12:20-21).
The
distinction between sins and mistakes is important to our actions in the realm
of politics and public policy debates. We have seen some very bitter
finger-pointing among Latter-day Saints who disagree with one another on the
policies a government should follow, the political parties they should support,
or the persons they should elect as public servants. Such disagreements are
inevitable in representative government. But it is not inevitable that they
would result in the personal denunciations and bitter feelings described in the
press or encountered in personal conversations.
We put
political disagreements in the appropriate context when we remember that even
if our political adversaries are making the wrong choice (as we suppose), that
is generally a matter of error (mistake) rather than transgression (sin). (Of
course, there are some public policies so intertwined with moral issues that
there may be only one morally right position, but that is rare.)
The inspired
direction we have received regarding differences of opinion on decisions or
policies in the realm of error rather than transgression is to attempt
correction by civil discourse, but not to denounce or attempt to chasten the
perpetrators as sinners.
In an
interview with the press, President Howard W. Hunter said that one of our
objectives as a church is "to change the world and its thinking."
Identifying how we need to go about that task, President Hunter said, "We
have an obligation, as Christians--as members of the Church--and we call upon
all people to be more kind and more considerate--whether it be in our homes, in
our businesses, in our relations in society." Concluding this plea, he
said that we have a responsibility to teach "a Christ-like response to all
the problems of the world" (Gerry Avant,
"Prophet Focuses on Christ's Message," Church News, 9
July 1994, 3). Understanding and applying the distinction between sins and
mistakes will help us fulfill that divinely imposed responsibility.
The scriptures
and our leaders have also taught us principles that require a loving approach
to those with whom we have any kind of disagreement on matters of religious
belief. In one of the great prophecies that concluded his ministry, the prophet
Nephi described the false churches of the last days that would teach
"false and vain and foolish doctrines" (2 Ne. 28:9). He denounced
many of their followers for obvious wickedness, including robbing the poor and
committing whoredoms. Then he referred to another group, an exceptional few who
were the humble followers of Christ. Note the words he used to describe these
two groups: "They have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the
humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they
do err because they are taught by the precepts of men" (2 Ne. 28:14). Here
we see that in many instances when humble followers of Christ are led astray by
the precepts of men, their offense is error, not transgression.
Elder George
A. Smith applied that principle in an [page 65] address delivered in the
Tabernacle in
"There
were, however, honest persons in all of the denominations, and God has respect
to every man who is honest of heart and purpose, though he may be deceived, and
in error as to principle and doctrine; yet so far as that error is the result
of their being deceived by the cunning craftiness of men, or of circumstances
over which such have no control, the Lord in His abundant mercy looks with
allowance thereon, and in His great economy He has provided different glories and
ordained that all persons shall be judged according to the knowledge they
possess and the use they make of that knowledge, and according to the deeds
done in the body, whether good or evil" (in Journal of Discourses,
13:346).
Elder Smith's
explanation obviously relied on the doctrine that defines the degree of
responsibility of persons who have not received the law. The Apostle Paul
taught that we commit sin only if, knowing the law, we disobey it (see Rom.
7:7). In a clear elaboration of that principle, the prophet Jacob affirms that
"where there is no law given … there is no condemnation" (2 Ne.
9:25). As a result, he taught that "the atonement satisfieth
the demands of his justice upon all those who have not the law given to
them" (2 Ne. 9:26; see also
Under this
doctrine, persons who break a law that has not been given to them are not
accountable for sins. Of course, all men have been given the Spirit of Christ
(conscience) that they may "know good from evil" (2 Ne. 2:5; Moro.
7:16). This makes us all aware of the wrongfulness of certain conduct, such as
taking a life or stealing, but it does not make men accountable for laws that
need to be specifically taught, like the knowledge that had been received by
the Nephites but not by the Lamanites (see Hel. 7:24). Persons who break those
kinds of laws when they have not received them are guilty of mistakes that should
be corrected, but they are not accountable for sins. They may suffer for their
mistakes, like a smoker suffers for breaking a law of health even if he has
never heard of the Word of Wisdom. There are inherent penalties in errors or
mistakes, but their perpetrators should not be branded as sinners.
The Need
to Teach Children Correct Principles
We understand
from our doctrine that before the age of accountability a child is "not
capable of committing sin" (Moro. 8:8). During that time, children can
commit mistakes, even very serious and damaging ones that must be corrected,
but their acts are not accounted as sins.
Even after
children reach the age of accountability, before we parents chasten them as
sinners for committing a wrongful action, we should ask ourselves whether we
have taught them the wrongfulness of that conduct. Have we taught them the
commandments of God on that matter? This is a profound challenge and lesson for
us. Perhaps this is the underlying principle for the Lord's solemn declaration
that "inasmuch as parents have children in Zion, or in any of her stakes
which are organized, that teach them not to understand the doctrine of
repentance, faith in Christ the Son of the living God, and of baptism and the
gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of the hands, when eight years old, the
sin be upon the heads of the parents" (D&C 68:25).
The
application of the commandments is sometimes difficult for children to
understand. As parents, we know that we must be constantly teaching our children
how to apply the commandments to the varying circumstances of our lives. For
example, without explicit teaching they may not understand that stealing
services from a long-distance telephone company is just as much a violation of
the eighth commandment as stealing inventory from a retail merchant. In some of
these teaching efforts, on matters that are genuinely in doubt, parents may
need to treat an uninformed or untaught act as the equivalent of a mistake
rather than a sin. We should correct the youthful offenders and promptly teach
them correct principles to guide their future actions. Any repetition would
then be a transgression.
This
redemptive procedure also applies in the definition of the adult transgression
of apostasy for teaching false doctrine. Knowing that there may be genuine
questions about what is false doctrine, the servants of the Lord have specified
a procedure for protecting a member who strays over the line innocently. This
kind of apostasy is defined as "persist[ing] in
teaching as Church doctrine information that is
Even though
they have taught their children all of the commandments and principles they
need for righteous and provident living, parents are still susceptible to the
serious error of failing to distinguish between mistakes and sins. If
well-meaning parents call teenagers to repentance for teenagers' numerous
mistakes, they may dilute the effect of chastisement and reduce the impact of
repentance for the category of teenage sins that really require it.
Relationship
of Sins and Mistakes
Sometimes it
is not easy to tell the difference between a mistake and a sin. The boundary
can be uncertain. Take the matter of the beautiful flowering crab tree in our
front yard. One spring when the limbs of this tree were getting too long, I
pruned them, quite severely. June, my wife, evaluated my pruning and told me
she thought it was a sin. I thought the extent of my pruning was a mistake at
worst. I was willing to be corrected, but I did not feel I was needful of
chastening and repentance.
My experience
with overpruning our flowering tree leads to the
observation that there is a large category of undesirable conduct that is
surely an error or mistake and at an extreme level can cross over the border
into transgression. When we willfully pass up an opportunity to progress toward
eternal life, this is surely a mistake that should be corrected. In one way of
looking at things, it is also a sin. This would apply to such things as failing
to get schooling to prepare us for life, wasting our time, or failing to
maintain the good grooming or to acquire the social or communication skills
that would help us obtain employment or favorable consideration for marriage.
Mistakes can
also lead to sins. The Prophet Joseph Smith observed that "there are so
many fools in the world for the devil to operate upon, it gives him the
advantage oftentimes" (Teachings, 331).
The violation
of special limits like curfews or missionary rules can make one vulnerable to
sin. Or, a mistake committed by one person can lead another person into sin in
attempting to correct it. The pruning of the flowering crab tree, and countless
other mistakes that are the subject of communications between husbands and
wives and among parents and children, can be mishandled to the point of
producing the wrathful, angry behavior the scriptures call contention.
Contention is always a transgression. This was the subject of the Apostle
Paul's warning to the parents in
We should not
conclude that a sin is always more serious than a mistake. Almost all sins,
large and small, can be corrected through repentance, but some serious mistakes
(like stepping in front of a speeding automobile) can be irreversible. This
shows that a big mistake may have more serious, permanent effects than a small
transgression. To cite an example more benign than a pedestrian fatality, it is
a sin to be insulting or unkind to anyone, but to be insulting or unkind to
your boss is also a big mistake. In this case, repentance for unkindness may be
easier than finding a new job because of insubordination.
The Prophet
Joseph Smith identified another kind of error whose consequences may be more
serious than some sins. He said that ignorance of the nature of evil spirits
had caused many, including some members of the restored Church, to err in
following false prophets and prophetesses. In an editorial in the Times and
Seasons, the Prophet observed that "nothing is a greater injury to the
children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit when they
think they have the Spirit of God" (History of the Church, 4:573).
By this account, persons innocently misled by false spirits are guilty of error
and can be [page 67] readily welcomed back into the fold when their error has
been made known and acknowledged. That very redemptive teaching rests on the
scriptural distinction between errors and transgressions.
Another thing
about the relationship of sins and mistakes is that they often go together.
Sometimes the same act can be an error or a sin according to what is in the
mind of the actor. Something like an automobile collision that does great harm
to another can be an error if it was unintended or a transgression if it was
intended. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. highlighted the distinction between
an unintended act and an intended one in his famous observation that "even
a dog distinguishes between being stumbled over and being kicked" (The
Common Law [1963], 7).
Avoiding
and Correcting Sins and Mistakes
We should
always seek to distinguish between sins and mistakes in our own behavior and in
the conduct of others. When we do so, the scriptures direct us to the proper
corrective.
Sins result
from willful disobedience of laws we have received by explicit teaching or by
the Spirit of Christ, which teaches every man the general principles of right
and wrong. For sins, the remedy is to chasten and encourage repentance.
Mistakes
result from ignorance of the laws of God or the workings of the universe or people
he has created. For mistakes, the remedy is to correct the mistake, not to
condemn the individual.
We must make
every effort to avoid sin and to repent when we fall short. Through the
Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be forgiven of our sins through repentance and
baptism and by earnestly striving to keep the commandments of God. Being
cleansed from sin, receiving forgiveness, and being reconciled with God through
the Atonement of Christ is the means by which we can achieve our divine destiny
as children of God.
We should
seek to avoid mistakes, since some mistakes have very painful consequences. But
we do not seek to avoid mistakes at all costs. Mistakes are inevitable in the
process of growth in mortality. To avoid all possibility of error is to avoid
all possibility of growth. In the parable of the talents, the Savior told of a
servant who was so anxious to minimize the risk of loss through a mistaken
investment that he hid up his talent and did nothing with it. That servant was
condemned by his master (see Matt. 25:24-30).
If we are
willing to be corrected for our mistakes--and that is a big if, since many who
are mistake-prone are also correction-resistant--innocent mistakes can be a
source of growth and progress.
We may suffer
adversities and afflictions from our own mistakes or from the mistakes of
others, but in this we have a comforting promise. The Lord, who suffered for
the pains and afflictions of his people (see
Bruce
will discuss in detail the Law of Consecration, the PEF fund is part of us
living the law. Be generous with the
blessings we receive. Our personal
ministry, how are you doing?
D&C
1:30-35 – The Lord is pleased with the Church, but individuals need to continue
to improve. The Lord of Host = Lord of
an army (Sabaoth, D&C 87), President Benson said verse 35 has happened.
(Doctrine
and Covenants 1:30-35.)
30 And also
those to whom these commandments were given, might have power to lay the
foundation of this church, and to bring it forth out of obscurity and out of
darkness, the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth,
with which I, the Lord, am well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively
and not individually—
31 For I
the Lord cannot look upon sin with the least degree of allowance;
32
Nevertheless, he that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be
forgiven;
33 And he
that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received;
for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.
34 And
again, verily I say unto you, O inhabitants of the earth: I the Lord am willing
to make these things known unto all flesh;
35 For I am no respecter of persons, and will
that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but
is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall
have power over his own dominion.
There
was a question on the 144,000, Bruce read D&C 77:11 and said it was a
symbolic number representing a very large number of priesthood holders, who had
their temple covenants, High Priests.
Must Every Person Living on Earth Hear the Gospel Before
the Lord Can Come?
In November 1831 the
early elders of the Church were authorized to preach the gospel: "Go ye
into all the world, preach the gospel to every creature, acting in the
authority which I have given you, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of
the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (D&C 68:8). "For, verily, the
sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost
parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs
following them that believe" (D&C 58:64). It is true that every person
must have the opportunity to hear the gospel, either here or hereafter.
Eventually "the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent,
till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every
country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be
accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done." fn
Not all, however, will
have that privilege as mortals, and not all will have that privilege before the
Second Coming. Jesus had spoken to the Twelve about the last days as follows:
"And again, this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world,
for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come, or the destruction
of the wicked" (Joseph Smith-Matthew 1:31). As we have seen, the great day of gathering—the day when millions upon
millions will come into the true fold of God—is millennial. But there is more.
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained that before the Lord Jesus can return in
glory, two things must take place: "The first . . . is that the restored
gospel is to be preached in every nation and among every people and to those
speaking every tongue. Now there is one immediate reaction to this: Can't we go
on the radio and preach the gospel to . . . the nations of the earth? We
certainly can, but that would have very little bearing on the real meaning of
the revelation that says we must preach it to every nation, kindred, and
people. The reason is the second thing that must occur before the Second
Coming: The revelations expressly, specifically, and pointedly say that when
the Lord comes the second time to usher in the millennial era, he is going to
find, in every nation, kindred, and tongue, and among every people, those who
are kings and queens, who will live and reign a thousand years on earth
(Revelation 5:9-10).
"That is a significant statement that puts in
perspective the preaching of the gospel to the world. Yes, we can go on the
radio; we can proclaim the gospel to all nations by television or other modern
invention. And to the extent that we can do it, so be it, it's all to the good.
But that's not what is involved. What is involved is that the elders of Israel,
holding the priesthood, in person have to trod the soil, eat in the homes of
the people, figuratively put their arms around the honest in heart, feed them
the gospel, and baptize them and confer the Holy Ghost upon them. Then these
people have to progress and advance, and grow in the things of the Spirit,
until they can go to the house of the Lord, until they can enter a temple of
God and receive the blessings of the priesthood, out of which come the rewards
of being kings and priests.
"The way we become kings and priests is through the
ordinances of the house of the Lord. It is through celestial marriage; it is
through the guarantees of eternal life and eternal increase that are reserved
for the Saints in the temples. The promise is that when the Lord comes he is
going to find in every nation and kindred, among every people speaking every
tongue, those who will, at that hour of his coming, have already become kings
and priests. . . . All this is to precede the Second Coming of the Son of
The revelations declare: "Prepare ye the way of the
Lord, and make his paths straight, for the hour of his coming is nigh—when the
Lamb shall stand upon Mount Zion, and with him a hundred and forty-four
thousand, having his father's name written on their foreheads" (D&C
133:17-18). This group of 144,000 are high priests after the holy order of God,
men who have themselves received the promise of exaltation and godhood and
whose mission it is to bring as many as will come into the Church of the
Firstborn, into that inner circle of men and women who have passed the tests of
mortality and have become the elect of God. fn I have often thought that the
144,000 high priests called in the last days to bring men and women into the
Church of the Firstborn (see D&C 77:11) is a symbolic reference: in that
day of division, of unspeakable wickedness and consummate righteousness,
temples will dot the earth, be accessible to the Lord's covenant people
everywhere, and thus the fulness of those temple blessings will be sealed upon
millions of the faithful Saints worldwide by those holding those transcendent
powers.
(Leon
R. Hartshorn, Dennis A. Wright, and Craig J. Ostler, eds., The Doctrine and Covenants, a Book of
Answers: The 25th Annual Sidney B. Sperry Symposium [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1996], 224.)
We
also had a good discussion on the Church of the Firstborn, D&C 76:53,
“overcome by faith = temple ordinances.
Strait
= Church on earth
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Narrow =
Church of the Firstborn in Heaven.
Elder Delbert L.
Stapley gave the definition of Strait and Narrow in a Conference talk, April,
1955
The Church of the
Firstborn
Bruce Satterfield
Department of Religious Education,
Becoming part of the Church of the Firstborn should be the goal of every
Latter-day Saint. Though the phrase "church of the Firstborn" is used
in the scriptures (see Hebrews 12:23; D&C 76:54, 67, 71, 94, 102; 77:11;
78:21; 88:5; 93:22; 107:19), many in the Church are unfamiliar with its
meaning. The following is an examination of the scriptures and the words of the
brethren concerning the doctrine of the church of the Firstborn.
Three
Kingdoms of Glory
Just hours before the Savior performed the atoning sacrifice
that ended in his death and resurrection, he told the Apostles, "In my
Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I
go to prepare a place for you" (John 14:2). The atonement made possible
salvation for God's children in a one of several kingdoms prepared by the
Savior. Brigham Young taught, "The kingdoms that God has prepared are
innumerable. . . How may kingdoms there are has not been told to us" (Journal
of Discourses 8:154).
On
In the same revelation, Joseph Smith was told what one must
do to qualify for entrance into the celestial kingdom:
They are they who received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name
and were baptized after the manner of his burial, being buried in the water in
his name, and this according to the commandment which he has given--
That by keeping the commandments they might be washed and
cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit by the laying on of
the hands of him who is ordained and sealed unto this power;
And who overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy
Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and
true. (D&C 76:51-53).
Of those who
qualify to enter the celestial kingdom, the Lord declared: "They are they
who are the church of the Firstborn" (D&C 76:54).
Highest
Level of
But the phrase "church of the Firstborn" does not
have reference to the celestial kingdom in general. In May, 1843, twelve years
after the vision of the celestial kingdom found in D&C 76, the Prophet
taught, "In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees"
(D&C 131:1). Joseph Fielding Smith taught that only those who achieve the
highest level of the celestial kingdom or exaltation are of the Church of the
Firstborn: "Those who gain exaltation in the celestial kingdom are
those who are members of the Church of the Firstborn; in other words, those who
keep all the commandments of the Lord. There will be many who are members of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who shall never become members
of the Church of the Firstborn. (Doctrines of Salvation,
Therefore, only those have been exalted are members of the
Church of the Firstborn. Bruce R. McConkie taught: "as The Church of Jesus
Christ is [God's] earthly church, so The Church of the Firstborn is [God's]
heavenly church, albeit its members are limited to exalted beings, for whom the
family unit continues and who gain an inheritance in the highest heaven of the
celestial world" (The Promised Messiah, p.47).
The sacred ordinances performed in the temple are essential
in becoming a member of the Church of the Firstborn. This was made clear by
Joseph Smith. On
I spent
the day in the upper part of the store . . . in council with General James
Adams, of Springfield, Patriarch Hyrum Smith, Bishops Newel K. Whitney and
George Miller, and President Brigham Young and Elders Heber C. Kimball and
Willard Richards, instructing them in the principles and order of the
Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings, endowments and the communication
of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood, and so on to the highest order of
the Melchizedek Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient
of Days, and all those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to
secure the fullness of those blessing which have been prepared for the Church
of the Firstborn, and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the eternal
worlds.
(History of the Church 5:1-2; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith,
p.237; emphasis added)
In line with
this, Brigham Young who was in attendance on this occasion later stated:
"The ordinances of the house of God are expressly for the Church of the
Firstborn" (Discourses of Brigham Young, p.397; and Journal of
Discourse, 8:154).
Though D&C 76:51-53 (quoted earlier) does not
specifically state that temple ordinances are necessary for entrance into the
Church of the Firstborn, it is, however, implied in verse 53 which states that
one of the prerequisites for those who qualify for the celestial kingdom are
those "who overcome by faith." In 1835, Joseph Smith taught the
Quorum of the Twelve that temple ordinances were a necessary part of overcoming
all things: "You need an endowment, brethren, in order that you may be
prepared and able to overcome all things" (History of the Church,
2:309; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.91).
Joseph Fielding Smith
taught necessity of temple ordinances to become a member of the Church of the
Firstborn in these terms:
The higher ordinances in the
He then stated:
To become a member of the Church of the
Firstborn, as I understand it, is to become one of the inner circle. We are all
members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by being baptized
and confirmed, and there are many who seem to be content to remain such without
obtaining the privileges of exaltation, (Doctrines
of Salvation,
Again, on another occasion, he wrote:
Each person baptized into the Church is under
obligation to keep the commandments of the Lord. He is under covenant, for
baptism is a "new and an everlasting covenant." (D.C. 22:1.) When he
has proved himself by a worthy life, having been faithful in all things
required of him, then it is his privilege to receive other covenants and to
take upon himself other obligations which will make of him an heir, and he will
become a member of the "Church of the Firstborn." (The Way to Perfection, p.208)
Finally, he taught:
The Lord has made it possible for us to
become members of the Church of the Firstborn, by receiving the blessings of
the house of the Lord and overcoming all things. Thus we become heirs,
"priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his
glory," who shall "dwell in the presence of God and his Christ
forever and ever," with full exaltation. Are such blessings worth having? (Doctrines of Salvation, 2:42-43)
Likewise, Bruce R. McConkie testified:
"The temple ordinances open the door to gaining all power and all wisdom
and all knowledge.
The temple ordinances of washing and anointing, endowment,
and sealings are not isolated ordinances but are interrelated. The marriage
ordinance is the culmination of all ordinances of the priesthood. Elder Boyd K.
Packer has noted that all other ordinances of salvation "were preliminary
and preparatory to your coming to the altar to be sealed as husband and wife
for time and for all eternity (The Holy Temple, p. 69). As the culminating
ordinance, temple marriage is gate into the highest level of the celestial
kingdom and thus the gate into the Church of the Firstborn. Bruce R. McConkie
has written:
The Church
of the Firstborn is the church among exalted beings in the highest heaven of
the celestial world. It is the church among those for whom the family unit
continues in eternity. In a sense it is the inner circle within the Lord's
church on earth. It is composed of those who have entered into that patriarchal
order which is called the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. As baptism
admits repentant souls to membership in the earthly church, so celestial
marriage opens the door to membership in the heavenly church. (A New Witness
for the Articles of Faith, p.337)
On an earlier
occasion, he stated:
We believe
something more, as several of these brethren have said during this conference:
that neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man in the
Lord, but that the gate to exaltation and the fullness of eternal life in the
kingdom of the Father is the new and everlasting covenant of marriage; and just
as men may enter in at the gate of repentance and baptism, and work out for
themselves a salvation hereafter by faith and diligence, so they may enter in
at the gate of celestial marriage, and, conditioned upon keeping that covenant,
come up in the resurrection as husband and wife, the family unit continuing
through all eternity, and thus, eventually -- as members of the family of God,
members of the Church of the Firstborn -- become joint heirs with Jesus Christ,
and receive, inherit, and possess all things. (Conference Report, October 1954,
p.125)
The
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints exists to
prepare God's children to enter the Church of the Firstborn. Elder McConkie
wrote: "The purpose of the church on earth is to prepare us for an
inheritance in the church in heaven" (A New Witness for the Articles of
Faith, p.337).
Hence the Lord stated that those who are ordained to the
priesthood in the last days are "ordained unto the holy order of God, to
administer the everlasting gospel; for they are they who are ordained out of
every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, by the angels to whom is given power
over the nations of the earth, to bring as many as will come to the church
of the Firstborn" (D&C 77:11; emphasis added).
Blessings
of the Church of the Firstborn
Joseph Smith declared the blessings of those who enter the
Church of the Firstborn in these words: "They who dwell in his presence
are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as
they are known, having received of his fulness and of his grace; And he makes
them equal in power, and in might, and in dominion" (D&C 76:94-95). In
other words, those who receive the highest level of the celestial kingdom
become as God, exalted beings who are equal in power, might, and dominion with
the Father. To them "the Father has given all things" even of
"his fulness, and of his glory" (D&C 76:55-56). They
"inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all
heights and depths" (D&C 132:19).
Thus they become gods themselves. Having been made equal
with God's power, dominion, and authority, they do the work of gods: "to
bring to pass the immortality and eternal life" of their own offspring.
Communication
With Church of the Firstborn
It is the privilege of those who have received temple
ordinances and have been faithful in the covenants made therein to be able to
communicate with the Church of the Firstborn. Concerning this, the Lord has
said: "The power and authority of the higher, or Melchizedek Priesthood,
is to hold the keys of all the spiritual blessings of the church--To have the
privilege of receiving the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, to have the
heavens opened unto them, to commune with the general assembly and church of
the Firstborn, and to enjoy the communion and presence of God the Father,
and Jesus the mediator of the new covenant" (D&C 107:18-19; emphasis
added).
How and when does this communication take place? This is one
of the privileges of those who make their calling and election sure (though it
is possible that certain circumstances may require that this communication take
place prior to one's calling and election is made sure- see Parley P. Pratt's
talk given at the laying of the cornerstones of the Salt Lake Temple on April
6, 1853 in Journal of Discourses, 2:43-47). In June of 1839, Joseph
Smith taught the Church:
After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for
the remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, (by the laying on of
hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself
before God, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and living by every
word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted.
When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds that
the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find his
calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to receive
the other Comforter . . .
He then
stated:
Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus
Christ Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that
when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus
Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will
manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and
the visions of the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him
face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the
Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at
when they had such glorious visions -- Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of
Patmos, St. Paul in the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion
with the general assembly and Church of the Firstborn. (Teachings of the
Prophet Joseph Smith, p.150).
Such communication with the Church of the Firstborn is for personal edification
and is not shared publically. Joseph Smith spoke of certain Biblical saints who
had communicated with the "general assembly and church of the firstborn"
(see Hebrews
After
the King Follett discourse, the Prophet gave a sermon on the gathering and the
critical importance of building a temple and receiving the temple
ordinances. A temple was built in
Kirtland, but not begun in
Joseph
never lived in
- 1831-1833 –
- 1834-1836 –
Exile to the Northern Counties
- 1837-1838 –
D&C
101 – Joseph didn’t know of the difficulties in
Maturing toward the
Millennium
(D&C 101, 103-106)
RICHARD D. DRAPER
The Young and the Mature Church
The sections of the
Doctrine and Covenants considered in this essay reveal two views of the
latter-day Church. There is the 19th-century Church: small, weak, vulnerable,
and immature. Then there is the future Church: very great, a sanctified body
"fair as the sun, and clear as the moon, and . . . terrible unto all
nations; [such] that the kingdoms of this world [are] constrained to
acknowledge that the kingdom of Zion is in very deed the kingdom of our God and
his Christ" (D&C 105:31-32).
At present, we are
living in a Church of transition. It is no longer weak and vulnerable and yet
it is not the glorious Church of the future. The task of the present is to
bring into reality that future Church. Though this will be accomplished through
missionary work, temple work, and service in wards and stakes, these are only
means to an end. The most important factor and that to which all others move is
the true conversion of the individual member of the Church. Only when enough
hearts have given themselves to the Savior can the Church of the future become
a reality. Until then we will remain a Church in transition.
The Glory of
One of the most
important tasks of the present Church is to prepare the hearts of its people to
dwell in the Millennium. The Church will do this by first preparing them
"to receive the glory that [the Lord has] for them, even the glory of
The reason
The building up of
Zion is a cause that has interested the people of God in every age; it is a
theme upon which prophets, priests and kings have dwelt with peculiar delight;
they have looked forward with joyful anticipation to the day in which we live;
and fired with heavenly and joyful anticipations they have sung and written and
prophesied of this our day, . . . [which] God and angels have contemplated with
delight for generations past; that fired the souls of the ancient patriarchs
and prophets; a work that is destined to bring about the destruction of the
powers of darkness, the renovation of the earth, the glory of God, and the
salvation of the human family. fn
Joseph was one of
those prophets whose souls were fired by the vision of
This grand end,
however, was never realized during the Prophet's lifetime. Joseph Smith and the
Lord were willing, but the Saints were unprepared: "There were jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them;
therefore, by these things they polluted their inheritances," the Lord
said (D&C 101:6). The consequence was that the
Though the Lord had
something to say about those who abused and drove out the Saints, he did not
allow the Saints to forget that the greater responsibility for failure was
theirs. He said, "They were found transgressors, therefore they must needs
be chastened" (D&C 101:41). This would be "a sore and grievous
chastisement, because they did not hearken altogether unto the precepts and
commandments which I gave unto them" (D&C 103:4). The result was made
clear by the Lord: they would be "chastened until they learn obedience, if
it must needs be, by the things which they suffer" (D&C 105:6).
Initially the
suffering the Saints were to endure was not to include the giving up of their
In February 1834 the
Prophet received another revelation directing that he organize the body of men
referred to in the parable (D&C 103:22-26). The group of men who responded
to Joseph Smith's call became known as
Though the expressed
purpose of
Brethern, some of you are
angry with me, because you did not fight in
Now, the Lord had got
his Twelve and his Seventy, and there will be other quorums of Seventies
called, who will make the sacrifice, and those who have not made their
sacrifices and their offerings now, will make them hereafter. fn
Out of the attempt to
redeem
The Church Yet Loved
Though the
How is it, then, that
the early Saints could have committed transgressions and yet still be favored
by the Lord? In D&C 29:47 the Lord spoke of a time when children begin to
become accountable before him. The word "begin" used in that verse
may suggest that children do not become accountable all at once but rather grow
in accountability. This idea seems to apply to the Church as well. The Lord is
more tolerant with the mistakes of youth than the rebellion of the mature.
Though the Church had to suffer the consequences of transgression, still it was
not cut off from the influence of the Lord. Time was given for maturation and
experience before perfection was demanded.
The early Church, even
with its mistakes, was still the infant from which the spiritual giant would
eventually grow. For all its weakness, though it lost the
The Millennial Day
In section 101 the
Lord speaks of the millennial day being ushered in by the revelation of his
glory. This is to be sudden and, for the most part, unexpected. It is a
complete break in history such that its flow is totally interrupted and a new
course of history is introduced. The new history begins on the basis of the
world-shattering revelation given by the Savior as he introduces the new era.
The consequences of
that revelation are noted briefly in section 101: all corruption will be
consumed and the earth transformed so that the glory of the Lord can dwell upon
it; enmity will cease between man and animal; Satan will not be able to tempt
mankind; death as we know it will be done away, and revelations will abound
(vv. 24-34).
All of the programs of
the Church exist to assist men and women to be ready for and enjoy a future day
of glory. But before that day can come there is much work to be done.
Righteousness must increase. The Church must grow so that it "may become a
great mountain and fill the whole earth; that thy church may come forth out of
the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun,
and terrible as an army with banners; and be adorned as a bride for that day
when thou shalt unveil the heavens, and cause the mountains to flow down at thy
presence, and the valleys to be exalted, and the rough places made smooth; that
thy glory may fill the earth" (D&C 109:72-74).
Though the earth will
rest during the Millennium, there will be a flurry of activity by its
inhabitants. Missionary work must continue among those inhabitants of the earth
who, though righteous enough to dwell on the sanctified earth, have not
accepted the fulness of the Gospel. fn Work for the righteous dead must be
completed, including celestial marriages for those who died before they had
this opportunity. fn However, this is not all. Men must in that marvelous day
use the outpouring of revelation to sanctify themselves and their families, as
well as to continue to subdue the earth. It must be remembered that the
millennial state is not the final state of the earth, but rather a period of
preparation for a yet greater state. For this reason it will be necessary to
spend time raising families and preparing both the living and the dead for the
fulness of glory which will be revealed from heaven when the millennial period
has achieved its purpose.
But all
this—missionary work, temple work, raising of families, putting to use the
superior knowledge which will be available—is but a part of the work of the
Millennium. The real work is that of Christ. It is during this period that he
will perfect personally his assigned work so that he can present it to the
Father pure, holy, and totally sanctified. Only than can that reconstitution
take place so that there can be a new heaven and a new earth where celestial
men and women can enjoy the fruits of the tree of life and eat the heavenly
manna forever.
If the Church in its
immaturity lost the
Notes Maturing Toward the Millennium
1. TPJS, pp.
231-32.
2. See Richard D.
Draper, "To Do the Will of the Lord," found herein.
3. Letter from Joseph
Smith, 10 August 1833, as cited in Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the
Prophet Joseph Smith (Provo, Ut.: Seventy's
Mission Bookstore, 1981), p. 205.
4. See Monte S. Nyman,
"The Redemption of Zion," found herein.
5. As recalled in
Joseph Young, Sen., History of the Organization of the Seventies (Salt
Lake City: Deseret News Steam Printing Establishment, 1878), p. 14; see also HC
2:182, note.
6. Francis Brown, S.
R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs, eds., A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the
Old Testament (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1953), s. v. segullah.
7. Joseph Fielding
Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. (Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-56), 1:86-87. Bruce R.
McConkie, The Millennial Messiah (Sale Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1982), chapters 53, 54.
8. Smith, Doctrines
of Salvation, 1:65.
(Robert
L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The
Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 388.)
D&C
57 – The Lord describes where
Isaiah
54 – The church will get much bigger, her STAKES will expand; they will cover
the earth before the Lord comes.
Merciful the Lord Hath Been
Bruce Satterfield
Department of
Come unto
Christ and Be Perfected In Him
From the
time that the Book of Mormon came forth, marking the restoration of the gospel
of Jesus Christ including spiritual gifts, Satan has opposed the growth of the
kingdom of God through the great and abominable church with its array of evil
gifts (see 1 Nephi 14:10-17). Knowing this would happen, Moroni entreats his
readers in these words: "I would exhort you that ye would come unto
Christ, and lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the
unclean thing" (Moroni 10:30). Further, Moroni, paraphrasing the prophet
Isaiah (see Isaiah 52), admonishes the saints of God in the latter days to
"awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy
beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge
thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants
of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be
fulfilled (Moroni 10:31).
The phrase
"awake, and arise from the dust" was first used by Lehi in the
context of awaking from a spiritual sleep (see 2 Nephi
Commenting
on this verse, President Harold B. Lee said:
Zion, as
used here, undoubtedly had reference to the Church. . . . To be worthy of such
a sacred designation as Zion, the Church must think of itself as a bride
adorned for her husband, as John the Revelator recorded when he saw in vision
the Holy City where the righteous dwelled, adorned as a bride for the Lamb of
God as her husband. Here is portrayed the relationship the Lord desires in his
people in order to be acceptable to our Lord and Master even as a wife would
adorn herself in beautiful garments for her husband.
The rule
by which the people of God must live order to be worthy of acceptance in the
sight of God is indicated by the text to which I have made reference. This people
must increase in beauty before the world; have an inward loveliness which may
be observed by mankind as a reflection in holiness and in those inherent
qualities of sanctity. The borders of
How can
Yea, come
unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness;
and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness and love God with all your
might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his
grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in
Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God. And again, if ye by the grace
of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in
Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which
is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye
become holy, without spot. (
Church
Government begins in Kirtland and
Troubles in Missouri, Zion’s Camp
March 4, 2004
Bruce
began with the temple complex in
The
Some
asked about the Mormon stories about Zelph, the
destroyer on the waters, Bruce had very little to say about them, check their
historical truth before teaching about it.
D&C
52 and 57 – See the heading for 57, the saints thought of
D&C
57:4 – Jew=Lamanite Gentile=American,
verse 7, Edward Partridge was called as the Bishop and moved from Kirtland to
Jackson Co. He was over the temporal
affairs of the Church. The Prophet stayed
in Kirtland. Verses 15-16 tell the
saints instruction is coming.
Causes and
Consequences: Conflict in
Bruce A. Van Orden
The Latter-day Saints'
contact with
Ever since the
establishment of the Church in April 1830, the Prophet Joseph Smith had looked
forward both to identifying and building
Joseph Smith took with
him a company of Church leaders to
W. W. Phelps, who
later composed Joseph Smith's official history for this time period, wrote
these observations:
Our reflections were
great: coming as we had from a highly cultivated state of society in the east,
and[sta[n]ding now upon the confines or western
limits of the United States, and looking into the vast wilderness of those that
sat in darkness, how natural it was to observe the degradation, leanness of
intellect, ferocity and jealousy of a people that were nearly a century behind
the times…and exclaim in the language of the prophets:-when will the wilderness
blossom as the rose; when will Zion be built up in her glory, and where will
thy Temple stand unto which all nations shall come in the last days?fn
Their heavenward
petitions resulted in a revelation informing them, "Wherefore, this is the
land of promise, and the place for the city of
Publication of the
Book of CommandmentsHCThe Mormons who spent the
winter of 1831-32 in
Publication of the
Book of CommandmentsHCEarly in 1832, using Church
funds, Sidney Gilbert established a Church storehouse and W. W. Phelps a
printing office. Proceeds from the store were applied to buying and developing
more land. Phelps and Cowdery began publishing the religious monthly, The
Evening and The Morning Star; the secular weekly, the Upper Missouri
Advertiser; a compilation of Joseph Smith's revelations called the
"Book of Commandments"; and a compilation of hymns. Joseph Smith and
Sidney Rigdon visited the new
It was a strange sight
indeed, to see four or five yoke of oxen turning up the rich soil. Fencing and
other improvements went on in rapid succession. Cabins were built and prepared
for families as fast as time, money and labor could accomplish the work; and
our homes in this new country presented a prosperous appearance-almost equal to
Paradise itself-and our peace and happiness, as we flattered ourselves, were
not in a great degree deficient to that of our first parents in the garden of
Eden, as no labor or painstaking was spared in the cultivation of flowers and
shrubbery of a choice selection.fn An
"Eden" it was indeed, for about this time Joseph Smith identified the
land of Zion as the same place where the Garden of Eden once stood.fn
The Church leaders in
By November 1832 there
were 810 Saints in
If the Mormons had
been by themselves in western
Nearly all early
settlers before the Mormons in
At the western
gateway, the [Mormons] found men who were brave and adventuresome, though often
the thriftless, illiterate, and antisocial mingled with more than a town's
share of drunkards and other reprobates. This was the last place a man could
get a sack of flour, a yoke of oxen, or repair a wagon wheel before entering on
the adventurous trails. The floating population were mostly the
Tension existed between
the Mormons and their transplanted southern neighbors almost from the moment
they met each other. These were two different societies with widely diverse
reasons for being in Jackson County.fn As it turned
out, neither was willing to compromise in order to live peacefully side by
side. What were the underlying causes of this conflict that gradually grew to
violent proportions?
First, the marked
cultural differences between the two groups set them apart. Most Saints hailed
from
Second, the
Missourians considered the Latter-day Saint religion to be both bizarre and
threatening. The Saints had aggressively articulated their belief in
revelation; in a living Prophet, Joseph Smith; in a new body of scripture, the
Book of Mormon; in spiritual gifts, especially the gift of tongues; in the
imminent advent of the millennium; in the importance of gathering and unity
among the Saints; and in a robust claim that Jackson County was Zion, the land
of their sacred inheritance granted them by God. Naturally, the local clergy
felt threatened by the missionary activity of the Mormons.
On the other hand,
Mormons didn't appreciate the
Third, some original
settlers viewed the Latter-day Saints as economically exclusive, if not
un-American, by their living on Church lands and trading entirely with the
Church store or mechanical shops in conjunction with their living the law of
consecration and stewardship. Others accused Mormon immigrants of pauperism
when they were unable to receive a land inheritance because of diminished
Church resources. Neither of these economic conditions augured well for
harmonious relationships. LDS merchants and tradesmen successfully took over a
portion of the lucrative
To complicate matters,
in the spring of 1833 a Missouri River flood destroyed the landing at
Fourth, the
Fifth, the Mormons
represented a political threat to the residents of
A sixth dividing issue
that triggered the eventual confrontation between Mormons and Missourians was
Black slavery. The transplanted southerners in
It should also be
acknowledged that disobedience and dissension among the Saints contributed to
the problems in
Latter-day scripture
in the Doctrine and Covenants affirms that righteous behavior is a requisite to
establishing
And
And my people must
needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the
things which they suffer….
Therefore, in
consequence of the transgressions of my people, it is expedient in me that mine
elders should wait for a little season for the redemption of
That they themselves
may be prepared, and that my people may be taught more perfectly, and have
experience, and know more perfectly concerning their duty, and the things which
I require at their hands. (D&C 105:5-6, 9-10)
The fragile peace
between Mormons and the gentile settlers came to an end in July 1833. Vandalism
against the Saints first began in the spring of 1832, but open hostilities surfaced
after an article entitled "Free People of Color" appeared in the July
1833 issue of The Evening and the Morning Star. The article actually
cautioned Mormon missionaries about proselyting among
slaves and among former slaves. Unfortunately, the local Missourians
misinterpreted this advice to mean that W. W. Phelps was inviting free blacks
to join the Mormons in
On 20 July 400 or 500
disgruntled citizens met at the Independence courthouse, chose officers, and
selected a committee to draft a document outlining their demands of the
Mormons. The officers and committee members were some of the leading elected
The same day the
committee approached Mormon leaders and demanded that the Saints leave
The mob then turned
its attention to the Gilbert and Whitney Store. Only when Gilbert promised he
would pack the goods in three days did the mob disperse. With loud cursings, the mob sought other leading elders of the
Church. They took Bishop Edward Partridge from his home and dragged him,
together with 27-year-old Charles Allen, to the public square, and demanded
that they renounce the Book of Mormon or leave the county. The two refused to
do either, so they endured the cruel indignity of tarring and feathering.fn
Three days later the
mob reappeared with rifles, pistols, whips, and clubs in search of Church
leaders, cursing and profaning as they went. They set fire to haystacks and
grain fields and destroyed several homes, barns, and businesses. Six Church
leaders-Edward Partridge, Isaac Morley, John Corrill,
W. W. Phelps, John Whitmer, and Sidney Gilbert-seeing that all Mormon lives
were in jeopardy, offered their own lives as a ransom.
Rejecting this offer,
community leaders threatened every man, woman, and child with a whipping unless
they consented to leave the county. Under duress, the brethren signed an
agreement to leave
Meanwhile, Oliver
Cowdery dashed to
The mobs were
relentless. On 31 October 1833, they attacked the Whitmer Branch just west of
the Big Blue River, demolishing houses, whipping the men, and terrorizing the
women and children. This was followed throughout the first week in November by
a web of attacks, beatings, and intrigues. Two Missourians and one Mormon were
killed. The militia forced all Mormons to surrender their weapons and to leave
the county; most chose to cross the Missouri River into
The
The Saints held out
hope for a quick return to
Gradually, through
missionary labors, the Church has returned to
1. Dean C. Jessee,
ed., The Papers of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989),
1:357; hereafter Papers. For verification that Phelps is the writer of
this portion of the official history, see Dean C. Jessee,
"The Writing of Joseph Smith's History," BYU Studies 11
(1971): 441.
2. Papers,
1:357.
3. Autobiography of
Parley P. Pratt (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1966), 72.
4. Emily M. Austin, Mormonism;
or, Life among the Mormons (
6. Max H. Parkin, "A History of the Latter-day Saints in
7. Pearl Wilcox, The
Latter Day Saints on the
8. Ibid., 19.
9. Richard L. Bushman
conducted the first thorough discussion of this subject in "Mormon
Persecutions in
10. As cited in
11. Papers,
1:355.
12.
13. History of The
Church. ed. B. H. Roberts 7 vols. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1957),
1:373-79; hereafter HC.
14. Ibid., 1:390-93.
15. Ibid.
17. Ibid., 426-38.
5. Church editor W. W.
Phelps consistently wrote in the Star and in his early hymns about Adam,
Enoch, the Garden of Eden, and Adam-ondi-Ahman. He likely would have picked up
these subjects from conversations with Joseph Smith and the Prophet's
revelations, which he printed in the Star. For example, "For in
Adam-ondi-Ahman
16. Ibid., 1:423-25.
(Arnold K. Garr and Clark V. Johnson, eds., Regional
Studies in Latter-day Saint History: Missouri [Provo: Department of Church
History and Doctrine, 1994], 337.)
D&C
107:20 – Printing was very important to the church then as it is now, “letter of the gospel” is under the
Aaronic Priesthood, the temporal work of the church.
The Redemption of
(D&C 57-62)
MONTE S. NYMAN
On 20 July 1831 the
Prophet Joseph Smith asked three poignant questions of the Lord as he observed
the degenerate conditions which existed in
The Lord revealed what
is now section 57 as an answer to his apparently disappointed prophet. Although
he did not directly answer all three questions, he did answer the last question
directly and indirectly gave instructions which, as we will see, led to the
answers to the first two questions. The Lord concluded with a promise to reveal
further directions later.
Where Will Thy
The place for the
temple was designated in
On 1 August 1831, the
Lord kept his promise to give further directions by revealing what is now
designated as section 58. In this revelation, the first two questions asked by
the Prophet were answered. The second question, "When will
When Will
The wording of the
revelation (section 58) seems to have been chosen very carefully, as,
undoubtedly, is that of all revelations. It is emphasized here to illustrate
that the Saints did not read the revelation as carefully as the Lord gave it.
The Saints were first told that
Purposes for Going to
In the next part of
the revelation, the Lord outlined the cause, or the purposes, for which he had
at that time sent the Saints to
As stated earlier, the
Prophet Joseph may have been studying Isaiah's prophecies when he asked the
questions leading to these revelations. After referring to the wording found in
another prophecy of Isaiah which was linked with the establishment of
It is my opinion that
the "feast of fat things" for the poor was the law of consecration.
The Lord had revealed this law as a part of the law of the Church (D&C
42:30-34). This revelation and subsequent revelations show that the purpose for
the law of consecration was to benefit and even eliminate the poor (D&C
42:30; 78:3; 82:12). Although all nations were to be invited (D&C 58:9),
there was a sequence to be followed. The first ones to be invited were "the
rich and the learned, the wise and the noble" (D&C 58:10). The poor,
the lame, the blind, and the deaf would then be invited. That the first group
may represent the Gentiles and that the poor may represent the house of
The house of
The Accomplishment of God's Purposes
After stating the
purposes for the gathering to
Following these
instructions, the Lord explained further why he expected the families first to
use their own resources and thinking before consulting him. Throughout the
years, these verses often have been taken out of context and greatly
misunderstood by some members of the Church. Some have justified their failure
to consult the Lord when making major decisions with the excuse that the Lord
does not want them to bother him in matters which they have the ability to
think through themselves. They base this justification upon verses 26 and 27.
Those who so reason have failed to read carefully all that the Lord says on the
matter. Verse 28 declares that men have the power in them to be their own
agents. This power is the power of the Spirit, as is shown in v. 38 of the same
revelation. All people are born with the light of Christ, which enables them to
choose or discern good from evil (Moro. 7:12-16). This principle is implied at
the end of verse 28, where it is stated that men who "do good [use the
Spirit to discern their actions] shall in nowise lose their reward." The
Lord is not pleased with those who do nothing but expect him to tell them what
to do. On the other hand, he expects his children to confirm their
well-pondered decisions with him—so as not to make mistakes—rather than
proceeding without consulting him. The Lord had told Joseph Smith earlier,
"you cannot always judge the righteous, or . . . you cannot always tell
the wicked from the righteous" (D&C 10:37). If the Prophet Joseph
Smith was unable to so tell, then certainly we today must rely on the Lord for
confirmation of our decisions. The Lord also reminded the Saints, in this same
context, that if men do not obey, the blessings connected with the commandments
are revoked. The Lord further cited Martin Harris as an example for the Church
in laying his moneys before the bishop. He gave further instruction concerning
William W. Phelps' calling as the printer for the Church. Both Harris and
Phelps were called to repent, and the Lord took that opportunity to enlarge on
the principle of repentance (D&C 58:42-43).
When Will the Wilderness Blossom?
Having sufficiently
answered the second question for the time being (concerning the time of the
building of
The Gathering to
Again using Old
Testament prophecies, the Lord declared that the assignment of the Saints was
to "push the people together from the ends of the earth" (D&C
58:45). Students of the Old Testament will recognize this phrase as a blessing
of Moses on the descendants of Joseph (Deut. 33:13-17). The land given to
Joseph's descendants was
As these people were
assembled, they were to "build up churches" (D&C 58:48), as the
people repented and made covenants with the Lord. The elders were to preach for
a limited time and then return to their homes. They were to preach and bear
record as they came and went, so that the gospel would be preached to everyone.
Again drawing from the words of Isaiah, the Lord reminded the Saints that the
gathering of the latter days was not to be done "in haste, nor by
flight" (D&C 58:56; cf. Isa. 52:12), as the exodus from
The next four
revelations (sections 59-62) also concern
Conclusion
Three years after
sections 57-62 were received, the Lord told the Saints that they would have to
wait "for a little season" for the redemption of
Notes The Redemption of
1. HC 1:189-90;
see also the preface to D&C 57, 1981 edition.
2. HC 1:196.
3. See the preface to
D&C 49 (1981 edition) for background on Leman Copley, and D&C 51 for
the commandment to establish the law of consecration.
(Robert
L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The
Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 234.)
D&C
58:3-4 – The Lord warns the saints things won’t go along as fast as they
expect, the work is on His timetable not ours, Elder Oaks, “Timing”. Verses 6-7, they are to build the foundation,
not put the roof on!
D&C
58:8-12 – The millennium is discussed, the marriage refers to the 10
virgins. Rich means receiving the
blessings of the House of Israel, the poor are those without the gospel.
D&C
58:24-29 – We have the Holy Ghost to receive personal revelation, specific
counsel can come to you directly from the Lord, “the power is in them”. It
isn’t through your priesthood leader!
You can find out the Lord’s will for yourself.
GOD
General Specific
Priesthood YOU Leaders
MAN
D&C
58:45 & Deuteronomy 33:13-17 – The tribal mission of Joseph, the Horns of
the Ox is the priesthood power, the gathering in stakes all over the world will
take some time, it’s happening, but at the Lord’s timetable.
The Redemption of
(D&C 57-62)
MONTE S. NYMAN
On 20 July 1831 the
Prophet Joseph Smith asked three poignant questions of the Lord as he observed
the degenerate conditions which existed in
The Lord revealed what
is now section 57 as an answer to his apparently disappointed prophet. Although
he did not directly answer all three questions, he did answer the last question
directly and indirectly gave instructions which, as we will see, led to the
answers to the first two questions. The Lord concluded with a promise to reveal
further directions later.
Where Will Thy
The place for the
temple was designated in
On 1 August 1831, the
Lord kept his promise to give further directions by revealing what is now designated
as section 58. In this revelation, the first two questions asked by the Prophet
were answered. The second question, "When will
When Will
The wording of the
revelation (section 58) seems to have been chosen very carefully, as,
undoubtedly, is that of all revelations. It is emphasized here to illustrate
that the Saints did not read the revelation as carefully as the Lord gave it.
The Saints were first told that
Purposes for Going to
In the next part of
the revelation, the Lord outlined the cause, or the purposes, for which he had
at that time sent the Saints to
As stated earlier, the
Prophet Joseph may have been studying Isaiah's prophecies when he asked the
questions leading to these revelations. After referring to the wording found in
another prophecy of Isaiah which was linked with the establishment of
It is my opinion that
the "feast of fat things" for the poor was the law of consecration.
The Lord had revealed this law as a part of the law of the Church (D&C
42:30-34). This revelation and subsequent revelations show that the purpose for
the law of consecration was to benefit and even eliminate the poor (D&C
42:30; 78:3; 82:12). Although all nations were to be invited (D&C 58:9),
there was a sequence to be followed. The first ones to be invited were
"the rich and the learned, the wise and the noble" (D&C 58:10).
The poor, the lame, the blind, and the deaf would then be invited. That the
first group may represent the Gentiles and that the poor may represent the
house of
The house of
The Accomplishment of God's Purposes
After stating the purposes
for the gathering to
Following these
instructions, the Lord explained further why he expected the families first to
use their own resources and thinking before consulting him. Throughout the
years, these verses often have been taken out of context and greatly
misunderstood by some members of the Church. Some have justified their failure
to consult the Lord when making major decisions with the excuse that the Lord
does not want them to bother him in matters which they have the ability to think
through themselves. They base this justification upon verses 26 and 27. Those
who so reason have failed to read carefully all that the Lord says on the
matter. Verse 28 declares that men have the power in them to be their own
agents. This power is the power of the Spirit, as is shown in v. 38 of the same
revelation. All people are born with the light of Christ, which enables them to
choose or discern good from evil (Moro. 7:12-16). This principle is implied at
the end of verse 28, where it is stated that men who "do good [use the
Spirit to discern their actions] shall in nowise lose their reward." The
Lord is not pleased with those who do nothing but expect him to tell them what
to do. On the other hand, he expects his children to confirm their well-pondered
decisions with him—so as not to make mistakes—rather than proceeding without
consulting him. The Lord had told Joseph Smith earlier, "you cannot always
judge the righteous, or . . . you cannot always tell the wicked from the
righteous" (D&C 10:37). If the Prophet Joseph Smith was unable to so
tell, then certainly we today must rely on the Lord for confirmation of our
decisions. The Lord also reminded the Saints, in this same context, that if men
do not obey, the blessings connected with the commandments are revoked. The
Lord further cited Martin Harris as an example for the Church in laying his
moneys before the bishop. He gave further instruction concerning William W.
Phelps' calling as the printer for the Church. Both Harris and Phelps were
called to repent, and the Lord took that opportunity to enlarge on the
principle of repentance (D&C 58:42-43).
When Will the Wilderness Blossom?
Having sufficiently
answered the second question for the time being (concerning the time of the
building of
The Gathering to
Again using Old
Testament prophecies, the Lord declared that the assignment of the Saints was
to "push the people together from the ends of the earth" (D&C
58:45). Students of the Old Testament will recognize this phrase as a blessing
of Moses on the descendants of Joseph (Deut. 33:13-17). The land given to
Joseph's descendants was
As these people were
assembled, they were to "build up churches" (D&C 58:48), as the
people repented and made covenants with the Lord. The elders were to preach for
a limited time and then return to their homes. They were to preach and bear
record as they came and went, so that the gospel would be preached to everyone.
Again drawing from the words of Isaiah, the Lord reminded the Saints that the
gathering of the latter days was not to be done "in haste, nor by
flight" (D&C 58:56; cf. Isa. 52:12), as the exodus from
The next four
revelations (sections 59-62) also concern
Conclusion
Three years after
sections 57-62 were received, the Lord told the Saints that they would have to
wait "for a little season" for the redemption of
Notes The Redemption of
1. HC 1:189-90;
see also the preface to D&C 57, 1981 edition.
2. HC 1:196.
3. See the preface to
D&C 49 (1981 edition) for background on Leman Copley, and D&C 51 for
the commandment to establish the law of consecration.
(Robert
L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The
Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 234.)
D&C
59:1-2 – If the Saints had an eye single to the glory of God; there would have
been no trouble in
D&C
59:5-12 – The New Ten Commandments.
5
Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment, saying thus: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy
might, mind, and strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve
him.
6 Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
Thou shalt not steal; neither commit adultery, nor kill, nor do anything like
unto it.
7 Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all
things.
8 Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord
thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
9 And that thou mayest more fully keep
thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and
offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day;
10 For verily this is a day appointed unto you to rest from your labors, and
to pay thy devotions unto the Most High;
11 Nevertheless thy vows shall be offered up
in righteousness on all days and at all times;
12 But remember that on this, the Lord's day,
thou shalt offer thine oblations and thy sacraments unto the Most High,
confessing thy sins unto thy brethren, and before the Lord.
D&C 97:1-6 – The
Lord was telling Joseph that some were faithful, but not all; a picture is
being given to Joseph.
D&C 97:8-21 –
Building the temple is very important to the Lord, it wasn’t done.
Counsel to the Exiles
(D&C 97-101)
ROBERT A. CLOWARD
In the revelations of
the latter months of 1833 we find a most poignant portrayal of the relationship
of the Lord to his people. In those times of their extreme need, the veils of
formality and habit that too often separate God's people from him were parted.
They cried out to him as humbled children. In the urgency of their need, they
sought his hiding place. They searched their souls to purge out what might have
offended him. They yearned for his response.
He heard their cries,
and as an Exalted Father, he answered. This was a teaching moment, and if we
are attuned to the Spirit that attends these revelations, we too can learn the
lessons of
Historical Background
The joy of the Saints
at learning the revealed location of the
On 20 July 1833 a mob
destroyed the printing establishment of William W. Phelps, and three days later
Church leaders were forced to sign a pledge that they and the other members of
the Church would leave
The Saints' Questions
It is not difficult to
imagine the kinds of questions that filled the hearts of the Saints as they
faced the reality of their exile. This was an Abrahamic test—a test of
incongruence, designed to try the foundations of their conviction. Undoubtedly
they asked even the most basic questions: "Art thou there?"
"Hast thou heard our prayers?" "Hast thou rejected us?" And
if they were still found acceptable to the Lord, the flood of questions would
continue: "Why have we been forced out of the designated gathering
place?" "Is this persecution necessary?" "Will
The Lord's Answers
Be Still
The Lord gave merciful
answers. In one forceful phrase, he assured them of his concern for their
plight: "Be still and know that I am God" (D&C 101:16). This
command, the first person climax of Psalm 46, invoked the entire psalm,
applicable in every way to their situation: "God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble" (Ps. 46:1). fn
My People Must Be Tried in All Things
The opening verses of
sections 97, 98, and 101 further defined the Saints' standing before the Lord.
In section 101, for example, he assured them that they were not rejected, but
he clarified his personal role in their affliction: "I, the Lord,
have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been
afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions; Yet I will own them, and
they shall be mine in that day when I shall come to make up my jewels"
(vv. 2-3, italics added). In an earlier revelation, the blessing of being among
the chosen jewels of God was specified as belonging to those who did not incur
his anger by failing to be faithful (D&C 60:2-4). It must have been
reassuring to the exiles that despite their failings they were not rejected as
his chosen people. The Lord made abundantly clear, however, why he had allowed
them to be persecuted. They had polluted their inheritances with "jarrings, and contentions, and envyings, and strifes, and lustful and covetous desires among them. . . .
They were slow to hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God. . . ." And,
he added, "In the day of their peace they esteemed lightly my
counsel" (D&C 101:6-8).
The Lord was careful
to emphasize his approval of righteous individuals. He was pleased with the
humble truth seekers and with the meek (D&C 97:1-2). He was "well pleased"
with Parley P. Pratt, who with diligence and personal sacrifice had been
directing a school of elders. fn Those who were honest and contrite and willing
to observe their covenants by sacrifice were accepted of the Lord (D&C
97:8). Nevertheless, the Missouri Saints as a whole were not a people worthy of
While Joseph Smith and
Sidney Rigdon were on a mission in
I cannot learn from
any communication by the Spirit to me, that Zion has forfeited her claim to a
celestial crown, notwithstanding the Lord has caused her to be thus afflicted,
except it may be some individuals, who have walked in disobedience, and
forsaken the new covenant; all such will be made manifest by their works in due
time. I have always expected that
Section 101, dated six
days after this letter, answered another significant question. "
A sixth recourse was
foreshadowed in the Lord's parable concerning
Forgive Others, That Your Father May Forgive You
The
In several revelations
the exiles were taught that concern for their physical well-being was secondary
and that death for the Lord's cause brought the promise of life eternal:
"Be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the
Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant,
even unto death, that you may be found worthy. For if ye will not abide in my
covenant ye are not worthy of me" (D&C 98:14-15; cf. 98:18 and 101:15,
35-38).
The House of the Lord in
The question of the building of the temple in
Conditions of the Heart
During the
The Lord expressed his
approval for those in
In the stark face of
persecution, loss of property, and even the threat of death, the Lord counseled
the Saints to have hope: "Fear not even unto death; for in this world your
joy is not full, but in me your joy is full" (D&C 101:36). What godly
perspective, compared to the reactions of the natural man! Neither anger nor
self-pity were acceptable responses to the Lord's chastening. He was teaching
his people to center their focus on him, not on their difficulties.
Learning About God
The universal worth of
the Doctrine and Covenants flows from the breadth of the Lord's perspective.
Nineteenth-century events brought revelations of principle that retain
significance far beyond their time. In his revelations, the Lord seemed to urge
his people to look past the concern of the moment and learn the bigger lesson.
For example, when the concern of the moment was a confrontation with
lawlessness and mobocracy, the Lord taught in section
98 the value of electing honest and wise men to public office (vv. 9-10), the
need for upholding and befriending the constitutional law of the land (vv.
4-7), and the need not just to proclaim peace in Missouri, but to "seek
diligently to turn the hearts of the children to their fathers, and the hearts
of the fathers to the children; And again, the hearts of the Jews unto the
prophets, and the prophets unto the Jews; lest I come and smite the whole earth
with a curse, and all flesh be consumed before me" (vv. 16-17). The Second
Coming was repeatedly stressed by the Lord as the time of ultimate vengeance on
the lawless and of reward for those who had suffered persecution and endured in
faith (D&C 97:13-17; 101:23-35).
When the concern of
the moment was the building of a temple that would not appear during the
lifetime of any of the nineteenth-century Saints, the Lord taught the
importance of all such holy places. Temples, he said, are places of
thanksgiving, of instruction for those called to the ministry, and places
suited for perfecting the Saints in their understanding of theory, principle,
and doctrine pertaining to the kingdom of God on the earth (D&C 97:13-14).
Furthermore, temples are places where his glory rests, where his presence
dwells, and where the pure in heart that come may see him (D&C 97:15-16).
The principle of guarding temples against being defiled by unclean things, lest
the Lord's presence withdraw (D&C 97:15-17), is so significant that in our
day it is to be discussed in every temple recommend interview.
After detailing the
reasons for which he had suffered affliction to come upon the Saints in
We do well to reassess
constantly our standing before the Lord. If we are presumptuously arrogant
about our chosenness or our righteousness, we may
find his reminder of our real status surprisingly stern. Should we not be
grateful that, as Alma taught his wayward son Corianton, "there was a time
granted unto man to repent, yea, a probationary time, a time to repent and
serve God" (Alma 42:4)?
To Those Who Return
In a much earlier
dispensation, a people was rejected by the Lord as unworthy and unprepared to
inherit a promised land. They were left to spend forty years in the wilderness.
During that time they felt his wrath; they also experienced his love. They were
exiles, yet the day came when he judged their children to be an acceptable
generation, and through their prophet he gave them instructions to inherit the
promised land.
In the due time of the
Lord, a latter-day generation will be judged acceptable to establish the center
place of
All the commandments which
I command thee this day shall ye observe to do, that ye may live, and multiply,
and go in and possess the land which the Lord sware
unto your fathers.
And thou shalt
remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the
wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart,
whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
And he humbled thee,
and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might
make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.
Thy raiment waxed not
old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.
Thou shalt also
consider in thine heart, that, as a man chasteneth
his son, so the Lord thy God chasteneth thee.
Therefore thou shalt
keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear
him.
For the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land (Deut. 8:1-7).
Notes Counsel to the Exiles
1. HC 1:319.
2. See Monte S. Nyman,
"The Redemption of Zion," found herein.
3. A reading of the
whole psalm is instructive. The Savior similarly invoked an entire psalm with a
phrase when he exclaimed on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?" See Matt. 27:46 and Ps. 22.
4. See Parley P.
Pratt, Autobiography of Parley Parker Pratt (Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1938), pp. 93-94.
5. HC 1:453-54.
6. See Richard D.
Draper, "Maturing Toward the Millennium," found herein.
7. The Lord did not
resolve this issue for his Saints until five years later in connection with a
revelation on the
8. Autobiography,
p. 96.
9. Alexander Majors,
son of a Missouri mobster reported: "There is nothing in the county
records to show that a Mormon was ever charged with any misdemeanor in the way
of violation of the laws," Alexander Majors, Seventy Years on the
Frontier (Chicago and New York: Rand, McNally, and Co., 1893), pp. 49-50,
cited in Ivan J. Barrett, Joseph Smith and the Restoration (Provo, Ut.: Brigham Young University Press, 1973), p. 240.
(Robert L. Millet and
Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The Doctrine and
Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 379.)
D&C 101 explains why. Money for two temples was not the problem,
(Kirtland and
They had an Abrahamic
test and failed. The Missourians weren’t
the main problem; the strife in the Church was the real problem.
D&C 103:1-16 – Both
parties were at fault, both were accountable.
While
In that day when
branches of the Church were called upon to assist their brethren they said,
"Where is their God? Behold, he will deliver them in time of trouble,
otherwise we will not go up unto
(Joseph Fielding
Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1946-1949], 3: 37.)
What was the response to this call?
The Missouri Saints'
difficulties culminated with their being driven out of
Though the avowed
purpose of the camp was not realized, "it was definitely not an exercise
in futility, but rather served as the forge in which the Lord tempered the
steel of many of his early leaders" (Doctrine and Covenants Student
Manual, 258). Many future Church leaders demonstrated their faith and
devotion to the cause of
(Richard O. Cowan, Answers
to Your Questions About the Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret
Book Co., 1996], 122.)
D&C 105:1-12 –
The Church has
improved greatly in public relations since the early days of this dispensation.
The Kirtland Temple
March 11, 2004
Church
government was still forming in Kirtland, for example, the Quorum of the 12 was
held in equal standing with the stake High Council. The 12 received their preeminence in Nauvoo
after their missions to
Missionary
work in
The
scriptures were printed in Kirtland, like the Book of Commandments in 1835.
Someone
asked what happened to the original documents and manuscripts the church had in
Kirtland and Nauvoo. Bruce said many of
these things were left while the saints went west. The Smith family kept some of them as
personal property, Emma and Lucy showed these documents to people for a small
fee, no one knows what happened to them.
The
best years in Joseph’s life were 1835 to 1836, no major persecution. He was preparing the saints for the great
spiritual endowment, the building of the Kirtland temple.
During
this time the mission to
Something
New
From The Life of
Heber C. Kimball
pp. 103-105
At this
crisis in the affairs of the Church, the Lord revealed to Joseph that
"something new" must be done for its salvation. The good ship
Joseph was
denounced as a "fallen prophet" by men who had been his immediate
friends and confidential advisers, and the divinity of his mission was being
doubted by many who had received through him a testimony of the truth, the gift
of the Holy Ghost, a knowledge of God and Christ, whom to know is life eternal.
"No
quorum in the Church," says he, "was entirely exempt from the
influence of those false spirits who were striving against me for the mastery.
Even some of the Twelve were so far lost to their high and responsible calling,
as to begin to take sides, secretly, with the enemy."
What
"new thing," under these circumstances, was destined to "save
the Church"? In what way was Joseph's mission, as a prophet of the living
God, to be revindicated in the eyes of the Saints and
of the world?
"On
Sunday, the 4th day of June, 1837," says Heber C. Kimball, "the
Prophet Joseph came to me, while I was [p.104] seated in front of the stand,
above the sacrament table, on the Melchizedek side of the Temple, in Kirtland,
and whispering to me, said, 'Brother Heber, the Spirit of the Lord has whispered
to me: "Let my servant Heber go to England and proclaim my Gospel, and
open the door of salvation to that nation."'"
The thought
was overpowering. He had been surprised at his call to the apostleship. Now he
was overwhelmed. Like Jeremiah he staggered under the weight of his own
weakness, exclaiming in self-humiliation: "O, Lord, I am a man of
stammering tongue, and altogether unfit for such a work; how can I go to preach
in that land, which is so famed throughout Christendom for learning, knowledge
and piety; the nursery of religion; and to a people whose intelligence is
proverbial!"
"Feeling
my weakness to go upon such an errand, I asked the Prophet if Brother Brigham
might go with me. He replied that he wanted Brother Brigham to stay with him,
for he had something else for him to do. The idea of such a mission was almost
more than I could bear up under. I was almost ready to sink under the burden
which was placed upon me.
"However,
all these considerations did not deter me from the path of duty; the moment I
understood the will of my Heavenly Father, I felt a determination to go at all
hazards, believing that He would support me by His almighty power, and endow me
with every qualification that I needed; and although my family was dear to me,
and I should have to leave them almost destitute, I felt that the cause of
truth, the Gospel of Christ, outweighed every other consideration.
"At this
time many faltered in their faith; even some of the Twelve were in rebellion
against the Prophet of [p.105] God. John F. Boynton said to me, 'If you are
such a fool as to go at the call of the fallen prophet, Joseph Smith, I will
not help you a dime, and if you are east on Van Dieman's
land, I will not make an effort to help you.' Lyman E. Johnson said he did not
want me to go on my mission, but if I was determined to go, he would help me
all he could; he took his cloak from off his back and put it on mine; which was
the first cloak I ever had.
"Brothers
Sidney Rigdon, Joseph Smith, Sen., Brigham Young, Newel K. Whitney and others
said, 'Go and do as the Prophet has told you, and you shall prosper and be
blessed with power to do a glorious work.' Hyrum, seeing the condition of the
Church, when he talked about my mission, wept like a little child; he was
continually blessing and encouraging me, and pouring out his soul in prophecies
upon my head; he said: 'Go, and you shall prosper as not many have
prospered.'"
The
1st convert in
The
Apostasy of Kirtland
From The Life of Heber C. Kimball
pp.
98-102
During the
absence of Apostle Kimball in the east, a grievous change had come over the
Church in Kirtland. The greed of gain, the spirit of speculation was abroad in
the land. Mammon had reared his altars on consecrated ground. The money-changer
was within the temple. The love of the things of earth had usurped, in many hearts,
the love of the things of heaven, and comparatively few were free from the
soul-destroying influence of idolatry. Idolatry? Yes; the bowing down to the
modern Baal, the worship of wealth—the god of gold—the lust after the ways and
pleasures of the world.
The order of
Christ's kingdom is the order of creation; firstly spiritual, secondly
temporal. When this order is subverted, "chaos is come again." Sorrow
is the inevitable consequence of apostasy from the spiritual to the temporal.
"To be carnally-minded is death; but to be spiritually-minded is life and
peace." Does not the fall of man illustrate this principle? Can he descend
from heaven to earth without causing and enduring pain?
The
spiritual must sway the temporal, the earthly be ruled by the heavenly. How else shall it be
sanctified? It is the spirit in man that moves the body, not the body the
spirit. In the Church, Christ's body, the spiritual must reign supreme. The
temporal on the heart's throne is ever the usurper; the spiritual crowned and sceptered, ruler by right divine. . . .
"We were
very much grieved," says Heber, "on our arrival in Kirtland, to see
the spirit of speculation that was prevailing in the Church. Trade and traffic
seemed to engross the time and attention of the Saints. When we left Kirtland a
city lot was worth about $150; but on our return, to our astonishment, the same
lot was said to be worth from $500 to $1000, according to location; and some
men, who, when I left, could hardly get food to eat, I found on my return to be
men of supposed great wealth; in fact everything in the place seemed to be
moving in great prosperity, and all seemed determined to become rich; in my
feelings they were artificial or imaginary riches. This appearance of
prosperity led many of the Saints to believe that the time had arrived for the
Lord to enrich them with the treasures of the earth, and believing so, it
stimulated them to great exertions, so much so that two of the Twelve, Lyman E.
Johnson and John F. Boynton, went to New York and purchased the amount of
$20,000 worth of goods, and entered into the mercantile business, borrowing
considerable money from Polly Voce and other Saints in Boston and the regions
round about, and which they have never repaid."
The Prophet
Joseph says of those times: "The spirit of speculation in lands and
property of all kinds, which [p.100]was so prevalent throughout the whole
nation, was taking deep root in the Church. As the fruits of this spirit, evil
surmising, fault-finding, disunion, dissension and apostasy followed in quick
succession, and it seemed as though all the powers of earth and hell were
combining their influence in an especial manner to overthrow the Church at once
and make a final end. The enemy abroad and apostates in our midst united in
their schemes, flour and provisions were turned towards other markets, and many
became disaffected towards me, as though I were the sole cause of those very
evils I was strenuously striving against, and which were actually brought upon
us by the brethren not giving heed to my counsel."
During this
period, the Kirtland Safety Society was organized, with a view to controlling
the prevailing sentiment and directing it in legitimate channels. The ablest
and staunchest men in
Then came the
financial crash of 1837, by which so many of the banking and business houses of
the country were prostrated. Nearly all the banks, one after another, suspended
specie payment, "and gold and silver rose in value in direct ratio with
the depreciation of paper currency." The Kirtland Bank shared a similar
fate to many others, and went down in the whirlpool of financial ruin. One of
the causes alleged for its failure was the misfeasance of some of those who
were entrusted with the funds of the Bank. Heber says that Warren Parfish, one of the clerks, "afterwards acknowledged
that he took $20,000, and there was strong evidence that he took more. Those of
integrity in the Church replaced the stolen money at the expense of all they
had." A counterfeit, falsely reputed to have been issued by the
Bank, was also used by its enemies as a means to effect its overthrow.
As usual the
onus of responsibility was placed upon the shoulders of the Prophet, although
he had withdrawn from the institution some time before. He was falsely accused
of dishonesty and fraud, and condemned beyond measure, by men in and out of the
Church, as though he were the sole and intentional cause of the catastrophe.
"This
order of things," continues Heber, "increased during the winter to
such an extent that a man's life was in danger the moment he spoke in defense
of the Prophet of God. During this time I had many days of sorrow and mourning,
for my heart sickened to see the awful extent that things were getting to. The
only source of consolation I had, was in bending my knees continually before my
Father in Heaven, and asking Him to sustain me and preserve me from falling
into snares, and from betraying my brethren as others had done; for those who
apostatized sought every means and opportunity to draw others after them. They
also entered into combinations to obtain wealth by fraud and every means that
was evil.
"At this
time, I had many dreams from the Lord; one of them I will relate. I dreamed
that I entered the house of John F. Boynton, in which there was a panther; he
was jet black and very beautiful to look upon, but he inspired me with fear;
when I rose to leave the house he stood at the door with the intention to seize
on me, and seeing my fear, he displayed his beauty to me, telling me how sleek
his coat was, and what beautiful ears he had, and also his claws, which
appeared to be of silver, and then he showed me his teeth, which also appeared
to be silver. John F. Boynton told me that if I made myself familiar with him
he would not hurt me, but if I did not [p.102] he would. I did not feel
disposed to do so, and while the panther was displaying to me his beauty, I
slipped through the door and escaped, although he tried to keep me back by
laying hold of my coat; but I rent myself from him. The interpretation of this
dream was literally fulfilled. The panther represented an apostate whom I had
been very familiar with. I felt to thank the Lord for this dream, and other
intimations that I had, which, by His assistance, kept me from falling into
snares."
The hour was
approaching when Heber C. Kimball was destined to make his great mark as an
Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, to perform a work that would perpetuate his memory,
and make his name "a household word" upon the lips of tens of
thousands in both hemispheres.
Kirtland Economy
[This article
reports the main facts and points of interest regarding the economic events in
Kirtland in the 1830s and the significance of this historical development in
the overall growth of the Church.]
In early 1830,
The study of the
Kirtland economy between 1830 and 1840 continues to generate controversy among
historians. One question has to do with the precipitous increases in the land
prices between 1832 and 1837. Were they the result of "reckless land
speculation" by Joseph Smith and other Church leaders? The average price
per acre of land sold in Kirtland rose from approximately $7 in 1832 to $44 in
1837, only to fall back to $17.50 in 1839. These dramatic changes, however,
were related to movements in the general price level, trends in the value of
land in neighboring communities, and the impact of population growth. Probably
between 25 and 40 percent of the change in the nominal price of land was
associated with generalized inflation during this period. As much as 84 percent
of the remaining change in the real price of land was correlated with the rise
and fall in population. Joseph Smith was primarily responsible for the call to
gather to Kirtland; naturally, the newcomers needed land. An examination of
land transactions reveals nothing in the buying, selling, or subdividing of
land that was unusual for a frontier community.
Another question has
to do with Joseph Smith's debts. Was his use of credit
"irresponsible"? Early studies of the economic difficulties in
Kirtland emphasized debts and ignored assets. Actually, Joseph Smith's
potential cumulative indebtedness during this period, including all purchases
of land and merchandise, totaled a little over $100,000, considerably below
earlier estimates by some historians. At least $60,000 of this debt was
eventually settled, and probably much more, since the remainder produced no
lawsuits and primarily represented debt for land, which would likely have been
paid for or the land reclaimed. At the same time, because of the increase in prices,
President Smith and his associates held almost $60,000 equity in land. In the
environment of rapid population growth from 1830 to 1837, many
The financial problems
of Church leaders arose from two circumstances. First, their debts were largely
in the form of 90-to-180-day notes, while their assets were primarily in nonliquid land. Second, Joseph Smith found it very
difficult to demand cash from the sale of land or goods to his followers, many
of whom were impoverished by the costly migration to Kirtland. The resulting
cash-flow problem, common in frontier communities, could have been alleviated
by a bank with the capacity to transfer long-term assets into short-term
liquidity.
In the fall of 1836,
Joseph Smith and his associates drew up a charter for such a bank, the Kirtland
Safety Society. The question of fraud has long hovered over the Society. Its
timing was unfortunate. During 1836 and 1837, the
Because an 1816
Heavy demand for
redemption of the Kirtland Safety Society's notes led to the suspension of
specie payments within its first month of operation. Thereafter, the notes were
backed by land values, rather than specie, and almost immediately its notes
circulated at a heavy discount. It was further buffeted by the nationwide
banking panic of May 1837, when all
The Kirtland Safety
Society's first note issue during January 1837 was probably not for more than
$15,000. Subsequent note issues may have totaled as much as $85,000 in face
value, but the increasing discounts against these issues probably kept the real
value of outstanding notes at about the January level or lower. At the time of
the initial issue, paid-in subscriptions were also approximately $15,000. That
amount, plus the unusual loyalty of the LDS community and a $3,000 loan from
the Bank of Geauga, might have provided resources sufficient for a legally
chartered bank in Kirtland to experience modest success.
Whatever might have
been, the institution did not have a bank charter and did not survive, thereby
adding substantially to Joseph Smith's financial woes. He bought more stock,
paid more per share than 85 percent of the other investors, and continued to
add his own money to the assets of the bank as late as April 1837, well after
it had suspended specie payments. After the banking panic of May, Joseph Smith
transferred his interests in the bank and other financial assets to Oliver
Granger and Jared Carter, who continued to attempt to settle Joseph's financial
obligations as late as 1843.
Bibliography
Adams, Dale W.
"Chartering the Kirtland Bank." BYU Studies 23 (Fall
1983):467-82.
Fielding, R. Kent.
"The Mormon Economy in
Hill, Marvin S.; C.
Keith Rooker; and Larry T. Wimmer.
"The Kirtland Economy Revisited: A Market Critique of Sectarian
Economics." BYU Studies 17 (Summer 1977):391-475.
Parkin, Max H.
"Conflict at Kirtland: A Study of the Nature and Causes of External and
Internal Conflict of the Mormons in
Sampson, D. Paul, and
Larry T. Wimmer. "The Kirtland Safety Society:
The Stock Ledger Book and the Bank Failure." BYU Studies 12 (Summer
1972):427-36.
LARRY T. WIMMER
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 792.)
In
1837 Joseph had to flee Kirtland because of the persecution in the area. People blamed him for the tremendous debt and
greediness of others, many people left the church at this time.
The Kirtland
temple served a dual role for the saints.
It was a temple and a school house.
Many rooms were used for classroom instruction. The School of the Prophets originated here,
the purpose was to teach missionaries doctrine and grammar. Each room was dedicated at its completion,
D&C 94:1-9. Verses 10-12, discuss
the importance of the printing office.
Get the word out to the world, a critical function that we still do
today, get the gospel out to the world.
The temple
was set up like the tabernacle of Moses, an outer courtyard, inner courtyard,
and a Holy of Holies, pictures and drawings are on the website.
Bruce told
us the story of Artemus Millet.
The Millet Family
Artemus Millet was a
wealthy builder in
Brigham Young was
given a special mission [by the Prophet Joseph Smith] to go to Canada and
baptize Bro. Artemus Millet, . . . which call resulted from a consultation held
at Kirtland respecting the building of the Temple there, and as to who they
could get that was capable of taking charge of the work. When Elder Lorenzo Young exclaimed to the Prophet "I know the
very man who is capable of doing this work," "Who is he?" asked
the Prophet. Lorenzo replied ["It] is Artemus Millet." The Prophet
turned to Brigham and said "I give you a mission to go to
Artemus, obedient to
the Prophet's call, left his family and went immediately to Kirtland, where he
selected stone for the temple foundation. He later returned to
(Karl Ricks
Anderson, Joseph Smith's Kirtland [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989],
19.)
D&C 78 – The church financed itself after the Law of Consecration failed,
private business following the law’s principles aided the church’s finances.
The apostasy
of Oliver Cowdery was caused by finance, legal, and business dealings, not on
doctrine or denying the Book of Mormon.
The
spiritual fire goes out of people when they question their faith, Elder
Wirthlin, Oct, 1992.
Faith is
built by DESIRE not by HABIT; testimony built adequately and maintained
properly will endure to the end when coupled with the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Keeps the
FIRE of CONVERSION going; it isn’t based on habit of works, (HT, church
meetings, scripture study by themselves).
What is needed is INTENSITY! Is
the gospel infringing on my life? If so,
take a step back and evaluate where you are going.
D&C 118
– the Quorum of the 12 was reorganized, verse 4 states that the missionaries
leave from
The apostles
today are seasoned members who have been tried and tested (still being tested)
while in the early days up into the 20th century there were several
who apostatized and fell away, the reasons were plural marriage and doctrinal
issues. Will you go with me wherever I
go?
D&C
38:32, 88:70-75,117-120, 134-141 – The temple was built for teaching, spiritual
and secular, everyone teaches (120).
D&C 137
– Notice what was revealed and not revealed about the salvation for the
dead. The Lord said there is salvation
for the dead, but doesn’t explain how, that comes in Section 138, line upon
line.
Salvation beyond the
Grave
(D&C 137 and 138)
ROBERT L. MILLET
Elder Boyd K. Packer,
in speaking to a group of Church educators, remarked: "We live in a day of
great events relating to the scriptures. It has been only a short time since
two revelations were added to the standard works." Then, after making
brief reference to what are now sections 137 and 138 of the Doctrine and
Covenants, he continued: "I was surprised, and I think all of the Brethren
were surprised, at how casually that announcement of two additions to the
standard works was received by the Church. But we will live to sense the
significance of it; we will tell our grandchildren and our great-grandchildren,
and we will record in our diaries, that we were on the earth and remember when
that took place." fn
The Vision of the
The historical setting
of Joseph Smith's Vision of the
Joseph and the early
leaders of the Church had begun to meet in the temple before its completion,
and had participated in washings, anointings, and
blessings, all in preparation for what came to be known as the Kirtland
Endowment. On Thursday evening, 21 January 1836, the Prophet and a number of
Church leaders from Kirtland and
The heavens were
opened upon us, and I beheld the celestial
I saw the transcendent
beauty of the gate through which the heirs of that kingdom will enter, which
was like unto circling flames of fire;
Also the blazing
throne of God, whereon was seated the Father and the Son.
I saw the beautiful
streets of that kingdom, which had the appearance of being paved with gold (vv.
1-4).
Joseph had learned by
vision in February of 1832 the nature of those who would inherit the highest
heaven, the celestial. These persons are they who "overcome by faith, and
are sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise," they "into whose hands the
Father has given all things" (D&C 76:53, 55). The Prophet's Vision of
the
Joseph's account of
the Vision continues: "I saw Father Adam and Abraham; and my father and my
mother; my brother Alvin, that has long since slept; And marveled how it was
that he had obtained an inheritance in that kingdom, seeing that he had
departed this life before the Lord had set his hand to gather Israel the second
time, and had not been baptized for the remission of sins" (D&C
137:5-6). Joseph Smith's brief view of the celestial kingdom permitted him to
witness specific personalities who had proven true and faithful in all things,
and thus had qualified for exaltation. Adam, the first man and father of the
race, had sought the Lord and found him. "Abraham received all
things," a revelation stated, "whatsoever he received, by revelation
and commandment . . . and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne" (D&C 132:29). That
Joseph's vision was a glimpse into the future celestial realm is evident from
the fact that he saw his parents—Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack—in the kingdom of the
just, when in fact both were still living in 1836. Father Smith was,
interestingly, in the same room with his son at the time the vision was
received.
Alvin Smith was born
on 11 February 1798 in
Inasmuch as
God does not and will
not hold anyone accountable for a gospel law of which he was ignorant. Every
person will have opportunity— here or hereafter—to accept and apply the
principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only the Lord, the Holy One of
Israel, is capable of "keeping the gate" and thus discerning
completely the hearts and minds of mortal men; he alone knows when a person has
received sufficient knowledge or impressions to constitute a valid opportunity
to receive the Plan of Salvation. Joseph had reaffirmed that the Lord will
judge men not only by their actions, but also by their attitudes—the desires of
their hearts (cf.
One of the most profoundly
beautiful of doctrines is that enunciated in the Vision of the Celestial
Kingdom regarding the status of children who die before the time of
accountability: "And I also beheld that all children who die before they
arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the Celestial Kingdom of
heaven" (D&C 137:10). King Benjamin had learned from an angel that
"the infant perisheth not that dieth in his infancy" (Mosiah 3:18). After having
described the nature of those who will come forth in the first resurrection,
Abinadi said simply: "And little children also have eternal life"
(Mosiah 15:25). A revelation given to Joseph Smith in September of 1830
specified that "little children are redeemed from the foundation of the
world through mine Only Begotten" (D&C 29:46; cf. JST, Matt.
19:13-15). Joseph Smith taught in 1842 that "the Lord takes many away even
in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of
this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore,
if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they
are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again." fn By virtue
of his infinite understanding of the human family, "we may assume that the
Lord knows and arranges beforehand who shall be taken in infancy and who shall
remain on earth to undergo whatever tests are needed in their cases." fn
These children will come forth from the grave as they lie down—as children— fn
and will grow to maturity in the Millennium. They will not be expected to face
tests or temptations in their resurrected state, but will go on to enjoy the
highest and grandest blessings of exaltation associated with the everlasting
continuation of the family unit. fn
Four and one-half
years after Joseph Smith's Vision of the
I was present at a
discourse that the Prophet Joseph delivered on baptism for the dead 15 August
1840. He read the greater part of the 15th chapter of Corinthians and remarked
that the Gospel of Jesus Christ brought glad tidings of great joy . . . . He
also said the apostle [Paul] was talking to a people who understood baptism for
the dead, for it was practiced among them. He went on to say that people could
now act for their friends who had departed this life, and that the plan of
salvation was calculated to save all who were willing to obey the requirements
of the law of God. He went on and made a very beautiful discourse. fn
One month later, on 14
September 1840, Joseph Smith, Sr. passed away. Just before his death, Father
Smith requested that someone be baptized for and in behalf of his oldest son,
Alvin. Hyrum Smith complied with his father's last wishes, and was baptized by
proxy for
The Vision of the Redemption of the Dead (D&C 138)
The knowledge of a
universal salvation revealed initially through the Prophet Joseph continued to
be expanded and elaborated as the ongoing Restoration made further truths
available "line upon line." It is to the Prophet's nephew—Joseph F.
Smith—that we now turn for precious insights into the manner in which the
gospel is preached in the world of spirits.
During the last six
months of his life, President Joseph F. Smith suffered from the effects of
advancing years (he was in his 80th year) and spent much of his time in his
personal study in the Beehive House. President Smith did manage to garner
enough strength to attend the 89th semi-annual conference of the Church
(October 1918). At the opening session of the conference (Friday, October 4th)
he arose to welcome and address the Saints, and with a voice filled with
emotion, spoke the following:
As most of you, I
suppose, are aware, I have been undergoing a siege of very serious illness for
the last five months. It would be impossible for me, on this occasion, to
occupy sufficient time to express the desires of my heart and my feelings, as I
would desire to express them to you. . . .
I will not, I dare
not, attempt to enter upon many things that are resting upon my mind this
morning, and I shall postpone until some future time, the Lord being willing,
my attempt to tell you some of the things that are in my mind, and that dwell
in my heart. I have not lived alone these last five months. I have dwelt in
the spirit of prayer, of supplication, of faith and of determination; and I
have had my communication with the Spirit of the Lord continuously. fn
According to the
President's son, Joseph Fielding Smith, the Prophet was here expressing (albeit
in broadest terms) the fact that during the past half-year he had been the
recipient of numerous manifestations, some of which he had shared with his son,
both before and following the conference. One of these manifestations, the
Vision of Redemption of the Dead, had been received just the day before, on 3
October, and was recorded immediately following the close of the conference. fn
The aged Prophet's
attention was drawn to the world beyond mortality by his frequent confrontation
with death. His parents, Hyrum and Mary Fielding Smith, both died while he was
a young man. Among the great trials of his life none was more devastating than
the passing of many of his children into death. President Smith was possessed
of an almost infinite capacity to love, and thus the sudden departure of dear
ones brought extreme anguish and sorrow. Joseph Fielding Smith later wrote:
"When death invaded his home, as frequently it did, and his little ones
were taken from him, he grieved with a broken heart and mourned, not as those
who mourn who live without hope, but for the loss of his 'precious jewels'
dearer to him than life itself." fn
On 20 January 1918
Hyrum Mack Smith, oldest son of Joseph F. and then a member of the Council of
the Twelve Apostles, was taken to the hospital for a serious illness, where the
physicians diagnosed a ruptured appendix. Despite constant medical attention
and repeated prayers, Hyrum M.—then only 45 years of age and at the time with a
pregnant wife—died on the night of 23 January. This was a particularly
traumatic affliction for the President. Hyrum had been called as an apostle at
the same conference wherein his father had been sustained as the Church's sixth
president (October 1901). Hyrum Mack was a man of depth and wisdom beyond his
years, and his powerful sermons evidenced his unusual insight into gospel
principles. "His mind was quick and bright and correct," remarked
President Smith. "His judgment was not excelled, and he saw and comprehended
things in their true light and meaning. When he spoke, men listened and felt
the weight of his thoughts and words." Finally, the Prophet observed:
"He has thrilled my soul by his power of speech, as no other man ever did.
Perhaps this was because he was my son, and he was filled with the fire of the
Holy Ghost." fn Already in a weakened physical condition due to age, the
Prophet's sudden sense of loss caused him "one of the most severe blows
that he was ever called upon to endure." fn
Even though President
Smith indicated in October of 1918 that the preceding six months had been a
season of special enrichment, in fact it may be shown that the last thirty
months of his life (specifically, from April 1916 to October 1918) represent a
brief era of unusual spiritual enlightenment, in which he delivered to the
Church some of the most important and inspiring insights of this dispensation.
At the April 1916
general conference President Smith delivered a remarkable address, the thrust
of which established a theme for the next thirty months of his life, and most
important for this discussion, laid the foundation for his final doctrinal
contribution—the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead. In his opening sermon
entitled "In the Presence of the Divine," Joseph F. spoke of the
nearness of the world of spirits, and of the interest and concern for us and
our labors exercised by those who have passed beyond the veil. He stressed that
those who labored so diligently in their mortal estate to establish the
cause of
In June of 1916 the
First Presidency and the Twelve released a doctrinal exposition in pamphlet
form entitled "The Father and the Son." This document was delivered
to alleviate doctrinal misunderstandings concerning the nature of the Godhead,
and specifically the role and scriptural designation of Jesus Christ as
"Father." fn
One of the most significant
fruits of this segment of time was a talk delivered by President Joseph F.
Smith at a Temple Fast Meeting in February of 1918, entitled "The Status
of Children in the Resurrection." In this address we gain not only an
insight into the power and prophetic stature of one schooled and prepared in
doctrine; in addition, we are allowed a brief glimpse into the heart of a noble
father who—having lost little ones to death and having mourned their
absence—rejoices in the sure knowledge that: (1) mortal children are immortal
beings, spirits who continue to live and progress beyond the veil; and (2) as
taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith, children will come forth from the grave as
they lie down—as children—and such persons will thereafter be nurtured and reared
to physical maturity by worthy parents. "O how I have been blessed with
these children," exulted President Smith, "and how happy I shall be
to meet them on the other side!" fn
Further evidence that
the veil had become thin for Joseph F. is to be found in his recording (on 7
April 1918) of a dream/vision he had received many years earlier, while on his
first mission to Hawaii. The dream had served initially to strengthen the faith
and build the confidence of a lonely and weary fifteen-year-old on the slopes
of Haleakala on the island of Maui; it had, through the years that followed,
served to chart a course for Joseph F. and give to him the assurance that his
labors were acceptable to the Lord, and that he also had the approbation of his
predecessors in the presidency of the restored Church. In the dream young
Joseph F. encountered his uncle, the Prophet Joseph, and was fortified in his
desire to remain free from the taints of the world. In addition, he learned at
an early age that the separation between mortality and immortality is subtle,
and that the Lord frequently permits an intermingling of the inhabitants of the
two spheres. fn
As finite man stands
in the twilight of life, he is occasionally able to view existence with divine
perspective and is thus capable of opening himself to the things of infinity.
"If we live our holy religion," President Brigham Young taught in
1862, "and let the Spirit reign," the mind of man "will not
become dull and stupid, but as the body approaches dissolution the spirit takes
a firmer hold on the enduring substance behind the veil, drawing from the
depths of that eternal Fountain of Light sparkling gems of intelligence which
surround the frail and sinking tabernacle with a halo of immortal wisdom."
fn This poignant principle was demonstrated beautifully in the life of
President Joseph F. Smith. Here was a man who met death and sorrow and
persecution with a quiet dignity, and thus through participating in the
fellowship of Christ's sufferings was made acquainted with the things of God.
On Thursday, 3 October 1918, President Smith, largely confined to his room
because of illness, sat meditating over matters of substance. On this day the
Prophet specifically began to read and ponder upon the universal nature of the
Atonement, and the Apostle Peter's allusions to Christ's post-mortal ministry.
The stage was set: preparation of a lifetime and preparation of the moment were
recompensed with a heavenly endowment—the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead.
In the words of the President: "As I pondered over these things which are
written, the eyes of my understanding were opened, and the Spirit of the Lord
rested upon me, and I saw the hosts of the dead, both small and great"
(D&C 138:11).
Joseph F. Smith saw in
vision "an innumerable company of the spirits of the just," the
righteous dead from the days of Adam to the meridian of time. These all were
anxiously awaiting the advent of the Christ into their dimension of life, and
were exuberant in their anticipation of an imminent resurrection (vv. 12-17).
Having consummated the atoning sacrifice on
To the congregation of
the righteous the Lord appeared, and "their countenances shone, and the
radiance from the presence of the Lord rested upon them" (v. 24).
President Smith observed as the Lord taught "the everlasting gospel, the
doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption of mankind from the fall, and
from individual sins on conditions of repentance" (v. 19). In addition,
Christ extended to the righteous spirits "power to come forth, after his
resurrection from the dead, to enter into his Father's kingdom, there to be
crowned with immortality and eternal life" (v. 51).
It is while pondering
the question of how the Savior could have taught the gospel to so many in the
spirit world in so short a time (the time intervening between his death on
Friday and his rise from the tomb on Sunday morning) that President Smith
received what may well be the most significant doctrinal insight of the entire
vision. The President came to understand "that the Lord went not in person
among the wicked and disobedient"—those in hell—but rather "organized
his forces and appointed messengers, clothed with power and authority,"
that such representatives might carry the message of the gospel "unto whom
he [the Lord] could not go personally, because of their rebellion and
transgression" (vv. 20-22, 25-30, 37). The chosen messengers "declare
the acceptable day of the Lord." They carry the gospel message to those
who had no opportunity in mortality to accept or reject the truth, and also to
those who rejected the message on earth. These (who are visited by messengers)
are taught the first principles and ordinances of the gospel (including the
vicarious nature of the ordinances), in order that the inhabitants of the world
of spirits might be judged and rewarded by the same divine standards as those
who inhabit the world of mortals (vv. 31-34). The insight that Christ did not
personally visit the disobedient is a doctrinal matter introduced to the Church
for the first time in October of 1918 and does much to broaden our scope and
answer questions with regard to the work within that sphere.
By the power of the
Holy Ghost President Smith perceived the identity of many of the noble and
great from the beginning of time, including Adam, Seth, Noah, Abraham, Isaiah,
the Nephite prophets before Christ, and many more. In addition, the President
recognized Mother Eve and many of her faithful daughters. Joseph F. had taught
a number of years earlier that women minister to women in the spirit world,
even as they do in holy places on earth. fn
It would appear at
this point that President Smith's vision shifted in time—from a first century
A.D. gathering to a scene of workers in the spirit world during the final
gospel dispensation. A change in time-frame is common in visions, as can be
seen from the experiences of Nephi (1 Ne. 13-14), John the Apostle (Rev.
11-12), and Joseph Smith (D&C 76). President Smith saw in the spirit world his
predecessors in the presidency of the restored Church, and other noble leaders
who played such a critical role "in laying the foundations of the great
latter-day work" (vv. 53-54).
It may be that the
vision shifted again in time, allowing President Smith a glimpse into the
pre-mortal world. He observed that the great leaders of the latter-day Church
were "among the noble and great ones who were chosen in the beginning to
be rulers in the
President Joseph F.
Smith's vision confirms another doctrine that had been taught by Joseph Smith:
the faithful in this life continue to teach and labor in the world of spirits
in behalf of those who know not God (v. 57). As recorded in George Laub's Journal under date of 12 May 1844, the Prophet
Joseph declared: "Now all those die in the faith goe
to the prison of Spirits to preach to the deaf in body, but they are alive in
the Spirit & those Spirits preach to the Spirits that they may live
according to god in the Spirit and men do minister for them in the flesh"
(sic). fn Joseph F. had taught this doctrine on a number of occasions; fn here
he became an eyewitness of the same.
Having laid before us
his remarkable vision—"a complete and comprehensive confirmation of the
established doctrine of the Church where salvation for the dead is
concerned" fn—President Smith climaxed his doctrinal contribution with
testimony: "Thus was the vision of the redemption of the dead revealed to
me, and I bear record, and I know that this record is true, through the
blessing of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, even so. Amen" (v. 60).
The Vision of the
Redemption of the Dead was dictated by President Smith to his son—Joseph
Fielding Smith—at the close of the October 1918 conference. The vision was
presented to the First Presidency, Twelve, and Patriarch in a Council Meeting
on Thursday, 31 October 1918. Because of his weakened condition, the President
was not able to be in attendance but asked Joseph Fielding to read the
revelation to the gathered general authorities. Note the following from the
journal of Anthon H. Lund, first counselor to President Smith: "In our
Council Joseph F. Smith, Jr. read a revelation which his father had had in
which he saw the spirits in Paradise and he also saw that Jesus organized a
number of brethren to go and preach to the spirits in prison, but did not go
himself. It was an interesting document and the apostles accepted it as true
and from God." fn Elder James E. Talmage of the Council of the Twelve
Apostles recorded the following in his personal journal:
Attended meeting of
the First Presidency and the Twelve. Today President Smith who is still
confined to his home by illness, sent to the Brethren the account of a vision
through which, as he states, were revealed to him important facts relating to
the work of the disembodied Savior in the realm of departed spirits, and of the
missionary work in progress on the other side of the veil. By united action the
Council of the Twelve, with the Counselors in the First Presidency, and the
Presiding Patriarch accepted and endorsed the revelation as the word of the
Lord. President Smith's signed statement will be published in the next issue
(December) of the Improvement Era, which is the organ of the Priesthood quorums
of the church. fn
The text of the vision
first appeared in the 30 November edition of the Deseret News. It was
printed in the December Improvement Era, and in the January 1919
editions of the Relief Society Magazine, the Utah Genealogical and
Historical Magazine, the Young Women's Journal, and the Millennial
Star.
President Smith's
physical condition worsened during the first weeks of November, 1918. On
Sunday, 17 November he was taken with an attack of pleurisy, which finally
developed into pleuropneumonia. Tuesday morning, 19
November 1918 his work in mortality was completed. It was fitting that at the
April 1919 general conference Elder James E. Talmage should deliver the
following touching and appropriate tribute to the President. Elder Talmage
asked: "Well, where is he now?" The apostle answered: "He was
permitted shortly before his passing to have a glimpse into the hereafter, and
to learn where he would soon be at work. He was a preacher of righteousness
on earth, he is a preacher of righteousness today. He was a missionary from his
boyhood up, and he is a missionary today amongst those who have not yet heard
the gospel, though they have passed from mortality into the spirit world. I
cannot conceive of him as otherwise than busily engaged in the work of the
Master." fn
Conclusion
The Lord loves all of
his children and desires that every soul have the privilege of participating in
the principles and ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The doctrine of
salvation for the dead, given by revelation through Joseph Smith, and expanded
through a remarkable vision of Joseph F. Smith, broadens our own perspective
and points us toward the eternities. Joseph Smith's Vision of the
Notes Salvation Beyond the Grave
1. "Teach the
Scriptures," in Charge to Religious Educators, 2nd ed. (Salt Lake
City: Church Educational System, 1982), p. 21; this is the text of a talk
delivered to CES personnel 14 October 1977, Salt Lake City.
2. See Milton V.
Backman, Jr. and Robert L. Millet, "Heavenly Manifestations in the
3. Ibid.; see
also HC 2:378-80.
4. HC 5: 126.
5. Ibid., p.
247
6. Lucy Mack Smith, History
of Joseph Smith, Preston Nibley, ed. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1958), pp. 86-89.
7. Ibid., p.
88.
8. HC 5:
126-27.
9. See an interview
with William Smith by E. C. Briggs and J. W. Peterson, published in the Deseret
News (
10. HC 4:553.
11. Bruce R. McConkie,
expressing the sentiments of President Joseph Fielding Smith, in "The
Salvation of Little Children," Ensign, April 1977, p. 6.
12. HC
4:555-56.
13. McConkie,
"The Salvation of Little Children," pp. 5-6; see also Joseph Fielding
Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 3 vols. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-56), 2:54-57.
14. A report by Simon
Baker in Journal History, under date of 15 August 1840, LDS Church
Archives; also in Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook, The
Words of Joseph Smith (Provo, Ut.: Religious
Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1980), p. 49; see also HC
4:231.
15. "Nauvoo
Baptisms for the Dead," Book A, Church Genealogical Society Archives, pp.
145, 149.
16. From Joseph Smith,
Sr. Family Group Sheet, Church Genealogical Society Archives.
17. "Joseph F.
Smith, Conference Report, October 1918, p. 2.
18. Joseph Fielding
Smith, The Life of Joseph F. Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book
Company, 1969), p. 466.
19. Ibid., p.
455.
20. Ibid., p.
474.
21. Ibid.
22. Conference
Report April 1916, pp. 1-8.
23. See Improvement
Era, August 1916, pp. 93442; James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the
First Presidency, 6 vols. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1971), 5:23-34.
24. Improvement Era,
May 1918, pp. 567-74;
25. Improvement Era,
November 1919, pp. 16-17;
26. JD 9:288.
27. HC 5:425.
28. Bruce R. McConkie,
"A New Commandment: Save Thyself and Thy Kindred," Ensign,
August 1976, p. 11.
29. See Joseph F.
Smith, Young Women's Journal 23 (1911): pp. 128-32; Gospel Doctrine
(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1971), p. 461.
30. Ehat and Cook, The Words of Joseph Smith, p. 370.
31. See Gospel
Doctrine, pp. 134-35, 460-61.
32. Bruce R. McConkie,
"A New Commandment: Save Thyself and Thy Kindred," Ensign,
August 1976, p. 11.
33. Anthon H. Lund
Journal, LDS Church Archives,
34. James E. Talmage
Journal, LDS Church Archives,
35. Conference
Report, April 1919, p. 60.
(Robert L.
Millet and Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The Doctrine
and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 549.)
The
sacrament is a renewal of our cleansing.
D&C 110 (Wednesday) happened after the sacrament was administered.
D&C 2 –
Everything done before
Right now we
have a conditional sealing then after being tried and tested as couples and
individuals we can receive the permanent sealing of Elijah, the Holy Spirit of
Promise.
When couples receive
the promises made to the fathers by entering into the new and everlasting
covenant of marriage, and then eventually prove worthy of the ratifying seal of
the Holy Spirit of Promise (D&C 132:26), they will be preserved so that
certain inhabitants of the earth will not be utterly wasted at the Lord's
coming. It is this sealing power, which is also a manifestation of the spirit
of Elijah, fn that Joseph apparently had in mind in referring to John's vision
(Rev. 7:1-3) of "four destroying angels holding power over the four
quarters of the earth until the servants of God are sealed in their foreheads,
which signifies sealing the blessings upon their heads, meaning the everlasting
covenant, thereby making their calling and election sure." fn
(Robert L.
Millet and Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The Doctrine
and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 61.)
Joseph's recorded
discourses indicate that his understanding of the meaning of Elijah's mission
apparently moved from "turning hearts" to "planting
promises" to "binding or sealing." This progression seems
symbolic of the order of the transmission of priesthood keys. Remember that
Moses first restored the keys of gathering, symbolically turning us toward one
another. Elias then brought all the promises and blessings incident to the
Abrahamic covenant. Once the people were gathered, they could be taught and
blessed, having the promises planted in their hearts. Elias's power was to draw
us to the new and everlasting covenant of eternal marriage and to organize us
in family units. However, his power and promises were conditional, as they
needed the sealing power brought by Elijah to give formal approval to those
marriages and those families, removing their conditional status and making them
eternal. Hence, Joseph declared:
"This power of Elijah is to that of Elias what in the architecture of the
temple of God those who seal or cement the stone to their places are to those
who cut or hew the stones, the one preparing the way for the other to
accomplish the work. By this we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise,
i.e., Elijah." Words of Joseph Smith, p. 344.
(Byron R.
Merrill, Elijah: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1997], .)
Missouri Expulsion – Gathering of Israel
March 25, 2004
Bruce hurt
his back a couple of weeks ago, we didn’t have class last week and this week
lasted a little over an hour.
We discussed
very briefly the 3 phases of
The church
published constantly so the saints would be united in doctrine and teachings,
just like today.
Sidney Rigdon’s “Salt Sermon” had the effect of throwing gas on a
fire as far as persecution goes.
The
The 2
missions to
Wilford
Woodruff Concerning the
The Discourses of Wilford
Woodruff, p.309
The whole of
that mission to
President
Young asked the twelve who were with him—"What shall we do with regard to
the fulfilment of this revelation?" He wanted to
know their feelings. Father Smith, the patriarch, said the Lord would take the
will for the deed; others said the Lord could not expect the twelve apostles to
go up and sacrifice their lives to fulfil that
revelation; but the Spirit of the Lord rested upon the twelve, and they
said—"The Lord God has spoken, and we will fulfil
that revelation and commandment"; and that was the feeling of President
Young and of those who were with him. We went through that state, and we laid
that cornerstone. George A. Smith and I were ordained to the apostleship on
that cornerstone upon that day. We returned in safety, and not a dog shed our
blood.
As soon as we
got home we prepared ourselves to go on our mission to
"Yes,"
I said, "but I feel more like a subject for the dissecting room than for a
mission."
He reproved
me for what I said and told me to get up and go. Brother Taylor, the only
member of the quorum of the twelve who was well, and I traveled together, and
on the way he fell to the ground as though he had been knocked on the head with
an axe. Old Father Coulton was carrying us, and
Brother Taylor fell twice in that way, taken with the bilious fever, and no man
in that quorum could boast that he went on that mission without feeling the
hand of the destroyer, for it was laid upon us all. I had the shaking ague, and
lay on my back in a wagon, and was rolled over stumps and stones, until it
seemed as if my life would be shaken out of me. I left Brother Taylor behind,
by his advice, for said he, "We are both sick, and if you stay you can't
do anything here"; so old Father Coulton carried
me along in his wagon until I got to
A question
came up about Orson Hyde’s mission to
Elder Hyde’s Mission
to Palestine
Sometime after Orson
Hyde’s baptism, the Prophet Joseph Smith gave Elder Hyde an extraordinary
blessing:
In due time thou shalt
go to Jerusalem, the land of thy fathers, and be a watchman unto the house of
Israel; and by thy hands shall the Most High do a great work, which shall
prepare the way and greatly facilitate the gathering together of that people.
fn
As a literal
realization of that blessing, Elder Hyde set out nearly a decade later on what
may be one of the most arduous missions ever undertaken by a member of the
Quorum of the Twelve. His harrowing voyage to
Early on Sunday
morning,
Thou, O Lord, did once
move upon the heart of Cyrus to show favor unto
Orson Hyde thereby
enunciated a vision of the return of the Jews to their ancestral homeland
fifty-six years before Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, convened
the first Zionist Congress in
I should mention that I
do not intend to discuss the policies of the modern state of
Nonetheless, given the
eventual unfolding of the Lord’s purposes in the Near East, the Jewish return
to
Some, however, are
quick to note that a Jewish return to Palestine "should not necessarily be
seen as a ‘fulfillment’ of the spiritual promises made through the ancient and
modern prophets." fn "I have occasionally heard Western Christians,
including Latter-day Saints," records Peterson, "talk as if we must
support every action and every policy of the government of Israel, because that
government is the leadership of God’s chosen people. This is false. Worse, I
believe it is idolatrous." fn Elder
Bruce R. McConkie has been even more explicit:
Let there be no misunderstanding in any discerning mind
on this point. This gathering of the Jews to their homeland, and their organization
into a nation and a kingdom, is not the gathering promised by the prophets. It
does not fulfill the ancient promises.... This gathering of the unconverted to
Palestine—shall we not call it a political gathering based on such
understanding of the ancient word as those without the guidance of the Holy
Spirit can attain, or shall we not call it a preliminary gathering brought to
pass in the wisdom of him who once was their God?—this gathering, of those
whose eyes are yet dimmed by scales of darkness and who have not yet become the
delightsome people it is their destiny to be, is nonetheless part of the divine
plan. It is Elias going before Messias; it is a
preparatory work; it is the setting of the stage for the grand drama soon to be
played on Olivet. Millennial Messiah pg.
229
(Harry S.
Truman as a Modern Cyrus, BYU Studies, vol. 34 (1994),.)
The
Meeting of the Twelve at
History of the Church, Vol.3, pp.336-340
Friday, April
26.--Early this morning, soon after
Minutes of
the Meeting of the Twelve Apostles at
At a
conference held at
Resolved:
That the following persons be no more fellowshiped in
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but excommunicated from the
same, viz.; Isaac Russell, Mary Russell, John Goodson and wife, Jacob Scott,
Sen., and wife, Isaac Scott, Jacob Scott, Jun., Ann Scott, Sister Walton,
Robert Walton, Sister Cavanaugh, Ann Wanlass, William
Dawson, Jun., and wife, William Dawson, Sen., and wife, George Nelson, Joseph
Nelson and wife and mother, William Warnock and wife, Jonathan Maynard, Nelson
Maynard, George Miller, John Grigg and wife, Luman Gibbs, Simeon Gardner, and Freeborn Gardner.
The council
then proceeded to the building spot of the Lord's House; when the following
business was transacted: Part of a hymn was sung, on the mission of the Twelve.
Elder Alpheus
Cutler, the master workman of the house, then recommenced laying the foundation
of the Lord's House, agreeably to revelation, by rolling up a large stone near
the southeast corner.
The following
of the Twelve were present; Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Orson Pratt, John
E. Page, and John Taylor, who proceeded to ordain Wilford Woodruff, and George
A. Smith, (who had been previously nominated by the First Presidency, accepted
by the Twelve, and acknowledged by the Church), to the office of Apostles and
members of the quorum of the Twelve, to fill the places of those who are
fallen. Darwin Chase and Norman Shearer (who had just been liberated from the
The Twelve
then offered up vocal prayer in the following order; Brigham Young, Heber C.
Kimball, Orson Pratt, John E. Page, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff, and George
A. Smith. After which we sung Adam-ondi-Ahman, and then the Twelve took their
leave of the following Saints, agreeable to the revelation, viz.: Alpheus
Cutler, Elias Smith, Norman Shearer, William Burton, Stephen Markham, Shadrach
Roundy, William O. Clark, John W. Clark, Hezekiah Peck, Darwin Chase, Richard
Howard, Mary Ann Peck, Artimesa Grainger, Martha
Peck, Sarah Grainger, Theodore Turley, Hyrum Clark, and Daniel Shearer.
Elder Alpheus
Cutler then placed the stone before alluded to in its regular position, after
which, in consequence of the peculiar situation of the Saints, he thought it
wisdom to adjourn until some future time, when the Lord shall open the way;
expressing his determination then to proceed with the building; whereupon the
conference adjourned. BRIGHAM YOUNG, President. JOHN TAYLOR, Clerk.
Thus was
fulfilled a revelation of July 8, 1838, which our enemies had said could not be
fulfilled, as no "Mormon" would be permitted to be in the state.
As the Saints
were passing away from the meeting, Brother Turley said to Elders Page and
Woodruff, "Stop a bit, while I bid Isaac Russell good bye;" and
knocking at the door, called Brother Russell. His wife answered, "Come in,
it is Brother Turley." Russell replied, "It is not; he left here two
weeks ago;" and appeared quite alarmed; but on finding it was Brother
Turley, asked him to sit down; but the latter replied, "I cannot, I shall
lose my company." " Who is your company?" enquired Russell.
"The Twelve." “The Twelve!"
"Yes,
don't you know that this is the twenty-sixth, and the day the Twelve were to
take leave of their friends on the foundation of the Lord's House, to go to the
islands of the sea? The revelation is now fulfilled, and I am going with them."
Russell was speechless, and Turley bid him farewell.
The brethren
immediately returned to
Ether
13:3-6 – 3 different
1.
Verse
3 – New Jerusalem – City of Enoch
2.
Verse
4 – New Jerusalem –
3.
Verse
5 – Old
D&C
57:2, 110, 133:1-13 (12-13), Abraham 2:6 – Obedience to the voice of God, (all
of the ordinances).
Both new and
old
The Gathering of
Bruce R. McConkie:
The gathering of
The three phases of this great latter-day work are as
follows:
Phase I - From the First Vision, the setting up of the kingdom on
Phase II - From the creation of stakes of
Phase III - From the Lord's second coming
until the kingdom is perfected and the knowledge of God covers the earth as the
waters cover the sea, and from then until the end of the Millennium, a period
of 1,000 years. ("Come: Let
Two Gathering Places
There will
be two gathering places: one for the
Let them, therefore, who are among the Gentiles flee unto
The following is from the Proclamation of the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles given on
And we further testify that the Lord has appointed a holy city and temple to be
built on this continent, for the endowment and ordinances pertaining to the
priesthood; and for the Gentiles, and the remnant of Israel to resort unto, in
order to worship the Lord, and to be taught in his ways and walk in his paths;
in short, to finish their preparations for the coming of the Lord.
And we further testify, that the Jews among all nations are
hereby commanded, in the name of the Messiah, to prepare, to return to
And also to organize and establish their own political
government, under their own rulers, judges, and governors, in that country.
For be it known unto them that we now hold the keys of the
priesthood and kingdom which is soon to be restored unto them.
Therefore let them also repent, and prepare to obey the
ordinances of God. (Messages of the First Presidency, 1:254)
In the Times and Seasons, the church
newspaper in Nauvoo, Wilford Woodruff wrote the following in relation to the
Proclamation of the Quorum of the Twelve of 6 April 1845:
It is set forward that the Lord has appointed a temple and holy city to be
built on the continent of America, for the endowment and ordinances pertaining
to the priesthood and for the Gentiles and remnants of Israel to resort unto,
in order to worship the Lord, to be taught in his ways and walk in his paths,
and finish their preparations for the coming of the Lord. A command is also
given to the Jews among all nations, to prepare to return to
John Taylor:
It may be proper here to remark, that there
will be two places of gathering, or
Lorenzo Snow:
There will be a universal gathering to
Joseph Fielding Smith:
In the former dispensation, the gospel was first preached to
the Jews and then, after they had rejected it, it was taken to the Gentiles. In
the dispensation in which we live, the gospel was first taken to the Gentile
nations, and scattered Israel other than the Jews were gathered out; and after
being preached among the Gentile nations, it shall go to the Jews, the first
being last and the last being first, as the Savior promised.
In section 45 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord calls
attention to the fact that when the fulness of the Gentiles should come in, a
light should break forth among those that sat in darkness, and it should be the
fulness of the everlasting gospel, but they would reject it. And in that
generation shall the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. In the 133rd section of
the Doctrine and Covenants, he warns all the tribes of
D&C
109:51-67 – Bruce reviewed these verses with us.
(Doctrine
and Covenants 109:51-67.)
51 But if
they will not, make bare thine arm, O Lord, and redeem that which thou didst
appoint a
52 And if
it cannot be otherwise, that the cause of thy people may not fail before thee
may thine anger be kindled, and thine indignation fall upon them, that they may
be wasted away, both root and branch, from under heaven;
53 But
inasmuch as they will repent, thou art gracious and merciful, and wilt turn
away thy wrath when thou lookest upon the face of
thine Anointed.
54 Have
mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of
our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended,
namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.
55 Remember
the kings, the princes, the nobles, and the great ones of the earth, and all
people, and the churches, all the poor, the needy, and afflicted ones of the
earth;
56 That
their hearts may be softened when thy servants shall go out from thy house, O
Jehovah, to bear testimony of thy name; that their prejudices may give way
before the truth, and thy people may obtain favor in the sight of all;
57 That all
the ends of the earth may know that we, thy servants, have heard thy voice, and
that thou hast sent us;
58 That
from among all these, thy servants, the sons of Jacob, may gather out the
righteous to build a holy city to thy name, as thou hast commanded them.
59 We ask
thee to appoint unto
60 Now
these words, O Lord, we have spoken before thee, concerning the revelations and
commandments which thou hast given unto us, who are identified with the
Gentiles.
61 But thou
knowest that thou hast a great love for the children
of Jacob, who have been scattered upon the mountains for a long time, in a
cloudy and dark day.
62 We
therefore ask thee to have mercy upon the children of Jacob, that
63 And the
yoke of bondage may begin to be broken off from the house of David;
64 And the
children of
65 And
cause that the remnants of Jacob, who have been cursed and smitten because of
their transgression, be converted from their wild and savage condition to the
fulness of the everlasting gospel;
66 That
they may lay down their weapons of bloodshed, and cease their rebellions.
67 And may
all the scattered remnants of
“Keys of the
Kingdom” – President Wilford Woodruff, April, 2004 Ensign
“Finding
Safety in Counsel” – Elder Eyring May, 1997 Ensign
Finding
Safety in Counsel
Elder Henry B. Eyring
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, May 1997, pp. 24-26
[Underlining is NOT
original]
The Savior
has always been the protector of those who would accept His protection. He has
said more than once, "How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not" (3 Ne.
10:5).
The Lord
expressed the same lament in our own dispensation after describing the many
ways in which He calls us to safety:
"How oft
have I called upon you by the mouth of my servants, and by the ministering of
angels, and by mine own voice, and by the voice of thunderings,
and by the voice of lightnings, and by the voice of
tempests, and by the voice of earthquakes, and great hailstorms, and by the
voice of famines and pestilences of every kind, and by the great sound of a
trump, and by the voice of judgment, and by the voice of mercy all the day
long, and by the voice of glory and honor and the riches of eternal life, and
would have saved you with an everlasting salvation, but ye would not!"
(D&C 43:25).
There
seems to be no end to the Savior's desire to lead us to safety. And there is
constancy in the way He shows us the path. He calls by more than one means so
that it will reach those willing to accept it. And those means always
include sending the message by the mouths of His prophets whenever people
have qualified to have the prophets of God among them. Those authorized
servants are always charged with warning the people, telling them the way to
safety.
When tensions
ran high in northern
In our own
time, we have been warned with counsel of where to find safety from sin and
from sorrow. One of the keys to recognizing those warnings is that they
are repeated. For instance, more than once in these general
conferences, you have heard our prophet say that he would quote a preceding
prophet and would therefore be a second witness and sometimes even a third.
Each of us who has listened has heard President Kimball give counsel on the
importance of a mother in the home and then heard President Benson quote him,
and we have heard President Hinckley quote them both. The Apostle Paul wrote
that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established"
(2 Cor. 13:1). One of the ways we may know that the warning is from the
Lord is that the law of witnesses, authorized witnesses, has been invoked. When
the words of prophets seem repetitive, that should rivet our attention and fill
our hearts with gratitude to live in such a blessed time.
Looking
for the path to safety in the counsel of prophets makes sense to those with
strong faith. When
a prophet speaks, those with little faith may think that they hear only a wise
man giving good advice. Then if his counsel seems comfortable and
reasonable, squaring with what they want to do, they take it. If it
does not, they consider it either faulty advice or they see their circumstances
as justifying their being an exception to the counsel. Those
without faith may think that they hear only men seeking to exert influence for
some selfish motive. They may mock and deride, as did a man named Korihor,
with these words recorded in the Book of Mormon:
"And
thus ye lead away this people after the foolish traditions of your fathers, and
according to your own desires; and ye keep them down, even as it were in
bondage, that ye may glut yourselves with the labors of their hands, that they
durst not look up with boldness, and that they durst not enjoy their rights and
privileges" (Alma 30:27).
Korihor
was arguing, as men and women have falsely argued from the beginning of time,
that to take counsel from the servants of God is to surrender God-given rights
of independence.
But the argument is false because it misrepresents reality. When we reject the
counsel which comes from God, we do not choose to be independent of outside
influence. We choose another influence. We reject the protection of a perfectly
loving, all-powerful, all-knowing Father in Heaven, whose whole purpose, as
that of His Beloved Son, is to give us eternal life, to give us all that He
has, and to bring us home again in families to the arms of His love. In
rejecting His counsel, we choose the influence of another power, whose purpose
is to make us miserable and whose motive is hatred. We have moral agency as a
gift of God. Rather than the right to choose to be free of influence, it is the
inalienable right to submit ourselves to whichever of those powers we choose.
Another
fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of
prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its
benefits or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic
counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. It becomes more dangerous.
The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired
counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark
was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to
respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his
request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was
too late.
Every time
in my life when I have chosen to delay following inspired counsel or decided
that I was an exception, I came to know that I had put myself in harm's way. Every time
that I have listened to the counsel of prophets, felt it confirmed in prayer,
and then followed it, I have found that I moved toward safety. Along the
path, I have found that the way had been prepared for me and the rough places
made smooth. God led me to safety along a path which was prepared with loving
care, sometimes prepared long before.
The account
at the beginning of the Book of Mormon is of a prophet of God, Lehi. He was
also the leader of a family. He was warned by God to take those he loved to
safety. Lehi's experience is a type of what happens as God gives counsel
through His servants. Of Lehi's family, only those who had faith and who
themselves received confirming revelation saw both the danger and the way to
safety. For those without faith, the move into the wilderness seemed not only
foolish but dangerous. Like all prophets, Lehi, to his dying day, tried to show
his family where safety would lie for them.
He knew
that the Savior holds responsible those to whom He delegates priesthood keys. With those
keys comes the power to give counsel that will show us the way to safety. Those
with keys are responsible to warn even when their counsel might not be followed.Keys
are delegated down a line which passes from the prophet through those
responsible for ever smaller groups of members, closer and closer to families
and to individuals. That is one of the ways by which the Lord makes a stake a
place of safety. For instance, I have sat with my wife in a meeting of
parents called by our bishop, our neighbor, so that he could warn us of
spiritual dangers faced by our children.
I heard more
than the voice of my wise friend. I heard a servant of Jesus Christ, with keys,
meeting his responsibility to warn and passing to us, the parents, the
responsibility to act. When we honor the keys of that priesthood
channel by listening and giving heed, we tie ourselves to a lifeline which will
not fail us in any storm.
Our Heavenly
Father loves us. He sent His Only Begotten Son to be our Savior. He knew that
in mortality we would be in grave danger, the worst of it from the temptations
of a terrible adversary. That is one of the reasons why the Savior has provided
priesthood keys so that those with ears to hear and faith to obey could go to
places of safety.
Having
listening ears requires humility. You remember the Lord's warning to Thomas
B. Marsh. He was then the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The
Lord knew that President Marsh and his brethren of the Twelve would be tested.
He gave counsel about taking counsel. The Lord said, "Be thou humble; and
the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy
prayers" (D&C 112:10).
The Lord
added a warning that is applicable to any who follow a living prophet:
"Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph; for verily I
say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which
I have given unto him, and also to youward, shall not
be taken from him till I come" (D&C 112:15).
God offers us
counsel not just for our own safety, but for the safety of His other children,
whom we should love. There are few comforts so sweet as to know that we have
been an instrument in the hands of God in leading someone else to safety. That
blessing generally requires the faith to follow counsel when it is hard to do.
An example from Church history is that of Reddick
Newton Allred. He was one of the rescue party sent out by Brigham Young to
bring in the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. When a terrible storm hit,
Captain Grant, captain of the rescue party, decided to leave some of the wagons
by the Sweetwater River as he pressed ahead to find the handcart companies.
With the blizzards howling and the weather becoming life-threatening, two of
the men left behind at the Sweetwater decided that it was foolish to stay. They
thought that either the handcart companies had wintered over somewhere or had
perished. They decided to return to the
Reddick Allred refused to
budge. Brigham had sent them out and his priesthood leader had told him to wait
there. The others took several wagons, all filled with needed supplies, and
started back. Even more tragic, each wagon they met coming out from
In this
conference you will hear inspired counsel, for instance, to reach out to the
new members of the Church. Those with the faith of Reddick
Newton Allred will keep offering friendship even when it seems not to be needed
or to have no effect. They will persist. When some new member reaches the point
of spiritual exhaustion, they will be there offering kind words and fellowship.
They will then feel the same divine approval Brother Allred felt when he saw
those handcart pioneers struggling toward him, knowing he could offer them
safety because he had followed counsel when it was hard to do.
While the
record does not prove it, I am confident that Brother Allred prayed while he
waited. I am confident that his prayers were answered. He then knew that the
counsel to stand fast was from God. We must pray to know that. I promise you
answers to such prayers of faith.
Sometimes
we will receive counsel that we cannot understand or that seems not to apply to
us, even after careful prayer and thought. Don't discard the counsel,
but hold it close. If someone you trusted handed you what appeared to be
nothing more than sand with the promise that it contained gold, you might
wisely hold it in your hand awhile, shaking it gently. Every time I have done
that with counsel from a prophet, after a time the gold flakes have begun to
appear and I have been grateful.
We are
blessed to live in a time when the priesthood keys are on the earth. We are
blessed to know where to look and how to listen for the voice that will fulfill
the promise of the Lord that He will gather us to safety. I pray for you and
for me that we will have humble hearts, that we will listen, that we will pray,
that we will wait for the deliverance of the Lord which is sure to come as we
are faithful. I testify that God, our Heavenly Father, lives and loves us. This
is the Church of Jesus Christ. He lives and loves us. He is the head of the
Church, and He is our Savior. I testify that Gordon B. Hinckley holds all the
keys of the priesthood of God. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
President George Q.
Cannon:
There
seems to be no end to the Savior's desire to lead us to safety. And
there is constancy in the way He shows us the path. He calls by more than one
means so that it will reach those willing to accept it. And those means
always include sending the message by the mouths of His prophets whenever
people have qualified to have the prophets of God among them. Those authorized
servants are always charged with warning the people, telling them the way to
safety.
When
tensions ran high in northern
In our own
time, we have been warned with counsel of where to find safety from sin and
from sorrow. One of the keys to recognizing those warnings is that they
are repeated. For instance, more than once in these general
conferences, you have heard our prophet say that he would quote a preceding
prophet and would therefore be a second witness and sometimes even a third.
Each of us who has listened has heard President Kimball give counsel on the
importance of a mother in the home and then heard President Benson quote him,
and we have heard President Hinckley quote them both. The Apostle Paul wrote
that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be
established" (2 Cor. 13:1). One of the ways we may know that the
warning is from the Lord is that the law of witnesses, authorized witnesses,
has been invoked. When the words of prophets seem repetitive, that
should rivet our attention and fill our hearts with gratitude to live in such a
blessed time.
Binding
Satan in homes, By the Saints refusing to be led by the influences of
Satan and not yielding to his seductive temptations, he is virtually bound so
far as they are concerned; and, when the head of the family can attain unto
this power and persuade his wife and family to do likewise, the power of Satan
will be bound in that habitation, and the Millennium will have commenced in
that household; and, if all should take this course, man and the earth would
soon be prepared for the coming of Jesus and the ushering in of the full
millennial glory and the complete binding of Satan, all of which glory they
would already have a foretaste. (July 17, 1863, MS 26:514)
(George Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth:
Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon, selected, arranged,
and edited by Jerreld L. Newquist
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1987], 69.)
Doctrinal Teachings in Nauvoo
April 15, 2004
Doctrinal Development of the Church During
the Nauvoo Sojourn, 1839-1846
by T. Edgar Lyon , BYU Studies, vol. 15
(1974-1975), Number 4 - Summer 1975
Those
familiar with the history of the rise and expansion of the latter-day
restoration movement are aware that Joseph Smith's life from the early 1820s
until the settlement at Nauvoo was characterized by frequent movings, economic disasters, mob violence, and in
1838-1839, the expulsion of most of the members of the Church from Missouri.
The five year period during which Joseph Smith resided at Nauvoo was different.
It is true that on three different occasions attempts were made either to
kidnap and transport him to
Another
reason for his assurance of safety was the fact that the Nauvoo Charter had set
up an independent body of militia, with compulsory enrollment provided for all
able-bodied men within the commonly accepted ages of military service. This
body, with detachments located in outlying communities and across the river in
It
must be remembered that although Nauvoo had been divided into wards, and the
number increased as the city grew, there were no plans to construct what we
presently know as ward meetinghouses or chapels. The "regular"
meetings were outdoor, city-wide affairs. The Nauvoo wards were essentially
ecclesiastical units of the city for organizing Church economics, settling
local disputes, and caring for the needy. During inclement weather some of the
bishops arranged to hold sacrament and testimony meetings in school rooms,
public buildings, or large houses where the ward members could meet, but these
were substitutes for the large city-wide public services which convened out of
doors much of the year. Though these large meetings were usually designated as
having been held in "The Grove," a number of open-air gathering
places were used in Nauvoo, and the site shifted as the city grew, or the
vicissitudes of the weather demanded.
By
1840 these meetings had become quite regular occurrences and were continued
until the fall of 1845 when the lower floor of the temple had been sufficiently
finished to allow meetings indoors, although on temporary seating. The Saints
in the city, those on the Iowa side of the Mississippi, and those residing a
few miles outside of Nauvoo, knew that unless the weather was very threatening,
or it was extremely cold, a preaching meeting would convene about 10:00 A.M.
each Sunday morning somewhere in Nauvoo, usually in the vicinity of the Nauvoo
Temple. And from what soon became an established custom, the probability was
high that Joseph Smith would be one of the speakers, if not the only one. What
more capable or better preacher could they find in the Church than the Prophet
who had been responsible for the restoration of the gospel? This situation of a
large body of people, eager to be fed spiritual teachings, must have stimulated
Joseph Smith to satisfy their longings.
A
survey of the sermons preached by Joseph Smith at Nauvoo and some neighboring
communities, as well as articles and epistles he sent to the Saints, indicates
he made great use of the body of new scriptures he had made available to the
Church. If we review his sermons and writings, we might figuratively say that
he took a huge canvas and on it, as would a master artist, painted a panorama
of the pre-mortal life of man and his progress to a mortal existence, in which
his preexisting spirit was clothed in a mortal body. Then he presented glimpses
of the disembodied state following death, the re-embodiment of the spirit and
body through the resurrection, and the various estates attained in the degrees
of exaltation or damnation. Up to the Nauvoo period, these gradations or phases
of life in the totality of eternal existence had never been clearly defined. As
the Prophet undertook to delineate relationships between these on-going phases
of life into a coherent pattern, he refined LDS theology in several key areas:
(1) Concepts of God and Man, (2) Man in the World, (3) Salvation for the Dead,
(4) Eternal Nature of Priesthood Covenants, (5) Temple Ordinances for the
Living, (6) Celestial and Plural Marriage, and (7) Eternal Progression. He also
prepared the Wentworth Letter from which we have the Articles of Faith. All
these doctrines were not presented at once, but came as the Saints proved they
could accept and try to live them.
The Concepts of God
and Man
The
Lectures on Faith, published in the forepart of the 1835 edition of the
Doctrine and Convenants, stated that there were two
members of the Godhead, the Father and the Son.
The Father was defined as a personage of Spirit, and the Son as a
personage of Tabernacle. The Lectures also stated the Father and Son possessed
the same mind, and this mind was the Holy Ghost.
During
the years between its publication in 1835 and the settlement of the Saints at
Nauvoo, there had been some speculation concerning this statement among the
Saints, especially after the publication of Joseph Smith's dictated account of
the First Vision. At a conference held at Ramus,
The
Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's; the Son also; but
the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit.
Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us. (D&C 130:22)
After
Joseph Smith's death, this later teaching was incorporated in the Doctrine and Convenants and became a foundation of Mormon
theology. It marks a permanent theological landmark in the development
of the doctrine of the Godhead among Latter-day Saints and in time contributed
to the deletion of the Lectures on Faith from the Doctrine and Convenants. This doctrine has done much to clarify the
understanding of the Saints and their relationships to their Eternal Father.
This
relationship needed to be clearly understood because the great majority of the
converts to the Church during the lifetime of Joseph Smith had been reared as
Episcopalians, Methodists, Roman Catholics, Congregationalists, Baptists,
members of the Reformed churches, "Campbellites"
(reformed Baptists or Disciples of Christ), members of the Society of Friends
(Quakers), as Unitarians, or Universalists. With the exception of the latter
three, and the Methodists, all of them predicated their doctrines of salvation
on one or more variations of predestination by God. The Episcopalians and Roman
Catholics taught a less stringent version of predestination which upheld God's
power to save or damn, but conceded that it was not an unchanging absolute.
They believed God could change his earlier decision if something in the way a
person lived had shown the first decree would have been unjust. The Calvinistic
bodies of the day (Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, and the
Reformed churches) accepted a doctrine of absolute predestination. Regardless
of which of these absolute predestinarian doctrines
one believed there was little a mortal could do to change the decree which God
had already made for the elect. The Methodists alone maintained that man
enjoyed a freedom of the will which would base salvation on personal
righteousness.
In
revelations to Joseph Smith, the Lord had stressed the importance of man's free
will in accepting the salvation offered by the Savior. However, it was
inevitable that converts would bring with them into the Church some of their
former doctrines and that these would survive in their minds and color their
thinking about salvation. At Nauvoo Joseph Smith preached sermons in which he
gave a new dimension to the concept of man which apostate Christianity had lost
. These sermons had their roots in the doctrine of preexistence. Very little
had been written or printed on this subject in the first decade of the
existence of the Church. While the Bible
and Book of Mormon have accounts which are now used to support the doctrine of
a pre-earthly existence, little use was made of these verses by the Saints
prior to the Nauvoo period.
The
Book of Moses, which was further augmented by the teachings of the Book of
Abraham, provided Joseph Smith with material by which he interpreted the
relationship of mortals to God as one of true kinship. He taught that God the
Father had created an eternal spirit which inhabited the body of every mortal
on earth. Thus, we are actually children of God in a literal sense, being
offspring of Deity. Hence, we have inherited from our creator-parent some of
his capacities, just as we inherited certain characteristics from our earthly
parents. Joseph Smith would not believe that a loving, just, and fair God would
place his children on earth in a mortal body that was depraved and often damned
before birth. Nor would he believe that God would have created spirit children
and then damned them for eternity. No mortal parent would be so unjust. He
rejected completely the timeworn errors of Christianity concerning mortal
beings and their destiny.
Instead
of teaching that man's nature was inclined toward anti-godly behavior, Joseph
Smith taught that mortals could identify themselves as spirit children of a God
who loved them and that they had the potential to become like their eternal
parent. If they failed in this, it would be because of their own evil choices,
whether by their willful disobedience of God's law, ignorance, or
rebelliousness toward law and order.
Man in the World
Joseph
Smith also clarified man's relationship to "worldly" activities
during this period. Orthodox Protestantism in the 1830s and 40s condemned and
forbade what were described as "worldly entertainments": dancing,
operas, the theatre, girls playing with dolls, playing certain musical
instruments, celebrating Christmas, and participating in similar recreational
activities. The Prophet succeeded in changing the views of many of his
followers who had been reared on such teachings. At Nauvoo we read of the
Saints attending dinner-dances, participating in stage plays, singing Christmas
carols, and playing in bands and orchestras. The Prophet taught that such
things were not inherently evil. They were evil when an evil use was made of
them. This released the Saints from old mores and gave them a new sense of
freedom. It opened new avenues for finding refreshing diversion in activities
many had been taught were the works of Satan. This made them identify
themselves as children of God in reality, and feel a close kinship with their
Eternal Father.
Salvation for the Dead
In
the fall of 1840, Joseph Smith taught the doctrine of salvation for the
dead. D&C 124 of the Doctrine and Convenants,
dated 19 January 1841, introduced the first scripture concerning this outreach
of mortals to assist in making exaltation a possibility for their departed
ancestors (see verses 27-33). The first step in this process consisted of a
proxy baptism for their departed forebears. Such baptisms for the dead were at
first performed in the
Later
a second step in the salvation for the dead consisted of the endowment ceremony
being done through a living proxy. Due to the short period of time the Saints
remained at Nauvoo after the endowment ceremonies were available in the temple,
few if any complete ordinances for the dead were performed at that time, there
being too many living people who desired these blessings. Some marriages of the
dead for eternity were performed and other sealings accomplished, but this
phase of temple work was little more than introduced to the Saints at Nauvoo.
The Eternity of
Priesthood Covenants
The
enduring power of the Melchizedek Priesthood ordinances was not realized by
many in the early days of the Church. Joseph Smith interpreted this power to be
much stronger and more enduring than a setting apart to office or an assignment
in the Church. In D&C 84:38-40 it is stated that there is an oath and a
covenant of the priesthood which God the Father cannot break. This was
interpreted to mean that apostasy and even excommunication could not destroy
the validity of such covenants. The blessings thereof can be lost and the
priesthood authority made inoperative through Church discipline, but the
priesthood itself is never obliterated. As a result, one who has received the
Melchizedek Priesthood and is excommunicated, upon returning to the Church is
not reordained to that priesthood, nor are endowments
redone, neither is the marriage sealing repeated. These, then, by authority of
the President of the Church, or through a member of the Council of the Twelve,
are restored to the repentant member.
During
the early period of use of the
And
verily I say unto you, Let this house be built unto my name, that I may reveal
mine ordinances therein unto my people;
For
I deign to reveal unto my church, things which have been kept hid from before
the foundations of the world, things that pertain to the dispensation of the
fullness of times;
And
I will show unto my servant Joseph all things pertaining to this house, and the
Priesthood thereof, and the place where it shall be built.
According
to these verses the Lord would give the Saints priesthood ordinances and
blessings which had not been given in any prior dispensations because they
". . . pertain to the dispensation of the fullness of times." This
promise must have served as the motivating force which encouraged the Saints to
sacrifice their scanty means to further the construction of the
Before
the temple was completed, Joseph Smith introduced the endowment ceremony to a
select group on the second floor of his brick store in Nauvoo in May 1842. From
then until near the close of his life, small groups of men and women were given
their endowments at various places in Nauvoo. By late November 1845, the upper
floor of the temple was nearing completion. Church records indicate as soon as
the plasterers and painters had completed the attic story, the leading brethren
and their wives provided drapes for the windows and installed canvas curtains
which divided the main hall of the top floor into four rooms. The front part of
the floor provided space for the dressing and washing and anointing rooms. The
floors were covered with borrowed carpets which townspeople gladly supplied.
The walls were decorated with borrowed painted portraits, landscapes, and
mirrors. Potted plants and shrubs were hauled in the freezing weather from
homes of the Saints to beautify the House of the Lord, thus creating a setting
of tranquility and beauty for the rites of the temple. The Saints had been
raising them in their houses after the cold weather set in.
On
11 December 1845, the first group of Saints participated in the endowment
ceremonies in the temple. As soon as a sufficient number had been trained to
conduct this work, sessions were held around the clock. The smallness of the
quarters and the arrangement of the exits and entrances made it impossible for
a second group to use the facilities until those of the first group had
completed their rites. the endowment ceremonies taught the participants the
meaning of the telestial, terrestrial, and celestial glories, as well as the
blessings and obligations required of those who aspire to the highest degree of
glory.
Following
the endowment ceremonies many husbands and wives were sealed for eternity. Some
whose spouses had died were sealed to their deceased companions. Many plural
wives were sealed to their husbands. The plural wives of Joseph Smith were
given a temple sealing which had been impossible at the time he had married
them. But a great number of sealings were
not done at that time because of space limitations and the demand for the
officiators to give endowments to the living. Likewise most of the sealing of
children to parents was postponed to a later date, much of it being done in the
Endowment House in
Celestial and Plural
Marriage
As
far back as 1832, according to Orson Pratt, Joseph Smith had told some of the
brethren at Kirtland that in time plural marriage would become part of the
doctrine and practice of the Church, because it was part of the restoration of
the fullness of the gospel which had been promised, embracing the covenants God
had made with Abraham.
Eternal Progression
A
corollary of the doctrines of free will and preexistence is found in the teachings
of Joseph Smith which extended these doctrines into the realm of mortals having
a potential to become gods. The Book of Abraham--the small new volume of
scripture published by Joseph Smith at Nauvoo--showed how Abraham in the
pre-mortal state had used his free will and intelligence to make him a great
figure in the eyes of God. He had been chosen to become a great figure in
mortality. This choosing was not a predestination, but a foreordination based
on the right choices he made before coming to earth, and his wisely making the
same choice of good during mortality.
The
sealings and blessings of the endowment ceremony, coupled with the doctrine of
marriage for time and eternity, including plural marriage, augmented by
examples of great prophets such as Abraham, who had used their free agency
wisely in the preexistence, formed the basis upon which Joseph Smith taught the
doctrine of eternal progression. Through their God-given potential which the
people on earth inherit from the Divine Father, it can become possible for some
resurrected and exalted mortals to achieve the full potential of their divine
inheritance and progress toward godhood. This would, of course, be a long and
slow process whereby the married partners acquire the intelligence necessary to
undertake and fulfill the responsibilities to become creators as the Eternal
Father and the Son. It was in the"King Follett
Discourse" given at the April Conference of the Church in 1844, at Nauvoo
that the Prophet first described this ultimate potential of human beings.
The Articles of Faith
In
the spring of 1842, Joseph Smith presented the first printed Articles of Faith.
At the request of John Wentworth, a
Summary
When
the Saints settled at Nauvoo in the spring of 1839, the organization and
doctrines of the Church had made little progress beyond what had been taught at
It
was the same Church organization which had been effected on 6 April 1830, but
its outlook and visions of eternal worlds had given new and exciting meaning to
the understanding of those who believed in their inspired Church leadership.
This was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which President
Brigham Young was to lead to the West, where the teachings of Joseph Smith
could be perpetuated.
Dr.
Lyon is associate director of the LDS Institute of Religion at the
Discourses
on the Holy Ghost and Lectures on Faith, Lecture 5, ed. N. B. Lundwall (Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1959), pp. 134-41.
See
Jonathan Edwards' "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," as an
example of apostate Christianity's view of man in the eyes of God.
Parley
P. Pratt's Voice of Warning, the earliest and most widely circulated booklet of
the early years of the Church's existence, which explains the teachings of the
Bruce
R. McConkie, s.v. "Restoration of Former
Blessings,” Mormon Doctrine (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1958), p. 570.
Dean
C. Jessee, "The Kirtland Diary of Wilford
Woodruff," BYU Studie 12 (Summer 1972) :365-99.
See
record in "Nauvoo Temple Sealings, Book A," Church Historical
Department .
Orson
Pratt, "Discourse on Celestial Marriage," in The Bible and Polygamy
(Salt Lake City: Deseret News Steam Printing Establishment, 1877), p. 81.
Affidavits
of Joseph Bates Noble, Church Historical Department. See also B. H. Roberts, A
Comprehensive History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
(Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1965 ), 2:101-02.
See
an account of Heber C. Kimball's first contacts with polygamy in Stanley B.
Kimball, "Heber C. Kimball and Family, The Nauvoo Years," in this
issue of BYU Studies.
T.
Edgar Lyon, "Orson Pratt--Early
Mormon Leader," (Master's
diss., University of Chicago, 1932), pp. 34-42. See also Brigham Young's
Journal, 8 and 20 August 1842.
See
Roberts, Comprehensive History 2:103-05 and 6:55-58.
Joseph
Smith, Jr., History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ed. B.
H. Roberts (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1971), 6:302-17. This sermon was
deleted from the original printing of 1912, after the book had been printed. It
was reinserted when these volumes were reproduced in the l950s by photo-offset
printing.
BYU Studies, Volume
15--1974-1975
Nauvoo
–
Hunger
and Thirst after righteousness
(3 Nephi
12:6.)
6 And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after
righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Living
by EVERY word of God
The
Lord will say you are exalted. After the
Lord has proven him thoroughly, that they are determined to serve God at all
HAZARDS, and then he will have his calling and election made sure.
Joseph
Smith on the Doctrine of
Calling and Election Made Sure
The Following are extracted from Sermons
given by the Prophet Joseph Smith
Concerning the Doctrine of Calling and Election Made Sure
The Prophet's Instruction on Various
Doctrines
History of the Church, 3:379-381
THE DOCTRINE
OF ELECTION.
"13. In
whom ye also trusted, that after ye heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your
salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise,
"14.
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of His glory, that we may be sealed up unto the day
of redemption."--Ephesians, 1st chapter.
This
principle ought (in its proper place) to be taught, for God hath not revealed
anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the
least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them, for the day
must come when no man need say to his neighbor, Know ye the Lord; for all shall
know Him (who remain) from the least to the greatest. How is this to be done?
It is to be done by this sealing power, and the other Comforter spoken of,
which will be manifest by revelation.
There are two
Comforters spoken of. One is the Holy Ghost, the same as given on the day of
Pentecost, and that all Saints receive after faith, repentance, and baptism.
This first Comforter or Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence.
It is more powerful in expanding the mind, enlightening the understanding, and
storing the intellect with present knowledge, of a man who is of the literal
seed of Abraham, than one that is a Gentile, though it may not have half as
much visible effect upon the body; for as the Holy Ghost falls upon one of the
literal seed of Abraham, it is calm and serene; and his whole soul and body are
only exercised by the pure spirit of intelligence; while the effect of the Holy
Ghost upon a Gentile, is to purge out the old blood, and make him actually of
the seed of Abraham. That man that has none of the blood of Abraham (naturally)
must have a new creation by the Holy Ghost. In such a case, there may be more
of a powerful effect upon the body, and visible to the eye, than upon an
Israelite, while the Israelite at first might be far before the Gentile in pure
intelligence.
The other
Comforter spoken of is a subject of great interest, and perhaps understood by
few of this generation. After a person has faith in Christ, repents of his
sins, and is baptized for the remission of his sins and receives the Holy
Ghost, (by the laying on of hands), which is the first Comforter, then let him
continue to humble himself before God, hungering and thirsting after
righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord will soon say unto
him, Son, thou shalt be exalted. When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and
finds that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will
find his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to
receive the other Comforter, which the Lord hath promised the Saints, as is
recorded in the testimony of St. John, in the 14th chapter, from the 12th to
the 27th verses. . . .
Now what is
this other Comforter? It is no more nor less that the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any
man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to
attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the
Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of
the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face,
and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and
this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at when they had such
glorious visions--Isaiah, Ezekiel, John upon the Isle of Patmos, St. Paul in
the three heavens, and all the Saints who held communion with the general
assembly and Church of the First Born.
Salvation
Through Knowledge
May 14, 1843
History of the Church, 5:387
It is not
wisdom that we should have all knowledge at once presented before us; but that
we should have a little at a time; then we can comprehend it. President Smith
then read the 2nd Epistle of Peter, 1st chapter, 16th to last verses, and dwelt
upon the 19th verse with some remarks.
Add to
your faith knowledge, &c. The principle of knowledge is the principle of
salvation. This principle can be comprehended by the faithful and diligent; and
every one that does not obtain knowledge sufficient to be saved will be
condemned. The principle of salvation is given us through the knowledge of
Jesus Christ.
Salvation
is nothing more nor less than to triumph over all our enemies and put them
under our feet. And when we have power to put all enemies under our feet in
this world, and a knowledge to triumph over all evil spirits in the world to
come, then we are saved, as in the case of Jesus, who was to reign until He had
put all enemies under His feet, and the last enemy was death.
Perhaps
there are principles here that few men have thought of. No person can have this
salvation except through a tabernacle.
Now, in
this world, mankind are naturally selfish, ambitious and striving to excel one
above another; yet some are willing to build up others as well as themselves.
So in the other world there are a variety of spirits. Some seek to excel. And
this was the case with Lucifer when he fell. He sought for things which were
unlawful. Hence he was sent down, and it is said he drew many away with him;
and the greatness of his punishment is that he shall not have a tabernacle.
This is his punishment. So the devil, thinking to thwart the decree of God, by
going up and down in the earth, seeking whom he may destroy --any person that
he can find that will yield to him, he will bind him, and take possession of
the body and reign there, glorying in it mightily, not caring that he had got
merely a stolen body; and by-and-by some one having authority will come along
and cast him out and restore the tabernacle to its rightful owner. The devil
steals a tabernacle because he has not one of his own: but if he steals one, he
is always liable to be turned out of doors.
Now, there
is some grand secret here, and keys to unlock the subject. Notwithstanding the
apostle exhorts them to add to their faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance,
&c., yet he exhorts them to make their calling and election sure. And
though they had heard an audible voice from heaven bearing testimony that Jesus
was the Son of God, yet he says we have a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto
ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light shining in a dark place. Now,
wherein could they have a more sure word of prophecy than to hear the voice of
God saying, This is my beloved Son, &c.
Now for
the secret and grand key, Though they might hear the voice of God and know that
Jesus was the Son of God, this would be no evidence that their election and
calling was made sure, that they had part with Christ, and were joint heirs
with Him. They then would want that more sure word of prophecy, that they were
sealed in the heavens and had the promise of eternal life in the
Compare
this principle once with Christendom at the present day, and where are they,
with all their boasted religion, piety and sacredness while at the same time
they are crying out against prophets, apostles, angels, revelations,
prophesying and visions, &c. Why, they are just ripening for the damnation
of hell. They will be damned, for they reject the most glorious principle of
the Gospel of Jesus Christ and treat with disdain and trample under foot the
key that unlocks the heavens and puts in our possession the glories of the
celestial world. Yes, I say, such will be damned, with all their professed
godliness. Then I would exhort you to go on and continue to call upon God until
you make your calling and election sure for yourselves, by obtaining this more
sure word of prophecy, and wait patiently for the promise until you obtain it,
&c.
Remarks of
the Prophet at Ramus--
Lives that are Hid with God in Christ--Importance of the Eternity of the
Marriage Covenant
May 16, 1843
History of the Church, 5:391-392; cf. D&C 131
Your life
is hid with Christ in God, and so are many others. Nothing but the unpardonable
sin can prevent you from inheriting eternal life for you are sealed up by the
power of the Priesthood unto eternal life, having taken the step necessary for
that purpose
Except a
man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for
eternity, while in this probation, by the power and authority of the Holy
Priesthood, they will cease to increase when they die; that is, they will not
have any children after the resurrection. But those who are married by the
power and authority of the priesthood in this life, and continue without
committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, will continue to increase and have children
in the celestial glory. The unpardonable sin is to shed innocent blood, or be
accessory thereto. All other sins will be visited with judgment in the flesh,
and the spirit being delivered to the buffetings of Satan until the day of the
Lord Jesus. The way I know in whom to confide--God tells me in whom I may place
confidence.
In the
celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; and in order to obtain the
highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood, [meaning the new
and everlasting covenant of marriage;] and if he does not, he cannot obtain it.
He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom: he cannot have
an increase."
Items of
Doctrine by the Prophet
May 17, 1843
History of the Church, Vol.5, Ch.20, p.392
At ten a.
m. preached from 2nd Peter, 1st chapter and showed that knowledge is power; and
the man who has the most knowledge has the greatest power.
Salvation
means a man's being placed beyond the power of all his enemies.
The more
sure word of prophecy means a man's knowing that he is sealed up into eternal
life by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the holy
priesthood. It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.
Paul saw
the third heavens, and I more. Peter penned the most sublime language of any of
the apostles.
We
are tested to prove our LOYALTY to God.
Are we willing to SUBMIT to His will?
This shows an absence of pride.
N.
Eldon Tanner, former member of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency,
once said: "It has ever been so; the chosen of the Lord must serve an
apprenticeship in suffering even as Job, Paul, and Christ himself. (The Improvement Era, Aug.
1961, p.572).
To a gathering of priesthood brethren,
President Cannon declared: "We have got to be watchful, for I tell you God
has sent us here to test us and to prove us. We were true in keeping our first
estate. The people that are here today stood loyally by God and by Jesus, and
they did not flinch. If you had flinched then, you would not be here with the
Priesthood upon you. The evidence that you were loyal, that you were true and
that you did not waver is to be found in the fact that you have received the
Gospel and the everlasting Priesthood.
"Now you are in your second estate, and
you are going to be tested again. Will you be true and loyal to God with the
curtain drawn between you and Him, shut out from His presence, and in the midst
of darkness and temptation, with Satan and his invisible hosts all around you,
bringing all manner of evil influences to bear upon you? The men and the women
that will be loyal under these circumstances God will exalt, because it will be
the highest test to which they can be subjected" (Gospel Truth, 1:7).
Bruce gave
these quotes in a Gospel Doctrine lesson about the Book of Job:
The
Book of Job
The story
of Job is a test of loyalty. The book of Job "narrates the afflictions
that befell a righteous man, and discusses the moral problem such sufferings
present" (LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 713). The main moral question raised in
the Book of Job is what is the cause of suffering. "The book of Job does
not entirely answer the question as to why Job (or any human) might suffer pain
and the loss of his goods. It does make it clear that affliction is not
necessarily evidence that one has sinned. The book suggests that affliction, if
not for punishment, may be for experience, discipline, and instruction"
(LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 714).
Elder Jeffery
R. Holland explained further: "In short, without opposites and
alternatives, 'there would have been no purpose in the . . . creation [o human
life].' (2 Nephi 2:12) All experiences in time and eternity would have been
common, lifeless, indistinguishable-- 'a compound in one.' (2 Nephi 2:11) At
the end of this sequence would be the worst realization of all. There could be
no happiness because there was no sorrow, and there could be no righteousness
because there was no sin. But fortunately, there are happiness, righteousness,
eternal life, and God, even as Lehi stresses that those blessings come only at
the risk of confronting misery, wickedness, death, and the devil. . . . So Adam
and Eve willingly made a choice, choosing the path toward growth and godhood
inherent in the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil over the
potentially meaningless (at least at that point in their development) tree of
life."
Elder
And now note
this: "Adam and Eve--and
we-- knowingly and lovingly absolved
God of the responsibility for the 'thorns and thistles' of a fallen world that
was personally chosen by us, not capriciously imposed by him. We
wanted the chance to become like our heavenly parents, to face suffering and
overcome it, to endure sorrow and still live rejoicingly, to confront good and
evil and be strong enough to choose the good. In this telestial, mortal world
filled with competing voices, enticements, and experiences, we get a lifetime
of opportunity to refine and strengthen these virtues" (Christ and the New Covenant,
Salt Lake City: Deseret, 1997, pp. 202-204; emphasis added).
Harold B. Lee
once observed: "As I have labored among the brethren here and have studied
the history of past dispensations, I have become aware that the Lord has given
tests all down through time as to this matter of loyalty to the leadership of
the Church. I go back into the scriptures and follow along in such stories as
David's loyalty when the king was trying to take his life. He wouldn't defile
the anointed of the Lord even when he could have taken his life. I have
listened to the classic stories in this dispensation about how Brigham Young
was tested, how Heber C. Kimball was tested, John Taylor and Willard Richards
in Carthage Jail, Zion's Camp that received a great test, and from that number
were chosen the first General Authorities in this dispensation. There were
others who didn't pass the test of loyalty, and they fell from their
places" (Conference Report, April 1950, p.101).
Tithing is
one of these tests. Speaking of this, President Stephen L. Richards, former
member of the Quorum of the Twelve and First Presidency, stated: "I feel
certain that it is not only the test, the acid test, of true loyalty and
devotion, but that it is likewise the greatest of the developers of true
spiritual allegiance. It has been said that you can tell what a man thinks of a
cause by the way he puts his money into it. Talk is cheap. It has never caused
any particular wear and tear upon the jaw and they say that the tongue is the
only organ of the body that never gives out, so that all our protestations by
word of mouth are easily given, but when a man puts his hand down in his pocket
and takes out the hard-earned money that comes from his labor, and devotes that
to the establishment of a cause, you know without further evidence that he is
sincere" (quoted in Marion G. Romney, Look
to God and Live.
D&C
112:23-26 – Thomas B. Marsh was given a warning, the earth will be cleansed
before the coming of the Son of Man, and it will start with the righteous
saints.
(Doctrine
and Covenants 112:23-26.)
23 Verily,
verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth,
and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt
before my face.
24 Behold,
vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a
day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation;
and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the
Lord.
25 And upon
my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord;
26 First
among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and
have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house,
saith the Lord.
Section 112
Section 112 is another
revelation to a priesthood president. It might be well to consider it in two
lights: as counsel to a quorum president, and as instruction about the Quorum
of the Twelve and First Presidency.
Verses 1-13 Counsel to
a quorum president
15-19, 30-34 The Twelve in relation to the
First Presidency
20 Universal counsel about the teachings of
the First Presidency
21-26 Conditions in the world and where the
judgments will begin
In order to appreciate
and fully understand this revelation it is necessary to understand the
background. Members of the Church had established "a bank in real
estate," the Kirtland Safety Society. Elder George A. Smith stated
concerning it: "If they had followed the counsel of Joseph, there is not a
doubt it would have been the leading bank in
At this time the
spirit of speculation in lands and property of all kinds, which was so
prevalent throughout the nation, was taking root in the Church. As the fruits
of this spirit, evil surmising, fault-finding, disunion, dissension, and
apostasy followed in quick succession, and it seemed as though all the powers
of earth and hell were combining their influence in an especial manner to over
throw the Church at once, and make a final end. . . .
No quorum in the
Church was entirely exempt from the influence of those false spirits who were
striving against me for the mastery; even some of the Twelve were so far lost
to their high and responsible calling as to begin to take sides, secretly, with
the enemy. In this state of things, and but a few weeks before the Twelve were
expecting to meet in full quorum, (some of them having been absent for some
time), God revealed to me that something must be done for the salvation of His
Church. And on or about the first of June, 1837, Heber C. Kimball, one of the
Twelve, was set apart by the spirit of prophecy and revelation, prayer and
laying on of hands, of the First Presidency, to Preside over a mission to
Elder Boyd K. Packer,
in pointing out how at times the inspiration of the Lord "may either
ignore or contravene the so-called facts concerning an issue," gave as an
illustration this statement.
You remember at the
time of Kirtland when the Prophet Joseph Smith was beleaguered on every side.
He was harassed by those who should have supported him. In an incredible move
he called around him those who were secure to him and whom he trusted and those
who might have given him some protection and sent them away on missions to foreign
lands. It was a move that certainly was not reasonable, and yet as the pages of
history unfolded and the apostates had their day and left the Church, hundreds
and thousands and tens of thousands of converts came forth to fill the ranks
that had been abandoned by those who would not listen to the voice of the
Prophet." fn
President Harold B.
Lee spoke of the fruits of that same inspiration as follows:
In one year, 1840 to
1841—one year and fourteen days, to be exact—nine members of the Quorum of the
Twelve were called to labor in the British Mission. If you remember the history
here at home, those years marked the period of some of the severest persecution
that the Church was to undergo in this dispensation. In that one year and
fourteen days the nine members of the twelve, with their associates,
established churches in every noted town and city in the
While Elder Heber C.
Kimball was on his mission in
(Robert
L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson, eds., Studies in Scripture, Vol. 1: The
Doctrine and Covenants [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], 413.)
D&C
101:4-5 & President John Taylor’s quote:
I speak of these things to show how men are
to be tried. I heard Joseph Smith say—and I presume Brother Snow heard him
also—in preaching to the Twelve in Nauvoo, that the Lord would get hold of
their heart strings and wrench them, and that they would have to be tried as
Abraham was tried. Well, some of the Twelve could not stand it. They faltered
and fell by the way. It was not everybody that could stand what Abraham stood.
And Joseph said that if God had known any other way whereby he could have
touched Abraham's feelings more acutely and more keenly he would have done so.
It was not only his parental feelings that were touched. There was something
else besides. He had the promise that in him and in his seed all the nations of
the earth should be blessed; that his seed should be multiplied as the stars of
the heaven and as the sand upon the sea shore. He had looked forward through
the vista of future ages and seen, by the spirit of revelation, myriads of his
people rise up through whom God would convey intelligence, light and salvation
to a world. But in being called upon to sacrifice his son it seemed as though
all his prospects pertaining to posterity were to come to naught. But he had
faith in God, and he fulfilled the thing that was required of him. Yet we cannot
conceive of anything that could be more trying and more perplexing than the
position in which he was placed.
(Journal
of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1854-1886],
24: 264 - 265.)
Genesis
22:1-2 – Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac, the Lord commanded Abraham to
perform a burnt offering, read Leviticus 1:5-13 of what that entailed. It wasn’t a simple death of Isaac to fulfill
the Lord’s command. This was a wrenching
of Abraham’s heart.
If
I am not ready for the tests before me, then I am not ready for the millennium
or the highest degree of the celestial kingdom.
Joseph
warns the 12 of their individual tests, that the Lord is doing it for their own
good.
The
tests become more severe the higher the doctrine and ordinances are.
D&C
76:50-70 – These verses are describing the highest degree in the celestial
kingdom; perhaps Joseph didn’t know this until D&C 131. Heaven is graded, where do you want to go?
D&C
124:25-28, 37-39 – The fulness of the priesthood are temple ordinances. You need further ordinances to move up the
ladder in the celestial kingdom. Baptism
and the Gift of the Holy Ghost only get you into the front door.
The
Red Brick store was used for the washing and anointing and the endowment (upper
floor) the 2nd most sacred site next to the temple in Nauvoo.
Inauguration of
Endowment Ceremonies.
Wednesday, 4.—I spent the day in the
upper part of the store, that is in my private office (so called because in
that room I keep my sacred writings, translate ancient records, and receive
revelations) and in my general business office, or lodge room (that is where
the Masonic fraternity meet occasionally, for want of a better place) in
council with General James Adams, of Springfield, Patriarch Hyrum Smith,
Bishops Newel K. Whitney and George Miller, and President Brigham Young and
Elders Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards, instructing them in the
principles and order of the Priesthood, attending to washings, anointings,
endowments and the communication of keys pertaining to the Aaronic Priesthood,
and so on to the highest order of the Melchisedek
Priesthood, setting forth the order pertaining to the Ancient of Days, and all
those plans and principles by which any one is enabled to secure the fullness
of those blessings which have been prepared for the Church of the First Born,
and come up and abide in the presence of the Eloheim in the eternal worlds. In
this council was instituted the ancient order of things for the first time in
these last days. And the communications I made to this council were of things
spiritual, and to be received only by the I spiritual minded: and there was
nothing made known to these men but what will be made known to all the Saints
of the last days, so soon as they are prepared to receive, and a proper place
is prepared to communicate them, even to the weakest of the Saints; therefore
let the Saints be diligent in building the Temple, and all houses which they
have been, or shall hereafter be, commanded of God to build; and wait their
time with patience in all meekness, faith, perseverance unto the end, knowing
assuredly that all these things referred to in this council are always governed
by the principle of revelation.fn
Thursday, 5.—General Adams started
for
(Joseph
Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7
vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts [Salt Lake City: The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951], 5: 1 - 2.)
What
was given to Adam in Adam ondi Ahman was restored in the Red Brick store on May
4, 1842? This was the 1st
time the ordinances were given in this generation. The
9
receive their endowment but 2 apostatized and were involved in the martyrdom in
1844. The wives of these brethren
received their endowments soon after.
Elden Jay Watson, ed., Manuscript
History of Brigham Young, 1801-1844 (Salt Lake City: Smith Secretarial
Service, 1968), p. 116. HC 5:1-2 omits William Law and Willima Marks from the list of men, which is in error as
shown in the following sources: Heber C. Kimball 1840-1845 Journal, before the
1845 entries in a passage in a section titled "Strange Events":
"June [sic] 1842 I was aniciated into the
ancient order was washed and annointed and Sealled and ordained a Preast,
and Soforth in company with nine others. Vis Josept Smith Hiram Smith Wm Law Wm Law Marks Judge Adams,
Brigham Young, Willard Richards, George Miller-N K Whitney," and in Heber
C. Kimball 1845-1846 Journal (21 December 1845), p. 159: "About 4 years
ago next May [i.e., May 1842] nine persons were admitted into the Holy order 5
are now living--B. Young--W. Richards George Miller N. K. Whitney & H. C.
Kimball two are dead [James Adams and Hyrum Smith], and two are worse than dead
[the apostatized William Law and William Marks]." HC 5"1-2
also errs in stating that in May 1842 these men obtained "the hightest order of the Melchisedek
Priesthood." This particular entry was not a quote from Joseph Smith's
journal, which was not begun in the 1842 period until December 1842; the
published HC entry appears instead to have been a reconstruction of the
May 1842 event by the Church Historian several years later. It is clear from
the organization of the Quorum of the Anointed on
(Latter-Day
Saint Prayer Circles Fn by D. Michael Quinn Fn, BYU Studies, vol. 19
(1978-1979), Number 1 - Fall 1978 105.)
Concerning Brother
James Adams, it should appear strange that so good and so great a man was
hated. The deceased ought never to have had an enemy. But so it was. Wherever
light shone, it stirred up darkness. Truth and error, good and evil cannot be
reconciled. Judge Adams had some enemies, but such a man ought not to have had
one. I saw him first at
Flesh and blood cannot go there; but flesh and
bones, quickened by the Spirit of God, can.
If we would be sober and watch in fasting and
prayer, God would turn away sickness from our midst.
Hasten the work in the
—DHC 6:50-52.
(Joseph
Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, selected and arranged by
Joseph Fielding Smith [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1976], 325.)
Joseph
said that James Adams had his calling and election made sure.
The
test we are in is a test of our feelings.
The
revelation on Plural marriage was given in 1829 while Joseph and Oliver were
translating the Book of Mormon, according to Brigham Young. It wasn’t practiced until Nauvoo. Oliver entered into the practice against
Joseph’s wishes, pride before the fall.
The doctrine of plural
marriage was probably revealed while Joseph Smith was working on his Inspired
Revision of the Bible. The opening verses of the official revelation which set
forth that doctrine indicated that he had some question on how God justified
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and Solomon in having plural wives. See
D&C 132:1-2. Joseph B. Noble, who performed the marriage ceremony when his
wife's sister was given to Joseph Smith as a plural wife in 1841, stated
"that the Prophet told him that the doctrine of celestial marriage was
revealed to him while he was engaged on the work of translation of the
scriptures."—MS, VL (July 16, 1883), p. 454. Joseph Smith spoke of his
labor on his Inspired Revision of the Bible as a "work of
translation."—D&C 45:60; 76:15.
Brigham Young is said
to have stated that the doctrine of plural marriage was revealed when Joseph
Smith and Oliver Cowdery "were translating the Book of
Mormon."—Report of an address by President Young given in the Fourteenth
Ward Meeting House,
(Hyrum
L. Andrus, Doctrines of the Kingdom [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1973],
489.)
The transgression of
Oliver Cowdery was a case in point. Brigham Young explained that soon after the
Prophet received the initial revelation on plural marriage he made known the
principle to Oliver Cowdery "under a solemn pledge that he would not
reveal it, nor act upon it, until the Lord otherwise commanded." But
Oliver "did not keep his pledge, but acted upon it in a secret manner, and
that was the cause of his overthrow." fn President Young reportedly quoted
Oliver as saying: "Br. Joseph, why don't we go into the order of polygamy,
and practice it as the ancients did. We know it is true, then why delay?"
The Prophet replied: "I know that we know it is true and from God, but the
time has not yet come." When this did not satisfy Cowdery, Joseph Smith
said: "Oliver, if you go into this thing it is not with my faith or
consent." But disregarding the warning, Cowdery "took to wife Miss
Anne Lyman, cousin to Geo. A. Smith [and] from that time he went into
[spiritual] darkness and lost the Spirit." fn
George Q. Cannon and
George A. Smith, as counselors in the First Presidency, expressed the view that
Oliver Cowdery's adulterous relationship was the root
cause of his excommunication from the Church. President Cannon said: "He
transgressed the law of God; he committed adultery; the Spirit of God
withdrew from him, and he . . . was excommunicated from the Church." fn In
referring to this case as "a grievous sin" by which Oliver Cowdery
was under "condemnation," President Smith concluded: "The Lord
will be honored by His people, and if they desire his blessings, they must
not run before they are sent." fn
(Hyrum
L. Andrus, Doctrines of the Kingdom [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1973],
468.)
William
Law and Hyrum Smith taught there is no such teaching or practice as plural
marriage in the church; Joseph had to pull them aside and explain the doctrine
to them. Hyrum accepted it but William
Law did not and apostatized.
It
took Joseph a year to overcome this.
We
talked about John C. Bennett and Orson Pratt’s wife, Orson when he came home
from his mission had a VERY difficult time with this. He was excommunicated for a year and was
mentally unstable for a time.
1. See History of
the Church, 5:60-61. Not in Teachings. The following account is most
probably taken from the "Book of the Law of the Lord."
2. "I remember
well the excitement which existed at the time," Ebenezer Robinson later
reflected, "as a large number of the citizens turned out to go in search
for [Orson Pratt]." Elder Pratt had been told that Joseph Smith wanted
Orson's wife as his own plural wife and John C. Bennett was accused of having
committed adultery with his wife. Both men denied these charges. "Under
these circumstances his mind temporarily gave way and he wandered away, no one
knew where… [The searchers] fearing lest he had committed suicide. He was found
some 5 miles below Nauvoo, sitting on a rock, on the bank of the Mississippi
river, without a hat" (Ebenezer Robinson, "Items of Personal History
of the Editor," The Return, Vol. 2, No. 11 [November 1890]). Orson
Pratt became more embittered towards the Prophet and a month later was excommunicated
from the Church. In January 1843, however, he learned that he had made his
judgment from information gained from a "wicked source." After a
reconciliation with the Prophet and after the Church's move westward, Orson
Pratt became the Church's expert spokesman for the doctrine of plural marriage,
giving the first published discourse on the subject. Subsequently he was sent
to
(Joseph
Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith: The Contemporary Accounts of the Nauvoo
Discourses of the Prophet Joseph, compiled and edited by Andrew F. Ehat and Lyndon W. Cook [Provo: BYU Religious Studies
Center, 1980], 146.)
Journal of Joseph Lee Robinson, pp. 13-14. When the
Prophet still hesitated, the heavenly messenger finally appeared with a drawn
sword and threatened his destruction if he did not institute the practice. Lightner, op. cit. Several testimonies support the
fact that Joseph Smith said he received these ministrations. Hyrum Smith told
Benjamin F. Johnson: "I know that Joseph was commanded to take more wives,
and he waited until an angel with drawn sword stood before him and declared
that if he longer delayed fulfilling that command that he would slay
him."—Johnson to Gibbs, p. 13. Elder Johnson also signed an affidavit
stating that Joseph Smith taught his (Johnson's) mother in his hearing
"the doctrine of celestial marriage, declaring that an angel appeared unto
him with a drawn sword, threatening to slay him if he did not proceed to
fulfill the law that had been given to him."—Jenson, op. cit., p.
222. Helen Mar Whitney stated: "Joseph's own testimony was, that an angel
was sent to command him to teach and to enter into this order. This angel, he
states, stood over him with a drawn sword prepared to inflict the penalty of
death if he should be disobedient."—Whitney, Plural Marriage As Taught
By The Prophet Joseph, p. 13. See also, Whitney, Why We Practice Plural
Marriage, p. 63.
(Hyrum L. Andrus, Doctrines
of the Kingdom [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1973], 489.)
God’s
culture is unlike anything we have on earth.
Joseph
abhorred plural marriage but he had to live it and teach the principle, he was
the Lords prophet and could not shirk his duty.
Emma
knew it was true but had a very difficult time accepting the principle
(understatement!!!).
She
burned the original manuscript after Hyrum wrote it down, Joseph had other
copies made.
Joseph
had D&C 132 memorized. The
introduction was private; it didn’t become public until
Sometime after
William's official introduction to plural marriage (July-August 1843) he found
a sympathetic ear in Emma Smith. The deep sentiment of opposition to polygamy
that each possessed singly was effectively multiplied as they mutually vented
their feelings in private. Law's negative influence on Emma must have been significant
because Joseph later stated that "all the sorrow he ever had in his family
had arisen through the influence of Wm. Law" (Nauvoo Neighbor,
Extra, 17 June 1844). Their conniving was vividly remembered by Newel K.
Whitney in July 1844 when he reminded William Clayton that "Law & Emma
[had been] in opposition to Joseph & the quorum" (Diary of William
Clayton, 12 July 1844). Law's subsequent derogation of Emma Smith derived not
from her general opposition to and sporadic denunciation of plural marriage,
but her irrational ambivalence regarding the practice.
(William
Law, Nauvoo Dissenter by Lyndon W. Cook Fn, BYU Studies, vol. 22 (1982),
Number 1 - Fall 1982 .)
Technically, the
revelation on eternal and plural marriage which was later published was not the
one Joseph Smith dictated, but an exact copy of it. Towards evening on
The written copy was
but "a portion of the revelation" which Joseph Smith had received. fn
Having dictated it, he "remarked that there was much more that he could
write, on the subject, but what was written was sufficient for the
present." fn In stating that the Prophet gave him "lengthy
instructions and information concerning the doctrine of celestial or plural
marriage" when he first disclosed that doctrine, William Clayton added:
After the revelation
on celestial marriage was written Joseph continued his instructions, privately,
on the doctrine, to myself and others, and during the last year of his life we
were scarcely ever together, alone, but he was talking on the subject, and
explaining that doctrine and principles connected with it. He appeared to enjoy
great liberty and freedom in his teachings, and also to find great relief in
having a few to whom he could unbosom his feelings on
that great and glorious subject. fn
(Hyrum
L. Andrus, Doctrines of the Kingdom [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1973],
455 - 456.)
Bruce
told the story of Heber and Vilate Kimball.
The Prophet's
associates initially looked upon the doctrine of plural wives with a similar
reaction. John Taylor recalled that "it was one of the greatest crosses
that ever was taken up by any set of men since the world stood." fn
"It was the first time in my life that I had desired the grave, and I
could hardly get over it for a long time," Brigham Young declared.
"When I saw a funeral, I felt to envy the corpse its situation, and to
regret that I was not in the coffin." fn Likewise, when Heber C. Kimball
heard the Prophet teach the doctrine of plural marriage, "he said the
shock was similar to that of an earthquake." And when the latter-day Seer
commanded Elder Kimball "to take another wife, if it had been his death
sentence he could not have felt worse." fn
It was only after
Elder Kimball was directed three times to practice plural marriage, and then
commanded in the name of the Lord, that he obeyed. fn Having married Sarah
Noon, an English convert, he wrote to his wife, Vilate, October 23, 1842, while
on a mission in the southern part of Illinois: "My heart aches for you,
and sometimes I can hardly speak without weeping and that before my brethren;
for I have a broken heart and my head is a fountain of tears." fn Two days
later he again wrote:
My feelings are of
that kind that it makes me sick at heart, so that I have no appetite to eat. My
temptations are so severe it seems sometimes as though I should have to lay
down and die, I feel as if I must sink beneath it. I go into the woods every
chance I have, and pour out my soul before God that he would deliver me and
bless you my dear wife, and the first I would know I would be in tears weeping
like a child about you and the situation that I am in; but what can I do but go
ahead? My dear Vilate do not let it cast you down for the Lord is on our side;
this I know from what I see and realize and I marvel at it many times. You are
tried and tempted and I am sorry for you, for I know how to pity you. I can say
that I never suffered more in all my life than since these things came to pass;
and as I have said, so say I again, I have felt as if I should sink and die. Oh
my God! I ask thee in the name of Jesus to bless my dear Vilate and comfort her
heart and deliver her from temptation, and from all sorrow and open her eyes
and let her see things as they are. fn
(Hyrum
L. Andrus, Doctrines of the Kingdom [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1973],
472.)
When the
The first to be tested
in preparation for receiving these ordinances were Vilate and Heber C.
Kimball.31 Heber and Vilate Kimball had already sacrificed their family,
friends, homes, possessions, and, more important, a peaceful life, for the
gospel. Nothing else was seemingly left to place on the altar, except their
children and each other.
Then came to Heber and
Vilate an Abrahamic test-something that was to them unthinkable. Joseph asked
Heber to give Vilate to him as a wife. Heber, emotionally overwhelmed by the
request, came home to wrestle with the request. He touched neither food nor
water for three days and three nights and continually sought confirmation and
comfort from God. On the evening of the third day, some kind of divine
assurance came, and Heber and Vilate walked from their home to Joseph's store.
Having placed her hand into the Prophet's, Heber and Vilate submitted their
will to his.
Joseph wept at this
act of faith, devotion, and obedience. The Prophet never intended to take
Vilate from Heber-his request was only a test. Passing the test, Vilate and
Heber were rewarded by being sealed for time and eternity by Joseph before they
returned home.
(Richard
Neitzel Holzapfel and Jeni Broberg Holzapfel,
Women of Nauvoo [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1992],.)
Brigham Young,
following his return from
Some of these my
brethren know what my feelings were at the time Joseph revealed the doctrine; I
was not desirous of shrinking from any duty, nor of failing in the least to do
as I was commanded, but it was the first time in my life that I had desired the
grave, and I could hardly get over it for a long time. And when I saw a
funeral, I felt to envy the corpse its situation, and to regret that I was not
in the coffin.34
Heber C. Kimball was
warned that he would lose his apostleship and was rebuked on three separate
occasions before he accepted the revelation. Another Apostle, John Taylor, said
the whole Quorum of the Twelve "seemed to put off as far as we could, what
might be termed the evil day" when they would take plural wives. Despite
these reactions, Joseph "clapped his hands and danced like a child,"
so relieved he was of not carrying the burden alone anymore.35
The practice was both
difficult and against the Saints' Puritan traditions. Following the death of
their father, sixteen-year-old Emily and twenty-year-old Eliza Partridge moved
into the Smith home to assist Emma with the many duties surrounding her public
and private life. During this time Joseph was sealed to the two sisters.
Emily recalled,
"[We] were married to Brother Joseph about the same time, but neither of
us knew about the other at the time; everything was so secret."36 Her
sister remembered:
A woman living in
polygamy dare not let it be known, and nothing but a firm desire to keep the
commandments of the Lord could have induced a girl to marry in that way. I
thought my trials were very severe in the line, and I am often led to wonder
how it was that a person of my temperament could get along with it and not
rebel; but I know it was the Lord who kept me from opposing his plans, although
in my heart I felt that I could not submit to them. But I did and I am thankful
to my Heavenly Father for the care he had over me in those troublous times.37
A few sources also
indicate that some of the marriages were "for eternity only."38
Another obscure aspect of the plural marriages in Nauvoo was the practice of
"sealing" a woman who was already civilly married to another man. For
example, twenty-year-old Zina Diantha
Huntington married Henry Jacobs
In spite of the
difficulties, some sister Saints became close to their sister wives. In many
cases, living the principle often brought the first wife and her spouse closer
together, as was demonstrated in Vilate and Heber Kimball's letters during this
period.
Vilate sent her
husband off on a mission in October 1842. She remained home in Nauvoo with
Heber's first plural wife,
To Vilate, Heber
wrote, "I dream about you most every night, but always feel disappointed
when I awake; behold, it is a dream, and I could cry if it would have done any
good. I am quite a child some of the time." In closing the letter, Heber
noted, "You [spoke] about if I had sent a kiss to you. I will send you
several on the top of this page where those round marks are, no less than one
dozen. I had the pleasure of receiving those that you sent. I can tell you it
is a pleasure in some degree, but when I come home I will try the lump
itself."40
Vilate noted a few
days later, "Our good friend
I sometimes felt
tempted and tried and feel as though my burden was greater than I could bear;
it would only be a source of sorrow to you, and the Lord knows that I do not
wish to add one sorrow to your heart, for, be assured, my dear Heber, that I do
not love you any the less for what has transpired, neither do I believe that
you do me.41
Not all to whom Joseph
Smith confided the doctrine accepted it and passed this test of obedience. Some
apostatized and became bitter enemies of Joseph and the Church as a result,
including Jane Law, the wife of Joseph's counselor in the First Presidency.
For the women involved
in this test, many relied on their faith and personal dedication to the gospel
to sustain themselves. Some asked not to be considered but remained faithful to
the Church and its other principles. When Joseph revealed the doctrine to Sarah
G. Kimball, she told Joseph "to go and teach it [to] someone else."42
As difficult as this
may have been to the sister Saints who were invited to become a second wife,
the first wife also struggled tremendously. Many women in Nauvoo who began to
live the law with their husbands indicated that their decisions to move forward
were based on personal revelation. Vilate Kimball, having watched her husband
suffer from some unknown cause, received a vision that confirmed to her the
rightness in accepting this test. How unique an experience this was for the
sisters involved in Nauvoo is unknown, but Vilate was not the only one to
receive special divine sanction.
(Richard
Neitzel Holzapfel and Jeni Broberg Holzapfel,
Women of Nauvoo [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1992],.)
Testing and Trials
April 22, 2004
Read
President Wilford Woodruff “Keys to the Kingdom”
Published
in Millennial Star, 2 Sept. 1889, 545–49; subheads added; paragraphing altered;
punctuation, capitalization, and spelling modernized.
Wilford
Woodruff, “The Keys of the Kingdom,” Liahona, Apr.
2004, 41
Wilford Woodruff was born on 1 March 1807 in
Before the
close of this conference there is a subject upon which I wish to bear my
testimony. … I am … the only one living in the flesh who was with … Joseph
Smith, the Prophet of God, when he gave to the Twelve Apostles their charge
concerning the priesthood and the keys of the
News of the Martyrdom
I was sitting
with Brigham Young in the depot in the city of
As soon as I
looked at the paper, the Spirit said to me that it was true. I had no time for
consultation, the steamer’s bell was ringing, so I stepped on board and took my
trunk back to land. As I drew it off, the plank was drawn in. I told Father
Carter to drive me back to
Next day I
met Brigham Young in the streets of
The Last Meeting
All that
President Young or myself or any member of the Quorum need have done in the
matter was to have referred to the last instructions at the last meeting we had
with the Prophet Joseph before starting on our mission. I have alluded to that
meeting many times in my life.
The Prophet
Joseph, I am now satisfied, had a thorough presentiment that that was the last
meeting we would hold together here in the flesh. We had had our endowments; we
had had all the blessings sealed upon our heads that were ever given to the
apostles or prophets on the face of the earth. On that occasion the Prophet
Joseph rose up and said to us: “Brethren, I have desired to live to see this temple
built. I shall never live to see it, but you will. I have sealed upon your
heads all the keys of the
Now, don’t
you wonder why we, as Apostles, could not have understood that the prophet of
God was going to be taken away from us? But we did not understand it. The
Apostles in the days of Jesus Christ could not understand what the Savior meant
when He told them, “I am going away; if I do not go away the Comforter will not
come!” [see John
16:7]. Neither did we understand what Joseph meant.
“But,” he said, after having done this, “ye Apostles of the Lamb of God, my
brethren, upon your shoulders this kingdom rests; now you have got to round up
your shoulders and bear off the kingdom.” And he also made this very strange
remark: “If you do not do it you will be damned.”
I am the last
man living who heard that declaration. He told the truth, too; for would not
any of the men who have held the keys of the kingdom of God or an apostleship
in this Church have been under condemnation and would not the wrath of God have
rested upon them if they had deserted these principles or denied and turned
from them and undertaken to serve themselves instead of the work of the Lord
which was committed to their hands?
The Keys Are Here
When the Lord
gave the keys of the
I say to the
Latter-day Saints the keys of the
We Are in the Hands of the Lord
… I say to
all
Let us make
up our minds to serve and honor God. Do not have any fears concerning the
kingdom; the Lord will lead that aright; and if Brother Woodruff or any of the
Presidency of this Church should take any course to lead you astray, the Lord
will remove us out of the way. We are in the hands of the Lord, and those keys
will be held and taken care of by the God of Israel until He comes whose right
it is to reign.
D&C
124 – January 1841 a command was given to build the Nauvoo temple, the majority
of the 12 are in
One of the most
notable instances of this kind was Stephen A. Douglas, who was at one time a
good friend of Joseph Smith. In order to gratify his ambition and gain
political distinction, he refused to listen to the dictates of conscience, and
made a bitter attack upon the Saints, although the Prophet of the Lord had
warned him of what the result would be, if he took such a course. He rejected
true honor, and was in turn rejected by the spirit of manly uprightness that
had formerly characterized his life; and all this because he thought he could
see Fortune ahead of him holding out alluring promises. Almost every Latter-day
Saint knows what the result was. When he denounced this people, and said that
they were "outlaws, unfit to be citizens of a territory, much less ever to
become citizens of one of the free and independent states of this
confederacy," he gave the destroyer, who unseen was riding alongside, a
fatal hold on him. Stephen A. Douglas was not the only candidate for the
Presidential chair who was acquainted with the doctrines of the Church, and who
had every reason to believe they were true; nor was he the only one who found,
when it was too late, how elusive Fortune may be.
Improvement
Era 1903
John C. Bennett.
16. John C. Bennett]
was born in
Why, then, did his
name appear, in this Revelation, as that of a trusted assistant of Joseph? John
Taylor furnishes the answer to that question. He says, "Respecting John C.
Bennett: I was well acquainted with him. At one time he was a good man, but
fell into adultery, and was cut off from the Church for his iniquity" (Hist.
of the Church, Vol. V., p. 81). At this time he was a good man. But he was
overcome by the adversary and made the slave of his carnal desires. The Lord
knew him and warned him. "His reward shall not fail if he receive
counsel." "He shall be great * * * if he do this," etc.
Bennett did not heed these warning "ifs" from Him who knew what was
in his heart.
"Bennett lived to
be despised by all who knew him.”For some years before his death he suffered
from violent fits; he also partly lost the use of his limbs and of his tongue,
and it was difficult for him to make himself understood. He dragged out a
miserable existence, without a person scarcely to take the least interest in
his fate, and died without a soul to mourn his departure" (Andrew Jenson, Hist.
Rec., p. 496).
(Hyrum
M. Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl,
Doctrine and Covenants Commentary [
770.)
The
Church needed good PR, the
They
were both tested and failed the test of devotion to what they knew to be true!
D&C
3, 10 – Both were about the 116 pages of the Book of Lehi, 10:37 is a very
important verse about a prophet or bishop not always knowing another’s
righteous motives or vice versa, but the Lord knows a man’s heart perfectly. We in the church have misconceptions about
men in authority; they do not have to know everything.
(Doctrine
and Covenants 10:37.)
37 But as you cannot always judge the righteous, or as you cannot
always tell the wicked from the righteous, therefore I say unto you, hold your
peace until I shall see fit to make all things known unto the world concerning
the matter.
We
discussed the purpose of the Mason’s in Nauvoo.
Members joined because it was a service organization, which gave the
Church good PR; also, it taught the saints to keep a secret! Soon the temple ceremony will be taught to
the saints and they will have to keep that quiet, Masons taught them how to
keep quiet about sacred teachings.
Revelation
1:14-16, Hebrews 4:11-12 – The Lord can discern the hearts of men, it is a
sifting process to see who will be faithful and endure the testing and trials.
Church being cleansed. Now, if we want our
generations to live in the earth and to have them go down through the thousand
years, if we want to have representatives among the children of men during that
happy period, we have to lay the foundation for that now. . . . The day of the
Lord cometh; it is near at hand; and if we and our children live, it will be
because we try to be pure. No generation from this time forth can live for any
length of time unless they are pure; God has said it, and His word does not
return unfulfilled.
Even now you can see
how this Church is being cleansed as we go along. Look at the families that we
have known in the Church, and see how they are being thinned out, just as
though we were passing through a sifting machine. And when we see how few of
those whom we have known have clung to the iron rod and maintained their faith,
we are led to ask, "who then can be saved?" Then, how many families
there are who, after the death of the father and mother, are not numbered among
the Saints of God! This is a cleansing process which is going on, and it will
continue to go on more and more, because we are advancing. The Lord will hold
us to a stricter accountability than He ever has done because we have more
light and because of the near approach of the end. (Oct. 6, 1897, CR 52-54)
(George
Q. Cannon, Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q.
Cannon, selected, arranged, and edited by Jerreld
L. Newquist [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1987],
49.)
President Ezra Taft
Benson expanded on the nature of the tests we will face and confirmed that the
process has already begun: "There is a real sifting going on in the
Church, and it is going to become more pronounced with the passing of time. It
will sift the wheat from the tares, because we face some difficult days, the
like of which we have never experienced in our lives. And those days are going
to require faith and testimony and family unity, the like of which we have
never had." fn
(Watch
and Be Ready: Preparing for the Second Coming of the Lord [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1994], 18 - 19.)
Joseph
was very forgiving of others.
He was also a loyal
friend and cared deeply about others. He repeatedly extended a forgiving hand
to prodigals, some of whom had caused him pain and misery. "I feel myself
bound to be a friend to all…wether they are just or
unjust; they have a degree of my compassion & sympathy" (PWJS,
p. 548). One observer noted that the Prophet would never go to bed if he knew
there was a sick person who needed assistance. He taught that "love is one
of the leading characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those
who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not
content with blessing his family alone but ranges through the world, anxious to
bless the whole of the human family" (PWJS, p. 481). One Church
member who stayed at the Smith home and witnessed the Prophet's "earnest
and humble devotions…nourishing, soothing, and comforting his family, neighbours, and friends," found observation of his
private life a greater witness of Joseph Smith's divine calling than observing
his public actions (JD 7:176-77).
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 1339.)
The
Testing Nature of Mortality
Individual
Testing
Collective Testing
1.
Continual testing in mortality 1.
2. Members of the 12 who were
excommunicated 2.
Kirtland to
John W. Taylor of
Consecration D&C 101:3-8
Matthias Cowley
Richard Lyman
3. Nauvoo
3. Every prophet and apostle is tested to his
fullest
4. There are more Nauvoo’s for us, A of F 9
The Lord will find out where are hearts
are.
In the Church General
Conference in April, 1906, Joseph was advanced from a clerk in the Historian's
Office to the position of an assistant historian, succeeding Orson F. Whitney,
who was sustained as a member of the Council of Twelve. Other assistant
historians were: B. H. Roberts, Andrew Jenson and Amos Musser. George F.
Richards and David O. McKay were appointed to the Council of Twelve at this
same conference, along with Whitney. The three vacancies had been created by
the death of Apostle Marriner W. Merrill of
(Joseph
Fielding Smith, Jr., and John J. Stewart, The Life of Joseph Fielding Smith
[Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1972], 145 - 146.)
There
are periods of prosperity and periods of testing, we will have more testing.
Wilford
Woodruff “Keys to the Kingdom”, April 2004, Ensign
Published
in Millennial Star, 2 Sept. 1889, 545–49; subheads added; paragraphing altered;
punctuation, capitalization, and spelling modernized.
Wilford
Woodruff, “The Keys of the Kingdom,” Ensign, Apr.
2004, 29
Wilford Woodruff was born on 1 March 1807 in
Before the
close of this conference there is a subject upon which I wish to bear my
testimony. … I am … the only one living in the flesh who was with … Joseph
Smith, the Prophet of God, when he gave to the Twelve Apostles their charge
concerning the priesthood and the keys of the
News of the Martyrdom
I was sitting
with Brigham Young in the depot in the city of
As soon as I
looked at the paper, the Spirit said to me that it was true. I had no time for
consultation, the steamer’s bell was ringing, so I stepped on board and took my
trunk back to land. As I drew it off, the plank was drawn in. I told Father
Carter to drive me back to
Next day I
met Brigham Young in the streets of
The Last Meeting
All that
President Young or myself or any member of the Quorum need have done in the
matter was to have referred to the last instructions at the last meeting we had
with the Prophet Joseph before starting on our mission. I have alluded to that
meeting many times in my life.
The Prophet
Joseph, I am now satisfied, had a thorough presentiment that that was the last
meeting we would hold together here in the flesh. We had had our endowments; we
had had all the blessings sealed upon our heads that were ever given to the
apostles or prophets on the face of the earth. On that occasion the Prophet
Joseph rose up and said to us: “Brethren, I have desired to live to see this
temple built. I shall never live to see it, but you will. I have sealed upon
your heads all the keys of the
Now, don’t
you wonder why we, as Apostles, could not have understood that the prophet of
God was going to be taken away from us? But we did not understand it. The
Apostles in the days of Jesus Christ could not understand what the Savior meant
when He told them, “I am going away; if I do not go away the Comforter will not
come!” [see John
16:7]. Neither did we understand what Joseph meant.
“But,” he said, after having done this, “ye Apostles of the Lamb of God, my
brethren, upon your shoulders this kingdom rests; now you have got to round up
your shoulders and bear off the kingdom.” And he also made this very strange
remark: “If you do not do it you will be damned.”
I am the last
man living who heard that declaration. He told the truth, too; for would not
any of the men who have held the keys of the kingdom of God or an apostleship
in this Church have been under condemnation and would not the wrath of God have
rested upon them if they had deserted these principles or denied and turned
from them and undertaken to serve themselves instead of the work of the Lord
which was committed to their hands?
The Keys Are Here
When the Lord
gave the keys of the
I say to the
Latter-day Saints the keys of the
We Are in the Hands of the Lord
… I say to
all
Let us make
up our minds to serve and honor God. Do not have any fears concerning the
kingdom; the Lord will lead that aright; and if Brother Woodruff or any of the
Presidency of this Church should take any course to lead you astray, the Lord
will remove us out of the way. We are in the hands of the Lord, and those keys
will be held and taken care of by the God of Israel until He comes whose right
it is to reign.
Brigham Young 8/4/1844
May 6, 2004
70,000
Saints came to the
We
discussed miracles in the Church; Bruce mentioned the building of temples,
missionaries to the world, genealogy, the spiritual rebirth process in
individuals etc. We as members sometimes
sensationalize experiences that should be kept to ourselves. Can the Lord trust you with a sacred
experience?
The
modern miracles in the Church far outpace the parting of the
John
20:30-31 – John included 7 miracles in his gospel, 5 of which no other writer
included. There was a reason why he
included them.
Elder
Dallin Oaks talk on miracles is a classic.
There are many sacred experiences in the modern church, examples are the
stories of Elder Haight, 1985 heart attack and Elder Hales in October 2002
Conference.
The
Sacrament--and the Sacrifice
Elder David B. Haight
Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Ensign, Nov. 1989, pp. 59-61
I pray for
your faith and prayers that my utterances will be received and understood
"by the Spirit of truth" and that my expressions will be given
"by the Spirit of truth" so that we might all be "edified and
rejoice together." (See D&C 50:21-22.)
As I stand here
today--a well man--words of gratitude and acknowledgment of divine intervention
are so very inadequate in expressing the feelings in my soul.
Six months
ago at the April general conference, I was excused from speaking as I was
convalescing from a serious operation. My life has been spared, and I now have
the pleasant opportunity of acknowledging the blessings, comfort, and ready aid
of my Brethren in the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, and other
wonderful associates and friends to whom I owe so much and who surrounded my
dear wife, Ruby, and my family with their time, attention, and prayers. For the
inspired doctors and thoughtful nurses I express my deepest gratitude, and for
the thoughtful letters and messages of faith and hope received from many places
in the world, many expressing, "You have been in our prayers" or
"We have been asking our Heavenly Father to spare your life." Your
prayers and mine, thankfully, have been answered.
One unusual
card caused me to ponder upon the majesty of it all. It is an original painting
by Arta Romney Ballif of
the heavens at night with its myriad golden stars. Her caption, taken from
Psalms, reads:
"Praise
ye the Lord: …
"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
"He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.
"… His understanding is infinite." (Ps. 147:1, 3-5.)
As I lay in
the hospital bed, I meditated on all that had happened to me and studied the
contemplative painting by President Marion G. Romney's sister and the lines
from Psalms: "He telleth the number of the
stars; he calleth them all by their names." I
was then--and continue to be--awed by the goodness and majesty of the Creator,
who knows not only the names of the stars but knows your name and my name--each
of us as His sons and daughters.
The psalmist,
David, wrote:
"When I
consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which
thou hast ordained;
"What is man, that thou art mindful of him? …
"For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned
him with glory and honour." (Ps. 8:3-5.)
To be
remembered is a wonderful thing.
The evening
of my health crisis, I knew something very serious had happened to me. Events
happened so swiftly--the pain striking with such intensity, my dear Ruby
phoning the doctor and our family, and I on my knees leaning over the bathtub
for support and some comfort and hoped relief from the pain. I was pleading to
my Heavenly Father to spare my life a while longer to give me a little more
time to do His work, if it was His will.
While still
praying, I began to lose consciousness. The siren of the paramedic truck was
the last that I remembered before unconsciousness overtook me, which would last
for the next several days.
The terrible
pain and commotion of people ceased. I was now in a calm, peaceful setting; all
was serene and quiet. I was conscious of two persons in the distance on a
hillside, one standing on a higher level than the other. Detailed features were
not discernible. The person on the higher level was pointing to something I
could not see.
I heard no
voices but was conscious of being in a holy presence and atmosphere. During the
hours and days that followed, there was impressed again and again upon my mind
the eternal mission and exalted position of the Son of Man. I witness to you
that He is Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, Savior to all, Redeemer of all
mankind, Bestower of infinite love, mercy, and
forgiveness, the Light and Life of the world. I knew this truth before--I had
never doubted nor wondered. But now I knew, because [page 60] of the
impressions of the Spirit upon my heart and soul, these divine truths in a most
unusual way.
I was shown a
panoramic view of His earthly ministry: His baptism, His teaching, His healing
the sick and lame, the mock trial, His crucifixion, His resurrection and
ascension. There followed scenes of His earthly ministry to my mind in
impressive detail, confirming scriptural eyewitness accounts. I was being
taught, and the eyes of my understanding were opened by the Holy Spirit of God
so as to behold many things.
The first
scene was of the Savior and His Apostles in the upper chamber on the eve of His
betrayal. Following the Passover supper, He instructed and prepared the
sacrament of the Lord's Supper for His dearest friends as a remembrance of His
coming sacrifice. It was so impressively portrayed to me--the overwhelming love
of the Savior for each. I witnessed His thoughtful concern for significant
details--the washing of the dusty feet of each Apostle, His breaking and
blessing of the loaf of dark bread and blessing of the wine, then His dreadful
disclosure that one would betray Him.
He explained
Judas's departure and told the others of the events soon to take place.
Then followed
the Savior's solemn discourse when He said to the Eleven: "These things I
have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall
have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." (John
16:33.)
Our Savior
prayed to His Father and acknowledged the Father as the source of His authority
and power--even to the extending of eternal life to all who are worthy.
He prayed,
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
Jesus then
reverently added:
"I have
glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory
which I had with thee before the world was." (John 17:3-5.)
He pled not
only for the disciples called out from the world who had been true to their
testimony of Him, "but for them also which shall believe on me through
their word." (John 17:20.)
When they had
sung a hymn, Jesus and the Eleven went out to the
The glorified
Lord revealed to Joseph Smith this admonition to all mankind:
"Therefore
I command you to repent …
"For …
I, God, … suffered … for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;
…
"Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble
because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, …
"Wherefore, I command you again to repent, lest I humble you with my
almighty power; and that you confess your sins, lest you suffer these
punishments." (D&C 19:15-16, 18, 20.)
During those
days of unconsciousness I was given, by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, a
more perfect knowledge of His mission. I was also given a more complete
understanding of what it means to exercise, in His name, the authority to
unlock the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven for the salvation of all who are
faithful. My soul was taught over and over again the events of the betrayal,
the mock trial, the scourging of the flesh of even one of the Godhead. I
witnessed His struggling up the hill in His weakened condition carrying the
cross and His being stretched upon it as it lay on the ground, that the crude
spikes could be driven with a mallet into His hands and wrists and feet to
secure His body as it hung on the cross for public display.
Crucifixion--the
horrible and painful death which He suffered--was chosen from the beginning. By
that excruciating death, He descended below all things, as is recorded, that
through His resurrection He would ascend above all things. (See D&C 88:6.)
Jesus Christ
died in the literal sense in which we will all die. His body lay in the tomb.
The immortal spirit of Jesus, chosen as the Savior of mankind, went to those
myriads of spirits who had departed mortal life with varying degrees of
righteousness to God's laws. He taught them the "glorious tidings of redemption
from the bondage of death, and of possible salvation, … [which was] part of
[our] Savior's foreappointed and unique service to
the human family." (James E. Talmage, Jesus the Christ, Salt
Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1977, p. 671.)
I cannot
begin to convey to you the deep impact that these scenes have confirmed upon my
soul. I sense their eternal meaning and realize that "nothing in the
entire plan of salvation compares in any way in importance with that most
transcendent of all events, the atoning sacrifice of our Lord. It is the most
important single thing that has ever occurred in the entire history of created
things; it is the rock foundation upon which the gospel and all other things
rest," as has been declared. (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine,
Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1966, p. 60.)
Father Lehi
taught his son Jacob and us today:
"Wherefore,
redemption cometh in and through the Holy Messiah; for he is full of grace and
truth.
"Behold, he offereth himself a sacrifice for
sin, to answer the ends of the law, unto all those who have a broken heart and
a contrite spirit; and unto none else can the ends of the law be answered.
"Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the
inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can
dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and
grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life
according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the
power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the [page 61] resurrection of
the dead, being the first that should rise.
"Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God,
inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they
that believe in him shall be saved." (2 Ne. 2:6-9.)
Our most valuable
worship experience in the sacrament meeting is the sacred ordinance of the
sacrament, for it provides the opportunity to focus our minds and hearts upon
the Savior and His sacrifice.
The Apostle
Paul warned the early Saints against eating this bread and drinking this cup of
the Lord unworthily. (See 1 Cor. 11:27-30.)
Our Savior
Himself instructed the Nephites, "Whoso eateth
and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily [brings]
damnation to his soul." (3 Ne. 18:29.)
Worthy
partakers of the sacrament are in harmony with the Lord and put themselves
under covenant with Him to always remember His sacrifice for the sins of the
world, to take upon them the name of Christ and to always remember Him, and to
keep His commandments. The Savior covenants that we who do so shall have His
spirit to be with us and that, if faithful to the end, we may inherit eternal
life.
Our Lord
revealed to Joseph Smith that "there is no gift greater than the gift of
salvation," which plan includes the ordinance of the sacrament as a
continuous reminder of the Savior's atoning sacrifice. He gave instructions
that "it is expedient that the church meet together often to partake of
bread and wine in the remembrance of the Lord Jesus." (D&C 6:13;
D&C 20:75.)
Immortality
comes to us all as a free gift by the grace of God alone, without works of
righteousness. Eternal life, however, is the reward for obedience to the laws
and ordinances of His gospel.
I testify to
all of you that our Heavenly Father does answer our righteous pleadings. The
added knowledge which has come to me has made a great impact upon my life. The
gift of the Holy Ghost is a priceless possession and opens the door to our
ongoing knowledge of God and eternal joy. Of this I bear witness, in the holy
name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Bruce
discussed the troubled life of Sidney Rigdon, on August 7, 1844 in the
Seventies Hall he gives his reasons to be the Guardian of the church; he speaks
truth and non truth. Brigham Young talks
of authority and keys held by the 12.
D&C
107:21-26 – authority and power (keys), 1st Quorum = 1st
Presidency, 2nd Quorum = Quorum of the 12, 3rd Quorum=the
70’s.
Brigham
only wanted to find out the will of the Lord, he wasn’t out to lead the church
Majority of the Twelve
in Council—Nauvoo.
Wednesday, 7.—Elders Brigham
Young, Heber C. Kimball, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, Willard Richards,
Wilford Woodruff, George A. Smith and Lyman Wight met in council with Elder
Taylor at his house. They found him recovering from his wounds received at the
massacre of the Prophets.
The Twelve felt to
rejoice at having the privilege of again meeting in council together, after
having passed through such trying scenes, and to be welcomed by the saints who
considered it very providential for the Twelve to arrive at this particular
juncture, when their minds were agitated, their hearts sorrowful, and darkness
seemed to cloud their path, feeling like sheep without a shepherd, their
beloved Prophet having been taken away.
Meetin of Church Authorities
at Nauvoo.
President William
Marks prayed.
President Brigham
Young called upon President Rigdon to make a statement to the church concerning
his message to the saints, and the vision and revelation he had received.
President Rigdon
said:—
'The object of my
mission is to visit the saints and offer myself to them as a guardian. I had a
vision at
The Proposition of
Elder Rigdon to Become "Guardian" to the Church.
It was shown to me
that this church must be built up to Joseph, and that all the blessings we
receive must come through him. I have been ordained a spokesman to Joseph, and
I must come to Nauvoo and see that the church is governed in a proper manner.
Joseph sustains the same relationship to this church as he has always done. No
man can be the successor of Joseph.
The kingdom is to be
built up to Jesus Christ through Joseph; there must be revelation still. The
martyred Prophet is still the head of this church; every quorum should stand as
you stood in your washings and consecrations. I have been consecrated a
spokesman to Joseph, and I was commanded to speak for him. The church is not
disorganized though our head is gone.
We may have a
diversity of feelings on this matter. I have been called to be a spokesman unto
Joseph, and I want to build up the church unto him; and if the people want me
to sustain this place, I want it upon the principle that every individual shall
acknowledge it for himself.
I propose to be a
guardian to the people; in this I have discharged my duty and done what God has
commanded me, and the people can please themselves whether they accept me or
not.'
President Brigham
Young said;—
Attitude of Brigham
Young—The Twelve Hold the "Keys".
'I do not care who
leads the church, even though it were Ann Lee; but one thing I must know, and
that is what God says about it. I have the keys and the means of obtaining the
mind of God on the subject.
I know there are those
in our midst who will seek the lives of the Twelve as they did the lives of
Joseph and Hyrum. We shall ordain others and give the fullness of the
priesthood, so that if we are killed the fullness of the priesthood may remain.
Joseph conferred upon
our heads all the keys and powers belonging to the Apostleship which he himself
held before he was taken away, and no man or set of men can get between Joseph
and the Twelve in this world or in the world to come.
How often has Joseph
said to the Twelve, 'I have laid the foundation and you must build thereon, for
upon your shoulders the kingdom rests.'
The Twelve, as a
quorum, will not be permitted to tarry here long; they will go abroad and bear
off the kingdom to the nations of the earth, and baptize the people faster than
mobs can kill them off. I would like, were it my privilege, to take my valise
and travel and preach till we had a people gathered who would be true.
My private feelings
would be to let the affairs of men and women alone, only go and preach and
baptize them into the
I want to see this
people, with the various quorums of the priesthood, assembled together in
special conference on Thursdayfn next at
Which was carried
unanimously by vote."
Chapter 18
1. Sometimes spelled
"Minor".
2. Undoubtedly Elder
Rigdon referred to the continuation of the "Vision" of The Three
Glories, now published in section 76 of the current edition of the Doctrine
and Covenants, though what the connection could be is difficult to see.
3. In the previous
publication of this historical item (Millennial Star, vol. 25, p. 216)
the language is "I want to see this people with their various quorums of
the priesthood assembled together in special conference on Tuesday next."
This would have brought the meeting on Tuesday the 13th of August. Evidently
the word "Tuesday" was a misprint and should have been, as changed
above in the text, "Thursday", which was the day following the
council meeting and as a matter of fact it was the next day following, August
8th, that the general public meeting of the church with the quorums assembled
in their order to settle this matter of the presiding council in the church
that the meeting was held. B. H. R.
(Joseph
Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7
vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts [Salt Lake City: The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951], 7: 228.)
The Settlement of Church Leadership—The Twelve Apostles
Accepted as the Presidency of the Church, Brigham Young at Their Head
Special Public Meeting of the Church.
"Thursday, August
8th, 1844.—At
a special meeting of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held in
Nauvoo, at 10 a. m. on Thursday, August 8, 1844, by the request of President
William Marks, (who was then presiding over that stake of Zion) to choose a
guardian, or President and Trustee, Sidney Rigdon took his position in a wagon,
about two rods in front of the stand, and harangued the saints for about one
and a half hours, upon choosing a guardian for the church. The meeting was then
dismissed, when President Brigham Young gave out an appointment for the
brethren to assemble at
At the appointed time
the brethren came together. Present, of the Twelve, Brigham Young, Heber C.
Kimball, Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt, Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff,
George A. Smith.fn The several quorums were organized
on and around the stand according to order.
The Remarks of President Young in Behalf of the Claim of
the Twelve to Lead the Church in the Absence of the First Presidency
The meeting being
opened, President Brigham Young arose and said:——
'Attention all! This congregation
makes me think of the days of King Benjamin, the multitude being so great that
all could not hear. I request the brethren not to have any feelings for being
convened this afternoon, for it is necessary; we want you all to be still and
give attention, that all may hear. Let none complain because of the situation
of the congregation, we will do the best we can.
For the first time in
my life, for the first time in your lives, for the first time in the kingdom of
God in the 19th century, without a Prophet at our head, do I step forth to act
in my calling in connection with the Quorum of the Twelve, as Apostles of Jesus
Christ unto this generation—Apostles whom God has called by revelation through
the Prophet Joseph, who are ordained and anointed to bear off the keys of the
kingdom of God in all the world.
This people have
hitherto walked by sight and not by faith. You have had the Prophet in your
midst. Do you all understand? You have walked by sight and without much
pleading to the Lord to know whether things were right or not.
Heretofore you have
had a Prophet as the mouth of the Lord to speak to you, but he has sealed his
testimony with his blood, and now, for the first time, are you called to walk
by faith, not by sight.
The first position I
take in behalf of the Twelve and the people is, to ask a few questions. I ask
the Latter-day Saints: do you, as individuals, at this time, want to choose a
Prophet or a guardian? Inasmuch as our Prophet and Patriarch are taken from our
midst, do you want some one to guard, to guide and lead you through this world
into the kingdom of God, or not? All that want some person to be a guardian or
a Prophet, a spokesman or something else, signify it by raising the right hand.
(No votes).
When I came to this
stand I had peculiar feelings and impressions. The faces of this people seem to
say, we want a shepherd to guide and lead us through this world. All that
want to draw away a party from the church after them, let them do it if they
can, but they will not prosper.
If any man thinks he
has influence among this people to lead away a party, let him try it, and he
will find out that there is power with the Apostles which will carry them off
victorious through all the world, and build up and defend the church and
What do the people
want? I feel as though I wanted the privilege to weep and mourn for thirty days
at least, then rise up, shake myself, and tell the people what the Lord wants
of them; although my heart is too full of mourning to launch forth into
business transactions and the organization of the church, I feel compelled this
day to step forth in the discharge of those duties God has placed upon me.
I now wish to speak of
the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If the
church is organized, and you want to know how it is organized, I will tell you.
I know your feelings—do you want me to tell your feelings?
Here is President
Rigdon, who was counselor to Joseph. I ask, where are Joseph and Hyrum? They
are gone beyond the veil; and if Elder Rigdon wants to act as his counselor, he
must go beyond the veil where he is.
There has been much
said about President Rigdon being President of the Church, and leading the
people, being the head, etc. Brother Rigdon has come 1,600 miles to tell you
what he wants to do for you. If the people want President Rigdon to lead them
they may have him; but I say unto you that the Quorum of the Twelve have the keys
of the
The Twelve are
appointed by the finger of God. Here is Brigham, have his knees ever faltered?
Have his lips ever quivered? Here is Heber and the rest of the Twelve, an
independent body who have the keys of the priesthood—the keys of the
I do not know whether
my enemies will take my life or not, and I do not care, for I want to be with
the man I love.
You cannot fill the
office of a prophet, seer and revelator: God must do this. You are like
children without a father and sheep without a shepherd. You must not appoint
any man at our head; if you should, the Twelve must ordain him. You cannot
appoint a man at our head; but if you do want any other man or men to lead you,
take them and we will go our way to build up the kingdom in all the world.
I know who are
Joseph's friends, and who are his enemies. I know where the keys of the kingdom
are, and where they will eternally be. You cannot call a man to be a prophet;
you cannot take Elder Rigdon and place him above the Twelve; if so, he must be
ordained by them.
I tell you there is an
overanxiety to hurry matters here. You cannot take
any man and put him at the head; you would scatter the saints to the four
winds, you would sever the priesthood. So long as we remain as we are, the
heavenly Head is in constant cooperation with us; and if you go out of that
course, God will have nothing to do with you.
Again, perhaps some
think that our beloved Brother Rigdon would not be honored, would not be looked
to as a friend; but if he does right and remains faithful he will not act
against our counsel nor we against his, but act together, and we shall be as
one.
I again repeat, no man
can stand at our head, except God reveals it from the heavens.
I have spared no pains
to learn my lesson of the kingdom in this world and in the eternal worlds; and
if it were not so, I could go and live in peace; but for the gospel and your
sakes I shall stand in my place. We are liable to be killed all the day long.
You have never lived by faith.
Brother Joseph, the
Prophet, has laid the foundation for a great work, and we will build upon it;
you have never seen the quorums built one upon another. There is an almighty
foundation laid, and we can build a kingdom such as there never was in the
world: we can build a kingdom faster than satan can
kill the saints off.
What do you want? Do
you want a patriarch for the whole church? To this we are perfectly willing. If
Brother Samuel H. Smith had been living, it would have been his right and
privilege; but he is dead, he is gone to Joseph and Hyrum, he is out of the
reach of bullets and spears, and he can waft himself with his brothers, his
friends and the saints.
Do you want a
patriarch? Here is brother William [Smith] left; here is Uncle John Smith,
uncle to the Prophet Joseph left; it is their right. The right of patriarchal
blessings belongs to Joseph's family.
Do you want a
Trustee-in-Trust? Has there been a bishop who has stood in his lot yet? What is
his business? To take charge of the temporal affairs, so that the Twelve and
the elders may go on their business. Joseph condescended to do their business
for them. Joseph condescended to offer himself for president of the
Do you want a
spokesman? Here are Elder Rigdon, Brother Amasa Lyman
[whom Joseph expected to take as a counselor] and myself. Do you want the
church properly organized, or do you want a spokesman to be chief cook and
bottle-washer? Elder Rigdon claims to be spokesman to the Prophet. Very well,
he was; but can he now act in that office? If he wants now to be a spokesman to
the Prophet, he must go to the other side of the veil, for the Prophet is
there, but Elder Rigdon is here. Why will Elder Rigdon be a fool? Who knows
anything of the priesthood, or of the organization of the
Does this church want
it as God organized it? Or do you want to clip the power of the priesthood, and
let those who have the keys of the priesthood go and build up the kingdom in
all the world, wherever the people will hear them?
If there is a
spokesman, if he is a king and priest, let him go and build up a kingdom unto
himself; that is his right and it is the right of many here, but the Twelve are
at the head of it.
I want to live on the
earth and spread truth through all the world. You saints of latter-days want
things right. If 10,000 men rise up and say they have the Prophet Joseph
Smith's shoes, I know they are impostors. In the priesthood you have a right to
build up a kingdom, if you know how the church is organized.
Now, if you want
Sidney Rigdon or William Law to lead you, or anybody else, you are welcome to
them; but I tell you, in the name of the Lord that no man can put another
between the Twelve and the Prophet Joseph. Why? Because Joseph was their file
leader, and he has committed into their hands the keys of the kingdom in this
last dispensation, for all the world; don't put a thread between the priesthood
and God.
I will ask, who has
stood next to Joseph and Hyrum? I have, and I will stand next to him. We have a
head, and that head is the Apostleship, the spirit and power of Joseph, and we
can now begin to see the necessity of that Apostleship.
Brother Rigdon was at
his side—not above. No man has a right to counsel the Twelve but Joseph Smith.
Think of these things. You cannot appoint a prophet; but if you let the Twelve
remain and act in their place, the keys of the kingdom are with them and they
can manage the affairs of the church and direct all things aright.
Now, all this does not
lessen the character of President Rigdon: let him magnify his calling, and
Joseph will want him beyond the veil—let him be careful what he does, lest that
thread which binds us together is cut asunder. May God bless you all.’FN
(Much more was said by
President Young, but not written).
Speech of Amasa M. Lyman
Amasa Lyman said:—
'I do not rise to
electioneer. I am gratified with the open, frank and plain exposition of
President Young. He has seen the relation I bear to my deceased brother [i. e. Joseph Smith]. I never did conceive it gave me a
precedence to go before the Twelve.
I do not make
exceptions to anything he has said. I believe there is no power, or officer, or
means wanted to carry on the work, but what is in the Twelve. I am satisfied
that no man can carry on the work, but the power that is in the Twelve, as has
been stated.
There is one thing to
secure the salvation of this people, and that is not in union alone, it is for
you to know the right and be united—it has been presented to you by President
Young, and I will back him up. All I design to do is to redeem my pledge.
President Young has
stood next to the Prophet Joseph, with the Twelve, and I have stood next to
them, and I will stand next to them. I have been at the back of Joseph Smith,
and will be at the back of the Twelve forever, and then we will be saved.
There is no need of a
President, we have a head here. What is that head? The Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles are the head. We now see the necessity of the Apostleship.
I might rise up as
well as any other man to ask for the Presidency, but I could not do it without
endangering my salvation. This is the power that turns the key to bestow
salvation through all the land, in the way that Joseph commenced it, the first
one called to do the same in all the world. If Joseph Smith had any power to
bear off the
I could not advocate a
choosing of a President, and myself a candidate; so then you know the place I
occupy is, to stand to the Twelve the same as the Twelve did to Joseph, either
on one side or the other. I do not want to go before them or to fall asleep. I
want to see the kingdom roll forth by our united faith and efforts.'
President Rigdon
called upon W. W. Phelps to speak in his behalf, as he could not speak.
Speech of Elder W. W. Phelps—No Support to Sidney Rigdon
W. W. Phelps arose and
said:—
'With the knowledge
that I have I cannot suppose but that this congregation will act aright this
day. I believe enough has been said to prepare the minds of the people to act.
I have known many of
them for 14 years, and I have always known them to submit with deference to the
authorities of the church. I have seen the elders of
I am happy to see this
little lake of faces, and to see the same spirit and disposition manifested
here today, as it was the day after the bloody tragedy, when Joseph and Hyrum
Smith were brought home dead to this city. Then you submitted to the law's slow
delay, and handed the matter over to God; and I see the same thing today—you
are now determined as one man to sustain the authorities of the church, and I
am happy that the men who were on Joseph's right and left hand submit
themselves to the authority of the priesthood.
I have feelings about
this, especially for President Rigdon, and I want to say that there is a quorum
that the Twelve belong to, and that the people will receive an endowment. I
brought President Rigdon into that quorum, and he received in part the
blessings. I could not bear the thought of President Rigdon going into the
world without his endowment. He did obtain part, and I hope he will submit.
I want Brother Amasa to stand on the side of the Twelve, and they are
wanted there still—let them go on and sustain them in that high office. You
cannot put in a guardian of the church.
We have hitherto
walked by sight, and if a man wanted to know anything he had only to go to
Brother Joseph. Joseph has gone, but he has not left us comfortless.
I want to say that
Brother Joseph came and enlightened me two days after he was buried. He came
the same as when he was alive, and in a moment appeared to me in his own house.
He said, 'Tell the drivers to drive on.' I asked if the building was on wheels?
He said, 'certainly'. I spoke, and away it went. We drove all round the hills
and valleys. He then told the drivers to drive on over the river into
There is a combination
of persons in this city who are in continual intercourse with William and
Wilson Law, who are at the bottom of the matter to destroy all that stand for
Joseph, and there are persons now in this city who are only wanting power to
murder all the persons that still hold on to Joseph; but let us go ahead and
build up the Temple, and then you will be endowed. When the
If you want to do
right, uphold the Twelve. If they die, I am willing to die with them; but do
your duty and you will be endowed. I will sustain the Twelve as long as I have
breath.
When Joseph was going
away he said he was going to die, and I said I was willing to die with him; but
as I am now alive, as a lawyer in
I want you all to
recollect that Joseph and Hyrum have only been removed from the earth, and they
now counsel and converse with the Gods beyond the reach of powder and ball.'
Remarks of Elder Parley P. Pratt
Parley P. Pratt said:—
'What has been said
has been well said. If there are men here who are our enemies, I'll tell you
when they will cease to be here: they will be here while you will deal with
them. If I exchange property or deal with men, I do it with those whom I know
to be faithful.
If there are wicked
men here, it is because we support them. Stop dealing with them, and they will
go away. Will I support them? No, I would deal with all honest men whom I know
to be such.
I am willing to do
good to all men, especially to the household of faith. Our enemies will cease
to dwell here when you cease to deal with them. Mobs and wicked men will cease
when you cease to support them.
I know we can all live
and be happy too, when we deal with honest men. If a man wants a doctor or a
lawyer, he will send directly for the worst man he can find.
I would die a natural
death sooner than I would have a wicked doctor to help me off. I would go
without sueing all the days of my life before I would
go to a lawyer to sue. I will not say anything about the merchants, because you
all know them.'
President Brigham Young's
Second Speech
President Brigham
Young again arose and said;—
'There is more
business than can be done this afternoon, but we can accomplish all we want to
have done without calling this convention of the whole church. I am going to
present to you the leading items.
I do not ask you to
take my counsel or advice alone, but every one of you act for yourselves; but
if Brother Rigdon is the person you want to lead you, vote for him, but not
unless you intend to follow him and support him as you did Joseph. Do not say
so without you mean to take his counsel hereafter.
And I would say the
same for the Twelve, don't make a covenant to support them unless you intend to
abide by their counsel; and if they do not counsel you as you please, don't
turn round and oppose them.
I want every man,
before he enters into a covenant, to know what he is going to do; but we want
to know if this people will support the priesthood in the name of
We want men appointed
to take charge of the business that did lay on the shoulders of Joseph. Let me
say to you that this kingdom will spread more than ever.
The Twelve have the
power now—the seventies, the elders and all of you can have power to go and
build up the kingdom in the name of
We want to build the
Will you abide our
counsel? I again say, my soul for any man's, if they will abide our counsel,
that they will go right into heaven. We have all the signs and tokens to give
to the porter at the door, and he will let us in.
I will ask you as
quorums, Do you want Brother Rigdon to stand forward as your leader, your
guide, your spokesman. President Rigdon wants me to bring up the other question
first, and that is, Does the church want, and is it their only desire to
sustain the Twelve as the First Presidency of this people?
Here are the Apostles,
the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants—they
are written on the tablet of my heart. If the church want the Twelve to stand
as the head, the First Presidency of the Church, and at the head of this
kingdom in all the world, stand next to Joseph, walk up into their calling, and
hold the keys of this kingdom, every man, every women, every quorum is now put
in order, and you are now the sole controllers of it.
All that are in favor
of this, in all the congregation of the saints, manifest it by holding up the
right hand. (There was a universal vote). If there are any of the contrary
mind, every man and every woman who does not want the Twelve to preside, lift
up your hands in like manner. (No hands up). This supersedes the other
question, and trying it by quorums.
We feel as though we
could take Brother Rigdon in our bosom along with us; we want such men as
Brother Rigdon. He has been sent away by Brother Joseph to build up a kingdom;
let him keep the instructions and calling; let him raise up a mighty kingdom in
The next is President
Marks. Our feelings are to let him stand as president of the stake, as
heretofore. We can build the
You did not know who
you had amongst you. Joseph so loved this people that he gave his life for
them; Hyrum loved his brother and this people unto death. Joseph and Hyrum have
given their lives for the church. But very few knew Joseph's character; he
loved you unto death—you did not know it until after his death: he has now
sealed his testimony with his blood.
If the Twelve had been
here we would not have seen him given up—he should not have been given up. He
was in your midst, but you did not know him; he has been taken away, for the
people are not worthy of him.
The world is wide. I
can preach in
There is much to be
done. You have men among you who sleep with one eye open. The foundation is
laid by our Prophet, and we will build thereon; no other foundation can be laid
but that which is laid, and we will have our endowment, if the Lord will.
As the authorities do
not want us to do military duty, don't do it. If it is necessary, my neck is
ready for the knife; as for myself, I am determined to build up the
We can build on the
foundation that was laid by the Prophet. Joseph has finished his work, and all
the devils in hell and all the mobbers on earth could not take his life until
he had accomplished his work. God said, I will put a veil over his eyes and
lead him up to the slaughter like a sheep to be killed, for the people are not
worthy of him, though God loves this people.
Let no man suppose
that the kingdom is rent from you; that it is not organized. If all the quorums
of the church were slain, except the high priests, they would rise up with the
keys of the kingdom, and have the powers of the priesthood upon them, and build
up the kingdom, and the devil cannot help himself.
You can go to a
healthy country, buy the land, and don't let a cursed scoundrel get in your
midst. Let there be good men, good women, and whenever a man comes with a
wheelbarrow-full of goods don't sell him land, don't let him a house, nor buy
of him.
Suppose we had ten
thousand such places, and increasing in greatness, perfectly free from these
poor devils, we should feel better than we do now. Let us all be humble and get
our endowments—all be humble, industrious and prudent, what sort of a kingdom
would it be? The foundation is laid for more than we can think or talk about
today.
Is it the will of this
congregation that they will be tithed until the
The men will act that
have never acted before, and they will have the power and authority to do it.
Is it the mind of this congregation to loose the hands of the Twelve, and
enable us to go and preach to all the world? We want to know the feelings of
the people. Is it your will to support the Twelve in all the world in their
missions? (The congregation sustained this question by a unanimous vote). Will
you leave it to the Twelve to dictate about the finances of the church? and
will it be the mind of this people that the Twelve teach what will be the
duties of the bishops in handling the affairs of the church? I want this,
because twelve men can do it just as well as calling this immense congregation
together at any other time. (A unanimous vote).
We shall have a
patriarch, and the right is in the family of Joseph Smith, his brothers, his
sons, or some one of his relations. Here is Uncle John, he has been ordained a
patriarch. Brother Samuel would have taken the office if he had been alive; it
would have been his right; the right is in Uncle John, or one of his brothers
(read sec. 3, par. 17, Doctrine and Covenants.)fn I know that it would
have belonged to Samuel. But as it is, if you leave it to the Twelve, they will
wait until they know who is the man. Will you leave it to the Twelve, and they
dictate the matter. (A unanimous vote). I know it will be let alone for the
present.
I feel to bring up
Brother Rigdon; we are of one mind with him and he with us. Will this
congregation uphold him in the place he occupies by the prayer of faith and let
him be one with us and we with him. (Unanimous). The Twelve will dictate and
see to other matters. There will be a committee for the
Adjourned to Oct. 6,
Conference.
Benediction by Elder
Parley P. Pratt.
Comment of the Church
Historians Who Compiled This Data of the Church History
Thus closes the
History of Joseph Smith, the great Prophet, Seer and Revelator, whom God has
chosen to lay the foundation for the establishment of his church and kingdom
upon the earth in the last dispensation and fullness of times.
He performed as great
and mighty a work as any man that ever tabernacled in
the flesh, save Jesus only. His mission lasted nearly seventeen years; from the
time he received the plates from the angel
The History of Joseph
Smith is now before the world, and we are satisfied that a history more correct
in its details than this was never published. To have it strictly correct, the
greatest possible pains have been taken by the historians and clerks engaged in
the work. They were eye and ear witnesses of nearly all the transactions
recorded in this history, most of which were reported as they transpired, and,
where they were not personally present, they have had access to those who were.
Moreover, since the
death of the Prophet Joseph, the history has been carefully revised under the
strict inspection of President Brigham Young, and approved of by him.
Testimony of the
Church Historians
We, therefore, hereby
bear our testimony to all the world, unto whom these words shall come, that the
History of Joseph Smith is true, and is one of the most authentic histories
ever written.
We were, much of the
time, associated with him in his travels and ministry since he organized the
His brother Hyrum was
martyred at the same time with him. He, also, was a great and good man, a wise
counselor to his brother Joseph and a Prophet and Patriarch in the church, and
the spirit of his office was with him up to the time of his death.
They were slain for
the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ, and the people and nation
who have persecuted them unto death and shed their blood will assuredly find
their words fulfilled upon their heads, even in speedy and certain destruction,
as were the words of the Savior fulfilled upon the Jewish nation for stoning
and killing the Prophets and shedding the blood of the Lord's Anointed.
George A. Smith,
W. W. Woodruff,
Historians."
(Joseph
Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7
vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts [Salt Lake City: The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951], 7: 231.)
August
1996, Ensign article by Brent Top and Charles Flake “Revelation on Succession”.
A vision by Emma
Smith:
Shortly before her
death Emma reported a vision to her nurse in which she saw the Savior and her
husband, the Prophet Joseph Smith. She told the nurse that Joseph came to her
and said, “Emma, come with me, it is time for you to come with me.” Emma explained,
“I put on my bonnet and my shawl and went with him; I did not think that it was
anything unusual. I went with him into a mansion, and he showed me through the
different apartments of that beautiful mansion.” One room was a nursery in
which she found a baby in a cradle. “I knew my babe,” Emma said, “my Don Carlos
that was taken from me.” She swept the child up into her arms and cried for
joy, but when recovered, stopped to ask, “Joseph, where are the rest of my
[children [?]” He assured her, “Emma, be patient and you shall have all of your
children.” Emma then related that she saw a personage of light standing by the
side of her beloved husband-“even the Lord Jesus Christ.” 21
I consider myself more
than just an apologist for Emma Hale Smith. She has become almost as much my
sister and my friend as if she were my contemporary. Her personal tragedy is
haunting and painful to me. Yet the possibility of her reward is joyous to me.
Her saga is one of heroic proportions-her great deeds as well as her signal failings
are legendary in the Church. I believe the profound lesson of the life of Emma
Smith, however, is the manifestation of the triumph of God’s far-reaching mercy
and love over human failings. Unlike many heroines of the Restoration, she
stumbled and was spiritually and physically left behind. Like Emma, I also
grapple with sins and shortcomings that threaten to overcome me at times, and I
am grateful to be able to hope that the Lord will do everything he can to find
mercy for me and for Emma as well. I have pleaded with members of the Church to
refrain from judging her unfairly and condemning her, just as they should any
other fellow Saint or human being.
(Barbara
B. Smith and Blythe Darlyn Thatcher, eds., Heroines
of the Restoration [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1997], 31.)
Nauvoo to Winter Quarters 1846
May 13, 2004
I was not in class that night, but Bruce
emailed me the lesson notes.
Joseph Smith and the
West
by Hyrum L. Andrus fn
"I did not devise
the great scheme of the Lord's opening the way to send this people to these
mountains. Joseph Smith contemplated the move for years before it took place,
but he could not get here." fn So spoke Brigham Young of the Prophet
Joseph Smith's vision of the West, a vision that occupied the Mormon leader's
mind as early as 1830. Before Joseph Smith moved Church headquarters from
The Mormon view of
colonizing the West was directly correlated with the effort the Saints made to
build their New Jerusalem. While the Book of Mormon revealed that the
city of
The Lamanite Mission
had more success among certain sympathetic sectarians in
The Painesville
Telegraph, Painesville, Ohio, January 18, 1831, gave an early commentary on
the Prophet's vision of the West, as it reported John Whitmer's
arrival in that area, stating, "The more important part of the mission was
to inform the brethren that the boundaries of the promised land, or the New
Jerusalem, had just been made known to Smith from God--the township of
Kirtland, a few miles west of this is the eastern line and the Pacific Ocean
is the western line; if the north and south lines have been described, we
have not learned them." fn A Revelation in March, 1831, also expressed
Mormonism's westward view when it declared:
Before the great day of the Lord shall come,
Jacob [i.e. latter-day
In January, 1831,
another Revelation likewise declared that Zion was to "rejoice upon the
hills and flourish"; fn and yet another stated: "I, the Lord, have
made my church in these last days like a judge sitting on a hill, or in a high
place, to judge the nations. fn According to Wilford Woodruff, the Prophet made
his own commentary on the eventual colonization of the
I want to say to you
before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church
and Kingdom than a babe upon its mother's lap. You don't comprehend it. It is
only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will
fill North and
The vision of the West
continued to fill the mind of the Prophet and his associates. In April, 1836,
Erastus Snow was given a blessing "predicting that he should yet be
employed in the ministry west of the Rocky Mountains, and should there perform
a good work in teaching and leading the Lamanites west of the Rocky
Mountains." fn Lorenzo Dow Young also received a blessing that same year
under the hands of Hyrum Smith and others, of which he said:
Brother Hyrum Smith
led, The Spirit rested mightily upon, him and he was full of blessing and
prophecy. He said that I should regain my health, live to go with the Saints
into the bosom of the
From the time the
Saints were driven from
We got into the Salt
Lake Valley, September 23, 1851, thankful to the God of Heaven that I and my
family were in the valley of the Rocky Mountains--here where the Prophet Joseph
Smith had said thirteen years before [in 1838] that the Saints would go if the
government did not put a stop to the mobbing and the persecuting of them. fn
In a public meeting,
. . . it is years
today since we all came out of
In a very real way the
pioneer company that spearheaded the Exodus, in 1847, had its origin in the
inspiration given to Joseph Smith several years before. Lyman Wight
corroborated Pratt's testimony, in a letter to Wilford Woodruff, stating that
"such a mission was even talked of while in [
From the evidence at
hand it is apparent that Joseph Smith and others were aware that their stay at
Nauvoo.
The attitude of the
Saints at this time was expressed very well by Wilford Woodruff when he wrote
in his Journal, "Notwithstanding the Saints are driven from city to
city and from place to place, they are determined to build a city wherever
their lot is cast, .showing themselves to be industrious and insistent in
maintaining the Kingdom of God." fn The following day he reported meeting
many old friends from Missouri, and of them said: "They generally felt
well and were not discouraged, but felt to trust in God. The Saints felt
determined to build up a city wherever they went." fn Oliver B. Huntington
registered similar sentiments when he reported:
Joseph finally led us to Nauvoo.
Well, and how can we
build a
Under Joseph's
all-inspiring wonder we quickly resolved that "We would stay here as long
as Joseph wants us to--he knows what is best," so we then set to with all
our mights to do just what the Prophet Joseph
directed and in a few months there was quite a town built up out of as
near nothing as God ever made anything. fn
It was out of this
background that Joseph Smith gave utterance to his most detailed prophecy on
the Exodus west. Under date of
While the Deputy
Grand-Master was engaged in giving the requisite instructions to the
Master-Elect, I had a conversation with a number of brethren in the shade of
the building on the subject of our persecutions in Missouri and the constant
annoyance which has followed us since we were driven from that state. I
prophesied that the Saints would continue to suffer much affliction and would
be driven to the Rocky Mountains, many would apostatize, others would be put to
death by our persecutors or lose their lives in consequence of exposure or
disease, and some of you will live to go and assist in making settlements, and
build cities, and see the Saints become a mighty people, in the midst of the
Rocky Mountains. fn
Anson Call was present
and added further details pertaining to this prophecy in the following
statement:
I had before seen him
in a vision and now saw while he was talking his countenance change to white;
not the deadly white of a bloodless face, but a living brilliant white. He
seemed absorbed in gazing at something at a great distance, and said: "I
am gazing upon the valleys of those mountains." This was followed by a
vivid description of the scenery of these mountains, as I have since become
acquainted with it. Pointing to Shadrach Roundy and others, he said:
"There are some men here who shall do a great work in that land."
Pointing to me, he said: "There is Anson, he shall go and shall assist in
building up cities from one end of the country to the other, and you (rather
extending the idea to all those he had spoken of) shall perform as great a work
as has been done by man, so that the nations of the earth shall be astonished,
and many of them will be gathered in that land and assist in building cities
and temples, and Israel shall be made to rejoice."
It is impossible to
represent in words this scene which is still vivid in my mind of the grandeur
of Joseph's appearance, his beautiful descriptions of this land and his
wonderful prophetic utterances as they emanated from that glorious inspiration
that overshadowed him. There was a force and power in his exclamations of which
the following is but a faint echo: "Oh the beauty of those snow-capped
mountains! The cool refreshing streams that are running down through those
mountain gorges!" Then, gazing in another direction, as if there was a
change in locality: "Oh the scenes that this people will pass through! The
dead that will lay between here and there!" Then, turning in another
direction as if the scene had again changed; "Oh the apostasy that will take
place before my brethren reach that land!"But," he continued,
"the priesthood shall prevail over all its enemies, triumph over the evil
and be established upon the earth never more to be thrown down!" He then
charged us with great force and power, to be faithful in those things that had
been and should be committed to our charge, with the promise of all the
blessings that the priesthood could bestow. "Remember these things and
treasure them up. Amen." fn
In the closing months
of his life, Joseph Smith spent "many hours" conversing about the
West. Said he: "If I were only in the
During the second
quarter of the nineteenth century, the great arid regions of the West were but
little understood by men east of the
An anti-Mormon
convention of rabid and radical elements, held at
Met with the Twelve in
the assembly room concerning the
The expedition was to
consist of twenty-five humble and prayerful men who could "raise $500, a
good horse and mule, a double-barrel gun, one-barrel rifle, and another smooth
bore, a saddle and bridle, a pair of revolving pistols, bowie knife, and a good
sabre." fn So certain was the Prophet that the
Saints would be in the West in a short time that he "prophesied that
within five years" the Saints would be out of the power of their enemies,
"whether they were apostates or of the world." fn
For a time Joseph
Smith was persuaded to look toward
When George Miller
arrived in Nauvoo with the suggestion from the men in the "Pineries," Joseph Smith commented, "I perceive
that the Spirit of God is in the pineries as well as
here, and we will call together some of our wise men, and proceed to set up the
The organization the
Prophet then formulated,
Joseph commenced the
organization of a Council for the purpose of taking into consideration the
necessary steps to obtain redress for the wrongs which had been inflicted upon
us by our persecutors, and also the best manner to settle our people in some
distant and unoccupied territory; where we could enjoy our civil and religious
rights, without being subject to constant oppression and mobocracy,
under the protection of our laws, subject to the Constitution.
The Council was
composed of about fifty members, several of whom were not members of the
Church.
We prepared several
memorials to Congress for redress of grievances, and used every available means
to inform ourselves of the unoccupied territory open to settlers.
We held a number of
sessions, and investigated the principles upon which our national government is
founded; and the true foundation and principles of all governments.
Joseph Smith was
appointed chairman, William Clayton, clerk, and Willard Richards, historian of
the Council. fn
The desire expressed
by the brethren in
Negotiations with
Meanwhile, the Prophet
sent representatives to
Orson Pratt, Orson
Hyde, and John E. Page were also in the nation's capital in the spring of 1844.
About the middle of May, 1844, the Prophet received two letters from Hyde. In
one he reported an interview with Senator Stephen A. Douglas and said, "He
is ripe for
Most of the settlers
in
Your superior wisdom
must determine whether to go to
A few days later Hyde
again wrote, discussing in some detail the proposed removal to
With such clarity was
the westward move of the Saints to the
. . . the Prophet came
to our home and stopped in our carpenter shop and stood by the turning lathe I
went and got my map for him. "Now," said he, "I will show you
the travels of this people." He then showed our travels thru
In light of these
reports, the testimony of William Henry Kimball, son of Heber C. Kimball, is
significant. Kimball wrote that he was present in the home of Stephen
Winchester, in Nauvoo, with twenty-five others, when Joseph Smith spoke of his
coming martyrdom; and "then and there he mapped [out] the life and Acts of
Brigham Young until [his] death." Said Kimball, "I can assure you it
never failed in one instance; I have witnessed the fulfillment of all of the
prophecy to a letter and act." fn
The westward move
predominated in the Prophet's thinking during the closing days of his life. To
the Nauvoo Legion he said,
The way is open. It is
clear to my mind what to do. All they want is Hyrum and myself; then tell
everyone to go about their business, and not to collect in groups, but to
scatter about. . . We will cross the river tonight, and go away to the West. fn
The History of the
Church makes this further report: "About 9 p.m. Hyrum came out of the
Mansion and gave his hand to Reynolds Cahoon, at the
same time saying, 'A company of men are seeking to kill brother Joseph, and the
Lord has warned him to flee to the Rocky Mountains to save his life.'" fn
After the Prophet and others had crossed the river, Orrin P. Rockwell was sent
back to Nauvoo to obtain horses for the journey, with instructions to be
"ready to start for the Great Basin in the Rocky Mountains." fn But
when certain brethren accused the Prophet of cowardice for leaving the Saints,
he returned to Nauvoo. Before giving himself up, he assembled the Legion and
instructed and cautioned them again:
I will therefore say
to you Saints and Elders of Israel, be not troubled nor give yourselves
uneasiness so as to make rash moves by which you may be cut short in preaching
the gospel to this generation, for you will be called upon to go forth and call
upon. . . free men. . . to gather themselves in the strongholds of the Rocky
Mountains. fn
With the vision of the
westward move of the Saints in his mind, Joseph Smith went to
After the death of
Joseph Smith, the General Council, under the leadership of Brigham Young,
continued to make plans for the Exodus. Several entries in Brigham Young's Journal
indicate the nature and extent of the Council's activities at that time. On
On September 9, 1845,
the General Council Resolved that a company of 1500 men be selected to go to
Great Salt Lake Valley and that a committee of five be appointed to gather
information relative to migration, and report the same to the council." fn
Here is further evidence that before the Saints left Nauvoo they knew where
they were to settle in the West. And here they sought again to send out a
pioneer body that could prepare the way for the Saints to follow, as outlined
by Joseph Smith several years before.
In preparing for the
Exodus, the General Council selected twenty-five men as Captains of Hundreds,
"whose business it was severally to select one hundred families and see
that they were prepared for a journey across the
"As a legislature
of the people," Benjamin F. Johnson noted that the General Council
directed "all general movements relating to our Exodus as a people from
Nauvoo." fn Because the Council functioned in the Exodus as a political
organ among the Saints, Ezra T. Benson, a prominent member therein, looked upon
the Saints as they moved west as "a distinct nation." fn It was this
body that determined the route the Saints were to travel, and cared for the
needs of the people as they traveled, as the minutes of a meeting held by the
Council, February 22, 1846, illustrate:
In the forenoon, Chas.
C. Rich, who had the day previous been appointed to look after the grains and
provider, reported. . . to the council. . . .
Second, the subject of
policy and economy was up before the council and decided that the camp should be
called together and they be instructed to stop using such articles as will be
most suitable to take on the road. . . .
Third, J. D. Lee, by
request of Willard Richards, presented a bill of tin brought into the camp by
Wm. F. Cahoon (before the council), amounting to $53
and some cents, which he proposed to sell by wholesale at a discount of 15 per
cent. . . .
Fourth, the council
[decided] that all reports of corn, grain, provisions, wagons, teams, etc., be
handed to J. D. Lee. fn
Several members of the
General Council were assigned to key positions in the various companies. But
while this arrangement gave central direction to the Exodus, it made it
difficult at times for all members of the council to get together. At times,
then, only those readily available would meet. The minutes of such meetings
very often specify those of the Quorum of the Twelve and others of the General
Council who were present, as in the meeting of
At 11 a.m. a
convention of the council met some 200 yards south of the encampment.[Pres[ent] of the Twelve: B. Young, H. C. Kimball, O. Pratt, P.
P. Pratt, G. A. Smith. Father John Smith, Bishop [George] Miller, A. P.
Rockwood, Shadrach Roundy, B. F. Johnson [and] J. D. Lee [were also present] of
the council of the YTFIF [i.e. Fifty], Capt. Stuart, Winter, Benson and others.
Several letters were laid before the council and one letter was answered to
Elder O. Hyde. . . . Council also decided that the camp roll on 5 miles this
evening. fn
At a meeting of the
Council,
The final arrangements
for moving the Saints to the
The departure of the
pioneer company for the Great Basin terminated the meetings of the General
Council for a time; and as clerk of the Council, William Clayton delivered
"the records of the K. of G. [
I would say to you
brethren, and to the Elders of Israel, if you are faithful, you will yet be
sent to preach this Gospel to the nations of the earth and to bid all welcome
whether they believe the Gospel or not, and this kingdom will reign over many
who do not belong to the Church, over thousands who do not believe in the
Gospel. Bye and bye every knee. . . . shall bow and every tongue confess and
acknowledge and reverence and honor the name of God and His priesthood and
observe the laws of the kingdom whether they belong to the Church and obey the
Gospel or not, and I mean that every man in this company shall do it. That is what
the scripture means by every knee shall bow, etc., and you cannot make anything
else of it. fn
Orson Pratt later
referred to the feelings he experienced when the pioneer company arrived in the
Great Basin, when he commented, "I felt as though it was the place for
which we had so long sought." fn
When the company
reached
P. P. Pratt told of
the government of the Stake: the Prest., his
Counselors and the High Council. Here the High Council has to attend to
temporal as well as spiritual matters, for we have no county and state
officers, etc.. . . [We] need a law to prevent men from settling in a scattered
manner and to prevent cutting green timber; and all such laws will .be for the
people of this stake for the time being. No one quorum has power to give
eternal laws for this people but a greater council which[contains[includes] the
Twelve may do this. . . The council above named will regulate this matter as
soon as they come up and sit. . . .
John Taylor stated that P. P. Pratt had told
the truth with regard to organization and law, etc., and there were as many as
20 or thereabouts present who knew it. . . fn
After Brigham Young
and other members of the General Council were permanently settled in the
So well did the
General Council do its work, during the winter of 1848-49, that when the State
of
[Graphic omitted: See
source document.]
Dr. Andrus is
associate professor of religion and social science at
Journal of Discourses, IV, 41. Hereafter
abbreviated J. D.
See III Nephi 21;
Ether 13.
Doctrine and Covenants
28:9.
Hereafter abbreviated D. & C.
Journal History,
October, 1830. Hereafter abbreviated J.H. Said the Painesville Telegraph,
Daniel P. Kidder, Mormonism
and Mormons, pp. 77-79. (Italics by the writer.)
Italics by the writer.
D&C 49:24-25.
Ibid., 39-13.
Ibid., 64:37 ff. In
commenting upon these statements in 1853, Orson Pratt said:
Thus we see that
twenty-two years ago, it was foretold in great plainness that Zion should flourish
and rejoice upon the hills and mountains: when these prophecies were given, we
did not know, for many years, how nor when the Lord intended to fulfill them;
but fifteen years after the predictions, the Lord suffered our enemies to rise
against us and we were driven by the force of arms from those States, and were
obliged to flee to the mountains for refuge; thus, in an unexpected manner,
Zion is placed in her appropriate position, and is truly beginning to flourish
and rejoice upon the hills and mountains, according to the predictions of
Joseph the Prophet, and according to many predictions of the ancient
prophets.--The Seer, I (January, 1853), 6-7.
Joseph F. Smith also
made reference to the same subject and inquired:
Who, let me ask,
unless he was inspired of the Lord, speaking by the gift and power of God, at
that remote period of the Church's history, when our numbers were few, when we
had no influence, name or standing in the world--who, I would ask, under the
circumstances in which we were placed when this prediction was made, could have
uttered such words unless God inspired him? Zion is, indeed, flourishing on the
hills, and is rejoicing on the mountains, and we who compose it are gathering
and assembling together unto the place appointed . . . If there were no other
prophecy uttered by Joseph Smith, fulfillment of which could be pointed to,
this alone would be sufficient to entitle him to the claim of being a true
prophet. -- J.D., XXV, 97-98.
Conference Report,
"Autobiography of
Erastus Snow," dictated to his son, Franklin R. Snow. Quoted in Joseph
William Olsen, "Biography of Erastus Snow," unpublished master's
thesis,
James Amasa Little, "Biography of Lorenzo Dow Young,"
"Biographical
Sketch of the Life of Luman Andros Shurtliff, 1807-1864," under date. Taken from his
personal journal, a copy of which is on file in the Church Historian's Office,
"Diary of John D.
Lee, 1844, 1846, 1850-1851," under the above date, Typewritten copy in
Brigham Young University Library. (Italics by the writer.)
Letter written by
Lyman Wight to Wilford Woodruff, dated
Helen Mar Whitney, Woman's
Exponent,
Matthias F. Cowley, Wilford
Woodruff, (Salt Lake City, 1909), p. 153.
"Diary of Oliver
B. Huntington, 1847-1900," Typewritten copy in Brigham Young University
Library, Part II, 210; Young Woman's Journal, II, 314-315.
J. H.,
Ibid.,
Young Woman's Journal. 11, 314-315. Brigham
Young expressed a common attitude among the saints when he said:
If I knew that I was
going to burn all my buildings next season, it would not hinder me for one hour
from making improvements. The more I do, the more I shall be prepared to do.
And I am determined to prepare to lay up the walls of
History of the Church, V, 85-86.
Edward W. Tullidge, History of Northern Utah and
J.D., XI, 16.
J.H., under date.
Tullidge, op. cit.
History of the Church, VI, 222.
Ibid., p. 223. Under date of
I met with the Quorum
of the Twelve at Joseph's store, and according to Joseph's counsel a company
was selected to go on an exploring expedition to
Ibid., p. 224.
Ibid.
Ibid., p. 225.
Ibid. pp. 256-258.
George Miller, Sr.,
and George Miller, Jr., A Mormon Bishop and His Son, Fragments of a Diary
kept by George Miller, St., Bishop in the Mormon Church, and some records of
incidents in the life of the G. Miller, Jr., Hunter and Pathfinder, ed. H.
M. Mills (London, England, nd.), p. 48.
See History of the
Church, VI, 260-61,263, 264.
See ibid., pp.
274, 343, 356, etc.
"History of
Brigham Young," Millennial Star, XXVI, 328-329. For evidence that
the General Council and The Council of Fifty were the same body, see Willard
Richard's Journal, March 22, 25, 1845; April 15, 22, 29, 1845, etc., and
compare with meeting dates of the General Council, as reported in the History
of the Church. Original Journal of Willard Richards is on file in
the Church Historian's Office,
Ibid., p. 345.
For further
information on this subject, see Hyrum L. Andrus, Joseph Smith and World
Government (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1958), Chapter II.
History of the Church,
VI,
274, 275-277, 281-282, 369.
Whitney, op. cit.,
XI (January 1, 1883), 114. The issue of redress for the loss of lands purchased
from the federal government in
History of the Church, VI, 373-374. Douglas
also supplied Hyde with a copy of John C. Fremont's map of
J. H.,
See J. H.,
Had the Saints gone to
The points at issue
and the proposed resolutions were not precisely the same each year with each of
the four questions, as the occasional unanimous agreement indicates. These four
were selected, however, because they were perennials in which the issues did to
a large extent remain homogeneous from year to year.
E. Cecil McGavin, Nauvoo the Beautiful (Salt Lake City,
1946), p. 127.
"Diary of Oliver
B. Huntington," II, 425
"The Life Story
of Mosiah Lyman Hancock," typewritten copy in Brigham Young University Library,
pp. 27-29.
Letter of William
Henry Kimball to Emmeline B. Wells, written at
The writer has located
two independent sources that give almost verbatim accounts of this address.
Samuel Holister Rogers, who was present, gave one
report. See "Journal of Samuel Holister
Rogers," typewritten copy, Brigham Young University Library, pp. 198-201.
William Pace, who was present as a lad in his early teens, also reported the
address and then adds, "I am indebted to Alfred Bell of Lehi, Utah, for
the above . . . taken on the spot by him, and supposed to be very correct"
See "Diary of William Byran Pace and Biography
of his father James Pace," typewritten copy, Brigham Young University
Library, pp. 3-6. Wandle Mace also gave a partial
report of this address in which the above quoted portion is found. See
"Journal of Wandle Mace, 1809, 1890,"
typewritten copy, Brigham Young University Library, p. 131. The Journal
History for this date merely reports, "Legion met as usual; and after
receiving instructions, were dismissed until
History of the Church,
VI,
545-546.
Ibid., p. 547.
Ibid., p. 548. (Italics by
the writer.)
"Journal of
Samuel Holister
J. H.,
History of the Church, VII, 387.
Ibid., pp. 387-388.
Ibid., In his Journal,
under date, Willard Richards specifically reports this meeting as being held by
the Council of Fifty.
In his Journal,
Willard Richards reports meetings of the Council of Fifty on the following
dates: March 25, April 15, April 22, April 29, May 6, and
History of the Church, VII, 439. See also
pp. 454-455.
J.H.
See John D. Lee,
"Diaries and Official Records of John D. Lee, 1844-1846, 1850-1851,
1861-1878." Unpublished diaries, minutes, etc., kept by Lee (not
complete), Brigham Young University Library, under
Benjamin F. Johnson,
"An Interesting Letter," unpublished letter from Johnson to George S.
Gibbs, April to July, 1903, Brigham Young University Library pp. 9, 23. Johnson
was a member of the Council.
Journals of John D.
Lee,
ed. Charles Kelley (Salt Lake City, 1938), p. 25.
"Diary of John D.
Lee, 1844, 1846, 1850-1851,"
Ibid., under date. See also
the meetings held April 18 and
Miller, op. cit.,
p. 24; Johnson to Gibbs, pp. 22-23. See also William Clayton's Journal,
pp. 50-54; J. H.,
J. H., December 25,
26, 27, 1846; Miller, op. Titus, pp. 28-29.
William Clayton's
Journal,
p. 74. Clayton reported that in the pioneer company there were the following
men who were members of the General Council: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball,
Willard Richards, Orson Pratt, George A. Smith, Wilford Woodruff, Amasa Lyman, Ezra T. Benson, Phineas
H. Young, John Pack, Charles Shumway, Shadrach
Roundy, Albert P. Rockwood, Erastus Snow, William Clayton, Thomas Bullock,
Albert Cartington, and Orrin Porter Rockwell. See Ibid.,
pp. 202-203.
Ibid., pp. 195-196.
J. D., XII, 88.
John Young was made a
member of the General Council,
Charles C. Rich's Journal,
under date. Original on file in Church Historian's Office. (Italics by the
writer. )
J. H., December 9,
1848; John D. Lee, A Mormon Chronicle: The Diaries of John D. Lee,
1848-1876, ed. Robert Class Cleland and Juanita Brooks (San Marino, California,
1955), I, 80-82.
See Andrus, op.
cit., pp. 91 ff.
J.H.,
Cited in Andrew Love
Neff, History of
(Joseph Smith and the West by Hyrum L. Andrus
Fn, BYU Studies, vols. 1-2 (1959-1960), Volume 2, Number 2-Spring and
Summer 1960 129.)
Latter-day
Saints did not leave
William
G. Hartley, “The Pioneer Trek: Nauvoo to Winter Quarters,” Ensign, June
1997, 31
The Latter-day Saints’ epic evacuation from
Original Plan Was for Spring
Departure
On
At its peak, Nauvoo
had close to 12,000 people.
3 Another 2,000 to 3,000 lived nearby in
During
January 1846, the Brethren proposed that a smaller group go in early spring,
ahead of the main body.
6 Thus by 24 January, President Young planned to start with a company
of young men and a few families and travel until they could find a good
location to put in crops. “Any who want to go are welcome to go,” he said.
7
Act 1: The Winter Exodus
By January’s
end, LDS leaders heard of disturbing threats about attacks on Nauvoo, arrests of the
Twelve, destruction of the Nauvoo Temple, stealing of wagons “to prevent us
from moving west,” Illinois governor Thomas Ford’s sending troops into Nauvoo
to enforce arrest warrants, and other designs to prosecute and persecute the
Mormons.
8 Taking all of these threats seriously, the Twelve decided to leave
quickly—partly for their own well-being and partly to remove themselves as a
target that might bring attacks and result in harm to other Latter-day Saints.
So departures started early, in February 1846 instead of springtime. This broke
up the previous plan of organization, and what was expected to be a small,
orderly group soon swelled to an unwieldy size. Winter departures caused family
separations. “We bade our children and friends goodbye and started for the
West,” wrote midwife Patty Sessions.
9
The winter
exodus of the Camp of Israel involved about 3,000 Saints and nearly 500 wagons,
although 100 wagons returned to Nauvoo during March to help move other Saints.
10 They journeyed 300 miles across southern
On 4 February
Nauvoo
resident Charles Shumway ferried across the
On 1 March
the Camp of Israel started moving west through
The companies
made an extended stop (7-18 March) at
Moving
northwesterly along the Fox River, the companies passed just north of
March snow,
cold, rain, and awful mud made the trek miserable and
exhausting. To cross the steep-banked
When they
left Chariton Camp on 1 April, they exited
On 6-15 April
the companies camped by Locust Creek, three miles above the
On the move
again, by mid-April the travelers saw prairie grasses sprouting, trees leafing
out, rattlesnakes slithering around, and in their companies “many cases of
measles and mumps.”
15 At the headwaters of the
Leaving
people there to farm and develop the settlement, the Camp of
On 1 June the
Camp of Israel moved on, leaving hundreds who lacked teams and supplies needed
to push on for the
During
subsequent weeks, successive wagon companies arrived from Nauvoo and camped next to
previous arrivals, creating a long “Grand Encampment”
18 stretching about nine miles eastward from President Young’s camp.
Saints waited while workmen built a ferryboat to move wagons across the
The Camp of
Israel trek
was as heroic as it was historic. It was punctuated by sacrifice, sorrows,
deaths, stressful travel situations, devout prayers and hymns, band music, good
humor, and optimism. Histories about the Nauvoo exodus concentrate on
the Camp of Israel rather than on the later departures for several good
reasons: (1) it was the first wave of people who left Nauvoo en masse; (2) it
pioneered several stretches of the route and various travel methods; (3) it
contained the Church’s leaders, including most of the Twelve, and was the
decision-making group for the entire exodus; (4) it was an organized caravan
that shared a collective, common history; and (5) its experiences are well
described in diary entries and later recollections.
Act 2: The Spring Exodus
During April,
May, and June 1846, three times as many Saints left Nauvoo as went with President
Brigham Young’s advance group. Among the 10,000 spring evacuees were Apostles
Wilford Woodruff and Orson Hyde, many of the 300 men who had been guards and
pioneers in the Camp of Israel who now had returned to Nauvoo for their families,
workmen who had finished the Nauvoo Temple, and new LDS arrivals from out of state.
Because of grass and springtime weather, their treks across
Economic,
health, and family difficulties prevented these people from leaving sooner.
Thousands had trouble obtaining adequate outfits and provisions. They counted
on selling, bartering, buying, and luck. When they tried to market their farms,
houses, livestock, furniture, utensils, dishes, clocks, books, and other
nonessentials, they found many sellers but few buyers. Most Saints sold or
traded for pittances, suffering major financial losses. Ethan Barrows, for
example, wrote, “[I] could not sell my house and lot, nor any of my furniture.”
20 The Leavitt family received only “a yoke of wild steers” for their
“beautiful farm.”
21 Some had to pay off debts; others had to collect debts.
Ill health,
too, slowed departures. Isaac Haight said that in February his company headed
west “before my health was so that I could go with them,” so he did not leave
until June.
22 Amasa Lyman left in February, but his
expectant wife, Maria, stayed behind, gave birth to a son, and left with her
four children in June.
23 People delayed, too, while waiting for relatives not ready, not
willing to go, or not yet in Nauvoo. Reddick Allred,
one of the advance pioneers, returned from
March. President Young
placed leadership in Nauvoo upon his brother, Elder Joseph W. Young,
senior president of the Seventy, and Elder Orson Hyde. He instructed three
trustees—Bishop Joseph L. Heywood, John S. Fullmer,
and Almon W. Babbitt—to sell Church properties,
handle Church finances, help complete the temple, and move needy Saints west.
He sent word back for Elders Young and Hyde to dedicate the temple if the
Twelve were unable to return to do it.
26 He sent word, also, that the Twelve were petitioning God to “open
the way” for “the upright” to leave Nauvoo and join them. “Seek
diligently,” he said, to “follow after us.”
April. During the April
conference at Nauvoo, Elder Hyde instructed that all should leave as soon
as possible, and the congregation voted to do so. He counseled the needy to
find work along the
May. On 1 May the temple
was dedicated publicly by Elder Hyde. In all, nearly 6,000 Latter-day Saints
had received their temple ordinances in Nauvoo the previous winter.
President Brigham Young in later months would draw upon these temple
experiences to help motivate the Saints during trying times. “Let the fire of
the covenant which you made in the House of the Lord burn in your hearts,” he
counseled.
31
After the
dedication, a second wave of Saints departed. On 14 May Governor Ford reported
that 50 teams and 1,350 souls had left Nauvoo that week.
32 Among them were Elders Woodruff and Hyde.
A week later,
the Bloomington Herald noted that ferries crossed 35 times in 24 hours
at Nauvoo,
35 times upriver at
June. Early in June, an
anti-Mormon delegation marched into Nauvoo, producing such “great
excitement,” Thomas Bullock said, that “many of the brethren packed up and crossed
the river.” On 9 June Saints were “rushing to the ferry in order to cross the
river” because, Lucius Scovil
said, “the mob began to rage and threaten the Saints,” whipping some, shooting
at others, and swearing at LDS herd boys. For the “panic struck” people,
Bullock wrote on the 11th, the regular and extra ferries were not “half enough”
for the job. The mob gave the Saints a week to vacate Nauvoo, time enough for them
and non-LDS newcomers to organize a 700-man army that scared off the would-be
attackers while Nauvoo continued to empty. “Hundreds, I might say thousands,
of houses [are] empty where once happy Saints dwelt, sung, and prayed,” Bullock
said on 27 June. “Fences nearly all down, gardens laid waste, fruit trees
destroyed by cattle.”
33
Companies
and Outfits.
No superior captains directed the three waves of spring departures; each wagon
cluster was on its own. John Woolley put it this way: “As soon as a few
families got ready, they would start.”
34 Few companies had more than 30 wagons. Most contained a dozen or
less, belonging to relatives or friends. Among identified companies are those
of Isaac Haight (13 families), Solomon Hancock (18 teams), the Tracy group (10
families), Saints from the town of Macedonia (32 wagons), Levi Hancock (2
wagons), Elder Woodruff (3 wagons and a carriage), the Woolley family (4
wagons, 1 carriage), the Knights and DeMilles (14
people, 3 wagons), the Scovil group (19 people, 3
wagons), the Phineas Richards group (20 people, 5
wagons), and a Canadian group (10 wagons).
A typical
outfit was a fully loaded covered wagon pulled by two yoke of oxen; Saints
replaced their horses with oxen as soon as they could. James S. Brown, while
observing Latter-day Saint covered wagons “as far as the eye could reach” about
10 May, noted that “the teams were made up of oxen, milch
cows, two-year-old steers and heifers, and very few horses and mules.” Drivers
of the teams, he said, “were of both sexes, and comprised young and old.”
Wagons had few passengers, and he said, “The people who could walk did so, and
many were engaged in driving loose stock.”
35 Livestock control was a daily challenge. Elder Woodruff’s first day
on the road was a disaster, his diary states, because he had no one to help him
manage 25 head of livestock. “As soon as we started,” he said, “the calves and
cows all [ran] various ways.” Elsewhere, spirited young woman Louisa Barnes
Pratt “found great pleasure in riding horseback” and rendered “some assistance
in driving the stock.”
36
Spring
Routes and Trail Life.
Spring grasses (cattle feed) let spring exodus Saints take routes more directly
west than the Camp of Israel’s track that hugged
Some
travelers, like Reddick Allred, enjoyed “good roads
and plenty of grass.”
37 Most, however, faced problems relating to poor road conditions,
rain, mud, heat, wagon breakdowns, accidents, livestock, illnesses, or deaths.
“The weather was extremely warm,” John Mills Woolley recalled; “therefore, we
were obliged to travel very slow.”
38 Accidents injured oxen and people and damaged wagons. On 27 May,
Elder Woodruff’s father fell while getting into a moving wagon, and the heavily
loaded wagon ran over his arms and legs, bruising him but not breaking any
bones.
To keep up
their spirits through the trek, members sang and met in social gatherings.
“There was much singing, mostly of sacred hymns or sentimental songs,” James S.
Brown recalled, “and from no quarter could coarse songs be heard.” Sometimes
the camp “would meet in a sociable dance in the evenings, to drive dull care
away,” he explained.
39 Early in June the women in Louisa Barnes Pratt’s company decided to
organize themselves. They voted that when men call for prayers and then get
sidetracked in conversation, “that the sisters retire to some convenient place,
pray by themselves and go about their business.” Louisa said that “in the midst
of our amusements we did not forget our prayers. We have large campfires around
which we gather, sing songs, both spiritual and comic, then all unite in
prayer.”
40
Apparently
the small companies did not hold formal Sunday church meetings during their trek.
Saints enjoyed visiting with those they passed or who passed them, going either
direction. Teenager George W. Bean, sent on foot from
Separations. While trying to move
their families west, several LDS men (Lucius Scovil, Franklin D. Richards, Samuel W. Richards, and
others) were called on missions, most to
Births,
Deaths, and Health.
Spring refugees recorded births along the way. For example, babies were born to
Jane Snyder Richards, Mrs. John H. Tippets, Jane Roberts (during a downpour
that “brought water around the wagons up to our boot-tops”), Elizabeth Breeding
Hendrickson, Mrs. Ethan Barrows, and undoubtedly many others.
44
Spring and
summer sicknesses, especially malaria, made widespread by puddled
water and mosquitoes, caused sickness and some deaths. Measles struck the
Canadian Company.
45 All of Clarissa Wilhelm’s children had whooping cough and “not one
of them could sit up in the wagon.”
46 The Driggs family cluster left Nauvoo
late in May, and aging father Urial Driggs died soon after.
47
Anson Call
buried a six-month-old son on 15 June.
48 George Bryant Gardner told how his company camped near the
Scores of
Saints stopped temporarily along the way in order to work. They left Mormon
imprints across a wide north-south span of southeastern
Overtaking
the Camp of
In July the
Saints’ activities along the bluffs, as seen from the Missouri River, presented
quite a sight to non-LDS visitor Thomas L. Kane: “[The bottomlands] were crowded
with covered carts and wagons; and each one of the Council Bluff hills opposite
was crowned with its own great camp, gay with bright white canvas, and alive
with the busy stir of swarming occupants. In the clear blue morning air, the
smoke streamed up from more than a thousand cooking fires. Countless roads and
bypaths checkered all manner of geometric figures on the hillsides. Herd boys
were dozing upon the slopes; sheep and horses, cows and oxen, were feeding
around them, and other herds in the luxuriant meadow of the then swollen river.
From a single point I counted four thousand head of cattle in view at one time.
As I approached the camps, it seemed to me the children there were to prove
still more numerous.”
54
Act 3: The Fall Exodus
During the
summer months of 1846, small numbers of Saints continued to leave Nauvoo
sporadically. By September only 700 to 1,000 Saints who wanted to go west were
still in the city, some being new arrivals. Many lacked wagons and teams. Some
were too ill to travel. In the fall exodus crowds were Mary Fielding Smith,
clerk Thomas Bullock, temple architect Truman O. Angell, and Joseph Knight.
On 13
September armed anti-Mormons attacked these Nauvoo defenders and won what
is called the
During the
next weeks, this mass of beleaguered refugees gradually dissipated—they moved
into nearby Iowa settlements, downriver to St. Louis, into nearby states,
westward by their own means, or in time westward in two rescue wagon trains
sent from the main camps.
Scores found
temporary work and lodging in eastern
Some Saints
found refuge downriver from Nauvoo. John Ellison, ill with fever, took his
wife, Alice, and two small children nine miles east of Nauvoo to John’s father’s
home. In November, John and Alice went to
Many, like
the Stillman Pond family, crossed
Hyrum Smith’s
widow, Mary Fielding Smith, left about the time of the
One
mid-September count found between 600 and 700 Saints camped by Potter’s
Meanwhile, in
mid-September at Winter Quarters,
Captain
Allen’s company of 20 rescue wagons reached the poor camps on 6 October. Bishop
Whitney, in the area buying flour at Bonaparte for Winter Quarters,
On
That same
day, Nauvoo
trustees Fullmer, Heywood, and Babbitt brought shoes,
clothing, molasses, pork, and salt to the Saints, after which Captain Allen’s
wagon train started their journey, comprising 151 men, women, and children—44
of whom were ill. Captain Allen had a list of specific people he was instructed
to bring back, but he accepted a few who were not sent for. Scores were left
behind to await the next rescue train, including the poorest of the poor. When
the Allen train camped opposite Bonaparte, Bullock recorded, “the sisters had a
regular washing day, and the men were ordered to fetch water for them.” More
Saints joined the train, he said, so by the 22nd it had 28 wagons and 157 people.
Notable
experiences of the Allen Company’s trek include Sarah Gubbett’s death caused by falling under a rolling wagon,
men fighting a prairie fire that threatened a farm and fence and receiving
pumpkins as rewards from the grateful farmer, Joan Campbell’s delivering a
stillborn baby and then dying, and constant delays caused by cattle wandering
off by morning. The group reached Mount Pisgah on 4 November, left some Saints
there, including Joseph Knight (he died soon after), and halted by the Missouri
River on 27 November. Captain Allen’s drawn-out trip from the poor camps took
50 days, 17 being no-travel days.
The Completed Evacuation
The fall
exodus essentially emptied Nauvoo of Latter-day Saints who desired to go
west. As noted earlier, Nauvoo and nearby areas held perhaps 15,000 Saints
who could have joined the exodus, augmented by hundreds of newcomers. Where
were they at year’s end? Based on incomplete data, the estimate is that by the
winter of 1846-47 perhaps 5,000 exiled Saints were at Winter Quarters,
When the
winter of 1846-47 enveloped
History of 1847-1850
May 20, 2004
Ensign
articles August, 1992, Emma Hale
Ensign
July 1997, Gathering the Dispersed Nauvoo Saints, William Hartley
Gathering the Dispersed Nauvoo Saints, 1847–1852
The
widely scattered Nauvoo Saints made their way progressively toward the
William
G. Hartley, “Gathering the Dispersed Nauvoo Saints, 1847–1852,” Ensign, July
1997, 12
Theirs was a Nauvoo exodus wedding. Emily Abbott and Edward Bunker became bride
and groom on 19 February 1846, with Elder John Taylor of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles officiating. A few weeks after the wedding, Elder Taylor
crossed the Mississippi River to join the winter exodus of about 3,000
Latter-day Saints from
During the
winter of 1846–47, Emily was expecting a baby in
Scattered Saints
By the time
spring 1847 arrived, the 14,000 members who had fled the Nauvoo area were
located in numerous groups across the western
As the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles observed, “At no period since the organization of the
Church on the 6th of April, 1830, have the Saints been so extensively
scattered.”
2 The goal of the Twelve was to locate the isolated, large, productive
place where the Church was to be reassembled. They faced four urgent tasks: (1)
send an advance, exploratory pioneer group west to find a route and the
settlement site; (2) subsequently send large pioneer companies to establish a
settlement at the site; (3) have the Saints who were waiting to go west develop
good temporary farms and homes; and (4) gather the widespread groups of Saints.
Two Groups Arrive in California
Surprisingly,
during 1846 and early 1847 two Latter-day Saint groups arrived in California
months before President Young left Winter Quarters for the Rockies: the Brooklyn
Saints and the Mormon Battalion.
Saints on
the
The Mormon
Battalion.
Having nearly 500 men enlist in the Mormon Battalion in July 1846 for one year
of Mexican War duty was both a blessing and a hardship for the Church. Much of
the battalion’s early pay and uniform allowances went to the Church’s general
funds and helped the Saints in and near Winter Quarters. But the loss of 500
strong men left many families in precarious circumstances, hindering the trek
westward. President Young gave the departing battalion a prophetic promise,
however. He said that “on condition of faithfulness” they would be spared from
battle, their expedition would result in great good, and their names would “be
handed down in honorable remembrance to all generations.”
4 About 80 women, children, and youths accompanied the battalion,
working as laundresses and military aides.
5
The
battalion’s trek across the western
Of the 496
men who left
Assigned to
garrison duties in
When release
day came in July 1847, 79 soldiers accepted army pleas to reenlist, but 239
went north to
“I found my
wife [Emily] in quite poor circumstances,” Edward Bunker recalled, and he met
his 11-month-old son.
9 By the early 1850s, most of the Mormon Battalion men had joined the
Saints in the mountains of
As promised
by President Young, the Mormon Battalion was spared from battle. However, 23
men, 2 women, and 3 children—all Latter-day Saints—and 1 non-LDS soldier died
as a result of exposure, exhaustion, or illness.
The following
chart shows the locations of the widely scattered Nauvoo Saints in early spring
1847.*
|
Approximate
Numbers |
Location |
|
• 5,000
(main group) |
Winter
Quarters, |
|
• 5,000
(cluster groups) |
Pottawattamie
lands in |
|
• 450
(three wagon companies) |
Ponca Camp,
Nebraska, 120 miles north of Winter Quarters |
|
• 600
(temporary settlers) |
|
|
• 700
(temporary settlers) |
|
|
• 500
(individual families) |
Scattered
locations in eastern |
|
• 200
(individual families) |
|
|
• 1,500
(Nauvoo area exiles and new converts from the |
|
|
• 335
(Mormon Battalion) |
|
|
• 300
(Mormon Battalion sick detachments, about 80 women and children with the
battalion, and the |
|
Trails of the Scattered Saints,
1846–47. (1) Main Body of Saints (Mormon Pioneer Trail), left Nauvoo on 4
February 1846. (2) Mississippi Company, left Marion County, Alabama, in March
1846 and
Two Groups Arrive in Pueblo
Far southwest
of Winter Quarters,
While Nauvoo
was being evacuated, leaders instructed members in the South to come
northwesterly and to join them somewhere on the
Needing a
place to winter themselves, they accepted a mountain man’s invitation to
accompany him 300 miles south to
In September,
John Brown and 6 others headed back to the South to get additional family
members. On the way home they met the nearly 500-man Mormon Battalion, whose
leaders had come to feel encumbered by the over 80 women and children
accompanying the battalion and hampered by some seemingly unrecovering
sick battalion soldiers. When battalion leaders learned that 275 miles west at
Surprisingly,
this group in
Next spring,
an advance party of 17 from the Mississippi company went north in April and
waited for two weeks at Fort Laramie before greeting President Young’s advance,
exploratory company on 1 June 1847. The rest of the Mississippi company and
those associated with the Mormon Battalion who had wintered at Pueblo soon
moved north to Fort Laramie and reached the Great Salt Lake Valley five days
after President Young.
13 These pieces of the scattered Church became part of the whole again.
The 1847 Advance, Exploratory Company
Fervent
prayer started President Young’s 1847 advance, exploratory trek from Winter
Quarters to the
This advance,
exploratory group led by President Young was not a typical Latter-day Saint
train with tight food supplies and families planning to be settlers.
15 Rather, this was a handpicked scouting group of 143 men, 3 women,
and 2 children. Eight of the Twelve Apostles were in the group. To speed their
journey, the company would use more horses and mules than oxen, differing from
later companies heading west.
In accord
with a 14 January 1847 revelation (see D&C
136), President Young organized the Saints carefully
into companies of 100, 50, and 10 (meaning people in this case, not wagons). He
served as company president and main captain, aided by 2 captains of 100, 5
captains of 50, and 14 captains of 10. Their story is one of “organization,
foresight, and discipline,” wrote one historian, saying that they stopped more
days for Sabbath worship than for delays caused by travel hazards.
16
For half
their journey, this advance, exploratory company followed the north side of the
During this
trek, men were assigned as hunters and fishermen. Blacksmiths were essential,
constantly fixing wagons and wheels and shoeing horses. It was later written:
“As soon as camp was formed, Brother [Alfred] Lambson’s
forge would be prepared and the ringing of the anvil was heard until night
fall.”
18
On 18 April,
a clerks’ inventory tallied 72 wagons, 66 oxen, 89 horses, 52 mules, 19 cows,
and 17 dogs. The wagons carried stockpiles of flour, sea biscuits, dried beans,
bacon, dried beef, salted codfish, and salt. Cows provided milk. Wagons
contained tents, saddles, iron for horseshoes, nails, leather for harness
repairs and for boots and shoes, tools, cooking and eating utensils, sacks of
garden seeds and buckwheat, and bags of corn, oats, and bran to feed the
livestock.
By late
April, the wagons left behind
In western
In late May,
the pioneers pushed past impressive rock formations in western
On 31 May, a
“good hard road” brought the advance, exploratory company, now in mountain
country, to their first timber and firewood in three weeks. By then they were
averaging 12 miles per travel day. On 1 June, President Young’s 46th birthday,
the travelers camped near
Near
Leaving the
Platte, the company marched overland to reach their next lifeline of water, the
On 28 June,
the advance company reached the important fork in the road where the California
Trail and the Oregon Trail divide near Green River in
Over the next
few weeks, many of the advance company became sick from an unknown illness,
suffering pain in the head, back, joints, and bones; hot flashes; chills; and
sometimes delirium.
29 For them, riding in jolting wagons was torture.
30
On Sunday, 4
July, a dozen Mormon Battalion soldiers from
Leaving the
California Trail, President Young directed the group southwest along a crude,
hardly used trail that headed more directly toward the
Advance Company Splits into Three Groups
On 12 July,
because so many were ill, President Young asked Elder Orson Pratt to take a
vanguard party of 25 wagons and 42 healthy men to “hunt out the road.” Their
job was to clear the trail of thick willows, rocks, and brush for the coming
wagons.
On 14 July,
Elders Heber C. Kimball and Ezra T. Benson of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles, together with Lorenzo Dow Young and Howard Egan, hiked up “on the top
of a high mountain” and “offered … prayers to the Almighty God in behalf of the
sick and for our dear families.”
33 But by 19 July, President Young, pale and emaciated with fever,
could not go on, so 8 to 10 wagons stayed behind with him. The rest moved
ahead. Thus the advance company was divided into three groups: Elder Pratt’s
vanguard group, the main group, and the rear guard with President Young and
other ill Saints.
On 19 July,
Elder Pratt and John Brown of the vanguard group climbed a mountain
Continuing
on, Elder Pratt and Erastus Snow entered the
That same
day, the rear guard was still in the mountains. Elder Woodruff, with President
Young lying on a makeshift bed in Elder Woodruff’s carriage, reached the summit
of
President Young Enters the Valley
The next day,
Saturday, 24 July, the rear guard traveled the remaining six miles through
“This is an
important day in the history of my life and the history of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints. On this important day after trav[eling] from our encampment … we came in full view of the
great valley or basin [of] the
“We gazed
with wonder and admiration upon the vast rich fertile valley. … Our hearts were
surely made glad after a hard journey from Winter Quarters of 1,200 miles. …
“Thoughts of
pleasing meditations ran in rapid succession through our minds while we
contemplated that not many years that the house of God would stand upon the top
of the mountains while the valleys would be converted into orchard, vineyard, gard[ens] and fields by the
inhabitants of Zion and the standard would be unfurled for the nations to
gather there to.
“President
Young expressed his full satisfaction in the appearance of the valley as a
resting place for the Saints and was amply repayed
for his journey.”
37
Elder
Woodruff later said of that moment on the 24th, President Young “was enwrapped
in vision for several minutes. He had seen the valley before in vision, and
upon this occasion he saw the future glory of
At about noon
on Saturday, 24 July 1847, President Young and the rear guard joined the
pioneer encampment near
Encamped on
the open valley floor, these travel-weary Latter-day Saints enjoyed a Sabbath
day’s rest. Then, Monday morning, they continued plowing large fields and
garden plots, again diverting creek water onto the hard soil to soften it, just
as the men the previous Friday and Saturday had done. They planted buckwheat,
corn, oats, turnips, peach trees, apple trees, cabbage, and potatoes. On
Wednesday, 28 July, President Young and other members of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles appointed the site for a temple—in the fork where the creek (City
Creek) branched. This action of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles was the
crowning step of their journey, putting in motion all that was needed to build
again a house of the Lord as they had in Nauvoo.
The bulk of
the battalion soldiers and
Surveyors
soon laid out the city, divided it into 135 ten-acre blocks containing eight
house lots, and designed a grid of wide streets and three public squares. In
August the
The Quorum of
the Twelve Apostles had identified a route for the Saints to come west and
located the place held in reserve for them. Now they would seek to anchor the
settlement in the
Return Trek to Winter Quarters
In
mid-August, nearly half of the pioneers in the
By 26 August 1847,
all eight Apostles who were with the advance company, including President
Young, left in a company bound for Winter Quarters,
By early
September, the eastbound returning pioneers met and passed the westbound big
company of 560 wagons.
Upon reaching
Winter Quarters on 31 October 1847 the returnees found that the thousands of
Saints camped on both sides of the
Late in 1847,
the Twelve Apostles felt to reconstitute the First Presidency, which quorum had
been vacant since the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith. So the Twelve called a
special conference, for which workmen soon rushed to complete a large log
tabernacle on the east side of the
In that
tabernacle, on 27 December 1847, President Brigham Young and Elders Heber C.
Kimball and Willard Richards were sustained as the Church’s First Presidency.
This action again concentrated major administrative leadership in the hands of
three Apostles instead of all of the Twelve, and it freed members of the Twelve
Apostles for assignments away from headquarters.
The next
spring, each member of the First Presidency led a large pioneer company from
the Winter Quarters–Kanesville area to the
Meanwhile,
the remaining Saints—who made up the majority of those living in Winter
Quarters—moved east across the Missouri River to Kanesville,
Iowa, leaving Winter Quarters, Nebraska, all but destitute of inhabitants.
High-Risk First Year
Knowing
whether or not the
While
President Young was gone, John Smith, the Prophet Joseph Smith’s uncle, served
as the valley’s stake president, assisted by counselors and a high council.
These men were the valley’s spiritual and civic leaders. Under their direction,
workmen expanded further the size of the original fort a block north and south
(the original fort became known as the “Old Fort”), built hundreds of log cabins,
fenced their city to control livestock, and constructed roads and bridges. They
plowed some 5,000 acres and planted 872 acres with winter wheat.
Mormon
Battalion captain James Brown, who had ridden to
Cabin life in
the fort was primitive. Mary Isabella Horne said the first log houses were
small and lacked doors, windows, and floors. “The ground was full of snakes
which used to crawl around our houses, but these were soon killed or frightened
away,” Sister Horne recalled. “The timber was so full of bugs that it was years
before they were entirely subdued. The mice also were very numerous, running
over us by day and by night, and destroying considerable clothing.”
52
By next May
1848, the long-awaited farm and garden plants sprouted. “Barley, oats, rye,
buckwheat, and other grains look [good],” Elder John Taylor reported to
President Brigham Young on 22 May; “flax and especially peas, look very
promising.” But by month’s end the desperately needed crops were suffering from
frost, lack of water, trampling by cattle, and crickets that came “by the
thousands of tons.”
53
Many of the
settlers became discouraged. “The great cry is to
On 10 August,
the Saints celebrated their first harvest with a thanksgiving feast. Leonard
Harrington wrote on 24 October: “Our wheat turned off tolerably well, though
the crickets injured it considerable as also our corn, beans, vines, etc. We
have enough to subsist on till another harvest, and some corn to spare.”
57 The First Presidency, a year later, in 1849, assessed that “the
experiment of last year is sufficient to prove that valuable crops may be
raised in this valley.”
58
Kanesville , Iowa
History often
overlooks the majority of Saints who had wintered in
In 1848,
government officials ordered the Church to vacate the Native American lands
west of the
Winter
Quarters and its hundreds of log homes fell vacant. In the next years the
cabins slowly disappeared, the logs becoming firewood or parts of distant
buildings. In the
In April 1849
the First Presidency sent word from the Salt Lake Valley that Kanesville, Iowa, and the nearby Latter-day Saint enclaves
were to have a linked, double role—a gathering area as well as an outfitting
center: “The brethren in Pottawattamie [County], who cannot fit themselves out
this season as we have suggested, will do well to continue where they are,
striving for the same object the next year; and the Saints in the United States,
Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa will continue to gather on the Pottawattamie
lands, and prepare for their future journey.”
61
Among those
living on Pottawattamie lands and preparing to go west were Allen Russell and
Jude Allen, who belonged to the North Pigeon Branch. In 1849 their situation
was fairly typical of hundreds of Saints. They “took up a farm,” built a house,
planted corn, potatoes, and garden seeds. They decided to stay put until they
got enough to emigrate to
However,
Saints continually left the Kanesville area to head
west as they could. Bathsheba Smith and her family moved on in 1849 among some
400 wagons.
63 When the 1849 emigrating season ended, “nearly 8,000 exiles remained
on the ‘Pottawattamie lands.’ ”
64 Each spring, more Latter-day Saint wagon trains left Kanesville, Iowa. Approximate total LDS emigration figures,
which also include converts from
Kanesville developed into a
rustic, sizable Latter-day Saint town, boasting the log tabernacle, stores and
shops, a concert hall, and the Frontier Guardian newspaper, which Elder
Orson Hyde, who was assigned to preside over the Saints there, published for
the benefit of the Church. At the river’s edge were three ferries. During the
California Gold Rush, the Saints there prospered from selling farm products and
livestock and providing skilled labor to the hordes of forty-niners. “This is
quite a town,” Amelia Hadley said on 5 May 1851. “The houses are mostly hewed
log, 2 story and on the main street they have sided them up and they present
quite a fine appearance.”
66
The Command to Gather
The great
overarching tasks of Church leadership were to finish pulling in the Church’s
scattered Saints and to establish a new western
In response,
in 1852 most of the Saints pulled out of
Some LDS
branches moved as a group. Branch president Benjamin Gardner, for example, led
241 North Pigeon Branch members and 45 wagons west. In that group, Sister
Eunice Allen had to choose between staying with her husband, who had become
disaffected from the Church in 1841, and going west with her married children,
including son Jude Allen. When she asked her husband one last time to come to
Inflows of
former Nauvoo Saints to
Edward and
Emily Bunker, like other members separated in 1846, were now among the
reassembled Saints living in one of more than 100 settlements in
Saints
were spread all over the world when Brigham left Winter Quarters in 1847.
The
main point of gathering was to the
Isaiah
52:7-8 – Orson Pratt interprets this scripture to mean the Saints in
(Isaiah
52:7-8.)
7 ¶ How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth
good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8 Thy
watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for
they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
"How Beautiful
upon the Mountains" (Isa. 52
Isaiah 52:1-2 contains
a call to Zion:
Awake, awake; put on
thy strength, O Zion;
put on thy beautiful
garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city:
for henceforth there
shall no more come into thee
the uncircumcised and
the unclean.
Shake thyself from the
dust;
arise, and sit down, O
Jerusalem:
loose thyself from the
bands of thy neck,
O captive daughter of
Zion.
These verses are
interpreted by modern revelation, which provides a solid foundation for a
discussion of the rest of the chapter. In Doctrine and Covenants 113 some
questions are posed to the Lord about these verses, which he answers:
Q: What is meant by
the command in Isaiah, 52d chapter, 1st verse, which saith:
Put on thy strength, O Zion— and what people had Isaiah reference to?
A: He had reference to
those whom God should call in the last days, who should hold the power of
priesthood to bring again Zion, and the redemption of Israel; and to put on her
strength is to put on the authority of the priesthood, which she, Zion, has a
right to by lineage; also to return to that power which she had lost (D&C
113:7-8).
Q: What are we to
understand by Zion loosing herself from the bands of her neck; 2d verse?
A: We are to
understand that the scattered remnants are exhorted to return to the Lord from
whence they have fallen; which if they do, the promise of the Lord is that he
will speak to them, or give them revelation. See the 6th, 7th, and 8th verses.
The bands of her neck are the curses of God upon her, or the remnants of Israel
in their scattered condition among the Gentiles (D&C 113:9-10).
"How beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth
good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation" (Isa. 52:7). In Hebrew, "how beautiful" is mah na'wu. From this phrase
the Prophet Joseph Smith derived the name Nauvoo, which he interpreted
as "place of rest" or "beauty." fn The phrase "him
that bringeth good tidings" (Hebrew, mebasser), is based on the Hebrew root bsr, meaning "announce" or
"proclaim." This phrase occurs in Isaiah seven times (40:9, twice;
41:27; 52:7, twice; 60:6; 61:1) in key passages in which it means
"proclaiming the tidings of salvation." Isaiah 40:9; 52:7; and 61:1
particularly refer to messengers proclaiming the coming of the Messiah and the
message of salvation through the atonement that he brings. The Greek Septuagint
translated this word with the verb euangelizomai,
literally "to bring a good message" (root of the English word evangelize).
The writers of the New Testament, presumably on account of the occurrence of
this word in the Septuagint passages in Isaiah, used the same term throughout,
referring to the "good tidings" of the coming of the Savior (Luke
1:19; 2:10). The noun form euangelion (Matt.
4:23; 24:14; 26:13; Mark 1:1, 14; 8:35; 13:10; etc.) was rendered in Latin as evangelium and was then translated into Anglo-Saxon
as god-spell, meaning "good-news." This led to the modern
English gospel. Hence the occurrence and meaning of the term gospel
in the New Testament is based on these very important passages in Isaiah, which
refer to the coming of the Messiah and the Atonement.
One of the priests of
Noah asked Abinadi the meaning of Isaiah 52:7-10 Mosiah12:20-24). Abinadi did
not answer the question immediately, but after his scathing rebuke of the
priests for their wickedness, he taught them about the coming of the Savior as
the Suffering Servant, reading them Isaiah 53 in its entirety. He interpreted
chapter 53 that "God himself should come down among the children of men"
(Mosiah 17:8)—the teaching for which Abinadi would be put to death. Finally he
returned to the original question and gave a prophetic interpretation of Isaiah
52:7-10. He explained that those who follow Christ and the prophets are the
seed of Christ, who as servants "are they [changing the singular
"him" of Isa. 52:7 to a plural] who have published peace, who have
brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion:
Thy God reigneth" (Mosiah 15:14). Abinadi
further explained that these servants are only doing what they have seen the
Servant do: "And behold, I say unto you, this is not all. For O how
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea,
even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation
unto his people" (Mosiah 15:18). Thus those who accept the gospel become
the seed of Abraham and the seed of Christ, and their responsibility is to look
to the "rock from whence they are hewn" and to do as Abraham and
Christ have done—to proclaim the good tidings, to preach the gospel. fn
Jesus quoted several
of the verses from Isaiah 52 in his address to the Nephites in 3 Nephi
20:36-46, but he quoted the verses in a significantly different order: 1-3, 7,
11-15, interpreting the events as relating to the latter days, the restoration
and preaching of the gospel, and the Second Coming.
Some scholars read the
passage in Isaiah 52:13-15 about the servant whose "visage" was to be
"marred" together with Isaiah 53, referring to the same suffering
servant. The Book of Mormon never places it in this context; rather, the
resurrected Jesus appears to have read this passage as referring to a servant
who was yet to come (3 Ne. 20:43-45). He explained the passage in the context
of the latter days, referring to a future servant who will be marred but healed
(3 Ne. 21:9-10). Some have seen this as a prophecy referring to the coming of
the Savior himself, who has been marred but preserved through the resurrection.
Others see it as a reference to Joseph Smith or some other latter-day servant.
fn
(Kent P. Jackson, ed.,
Studies in Scripture, Vol. 4: 1 Kings to Malachi [Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1993], 164.)
On
the 1st Sunday Brigham teaches about keeping the Sabbath holy, don’t
plant anything yet! They gave the
Hosanna Shout, “Save us, save us, save us, Amen, Amen, Amen. They were entreating the Lord, not commanding
him.
President
Hinckley Ensign Nov, 1989, Ensign to the Nations
Ensign
1998, Walker “Brigham Young student of the Prophet”
Brigham Young:
Student of the Prophet
Brigham
Young rejoiced in his close association with the Prophet Joseph Smith. Through
it, he knew the Lord had prepared him for challenges and responsibilities yet
to come.
Ronald W. Walker, “Brigham
Young: Student of the Prophet,” Ensign, Feb. 1998, 51
When he recalled the days he spent with the Prophet of the Restoration, Brigham
Young could hardly restrain his enthusiasm. “I feel like shouting, hallelujah,
all the time, when I think that I ever knew Joseph Smith, the Prophet,” he
declared.
1 Indeed, President Young often spoke and wrote admiringly of his
friend and teacher. His statements—recorded in sermons, letters, diaries, and
in conversations transcribed by clerks—illuminate an important facet of his
personal growth. They also tell the story of friendship and discipleship and
how one Church leader prepared another for future responsibilities. For the
Prophet Joseph Smith was undoubtedly an instrument of the Lord in helping to
mold Brigham Young into a strong leader, a pillar of the Church.
In the 1820s,
Joseph Smith and Brigham Young actually lived not far from each other in upstate
Learning by Observation
A year after
his baptism, Brigham Young traveled with Joseph Young, his brother, and Heber
C. Kimball to
“[I] received
the sure testimony, by the Spirit of prophecy, that he was all that any man
could believe him to be, as a true Prophet,” Brigham Young remembered. The
Prophet greeted his visitors warmly and had them come to his home, where in the
evening they worshiped. Brigham Young was asked to pray. As he did, his words
were transformed, and he spoke in tongues under the influence of the Holy
Ghost. It was the “pure Adamic language,” Joseph
Smith told those who were present.
8
A second
visit to Kirtland nine months later allowed the two men to become better
acquainted, and Brigham recalled once more “enjoying the society of the
Prophet.”
9
When Brigham
Young moved his family to Kirtland in the fall of 1833, his relationship with
Joseph Smith began to deepen. At first he was so timid in the Prophet’s
presence that he was tongue-tied. “I was with him several years before I
pretended to open my mouth to speak at all,” President Young later confessed.
Clearly uncertain about himself and full of awe for his teacher, he silently
observed and listened, trying to digest even the Prophet’s smallest acts. “An
angel never watched him closer than I did,” he said.
10 He would later recall that in Kirtland “in the days of Joseph I
always took the opportunity, whenever possible, to attend High Council meetings
[though he was not a member] that I might learn principle and wisdom from the
mouth of the Prophet.”
11
For the first
time in his life, he had found someone who could provide answers for his
religious questions. He said that the Prophet Joseph Smith’s teachings brought
heaven to earth and earth to heaven in “plainness and simplicity” so that
“everybody could understand.”
12 Later, while serving as President of the Church, he looked back on
the attention he had given to the Prophet Joseph Smith’s teaching as the key to
his life’s success.
13
Schooled by Adversity
There were
events that tested the new disciple, however. Although the Prophet Joseph Smith
advised the Saints to build up Kirtland rather than using their labor to build
up non-Latter-day Saint communities, many men left Kirtland in search of winter
work. Brigham Young remained behind. “I made up my mind that I would stay in
Kirtland, and work [for Church members] if I never got a farthing for it,” he
said. It must have been a difficult decision; he had arrived in Kirtland with
borrowed boots and pantaloons and a three- or four-year-old homemade coat,
inadequate for winter. “If any man that ever did gather with the Saints was any
poorer than I was,” he said, “it was because he had nothing.”
14
Yet despite
Kirtland’s apparent lack of opportunity, he could get by. “The sun seldom if
ever shone on my work before I had my tools in my hands and [was] busily
engaged; and I rarely laid down my tools so long as I could see to use them. …
I would gather a little here and a little there, and a day would not pass
without its having sufficient food.”
15 In Brigham Young’s mind, “the Lord opened the way most
astonishingly” because he obeyed the Prophet’s counsel.
16
At first the
Young family lived on life’s margins. On one occasion in Kirtland Brigham Young
was invited by the Prophet to attend certain sessions of instruction. The
daytime sessions would prevent him from working and getting food for his
family. Without a “mouthful of anything” in his home and fearing empty stomachs
for his children, he nevertheless did what he was asked. When he left the
school that evening, so great was the anxiety for his family that he remembered
“drops of sweat stood on me” despite a stiff north wind and blowing snow. How
was he to feed his family? His question was answered when a friend unexpectedly
offered to loan him $25. Believing the money was a reward for obeying, Brigham
flew home “like a dove” to provide for his children.
17
Lessons of Zion
In May of 1834,
Brigham Young responded to another of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s requests by
enrolling in Zion’s Camp—a band of several hundred men that marched from Ohio
to Missouri in hopes of protecting the Saints and peacefully regaining their
lands in Jackson County. The camp’s procedures were hard. A horn roused the men
at
Almost from
the beginning of the march, “we had grumblers in that camp,” Brigham Young
recalled. The camp’s casualties increased the despair some felt. Was the
three-month ordeal and the tragedy of lost lives for nothing? That was not the
view of the future President of the Church. He found spiritual value in the
experience. “I told those brethren [who criticized] that I was well paid—paid
with heavy interest—yea that my measure was filled to overflowing with the
knowledge that I had received by traveling with the Prophet.”
19 Just as he had done during his first months in Kirtland, Brigham
Young had closely observed his camp leader, taking mental notes on how an
expedition might be led. This knowledge proved valuable when he later organized
the Saints to travel to the
The Prophet
Joseph Smith learned from the
Defender of the Prophet
In February
1835, Brigham Young received a call to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He
remembered the event well. He and his brother Joseph Young had preached and
sung at a meeting, and afterwards, the Prophet had invited the two brothers to
his home for further devotions. As they continued their singing, Joseph Smith
was inspired to organize the Quorum and call Brigham Young as one of its
members. “He had a revelation when we were singing to him,” Brigham Young
recounted. “Those who were acquainted with him knew when the Spirit of
revelation was upon him, for his countenance wore an expression peculiar to
himself while under that influence.”
20
The call
changed Brigham Young’s relationship with the Prophet Joseph Smith. No longer
the retiring and silent newcomer to Kirtland, Elder Young now became the
Prophet’s open defender. Sometimes this new role produced humorous situations,
such as when a
Some threats
against Joseph Smith were more serious. “It seemed as though all creation was
upon him, to hamper him in every way,” President Young remembered late in life.
22 During the construction of the
The new
Apostle also defended his leader from opponents in the Church. When a few
members argued that Joseph Smith should receive no revelations dealing with
“temporal” topics, Elder Young entered the
Because of
the rising clamor, during the winter of 1837-38 the Prophet Joseph Smith and
Elder Young were forced to leave Kirtland and move to
The event
indicated Brigham Young’s changing status. When called into the Twelve several
years earlier, he was astonished because he felt inadequate for the position.
Did not every elder in the Church know more than he? he wondered.
28 On one occasion he commented that when he was first called, some
Church members felt he needed a “stool in order to reach high enough to tie the
shoes” of the seemingly more accomplished elders.
29 It was a view that the Prophet clearly did not share: he saw talent
behind Elder Young’s sometimes rough exterior and had experienced his loyalty
and service firsthand.
Growing into his Role
Brigham Young
continued to show his leadership traits in
He took the
lead in another important matter. The Prophet had received a revelation
instructing the Quorum of the Twelve to meet at
Elder Young’s
one-year mission to
Several weeks
after President Young returned to Nauvoo, the Prophet Joseph Smith received a
revelation in his behalf. It declared that President Young’s past work in
preaching the gospel was “acceptable” and promised him that he would no longer
be required to leave his family for lengthy missionary tours.
34 The revelation also marked a change in the Quorum of the Twelve.
Since its organization a half dozen years earlier, some of its members had
worked at cross-purposes with the Prophet, who had as a result been hesitant to
give them important assignments.
35 However, with Brigham Young now leading the Quorum, the group had
the Prophet’s confidence. President Young remembered that the Prophet Joseph
Smith met with them often and gave them the authority to handle “the business
of the church in Nauvoo.” This authority included helping emigrants to settle
in Nauvoo and selling them Church-owned land.
36
During these
Nauvoo years, the relationship between the two men was further strengthened.
For President Young, the Prophet was “the greatest man on earth”
37 and deserved his complete support. “It was my duty to throw … [my]
influence around Joseph,” he later said. “Yes, I tied the people to Joseph
Smith the Prophet. Every cord I could get hold of I hooked it to Joseph.”
38
On one occasion,
the Church leader asked President Young to help him respond to members who were
critical. For some time, prominent members had been conducting meetings at the
home of the Prophet Joseph Smith which seemed calculated to undermine the
Prophet’s influence. When President Smith and President Young entered the
house, the speaker was extolling the virtues of scripture as a test of truth
but said nothing of the need for a prophet and seer. When the speaker sat down,
the Prophet asked his friend to speak. “I felt like a thousand lions,”
President Young later recalled. Placing each book of scripture on the stand, he
declared to the audience that he would not “give the ashes of a rye straw” for
the books without the accompanying teachings of “the living oracles of God.” He
emphasized strongly that without living prophets The Church of Jesus Christ was
“no better than” other churches of the world.
39
The Prophet
Joseph Smith appreciated President Young’s support and spoke warmly about his
disciple. Later, the second Church President would recall the Prophet telling
him that he—Brigham Young—was no longer susceptible to apostasy, for there were
“certain bounds set to men, and if a man [is] faithful and pure to these
bounds, God will take him out of the world if he sees him falter—he’ll take him
to himself.”
40 Three months before the Martyrdom, as the two men walked together
through Nauvoo, the Prophet again expressed confidence in his friend and
awareness of President Young’s role in the Church organization. “If I am moved
out of the way,” the Prophet said, “you are the only man living on this earth
who can counsel and direct the affairs of the
“The Keys … Are Right Here”
In fact,
during the last years of his life, the Prophet Joseph Smith increasingly spoke
of his approaching death. President Young and the other Apostles did not
understand. The possibility of the Prophet’s soon dying “was taken from us,”
President Young recalled.
42 However, while preaching in the East, President Young had a
spiritual experience which he later understood was meant to prepare him for the
Prophet’s death. As President Young sat in a train depot in
Two and
one-half weeks after the Prophet’s death, President Young, while visiting a
member in
When he
returned to Nauvoo, a congregation, formally organized into various priesthood
offices, sustained the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as the Church’s presiding
authority—an act that sustained Brigham Young, President of the Quorum, as the
Church’s leader. “I have spared no pains to learn my lesson of the Kingdom in
the Eternal worlds,” he told the assembled Saints.
45 He referred, in part, to his more than 10-year role as a careful
observer of Joseph Smith’s teaching and leadership.
The Prophet’s Continuing
Influence
Joseph
Smith’s presence lingered in President Brigham Young’s life in several ways.
When President Young sought a place to establish the Saints in the American
West, he studied maps, government reports, and other sources of information. He
also sought spiritual direction. In an 1869 sermon, President George A. Smith,
First Counselor in the First Presidency, recalled that when “every trouble and
calamity” seemed to beset the Saints in Nauvoo, President Young fasted and
prayed frequently for guidance. Thereafter he experienced “a vision of Joseph
Smith, who showed him the mountain that we now call
While the
Saints were camped at Winter Quarters, President Young was again inspired by
the Prophet Joseph Smith. President Young later recounted a vivid dream in
which he talked with his friend. “Why is it that we cannot be together as we
used to be?” he asked the Prophet plaintively. President Young also asked for
instruction on how he should lead the Saints. The Prophet told him that Church
members must maintain the Spirit in their lives, for the Spirit will “take
malice, hatred, strife and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire
will be to do good, bring forth righteousness and build up the kingdom of God.”
Finally, the Prophet taught his successor about the pattern of organization of
God’s family under the priesthood’s sealing ordinances. “This I cannot
describe,” President Young said later, but he “saw where the Priesthood had
been taken from the earth and how it must be joined together, so that there
would be a perfect chain from Father Adam to his latest posterity.”
47
Later President Young had still another
significant dream involving the Prophet Joseph Smith, during the 1849
When President Young awoke, he realized that
while the Church’s missionaries might gather a variety of “sheep and goats” as
converts, it was not necessary for him to worry unduly if some moved away from
the Church’s gathering place. As converts sorted themselves out, his
responsibility was to accept them all—goats as well as sheep—and help them
realize their potential in the Kingdom. The message relieved President Young’s
anxiety and became an important guide in his conduct of Church affairs. 48
His dreams
involving the Prophet Joseph Smith became less frequent as the years passed
after the Prophet’s death, perhaps because of the growing confidence Brigham
Young had in his own experience as a leader. However, he continued to speak
often of the Prophet, testifying of him repeatedly, until his own death in
1877. He often expressed his personal debt to Joseph Smith, who had helped to
make him what he had become. President Young testified that he had followed the
Prophet because Joseph Smith was a “man of God” who had received and taught
“the revelations of Jesus Christ.”
49 Brigham Young said he did not “serve” Joseph Smith the man, but the
doctrine of Christ “the Lord has revealed through him.”
50
“What made me
love Joseph so?” he once asked. It was because he “never spared any pains to do
me good. I knew when my hand met his that he would lay down his life for me.”
51 President Young admired so many of Joseph Smith’s qualities,
especially his abject humility when approaching Deity in prayer. “I never saw
Joseph but [when he] was always so before the Lord.”
52
President
Young believed that few of the Prophet’s mortal contemporaries, including
members of the Church, fully realized Joseph Smith’s great worth. But Brigham
Young cherished and loved him for the Prophet’s ocean of spiritual knowledge
and for the greatness of his character.
53 Because he had known the Prophet so intimately, Brigham Young could
testify that Joseph Smith “lived as good as any man on the earth.” Indeed, “no
man ever honored his mission more,” except the Savior.
54 When President Young died, one of his children at his bedside
reported that the Prophet was once more on Brigham Young’s mind. “Joseph!
Joseph! Joseph!” were the last words Brigham Young spoke before passing on.
55
Joseph was
very tolerant of others, Brigham was not, and he needed to be taught. He was thankful for Joseph’s teachings but
was a disciple of Jesus Christ.
The winter
of 1849-1850 was brutal, many wanted to leave.
D&C 136:11, the Lord will have a tried people, test their faith.
Elder
Wirthlin:
Faith is .
. . Absolute confidence in things we cannot see but are true
Faith is .
. . Correct action
Faith is .
. . In absolute conformity to the Lord’s will and His timetable
Brigham heard the
complaints and the murmurings and immediately took his stand opposing any who
wanted to withdraw from the valley. Under date of December 7th, he writes:
"Some few have
caught the gold fever. I counseled such, and all the Saints to remain in these
valleys of the mountains and make improvements, build comfortable houses and
raise grain against the days of famine and pestilence with which the earth
would be visited."
I shall here again
quote from James Brown's autobiography. It tells the thrilling story of that
winter, better than I have found it recorded elsewhere:
"The winter of
1848-49 was quite cold. Many people had their feet badly frozen. For one, the
writer suffered so severely from this cause that he lost every nail from the
toes of both feet. In February and March there began to be some uneasiness over
the prospects, and as the days grew warmer the gold fever attacked many so that
they prepared to go to
"It was at this
time of gloom that President Young stood before the whole people, and said, in
substance, that some people had misgivings, and some were murmuring, and had
not faith to go to work and make their families comfortable; they had got the
gold fever and were going to
"'We have been
kicked out of the frying pan into the fire, out of the fire into the middle of
the floor, and here we are and here we will stay. God has shown me that this is
the spot to locate his people, and here is where they will prosper; he will
temper the elements for the good of his Saints; he will rebuke the frost and
the sterility of the soil, and the land shall become fruitful. Brethren, go to,
now, and plant out your fruit seeds.'
"Stretching his
arms to the east and to the west, with his hands spread out, he said:
"For in these
elements are not only all the cereals common to this latitude, but the apple,
peach and plum; yea, and the more delicate fruits, the strawberry and
raspberry; and we will raise the grapes here and manufacture wine; and as the
Saints gather here and get strong enough to possess the land, God will temper
the climate, and we shall build a city and a temple to the Most High God in
this place. We will extend our settlements to the east and west, to the north
and to the south, and we will build towns and cities by the hundreds, and
thousands of the Saints will gather in from the nations of the earth. This will
become the great highway of the nations. Kings and emperors and the noble and
wise of the earth will visit us here, while the wicked and ungodly will envy us
our comfortable homes and possessions. Take courage, brethren. I can stand in
my door and can see where there is untold millions of the rich treasures of the
earth—gold and silver. But the time has not come for the Saints to dig gold. It
is our duty first to develop the agricultural resources of the country, for
there is no country on the earth that is more productive than this. We have the
finest climate, the best water, and the purest air that can be found on earth;
there is no healthier climate anywhere. As for gold and silver, and the rich
minerals of the earth, there is no other country that equals this; but let them
alone; let others seek them, and we will cultivate the soil; for if the mines
are opened first, we are a thousand miles from any base of supplies and the
people would rush in here in such great numbers that they would breed a famine;
and gold would not do us or them any good if there were no provisions in the
land. People would starve to death with barrels of gold; they would be willing
to give a barrel of gold for a barrel of flour rather than starve to death.
Then, brethren, plow your land and sow wheat, plant your potatoes; let the
mines alone until the time comes for you to hunt gold, though I do not think
this people ever will become a mining people. It is our duty to preach the
gospel, gather
(Preston
Nibley, Brigham Young: The Man and His Work, 4th ed.[Salt Lake City:
Deseret Book Co., 1960], 126.)
The
gathering is not simply here but also into the eternities, families linking to
their ancestors through the sealing power of the
Bruce
discussed the Pacific missions of Addison Pratt.
ADDISON PRATT'S
"It was moved and
seconded that Elder Addison Pratt, James Brown, and Hiram H. Blackwell, go to
the
This mission of
Addison Pratt's was but a renewal of his labors in the Pacific Islands,
previously mentioned in these pages; but his second advent among the natives of
those islands, with his new companions was not only a renewal but an enlargement
of the work which has continued without abatement until the present, resulting
in the conversion of thousands of those people to a true faith in God, and an
acceptance of the Christ as the Redeemer of the world.
(B. H.
Roberts, A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, 6 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1930], 3: 413.)
Joshua
3:9-17 – Test of faith, water on the feet.
Plant the fruit trees, establish His work and He will temper the climate
for our good, don’t look for gold and silver!
Prophets can keep their focus.
Bruce read a
prophesy of Heber C. Kimball of the goods being cheaper in SLC then in
To prophesy] That is, to
speak in the name of the Lord, whether of things present, past, or future. This
is a special gift. The Prophet Joseph had it in the highest degree. Heber C.
Kimball also had the gift highly developed. At times he could see into the
future as if it were an open book. During the time of famine in Salt Lake
valley in 1847, when many subsisted on roots and hides of animals, and knew not
where to obtain bread or clothing necessary, owing to the devastation by
crickets, President Kimball declared in a public meeting that, within a short
time, "state goods" would be sold in the streets of Salt Lake City
cheaper than in New York, and that the people should be abundantly supplied
with food and clothing. Many who heard him refused to believe. He himself said
he was afraid he had missed it. But the prophecy came true. Very soon the
(Hyrum M.
Smith and Janne M. Sjodahl,
Doctrine and Covenants Commentary [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co.,
1978], 275.)
Elder
Charles C. Rich said he didn’t believe a word of it! Elder J. Golden Kimball CR 1930
Utah War – Thought of Brigham Young
June 3, 2004
There was
tremendous miscommunication and distrust on both sides, the US Government and
the Church. The experiences the church
had with governments was understandable.
The government did not think Mormons were loyal to the country, after
all, how can you have Brigham Young the leader of both religion and government
at the same time?
Importance
of the railroad:
1.
Emigration
to the west
2.
Moving
materials from the canyons to complete the SLC temple
3.
Economy
Thomas Kane
warned Church leaders about becoming a territory instead of a state. A territory would be controlled by the
Federal government; a state would be controlled by the populous.
Mountain
Meadows Massacre – Think of this great tragedy in the context of the US Army
coming to wipe out the Saints once and for all.
Charles C. Rich and George A. Smith befriended the group in their
journey through
MOTIVES PROMPTING THE MASSACRE
Mountain Meadows
Massacre This gives fear a large place among the motives that led to the crime
of the Mountain Meadows. It has already been stated that the course of the
emigrants in passing through the southern settlements had awakened the
resentment of the people. Though much of their boasting about participation in
the Missouri and Illinois "Mormon" troubles may have been the mere
bravado of the "Missouri Wildcats;" and their threats against the
then presiding "Mormon" leaders, and their expressed intention to
return in force and destroy the Latter-day Saint settlements, may have been but
the vain ranting of the reckless spirits of the camp, yet it was suicidal to
indulge in that bravado and such ranting. It would have been so in any
community who had suffered such injustice as the Latter-day Saints had
suffered; with which suffering they were now taunted, and of which there was
now—as the settlers viewed it—a threatened repetition, and in which repetition
the reckless part of this company of emigrants expressed determination to participate.
Such procedure even under normal conditions would have aroused resentments and
led to trouble, and most likely to some acts of violence. But to make these
boasts, and to indulge in these threats at a time when great excitement
prevailed in the "Mormon" settlements, and the war spirit of the
people was aroused by reports of the approach of an invading army whose purpose
the saints were left to suspect by their cruel experiences with state troops in
both Missouri and Illinois—for the Arkansas emigrants to indulge in boastings
of past achievements with armed movements against the saints, to swagger and
threaten a repetition of these things was, under all the circumstances, to
invite calamity. And now that one of their number had been shot down by white men,
and they had evidence that white settlers of Utah were leagued with the
Indians, it doubtless made it easy for some of the leaders to persuade the
white settlers gathered at Mountain Meadows to conclude that the emigrants if
allowed to escape would be able to carry out their threat of returning from
California with the necessary force to destroy the "Mormon"
settlements. And so I say this fear became a weighty argument in determining
the fate of the emigrant company. fn
Mountain Meadows
Massacre The fate of the emigrants was debated among the leaders of the white
settlers at the Meadows; we need not attempt to trace the discussion in detail
where there is so much that is unreliable on account of the character of the
witnesses, and so much that is contradictory. Nor is it possible to know the
distress and suffering of the besieged emigrants. It is known, however, that
their suffering was very great. Their corral of wagons was some distance from
the spring on the north side of which they had camped, and they could get no
water without exposing themselves to the attacks of the Indians who watched the
spring; and the same is true as to wood, though at intervals, and usually at
night, both were obtained, but at great risk. Great and sickening must have
been their consternation when they learned from their man who had escaped from
the Pinto assault that white men as well as the Indians were arrayed against
them.
(B. H.
Roberts, A Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, 6 vols. [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1930], 4: 158 - 159.)
Brigham
Young was tired of being pushed around
As I said this
morning, ten years ago on this ground I stated that we would not ask any odds
of our enemies in ten years from that date; and the next time that I thought of
it was ten years afterwards to a day. "They are now sending their
troops" was the news; and it directly occurred to me, "Will you ask
any odds of them?" No; in the name of
Suppose that we should
now bow down, and they should order their troops back, and then send a Governor
and other officers here, how long would it be before some miserable scamp would
get into a fuss with the Indians in Utah County, or in some other county, and
get killed? Then the Governor would order out the Militia—probably two or three
hundred men—to kill off those Indians. Well, the brethren, knowing that the
aggressor is a white man, do not want to turn out and, like Gen. Harney, kill
the squaws; and they say, "We shall not go." Then the Governor would
say, "They have committed treason;" and it would be, "Send an
army here, and shoot and hang them." Our enemies are determined to bring
us into collision with the Government, so that they can kill us; but they shall
not come here.
If the troops are now
this side of
We have no desire to
kill men, but we wish to keep the devils from killing us. If you hear that they
are near the upper crossing of the
We have got to be
called treasoners by our enemies. Joseph was taken up
six times, if I remember rightly, on the charge of treason. Once he was brought
into court by some enemies who thought they could prove that he had committed
adultery, and that they termed treason. At another time our brethren wanted to
vote in Davies County, Missouri, and said they would cast their votes and have
their rights with other citizens; whereupon Joseph was taken up for treason. Another
time, he was taken up on a charge of high treason; and when he came before the
grand jury, his enemies wanted to prove that he had more than one wife,
asserting that that was high treason.
Our enemies are
constantly yelling "Rebellion! Treason!" no matter how peaceful,
orderly, and loyal we may be. And now to come out in open opposition to their
cursed, corrupt practices, will of course be counted treason. But let me tell
you that the real, actual treason is committed in
There is high treason
in
When I get over being
angry, I may preach something else; but the past travels and sufferings of this
people through mobocracy are before me.
I am not speaking of
the Government, but of the corrupt administrators of the Government. They make
me think of a sign in
(Journal
of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1854-1886],
5: 234.)
Emotions are
God given, so they are Celestial. Do you
control your emotions or do they control you?
We should hate iniquity and sin etc.
BY was very angry!
We have known all the
time that the kingdoms of darkness were opposed to the
(Journal
of Discourses, 26 vols. [London: Latter-day Saints' Book Depot, 1854-1886],
5: 233.)
It’s the
wicked men in government and the lust for power that brings the Army out west.
The murder
of Parley P. Pratt and the return of Thomas B. Marsh happened at this time
period.
Thomas B. Marsh, at a
later day (1857), returned to the Church.
(Joseph
Fielding Smith, Church History and Modern Revelation, 4 vols. [Salt Lake
City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1946-1949], 3: 149 -
150.)
Civil War – Self Reliance
July 1, 2004
The
church during the Civil War time period was one of growth and peace for the
church. The heat from the government was
elsewhere! Expansion of settlements
continues during this time period.
JS
Matthew –
The
coming of the railroad was seen as both a blessing and a curse. It will cut into the isolation of the church
by bring in the world, it will be easier for immigration of the saints, it will
help the economy, yet worldly influences will creep in and Brigham Young warned
the saints repeatedly about that. Some
wanted to travel to
Moses
Self
reliance is critical to attain the Celestial kingdom, freedom to act gives self
reliance, of course we need the Atonement of Christ, but we must learn to act
for ourselves as in D&C 78:13-14.
In describing the
reason for the concentrated effort launched in 1936, the First Presidency
explained that "the real purpose of the Church [Welfare] Plan is to assist
each individual to secure independence, to help make him self-supporting, to replace
idleness with thrift and productivity." fn Similarly, almost a century
ago, President Joseph F. Smith said: "It is the purpose of God in
restoring the gospel and the holy Priesthood not only to benefit mankind
spiritually, but also to benefit them temporally." fn
As used in this
setting, the words temporal and spiritual require clarification. Temporal
signifies what pertains to mortal life, including food, shelter, employment,
and property. Spiritual signifies what pertains to eternity, including
faith, repentance, sanctification, covenants, and ordinances. Since temporal
choices have spiritual consequences, and vice versa, temporal and spiritual are
inseparable in the long run. To God, all things are spiritual, and none of his
commands are temporal. (D&C 29:34-35.) Still, in the short run of
mortality, it is sometimes useful to identify temporary and worldly things as temporal
and less worldly and more heavenly things (the things of eternity) as spiritual.
That is the sense in which President Joseph F. Smith used those words, and that
is the sense in which they are used in the remainder of this chapter.
Temporal and spiritual
objectives always go hand in hand in the Lord's plan, but the spiritual should
always be primary in church-administered programs. Individual charitable acts
and various charitable organizations can administer to the temporal needs of
the poor, but only priesthood-directed and church-sponsored welfare activities
can administer to the spiritual needs of those who are assisted and of those
who assist them. President Marion G. Romney taught this principle succinctly
when he said, "The prime duty of help to the poor by the Church is not to
bring temporal relief to their needs, but salvation to their souls." fn
The Savior taught the
preeminence of the spiritual over the temporal. When Mary anointed Jesus' feet
with costly ointment, Judas asked, "Why was not this ointment sold for
three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" Jesus' reply taught a great
principle to his followers: "Let her alone: against the day of my burying
hath she kept this. For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not
always." (John 12:5, 7-8.) Thus, while the care of the poor was important,
its importance should be seen in a spiritual context. In this instance, there
was something more important to do with this ointment than to give its value to
the poor. The things of eternity, including what Jesus could teach his
followers concerning the salvation of their souls and what he could do for them
by his death and resurrection, were more important than the temporal care of
the poor. Indeed, one reason we have the poor "always . . . with
[us]" is to give the rest of us the spiritual testing and growth that come
when we minister to their needs.
The preeminence of the
spiritual over the temporal, which Jesus taught, has many applications in our
own day. For example, it explains why our church spends great sums preaching
the restored gospel and building temples to perform the ordinances of eternity
rather than (as some advocate) devoting these same resources to temporal
concerns already being pursued by others, such as preserving the environment,
researching cures for diseases, or administering to other physical needs that
can be accomplished without priesthood power or direction.
All of the modern
prophets who have carried the major responsibility of explaining the Lord's way
in the relief of the poor have stressed the predominance of spiritual over
temporal goals. This includes Presidents David O. McKay, Spencer W. Kimball,
Ezra Taft Benson, J. Reuben Clark, Henry D. Moyle, Marion G. Romney, Gordon B.
Hinckley, and Thomas S. Monson. All have stressed the importance of methods
that build the spirit as well as nourish the body.
In a notable message
on welfare, delivered while he was president of the Church, Spencer W. Kimball
listed the six "specific principles that undergird this work." He
declared: "Only as we apply these truths can we approach the ideal of
Other teachings stress
that the Lord's way of caring for the poor and needy hallows those who give,
because they act voluntarily, and exalts those who receive by teaching them the
privilege of participating in a heavenly venture by contributing whatever their
abilities permit. (D&C 104:16.) "The Lord's way builds individual
self-esteem and develops and heals the dignity of the individual, whereas the
world's way depresses the individual's view of himself and causes deep resentment,"
President Kimball explained. fn "When viewed in this light, we can see
that Welfare Services is not a program, but the essence of the gospel. It is
the gospel in action. It is the crowning principle of a Christian
life." fn
(Dallin
H. Oaks, The Lord's Way [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], 109.)
Self-Reliance. "No amount of
philosophizing, excuses, or rationalizing will ever change the fundamental need
for self-reliance," said President Spencer W. Kimball (Ensign, May
1978, p. 79). Indeed, from the beginning of time, mortals have been counseled
by God and His prophets to be self-reliant, to earn their own way, to be
independent, and to avoid temporal or spiritual bondage. Such bondage may range
from an attitude that "the world owes me a living" to drug or alcohol
dependency, unwise debt, or the spiritual bondage of sin. Bondage may arise
from excessive dependency on others, including ecclesiastical leaders. Those
who are so bound expect others to make moral and spiritual decisions for them.
Sometimes, as Elder Boyd K. Packer has wisely pointed out, bishops and other
leaders become unwitting accomplices in establishing and maintaining that
dependency. He said:
Bishops, keep constantly in mind that fathers are
responsible to preside over their families.
Sometimes, with all good intentions, we require so much
of both the children and the father that he is not able to do so.
If my boy needs counseling, bishop, it should be my
responsibility first, and yours second.
If my boy needs recreation, bishop, I should provide it
first, and you second.
If my boy needs correction, that should be my
responsibility first, and yours second.
If I am failing as a father, help me first and my
children second.
Do not be too quick to take over from me the job of
raising my children.
Do not be too quick to counsel them and solve all of the
problems. Get me involved. It is my ministry. (Ensign, May 1978, p. 93.)
Why is it that God
places such emphasis on the principle of self-reliance? The answer becomes
clear when we understand that self-reliance is closely tied to freedom.
The scriptures are
clear in telling us that freedom is a God-given principle of life. Samuel the
Lamanite proclaimed: "Behold, ye are free; ye are
permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you knowledge
and he hath made you free." (Helaman 14:30.) We cannot be free if
we are not self-reliant. Put another way, self-reliance is a prerequisite for
freedom, and dependence is the enemy of freedom. The scriptures (D&C
29:24-35) tell us that man is intended by God to be "an agent unto
himself." He cannot do so unless he is self-reliant.
Although self-reliance
and freedom are tied together, there is nothing spiritual, in and of itself, in
being self-reliant. In our laudable strivings to attain self-reliance, we must
be careful not to rely too much on the arm of flesh and to remember that we are
wholly reliant upon God for all of life's blessings, including life itself. One
could be self-reliant—completely independent—and lack every other desirable
attribute of character. I think of a man who was one of the most wealthy men in
the world, an American oil baron. He is dead now, but while he lived, a more
miserable soul would have been hard to find. Grasping, conniving, greedy,
incapable of giving, concerned only with getting, his wealth had cankered his
soul. His self-reliance did him no good. Self-reliant does not mean
self-centered!
Self-reliance, then,
is not an end but a means to an end. Self-reliance becomes a factor in
spiritual growth only as we use the freedom it brings to make the right
choices. In particular, those who are self-reliant are free to serve others.
The Nephite Prophet Jacob said, "Think of your
brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with your
substance, that they may be rich like unto you. But before ye seek for riches,
seek ye for the
Service is linked to
sacrifice. It is through sacrifice that we become sanctified and purified. I
think of a family in the Liverpool England Stake, in whose home I visited a few
years ago. A child in the home had been born with a rare metabolic disease that
prevented her from growing and developing normally. Though she was eight years
old when I saw her, the poor little thing weighed only about twenty pounds.
Bedridden, still an infant, she cried in pain every few minutes. Her devoted
mother tenderly cared for the youngster day and night and had not enjoyed an
uninterrupted night's sleep since the child's birth. The mother was always there,
easing her child's pain, whatever the hour. In the process of sharing and
enduring suffering, that good woman had become sanctified. Her face was that of
an angel of mercy. The purity of her soul was apparent to all. She had become a
handmaiden of the Lord, united with Him in her work of mercy and love.
(Alexander
B. Morrison, Visions of Zion [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1993],
110.)
Also
President Marion G. Romney’s Welfare address in October 1982, “Celestial Nature
of Self Reliance”
The
Celestial Nature of Self-reliance
President Marion G.
Romney
Second Counselor in the First Presidency
Conference Report, Oct. 1982, 132-136; or Ensign, Nov. 1982, 91-93
Brothers and
sisters, I have been asked to speak in so many of these welfare meetings that I'm
beginning to feel that I ought to respond in a manner similar to a grandfather
I once knew who was getting along in years and some people thought he didn't
know when to quit talking. At a ward gathering they thought they shouldn't call
on him because he would speak too long. Their final decision was, however, that
they couldn't pass him by, so they called on him and asked him to stand and
tell them in just a word how they could live to be as old as he was and still
be of service. So he got up and said, "Keep breathing." I won't be
that brief, but I will attempt to be to the point.
Self-reliance
and freedom
I love the simple truths contained in the welfare principles as taught by all
the holy prophets since the world began, and I never tire of speaking about
them. Today I shall speak to you about the principle of self-reliance and its
impact upon our spiritual development.
Since the
beginning of time man has been counseled to earn his own way, thereby becoming
self-reliant. It is easy to understand the reason why the Lord places so much
emphasis on this principle when we come to understand that it is tied very
closely to freedom itself.
On this
subject, Elder Albert E. Bowen said, "The Lord must want and intend that
His people shall be free of constraint whether enforceable or only arising out
of the bindings of conscience. . . . That is why the Church is not satisfied
with any system which leaves able people permanently dependent, and insists, on
the contrary, that the true function and office of giving, is to help people
[get] into a position where they can help themselves and thus be free."
(The Church Welfare Plan, Gospel Doctrine manual, 1946, p. 77.)
Many programs
have been set up by well-meaning individuals to aid those who are in need.
However, many of these programs are designed with the shortsighted objective of
"helping people," as opposed to "helping people help
themselves." Our efforts must always be directed toward making able-bodied
people self-reliant.
Gullible
gulls
I clipped the following article from the Reader's Digest some time ago and have
told it before, but it bears repeating. It reads:
"In our
friendly neighbor city of
"The
shrimpers had created a Welfare State for the . . . sea gulls. The big birds
never bothered to learn how to fish for themselves and they never taught their
children to fish. Instead they led their little ones to the shrimp nets.
"Now the
sea gulls, the fine free birds that almost symbolize liberty itself, are
starving to death because they gave in to the 'something for nothing' lure!
They sacrificed their independence for a handout.
"A lot
of people are like that, too. They see nothing wrong in picking delectable
scraps from the tax nets of the U.S. Government's 'shrimp fleet.' But what will
happen when the Government runs out of goods? What about our children of
generations to come?
"Let's
not be gullible gulls. We . . . must preserve our talents of self-sufficiency,
our genius for creating things for ourselves, our sense of thrift and our true
love of independence." ("Fable of the Gullible Gull," Reader's
Digest, Oct. 1950, p. 32.)
Don't
sacrifice self-respect and independence
The practice of coveting and receiving unearned benefits has now become so
fixed in our society that even men of wealth, possessing the means to produce
more wealth, are expecting the government to guarantee them a profit. Elections
often turn on what the candidates promise to do for voters from government
funds. This practice, if universally accepted and implemented in any society,
will make slaves of its citizens.
We cannot
afford to become wards of the government, even if we have a legal right to do
so. It requires too great a sacrifice of self-respect and in political,
temporal, and spiritual independence.
In some
countries it is extremely difficult to separate earned from unearned benefits.
However, the principle is the same in all countries: We should strive to become
self-reliant and not depend on others for our existence.
Caution to
parents and priesthood leaders
Governments are not the only guilty parties. We fear many parents in the Church
are making "gullible gulls" out of their children with their
permissiveness and their doling out of family resources. Parents who place
their children on the dole are just as guilty as a government which places its
citizens on the dole. In fact, the actions of parents in this area can be more
devastating than any government program.
Bishops and
other priesthood leaders can be guilty of making "gullible gulls" out
of their ward members. Some members become financially or emotionally dependent
on their bishops. A dole is a dole whatever its source. All of our Church and
family actions should be directed toward making our children and members
self-reliant. We can't always control government programs, but we can control
our own homes and congregations. If we will teach these principles and live
them, we can do much to counter the negative effects which may exist in
government programs in any country.
We know there
are some who for no reason of their own cannot become self-reliant. President
Henry D. Moyle had these people in mind when he said:
"This
great principle does not deny to the needy nor to the poor the assistance they
should have. The wholly incapacitated, the aged, the sickly are cared for with
all tenderness, but every able-bodied person is enjoined to do his utmost for
himself to avoid dependence, if his own efforts can make such a course
possible; to look upon adversity as temporary; to combine his faith in his own
ability with honest toil; to rehabilitate himself and his family to a position
of independence; in every case to minimize the need for help and to supplement
any help given with his own best efforts.
"We
believe [that] seldom [do circumstances arise in which] men of rigorous faith,
genuine courage, and unfaltering determination, with the love of independence
burning in their hearts, and pride in their own accomplishments, cannot
surmount the obstacles that lie in their paths.
"We know
that through humble, prayerful, industrious, God-fearing lives, a faith can be
developed within us by the strength of which we can [CR, 134] call down the
blessings of a kind and merciful Heavenly Father and literally see our
handicaps vanish and our independence and freedom established and
maintained." (In Conference Report, Apr. 1948, p. 5.)
Welfare
program is spiritual
Self-reliance is not the end, but a means to an end. It is very possible for a
person to be completely independent and lack every other desirable attribute.
One may become wealthy and never have to ask anyone for anything, but unless
there is some spiritual goal attached to this independence, it can canker his
soul.
The welfare
program is spiritual. In 1936, when the program was introduced, President David
O. McKay made this astute observation:
"The
development of our spiritual nature should concern us most. Spirituality is the
highest acquisition of the soul, the divine in man; 'the supreme, crowning gift
that makes him king of all created things.' It is the consciousness of victory
over self and of communion with the infinite. It is spirituality alone which
really gives one the best in life.
"It is
something to supply clothing to the scantily clad, to furnish [Ensign, 93]
ample food to those whose table is thinly spread, to give activity to those who
are fighting desperately the despair that comes from enforced idleness, but
after all is said and done, the greatest blessings that will accrue from the
Church [welfare program] are spiritual. Outwardly, every act seems to be
directed toward the physical: re-making of dresses and suits of clothes,
canning fruits and vegetables, storing foodstuffs, choosing of fertile fields
for settlement--all seem strictly temporal, but permeating all these acts,
inspiring and sanctifying them, is the element of spirituality." (In
Conference Report, Oct. 1936, p. 103.)
Seek the
In the Doctrine and Covenants we read:
"Wherefore,
verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any
time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the
children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created. (Marion G. Romney,
in Conference Report, Oct. 1982, 134; or Ensign, Nov. 1982, 93)
"Behold,
I gave unto him that he should be an agent unto himself; and I gave unto him
commandment, but no temporal commandment gave I unto him, for my commandments
are spiritual." (D&C 29:3435.)
This
scripture tells us there is no such thing as a temporal commandment. It also
tells us that man is to be "an agent unto himself." Man cannot be an
agent unto himself if he is not self-reliant. Herein we see that independence
and self-reliance are critical keys to our spiritual growth. Whenever we get
into a situation which threatens our self-reliance, we will find our freedom
threatened as well. If we increase our dependence, we will find an immediate
decrease in our freedom to act.
Thus far, we
should have learned that self-reliance is a prerequisite to the complete
freedom to act. We have also learned, however, that there is nothing spiritual
in self-reliance unless we make the right choices with that freedom. What then
should we do once we have become self-reliant in order to grow spiritually?
The key to
making self-reliance spiritual is in using the freedom to comply with God's
commandments. The scriptures are very clear in their command that it is the
duty of those who have to give to those who are in need.
Jacob,
speaking to the people of Nephi, said:
"Think
of your brethren like unto yourselves, and be familiar with all and free with
your substance, that [CR, 135] they may be rich like unto you.
"But
before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the
"And
after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek
them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good--to clothe the naked, and
to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the
sick and the afflicted." (Jacob 2:1719.)
Service is
exalted life
In our own dispensation, when the Church was only nine months old, the Lord
said:
"And for
your salvation I give unto you a commandment, for I have heard your prayers,
and the poor have complained before me, and the rich have I made, and all flesh
is mine, and I am no respecter of persons" (D&C 38:16).
This
revelation was given on the second day of January 1831. The next month, in
another revelation, the Lord said:
"If thou
lovest me thou shalt serve me and keep all my
commandments.
"And
behold, thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their
support." (D&C 42:2930.)
The same
month, the Lord referred to this subject again. Evidently the Brethren had been
a little remiss. They had not moved fast enough.
"Behold,
I say unto you, that ye must visit the poor and the needy and administer to
their relief" (D&C 44:6).
The
scriptures are full of commandments regarding our obligation to care for the
poor; therefore, I will not elaborate further. It has always seemed somewhat
paradoxical to me that we must constantly have the Lord command us to do those
things which are for our own good. The Lord has said,
"He that
findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew
10:39).
We lose our
life by serving and lifting others. By so doing we experience the only true and
lasting happiness. Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can
earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of
which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made.
Knowing that
service is what gives our Father in Heaven fulfillment, and knowing that we
want to be where He is and as He is, why must we be commanded to serve one
another? Oh, for the glorious day when these things all come naturally because
of the purity of our hearts. In that day there will be no need for a
commandment because we will have experienced for ourselves that we are truly
happy only when we are engaged in unselfish service. Let us use the freedom
which comes from self-reliance in giving and serving.
Giving
sanctifies
Can we see how critical self-reliance becomes when looked upon as the
prerequisite to service, when we also know service is what Godhood is all
about? Without self-reliance one cannot exercise these innate desires to serve.
How can we give if there is nothing there? Food for the hungry cannot come from
empty shelves. Money to assist the needy cannot come from an empty purse.
Support and understanding cannot come from the emotionally starved. Teaching
cannot come from the unlearned. And most important of all, spiritual guidance
cannot come from the spiritually weak.
There is an
interdependence between those who have and those who have not. The process of
giving exalts the poor and humbles the rich. In the process, both are
sanctified. [CR, 136] The poor, released from the bondage and limitations of
poverty, are enabled as free men to rise to their full potential, both
temporally and spiritually. The rich, by imparting of their surplus,
participate in the eternal principle of giving. Once a person has been made
whole or self-reliant, he reaches out to aid others, and the cycle repeats
itself.
We are all
self-reliant in some areas and dependent in others. Therefore, each of us
should strive to help others in areas where we have strengths. At the same
time, pride should not prevent us from graciously accepting the helping hand of
another when we have a real need. To do so denies another person the
opportunity to participate in a sanctifying experience.
Again, I say
the principle of self-reliance is spiritual, as are all the principles of the
welfare program. This is not a doomsday program, but a program for today. One
of the three areas of emphasis recently outlined in the statement on the
mission of the Church is to perfect the Saints, and this is the purpose of the
welfare program. Today is the time for us to perfect our lives. May we continue
to hold fast to these truths, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Our
spirit has an innate desire to serve, service comes from being self-reliant
PEF
is spiritually motivated, the poor come out of poverty with an education to
become strength in the
It does little good to
speak of spiritual things to one whose children are dying from hunger. While
counseling those who would welcome the survivors of the Willie and Martin
handcart companies to the Salt Lake Valley, Brigham Young said: "You know
that I would give more for a dish of pudding and milk, or a baked potato and
salt, were I in the situation of those persons who have just come in, than I
would for all your prayers, though you were to stay here all the afternoon and
pray. Prayer is good, but when baked potatoes and pudding and milk are needed,
prayer will not supply their place." (Deseret News Weekly, 6
[December 10, 1856]: 320.)
"I want to say to
you," said President Harold B. Lee, "that we might just as well throw
our hats in the air and scream as to hope to convert spiritually an individual
family or an individual man or an individual nation whose existence has been
reduced to the instincts of animal survival. . . . We must take care of their
material needs and give them a taste of the kind of salvation that they do not
have to die to get before we can lift their thinking to a higher plane."
(General Welfare Meeting, April 4, 1959.)
In other words, needy
people may require material assistance as a prerequisite to teaching them the
higher spiritual truths. The spiritual and temporal parts of our existence
cannot be separated.
(Alexander
B. Morrison, Visions of Zion [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1993],
100 - 101.)
The
Lord uses temporal wealth to help build up His kingdom. We need to be self sufficient in both
areas. Brigham Young wanted to be self
sufficient FROM the world (
The Last Decade of Brigham Young
July 29, 2004
The Salt
Lake Endowment House was built in 1855 and was torn down in 1889. It was used ONLY for LIVING ordinances, there
was not a baptismal font or any work for the dead.
Endowment Houses
An Endowment house is
a building or place where certain temple ordinances may be administered,
outside of the temple itself. Moses erected a tabernacle in the wilderness as a
"temporary temple"; by analogy, so did the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Before the Nauvoo Temple was completed, the large upper room of Joseph Smith's
red-brick store building in Nauvoo, Illinois, was used to confer the first
temple ordinances on a few leaders of the Church on May 4, 1842, and then on
their wives. These ordinances, called endowments, consisted of a course of
instruction and rites that included prayers, washings, anointings, and the
making of covenants with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Latter-day Saints
occasionally used a mountaintop as their temporary temple, and President Brigham
Young dedicated
A more permanent
Endowment house, designed by Truman O. Angell, Church architect, was soon built
on the northwest corner of
On the average, 25 to
30 endowments were given daily, for a total of 54,170 in the thirty-four years
it was used. And an average of 2,500 marriages were also performed annually. In
addition, the Endowment house served as a place for special prayer circles and
the setting apart and instruction of newly called missionaries.
As the
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 4564.)
A temple is
a link between the 2 worlds, here on earth and the spirit world.
It was a
great event when the St. George temple was completed and dedicated. The story of Wilford Woodruff and the
Founding Fathers:
When I became
President of the Twelve and Spencer W. Kimball became President of the Church,
we met, just the two of us, every week after our Thursday meetings in the
temple, just to be sure that things were properly coordinated between the
Twelve and the First Presidency. After one of those first meetings, we talked
about the many sacred documents in some of the older temples. St. George was
mentioned in particular because St. George is our oldest temple in
In the
archives of the temple, I saw in a book, in bold handwriting, the names of the
Founding Fathers and others, including Columbus and other great Americans, for
whom the work had been done in the house of the Lord. This is all one great
program on both sides of the veil. We are fortunate to be engaged in it on this
side of the veil. I think the Lord expects us to take an active part in
preserving the Constitution and our freedom. (Sandy, Utah, 30 December 1978.)
The Founding Fathers of this nation, those
great men, appeared within those sacred walls of the St. George Temple and had
their vicarious work done for them. President Wilford Woodruff spoke of it in
these words: "Before I left St. George, the spirits of the dead gathered
around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, 'You have had
the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever
been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and
we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to
God.'"
After he became President of the Church,
President Wilford Woodruff declared that "those men who laid the
foundation of this American government were the best spirits the God of heaven
could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits [and] were
inspired of the Lord." (CR April 1898, p. 89.) (CR October 1987, Ensign 17
[November 1987]: 6.)
The temple work for the fifty-six signers of
the Declaration of Independence and other Founding Fathers has been done. All
these appeared to Wilford Woodruff when he was president of the St. George
Temple. President George Washington was ordained a high priest at that time.
You will also be interested to know that, according to Wilford Woodruff's
journal, John Wesley, Benjamin Franklin, and Christopher Columbus were also
ordained high priests at that time. When one casts doubt about the character of
these noble sons of God, I believe he or she will have to answer to the God of
heaven for it. Yes, with
The restoration of the
gospel and the establishment of the Lord's Church could not come to pass until
the Founding Fathers were raised up and completed their foreordained missions.
Those great souls who were responsible for the freedoms we enjoy acknowledged
the guiding hand of
(Ezra Taft
Benson, The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft,
1988], 603.)
Ministry of
Joseph was to restore the gospel, priesthood, keys, and ordinances.
Ministry of
Brigham was to organize, the Church today comes from Brigham, and it isn’t the
same structure as in Nauvoo. He
established auxiliaries, reorganized the priesthood, and spread the work in new
settlements and sending missionaries worldwide.
James B.
Allen “Story of the Latter Day Saints”, chapter Close of a Career
Panic of
1873 – D&C 78:14 – Brigham Young wanted the saints to be independent from
the
The United Orders of
During the last five
years of his life, President Brigham Young continued to fight the influences of
outside competition that seemed to threaten the economic independence and
solidarity of the Saints. The railroad had made possible a mining boom, and
inevitably the territory was becoming dependent upon the prosperity of the
mining industry. In addition, the railroad brought to
This was proof enough
to many Latter-day Saints that they were still too entangled in economic
alliances with the world. Church leaders tried to soften the effects of the
panic by reemphasizing home industry and reaffirming their teachings on unity
and brotherly love. They also began to instruct the Saints in the United Order
of Enoch.
The move into the
United Order was not sudden, for it had found expression in the cooperative
movement of the late 1860s. "This cooperative movement," President
Young declared in 1869, "is only a stepping stone to what is called the
Order of Enoch, but which is in reality the order of Heaven." fn The next
step, the actual establishment of United Orders throughout the territory, was
inspired in part by the impressive success of the Brigham City Cooperative,
which had weathered the disastrous Panic of 1873. Lorenzo Snow had founded a
cooperative mercantile establishment in 1864, and it soon branched out into
some forty cooperative departments. Brooms, hats, molasses, furniture, a
general store, a tannery, a woolen mill, sheep, milk cows, hogs, flax, all
phases of the building trades, and specialized farms were all part of the
Brigham City Cooperative. It was owned by approximately four hundred
shareholders who represented nearly every family in this village of two
thousand, and the profits from its activity were paid to shareholders in kind
(goods and services) rather than cash. The panic left the cooperative almost
untouched, and the reputation of
(James B.
Allen and Glen M. Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints, 2nd ed.,
rev. and enl. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], 365 - 366.)
We need to
be independent ourselves, jobs, debt, education, food storage, setting up a
When Brigham Young
took his annual winter trip to southern
The new program had
both spiritual and economic ramifications, and it is significant that it should
emerge at the same time that various economic reform measures were attracting
attention throughout the nation. The newly industrialized American society had
recorded some incredible achievements, but it had also created economic
inequality, poverty, and lack of opportunity for many rural and urban workers
alike. As a result, political reformers were beginning to advocate stricter
government controls to ensure a more even distribution of
The settlement at St.
George was particularly in need of an economic boost in the winter of 1873-74,
and it was there that Brigham Young organized the first United Order. Nearly
three hundred people, most of the adults in the city, pledged their time,
energy, ability, and economic (i.e., income-producing) property to the order
and became subject to the direction of an elected board of management. In return
for property, each person received a commensurate amount of stock. Stockholders
pledged themselves to boost local manufacturing, stop importing goods, and
trade only with members of the order. The whole community constituted a single
economic enterprise that operated various agricultural and business activities,
including the nearby
That winter Brigham
Young established the order in about twenty communities in southern
In addition to
promoting the self-sufficiency of the kingdom, an equally fundamental reason
given for establishing the new system was to protect the Church from the
internal schism that could be caused by the development of separate wealthy and
poor classes among the Saints. In a pamphlet published in 1875 the First
Presidency decried class distinctions and labeled them as a primary reason
behind the original cooperative movement:
Years ago it was
perceived that . . . a wealthy class was being rapidly formed in our midst
whose interests, in the course of time, were likely to be diverse from those of
the rest of the community. The growth of such a class was dangerous to our
union; and most of all people, we stand in need of union and to have our
interests identical. Then it was that the Saints were counseled to enter into
co-operation. fn
Brigham Young realized
that the United Order must be flexible enough to accommodate a variety of
community needs as well as a variety of Saints. Some people, for example,
simply were less willing than others to enter into the most
"advanced" cooperative activity. As a result, the term United
Order was defined loosely enough that it could apply to various kinds of
associations throughout the LDS commonwealth.
St. George represented
one of four general types of United Orders, and most orders of this type lasted
little more than a year, however. As might be expected, problems arose
regarding fair distribution of benefits. As a result, many decided that they
were not ready to live the plan. The St. George order itself was dissolved in
1878.
(James B.
Allen and Glen M. Leonard, The Story of the Latter-day Saints, 2nd ed.,
rev. and enl. [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], 367.)
The Order of
Enoch is a millennial life, one that prepares us to live with Christ in the
presence of our Heavenly parents. There
is an absence of the natural man, no selfishness will exist.
The highest
degree of the Celestial kingdom will be the only place where unselfishness will
exist, devotion to the family of God, church of the 1st born; our
concern is only for the family. All other kingdoms will have a degree of
selfishness in them.
Class
distinction would destroy the movement after Brigham’s death.
Presidency of John Taylor
Call to the 12 of Heber J. Grant
August 5, 2004
Brigham
Young realigned the 12 before he died.
Basis of seniority, John Taylor, Wilford Woodruff were placed ahead of
Orson Hyde and Orson Pratt.
At a meeting of the
Twelve Apostles held in 1875, Brigham Young made a decision affecting Hyde's
standing as the senior member of the Quorum. It was ruled that since he and
Orson Pratt had briefly separated themselves from the Quorum in 1838 and 1842,
respectively, they should lose their seniority to Elders John Taylor, Wilford
Woodruff, and George A. Smith, who had been ordained during their time away
(Durham, Succession in the Church [Salt Lake City, 1970], pp. 73-76).
Because of that decision, John Taylor rather than Orson Hyde succeeded Brigham
Young as President of the Church.
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 666.)
A major restructuring
of Church organization was begun in 1877 by Brigham Young. He declared that all
stakes were equal and autonomous and that the Salt Lake Stake held no authority
over other stakes. Members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were released
as stake presidents and several of the largest stakes were divided. Quarterly
stake conferences were instituted, to be presided over by a visiting General
Authority. Stake presidencies were to be involved in overseeing the wards in
their stake and to call local priesthood leaders to be home missionaries. The
stake thus became the major governing unit between the wards and Church
headquarters. Between 1847 and 1880, twenty-three stakes were organized.
(S. Kent
Brown, Donald Q. Cannon, and Richard H. Jackson, eds., Historical Atlas of
Mormonism [New York: Simon and Schuster, 1994], 124.)
Intense
persecution that the government inflicted upon the church because of living
plural marriage, Satan was behind it of course.
The
political pressure helps cleanse the church and help it expand to
John Taylor
edited “The Mormon” in NYC; he looked at the double standard of living plural
marriage and others living in immorality.
The outcome
brought about a tried and tested people.
Families suffered greatly, yet nothing was done for them when fathers
and husbands were put in jail.
Plural marriage was
the nineteenth-century LDS practice of a man marrying more than one wife.
Popularly known as polygamy, it was actually polygany.
Although polygamy had been practiced for much of history in many parts of the
world, to do so in "enlightened"
Rumors of plural
marriage among the members of the Church in the 1830s and 1840s led to
persecution, and the public announcement of the practice after
Plural marriage
challenged those within the Church, too. Spiritual descendants of the Puritans
and sexually conservative, early participants in plural marriage first wrestled
with the prospect and then embraced the principle only after receiving personal
spiritual confirmation that they should do so.
In 1843, one year
before his death, the Prophet Joseph Smith dictated a lengthy revelation on the
doctrine of marriage for eternity (D&C 132; see Marriage: Eternal
Marriage). This revelation also taught that under certain conditions a man
might be authorized to have more than one wife. Though the revelation was first
committed to writing on
Evidence for the
practice of plural marriage during the 1830s is scant. Only a few knew about
the still unwritten revelation, and perhaps the only known plural marriage was
that between Joseph Smith and Fanny Alger. Nonetheless there were rumors,
harbingers of challenges to come.
In April 1839, Joseph
Smith emerged from six months' imprisonment in Liberty Jail with a sense of
urgency about completing his mission (see History of the Church: c. 1831-1844).
Since receiving the sealing key from Elijah in the
Joseph Smith realized
that the introduction of plural marriage would inevitably invite severe
criticism. After the Kirtland experience, he knew the tension it would create
in his own family; even though Emma, with faith in his prophetic calling,
accepted the revelation as being from God and not of his own doing, she could
not reconcile herself to the practice. Beyond that, it had the potential to
divide the Church and increase hostilities from outside. Still, he felt
obligated to move ahead. "The object with me is to obey & teach others
to obey God in just what he tells us to do," he taught several months
before his death. "It mattereth not whether the principle is popular or
unpopular. I will always maintain a true principle even if I Stand alone in
it" (TPJS, p. 332).
Although certain that
God would require it of him and of the Church, Joseph Smith would not have
introduced it when he did except for the conviction that God required it then.
Several close confidants later said that he proceeded with plural marriage in
Nauvoo only after both internal struggle and divine warning. Lorenzo Snow later
remembered vividly a conversation in 1843 in which the Prophet described the
battle he waged "in overcoming the repugnance of his feelings"
regarding plural marriage.
He knew the voice of
God-he knew the commandment of the Almighty to him was to go forward-to set the
example, and establish Celestial plural marriage. He knew that he had not only
his own prejudices and pre-possessions to combat and to overcome, but those of
the whole Christian world…; but God…had given the commandment [The Biography
and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow, pp. 69-70 (Salt Lake City, 1884)].
Even so, Snow and
other confidants agreed that Joseph Smith proceeded in Nauvoo only after an
angel declared that he must or his calling would be given to another (Bachman,
pp. 74-75). After this, Joseph Smith told Brigham Young that he was determined
to press ahead though it would cost him his life, for "it is the work of
God, and He has revealed this principle, and it is not my business to control
or dictate it" (Brigham Young Discourse, Oct. 8, 1866, Church Archives).
Nor did others enter
into plural marriage blindly or simply because Joseph Smith had spoken, despite
biblical precedents. Personal accounts document that most who entered plural
marriage in Nauvoo faced a crisis of faith that was resolved only by personal
spiritual witness. Those who participated generally did so only after they had
obtained reassurance and saw it as religious duty.
Even those closest to
Joseph Smith were challenged by the revelation. After first learning of plural
marriage, Brigham Young said he felt to envy the corpse in a funeral cortege
and "could hardly get over it for a long time" (JD 3:266). The
Prophet's brother Hyrum Smith stubbornly resisted the very possibility until
circumstances forced him to go to the Lord for understanding. Both later taught
the principle to others. Emma Smith vacillated, one day railing in opposition
against it and the next giving her consent for Joseph to be sealed to another
wife (see comments by Orson Pratt, JD 13:194).
Teaching new marriage
and family arrangements where the principles could not be openly discussed
compounded the problems. Those authorized to teach the doctrine stressed the
strict covenants, obligations and responsibilities associated with it-the
antithesis of license. But those who heard only rumors, or who chose to distort
and abuse the teaching, often envisioned and sometimes practiced something
quite different. One such was John C. Bennett, mayor of Nauvoo and adviser to
Joseph Smith, who twisted the teaching to his own advantage. Capitalizing on
rumors and lack of understanding among general Church membership, he taught a
doctrine of "spiritual wifery." He and
associates sought to have illicit sexual relationships with women by telling
them that they were married "spiritually," even if they had never
been married formally, and that the Prophet approved the arrangement. The
Bennett scandal resulted in his excommunication and the disaffection of several
others. Bennett then toured the country speaking against the Latter-day Saints
and published a bitter anti-Mormon exposé charging the Saints with
licentiousness.
The Bennett scandal
elicited several public statements aimed at arming the Saints against the
abuses. Two years later enemies and dissenters, some of whom had been
associated with Bennett, published the Nauvoo Expositor, to expose, among other
things, plural marriage, thus setting in motion events leading to Joseph
Smith's death (see Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith).
Far from involving
license, however, plural marriage was a carefully regulated and ordered system.
Order, mutual agreements, regulation, and covenants were central to the
practice. As Elder Parley P. Pratt wrote in 1845,
These holy and sacred
ordinances have nothing to do with whoredoms, unlawful connections, confusion
or crime; but the very reverse. They have laws, limits, and bounds of the
strictest kind, and none but the pure in heart, the strictly virtuous, or those
who repent and become such, are worthy to partake of them. And…[a] dreadful
weight of condemnation await those who pervert, or abuse them [The Prophet,
The Book of Mormon
makes clear that, though the Lord will command men through his prophets to live
the law of plural marriage at special times for his purposes, monogamy is the
general standard (Jacob 2:28-30); unauthorized polygamy was and is viewed as
adultery. Another safeguard was that authorized plural marriages could be
performed only through the sealing power controlled by the presiding authority
of the Church (D&C 132:19).
Once the Saints left
Nauvoo, plural marriage was openly practiced. In winter quarters, for example,
discussion of the principle was an "open secret" and plural families
were acknowledged. As early as 1847, visitors to
With the Saints firmly
established in the
Generally plural
marriage involved only two wives and seldom more than three; larger families
like those of Brigham Young or Heber C. Kimball were exceptions. Sometimes the
wives simply shared homes, each with her own bedroom, or lived in a
"duplex" arrangement, each with a mirror-image half of the house. In
other cases, husbands established separate homes for their wives, sometimes in
separate towns. Although circumstances and the mechanics of family life varied,
in general the living style was simply an adaptation of the nineteenth century
American family. Polygamous marriages were similar to national norms in
fertility and divorce rates as well. Wives of one husband often developed
strong bonds of sisterly love; however, strong antipathies could also arise
between wives.
Faced with a national antipolygamy campaign, LDS women startled their eastern
sisters, who equated polygamy with oppression of women, by publicly demonstrating
in favor of their right to live plural marriage as a religious principle.
Judging from the preaching, women were at least as willing to enter plural
marriage as men. Instead of public admonitions urging women to enter plural
marriage, one finds many urging worthy men to "do their duty" and
undertake to care for a plural wife and additional children. Though some were
reluctant to accept such responsibility, many responded and sought another
wife. It was not unheard of for a wife to take the lead and insist that her
husband take another wife; yet, in other cases, a first marriage dissolved over
the husband's insistence on marrying again.
As with families
generally, some plural families worked better than others. Anecdotal evidence
and the healthy children that emerged from many plural households witness that
some worked very well. But some plural wives disliked the arrangement. The most
common complaint of second and third wives resulted from a husband displaying
too little sensitivity to the needs of plural families or not treating them
equally. Not infrequently, wives complained that husbands spent too little time
with them. But where husbands provided conscientiously even time and wives
developed deep love and respect for each other, children grew up as members of
large, well-adjusted extended families.
Plural marriage helped
mold the Church's attitude toward divorce in pioneer
Contrary to the
caricatures of a hostile world press, plural marriage did not result in
offspring of diminished capacity. Normal men and women came from plural
households, and their descendants are prominent throughout the Intermountain
West. Some observers feel that the added responsibility that fell early upon
some children in such households contributed to their exceptional record of
achievement. Plural marriage also aided many wives. The flexibility of plural
households contributed to the large number of accomplished LDS women who were
pioneers in medicine, politics and other public careers. In fact, plural
marriage made it possible for wives to have professional careers that would not
otherwise have been available to them.
The exact percentage
of Latter-day Saints who participated in the practice is not known, but studies
suggest a maximum of from 20 to 25 of LDS adults were members of polygamous
households. At its height, plural marriage probably involved only a third of
the women reaching marriageable age-though among Church leadership plural
marriage was the norm for a time. Public opposition to polygamy led to the
first law against the practice in 1862, and, by the 1880s, laws were
increasingly punitive. The Church contested the constitutionality of those
laws, but the Supreme Court sustained the legislation (see Reynolds v.
Earlier polygamous
families continued to exist well into the twentieth century, causing further
political problems for the Church, and new plural marriages did not entirely
cease in 1890. After having lived the principle at some sacrifice for half a
century, many devout Latter-day Saints found ending plural marriage a challenge
almost as complex as was its beginning in the 1840s. Some new plural marriages
were contracted in the 1890s in LDS settlements in
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 1091.)
Manifesto of 1890
The Manifesto of 1890
was a proclamation by President Wilford Woodruff that the Church had
discontinued plural marriage. It ended a decade of persecution and hardship in
which Latter-day Saints tenaciously resisted what they saw as unconstitutional
federal attempts to curb polygamy. While the Manifesto is often referred to as
a revelation, the declaration was actually a press release that followed
President Woodruff's revelatory experiences. In this respect, the Manifesto is
similar to Doctrine and Covenants official declaration-2.
Following the passage
of the Edmunds-Tucker Act in 1887, the Church found it difficult to operate as
a viable institution (see Antipolygamy Legislation).
Among other things, this legislation disincorporated
the Church, confiscated its properties, and even threatened seizure of its
temples. After visiting with priesthood leaders in many settlements, President
Woodruff left for
The final element in
President Woodruff's revelatory experience came on the evening of
While nearly all
Church leaders in 1890 regarded the Manifesto as inspired, there were
differences among them about its scope and permanence. Some leaders were
understandably reluctant to terminate a long-standing practice that was
regarded as divinely mandated. As a result, a limited number of plural
marriages were performed over the next several years. Not surprisingly, rumors
of such marriages soon surfaced, and beginning in January 1904, testimony given
in the Smoot hearings made it clear that plural marriage had not been
completely extinguished. The ambiguity was ended in the General Conference of
April 1904, when the First Presidency issued the "second manifesto,"
an emphatic declaration that prohibited plural marriage and proclaimed that
offenders would be subject to Church discipline, including excommunication.
The Manifesto of 1890
should be regarded as a pivotal event in the history of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints and of the state of
Bibliography
Alexander, Thomas G. Mormonism
in Transition, pp. 3-15.
Gibbons, Francis M. Wilford
Woodruff, pp. 353-61.
PAUL H. PETERSON
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 852.)
The visit in
“Vision,
Faith and Work: From Wagonbox to University”
Brigham
Young University-Idaho Devotional
Michael R. Orme
In 1884 a small group of
courageous Latter-day Saints had ventured forth from the comparatively mild,
hospitable, and civilized climate of the
These hardy Mormon pioneers had
created homesteads in the Iona area, a small village located just north of
I have to digress at this point in
the story to tell you a little about how really cold it can get in
It was into the midst of these
discouraged members that Wilford Woodruff and Heber J. Grant came to address
the first formal Church meeting held in the
The Spirit of the Lord rests
mightily upon me and I feel to bless you in the name of Jesus Christ. I promise
you that the climate will be moderated for your good. I can see these great
sagebrush prairies, as far as the eye can reach, turned into fertile fields. I
bless the land that it shall yield forth in its strength. Flowers and trees and
fine homes shall grace this great valley from one end to the other. Schools and
colleges of higher learning shall be built to serve you that you may learn the
mysteries of God’s great universe. I see churches and meetinghouses dotting the
landscape, where the God of
BIBLE DICTIONARY
LEVIRATE MARRIAGE
The custom of
a widow marrying her deceased husband’s brother or sometimes a near heir. The
word has nothing to do with the name Levi or the biblical Levites, but is so
called because of the Latin levir, meaning
husband’s brother, connected with the English suffix ate, thus
constituting levirate. This system of marriage is designated in Deut. 25: 5-10 (cf. Gen. 38: 8), is spoken
of in Matt. 22: 23
ff.; it also forms a major aspect of the story of Ruth (Ruth 4: 1-12).
President
Grant’s October 1942 Conference address:
President Heber J. Grant
I am grateful beyond
my power of expression for the faith and prayers of the people and for the
blessings of the Lord in my behalf. For two and one-half years I have been
gaining a little since I became ill. I have been home since that illness
overtook me a little longer than two years, and when people have asked me how I
am, I have said, "Better than I was yesterday," and this is really
true—I have been gaining a little all the time. To begin with I could not move
my left leg or my left arm. The doctors said it was not a paralytic stroke, but
it must have been at least a second cousin to it. I could walk upstairs only
one step at a time and drag my left leg up. Now, I can walk up and down stairs.
I can walk across the floor without scraping my foot on the carpet; I can throw
my left leg over my right one with perfect ease, and back again; my improvement
is very remarkable considering the condition I was in, and I attribute it to
the prayers of the Saints in my behalf. I am grateful to them beyond expression
and I am grateful to the doctors who have so very kindly taken care of me in
I have decided to tell
in detail one or two very remarkable things that have happened in my life.
I was made one of the
apostles in October, 1882. On
coughing and choking,
and went on into meeting and did not finish his sentence. It came to me as
plainly as though he had said the words: "Are going to be chosen this
afternoon to fill the vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles."
I went to the meeting
and my head swelled, and I thought to myself, "Well, I am going to be one
of the apostles," and I was willing to vote for myself, but the conference
adjourned without anyone being chosen.
Ten days later I
received a telegram saying, "You must be in
"Never
mind," he said; "it was not I who sent for you; it was Brother Lyman.
He told me to send the telegram and sign my name to it. He told me to come and
meet you and take you to the President's office. That is all I know."
I went to the President's office, and there
sat Brother Teasdale, and all of the ten Apostles, and the Presidency of the
Church, and also Seymour B. Young and the members of the Seven Presidents of
the Seventies. And the revelation was read calling Brother Teasdale and myself
to the apostleship and Brother
Brother Teasdale was
blessed by President John Taylor, and George Q. Cannon blessed me.
After the meeting I
said to Brother Teasdale, "I know what you were going to say to me on the
sixth of October when you happened to choke half to death and then went into
the meeting."
He said, "Oh, no,
you don't."
"Yes, I do,"
and I repeated it: "You and I are going to be called to the
apostleship."
He said, "Well,
that is what I was going to say, and then it occurred to me that I had no right
to tell it, that I had received a manifestation from the Lord." He said,
"Heber, I have suffered the tortures of the damned for ten days, thinking
I could not tell the difference between a manifestation from the Lord and one
from the devil, that the devil had deceived me."
I said, "I have
not suffered like that, but I never prayed so hard in my life for anything as I
did that the Lord would forgive me for the egotism of thinking that I was fit
to be an apostle, and that I was ready to go into that meeting ten days ago and
vote for myself to be an apostle."
I was a very unhappy man
from October until February. For the next four months whenever I would bear my
testimony of the divinity of the Savior, there seemed to be a voice that would
say: "You lie, because you have never seen Him." One of the brethren
had made the remark that unless a man had seen the Lamb of God—that was his
expression—he was not fit to be an apostle. This feeling that I have mentioned
would follow me. I would wake up in the night with the impression: "You do
not know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, because you have never seen
Him," and the same feeling would come to me when I would preach and bear
testimony. It worried me from October until the following February.
I was in
We were going due east
when the road changed and went almost north, but there was a trail ahead of us,
and I said, "Hold on,
I said, "Brother
Smith, where does this trail lead?"
He said, "It
leads to a great gully just a short distance away, and no team can possibly
travel over it. We have to make a regular mule shoe of a ride to get to the
other side of the gully'"
I said, "Is there
any danger from Indians if a man were alone over there?" "None at
all."
I said: "I
visited the spot yesterday where George A. Smith, Jr., was killed by a Navajo
Indian, who asked him for his pistol and then shot him with it, and I feel a
little nervous, but if there is no danger I want to be all alone, so you go on
with the party and I will take that trail."
I had this feeling
that I ought not to testify any more about the Savior and that, really, I was
not fit to be an apostle. It seemed overwhelming to me that I should be one.
There was a spirit that said: "If you have not seen the Savior, why don't
you resign your position?"
As I rode along alone,
I seemed to see a council in heaven. The Savior was there; the Prophet Joseph
was there; my father and others that I knew were there. In this council it
seemed that they decided that a mistake had been made in not filling the
vacancies in the Quorum of the Twelve, and conference had adjourned. The
chances were the Brethren would wait another six months, and the way to remedy
the situation was to send a revelation naming the men who should fill the
vacancies. In this council the Prophet said, "I want to be represented by
one of my own in that Council."
A little while before
this I had attended the funeral of Brother Snedeker, a counselor in the
bishopric of Mill Creek Ward, and Brother Joseph E. Taylor spoke at the
services. In his remarks he became very pathetic to think that the Prophet had
given his life for the Cause and that he had no representative in the quorums
of the Priesthood of the Church. He was
followed by Brother Joseph F. Smith, and Brother Smith said: "'We believe
the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly,' and I
believe it is translated correctly when it says that if a man die his brother
shall marry his widow and raise up seed to the dead man, and I need to take
only two steps from where I am standing now to place my hand on the shoulder of
a man who is one of the Twelve Apostles of the Church, who is a son of the
Prophet Joseph," and he pointed directly at me.
It made a very profound impression upon me, and I
wondered if I should tell the people about it. I had always understood and
known that my mother was sealed to the Prophet, and that Brigham Young had told
my father that he would not marry my mother to him for eternity, because he had
instructions from the Prophet that if anything happened to him before he was
married to Rachel Ivins she must be sealed to him for eternity, that she
belonged to him.
That is the reason that Father spoke up in this council
to which I have referred, and said: "Why not choose the boy who bears my
name, who belongs to you, to be one of the apostles?" That inspiration was
given to me.
I can truthfully say
that from February, 1883, until today I have never had any of that trouble, and
I Can bear my testimony that I know that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ,
the Savior of the world and that Joseph Smith is a l prophet of the living God;
and the evil one does not try to persuade me that I do not know what I am talking
about. I have never had one slight impression to the contrary. I have just had
real, genuine joy and satisfaction in proclaiming the gospel and bearing my
testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and the divine calling of Joseph
Smith, the prophet.
Now, brethren, I could
go on dictating by the hour, there are so many things that have happened in my
life that I would like to tell you.
I once more thank the
Saints for their faith and for their prayers, and for the strength that I have
today in comparison with two and one-half years ago.
May God's blessings be
and abide with you, one and all, and all the Saints and all the honest people
the world over, is the prayer of my heart, even so. Amen.
(President
Heber J. Grant, Conference Report, October 1942, Afternoon Meeting.)
Gods’
culture is totally unselfish, it is the highest degree in the celestial
kingdom, and all there have the pure love of Christ
The
OT culture didn’t have romantic love until after the marriage took place; it
was by arrangement, Isaac, etc.
President Lorenzo Snow
September 16, 2004
Eliza
R. Snow introduced her brother to the Church by getting him to come to Kirtland
and take Hebrew classes taught at the School of the Prophets.
He
had a revelation about the nature of God that he didn’t share with others until
he heard the Prophet teach the same doctrine in the King Follett discourse.
Joseph Smith also
wrote, "Every man who reigns in celestial glory is a God to his
dominions" (TPJS, p. 374). This does not mean that any person ever
would or could supplant God as the Supreme Being in the universe; but it does
mean that through God's plan and with his help, all men and women have the
capacity to participate in God's eternal work. People participate in this work
by righteous living, by giving birth to children in mortality and helping them
live righteous lives, and by bringing others to Christ. Moreover, Latter-day
Saints believe that those who become gods will have the opportunity to
participate even more fully in God's work of bringing eternal life to other
beings. God is referred to as "Father in Heaven" because he is the
father of all human spirits (Heb. 12:9; cf. Acts
Latter-day Saints
believe that God achieved his exalted rank by progressing much as man must
progress and that God is a perfected and exalted man: "God himself was
once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder
heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great
God who holds this world in its orbit, and who upholds all worlds and all
things by his power, was to make himself visible,-I say, if you were to see him
today, you would see him like a man in form-like yourselves in all the person,
image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image
and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and
conversed with him, as one man talks and communes with another" (TPJS,
p. 345).
Much of the LDS
concept of godhood is expressed in a frequently cited aphorism written in 1840
by Lorenzo Snow, fifth President of the Church. At the time, Snow was twenty-six
years old, having been baptized four years earlier. He recorded in his journal
that he attended a meeting in which Elder H. G. Sherwood explained the parable
of the Savior regarding the husbandman who hired servants and sent them forth
at different hours of the day to labor for him in his vineyard. Snow continued,
as recorded in his sister's biography of him: "The Spirit of the Lord
rested mightily upon me-the eyes of my understanding were opened, and I saw as
clear as the sun at noonday, with wonder and astonishment, the pathway of God
and man. I formed the following couplet which expresses the revelation, as it
was shown me…. As man now is, God once
was: As God now is, man may be" (Eliza R. Snow, p. 46).
(Encyclopedia
of Mormonism, 1-4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow (New York: Macmillan,
1992), 554.)
He
was made an apostle after Joseph’s death; he served missions all over the
world.
Wilford
Woodruff told him to reorganize the 1st Presidency immediately after
his death, this came from the Lord.
The
12 were doing many other duties that were temporal not spiritual. In his last address he spoke of changes that
needed to happen to realign the Church to the Lord’s will.
President Lorenzo Snow
Evidence of advancement— Responsibilities of stake and
ward officers—they must lay their duties upon the Twelve Apostles to look after
interests of the world—Selection of Second Counselor.
My dear brethren and
sisters, it is rather a marvel to me that I venture to, talk to you this
afternoon; not but that I have something to say and would really like to have
the time and the voice to say it, and perhaps by the exercise of your faith and
prayers I may have the voice to address you for a few minutes. I have been
delighted to hear-of the spirit that has attended the speakers since this
conference opened. It shows to me one glorious fact—that during the last six
months the Latter-day Saints have not been idle. When the Elders address this
conference and the Spirit is upon them more than it was at the preceding conference,
it shows most clearly that there has been an advance on the part of the
Latter-day Saints in the performance of their duties. The next conference we
have, if the Saints will continue to improve as they have done during the last
six months, our Elders will have more of the Spirit, and their addresses will
be even more intelligent and more serviceable to you than they have been during
this conference.
Brethren and sisters,
God bless you. This is what I wanted to say to you. I have had a distressing
cold the last eight or ten days, which has made me very hoarse, and I feared
that I would not be able to appear at all during this conference.
I want to say a few
words in reference to one particular subject. And I do not want what I shall
say to be forgotten. It is a matter that concerns all the Saints; you are all
interested in it, and especially the Presidents of Stakes, their counselors,
the High Councilors, the Bishops and their counselors, and all those who have
been appointed to hold certain portions of the Holy Priesthood and to be
actively engaged in the various Stakes of Zion. There are now fifty Stakes of
Zion and these Stakes are composed of several wards. On an average there are
probably seven or eight wards to each Stake. Over each Stake there are a
president and two counselors and twelve High Councilors. Then there are Bishops
and counselors over the respective wards. And now, what responsibilities rest
upon the officials of these fifty Stakes; the dominion of the Latter-day
Saints, to a large extent, and the highest and most sacred responsibilities are
depending upon these fifty presidents; and there is something to do for each of
these authorities that I have mentioned. The most extensive and important
responsibilities devolve upon these officials. And although, I doubt not, they
have been pretty faithful in the past, they have not been so faithful in some
respects, as they ought to have been; they have not realized their sacred
responsibilities so much as they might have done.
This Church is now
nearly seventy two years of age, and we are not expected to do the work of the
days of our youth, but to do greater, larger and more extensive work. The Lord
is coming one of these days, and He is interested in the work that you ought to
be doing, and anxious to be doing. You ought to do all that you possibly, can,
and leave everything in your business affairs that you wisely can do and attend
to these matters. The presidents of these fifty Stakes should consider the
people in their respective Stakes, in their various dominions. They should
regard them as their own family, as their sons and daughters; and take as deep
an interest in them as they ought to take in their own wives and children. It
should be their thought by day and by night, how and in what way they can be
most serviceable to their respective charges. Oh! Brethren, do remember these
things that I am now talking about; do not forget them. You presidents, when
you retire to your rest, you probably can spend half an hour before you go to sleep,
and let your thoughts run over your several jurisdictions. See wherein, either
physically, financially or spiritually, you can help, and what can be done best
in advancing the interests of your official family. These Bishops, however wise
and energetic they may think themselves—and the most of them certainly are very
wise and energetic—need to be looked after. It is not the duty of the Apostles
to look after them.
The Apostles have a
work that is in another direction altogether. I want the Presidents of Stakes
hereafter to realize that it is their business, not the business of the
Apostles; it is the business of the High Priests, the Elders, the Bishops,
Priests, Teachers and Deacons to look after these things. Do not lay this duty
upon the shoulders of the Apostles. It is not in their line, at least only
occasionally. There is a certain channel by and through which the Lord intends
to exalt His sons and daughters, to remove wickedness from the earth and to
establish righteousness, and that channel is the Priesthood, which God has
established and shown clearly the nature and character of the various officers
and duties thereof. The Apostles and the Seventies, it is their business by the
appointment of the Almighty, to look after the interests of the world. The
Seventies and the Twelve Apostles are special witnesses unto the nations of the
earth. The business of the High Priests, the Elders and the Bishops is to look
after the interests of these various organizations that I have mentioned. You
presiding officers of the various Stakes of Zion, the time is coming when you
will not have to call and depend so much upon the Twelve Apostles. They will be
directed in other channels, and I want you to distinctly understand it; and do
not seek to throw responsibilities that belong to you upon these Twelve
Apostles and upon the Seventies.
I wanted to say this,
and to speak it with energy and in a way that you will not forget it, that you
cannot forget it, it is a wonderful responsibility, and the Lord expects it of
you. You ought to know how the laws of God are observed in your respective
localities-how the Sabbath is kept; whether the young people are swearing, and
off at midnight when they ought to be at home; how the parents govern and
control them; how far the people are paying their tithing correctly; what they
are doing in regard to their meeting houses, their school houses, and their
houses of amusement; whether they are expending their time and means too much
in these directions, or not enough; and what you can do in helping them along.
Look at these things, and everything that pertains to the happiness of your
children, the members of this family of yours, see what you can do about it.
And the Lord God of
Now, God bless you
Latter-day Saints. I am glad to see such a vast Multitude as there is here, and
that I understand has been throughout this conference. I repeat, I am so
delighted to hear that the Spirit of God has been on the Elders so bountifully
as it has, and that they have spoken so well and so wisely to you as they have.
I thank you for the faith you have exercised, because when I arose here I did
not know that I could speak five words; but now I have said what I wanted to
say. A great deal could be enlarged upon this, and the brethren will do so as
opportunity serves.
There is still one
matter that I might speak of. I am going on pretty fast toward my eighty-eighth
year; I will soon be eighty-eight years old; and I have been laboring now for
some months with but one counselor—President Joseph F. Smith. I feel as though
I wanted a little more help—another counselor; and I have selected one,
(through, I believe, the manifestations of the Lord), who, I think, will be
energetic and strong, will serve the people, and help me and President Joseph
F. Smith along in a proper way; and I hope you will sustain and support him.
God bless you. Amen.
(President
Lorenzo Snow, Conference Report, October 1901, Overflow Meeting 60.)
President Joseph F. Smith
September 23, 2004
He
endured tremendous persecution throughout his Presidency, especially from the
local press. It was because of plural
marriage.
Reed
Smoot did not enter into plural marriage and was accepted into the U.S. Senate,
B H Roberts who did enter into plural marriage was not accepted to sit in the
House of Representatives.
Financial
circumstances improve for the church and historical sites start to be
purchased, the church is out of debt by 1906, self sustaining.
Liberal
minded individuals defend the church, T. Roosevelt and W. Churchill are in that
group, several are less favorable, Twain, Conan Doyle, and R. Stevenson.
The
women’s movement is encouraged by the church; Sister E. Wells was given as an
example.
A
letter went out asking members outside of
The
Hotel Utah was built with the same purpose as the Nauvoo House in Section
124. The church buildings are built to
last.
President
Smith was a true gospel scholar; doctrine was clarified greatly during his
administration. Church histories were
written by the church and by B H Roberts.
Several doctrinal treatises were written stating true doctrine for the
members of the church and the world. Two
examples were “The Origin of Man” and “The Father and the Son”, also his talks
were compiled in a book published by the church called “Gospel Doctrine”. President Lee said if he needed clarification
of doctrine he turned to this book.
Elder
James E. Talmage also wrote classic books full of doctrine. Bruce told the story of “Jesus the Christ”
which was written in a room inside the
Finally
his book “House of the Lord” was in response to a black mail attempt to publish
pictures of the inside of the
Books
written by General Authorities and members do not replace the scriptures; it is
their viewpoints of the gospel. It is
just like the NT writers, it is their viewpoint of what they saw or heard or
felt by the Spirit, and why they wanted to tell their particular story.
We
had a great discussion on this topic.
Study the gospels separately not harmonized. Study why Matthew or Luke wrote what they
wrote, what was the message they tried to get across. This is the same with the gospel of Talmage or
the gospel of McConkie, or the gospel of Maxwell.
We
simply read and relate the STORIES of scripture not understanding the
underlining message the author wants us to see.
There are reasons why not all of the gospel writers include the same
stories in their writings!!!
The
Holy Ghost brings us to Christ, Christ brings us to the Father, and we worship
the Father. Christ directs all of us to
the Father, Matthew 19, and John 7:17, Moses 1:6 etc.
In
the OT, Eloheim and Jehovah are the same.
FHE
started in 1915 in the Granite stake, the church adopted the program.
Revelation
comes from God >>> Priesthood Leaders >>> Man
Man
asks how to apply it by asking God.
President
Smith became intimately acquainted with the other side of the veil in the last
3 years of his ministry.
One
of his greatest talks was the opening address of Conference in April, 1916.
There is power in
righteousness, power that activates God's covenant with his people, power that
binds and seals here and hereafter, power that links the children of Abraham,
the children of the covenant, together in love and unity. Righteous parents
thereby have great positive impact on generations to come. "Ye are the
children of the prophets," the risen Lord declared to the Nephites;
"and ye are of the house of
The pull of the
covenant toward righteousness may come from both sides of the veil. The counsel
of Elisha the prophet is still timely: "Fear not: for they that be with us
are more than they that be with them" (2 Kings
"Sometimes
the Lord expands our vision from this point of view and this side of the veil,
so that we feel and seem to realize that we can look beyond the thin veil which
separates us from that other sphere. If we can see, by the enlightening
influence of the Spirit of God and through the words that have been spoken by
the holy prophets of God, beyond the veil that separates us from the spirit
world, surely those who have passed beyond, can see more clearly through the
veil back here to us than it is possible for us to see to them from our sphere
of action. I believe we move and have our being in the presence of heavenly
messengers and of heavenly beings. We are not separate from them. We begin
to realize, more and more fully, as we become acquainted with the principles of
the gospel, as they have been revealed anew in this dispensation, that we
are closely related to our kindred, to our ancestors, to our friends and
associates and co-laborers who have preceded us into the spirit world. We
can not forget them; we do not cease to love them; we always hold them in our
hearts, in memory. . . . How much more certain it is and reasonable and
consistent to believe that those who have been faithful, who have gone beyond
and are still engaged in the work for the salvation of the souls of men, . . .
can see us better than we can see them; that they know us better than we
know them. They have advanced; we are advancing; we are growing as they
have grown; we are reaching the goal that they have attained unto; and
therefore, I claim that we live in their presence, they see us, they are
solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than ever. For now they
see the dangers that beset us; they can comprehend, better than ever before,
the weaknesses that are liable to mislead us into dark and forbidden paths. They
see the temptations and the evils that beset us in life and the proneness of
mortal beings to yield to temptation and to wrong doing; hence their solicitude
for us, and their love for us, and their desire for our well being, must be
greater than that which we feel for ourselves."24
"Rewards for
obedience to the commandments," Elder Russell M. Nelson explained,
"are almost beyond mortal comprehension. Here, children of the covenant
become a strain of sin-resistant souls. And hereafter . . . children of the
covenant, and 'each generation [will] be linked to the one which went on before
. . . [in] the divine family of God.' Great comfort comes from the knowledge
that our loved ones are secured to us through the covenants."25
In summary, the Holy
One of Israel, who is the Mediator of the Covenant, has extended the promise
that when a seal is placed upon a father and mother—a seal that comes through
faithfulness to their eternal covenants—their children will be bound to them
forever. Even if the children stray for a season, the tentacles of the
everlasting covenant will feel after them and they shall, either here or
hereafter, return to the fold. We do not fully understand all of the implications
of this marvelous promise, but we feel to trust in the ransoming and redeeming
power of our Lord who is also our Savior.
"God has
fulfilled his promises to us," President Lorenzo Snow explained, "and
our prospects are grand and glorious. Yes, in the next life we will have our
wives, and our sons and daughters. If we do not get them all at once, we will
have them some time, for every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess
that Jesus is the Christ. You that are mourning about your children straying
away will have your sons and your daughters. If you succeed in passing through
these trials and afflictions and receive a resurrection, you will, by the power
of the Priesthood, work and labor, as the Son of God has, until you get all
your sons and daughters in the path of exaltation and glory. This is just as
sure as that the sun rose this morning over yonder mountains. Therefore,
mourn not because all your sons and daughters do not follow in the path that
you have marked out to them, or give heed to your counsels. Inasmuch as we
succeed in securing eternal glory, and stand as saviors and as kings and
priests to our God, we will save our posterity. . . . God will have His own
way in His own time, and He will accomplish His purposes in the salvation of His
sons and daughters. . . . God bless you, brethren and sisters. Do not be
discouraged is the word I wish to pass to you; but remember that
righteousness and joy in the Holy Ghost is what you and I have the privilege of
possessing at all times."26
(Robert
L. Millet, Selected Writings of Robert L. Millet: Gospel Scholars Series [
Elder
Maxwell talked a lot about the other side of the veil before he died also!
President Heber J. Grant – Welfare
September 30, 2004
Love
thy neighbor as thyself means to take care of others, as you take care of
yourself. President Benson stated that
when we put God first in our lives everything else either falls out of our
lives or we take time to help others, Elder Maxwell on the 1st and 2nd
commandment.
Richard
Cowan “Latter Day Saint Century” 20th century history of the Church
Revelation
comes from either directions top down or bottom up. President Harold B. Lee applied the
scriptures on welfare and consecration in the D&C for his stake, the Church
adopted the welfare program he was using in his stake.
President
J. Reuben Clark in April 1937 told the saints to get out of debt, it’s still
the counsel today but often ignored.
We
renounce war as a Church but the Lord will use the situation to his
advantage. President Grant had a very
difficult mission in
President
Hinckley April, 2004 “Hungered and ye gave me Meat”
The Book of Mormon
brings men to Christ. The Doctrine and Covenants brings men to Christ's
kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 'the only true
and living church upon the face of the whole earth' (D&C
The Book of Mormon is
the "keystone" of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants is the
capstone, with continuing latter-day revelation. The Lord has placed His stamp
of approval on both the keystone and the capstone.
President Ezra Taft
Benson
CR, April 1987, p. 105
Book
of Mormon teaches about mortality and probation, it also teaches about the
Atonement and repentance, also the concept of heaven and hell.
The
D&C teaches the same concepts in greater detail and also includes the
spirit world and the millennium with degrees of glory in the next life.
The
Church is the
Bruce
reviewed a couple of talks on welfare.
The
Purpose of Church Welfare Services
President Marion G.
Romney
Second Counselor in the First Presidency
Ensign, May 1977, pp. 92-95
[Underlining is NOT original]
My beloved
brothers and sisters, I ask you to join with me in a prayer that the Lord will
he with us and inspire the talks given here this morning, and I hope my remarks
will be in harmony with them. I hope that every one of you bishops and branch
presidents has a clear understanding of the many resources available to assist
you in administering Church welfare services. I urge you to actively use these
many resources. I hope we all understand how our consecrations to the
Lord--whether in time, work, or money--unite to relieve suffering while
sanctifying both the giver and the receiver. I have been pleased with the
explanation of the role of the Lord's storehouse and how production projects
serve to fill it with both "meat and money."
Since we have
so far in this meeting concentrated on how we should minister in the Lord's own
way, I shall center my remarks on why we are engaged in this great
program. Almost from the beginning of my services in Church welfare I
have had the conviction that what we are doing in this welfare work is
preliminary to the reestablishment of the law of consecration and stewardship
as required under the united order. If we could always remember the goal
toward which we are working, we would never lose our bearings in this great
work. What we are about is not new. It is as old as the
gospel itself. Whenever the Lord has had a people who would accept and live
the gospel, He has established the united order. He established it among the
people of Enoch, of whom the record says:
"The
Lord blessed the land, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the
high places, and did flourish.
"And the
Lord called his people
If we will do
the things the Lord has asked us to do, we too will continue to be blessed and
will grow in righteousness. In the revelation that the Prophet specified as
"embracing the law of the Church" (D&C 42, chapter heading), the
Lord said:
"Behold,
thou wilt remember the poor, and consecrate of thy properties for their support
that which thou hast to impart unto them. …
"And
inasmuch as ye impart of your substance unto the poor, ye will do it unto me;
and they shall be laid before the bishop of my church and his counselors. …
"And it
shall come to pass, that after they are laid before the bishop of my church, …
it shall be kept to administer to those who have not, from time to time, that
every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive according to his
wants.
"Therefore,
the residue shall be kept in my storehouse, to administer to the poor and the
needy." (D&C 42:30-34.)
"And
this I do," said the Lord, "for the salvation of my
people." (D&C 42:36; italics added.)
In this
revelation, which the Prophet designated the "law of the Church," the
Lord revealed the essentials of the united order, which was His program for
eliminating the inequalities among men. It is based upon the underlying concept
that the earth and all things therein belong to the Lord, and that men hold
earthly possessions as stewards accountable to Him.
"I, the
Lord," He said, "stretched out the heavens, and built the earth, …
and all things therein are mine.
"And it
is my purpose to provide for my saints, for all things are mine.
"But it
must needs be done in mine own way." (D&C 104:14-16.)
In His way,
there are two cardinal principles: (1) consecration, and (2) stewardship.
To enter the
united order, one consecrated all his possessions to the Church by a
"covenant and a deed which [could not] be broken." That is, he
completely divested himself of all his property by conveying it to the Church.
Having done
so, the consecrator received from the Church a stewardship by a like
conveyance. This stewardship could be more or less than the original
consecration, the object being to make "every man equal according to his
family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs." (D&C
51:3.)
This
procedure preserved in every man the right of private ownership and management
of his property. Indeed, the fundamental principle of the system was the
private ownership of property. Each man owned his portion, or inheritance, or
stewardship, with an absolute title, which, at his option, he could alienate,
keep and operate, or otherwise treat as his own. The Church did not own all of
the property, and life under the united order was not, and never will be, a
communal life, as the Prophet Joseph himself said.
The intent
was, however, for him to so operate his property as to produce a living for
himself and his dependents. So long as he remained in the order, he consecrated
to the Church the surplus he produced above the needs and wants of his
own family. This surplus went into a storehouse, from which stewardships were
given to others, and from which the needs of the poor were supplied.
These divine
principles are very simple and easily understood. However, there are a number
of concepts which must prevail in order for this ideal to be realized. Chief
among these concepts are the following:
1. A
belief in God and acceptance of Him as Lord of the earth and the author of
the united order. Through it we seek righteousness and spiritual development.
"For," declared the Lord, "if ye are not equal in earthly
things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things;
"For if
you will," he continued, "that I give unto you a place in the
celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have
commanded you and required of you. …
"That
you may come up unto the crown prepared for you, and be made rulers over many
kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion." (D&C 78:6-7, 15;
italics added.)
2. The united
order is implemented by the voluntary freewill actions of men, evidenced
by a consecration of all their property to the
3. As to
property, in harmony with Church belief as set forth in the Doctrine and
Covenants, "no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed
and held inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of
conscience, [and] the right and control of property." (D&C 134:2.) The
united order is operated upon the principle of private ownership and
individual management. Thus, in both ownership and management of property,
the united order preserved to men their God-given agency. In this way, He holds
each steward accountable for his own work and productivity. Indeed, He said:
"For it
is expedient that I, the Lord, should make every man accountable, as a steward
over earthly blessings, which I have made and prepared for my creatures."
(D&C 104:13.)
You can see
from this the truth of President Clark's statement when he said:
"The
Church never was, and under existing commandments never will be, a communal
society, under the directions thus far given by the Lord. The United Order was
not communal nor communistic. It was completely and intensely individualistic,
with a consecration of unneeded surpluses for the support of the Church and the
poor." (J. Reuben Clark, Jr., "The United Order and Law of
Consecration As Set Out in the Revelations of the Lord," from a pamphlet
of articles reprinted from the Church Section of the Deseret News, 1942, pp.
26-27.)
4. The
united order is nonpolitical. It is therefore totally unlike the various
forms of socialism, which are political, both in theory and in practice. They
are thus exposed to, and riddled by, the corruption which plagues and finally
destroys all political governments which undertake to abridge man's agency.
5. A
righteous people is a prerequisite to the united order.
6. The
united order exalts the poor and humbles the rich. In the process both are
sanctified. The poor, released from the bondage and humiliating limitations of
poverty, are enabled as free men to rise to their full potential, both
temporally and spiritually. The rich, by consecration and by imparting of their
surplus for the benefit of the poor, not by constraint, but willingly as an act
of free will, evidence that charity for their fellowmen characterized by Mormon
as "the pure love of Christ." (Moro. 7:47.) In this way they qualify
to "become the sons of God." (Moro.
With these
concepts in mind, we are better prepared to understand how our present Welfare
Services efforts relate to the united order and the full ideal of
"They
have not learned to be obedient to the things which I required at their hands,
but are full of all manner of evil, and do not impart of their substance, as becometh saints, to the poor and afflicted among them;
"And are
not united according to the union required by the law of the celestial kingdom;
"And
He further
indicated that:
"It is
expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little season for the
redemption of
"That
they themselves may be prepared, and that my people may be taught more
perfectly, and have experience, and know more perfectly concerning their duty,
and the things which I require at their hands." (D&C 105:9-10.)
Full
implementation of the united order must, according to the revelation, await the
redemption of Zion.
(See D&C 105:34.) In the meantime-while we are being more perfectly taught
and are gaining experience-we should be strictly living the principles
of the united order insofar as they are embodied in present Church
requirements, such as tithing, fast offerings, welfare projects, storehouses,
and other principles and practices. Through these programs we should, as
individuals, implement in our own lives the bases of the united order.
The law of
tithing, for example, gives us a great opportunity to implement the principle
of consecration and stewardship. When it was instituted, four years after the
united order experiment was suspended, the Lord required the people to put
"all their surplus property … into the hands of the bishop";
thereafter they were to "pay one-tenth of all their interest
annually." (D&C 119:1, 4.) This law, still in force, implements to a
degree at least the united order principle of stewardship. It leaves in the
hands of each person the ownership and management of the property from which he
produces the needs of himself and family. To use again the words of President
Clark:
"In lieu
of residues and surpluses which were accumulated and built up under the United
Order, we, today, have our fast offerings, our Welfare donations, and our
tithing, all of which may be devoted to the care of the poor, as well as the
carrying on of the activities and business of the Church. …
"Furthermore,
we had under the United Order a bishop's storehouse in which were collected the
materials from which to supply the needs and the wants of the poor. We have a
bishop's storehouse under the Welfare Plan, used for the same purpose. …
"We have
now under the Welfare Plan all over the church, … projects … farmed [or
managed] for the benefit of the poor. …
"Thus …
in many of its great essentials, we have, [in] the Welfare Plan … the broad
essentials of the United Order." (Conference Report, Oct. 1942, pp.
57-58.)
It is thus
apparent that when the principles of tithing and the fast are properly observed
and the welfare plan gets fully developed and wholly into operation, "we
shall not be so very far from carrying out the great fundamentals of the United
Order." (Ibid., p. 57.) The only limitation on you and me is within
ourselves.
And now in
line with these remarks, for three things I pray:
1. That the
Lord will quicken our understanding of the covenant of consecration which we
who are endowed have all made. President Kimball, in a landmark article
published in the June 1976 Ensign, has encouraged us to review what our
righteous needs and desires are as compared to what our surplus or residue
might be:
"Many
people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that
includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property,
credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal
security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life. Forgotten is the fact
that our assignment is to use these many resources in our families and quorums
to build up the
"As the
Lord himself said in our day, 'They seek not the Lord to establish his
righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way,
and after the image of his own God, whose image is in the likeness of the
world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth
old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.'
(D&C 1:16; italics added.)" (Ensign, June 1976, pp. 4-5.)
2. That we
will study the talks of this session carefully and implement according to the
dictates of the Spirit each facet of the welfare effort, particularly the
establishment of the Lord's storehouses.
3. That
through faithful observance of the principles of tithing, the fast, and the
welfare program, we will prepare ourselves to redeem
The other
talks were by President Kimball “Welfare is the Gospel in Action” and Elder
Packer “Solving Emotional Problems in the Lords own Way”
Solving Emotional
Problems In The Lord's Own Way
Elder Boyd K. Packer
April 1978
Our
bishops face increasing calls to counsel members with problems that have more
to do with emotional needs than with the need for food or clothing or shelter.
My
message, therefore, is to the subject: solving emotional problems in the Lord's
own way.
Fortunately,
the principles of temporal welfare apply to emotional problems as well.
The
Church was two years old when the Lord revealed that "the idler shall not
have place in the church, except he repent and mend his ways. (D&C 75:29.)
The
Welfare handbook instructs: "[We must] earnestly teach and urge Church
members to be self-sustaining to the full extent of their powers. No true
Latter-day Saint will... voluntarily shift from himself the burden of his own
support. So long as he can, under the inspiration of the Almighty and with his
own labors, he will supply himself with the necessities of life." (1952,
p. 2.)
We
have succeeded fairly well in teaching Latter-day Saints that they should take
care of their own material needs and then contribute to the welfare of those
who cannot provide for themselves.
If
a member is unable to sustain himself, then he is to call upon his own family,
and then upon the Church, in that order, and not upon the government at all.
We
have counseled bishops and stake presidents to be very careful to avoid abuses
in the welfare program.
When
people are able but unwilling to take care of themselves, we are responsible to
employ the dictum of the Lord that the idler shall not eat the bread of the
laborer. (See D&C 42:42.)
The
simple rule has been to take care of one's self. This couplet of truth has been
something of a model: "Eat it up, wear it out, make it do, or do
without."
When
the Church welfare program was first announced in 1936, the First Presidency
said:
"Our
primary purpose was to set up, in so far as it might be possible, a system
under which the curse of idleness would be done away with, the evils of a dole
abolished, and independence, industry, thrift and self respect be once more
established amongst our people. The aim of the Church is lo help people help
themselves." (Conference Report, Oct. 1936, p. 3; italics added.)
Occasionally
someone is attracted to the Church because of our welfare program. They see
material security.
Our
answer to them is: "Yes, join the Church for that reason. We can use all
of the help we can get. You will be called upon continually to bless and assist
others."
Interesting
how enthusiasm for baptism often fades away.
It
is a self-help system, not a quick handout system. It requires a careful
inventory of all personal and family resources, all of which must be committed
before anything is added from the outside.
It
is not an unkind or an unfeeling bishop who requires a member to work to the
fullest extent he can for what he receives from Church welfare.
There
should not be the slightest embarrassment for any member to be assisted by the
Church. Provided, that is that he has contributed all that he can.
President
Romney has emphasized, "To care for people on any other basis is to do
them more harm than good.
"The
purpose of Church welfare is not to relieve [a Church member] from taking care
of himself." (Conference Report, Oct. 1974, p. 166; italics added.)
The
principle of self-reliance or personal independence is fundamental to the happy
life. In too many places, in too many ways, we are getting away from it.
The
substance of what I want to say is this: The same principle self-reliance--has
application to the spiritual and to the emotional.
We
have been taught to store a year's supply of food, clothing, and, if possible,
fuel--at home. There has been no attempt to set up storerooms in every chapel.
We know that in the crunch our members may not be able to get to the chapel for
supplies.
Can
we not see that the same principle applies to inspiration and revelation, the
solving of problems, to counsel, and to guidance?
We
need to have a source of it stored in every home, not just in the bishop's
office.
If
we do not do that, we are quite as threatened spiritually as we should be were
we to assume that the Church should supply all material needs.
Unless
we use care, we are on the verge of doing to ourselves emotionally (and,
therefore, spiritually) what we have been working so hard for generations to
avoid materially.
We
seem to be developing an epidemic of "counselitis"
which drains spiritual strength from the Church much like the common cold
drains more strength out of humanity than any other disease.
That,
some may assume, is not serious. It is very serious!
On
one hand, we counsel bishops to avoid abuses in welfare help. On the other
hand, some bishops dole out counsel and advice without considering that the
member should solve the problem himself.
There
are many chronic cases--individuals who endlessly seek counsel but do not
follow the counsel that is given.
I
have, on occasions, included in an interview this question:
"You
have come to me for advice. After we have carefully considered your problem, is
it your intention to follow the counsel that I will give you?"
This
comes as a considerable surprise to them. They had never thought of that.
Usually they then commit themselves to follow counsel.
It
is easier then to show them how to help themselves, and more than that, how to
help others. That is the greatest therapy.
Speaking
figuratively, many a bishop keeps on the corner of his desk a large stack of
order forms for emotional relief.
When
someone comes with a problem, the bishop, unfortunately, without a question,
passes them out, without stopping to think what he is doing to his people.
We
have become very anxious over the amount of counseling that we seem to need in
the Church. Our members are becoming dependent.
We
must not set up a network of counseling services without at the same time
emphasizing the principle of emotional self-reliance and individual
independence.
If
we lose our emotional and spiritual independence, our self-reliance, we can be
weakened quite as much, perhaps even more, than when we become dependent
materially.
If
we are not careful, we can lose the power of individual revelation. What the
Lord said to Oliver Cowdery has meaning for all of us.
"Behold,
you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when
you took no thought save it was to ask me.
"But,
behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must
ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall
burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
"But
if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor
of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong."
(D&C 9:7-9.)
Spiritual
independence and self-reliance is a sustaining power in the Church. If we rob
the members of that how can they get revelation for themselves? How will they
know there is a prophet of God? How can they get answers to prayers? How can
they know for sure for themselves?
It
is not an unfeeling bishop who requires those coming to him for counsel to
exhaust every personal and family resource before helping them.
Bishops,
be careful with your "emotional order forms." Do not pass them out
without having analyzed carefully the individual resources.
Teach
our members to follow proper channels in solving problems.
It
is not unusual for some to "shop around" to get advice from friends
and neighbors, from every direction, and then choose what they think is the
best of it. That is a mistake.
Some
want to start with psychologists, with professional counselors, or to go
directly to the General Authorities to begin with.
The
problems may need that kind of attention but only after every personal, and
family, and every local resource has been exhausted.
We
mentioned that when a member has used all of his own resources there should be
no embarrassment in receiving welfare assistance.
That
principle holds true with emotional assistance as well.
There
may be a time when deep-seated emotional problems need more than can be given
by the family, the bishop, or the stake president.
In
order to help with the very difficult problems, the Church has established some
counseling services in areas where our membership is large. (Only for those
that come through proper channels.)
The
first category includes those services that ordinarily require a license from
the local, state, or national government. The licensed services include:
•
adoptions,
•
the care of unwed mothers,
•
the foster care of children,
•
and, the Indian Placement Program.
In
July of 1977 the First Presidency issued a letter giving some instruction and
caution to priesthood leaders, with reference to licensed services.
Our
purpose here will be to review principles that apply to the services offered
under the heading clinical.
Clinical
services are offered (again, through proper channels only) in three successive
steps:
First:
consultation, where a priesthood leader consults with an LDS Social Services
representative about a member with serious problems. Only the priesthood leader
meets with the member.
The
next step is evaluation, wherein a priesthood leader and the member meet
together with an LDS Social Services practitioner to evaluate the problem.
Ordinarily this is one meeting only. Thereafter, the priesthood leader
continues to help the member.
In
difficult and persistent cases, there is therapy. The member (and, when
possible, the bishop) meets with an LDS Social Services practitioner for
counseling. The bishop gives continuing help after termination of these
sessions.
Bishops
and stake presidents can exemplify self-reliance by resolving these problems
locally. Ultimately it is the member who must solve them.
Bishops,
you must not abdicate your responsibility to anyone--not to professionals, even
to those employed by Church Social Services. They would be the first to tell
you so.
You
have a power to soothe and to sanctify and to heal that others are not given.
Sometimes
what a member needs is forgiveness--you have a key to that.
If
you find a case where professional help is justified, be very careful.
There
are some spiritually destructive techniques used in the field of counseling.
When you entrust your members to others, do not let them be subject to these
things. Solve problems in the Lord's way.
Some
counselors want to delve deeper than is emotionally or spiritually healthy.
They sometimes want to draw out and analyze and take apart and dissect.
While
a certain amount of catharsis may be healthy, overmuch of it can be
degenerating. It is seldom as easy to put something back together as it is to
take it apart.
By
probing too deeply, or talking endlessly about some problems, we can foolishly
cause the very thing we are trying to prevent.
You
probably know about the parents who said, "Now, children, while we are
gone, whatever you do, don't take the stool and go into the pantry and climb up
to the second shelf and move the cracker box and get that sack of beans and put
one up your nose, will you?"
There
is a lesson there.
Now,
a bishop may ask, justifiably, "How in the world can I ever accomplish my
job as bishop and still counsel those who really need it?"
One
stake president said to me: "Bishops don't have enough time to counsel.
With the load we're putting on them, we're killing our bishops off."
While
there's some truth in that I sometimes think it's a case of suicide.
Our
study of the role of the bishop indicates that most bishops spend time ineffectively
as program administrators.
The
influence of a bishop on a ward is more positive when he functions as a
presiding officer, rather than getting so heavily involved in all of the
program details.
It
is usually in program administration, with all of the meetings, training
activities, etc., that the bishop spends too much time.
Bishops,
leave that to your counselors and the priesthood leaders and auxiliary leaders.
Problems, for instance, that involve need for employment can be solved by the
home teacher and the quorum leaders.
Trust
them. Let go of it. And you will then be free to do the things that will make
the most difference, counseling those who really need it--in the Lord's own
way.
Recently
two letters have gone to the field. The one was a two-thirds reduction in the
number of personal priesthood interviews required on all levels.
The
other was a shifting of major administrative meetings from weekly and monthly
to monthly and quarterly.
We
have every hope that other relief will be filtering down through channels.
In the meantime,
bishop, you are in charge. Get the administrative and training part of your
work in such efficient operation that you will have time to counsel your
people.
Bishops, keep
constantly in mind that fathers are responsible to preside over their families.
Sometimes, with all
good intentions, we require so much of both the children and the father that he
is not able to do so.
If my boy needs
counseling, bishop, it should be my responsibility first, and yours second.
If my boy needs
recreation, bishop, I should provide it first, and you second.
If my boy needs
correction, that should be my responsibility first, and yours second,
If I am failing as a
father, help me first, and my children second.
Do not be too quick
to take over from me the job of raising my children.
Do not be too quick
to counsel them and solve all of the problems. Get me involved. It is my
ministry.
We
live in a day when the adversary stresses on every hand the philosophy of
instant gratification, We seem to demand instant everything, including instant
solutions to our problems.
We
are indoctrinated that somehow we should always be instantly emotionally
comfortable. When that is not so, some become anxious and all too frequently
seek relief from counseling, from analysis, and even from medication.
It
was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some
depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal.
Teach
our members that if they have a good, miserable day once in a while, or several
in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out.
There
is great purpose in our struggle in life,
There
is great meaning in these words entitled "The Lesson."
Yes,
my fretting,
Frowning
child,
I
could cross
The
room to you
More
easily,
But
I've already
Learned
to walk
So
I make you
Come
to me,
Let
go now--
There!
You see?
Oh,
remember
This
simple lesson,
Child,
And
when
In
later years
You
cry out
With
tight fists
And
tears--
"Oh,
help me,
God--
please,
Just
listen
And
you'll hear
A
silent voice:
"I
would, child,
I
would,
But
it's you,
Not
I,
Who
needs to try
Godhood."
(Carol
Lynn Pearson, "The Lesson Beginnings," New York: Doubleday and Co.,
1975, p. 18.)
Bishop, those who come
to you are children of God. Counsel them in the Lord's own way. Teach them to
ponder it in their minds, then to pray over their problems.
Remember that
soothing, calming effect of reading the scriptures. Next time you are where
they are read, notice how things settle down. Sense the feeling of peace and
security that comes.
Now,
from the Book of Mormon, this closing thought: The prophet Alma faced a
weightier problem than you, bishop, will likely see in your ministry, Like you,
he felt uncertain; and he went to Mosiah.
Mosiah
wisely turned the problem back to him, saying:
"...
Behold, I judge them not; therefore I deliver them into thy hands to be judged.
"And
now the spirit of
"And
it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice
of the Lord came to him. (Mosiah 26: 12-14.)
That
voice will speak to you, bishop. That is your privilege. I bear witness of
that, for I know that He lives.
May
God bless you, bishop, the inspired judge in
In
the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Various times
in the Book of Mormon when the saints lived the United Order, Alma the Elder at
the waters of Mormon and in Zarahemla, 4th Nephi
Church during World War II
October 14, 2004
Position of the Church on current issues such as war,
military service, false political isms, church and state, etc.,
1942-April 6-Improvement Era 45:272-274, 343-346,
348-350,
May, 1942; also in abridged form in Liahona, the Elders'
Journal 41:517.
Two messages of the
First Presidency were read at the Annual General Conference by the two
counselors in the First Presidency, J. Reuben Clark, Jr., and David O. McKay.
They constitute an official statement of the position of The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints on the subjects treated. They dealt with current issues,
including war, military service, false political isms, etc.
MESSAGE OF THE
FIRST PRESIDENCY TO THE CHURCH
Read by President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., at the final
session of the 112th Annual Conference, Monday, April 6, 1942, in the Assembly
Hall, Temple Square,
In these days of trial
and sorrow, when Satan is "seeking to destroy the souls of men"
(D&C 10:27) we send to the righteous everywhere our greetings with prayers
for their blessing; to the Saints in all lands and on the islands of the seas,
we renew our testimonies and pledge our unselfish service, exhorting them to
lives obedient to the gospel and the commandments of the Lord; we extend to
them the hand of true and faithful fellowship, with deep and abiding love and
blessing.
Our Testimonies
We bear witness to all
the world that God lives, and still rules, that His righteous ways and His
truth will finally prevail.
We bear testimony that
Jesus is the Christ, the Only Begotten of the Father, the First Fruits of the
Resurrection, the Redeemer of the World, and that "there is none other
name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts
We solemnly declare
that in these the latter-days, God has again spoken from the heavens through
His chosen Prophet, Joseph Smith; that the Lord has, through that same Prophet,
again revealed in its fulness His gospel,-the plan of life and salvation; that
through that Prophet and his associates He has restored His holy Priesthood to
the earth, from which it had been taken because of the wickedness of men; and
that all the rights, powers, keys, and functions appertaining to that
Priesthood as so restored are now vested in and exercised by the chosen and
inspired leadership of His Church,-The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, even as that Priesthood has been exercised on the earth from the
Beginning until this day, whenever His Church was here or His work had place
among the children of men.
These testimonies we
bear in all soberness, before God and men, aware that we are answerable to God
for the truthfulness thereof. We admonish all men to give ear to these
testimonies and to bring their lives into harmony with the gospel of Christ,
that on the day "When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the
holy angels with him," they may stand with those on His right hand, to
whom He will say, "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world." (Matt. 25:31, 34.)
We shall now speak
first of some vital practical matters which should be uppermost in the minds of
all Latter-day Saints.
Message to Parents
It is becoming
increasingly clear that very many of our physicians and surgeons will be taken
by the government for service with the armed forces. This is well, for we want
our soldiers and sailors to have every care which it is possible to give them.
But this will leave the civilians with curtailed and probably inadequate
medical help. In some areas we shall be left with little more trained
assistance than was available to our pioneer fathers. Yet it is our patriotic
duty to be as fully effective in production at home as our boys are effective
in combat in the field. Those in the front lines cannot be strong unless those
behind the lines are strong also. To meet this patriotic duty and to prepare
for this threatening condition, we urge all parents to guard with zealous care
the health of their children. Feed them simple, good, wholesome food that will
nourish and make them strong. See that they are warmly clad. Keep them from
exposure. Have them avoid unnecessary crowds in close, poorly ventilated,
overheated rooms and halls. See that they have plenty of rest and sleep. Avoid
late hours. Keep them home in the evenings and remain home to enjoy them. Teach
them strictly to observe the Word of Wisdom which is God's law of health. You
parents observe these rules yourselves, and keep the other commandments of the
Lord. You bishops and presidents of stakes, first lead your people by example
and then they will follow your precepts. Parents, prepare yourselves and your
children for the times to come. So live, day by day, that you may with
confidence, ask the blessings of health with which the Lord clothes those whom,
living righteously, He delights to succor.
Message to the Youth
To the youth of the
Church we repeat all the foregoing advice, but above all we plead with you to
live clean, for the unclean life leads only to suffering, misery, and woe
physically,-and spiritually it is the path to destruction. How glorious and
near to the angels is youth that is clean; this youth has joy unspeakable here
and eternal happiness hereafter. Sexual purity is youth's most precious
possession; it is the foundation of all righteousness. Better dead, clean, than
alive, unclean.
Times approach when we
shall need all the health, strength, and spiritual power we can get to bear the
afflictions that will come upon us.
Welfare Work
We renew the counsel
given to the Saints from the days of Brigham Young until now,-be honest,
truthful, industrious, frugal, thrifty. In the day of plenty, prepare for the
day of scarcity. The principle of the fat and lean kine,
is as applicable today as it was in the days when, on the banks of the
We renew our counsel,
and repeat our instructions. Let every Latter-day Saint that has land, produce
some valuable, essential foodstuff thereon and then preserve it; or if he
cannot produce an essential foodstuff, let him produce some other kind and
exchange it for an essential foodstuff; let them who have no land of their own,
and who have knowledge of farming and gardening, try to rent some, either by
themselves or with others, and produce foodstuff thereon, and preserve it. Let
those who have land produce enough extra to help their less fortunate brethren.
The Welfare plan
should be carried out with redoubled energy that we may care for the worthy,
needy poor and unfortunate, and many of us may hereafter enter that class who
now feel we are secure from want.
As the Church has
always urged since we came to the Valleys, so now we urge every Church
householder to have a year's supply of essential foodstuffs ahead. This should,
so far as possible, be produced by each householder and preserved by him. This
course will not only relieve from any impending distress those households who
so provide themselves, but will release just that much food to the general
national stores of foodstuffs from which the public at large must be fed.
The utmost care should
be taken to see that foodstuffs so produced and preserved by the householder,
do not spoil, for that would be waste, and the Lord looks with disfavor upon
waste. He has blessed His people with abundant crops; the promise for this year
is most hopeful. The Lord is doing His part; He expects us to do ours.
False Political Isms
We again warn our
people in
They suit their
approaches to the particular group they seek to deceive. Among the Latter-day
Saints they speak of their philosophy and their plans under it, as an ushering
in of the United Order. Communism and all other similar isms bear no
relationship whatever to the United Order. They are merely the clumsy
counterfeits which Satan always devises of the gospel plan. Communism debases
the individual and makes him the enslaved tool of the state to whom he must
look for sustenance and religion; the United Order exalts the individual,
leaves him his property, according to his family, according to his
circumstances and his wants and needs," (D&C 51:3) and provides a
system by which he helps care for his less fortunate brethren; the United Order
leaves every man free to choose his own religion as his conscience directs.
Communism destroys man's God-given free agency; the United Order glorifies it.
Latter-day Saints cannot be true to their faith and lend aid, encouragement, or
sympathy to any of these false philosophies. They will prove snares to their
feet.
Gospel of Love
The gospel of Christ
is a gospel of love and peace, of patience and long suffering, of forbearance
and forgiveness, of kindness and good deeds, of charity and brotherly love.
Greed, avarice, base ambition, thirst for power, and unrighteous dominion over
our fellow men, can have no place in the hearts of Latter-day Saints nor of
God-fearing men everywhere. We of the Church must lead the life prescribed in
the saying of the ancient prophet-warrior:
"I seek not for
power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the
glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country." (
Hate Must Be Abolished
Hate can have no place
in the souls of the righteous. We must follow the commands of Christ Himself
which declare the true life:
"Love your
enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for
them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
"That ye may be
the children of your Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 5:44-45.)
These principles must
be instilled into the hearts of our children, taught to our youth, given by way
of instruction to our vigorous manhood and womanhood, lived in very fact and
deed by the aged, ripened in experience and wisdom. These are the principles
which God enjoins upon all who teach, in whatever capacity or in whatever
place. The Lord has declared that those who teach not their "children
light and truth according to the commandments" shall be afflicted, the
wicked one shall have power over them (D&C 93:42), and the sin shall be
upon their heads (D&C 68:25). Woe will be the part of those who plant hate
in the hearts of the youth, and of the people, for God will not hold them
guiltless; they are sowing the wind, their victims will reap the whirlwinds.
Hate is born of Satan; love is the offspring of God. We must drive out hate
from our hearts, every one of us, and permit it not again to enter.
The Lord has
established His Church in these latter-days that men might be called to
repentance, to the salvation and exaltation of their souls. Time and time again
He told the Prophet Joseph and those with him that "the field is white
already to harvest." (D&C 4:4; 6:3; 11:3; 12:3; 14:3; 33:3, 7.) Over
and over again He commanded them to preach nothing but repentance to this
generation (D&C 6:9; 11:9, 14:8) finally declaring:
"And thou shalt
declare glad tidings, yea, publish it upon the mountains, and upon every high
place, and among every people that thou shalt be permitted to see.
"And thou shalt
do it with all humility, trusting in me, reviling not against revilers.
"And of tenets
thou shalt not talk, but thou shalt declare repentance and faith on the Savior,
and remission of sins by baptism and by fire, yea, even the Holy Ghost.
"Behold, this is
a great and the last commandment which I shall give unto you concerning this
matter; for this shall suffice for thy daily walk, even unto the end of thy
life.
"And misery thou
shalt receive if thou wilt slight these counsels, yea, even the destruction of
thyself and property." (D&C 19:29-33.)
These commands we must
obey that men shall come to know God and Jesus Christ whom He sent, for
"this is life eternal." (John 17:3.)
For this cause was the
Church organized, the gospel again revealed in its fulness, the Priesthood of
God again restored, with all its rights, powers, keys and functions. This is
the mission of the Church. The divine commission given to the apostles of old
(Matt. 28:18 ff.; Mark 16:15 ff.) has been repeated in this day, that the
gospel shall be carried to all nations (D&C 38:33), unto the Jew and the
gentile (D&C 18:26); it shall be declared with rejoicing (D&C 28:16);
it shall roll to the ends of the earth (D&C 65:2); and it must be preached
by us to whom the kingdom has been given. (D&C 84:76.) No act of ours or of
the Church must interfere with this God-given mandate. The Lord will hold us to
this high commission and exalted duty imposed by His commandment to us, when He
said:
"And in nothing
doth man offend God or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who
confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments. (D&C
59:21.)
We shall be excused
from this divine commission, individually and as a Church, only if some power
beyond our control shall prevent our obedience to God's commands, then they who
hinder must bear the penalty. (D&C 124:49.) But to that point of hindrance,
it is our bounden duty to carry on.
Sending of Missionaries
It is our duty,
divinely imposed, to continue urgently and militantly to carry forward our
missionary work. We must continue to call missionaries and send them out to
preach the gospel, which was never more needed than now, which is the only
remedy for the tragic ills that now afflict the world, and which alone can
bring peace and brotherly love back amongst the peoples of the earth. We must
continue to call to missionary work those who seem best able to perform it in
these troublous and difficult days. Our duty under divine command imperatively
demands this. We shall not knowingly call anyone for the purpose of having him
evade military service, nor for the purpose of interfering with or hampering
that service in any way, nor of putting any impediment in the way of
government. Those would be unworthy motives for a missionary life. Our people
have furnished and we expect them to continue to furnish their full quota for
those purposes, but we see no alternative, until new rules are made by the
government, but to continue to call the best and most effective men into missionary
work, if they are available therefor.
Having in mind that
the worldwide disaster in material and spiritual matters has brought vital and
difficult problems to the nation and to the Church,-the nation because of need
of manpower for the armed forces and defense works, and to the Church because
of the imperative need it brings to us to employ in our missionary work the
experience, testimony and faith possessed by our more mature brethren, we have
instructed our bishops, presidents of branches, and presidents of missions, to
confine until further notice, their recommendations of brethren for missionary
service in the field, to those who on March 23, 1942, were seventies or high
priests. Furthermore, in recommending these brethren, none but those who are
and have been living worthily, should be chosen; and as to these, they should
choose those only who have not received their notice of induction, who are not
likely to receive it within a short time, and who have a real desire to do
missionary work.
To preach the gospel,
under ordination from the Priesthood of God, is a great privilege, to be
enjoyed by those only who are thoroughly qualified and who are and have been
strictly living the commandments and attending to their Church duties. Every
bishop will carefully examine everyone whom he considers for a mission, to be
sure he meets these requirements. No lukewarm or unworthy person should be
recommended. The bishop must not in any way play favorites, thus avoiding
giving just ground among the people of his ward for that unworthy, unrighteous
thought, sometimes voiced by those whose sons have gone into the service, that
because their sons have gone into the army, every other parent's son should go
into the army, and that none should be sent on missions. This feeling has
behind it thoughts that do not comport with the teachings of our Heavenly
Father. Moreover, those going on missions are amenable to selection for army
service so soon as they return. A mission exempts from army service only for
the term of the mission.
Church and State
The Church stands for
the separation of church and state. The church has no civil political
functions. As the church may not assume the functions of the state, so the
state may not assume the functions of the church. The church is responsible for
and must carry on the work of the Lord, directing the conduct of its members,
one towards the other, as followers of the lowly Christ, not forgetting the
humble, the poor and needy, and those in distress, leading them all to righteous
living and a spiritual life that shall bring them to salvation, exaltation, and
eternal progression in wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and power.
Today, more than ever
before in the history of the Church, we must bring the full force of righteous
living of our people and the full influence of the spiritual power and
responsibility of the holy Priesthood, to combat the evil forces which Satan
has let loose among the peoples of the earth. We are in the midst of a
desperate struggle between Truth and Error, and Truth will finally prevail.
The state is
responsible for the civil control of its citizens or subjects, for their
political welfare, and for the carrying forward of political policies, domestic
and foreign, of the body politic. For these policies, their success or failure,
the state is alone responsible, and it must carry its burdens. All these
matters involve and directly affect Church members because they are part of the
body politic, and members must give allegiance to their sovereign and render it
loyal service when called thereto. But the Church itself, as such, has no
responsibility for these policies, as to which it has no means of doing more
than urging its members fully to render that loyalty to their country and to
free institutions which the loftiest patriotism calls for.
Nevertheless, as a
correlative of the principle of separation of the church and the state,
themselves, there is an obligation running from every citizen or subject to the
state. This obligation is voiced in that Article of Faith which declares:
"We believe in
being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying,
honoring, and sustaining the law."
For one hundred years,
the Church has been guided by the following principles:
"We believe that
governments were instituted of God for the benefit of man; and that he holds
men accountable for their acts in relation to them, both in making laws and
administering them, for the good and safety of society.
"We believe that
no government can exist in peace, except such laws are framed and held
inviolate as will secure to each individual the free exercise of conscience,
the right and control of property, and the protection of life.
"We believe that
all governments necessarily require civil officers and magistrates to enforce
the laws of the same; and that such as will administer the law in equity and
justice should be sought for and upheld by the voice of the people if a
republic, or the will of the sovereign.
"We believe that
religion is instituted of God; and that men are amenable to him, and to him
only, for the exercise of it, unless their religious opinions prompt them to
infringe upon the rights and liberties of others; but we do not believe that
human law has a right to interfere in prescribing rules of worship to bind the
consciences of men, nor dictate forms for public or private devotion; that the
civil magistrate should restrain crime, but never control conscience; should
punish guilt, but never suppress the freedom of the soul.
"We believe that
all men are bound to sustain and uphold the respective governments in which
they reside, while protected in their inherent and inalienable rights by the
laws of such governments; and that sedition and rebellion are unbecoming every
citizen thus protected, and should be punished accordingly; and that all
governments have a right to enact such laws as in their own judgments are best
calculated to secure the public interest; at the same time, however, holding
sacred the freedom of conscience.
"We believe that
every man should be honored in his station, rulers and magistrates as such,
being placed for the protection of the innocent and the punishment of the
guilty; and that to the laws all men owe respect and deference, as without them
peace and harmony would be supplanted by anarchy and terror; human laws being
instituted for the express purpose of regulating our interests as individuals
and nations, between man and man; and divine laws given of heaven, prescribing
rules on spiritual concerns, for faith and worship, both to be answered by man
to his Maker….
"We believe that
murder, treason, robbery, theft, and the breach of the general peace, in all
respects, should be punished according to their criminality and their tendency
to evil among men, by the laws of that government in which the offense is
committed…. “(D&C 134:1-6, 8.)
Church Membership and Army Service
Obedient to these
principles, the members of the Church have always felt under obligation to come
to the defense of their country when a call to arms was made; on occasion the
Church has prepared to defend its own members.
In the days of Nauvoo,
the Nauvoo Legion was formed, having in view possible armed defense of the
Saints against mob violence. Following our expulsion from Nauvoo, the Mormon
Battalion was recruited by the national government for service in the war with
Nevertheless, we have
not forgotten that on Sinai, God commanded "Thou shalt not kill;" nor
that in this dispensation the Lord has repeatedly reiterated that command. He
has said:
"And now, behold,
I speak unto the church. Thou shalt not kill; and he that kills shall not have
forgiveness in this world, nor in the world to come.
"And again, I
say, thou shalt not kill; but he that killeth shall
die." (D&C 42:18-19; and see 59:6.)
At another time the
Lord commanded that murderers should "be delivered up and dealt with
according to the laws of the land; for remember that he hath no
forgiveness." (Ibid 79.) So also when land was to be obtained in
"Wherefore, the
"And if by
purchase, behold you are blessed;
"And if by blood,
as you are forbidden to shed blood, lo, your enemies are upon you, and ye shall
be scourged from city to city, and from synagogue to synagogue, and but few
shall stand to receive an inheritance." (D&C 63:29-31.)
But all these
commands, from Sinai down, run in very terms against individuals as members of
society, as well as members of the Church, for one man must not kill another as
Cain killed Abel; they also run against the Church as in the case of securing
land in Zion, because Christ's Church should not make war, for the Lord is a
Lord of peace. He has said to us in this dispensation:
"Therefore,
renounce war and proclaim peace…. " (D&C 98:16.)
Thus the Church is and
must be against war. The Church itself cannot wage war, unless and until the
Lord shall issue new commands. It cannot regard war as a righteous means of
settling international disputes; these should and could be settled-the nations
agreeing-by peaceful negotiation and adjustment.
But the Church
membership are citizens or subjects of sovereignties over which the Church has
no control. The Lord Himself has told us to "befriend that law which is
the constitutional law of the land":
"And now, verily
I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people
should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.
"And that law of
the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in
maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable
before me.
"Therefore, I,
the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law
which is the constitutional law of the land;
"And as
pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this cometh of
evil." (D&C 98:4-7.)
While by its terms
this revealed word related more especially to this land of America,
nevertheless the principles announced are worldwide in their application, and
they are specifically addressed to "you" (Joseph Smith), "and
your brethren of my church." When, therefore, constitutional law, obedient
to these principles, calls the manhood of the Church into the armed service of
any country to which they owe allegiance, their highest civic duty requires
that they meet that call. If, hearkening to that call and obeying those in
command over them, they shall take the lives of those who fight against them,
that will not make of them murderers, nor subject them to the penalty that God
has prescribed for those who kill, beyond the principle to be mentioned
shortly. For it would be a cruel God that would punish His children as moral
sinners for acts done by them as the innocent instrumentalities of a sovereign
whom He had told them to obey and whose will they were powerless to resist.
God Is at the Helm
The whole world is in
the midst of a war that seems the worst of all time. This Church is a worldwide
Church. Its devoted members are in both camps. They are the innocent war
instrumentalities of their warring sovereignties. On each side they believe
they are fighting for home, and country, and freedom. On each side, our
brethren pray to the same God, in the same name, for victory. Both sides cannot
be wholly right; perhaps neither is without wrong. God will work out in His own
due time and in His own sovereign way the justice and right of the conflict,
but He will not hold the innocent instrumentalities of the war, our brethren in
arms, responsible for the conflict. This is a major crisis in the world-life of
man. God is at the helm.
Righteous Suffer with Wicked
But there is an
eternal law that rules war and those who engage in it. It was given when, Peter
having struck off the ear of Malchus, the servant of
the High Priest, Jesus reproved him, saying:
"Put up again thy
sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the
sword." (Matt. 26:52.)
The Savior thus laid
down a general principle upon which He placed no limitations as to time, place,
cause, or people involved. He repeated it in this dispensation when he told the
people if they tried to secure the
Mormon, recording the
war of revenge by the Nephites, against the Lamanites, pronounced another great
law:
"But, behold, the
judgments of God will overtake the wicked; and it is by the wicked that the
wicked are punished; for it is the wicked that stir up the hearts of the
children of men unto bloodshed." (Morm. 4:5.)
But, we repeat, in
this war of the wicked, the righteous suffer also.
"Do ye suppose
that, because so many of your brethren have been killed it is because of their
wickedness? I say unto you, if ye have supposed this ye have supposed in vain;
for I say unto you, there are many who have fallen by the sword; and behold it
is to your condemnation;
"For the Lord
suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon
the wicked; therefore ye need not suppose that the righteous are lost because
they are slain; but behold, they do enter into the rest of the Lord their
God." (Al. 60:7, 12-13.)
In this terrible war
now waging, thousands of our righteous young men in all parts of the world and
in many countries are subject to a call into the military service of their own
countries. Some of these, so serving, have already been called back to their
heavenly home; others will almost surely be called to follow. But
"behold," as
"Vengeance is
mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. (Rom.
Message to Men in Service
To our young men who
go into the service, no matter whom they serve or where, we say live clean,
keep the commandments of the Lord, pray to Him constantly to preserve you in
truth and righteousness, live as you pray, and then whatever betides you the
Lord will be with you and nothing will happen to you that will not be to the
honor and glory of God and to your salvation and exaltation. There will come
into your hearts from the living of the pure life you pray for, a joy that will
pass your powers of expression or understanding. The Lord will be always near
you; He will comfort you; you will feel His presence in the hour of your
greatest tribulation; He will guard and protect you to the full extent that
accords with His all-wise purpose. Then, when the conflict is over and you
return to your homes, having lived the righteous life, how great will be your
happiness-whether you be of the victors or of the vanquished-that you have
lived as the Lord commanded. You will return so disciplined in righteousness
that thereafter all Satan's wiles and stratagems will leave you untouched. Your
faith and testimony will be strong beyond breaking. You will be looked up to
and revered as having passed through the fiery furnace of trial and temptation
and come forth unharmed. Your brethren will look to you for counsel, support,
and guidance. You will be the anchors to which thereafter the youth of
To you brethren and
sisters who make up the body of the Church we send again our greetings and our
blessings. We are grateful to our Heavenly Father for your loyalty, your
devotion, and your righteousness. We love and bless you. We are grateful for
your faithfulness in your tithes and offerings, the greatest in the last year
in the whole history of the Church.
We remind you that as
the Lord said to ancient
"Bring ye all the
tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me
now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of
heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it.
"And I will
rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your
ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field,
saith the Lord of hosts.
"And all nations
shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of
hosts." (Mal. 3:10-12.)
We give thanks and
praise to our Heavenly Father for the unselfish and righteous service of the
officers of the stakes, of the wards, of the auxiliaries, of the Priesthood, of
the missionaries, and of every man and woman who is helping to advance the
cause of Truth. We give our blessing and love to all of you. We claim all of
you as fellow servants of the Lord. To our brethren of the General
Authorities,-the Twelve and their Assistants, the Acting Presiding Patriarch,
the First Council of the Seventy, and the Presiding Bishopric-we give our love
and trust. We thank them and our Heavenly Father for their loyal support, their
faith, their righteous works, which they carry on with an eye single to the
glory of God and to the progress of His work, so magnifying in righteousness
their callings.
We exhort all the
Saints to remember the great commandment which Jesus gave:
"Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy
mind.
"This is the
first and great commandment.
"And the second
is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
"On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Matt. 22:37-40.)
And as King Benjamin,
the Nephite prophet-king, said to his people:
Learn that when ye are
in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your
God." (Mos.
May the Lord preserve
the officers and the body of the Church in health and strength, increase our
faith and our testimonies, endow us all with wisdom and understanding beyond
measure, that we may all so live that when we are called home we may be saved
and exalted in the celestial kingdom.
Our Heavenly Father:
Hear us in our petitions before Thee: Let nothing stand betwixt us and Thee and
Thy blessings; work out Thy purposes speedily; drive hate from the souls of
men, that peace and brotherly love may again come to the earth and rule the
hearts of Thy children, that nations may again live together in amity. Watch
tenderly over The children in all lands; bless therein the sick and afflicted,
care for those in distress; help us, their brethren bearing The Priesthood, to
feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give shelter to those who have no homes;
comfort, our Heavenly Father, with the full sweetness of Thy Holy Spirit, those
who mourn, we humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Elder Ezra Taft Benson’s reported his mission
to Europe along with Pres. West and Pres. Max Zimmer in the April 1947 General
Conference. The saints lived on faith
when everything else was destroyed.
The Church was prepared to help while the
world was not prepared, Dan 2:44.
Elder Max Zimmer
Former Acting
President of the West German
My brethren and
sisters, this makes me very humble to stand before such a large audience,
realizing my poor English and feeling how difficult it is to express my
thoughts and feelings in the language which I have at my command.
I want to take this
opportunity, first of all, to bring you the greetings and love of the eight
thousand saints of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the West
German Mission, and more especially to bring their thankfulness and to express
my own appreciation of the wonderful help you have rendered to these poor
saints over there through the Church Welfare plan.
As you all know, these
saints have been faithful during the war. There may have been a few exceptions,
but they only confirm the rule. A vast majority have been very faithful and
true to the Church. They have suffered much. When I think of the change within
a week or so to me, it is like being in another world. After having traveled
about eighteen months through about a hundred destroyed cities, and then coming
to this beautiful city of Salt Lake, entirely untouched by the war, with happy
people all over, people who are abundantly blessed by our Heavenly Father, it
is truly like being in another world.
The Latter-day Saints
in the West German Mission, over which it was my privilege to preside about a
year, even though in many cases they have been stripped almost of every earthly
possession and in many cases they have lost loved ones, they were happy because
they had one thing in their possession which means more to them than anything
else,—their testimony of the divinity of this great work, their positive
knowledge that the heavens have been opened to the Prophet Joseph Smith, that
he was a chosen servant of the Lord to restore the true gospel of Jesus Christ
and that this work is to prepare for the second coming of Christ. This
testimony was more to our saints in
So far as temporal
conditions are concerned, they have suffered a great deal but now since
shipments of Church Welfare have arrived there, the Church has contributed very
liberally, and I may say in regard to the food situation, our saints in
I only wish, brethren
and sisters, you had had opportunity to be in our fast meetings, for instance,
after these shipments arrived and were distributed, and to see the happy faces,
to feel the spirit of thankfulness and appreciation of those who have been
benefitted by your liberal contributions through the Church Welfare plan. I
never realized so much that we had one great brotherhood as I did when these
shipments came in. We always knew that we are all brethren and sisters, all
children of our Heavenly Father, but now we have experienced that we have been
blessed with the manifestation of this spirit of brotherhood and even among our
friends who are non-members of the Church, I think this has been the most
impressive thought during the last year, that the Mormons are really one great
family, that when they say Brother and Sister to one another, they mean what
they say. It is not a common thing with them; it is practical Christianity.
Many times in the mission field we have discussed this question as to whether
or not Christianity has failed, especially during the past ten years. How happy
we are to be in a position to give our testimony from our own experience that
the true Church really practices Christianity as this Church has done. I am
very thankful, more than I can express, for this manifestation of brotherhood
in this great Church.
I am grateful also for
the blessing of association with men like the General Authorities of the
Church. I was in
I know without doubt
that this is the Church of Jesus Christ, that the men at the head of this
Church are really what we believe they are, brothers and apostles of the Lord
Jesus Christ, in a real sense of the word, which we know from the New Testament
and from the revelations of God. I know that this gospel of Jesus Christ makes
men and women happy if they obey the commandments of the Lord. I know that one
of the best things we can do in this Church is to cultivate the spirit and the
attitude of brotherhood, that we may continue to be a great Church of brothers
and sisters, realizing that we are all children of our Heavenly Father, trying
to help each other and in this way trying to come nearer to our Heavenly
Father.
That this may be the
case more in the future even than in the past is my humble prayer in the name
of Jesus Christ. Amen.
President George
Albert Smith:
You have just listened
to Brother Max Zimmer, Acting Mission President of the Swiss Mission during the
war, and during the past year Acting Mission President of the West German
Mission, who left
(Elder Max Zimmer, Conference Report, April
1947, First Day—Morning Meeting 30.)
David O. McKay
October 21, 2004
President
Smith died just before Conference; President McKay was sustained after the
funeral.
As the 1951 April
Conference approached, Church President George Albert Smith, who had been ill
for months, was taken home from the hospital. He preferred to die in his own
house. His counselors, J. Reuben Clark, Jr., and David O. McKay, visited his
bedside on April 2. The dying man, who was surrounded by weeping daughters and
others, did not remember them. Two days later, on his eighty-first birthday, he
died. His daughter, remembering how much her father had wanted to attend April
Conference, said that now he could be there, unencumbered by a decrepit body.
The fourteen apostles,
including the two counselors from the dissolved First Presidency, met next
morning in the
On Sunday afternoon
the apostles met again in the
Not until we started
down the steps of the temple did I come to realize that I was not alone in my
bewilderment and devastation. All the others of the Twelve seemed to be alike
stunned. We had been wholly unprepared for this shock. President Clark had
stood and accepted this call and in this order like a god. What a man! What
fortitude! What courage and self control! What self mastery! How could any
mortal take a blow like that and stand? But he did.
I had slipped into the
room where he was changing his clothes and whispered to him with my warmest
feelings and a tight hand-clasp: "President Clark, my love and admiration
for you knows no bounds." This was all I could say. I think he knew my heart
was breaking for him. We had all re-dressed in silence. We walked back to the
office building numb. The other brethren from Brother Lee down came together at
the corner of the building and commiserated together. We realized that the
President had a right to choose his counselors in or out of the Twelve, but we
had not expected this arrangement. We knew that nothing incorrect had been
done, but our hearts were breaking for that stalwart who for two regimes had
carried the major load.
The next morning at
the Tabernacle, in a specially convened solemn assembly as President Clark
presented for sustaining vote each General Authority, Elder Kimball could
detect no trace of self-pity or complaint. In his remarks President Clark gave
ringing testimony that David O. McKay was the chosen prophet of God and said:
"In the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve but how. In The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one takes the place to which one
is duly called, which place one neither seeks nor declines." Elder Kimball
said in evaluation: "He did more in his perfect reactions perhaps to
establish in the minds of this people the true spirit of subjection of the
individual to the good of the work, more than could be done in thousands of
sermons. How I honor and appreciate and admire him. Surely he is one of God's
greatest noblemen!"
President McKay spoke
feelingly to the assembled members and explained there was no rift, as some
might suppose, but the greatest of harmony. He had prayed and prayed about the
matter and, having the privilege of choosing, had felt the arrangement of his
two counselors to be right and hoped the people and the Twelve would sustain
him. He spoke and bore testimony with emotion unusual for him, and an
additional testimony came to Elder Kimball that he was the Lord's prophet on
earth.
(Edward L. Kimball and Andrew E. Kimball,
Jr., Spencer W. Kimball: Twelfth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1977], 267.)
President David O. McKay:
Before proceeding
further with the exercises of this session, I am prompted to say a word in
answer to a question which undoubtedly is in every one of your minds.
Particularly to those not members of the Church, and to members of the Church
as well, may I call attention to the policy of the Church with regard to
choosing of counselors.
A PRESIDENT NAMES HIS COUNSELORS
When a President is
chosen and sustained (that includes the president of the Aaronic Priesthood who
is the Bishop of a Ward, also Presidents of quorums or superintendents or
presidents of auxiliaries) it is the practice of the Church to let the
president name his counselors.
Anticipating that the
Council of the Twelve would grant to me that same privilege, I thoughtfully and
prayerfully considered what two men would be most helpful and most contributive
to the advancement of the Church. The impression came, I am sure, directly from
Him whose Church this is, and who presides over it, that the two counselors
whom you have this day approved should be the other members of the quorum of
the First Presidency. Both are members of the Council of the Twelve, though
counselors might have been chosen from High Priests outside that presiding
body.
I chose these two
members from the Council of the Twelve—two men with whom I have labored closely
for many years, whose worth, whose ability I know. I have been associated with
Elder Richards directly in Church affairs and in presiding positions for over
thirty years. I have been associated with President Clark in two quorums of the
First Presidency for over sixteen years. With these and other facts in mind,
the question arose as to the order they should occupy in this new quorum.
Each man I love. Each
man is capable in his particular lines, and particularly with respect to the
welfare and advancement of the
SENIORITY IN THE COUNCIL OF TWELVE
I realized that there
would be a question in the minds of some as to which one of the two should be
chosen as first counselor. That question resolved itself in my mind first as to
the order of precedence, seniority in the Council of the Twelve Apostles. That
should make no difference according to the practice of the Church, because
members of the Council had heretofore been chosen irrespective of the position a
member occupied in the Council of the Twelve. And, as I have already said, high
Priests have been chosen even as first counselors who were not members of the
Council.
I felt that one
guiding principle in this choice would be to follow the seniority in the
Council. These two men were sitting in their places in that presiding body in
the Church, and I felt impressed that it would be advisable to continue that
same seniority in the new quorum of the First Presidency. I repeat, not as an
established policy, but because it seemed advisable in view of my close
relationship to these two choice leaders.
TWO COUNSELORS COORDINATE
Now I mention this
because we do not want any member in this Church, nor any man or woman
listening in to harbor the thought for a moment that there has been any rift
between the two counselors who sustained President Smith in the Quorum of the
First Presidency, and President Grant for the years that we were together with
that inspired leader. Neither should you feel that there is any demotion.
President Clark is a wonderful servant. You have had demonstrated here this
morning his ability in carrying out details, and he is just that efficient in
everything pertaining to the work.
You should understand
further, that in the counselorship of the Quorum of
the First Presidency these two men are coordinate in authority, in love, and
confidence, in freedom to make suggestions, and recommendations, and in their
responsibility not only to the Quorum but also to the Lord Jesus Christ and to
the people generally.
They are two great
men. I love them both, and say God bless them, and give you the assurance that
there will be harmony and love and confidence in the Quorum of the First
Presidency as you have sustained them today.
(President David O. Mckay:,
Conference Report, April 1951, Third Day—Solemn Assembly 150.)
There was tremendous growth in the
Church. The 12 were sent out to tell the
saints to build up
Bruce discussed sin of commission (curse
attached to it) and sin of omission (no blessing attached to it), marry outside
the temple will receive no blessing, didn’t fulfill the law to receive a
blessing.
How does apostasy come
about? By neglect of duty, failing to keep in our souls the spirit of prayer,
of obedience to the principles of the Gospel; by failure to pay an honest
tithing, or to observe the word of wisdom, and to absent one's self from
sacrament meetings where we have been commanded to go and renew our covenants.
Apostasy comes through the sins of omission as well as through the sins of
commission. Immorality is a deadly sin and those who are guilty, if they do not
repent, will lose the spirit and deny the faith. Apostasy does not come upon an
individual suddenly, but it is a gradual growth in which darkness through sin
crowds out the spirit of light from the soul. When a man who was once
enlightened loses the Spirit of truth, the darkness which takes its place is
overwhelming.
"Strange as it
may appear at first thought, yet it is no less strange than true, that
notwithstanding all the professed determination to live godly, apostates after
turning from the faith of Christ, unless they have speedily repented, have
sooner or later fallen into the snares of the wicked one, and have been left
destitute of the Spirit of God, to manifest their wickedness in the eyes of
multitudes. From apostates the faithful have received the severest persecutions.
Judas was rebuked and immediately betrayed his Lord into the hands of his
enemies, because Satan entered into him. There is a superior intelligence
bestowed upon such as obey the Gospel with full purpose of heart, which, if
sinned against, the apostate is left naked and destitute of the Spirit of God,
and he is, in truth, nigh unto cursing, and his end is to be burned. When once
that light which was in them is taken from them, they become as much darkened
as they were previously enlightened, and then, no marvel, if all their power
should be enlisted against the truth, and they, Judas like, seek the
destruction of those who were their greatest benefactors."
("Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith," p. 67.)
(Joseph Fielding Smith, Church History and
Modern Revelation, 4 vols. [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, 1946-1949], 3: 150.)
Apostates and
Apostatize
The word apostasy does
not appear in the Doctrine and Covenants; however, apostate (86:3), apostates
(85:2), and apostatize (85:2, 11) are mentioned. Webster defines apostasy
as "a renunciation or abandonment of a former loyalty." An
apostate is one who follows such a course. "How does apostasy come
about?" asked President Joseph Fielding Smith. "By neglect of duty, failing
to keep in our souls the spirit of prayer, [dis]obedience
to the principles of the Gospel; by failure to pay an honest tithing, or to
observe the word of wisdom, and to absent one's self from sacrament meetings
where we have been commanded to go and renew our covenants. Apostasy comes
through the sins of omission as well as through sins of commission. Immorality
is a deadly sin, and those who are guilty, if they do not repent, will lose the
spirit and deny the faith. Apostasy does not come upon an individual suddenly,
but it is a gradual growth in which darkness through sin crowds out the spirit
of light from the soul. When a man who was once enlightened loses the Spirit of
truth, the darkness which takes its place is overwhelming." (CHMR 2:125.)
Elder Thomas E. McKay
quipped, "We do not lose our faith from a blowout-just by slow leaks"
(En., Feb. 1971, p. 80). Criticism of Church leaders, according to Joseph
Smith, was a sure sign one was "in the high road to apostasy" (TPJS,
156-57). "The basic cause of apostasy is sin," said Elder Bruce R.
McConkie. "Men leave the Church because they are sensual and carnal....
The basic reason for rebellion against the truth is a desire to enjoy the lusts
of the flesh. The choice is not between doctrinal concepts but between
differing ways of life." (DNTC 3:426-27.)
(Hoyt W. Brewster, Jr., Doctrine and
Covenants Encyclopedia [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], 21.)
October 1942 1st Presidency
message on Parenthood, it’s on the website.
Test of Godhood is parenthood, it is a serious responsibility.
President McKay April 1969 Conference
address, we reviewed it in class.
President David O. McKay
(Read by his son Robert R. McKay)
My beloved brethren
and sisters: My soul is deeply stirred this morning, due, I am sure, to a
combination of circumstances and experiences. Never have I been so thankful for
the blessings of the Lord, and for the faith and prayers of the membership of
the Church. I am thankful for the restoration of the gospel and for the
glorious message to all the world that accompanied that restoration: that God
lives and that his Beloved Son Jesus Christ is the Redeemer and Savior of the
world, that we are his children, and that he has given us a plan by which we
may return to his presence as resurrected, immortal beings.
Progress of the Church
11509I am grateful for
the outstanding progress the Church has made during the past year; for the
united and unstinted support given by the General Authorities and general
officers of the Church; for the loyalty, faith, and devotion of the general
auxiliary boards, of the officers in stakes, quorums, wards, missions, and of
the Church membership in general. Most of all, I am grateful for the assurance
we have of the Lord's guidance and overruling power.
I extend to all
present in this historic Tabernacle—our special visitors, governmental and
educational leaders, Regional Representatives, our stake, ward, and auxiliary
officers and teachers from far and near—and to friends and members tuned in by
radio and television my heartfelt greetings and welcome to this one hundred
thirty-ninth conference of the Church.
Mankind's welfare
During the past months
I have been most apprehensive of mankind's welfare in a world of tribulation
and of false ideals. With the increase in crime, the disrespect for law and
order the ever-increasing divorce rate, resulting in broken homes; the
immorality, with all its attendant evils; the precious principles associated
with man's freedom threatened with repudiation, if not abandonment, it is time
that men and women the world over should become more thoughtful, more
prayerful, more earnest than ever before in seeking the causes of this world's
disaster, and bravely and heroically choose a better course of life.
This is a time when
mankind should turn their thoughts to the teachings of Christ, our Lord and
Savior, and in larger numbers than the world has heretofore witnessed conform
thereto their attitudes and actions. Unless multitudes of men and women so
change their hearts and lives, the world will continue to be in turmoil, and
our present civilization be threatened with disintegration.
Need for more godliness
It is a deplorable but
recognizable fact that men's hearts all too generally are turned from and not
toward God. Self-promotion, not God's glorification, is the motivating factor
in most people's lives. Irreverence is all too manifest.
The world needs more
godliness and less godlessness; more self-discipline, less self-indulgence;
more power to say with Christ, "Father . . . not my will, but thine, be
done." (Luke 22:42.) Christ came to bring peace. Rejection of his way of
life has made strife and contention rampant. Man, not the Lord, has brought
deadly conflicts and subsequent misery. Wars spring from wickedness of unrighteous
leaders. Not until freedom triumphs and a just peace comes may we hope for the
end of wars and for goodwill among men.
Today, when these
facts are so strikingly manifest, let all sincere men recognize the evil
conditions that have caused wars, and resolve with God's help to banish them
forever. There must come a victory of right and freedom over iniquity and
oppression; I repeat, war will never be vanquished until men change their
hearts and establish new ideals.
Home, the strength of a nation
An essential,
fundamental element in the building and in the perpetuity of a great people is
the home. The strength of a nation, especially of a republican nation, is in
the intelligent and well- ordered homes of the people. In the well-ordered home
we may experience on earth a taste of heaven. It is there that the babe in a
mother's caress first experiences a sense of security, finds in the mother's
kiss the first realization of affection, discovers in mother's sympathy and
tenderness the first assurance that there is love in the world.
I remember that during
World War II conditions made it necessary that I share a Pullman car with 40
soldier boys. They were gentlemen, and a credit to any nation. In the course of
conversation, one of them remarked to me: "My dad's hair is white
too." Then he added in a tone that expressed the depth of his feeling,
"How I should like to see that old gray head this morning]" He and
his companions were en route for an encampment to complete their training
before embarking for duty overseas. They had enlisted to defend not only the
free agency of man, but the rights and sanctity of home and loved ones. Such an
affection for home and loved ones as felt by that soldier boy will make death
preferable to surrender to an enemy who would destroy home and all that
American soldiers hold dear.
Seeking the pleasure
of conjugality without a willingness to assume the responsibilities of rearing
a family is one of the onslaughts that now batter at the structure of the
American home. Intelligence and mutual consideration should be ever-present
factors in determining the coming of children to the home.
Intelligent home building
It is important for
young people to realize that intelligent home building begins with a young man
and a young girl in their teens. Often the health of children, if a couple be
blessed with such, depends upon the actions of parents before marriage. In the
press, from the pulpit, and particularly in the home, there should ring more
frequently the message that in their youth boys and girls are laying the
foundation for their future happiness or misery. Every young man, particularly,
should prepare for the responsibility of fatherhood by keeping himself
physically clean, that he might enter into that responsibility not as a coward
or deceiver, but as one honorable and fit to found a home. The young man who,
in unfitness, takes upon himself the responsibility of fatherhood is worse than
a deceiver. The future happiness of his wife and children depends upon his life
in youth.
Let us also teach
girls that motherhood is divine, for when we touch the creative part of life,
we enter into the realm of divinity. It is important, therefore, that young
womanhood realize the necessity of keeping their bodies clean and pure, that
their children might enter the world unhampered by sin and disease. An
unshackled birth and an inheritance of noble character are the greatest
blessings of childhood. No mother has the right to shackle a child through life
for what seems in youth to be a pleasant pastime or her night to indulge in
harmful drugs and other sinful practices. Those who are to be the mothers of
the race should at least so live as to bear children who are not burdened from
birth by sickness, weakness, or deformity, because the parents, in fiery youth,
as Shakespeare said, "with unbashful forehead
woo the means of weakness and debility."
Unchastity a dominant evil
A dominant evil of the
world today is unchastity. I repeat what appeared
over the signature of President Joseph F. Smith while he was living: "No
more loathsome cancer disfigures the body and soul of society today than the
frightful affliction of sexual sin. It vitiates the very fountains of life, and
bequeaths its foul effects to the yet unborn as a legacy of death." (The
Improvement Era, Vol. 20, p. 739.) He who is unchaste in young manhood is
untrue to a trust given him by the parents of the girl; and she who is unchaste
in maidenhood is untrue to her future husband and lays the foundation of
unhappiness, suspicion, and discord in the home. Do not worry about those
teachers who talk about inhibitions. Just keep in mind this eternal truth that
chastity is a virtue to be prized as one of life's noblest achievements. It
contributes to the virility of manhood. It is the crowning virtue of womanhood,
and every red-blooded man knows that is true. It is a chief factor to a happy
home. There is no loss of prestigein maintaining in a
dignified way the standards of the Church. You can be in this world and not
"of the world." Keep your chastity above everything else! God has
commanded that we be chaste: "Thou shalt not commit adultery!" said
the Lord at Sinai. (See Exod. 20:14.)
Degenerating forces in
the world are rampant, but they can be resisted if youth will cherish right
thoughts and aspire to high ideals. The age-old conflict between truth and
error is being waged with accelerating fury, and at the present hour error
seems to be gaining the upper hand. Increasing moral turpitude and widespread
disregard for the principles of honor and integrity are undermining influences
in social, political, and business life.
Marriage ordained of God
The exalted view of
marriage as held by the Church is given expressively in five words found in the
forty-ninth section of the Doctrine and Covenants: "marriage is ordained
of God." (D&C 49:15.)
That revelation was
given in 1831 when Joseph Smith was only 25 years of age. Considering the
circumstances under which it was given, we find in it another example among
hundreds of others corroborative of the fact that he was inspired of the Lord.
Before us are assembled thousands of presiding officers in stakes, wards,
quorums, and auxiliaries, to whom we say, it is your duty and mine to uphold
the lofty conception of marriage as given in this revelation, and to guard
against encroaching dangers that threaten to lower the standard of the ideal
home.
It is said that the
best and noblest lives are those which are set toward high ideals. Truly no
higher ideal regarding marriage can be cherished by young people than to look
upon it as a divine institution. In the minds of the young, such a standard is
a protection to them in courtship, an ever-present influence inducing them to
refrain from doing anything that may prevent their going to the temple to have
their love made perfect in an enduring and eternal union. It will lead them to
seek divine guidance in the selection of their companions, upon the wise choice
of whom their life's happiness here and hereafter is largely dependent. It
makes their hearts pure and good; it lifts them up to their Father in heaven.
Such joys are within the reach of most men and women if high ideals of marriage
and home be properly fostered and cherished.
Sacredness of marriage covenant threatened
The signs of the times
definitely indicate that the sacredness of the marriage covenant is dangerously
threatened. There are places where the marriage ceremony may be performed at
any hour of the day or night without any previous arrangement. The license is
issued and the ceremony performed while the couple waits. Many couples who have been entrapped by such enticements have had
their marriages end in disappointment and sorrow. In some instances these
places are nothing more than opportunities for legalized immorality. Oh,
how far they fall below the true ideal! As far as lies within our power, we
must warn young couples against secret and hasty marriages.
It is vital also to
counteract the insidious influences of printed literature that speaks of the
"bankruptcy of marriage," that advocates trial marriages, and that
places extramarital relations on a par with extramarital friendships.
Responsibility of parenthood
Parenthood, and
particularly motherhood, should be held as a sacred obligation. There is
something in the depths of the human soul which revolts against neglectful
parenthood. God has implanted deep in the souls of parents the truth that they
cannot with impunity shirk the responsibility to protect childhood and youth.
There seems to be a
growing tendency to shift this responsibility from the home to outside
influences, such as the school and the church. Important as these outward
influences are, they never can take the place of the influence of the mother
and the father. Constant training, constant vigilance, companionship, being
watchmen of our own children are necessary in order to keep our homes intact.
The character of the
child is formed largely during the first 12 years of his life. During that
period he spends 16 times as many waking hours in the home as in school, and
126 times as many hours in the home as in the church. Children go out with the
stamp of these homes upon them, and only as these homes are what they should be
will children be what they should be. Luther Burbank, the great plant wizard
and scientist, most impressively emphasizes the need for constant attention in
the training of a child. He says:
"Teach the child
self-respect. Train it in self-respect just as you train a plant in better
ways. No self-respecting man was ever a grafter. Above all, bear in mind
repetition—the use of an influence over and over again, keeping everlastingly
at it. This is what fixes traits in plants, the constant repetition of an
influence until at last it is irrevocably fixed and will not change. You cannot
afford to get discouraged. You are dealing with something far more precious
than any plant—the precious soul of a child!"
Needs of children
There are three fundamental things to which every child
is entitled: (1) a respected name, (2) a sense of security, (3) opportunities
for development. The family gives to the child his name and standing in the
community. A child wants his family to be as good as those families of his
friends. He wants to be able to point with pride to his father, and to feel an
inspiration always as he thinks of his mother. It is a mother's duty to so live
that her children will associate with her everything that is beautiful, sweet,
and pure. And the father should so live that the child, emulating his example,
will be a good citizen and, in the Church, a true follower of the teachings of
the gospel of Jesus Christ.
A child has the right to feel that in his home he has a
place of refuge, a place of protection from the dangers and evils of the
outside world. Family unity and integrity are necessary to supply this need.
He needs parents who are happy in their adjustment to
each other, who are working hopefully toward the fulfillment of an ideal of
living, who love their children with a sincere and unselfish love—in short,
parents who are well-balanced individuals, gifted with a certain amount of
insight, who are able to provide the child with a wholesome emotional
background that will contribute more to his development than material
advantages.
Evils of divorce
Divorce almost
invariably deprives children of these advantages. Just recently I received a
heartbreaking letter from a boy nearly eight years of age whose parents are
divorced, from which I quote: Dear David O. McKay: I am having a problem and it
is about Mom and Dad. They are divorced and we [meaning his brother and sister]
want to be back together. Can you solve my problem? I love you." What a
tragedy for that child, and what unhappiness this separation has caused the
children.
The increasing divorce
rate in the
In the light of
scripture, ancient and modern, we are justified in concluding that Christ's
ideal pertaining to marriage is the unbroken home, and conditions that cause
divorce are violations of his divine teachings. Except in cases of infidelity
or other extreme conditions, the Church frowns upon divorce, and authorities
look with apprehension upon the increasing number of divorces among members of
the Church.
A man who has entered
into sacred covenants in the house of the Lord to remain true to the marriage
vow is a traitor to that covenant if he separates himself from his wife and
family just because he has permitted himself to become infatuated with a pretty
face and comely form of some young girl who flattered him with a smile. Even
though a loose interpretation of the law of the land would grant such a man a
bill of divorcement, I think he is unworthy of a recommend to have his second
marriage solemnized in the temple. And any woman who will break up her home
because of some selfish desire, or who has been untrue to her husband, is also
untrue to the covenants she has made in the house of the Lord. When we refer to
the breaking of the marriage tie, we touch upon one of the saddest experiences
of life. For a couple who have basked in the sunshine of each other's love to
stand by and see the clouds of misunderstanding and discord obscure the
love-light of their lives is tragedy indeed. In the darkness that follos, the love sparkle in each other's eyes is obscured,
and to try to restore it is fruitless.
Marriage a sacred obligation
To look upon marriage
as a mere contract that may be entered into at pleasure in response to a romantic
whim, or for selfish purposes, and severed at the first difficulty or
misunderstanding that may arise, is an evil meriting severe condemnation,
especially in cases wherein children are made to suffer because of such
separation. Marriage is a sacred relationship entered into for purposes that
are well recognized—primarily for the rearing of a family. A flippant attitude
toward marriage, the ill-advised suggestion of "companionate
marriage," the base, diabolical theory of "free sex experiment,"
and the ready-made divorce courts are dangerous reefs upon which many a family
bark is wrecked.
In order to lessen the
breaking up of homes, the present tendency toward a low view of marriage should
be substituted by the lofty view of marriage that Jesus the Christ gives it.
Let us look upon marriage as a sacred obligation and a covenant that is
eternal, or that may be made eternal.
Teach the young of
both sexes in the responsibilities and ideals of marriage so that they may
realize that marriage involves obligation and is not an arrangement to be
terminated at pleasure. Teach them that pure love between the sexes is one of
the noblest things on earth, and the bearing and rearing of children the
highest of all human duties. In this regard it is the duty of parents to set an
example in the home that children may see and absorb, as it were, the
sacredness of family life and the responsibilities associated therewith.
The number of broken
marriages can be reduced if couples realize even before they approach the altar
that marriage is a state of mutual service, a state of giving as well as of
receiving, and that each must give of himself or herself to the utmost. Harriet
Beecher Stowe wisely writes: "No man or woman can create a true home who
is not willing in the outset to embrace life heroically, to encounter labor and
sacrifice. Only to such can this divinest power be
given to create on earth that which is the nearest image of heaven."
Another condition that
contributes to the permanence of the marriage covenant is marriage in the
temple. Before such a marriage is performed, it is necessary for the young man
and young woman first to obtain a recommend from the bishop. They should go to
him in person, and the bishop who does his duty will instruct the couple
regarding the sacredness of the obligation that they as young people are going
to assume, emphasizing all the safeguards that have been named before. There,
in the presence of the priesthood, before taking upon themselves the obligation
of marriage, the young people receive instructions upon the sacredness of the
duty that is before them; and, furthermore, they determine whether or not they
are prepared to go in holiness and purity to the altar of God and there seal
their vows and love.
Standard of purity
Finally, there is one
principle that seems to me to strike right at the base of the happiness of the
marriage relation, and that is the standard of purity taught and practiced
among true members of the Church. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints there is but one standard of morality. No young man has any more right
to be unchaste than has a young girl. That young man who asks for a recommend
to take a pure girl to the altar is expected to give the same purity that he
expects to receive.
For the proper
solution of this great problem of the mounting divorce rate, we may turn with
safety to Jesus as our guide. He declared that the marriage relation is of
divine origin, that marriage is ordained of God" (D&C 49:15), that
only under the most exceptional conditions should it be set aside. In the
teaching of the
God bless us to look
more earnestly, prayerfully, and sincerely upon the sacredness of the home and
the marriage covenant, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
(President David O. Mckay,
Conference Report, April 1969, First Day—Morning Meeting 4.)
Handle problems the gospel way, what would
the Savior do if he were in my shoes?
Harold B. Lee
October 28, 2004
Emphasis
on education, missionary work, welfare, and priesthood coordination, PEC and
Ward Councils were used more effectively.
Magazines
were consolidated for the entire church.
Home>>>Priesthood>>>Auxiliaries, Activities don’t
save!
All
of these came together under the 3 part mission of the church, Perfect the
Saints>>>Redeem the Dead>>>Proclaim the Gospel.
October,
1967 Conference talk & April, 1973 talk on strengthening the stakes of the
Church.
You
strengthen the stake by strengthening the family!
Harold
B. Lee, “Strengthen the Stakes of Zion,” Ensign, July
1973, 2
It is a great delight to meet here today, and to those who may be listening
from far and near, we assure you that we welcome you likewise.
This is the
annual conference of the Church.
“The rise of
the Church of Christ in these last days, being one thousand eight hundred and
thirty years since the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the flesh,
it being regularly organized and established agreeable to the laws of our
country, by the will and commandments of God, in the fourth month, and on the
sixth day of the month which is called April.” (D&C
20:1.)
Traditionally
since that time, the spring conferences of the Church are held on the days of
each year which include April 6.
Two years
later another revelation followed, which had great significance then, and today
has even greater meaning as viewed in the light of the demands of the
increasing membership in the Church. This is a quotation which may be something
of a text for my next few remarks today:
“For
As though to
impress upon these early struggling members their destiny in the world, the
Lord in another revelation told them this:
“Therefore,
verily, thus saith the Lord, let
To be worthy
of such a sacred designation as Zion, the Church must think of itself as a
bride adorned for her husband, as John the Revelator recorded when he saw in
vision the Holy City where the righteous dwelled, adorned as a bride for the
Lamb of God as her husband. Here is portrayed the relationship the Lord desires
in his people in order to be acceptable to our Lord and Master even as a wife
would adorn herself in beautiful garments for her husband.
The rule by
which the people of God must live in order to be worthy of acceptance in the
sight of God is indicated by the text to which I have made reference. This
people must increase in beauty before the world; have an inward loveliness
which may be observed by mankind as a reflection in holiness and in those
inherent qualities of sanctity. The borders of
While the
Church was in its infancy, the Lord pointed to a time when those earlier
gathering places would not have room for all who would be gathered for reasons
for which he declared that his church should be united. Here are his words:
“For thus
shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.” And then this command: “Arise and shine forth, that thy
light may be a standard for the nations.” (D&C
115:4-5.)
Here is
clearly inferred that the coming forth of his church in these days was the
beginning of the fulfillment of the ancient prophecy when “the mountain of the
Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be
exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people
shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the
house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk
in his paths. …” (Isa.
2:2-3.)
In these
revelations the Lord speaks of organized units of the Church which are
designated as stakes, each of which those not of our faith may think of as a
diocese. These units so organized are gathered together for these fundamental
purposes: first, for a defense against the enemies of the Lord’s work, both the
seen and the unseen.
The apostle
Paul said with reference to these enemies about which we should be concerned:
“For we
wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against
powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.” (Eph.
6:12.)
These
organizations were to be as stated in the revelation noted earlier, as a
“refuge from the storm, and from wrath when it shall be poured out without
mixture upon the whole earth.” (D&C
115:6.)
In the
preface to all the Lord’s revelations that he gave from the beginning of this
dispensation, he issued this fateful warning, which must never be absent from
our minds. This prophetic warning of 1831 was given, as the Lord declared, so
that “all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but
is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall
have power over his own dominion.” (D&C
1:35.)
Now 142 years
later we are witnessing the fury of this time, when Satan has power over his
own dominion, with such might that even the Master in his day referred to him
as the “prince of this world,” the “enemy of all righteousness.”
Despite these
dire predictions and the evidences of their fulfillment truly before us today,
there is promised in this same revelation even a greater power to thwart
Satan’s plans to destroy the work of the Lord. Here the Lord makes this promise
to the Saints of the Most High God, to the righteous in heart to whom he has
referred as “the people of
“And also the
Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall reign in their midst, and
shall come down in judgment upon Idumea, or the
world.” (D&C
1:36.)
This has
reference to the world in the same sense as when the Master spoke of the
worldliness from which he warned his disciples, that while they would be
engulfed in the world, they must keep themselves from the sins to be found
therein.
I believe
there has never been a time since the creation that the Lord has left the
dominion of the devil to destroy his work without his power being manifest in
the midst of the righteous to save the works of righteousness from being
completely overthrown.
Today we are
witnessing the promise of the Lord that “if your eye be single to my glory,”
which he declared to the prophet Moses was “to bring to pass the immortality
and eternal life of man” (Moses
2:39), “your whole bodies shall be filled with light,
and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light
comprehendeth all things.” (D&C
88:67.)
We have also
been promised by the Lord: “Behold, and lo, I will take care of your flocks,
and will raise up elders and send unto them. Behold, I will hasten my work in
its time.” (D&C
88:72-73.)
Today we are
witnessing the demonstration of the Lord’s hand even in the midst of his
saints, the members of the Church. Never in this dispensation, and perhaps
never before in any single period, has there been such a feeling of urgency
among the members of this church as today. Her boundaries are being enlarged,
her stakes are being strengthened. In the early years of the Church specific
places to which the Saints were to be gathered together were given, and the
Lord directed that these gathering places should not be changed, but then he
gave one qualification: “Until the day cometh when there is found no more room
for them; and then I have other places which I will appoint unto them, and they
shall be called stakes, for the curtains or the strength of Zion.” (D&C
101:21.)
At the Mexico
City Area Conference last August, Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Council of the
Twelve, in a thought-provoking address, made some comments pertinent to this
subject, and I quote a few sentences from his address:
“Of this
glorious day of restoration and gathering, another Nephite prophet said: ‘The
Lord … has covenanted with all the house of Israel,’ that ‘the time comes that
they shall be restored to the true church and fold of God’; and that ‘they
shall be gathered home to the lands of their inheritance, and shall be
established in all their lands of promise.’ (2
Ne. 9:1-2.)
“Now I call
your attention to the facts, set forth in these scriptures, that the gathering
of
Elder
McConkie then concluded with this statement, which certainly emphasizes the
great need for the teaching and training of local leadership in order to build
up the church within their own native countries:
“The place of
gathering for the Mexican Saints is in
The most
frequently asked question from inquirers is, “How do you account for the
phenomenal growth of this church when so many others are on the decline?”
Among the
primary and many factors which account for the continued growth of the Church,
I will mention only a few, for those who would ask this question to ponder.
No longer
might this church be thought of as the “Utah church,” or as an “American
church,” but the membership of the Church is now distributed over the earth in
78 countries, teaching the gospel in 17 different languages at the present
time.
This greatly
expanded church population is today our most challenging problem, and while we
have cause for much rejoicing in such a widespread expansion, it does pose some
great challenges to the leadership of the Church to keep pace with the many
problems.
Two basic
principles have always guided the leaders of the Church in their planning to
meet these circumstances. The first that might be called to the attention of
those who would be interested is the basic principle of the plan of salvation
from before the foundation of the world, for the redemption of mankind and
which has been revealed to the prophets of this dispensation and has not been
changed, for as the apostle Paul declared in his day, so do we declare today:
“But though
we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which
we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. …
“But I
certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after
man.
“For I
neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of
Jesus Christ.” (Gal.
1:8, 11-12.)
If we were to
answer those who ask us why the steady growth, we would answer that the first
fundamental reason would be that we have held our course in teaching the
fundamental doctrines of the Church. We declare in one of our Articles of
Faith:
“We believe
[and, we might add, teach] all that God has revealed, all that He does now
reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things
pertaining to the Kingdom of God.” (A
of F 1:9.)
In one of the
latest of the Lord’s revelations in this dispensation, he gave the reason for
the confusion among the many churches then in existence: because they have, as
he said, “strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting
covenant; They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own God,
whose image is in the likeness of the world. …” (D&C
1:15-16.)
Therefore a
new restoration was necessary, as he plainly declared:
“Wherefore, I
the Lord, knowing the calamity which should come upon the inhabitants of the
earth, called upon my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and spake
unto him from heaven, and gave him commandments;
“And also
gave commandments to others, that they should proclaim these things unto the
world; and all this that it might be fulfilled, which was written by the
prophets. …
“But that
every man might speak in the name of God the Lord, even the Savior of the
world; …
“That the
fulness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the
ends of the world, and before kings and rulers.
“… after the
manner of their language, that they might come to understanding.” (D&C
1:17-18, 20, 23-24.)
There are
those who speak of an ecumenical movement, where theoretically, it is supposed,
all churches would be brought together into a universal organization. In
essence it probably would contemplate that they would give up their basic
principles and be united in a nebulous organization which would not necessarily
be founded on the principles as have traditionally been the doctrines of the
church of Jesus Christ from the beginning.
When the
revelations of the Lord are clearly understood, there is set forth the only
basis of a united and universal church. It could not be accomplished as set
forth by a man-made formula; it could only be accomplished when the fullness of
the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ are taught and practiced, as
declared by the apostle Paul to the Ephesians, who said that the church is
“built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stone.” (Eph.
2:20.)
The mission
of the Church has also been defined:
“And the
voice of warning shall be unto all people, by the mouths of my disciples, whom
I have chosen in these last days.
“Wherefore
the voice of the Lord is unto the ends of the earth, that all that will hear
may hear.” (D&C
1:4, 11.)
Obedient to
that instruction, and from the beginning of the Church, there have been
missionaries sent to all parts of the world. Today we have increasing numbers
of missionaries, mostly younger men, who have been schooled from their
childhood to prepare themselves for a call to serve as missionaries.
From a
handful of missionaries in the early days of the Church, this number has been
increased to over 17,000 serving today, each at his own expense, or at the
expense of his immediate family, for a period of two or more years, each with a
conviction in his heart that one so called has the divinity of his calling in
his mind as he may go forth into any part of the world to which he may be
called.
Another
reason that might be given for the increase in the Lord’s work: perhaps as
never before have there been so many people of the world searching for answers
to the many perplexing problems.
While the
principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ have not changed, the methods in
meeting these challenges of the needs of today’s world must respond to the
demands of our time. Fortunately the Lord has given, in the revelations to this
church, the guidelines by which we should respond to the demands of the times.
The plan of salvation has defined the way by which he would have us deal with
the temporal needs of the people. The welfare plan of the Church seeks out
those in distress. Where the newly found members are located, the plan of temporal
salvation is, primarily, to teach the individuals how to take care of
themselves. The Lord has provided a hedge against the terrifying impact upon
the sanctity of the home and marriage, by strengthening the home and by
providing guidelines to parents to teach their children the basic principles of
honesty, virtue, integrity, thrift, and industry.
There is a
concern of the Church for the individual members, from childhood to youth, and
from among the youth into adulthood, to respond to the needs of members of the
Church of every age.
In answer to
the questions as to whether or not there may have been any dropouts or members
who have fallen away, our answer has always been to recall the Master’s parable
of the sower, where the sower
went out to sow. Some of the seeds fell on fertile ground, but among the seeds
which fell on fertile ground, some produced thirtyfold, some sixtyfold, and
some ninetyfold. So today, in about that same ratio, we have some who are
partially active, some are more so, and some who are thoroughly active in the
Church, but we are always reaching out to the ones who have strayed away, and
we are constantly trying to bring them back into full activity.
But perhaps
the most important reason of all for the growth of the Church is the individual
testimonies of the divinity of this work, as would be multiplied in the hearts
of the individual members of the Church. For the strength of the Church is not
in the numbers, nor in the amount of tithes and offerings paid by faithful
members, nor in the magnitude of chapels and temple buildings, but because in
the hearts of faithful members of the Church is the conviction that this is
indeed the church and kingdom of God on the earth. Without that conviction, as
one of my eminent business associates remarked, “The welfare plan of the Church
would be but a shambles”; also missionary work would not flourish; and members
would not be faithful in making generous contributions to the Church to finance
its many operations. The secret of the strength of this church may be found in
the statement of a president of a student body at one of our state-operated
universities, whose identity, of course, is confidential. This is a quotation
from his personal letter addressed to me:
“With the
rule of the radical ideas which are sweeping the country, there has come a
breakdown of family ties which is despised in many intellectual circles. The
country is seemingly plied with sex education, abortion, planned parenthood,
pornography, women’s liberation, communal living, premarital sex, and postmarital permissiveness. …”
And then this
young college student leader concludes with this heartwarming declaration,
which I know came from the depths of his soul. This is what he wrote:
“President
Lee, I want you to know that the Latter-day Saint students on campus who keep
the commandments are 100 percent behind you. Thank God we have leaders who
stand firm against the subtle battle of the adversary who is striking at the
home, the most vital unit of the world. Thank you for being the kind of a
person that we, as young people growing up in this mixed-up world, can
understand and can follow.”
By that same
token, and in the language of that brilliant college student, I am convinced
that the greatest of all the underlying reasons for the strength of this church
is that those who keep the commandments of God are 100 percent behind the
leadership of this church. Without that united support it would be readily
understood that this church could not go forward to meet the challenges of the
day. Our call is for the total membership of the Church to keep the
commandments of God, for therein lies the safety of the world. As one keeps the
commandments of God, he is not only persuaded as to the righteousness of the
course that is being followed under the leadership of the Church, but also will
have the Spirit of the Lord to guide him in his individual activities, for each
baptized member has been given a sacred endowment when he was baptized and
which has been committed to every baptized member of the Church by the
authority of the priesthood: the gift of the Holy Ghost, which, as the Master
declared, would teach all things, would bring all things to their remembrance,
and even show them things to come. (See John
14:26.)
It will be
clearly understood, then, that the great responsibility that the leaders and
teachers in the Church have is to persuade, to teach, to direct aright, that
the commandments of Almighty God will be so lived as to prevent the individual
from falling into the trap of the evil one who would persuade him not to
believe in God and not to follow the leadership of the Church.
I want to
bear my sacred witness that because I know of the divinity of this work, I know
that it will prevail; and that though there may be enemies within and without
the Church who would seek to undermine and would seek to find fault and try to
undermine the influence of the Church in the world, this church will be borne
off triumphantly and will stand through the test of time when all the man-made
efforts and weapons forged against the Lord’s word will fall by the wayside. I
know that our Lord and Master Jesus Christ is the head of this church; that he
has daily communion through agencies known to him, not only to the leaders of
the Church in high positions, but also to individual members as they keep the
commandments of God. To that I bear my sacred witness and leave my blessing
upon all the faithful of the Church, and indeed in the world everywhere, in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Spencer W. Kimball
November 4, 2004
Many
in the Church wondered what kind of prophet he would be, President Lee was
supposed to live a long time, but lasted only 19 months.
His
address on When the World will be Converted in October 1974 set the course of
the Church to this day. His admonition
to the 12 of taking the gospel to the world was emphasized.
D&C
112
He
was a Prophet of warning, marriage, divorce, killing needlessly, worshiping
false gods etc.
A Small and Piercing
Voice: The Sermons of Spencer W. Kimball
by Eugene England
Notwithstanding it
being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center. 3 Nephi 11:3
Spencer W. Kimball was
one of the most valuable Mormon orators of the twentieth century. In fact it is
quite likely that, because of his unique opportunities as President of the
Church during a dramatic period of world-wide growth and change, he was the
Mormon speaker we have most to learn from about living and speaking. Though
President Kimball was not as obviously gifted as other great speakers he
admired and learned from, such as J. Reuben Clark, David O. McKay, and Stephen
L Richards, when Latter-day Saints in the future think of individual sermons
that have affected their lives, they will, I believe, recognize him as standing
foremost in our time as a prophetic spokesman.
The first sermon by
Spencer W. Kimball that I remember hearing remains for me the most surprising,
challenging, and influential speech in my experience. In April 1954 Charlotte
and I had been married three months and had recently received letters calling
us both to serve as missionaries in
O ye, who hiss and
spurn, despise and scoff, who condemn and reject, and who in your haughty pride
place yourselves above and superior to these Nephite-Lamanites: I pray you to
not despise them until you . . . have that the prophet's children may be among
us. Some of them could be now called Lagunas or
Shoshones.
I beg of you, do not
disparage the Lamanite-Nephites unless you, too, have the devoutness and
strength to abandon public office to do missionary work among a despised people
. . . as did the four sons of Mosiah. Their seed could be called Samoans or
Maoris.
I ask you: Do not
scoff and ignore these Nephite-Lamanites unless you can equal their forebears
in greatness and until you can kneel with those thousands of Ammonite Saints in
the sand on the field of battle while they sang songs of praise as their very
lives were being snuffed out by their enemies. . . . Perhaps the children of
the Ammonites are with us. They could be called Zunis or Hopis.
This remarkable
refrain, unusual in style and unique in content, continued through eight
separate examples. It built to a climax with a reference to Christ's personal
appearance to the forefathers of these "Lamanite-Nephites"--and it
left us moved and changed. We were made ashamed of the liberal condescension of
our earlier desire to go "save" the Samoans. We were open for the
first time to go and learn and to be permanently affected in our feelings by
Polynesian peoples with a magnificent past, remarkable present qualities, and a
marvelous prophetic future. Elder Kimball had helped prepare us to see all
these things behind the labels and skin color and cultural trappings. He had
changed our missions into a painful, exhilarating struggle toward new
perceptions and emotional maturity and had so inoculated us with the spirit of
Lehi that all our lives since have been significantly involved in learning from
and trying to exercise intelligent responsibility toward "Lamanites."
How could a twenty-minute
conference sermon, not sophisticated in language nor elegant in style, have
such a profound effect? It is my thesis that Spencer W. Kimball sermons are so
powerful because they are modern examples of what Erich Auerbach
has praised as the epitome of Christian expression, the sermo
humilis, the "lowly" or humble style
which is characteristic of the New Testament and of the best writing and
speaking through the Middle Ages, but which has increasingly given way to
rhetorical and moral posturing since then. fn The sermo
humilis was developed by the classical orators of
Greece and Rome and codified by Cicero as part of a hierarchy of levels of
literary ornament and sophistication parallel to three levels of subject
matter: "low," where financial dealings and ordinary people are
concerned; "lofty," where life and well-being, especially of the
elite, is at stake; and "middling," largely for artistic
entertainment. But Paul and the early Church Fathers understood (Augustine
effectively demonstrated) that since God has created and Christ has redeemed
everything, no such distinctions of the value of subject matter could be
acceptable to Christians. Thus the whole range of rhetorical devices and levels
that had been developed in classical oratory and literature could be used and
mixed entirely as appropriate to each sermon's purpose, which includes
consideration of the needs, but not the social class, of he audience. The
result was the sermo humilis,
a humble style understandable to all.
In the best oratory,
as in the best literature (measured not by popularity or critical acclaim but
by influence for good on actual lives), style is a purposeful but natural
expression of the author's being and intentions. It is intelligent but not
calculating, persuasive to ward transparently unselfish and morally sensible
ends, aimed at moving the hearers but courageous to the point of being willing
to offend them--and all with the intent of bringing about eventual repentance
and redemption.
A good example of such
style, from early in President Kimball's career, is a speech given at BYU in
1951 that, repeated in various versions, became famous as "A Style of Our
Own." fn That is an interesting title since the speech itself seems not at
all designed to be "stylish." It is not elegantly phrased or formally
structured and certainly does not seem calculated to please--or even to be
effective. It starts out, some what awkwardly and uncertainly, with a series of
stories and examples centered around the general theme that the purpose of BYU
is to build character in its students and that the students have a
responsibility to take that purpose seriously, heavily subsidized as they are
by the tithes of humble Latter-day Saints all over the world. The sermon then
digresses into simple accounts of trips Elder Kimball had taken with his wife,
recently to Mayan ruins in Central America years before to
I am not talking about
something, my young brothers and sisters, of which I do not know. We interview
thousands of missionaries, Church officers and other people. . . . I know I'm
not going to be popular when I say this, but I am sure that the immodest
dresses that are worn by our young women and their mothers, contribute in some
degree to the immorality of this age." fn
The young Apostle gets
increasingly specific and direct with his Mormon audience, many of whom were
guilty--and still are:
I see the [Deseret
News and other] papers constantly, things that hurt me. These queen
contests! It seems that every class, every group, every club, must have a
queen. The flattery resulting is destructive. If I had a hundred daughters I
would resist any one ever becoming a queen, the object of a beauty parade or
contest. . . . Evening gowns can be most beautiful and modest if they clothe
the body. But the Lord never did intend that they should be backless or
topless. Now I want to tell you, it's a sin. I tell you that the Prophet of the
Lord abhors it. (I can see it isn't going very well with some of you.) But--it
is still true! . . . Women who [come to a dance] in strapless gowns, or with
strap gowns, and there is very little difference . . . are an abomination in
the sight of the Lord. fn
In this sermon there
is full acceptance of any subject matter, however "common" or even
embarrassing, as relevant to salvation, and there is also that ingenuous
mixture of styles, not according to prescribed classical categories but by
inspired sense of effectiveness, that Augustine recommended in the Christian
version of sermo humilis.
As used by Roman theoreticians, the word humilis
connoted inferior rank, but that adjective was taken over by Augustine and
later Christian writers as the best word, in Auerbach's
phrase, "to express the atmosphere and level of Christ's life and
suffering":
The Incarnation as
such was a voluntary humiliation illustrated by a life on earth in the lowest
social class, among the materially and culturally poor, and by the whole
character of Christ's acts and teachings. It was crowned by the cruelty and
humiliation of the Passion.
Christ's life and
death were "lowly" in that sense. And the gospel of Christ was
addressed to the "lowly," the dispossessed and uncouth whom the
worldly wise disdained, the "weak things" who would confound the
mighty and strong (1 Cor.
Knowing about
President Kimball's own physical and spiritual humiliations helps us understand
some of the fundamental sources of his sermon style. His biography quotes
journal accounts of such emotionally devastation times as when he had
difficulty accepting, or sobbing. My wife was sitting by me on the floor,
stroking my hair, trying to quiet
Thousands of people in
the Church . . . look at me with my smallness, my ineptitudes, my weaknesses,
my narrow limitations and say, 'What a weak Church to have such weak
leadership.' It is one of the things that has brought me to my back now. I have
tried by double expenditure of energy to measure up.
Those physical
troubles--boils, heart disease, throat cancer--did not end because of
miraculous blessing, though there were blessing and miracles. They continued,
even after the miracles, to be painful and dangerous trials that had to be
endured--and that made their contributions to President Kimball's unique
speaking style, to the form and content of his sermons, and even to the voice
with which they were delivered. In 1957 he had an operation to try to stem the
cancer in his throat. He pleaded with the
The voice changed in
another way in 1974 when Elder Kimball was sustained as President of the Church
after the unexpected death of Harold B. Lee. The sermon in the 1960s and early
1970s had been plain, straightforward, mostly single-subject, and usually
directed to a basic moral commandment or repentance--always focused on helping
the Saints live better day by day. The new responsibility to speak as the
Prophet, to and for the whole Church, made President Kimball's sermons often
much more miscellaneous and general than before, shaped by the need to give
counsel to the whole Church--and the world--on a number of matters, from
cleaning up yards and planting gardens to missiles and abortion. But the
directness, the challenging emotional and moral plainness fundamental to the sermo humilis,
remained the same, and the combination of style and vision often reached up to
the sublime that is paradoxically linked to the lowly.
Even before he spoke
for the first time as President to the general Church in the solemn assembly at
April conference 1974, the new prophet delivered a remarkable address to the
Regional Representatives seminar that outlined in detail how the Savior's
command to take the gospel to all the world could be literally obeyed--and
soon. The speech was not flamboyant in style nor did it announce any dramatic
new program. It merely reviewed the clear commands of Christ to his former- and
latter-day disciples, reminded us of our supposed belief that the Lord would
provide a way to fulfill his commands, and asked us to proceed in that faith,
providing us with a clear vision of future possibilities, complete with maps
and numbers:
I felt absolutely
certain that I would die, when my time came, as president of the Twelve. I had
no idea that this could ever happen. But since it has happened there is only
one thing for us to do and that is to move forward. . . .
When I read Church
history, I am amazed at the boldness of the early brethren. . . . Even in
persecution and hardship, they went and opened doors which evidently have been
allowed to sag on their hinges and many of them to close. . . .
I believe the Lord can
do anything he sets his mind to do.
But I can see no good
reason why the Lord would open doors that we are not prepared to enter. Why
should he break down the Iron Curtain or the Bamboo Curtain . . . if we are
still unprepared to enter? . . .
Suppose that
If
That sermon helped
transform the Church, releasing energies that almost doubled the missionary
force in the next eight years, with similar increases in converts, new stakes
organized, and total members. But the new energies were felt in a variety of
other ways consistent with the humility and directness as well as sublimity of
Spencer W. Kimball's sermo humilis. I remember how great a sense of shock and loss
we all felt at the sudden death of Harold B. Lee, whom we had expected to
preside for many years, how little some expected of the little man with the
small voice whom we knew had health problems and might not live long--a
caretaker President. But then all barriers melted away when President Kimball
began that solemn assembly in April 1974 by exclaiming, "Oh, Harold, we
miss you," and his voice pierced us with a sense of his open vulnerability
as well as new visions and energy. Our expectations were changed especially
when, after he matter-of-factly laid out his plan for converting the world, he
sounded the call to "lengthen our stride" fn and then set the pace
himself with personal action and expression and also with decisive leadership.
He expanded the number of area conferences around the world and then spoke four
or five times at each. He announced dramatic increases each year in planned
temple-building throughout the "free world" (and the first temple
behind the Iron Curtain) and then participated in increasing numbers of temple
dedications, where he both spoke and gave many of the prayers. He directed
major changes in the organization of the General Authorities and made the first
modern additions to the LDS scriptures, culminating in the 1978 revelation that
gave blacks the priesthood.
The announcement of
that revelation itself (though it was a First Presidency statement, not written
solely by President Kimball) is an excellent example of the style I am
describing--simple, weighty but unflamboyant,
personal but chaste:
Aware of the promises
made by the prophets and presidents of the Church who have preceded us that at
some time, in God's eternal plan, all of our brethren who are worthy may
receive the priesthood, and witnessing the faithfulness of those from whom the
priesthood has been withheld, we have pleaded long and earnestly in behalf of
these, our faithful brethren, spending many hours in the Upper Room of the
Temple supplicating the Lord for divine guidance.
He has heard our
prayers, and by revelation has now confirmed that the long-promised day has
come. . . .
We declare with
soberness that the Lord has now made known his will for the blessing all his
children. fn
That first long
sentence--reflecting the long wait of the Church, of faithful blacks and whites
who prayed for the day to come, of President Kimball's own long struggle
against our prejudices, culminating in those many hours at prayer in the Temple
throughout the spring of 1978--is one example of how a natural style reveals
itself. Another example is the brief clarity that follows, suppressing the
emotion like a spring in sentences that witness that God has spoken, until it
is released by the arresting biblical phrase, "We declare with soberness."
President Kimball's
most biblical sermon, in language, content, and general approach, was written
for the June 1976 Ensign, apparently designed to be read by Church members at
the very time they would be celebrating the American bicentennial in a somewhat
self-congratulatory mood. The title, "The False Gods We Worship,"
provides fair warning of how severe the prophet will be, but the sermon opens
with a gentle personal reminiscence of recent walks in his garden that brought
back childhood memories. He injects a slightly ominous note with a reference to
"dark and massive clouds of an early thunderstorm," then returns to
what seems an innocuous patriotic theme, reflecting on the "mellow
light" of his childhood valley, certain that if he were to create a world
it would be "just like this one" and affirming that "there is
much that is good in this land, and much to love." But with a sudden
"nevertheless" he turns to his real theme, reinforcing the change
with his imagery again: "The dark and threatening clouds that hung so low
over the valley seemed to force my mind back to a theme the Brethren have
concerned themselves with for many years now-- . . . the general state of
wickedness in which we seem to find the world." Using a device of the Old
Testament prophets, particularly Amos, he allows his audience for a time to
think he is denouncing the wicked world outside
In one of the very few
theoretical passages in all his work, President Kimball proceeds to explain his
literal use of the word idolatry: "Carnal man had tended to transfer his
trust in God to material things. . . . Whatever thing a man sets his heart and
his trust in most is his god: and if his god doesn't also happen to be the true
and living God of Israel, than man is laboring in idolatry." fn He
identifies in unforgettable imagery and anecdotes the two chief idols of many
of us Americans and Mormons--material goods and armaments--and then preaches as
the only saving alternatives the individual living of the law of consecration
and an active, affirmative loving of our enemies.
I am afraid that many
of us have been surfeited with flocks and herds and acres and barns and wealth
and have begun to worship them as false gods. . . . Forgotten is the fact that
our assignment is to use these many resources in our families and quorums to
build up the
We are a warlike
people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of
the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of
gods of stone and steel--ships, planes, missiles, fortifications--and depend on
them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become antienemy instead of pro-kingdom of God; we train a man in
the art of war and call him a patriot, thus, in the manner of Satan's
counterfeit of true patriotism, perverting the Savior's teaching [that we love
our enemies]. . . .
We forget that if we
are righteous the Lord will either not suffer our enemies to come upon us--and
this is the special promise to the inhabitants of the land of the
President Kimball ends
this sermon, which seems to me one of the most unusual and challenging given to
twentieth-century Mormons, with an irrefutable explanation of why revenge and
confrontation, name-calling and sanctions, indeed any form of fighting our
enemies, even winning, will never resolve conflicts--and thus why all who call
themselves Christians must do something with enemies other that fight them. We
must rely primarily on love, on praying and giving and teaching, rather than on
armaments, if we are ever to do away with those enemies in the only effective
and permanent way, by changing them into friends:
What are we to fear
when the Lord is with us? Can we not take the Lord at his word and exercise a
particle of faith in him? Our assignment is affirmative: to forsake the things
of the world as ends in themselves; to leave off idolatry and press forward in
faith; to carry the gospel to our enemies, that they might to longer be our
enemies. fn
It is probably true
that some of us American Mormons still think we can hunt for sport, can promote
our daughters' participation in skimpy-costumed drill teams or beauty contests,
can engage in conspicuous consumption, can be vaguely suspicious of other
races, and can put more faith in missiles than in missionaries. But Spencer W.
Kimball's denunciations of all of these actions and attitudes stand in the
record, in powerful sermons that will touch and help change all who rad carefully and humbly. And they stand in judgment on
those of us who will not.
Even into the late
1970s, when physical problems began to slow him down, President Kimball
continued to challenge all varieties of Mormons. First Presidency messages
condemned abortion, the Equal Rights Amendment, the MX missile and by clear
implication all primary reliance on nuclear deterrence and asserted that
international conflicts as well as personal ones can best be resolved by
obeying Christ's command to "love our enemies." fn Earlier, President
Kimball had reviewed the great prophecies and expectations past leaders had
voiced concerning the development of a great Mormon art and literature and then
added his own hopes. But he did so with unusual but characteristic advice,
consistent with his own sermo humilis, about what would make such literature
possible, that is, a willingness to deal with both the problematic and the
exalting in Mormon experience rather than merely with the safe middle ground:
For years I have been
waiting for someone to do justice in recording in song and story and painting
and sculpture the story of the Restoration, the reestablishment of the kingdom
of God on earth, the struggles and frustrations; the apostasies and inner
revolutions and counter-revolutions of those first decades; of the exodus; of
the counter-reactions; of the transitions; of the persecution days; of the
miracle man, Joseph Smith, of whom we sing "Oh, what rapture filled his
bosom, For he saw the living God" (Hymns, no. 136); and of the giant
colonizer and builder, Brigham Young. fn
But the sermon of
President Kimball's that perhaps best combines the qualities of both the lowly
and the sublime, both the hard moral challenge and the comforting, exalting
divine witness, came quite late in his career. At the priesthood session of the
April 1978 general conference, he began with some very exhortations about the
family and the need for priesthood holders to guard it from evil influences
through their selection of magazines and newspapers. But then he moved into a
purely pastoral passage of reminiscences from his
I can remember how
lustily we sang:
Hark! Hark! Hark! 'tis
children's music,
Children's voices, O,
how sweet. . . .
That the Children may
live long,
And be beautiful and
strong.
I wanted to live a
long time and I wanted to be beautiful and strong--but never reached it. . . .
Drink no liquor, and
they eat
But a very little meat
[I still don't eat
very much meat.]
They are seeking to be
great and good and wise.
And then we'd
"Hark! Hark! Hark!" again. fn
This apparently merely
entertaining interlude united us powerfully with the "lowly" humanity
in President Kimball, so that we were well prepared to accept, as coming from
one like ourselves, the remarkable conclusion, in which he challenged (for the
first time in a modern general conference) our complacent participation in a
major Utah industry, hunting for mere sport:
I remember many times
singing with a loud voice:
Don't kill the little
birds,
That sing on bush and
tree. . . .
I had a sling and I
had a flipper. I made them myself, and they worked very well. . . . But I think
perhaps because I sang nearly every Sunday, "Don't Kill the Little
Birds," I was restrained. fn
The seriousness with
which President Kimball took his subject is indicated by his repeating and
expanding on this topic in the following October general conference, just
before the
The sermon ends with a
different, though equally difficult, challenge, one that is spiritual rather
than moral, but one that has also received little attention, perhaps because it
was not really noticed. In the way characteristic of sermo
humilis, the President moved without any
transition or any dramatic explanation to a short, small, unique, typically
humble and indirect, but piercing testimony of his prophetic calling and
consequent experience with the divine:
"I know the God lives. I know that Jesus Christ
lives," said John Taylor my predecessor, "for I have seen him."
I bear his testimony to you brethren in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. fn
(A Small and Piercing Voice: the Sermons of
Spencer W. Kimball by Eugene England Fn, BYU Studies, vol. 25 (1985),
Number 4 - Fall 1985 87.)
President Benson & the Seventy
November 18, 2004
L.
Aldin Porter, “A History of the Latter-day Seventy,” Ensign, Aug.
2000, 15
As President Spencer W. Kimball stood at the pulpit in the Salt Lake Tabernacle
on 3 October 1975, few of those watching realized the significance of the
statement he was about to make. Though it did not appear to involve major
action at the time, his announcement would eventually affect the way the Church
was administered throughout the world. He said:
“Today we
announce to you the appointment of four new General Authorities [Seventies] to
assist in the carrying forth of the work of the Lord. … The First Quorum of the
Seventy will be gradually organized, eventually with seventy members, the
presidency of which will be made up of the seven members [of the present First
Council of the Seventy].”
1
The day had
arrived when the growth of the Church required the reconstitution of the First
Quorum of the Seventy. It had been nearly 150 years since the Church had its
beginnings in
Over the
years, the organization of the Seventy has changed to meet the needs of the
worldwide Church, but the Seventy’s mission has stayed the same: to preach the
gospel, to be especial witnesses of Jesus Christ, and to help the Apostles
build up and administer the Church (see D&C
107:25, 34).
The Seventy Called
The history
of the Seventy in this dispensation began in the early years of the
Restoration. On
Forty-eight days
later, the revelation known as section 107 was given, which included the
following instructions:
“The Seventy
are also called to preach the gospel, and to be especial witnesses unto the
Gentiles and in all the world—thus differing from other officers in the church
in the duties of their calling.
“And they
form a quorum, equal in authority to that of the Twelve special witnesses or
Apostles just named. …
“The Seventy
are to act in the name of the Lord, under the direction of the Twelve or the
traveling high council, in building up the church and regulating all the
affairs of the same in all nations, first unto the Gentiles and then to the
Jews;
“The Twelve
being sent out, holding the keys, to open the door by the proclamation of the
gospel of Jesus Christ, and first unto the Gentiles and then unto the Jews” (D&C
107:25-26, 34-35).
A few months
after the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, a general
conference of the Church was held in Nauvoo on 6-8 October 1844. Much of the
conference was devoted to putting the organization of the priesthood in place,
in accordance with a motion Elder Heber C. Kimball of the Quorum of the Twelve
Apostles presented early in the conference, “that we as a church endeavor to
carry out the principles and measures heretofore adopted and laid down by
Joseph Smith as far as in us lies, praying Almighty God to help us to do it.”
3 This motion carried unanimously. As part of this conference,
President Brigham Young said to the Seventy, “You are all apostles to the
nations to carry the gospel; and when we send you to build up the kingdom,
we will give you the keys and power and authority.”
4 This statement of President Young can be better understood by
referring to a statement made by President Joseph F. Smith: “The seventies are
called to be assistants to the twelve apostles; indeed they are apostles of the
Lord Jesus Christ, subject to the direction of the Twelve, and it is their duty
to respond to the call of the Twelve, under the direction of the First
Presidency of the Church, to preach the gospel to every creature, to every
tongue and people under the heavens, to whom they may be sent.”
5 Members of the Seventy receive delegated authority from the First
Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles to function in their appointed
roles.
An Unfolding Organization
When the
Saints left Nauvoo, there were 35 quorums of the Seventy. This number had
increased to 146 by 1904. It was clear that these were general Church quorums
and not stake quorums. Their major responsibility was to serve as emissaries of
the Lord across the earth. Then, during the mid-1930s the First Presidency and
the Quorum of the Twelve placed the Seventies under stake supervision.
In the October
1976 general conference, one year after President Kimball had indicated that
the First Quorum of the Seventy would be gradually organized, he said:
“In 1941,
five high priests were called to assist the Twelve Apostles in their heavy
work, and to fill a role similar to that envisioned by the revelations for the
First Quorum of the Seventy. The scope and demands of the work at that time did
not justify the reconstitution of the First Quorum of the Seventy. In the
intervening years, additional Assistants to the Twelve have been added, and
today we have twenty-one.
“Commencing a
year ago, brethren other than the First Council of the Seventy were called into
the First Quorum of the Seventy, and at present there are fourteen in that
quorum, including the First Council.
“Since the
functions and responsibilities of the Assistants to the Twelve and the Seventy
are similar, and since the accelerated, worldwide growth of the Church requires
a consolidation of its administrative functions at the general level, the First
Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve, with the concurrence of the Assistants
to the Twelve and the First Quorum of the Seventy, have felt inspired to call
all of the Assistants to the Twelve into the First Quorum of the Seventy, to
call four new members into that quorum, and to restructure the First Council of
the Seventy. …
“With this
move, the three governing quorums of the Church defined by the revelations—the
First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the First Quorum of the
Seventy—have been set in their places as revealed by the Lord. This will
make it possible to handle efficiently the present heavy workload and to
prepare for the increasing expansion and acceleration of the work, anticipating
the day when the Lord will return to take direct charge of His church and
kingdom.”
6
This action
more clearly established the relationship of the Seventy to the Twelve as
described by the Lord in D&C
107:38: “It is the duty of the traveling high council
to call upon the Seventy, when they need assistance, to fill the several calls
for preaching and administering the gospel, instead of any others.”
On one
occasion Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915-85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
listed three things which had happened in his lifetime which he said would do
more than anything else for the spreading of the gospel, for the perfecting of
the Saints, and for the salvation of men. The first of these three things was
“the receipt of the revelation which makes the priesthood … available … without
reference to race or ancestry.” The second was “the organization of the
First Quorum of the Seventy as the third great council of the Church,” and
the third was “the publication of the standard works … with the new teaching
aids that accompany them.”
7
The unfolding
of the present-day organization of the Seventy continued with an announcement
in the October 1978 general conference by President N. Eldon Tanner
(1898-1982), a counselor in the First Presidency:
“The very
rapid growth of the Church across the world, with the attendant increase in
travel and responsibility, has made it necessary to consider a change in the
status for some of the Brethren of the General Authorities. Some of our
associates have served for many years with complete and unselfish dedication,
and they deserve every honor and recognition for such devoted service. It is
felt advisable at this time to reduce somewhat the load of responsibility that
they carry.
“After a long
period of prayerful consideration and counsel, extending, indeed, over several
years, we announce a new and specific status to be given from time to time to
Brethren of our associates in the General Authorities. We announce that some
Brethren have been designated as emeritus members of the First Quorum of the
Seventy. These Brethren are not being released but will be excused from active
service. It is out of consideration for the personal well-being of the
individuals, and with deep appreciation for their devoted service, that this
designation will be given from time to time to designated members of the
General Authorities.”
8
The call to
serve as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is, of necessity, a call
for life. This is so because of the Lord’s system of seniority whereby the
President of the Church is chosen.
9 This same system of seniority does not exist among the Seventy, and
there is no need for them to give a lifetime of service as Seventies even
though that was the practice for many years.
On the other
hand, the Presidency of the Seventy is unique. Most presidencies in the Church
have a presidency of three: a president and two counselors. But the revelations
indicate a different organization for the Seventy. Note that in the Presidency
of the Seventy all are Presidents—none are counselors: “And it is according to
the vision showing the order of the Seventy, that they should have seven
presidents to preside over them, chosen out of the number of the seventy; and
the seventh president of these presidents is to preside over the six” (D&C
107:93-94).
The seventh,
or presiding, President is the one with the most longevity or more
uninterrupted years of service in the Presidency of the Seventy than the other
six Presidents.
“A Constant Infusion of New Talent”
In the 1980s,
several additional inspired decisions accelerated the opportunity of the
Seventy to serve while they remained of an age and in a status of health that
the heavy rigors of the work could be accomplished. In the April 1984 general
conference, President Gordon B. Hinckley, then a counselor in the First
Presidency, explained:
“In the case
of the Seventy, we are putting into effect the practice long generally followed
and accepted in the Church with reference to other offices. Members of the
First Quorum of the Seventy are General Authorities in every sense: in calling,
in responsibility, in power and authority. Theirs have been permanent
appointments, and those presently serving will continue so to serve. However,
tenure of appointment is not important insofar as the work is concerned. Calls
to serve as bishop, stake president, Regional Representative, mission
president, temple president, and president of the auxiliary organizations are
for a period of years. The individual is then honorably released and others are
afforded the opportunity of service. After much prayerful consideration, we
have called six men, mature and tested through long years of service, to become
members of the First Quorum of the Seventy, to serve for periods of three to
five years, just as a mission president or temple president would do, and
then to be released with honor and appreciation. While they so serve, they will
be General Authorities with every right, power, and authority necessary to
function. They will be expected to give their full time to this work while they
are in office. This procedure, we feel, will provide a constant infusion of new
talent and a much widened opportunity for men of ability and faith to serve in
these offices.”
10
Then, in
October 1986, President Ezra Taft Benson made the following announcement:
“In harmony
with the needs of the growth of the Church across the world, the First
Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles have given prayerful
consideration to the role of the stake seventies quorums in the Church and have
determined to take the following action relative thereto:
“… The
seventies quorums in the stakes of the Church are to be discontinued, and
the brethren now serving as seventies in these quorums will be asked to return
to membership in the elders quorums of their wards. Stake presidents, in an
orderly fashion, may then determine who among such brethren should be ordained
to the office of high priest.
“This change
does not affect the First Quorum of the Seventy, members of which are all
General Authorities of the Church. …
“At this
time, we commend all who have served both past and present as members of stake
seventies quorums of the Church and who have so ably given of their time,
talents, and resources in spreading forth the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
11
This
announcement was in keeping with President Brigham Young’s statement more than
138 years earlier: “The Seventies are not called to be a local body, but are
ordained … to travel, ordain local officers, and build up and set in order the
whole Kingdom of God upon the earth, wherever it is necessary.”
12
New Quorums Formed
In the early
days of the Restoration, the Lord made provision for the future growth of the
Church when He said:
“And these
seven presidents are to choose other seventy. …
“And also
other seventy, until seven times seventy, if the labor in the vineyard of
necessity requires it.
“And these
seventy are to be traveling ministers, unto the Gentiles first and also unto
the Jews” (D&C
107:95-97).
The day came
as prophesied in the scriptures when the work required that an additional
Quorum of the Seventy be organized. This was done in April 1989, when President
Benson said in the general priesthood session:
“With the
continued rapid growth of the Church, the First Presidency and the Quorum of
the Twelve have determined that the time has come to take additional steps to
provide for the expansion and regulation of the Church. We announce, therefore,
the organization of the Second Quorum of the Seventy to become effective
immediately.
“The initial
membership of the Second Quorum of the Seventy will be those General
Authorities currently serving under a five-year call. Additional Brethren will
be added to the Second Quorum of the Seventy from time to time and will serve
as Seventies and as General Authorities also under a five-year call.”
13
The work
continued to expand, and six years later, in preparation for further
fulfillment of the role of the Seventies, President Gordon B. Hinckley said in
the April 1995 general conference:
“Now in the
ongoing of this work, administrative changes sometimes occur. The doctrine
remains constant. But from time to time there are organizational and
administrative changes made under provisions set forth in the revelations.
“For
instance, twenty-eight years ago the First Presidency was inspired to call men
to serve as regional representatives of the Twelve … to train our stake and
ward leaders in the programs of the Church that they in turn might train the
membership in their responsibilities before the Lord.
“At that time
there were 69 regional representatives. Today there are 284. The organization
has become somewhat unwieldy.
“More
recently the Presidency were inspired to call men from the Seventy to serve in
Area Presidencies. As the work grows across the world, it has become necessary
to decentralize administrative authority to keep General Authorities closer to
the people. We now have such Area Presidencies well established and effectively
functioning.
“It is now
felt desirable to tighten up the organization administered by the Area
Presidencies. Accordingly, we announce the release—the honorable release—of all
regional representatives effective August 15 of this year. …
“Now we
announce the call of a new local officer to be known as an area authority.
These will be high priests chosen from among past and present experienced
Church leaders. They will continue with their current employment, reside in
their own homes, and serve on a Church-service basis. The term of their call
will be flexible, generally for a period of approximately six years. They will
be closely tied to the Area Presidencies. They will be fewer in number than
have been the regional representatives. We are guided in setting up this new
corps of area officers, as were our Brethren before us in the calling of
regional representatives, by the provision contained in the revelation on
priesthood, section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants. After directions to the
Twelve and the Seventy, the revelation states:
“ ‘Whereas
other officers of the church, who belong not unto the Twelve, neither to the
Seventy, are not under the responsibility to travel among all nations, but are
to travel as their circumstances shall allow, notwithstanding they may hold as
high and responsible offices in the church.’ ”
14
The call of
Area Authorities was a preparatory step for what occurred just 24 months later.
In the April 1997 general conference, President Hinckley announced that the
Area Authorities would now be known as Area Authority Seventies. He said:
“They will
continue with their present employment, reside in their own homes, and serve on
a Church-service basis. Those residing in Europe, Africa, Asia,
“They may be
assigned to (a) preside at stake conferences and train stake
presidencies, (b) create or reorganize stakes and set apart stake
presidencies, (c) serve as counselors in Area Presidencies, (d)
chair regional conference planning committees, (e) serve on area
councils presided over by the Area Presidency, (f) tour missions and
train mission presidents, and (g) complete other duties as assigned.
“Consistent
with their ordination as Seventies, they become officers of the Church with a
specific and definite tie to a quorum. While there will be only limited
opportunities for them to come together in quorum meetings, the Presidents of
the Seventy will communicate with them, will instruct them, receive reports,
and do other things of that kind. They will now have a sense of belonging that
they have not experienced up to this time. As Seventies they are called to
preach the gospel and to be especial witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ as set
forth in the revelations. Though all Seventies have equal scriptural authority,
members of the First and Second Quorums are designated General Authorities,
while members of the Third, Fourth, and Fifth are designated Area Authorities.
“Although the
ordination to the office of Seventy is without term, a Seventy is called to
serve in a quorum for a designated period of years. At the conclusion of this
service, he will return to activity in his respective ward and stake and will
meet with his high priests group. …
“With these
respective quorums in place, we have established a pattern under which the
Church may grow to any size with an organization of Area Presidencies and Area
Authority Seventies, chosen and working across the world according to need.”
15
Today there
are 276 members of the Seventy called, as the Lord has said, to “bear record of
my name in all the world, wherever … mine apostles, shall send them to prepare
a way before my face” (D&C
124:139). These Seventies supervise the work of the
Church under the direction of the Quorum of the Twelve in 28 areas scattered
across the earth. The number of areas and quorums will certainly increase as
the years pass and the work intensifies, but the organization is now in place
to keep the administration of the Church close to the prophets, seers, and
revelators whom the Lord has called to direct the work. Yet this work has
hardly begun, and the future is bright with the promise that the ordinances and
covenants of salvation and exaltation will be made available to “every nation,
kindred, tongue and people” (1
Ne. 19:17). The revelations have made clear that this
kingdom will roll forth as the stone “cut out without hands” and become a
“great mountain, and [fill] the whole earth” (see Dan.
2:34-35).
(Doctrine and Covenants 64:29-33.)
29
Wherefore, as ye are agents, ye are on the Lord's errand; and whatever ye do
according to the will of the Lord is the Lord's business.
30 And he
hath set you to provide for his saints in these last days, that they may obtain
an inheritance in the
31 And
behold, I, the Lord, declare unto you, and my words are sure and shall not
fail, that they shall obtain it.
32 But all
things must come to pass in their time.
33 Wherefore,
be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work.
And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.
(Doctrine
and Covenants 107:10.)
10
High priests after the order of the Melchizedek Priesthood have a right to officiate
in their own standing, under the direction of the presidency, in administering
spiritual things, and also in the office of an elder, priest (of the Levitical
order), teacher, deacon, and member.
History of
the 70’s – Evolution of the Seventy up to today
President
Benson emphasized many things during his Presidency like the B of M,
Fulfillment in callings, Pride, etc. The
gospel spread to
Study>>>>>>>>Retain>>>>>>>>Teach
Others
Catch the
message of what it means to follow the Prophet.
President Hinckley had to respond to critics who thought President
Benson was suppressed in his duties as the Prophet; these folks didn’t
understand how keys of the priesthood operate.
There aren’t palace coups in the Church!!
You get some idea, by brethren
and sisters, from this, holy very important, how extremely sacred is the Holy
Priesthood, which is nothing more nor less than divine authority committed unto
man, and in the foregoing declaration is shown the absolute impartiality of our
Father in heaven, for he says: "Whoso," (meaning any man and every
man), "is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I
have spoken, and the magnifying their calling," will enter into the
possession of all things, for he will become a joint heir with Jesus Christ,
the Lord, in such possession. Now, I ask you, what more could a faithful high
priest receive than the promise of this blessing? Could he receive any more if
he were an apostle? Could he receive any more if he were a counselor in the Presidency
of the Church? Could he receive anything more if he were the President of the
Church, than a promise which gives to him a joint heirship in all things? No,
he could not. And so it is with the faithful seventy, and so with the faithful
elder in the Church.
There is no need for
envy. There is no need for overweening ambition. There is no need to reach out
and try to grasp that to which we are not entitled. The essential thing is that
every man should see to it, that he obtains the High Priesthood. If he advances
no further than the office of an elder but is faithful in the magnifying of his
calling, he will enter into his glory and exaltation and will receive the
fulness of which the record speaks.
(Elder Rudger Clawson., Conference Report, October 1917,
Afternoon Session. 28 - 29.)
President Benson Conference talks October
1986, and April 1987
The Lord
won’t give us more unless we are living what He has already given.
The Book of
Mormon is the keystone of our religion, it leads us to Christ.
Witness of
Christ>>>>>Doctrine>>>>>Testimony,
It
contains the pattern for preparing for the 2nd Coming. From 1st Nephi to
It
contains the fulness of the gospel, the spiritual rebirth process, from the
creation, fall, atonement, faith, repentance, baptism and receiving the gift of
the Holy Ghost.
It
also exposes the enemies of Christ (their attitudes to the message).
Bruce
went into great detail on how he studies the gospel, by doctrines and using all
4 scriptures plus the words of the Prophets and Apostles. Write down what you learn it will help your
mind organize the material, read the scriptures looking for specific doctrines
and the storyline, use the topical guide.
(Doctrine
and Covenants 84:54-57.)
54 And your
minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you
have treated lightly the things you have received—
55 Which
vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
56 And this
condemnation resteth upon the children of
57 And they
shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new
covenant, even the Book of Mormon and
the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do
according to that which I have written—
The former
commandments are the revelations previously given in the D&C.
Doctrine
and Covenants – Capstone
Book
of Mormon – Keystone
Old Testament New
Testament
You can’t understand
any of the scriptures without studying the other scriptures; they are to be
studied as one. Build up a great library
to study from.
(
14 And
since man had fallen he could not merit anything of himself; but the sufferings
and death of Christ atone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so
forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that
the grave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be
swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto
the king.
Without Jesus Christ
I cannot be saved, no matter what, I fall short like Paul said.
(Romans
3:23.)
23 For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Teach Them Correct Principles
December 2, 2004
We talked about the
Church in
(Jacob
5:72-73.)
72 And it
came to pass that the servants did go and labor with their mights;
and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them; and they did obey the
commandments of the Lord of the vineyard in all things.
73 And
there began to be the natural fruit again in the vineyard; and the natural
branches began to grow and thrive exceedingly; and the wild branches began to
be plucked off and to be cast away; and they did keep the root and the top
thereof equal, according to the strength thereof.
Root = Gospel
>>>>>>> Branch = Members
We discussed the
budget allowance and moving toward the Law of Consecration and the change in
funding missions.
Activities should be
planned to aid the family and the individual, not the other way around.
Individual>>>>>>>>Family>>>>>>>>Priesthood>>>>>>>>Auxiliary>>>>>>>Activity
We seemed to be
scared to let member govern themselves because we haven’t taught them correct
doctrines.
The church is not a
social club; we are here to build up the
BUDGET PROGRAM IS A
'TREMENDOUS ACT OF FAITH'
Date: 02/24/90
President Gordon B.
Hinckley called the implementation of the new budget program a "tremendous
act of faith," initiated by inspiration from the Almighty.
"I am thankful
that the day has come, at last, when for the Latter-day Saints in the
But he counseled that
principles of thrift and wisdom must continue to be exercised under the new
program. "We know that we are accountable to the Lord for the stewardship
given us. We must be prudent. We must be conservative. We must be careful. . .
. Great is the trust, tremendous is the responsibility.
"The Church is
not so wealthy that it can indiscriminately scatter its resources," he
admonished. "We must be extremely careful and wise, and I believe
inspired, if this program, which involves many millions of dollars of added
expense, is to function."
President Hinckley
expressed his gratitude for the law of tithing, which he called
"divine" and enables the funding of local units from general Church
funds.
"I am confident
that the Lord loves His people for the goodness of their lives and the
generosity of their hearts as they consecrate of their means in the payment of
tithes and offerings. I am grateful for the faith of the wealthy who give
generously of their abundance. I am equally grateful for the faith of the poor,
who likewise contribute with a great spirit of consecration.
"The Lord has
made [tithing universal in its application among His people. It is miraculous
in its simplicity. I see the complexity, almost beyond comprehension, of
government systems of taxation, and I thank the Lord for the magnitude of His
wisdom in making things simple concerning the financing of His kingdom."
President Hinckley
recalled a stake over which he presided years ago. When the first ward was
formed in that area, members bought land and constructed a meetinghouse without
any help from the general funds of the Church. When that building was outgrown,
they built a larger one entirely from their own resources.
"By the time I
came into the presidency of that stake, the Church policy provided for matching
funds, the Church to put up one dollar for each dollar provided by the local
members. Under that formula, we in that fast-growing area built six new
chapels, in addition to providing funds for their maintenance and all of the
activity programs carried on in the various wards.
"There may have
been a few murmurings, but the faith of the people overrode all of these. They
gave generously, notwithstanding the stresses of their own circumstances, and
the Lord blessed them. . . ."
People in those days
would have thought the "millennium had come if we had received word that
the Church would bear all of the costs of providing land, all of the cost
incident to building construction, operation and maintenance, let alone an
activity and administrative budget allowance of $40 per year per individual
based on the number who attend sacrament meeting," President Hinckley
said. "It is not the millennium, but this longed-for, hoped-for and
prayed-for day has come."
The development and
implementation of the new program was an "unfolding miracle," he testified.
With the change, he
encouraged stake presidents that "expenses for the stake should be
minimal, with all costs of physical facilities . . . being covered from the
general funds of the Church. Let the budget funds which come from headquarters
flow down to the wards on a basis measured by sacrament meeting attendance in
each ward."
He emphasized that
members should continue to give generous fast offerings, contributions to the
general missionary fund and other donations to the Church beyond the payment of
tithing.
President Hinckley
also touched on the importance of activities, especially among the youth of the
Church, and encouraged members to "look beyond the narrow boundaries of
your own wards, and rise to the larger vision of this the work of God" in
helping Him save His sons and daughters.
"I remind you
that we should recognize that this Church is not a social club. This is the
"Let us not worry
and get all worked up about exotic excursions that now may not be possible.
These might provide fun, wonderful fun, and young people, we all agree, need to
have some fun under the direction of Church officers and teachers. But these
officers and teachers, and these young men and women, are people of ingenuity
who with faith and prayer can work out programs costing little in dollars that
will yield tremendous dividends in wholesome recreation and faith-building
activities. Perhaps we should be less concerned with fun and more with faith.
"This is a new
and wonderful program. As with any new program, there will be a few items that
will need to be corrected as we go along. There are still unanswered questions.
. . . Time and experience will provide the answers. Meanwhile, be grateful, and
prayerfully go to work to make it function. I promise you that you will be
happy if you do so. Family life will be strengthened, and faith will
increase."
(Budget
Program Is a 'tremendous Act of Faith’, LDS Church News, 1990, 02/24/90
3.)
As
a parent I have the right to choose what is most important for my family. There are required meetings and optional
meetings, don’t miss the required ones!
Study
what happened to the
“The
hardest element to treat is a virtue carried to an extreme.” The best activities occur in the home.
Elder
Packer’s talk to Regional Representatives “Let Them Govern Themselves”
Let Them Govern
Themselves
Elder Boyd K. Packer
March 30, 1990
The Lord said, "Behold, I will hasten my work in its time. And I give unto
you, who are the first laborers in this last kingdom, a commandment that you. .
. organize yourselves, and prepare yourselves, and sanctify yourselves; yea,
purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may
make you clean." (D&C 88:73-74)
In
the last period of time, since the October conference, the Quorum of the Twelve
has been following that admonition against the obvious hastening that is taking
place; the unprecedented, miraculous changing of the circumstances across the
world. Nations, in a sense are being born in a day and the invitation now is
for our missionaries to move into countries where we have no members and to
move into countries where we have had members who have lived under almost
impossible circumstances. This hastening has been the source of sobering
reflection and we of the Twelve, under the direction of President Hunter, have
held many meetings, over viewing and calling into attention things of the past;
looking at our circumstances at the present, and looking into the future as is
not only our calling, but our responsibility as prophets, seers, and
revelators.
We
have held meetings with the First Presidency and I think the theme that you
have felt in this meeting and will feel from the conference and will see as the
conference concludes with momentous events having occurred, that we need now to
prepare ourselves and to put on the new man and the new woman, to change a
mind-set and to move into the future that the Lord is preparing for us.
Recent
letters announced the decision to fund the Church henceforth from tithes and
offerings. As has been mentioned here two or three times today, other
collections, assessments, and fund-raising, with a few and perhaps temporary exceptions,
are to be discontinued.
In
a recent satellite broadcast that was viewed here in the
President
Monson:
•"The
budget allowance program was created to reduce financial burdens on members.
•Members
should not pay fees or be assessed to participate in Church programs.
•Priesthood
leaders should reduce and simplify activities wherever possible.
•Let
me repeat: Priesthood leaders should reduce and simplify activities wherever
possible.
•Activities
should be planned at little or no cost, should build testimonies and provide
meaningful service to others."
And
then he added: "It is the desire that restraint be used in programming
youth activities and that consistency between young women and young men
programs be achieved." (Thomas S. Monson, satellite broadcast, 18 Feb.
1990)
President Hinckley
"Perhaps
we have gone to far" this is the roller coaster President Monson referred
to earlier "in providing for some beyond what is needed or what is best in
terms of the individuals and their families.
"It
should be recognized the this Church is not a social club. This is the
"These
officers and teachers, and these young men and women, are people of ingenuity
who with faith and prayer can work out programs costing little in dollars that
will yield tremendous dividends in wholesome recreation and faith-building
activities. Perhaps we should be less concerned with fun and more with
faith." (Gordon B. Hinckley, satellite broadcast 18 Feb. 1990)
This
change, announced for the
To
many, it is just a welcome relief, a change in procedure a relatively small
thing.
It
was the prophet Alma who told us "that by small and simple things are
great things brought to pass. . . And the Lord God doth work by (small) means
to bring about his great and eternal purposes" (
To
me this "small thing" is among the major decisions that I shall have
witnessed in my lifetime. I will attempt to explain to you why my conviction of
its importance is so fixed.
Like a Team of
Doctors
In
recent years we might be compared to a team of doctors issuing prescriptions to
cure or to immunize our members against spiritual diseases. Each time some
moral or spiritual ailment was diagnosed, we have rushed to the pharmacy to
concoct another remedy, encapsulate it as a program and send it out with pages
of directions for use.
While
we all seem to agree that over medication, over-programming, is a critically
serious problem, we have failed to reduce the treatments. It has been virtually
impossible to affect any reduction in programs.
Each
time we try, advocates cry to high heaven that we are putting the spiritual
lives of our youth at risk. If symptoms reappear, we program even heavier doses
of interviews, activities, meetings, and assessments.
The
best answer perhaps is to withdraw all prescriptions and start over. The whole
correlation effort, which took about twenty years, followed that course and
much was accomplished. The habits for moral and spiritual health were defined.
The scriptures were prescribed as the basic nourishment. The curriculum, loaded
with spiritual nutrients, was developed but we did not allow time for it to
work and we failed to close the pharmacy or even effectively control it.
We
now have ourselves in a corner. For instance, we have reason to be seriously
concerned about the lack of reverence in the Church. Perhaps this one thing,
general across the world, is as much an interference with and a
short-circuiting of inspiration as anything that could be pointed to. However,
I dare not press for the corrections of that issue because we do not seem to be
able to solve a problem without designing a program with pages of instruction
and sending it out again.
It
is time now for you who head the auxiliaries and the departments and those of
us who advise them, after all the repetitive cautions from the First
Presidency, to change our mind-set and realize that a reduction of and a
secession from that constant programming must be accomplished.
The
hardest ailment to treat is a virtue carried to the extreme. We cannot seem to
learn that too much, even of a good thing, or too many good things, like
vitamins taken in overdose, can be harmful.
In
recent years I have felt, and I think I am not alone, that we were losing the
ability to correct the course of the Church. You can not appreciate how deeply
I feel about the importance of this present opportunity unless you know the
regard, the reverence, I have for the Book of Mormon and how seriously I have
taken the warnings of the prophets, particularly Alma and Helaman.
Both
Alma and Helaman told of the church in their day. They warned about fast
growth, the desire to be accepted by the world, to be popular, and particularly
they warned about prosperity. Each time those conditions existed in
combination, the Church drifted off course. All of those conditions are present
in the Church today.
Helaman
repeatedly warned, I think four times he used these words, that the fatal drift
of the church could occur "in the space of not many years." In one
instance it took only six years. (See Helaman 6:32, 7:6, 11:26)
The
announcement of tithes and offerings, which has been sent now, is of such
enormous importance because, perhaps for one time only, we have an opportunity
in one sweeping stroke, to correct much of what heretofore we have been unable
to correct.
The
revelations tell us that there are limits to what mankind will be allowed to
do. When those limits are reached, then comes destruction. And, the patience of
the Lord with all of us who are in leadership positions, is not without limits.
Regimentation
The
most dangerous side effect of all we have prescribed in the way of programming
and instructions and all is the over regimentation of the Church. This over
regimentation is a direct result of too many programmed instructions. If we
would compare the handbooks of today with those of a generation ago you would
quickly see what I mean. And Brother Hanks mentioned that the Melchizedek
Priesthood Handbook is an amalgamation of several handbooks and a reduction of
them all with, I think, nothing lost; much gained.
"Teach
them correct principles," the prophet said, "and then let,"
let--a big word, "them govern themselves." (See messages of the
Firsts Presidency, p. 54.) Our members should not, according to the scriptures,
need to be commanded in all things. (See D&C 58:26)
Local
leaders have been effectively conditioned to hold back until programmed as to
what to do, how, to whom, when, and for how long. Can you see that when we
overemphasize programs at the expense of principles, we are in danger of losing
the inspiration, the resourcefulness, that which should characterize Latter-day
Saints. Then the very principle of individual revelation is in jeopardy and we
drift from a fundamental gospel principle!
"Adam
fell that men might be: and men are, that they might have joy." That
much-quoted verse in the book of Mormon is followed by this one:
"And
the Messiah cometh in the fullness of time, that he may redeem the children of
men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have
become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to
be acted upon." (2 Nephi 2:25:26)
My
feeling about our present opportunity with this change in funding is based on
doctrine. For generations we have taught that the temporal salivation of the
Saints depends upon independence, industry, thrift, and self-reliance. We would
never stray from that in teaching about temporal things.
On
the other hand, it is possible that we are doing the very thing spiritually
that we have been resolutely resisting temporally; fostering dependence rather
than independence, extravagance rather than thrift, indulgence rather than
self-reliance.
We
send two diverging signals and the Lord has told us: "if a house be
divided against itself, that house cannot stand" (Mark 3:25).
It
is not that any one thing we have been doing is wrong, for we have acted with
the best of intentions. Some of us remember when President Kimball saw the
outlay of curriculum and the vast display of printed material. He said he was
frightened, "We have done it all with the best intentions." It is
just that we can do far too much of good things. One or two reports of
inactivity or extreme behavior and we rush to make corrections across the whole
Church with more programs, more interviews, more assessments.
Risks Involved
This
change will cause a reduction in programs and activities; that we intended. I
quickly admit that there are risks involved when we simplify instructions or
loosen up on regimentation. It is no different than what we face when our own
children begin to mature and venture out into the world. Wise parents loosen
the apron strings and help children to leave the nest to start anew the cycle
of mortal life.
If
we teach them correct principles rather than overburdening them with too many
instructions and programmed activities, they can be both free and spiritually
safe in any nation, among any people, in any age. If we indulge them too much,
or make them too dependent, we weaken them morally, then they will be compelled
by nature itself to find the wrong way.
The
only safe course is to make sure that they know the gospel, that they are
acquainted with the scriptures, with revelation, with repentance, with how the
Holy Ghost functions, with the voice of the Spirit.
A
knowledge of right and wrong does not automatically result from programmed
activities. It must be taught.
We Need to be
Temperate
We
need a sensible balancing of and a careful withdrawal of this medication of
over programming. It can begin simply by restraining ourselves from writing
more prescriptions, and by counseling local leaders not to replace the ones we
phase out. So, the problem Regional Representatives! There will be the
tendency, we have seen it already when we began to phase out and withdraw, for
the local leaders, conditioned as they are, to want to use that time and build
up more detailed programs on their own.
We
must use great care and be temperate. There are always those who will go to the
extreme and want to cancel all activities. That is not what I am talking about,
not at all. I am talking about a careful course correction.
There
are always those who cry for a lifting of all the rules and regulations and
laws and restraints. Always they claim that the doctrine of free agency demands
that.
Moral Agency
The
agency the Lord has given us is not a "free" agency. The term
"free" agency is not found in the revelations. It is a moral agency.
The Lord has given us freedom of choice:
"That
every man may act in doctrine and principle pertaining to futurity, according
to the moral agency which I have given unto him, that every man may be
accountable for his own sins in the day of judgement."
(D&C 101:78)
There
is no agency without choice; there is no choice without freedom; there is no
freedom without risk; nor true freedom without responsibility.
This
change in budgeting will have the effect of returning much of the
responsibility for teaching and counseling and activities to the family where
it belongs. There will be fewer intrusions into the family schedules and into
the family purses.
It
will set a better balance between families being assessed time and money to
support Church activities, and Church activities complementing what families
should do for themselves and backing away to an extent so they can do it. That
is, if all of us will understand and will do it.
I
repeat, perhaps for one time only we have the opportunity to adjust that
balance so that Church activities sustain parents and families rather than the
other way around.
Now,
there will be smaller budgets and fewer activities, fewer programs. That will
leave a vacuum. Nothing likes a vacuum.
We
must resist, absolutely resist, the temptation to program that vacuum. That
space belongs to families. When we cut down on Sundays to the block plan that
consolidated our meetings and left some time open, you know what happened. Now
brethren, it is their time. Let them use it as they feel to do -- for better or
for worse. That is the risk. If we fail to teach them correct principles, teach
them the doctrine, they will not know how to govern themselves.
If
we do, then that vacuum will be filled with prayer and work and study, study
for school, for instance, study the gospel. It will be filled with faith and
reverence. It will be filled with the intimate love between husband and wife,
with the tender love of parents to children. There will come a safe and
virtuous dependency. Latter-day Saints will come to depend upon the Lord
instead of upon the headquarters of the Church.
We
are in mortality to receive a mortal body, to be tested, to prepare for
Godhood. There is no testing without choice. Please, for this one time, honor
the agency of the members, the families.
Reorientation of
Thinking
This
change has given me renewed hope. It will require some considerable adjustment
in our thinking and a change in deeply ingrained habits.
What
we do we must do wisely, temperately. We can effect a course correction and we
will see the Church delivered safely to the next generation. And then we can
move into these developing nations with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It
is my personal conviction, I think it is obvious, that this change in budgeting
will have enormous reactivation influence on those who have held back because
they could not afford the cost of Church activities.
Stake
leaders now must sponsor fewer activities, leaving most of the time and money
to ward leaders. We have had reports, for instance, of stake presidents that,
in one case, want to keep 65% of the allotments so that they can continue with
their stake activities and leave the wards to themselves. Now, will you
Regional Representatives watch that, to see that budgets are shifted down to
the wards. It will need your attention. Ward leaders in turn, by this action,
will be leaving more of both time and money to the families.
Another
point. Some of us have missed the point that this is a reduction in both time
and money. In fact, the letters that came out from the First Presidency over
the last years, one of them issued five times, for instance, emphasizes the
reduction in the time required of Church members first, not just the money.
Commercial
Substitutes
Something
else we must watch: already there grows up commercially oriented activities.
Resourceful members of the Church saying, "Well, if the Church is going to
back off on this, we can provide that" and you can see the obvious. Be
careful of those. Be alert to them; beware of them.
Tithes and Offerings
When
President Benson was a stake president, he wrote the First Presidency proposing
that the Church be operated on tithes alone. It took him a little while to get
it done. He said: "We will depend on tithing more than ever to finance the
programs of the Church. That will be possible only as all our leaders and more
of our membership are full-tithe payers." (President Ezra Taft Benson,
Regional Representative Seminar, 2 April 1982)
There
should not be the slightest hesitancy to teach and preach and emphasize the
principle of tithing. Tithing is a principle with a promise. Read Malachi. That
statement "prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not
open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing that there shall
not be room enough to receive it," those blessings come simply from
bringing your tithes and offerings. And He said "neither shall your vine
cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts."
(See Malachi 3:10-11) This is a principle with a promise, and it is the door to
the temple.
The
scriptures speak of tithes and of offering they do not speak of assessments or
fund raising. To be an offereing it has to be freely
given, not assessed or requested.
Spiritual vs.
Temporal
Tithing
is not so much a matter of money as a matter of faith. While the change in
budgeting may seem at first to be a temporal matter, the effect of it will be
spiritual.
The
Lord said that not at any time has he given either a law or a commandment which
is temporal. (See D&C 29:34-35) Of course he has not! Temporal means
temporary and, whether his laws govern the physical or the spiritual, his laws
are eternal!
Bishop's Interviews
Another
"small thing" has happened, something unprecedented. You know that
the guides and handbooks prescribe so many bishops’ interviews and regulated
the frequency of them that it would be literally impossible for a bishop to
conduct them all without him having to neglect other things. Because of that,
bishops often end up feeling inadequate or guilty.
I
will read a statement from the new Melchizedek Priesthood Handbook that Brother
Hanks introduced to us. Listen carefully:
"In
large wards, the interviews of Aaronic Priesthood young men and young women may
become burdensome. Bishops, acting with inspiration and wisdom, may wish to
adjust their scheduling and frequency of interviews." Can you see the
loosening up? "For example, some young members may need added attention
while others may need less frequent interviews than are suggested. The bishop
should interview priests and young women of corrresponding
age and may assign other youth interviews to his counselors. When a counselor
encounters serious matters, such as transgressions that require confession, he
should refer the member to the bishop without delay. Parents should be
encouraged to stay close to their chidlren allowing
local Church leaders to act in a supporting role."
Yesterday
in our temple meeting we were talking about this and talking a little about the
other meetings that the other meetings that the bishop is scheduled to be to.
Every time there is a graduation or a change in something, they prerscribe the bishop to be at the meeting. President
Monson mentioned that when he was a bishop, he followed the practice that if
the counselor had something to do with the organization, he said, "Well
even though the handbook said the bishop should be there, you will be the
bishop for that meeting!" There can be a delegation.
The Family
Now,
in conclusion, I once thought the family was unfairly neglected in the Church,
particularly in the organization. We have Melchizedek priesthood quorums to
foster the interest of men; the Relief Society for Sister. We have Aaronic
Priesthood quorums for boys, young women for girls, primary for the children
and so on. Each organization has general and local presidencies and quorums and
boards.
But
for the family there is no such thing, not so much as a committee. The family
has been everybody's business. Everybody's business, as we know, is nobody's
business. I used to worry as we designed programs to fit the weak, unstable
family, scheduling for men, women, children, youth, young adults, singles,
everything, with too little attention paid to the effect it was having on
stable families.
I
remember when some pressed for a written form so families could report their
compliance with the family home evening program. We did not permit it. And to
this day we have some who want to program formal interviews between parents and
their children.
I
once wondered if we should create an agency to represent the family. But on
more serious reflection, I changed my view. There are some things which cannot
be counted and should not be programmed. Matters with deepest doctrinal
significance must be left to married couples and to parents to decide for
themselves. We have referred them to gospel principles and left them to exercise
their moral agency. Serious problems often come voluntarily to their bishop.
That is the best way.
We
cannot program individual and family prayer, indeed all of the basic human
relationships, the emotional and the feelings, the bonds that bind man to woman
and parents to children, all of the quiet influences, the sacred things that
are centered in family life. The family is apart from and above the other
organizations and under the sealing authority, more enduring than them all.
While
the family may suffer both neglect and intrusion because of our penchant to
program everything, nevertheless, at the same time, the famiy
has been protected. Therein lies a testimony of the genius of Church
organization.
I
have but to ask one "what if" question to convince you of that. What
if, in the correlation process, we had organized a general board of the family?
The very thought of it sends chills of horror through my being.
Now,
you know why I feel as I do about this change.
The
world opened to us. We move now into developing nations and into nations
liberated from slavery, not unlike the Israelites as they came from
Brothers
and sisters, have you not heard that voice from the dust, the prophets of
ancient times warning us, teaching us? Can we not now move into the future to
meet the tremendous opportunities that are before us and taketh
the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, leaving much behind,
not neglecting those fundamental doctrines, those fundamental gospel principles
and ordinances. Then we will have acted in the offices to which we have been
called with all diligence and the Lord will bless us.
I
bear witness that He lives, that this is his church, that it is led by
inspiration and that his spirit is guiding us, in the name of Jesus Christ,
amen.
Let Them Govern
Themselves
Boyd K. Packer
1.
Reduce and simplify -- course correction. Pres. Monson
2.
Less concerned with fun and more with faith. Pres. Hinckley
3.
Don't create additional programs.
4.
Warning: Fast growth, accepted by the world, prosperous and popular.
5.
Teach them correct principles "let" them govern themselves only safe
course is to make sure they:
a.
know the gospel
b.
are acquainted with the scriptures
c.
are acquainted with revelation
d.
are acquainted with repentance
e.
are acquainted with how the Holy Ghost functions
f.
are acquainted with the voice of the Spirit
--"a
knowledge of right and wrong does not automatically result from programmed
activities. It must be taught!"
--Promise
"If
we teach them correct principles rather than overburden them with too many
instructions and programmed activities, they can be both free and spiritually
safe in any nation, among any people, in any age."
6.
Return the responsibility of teaching and counseling to the family -- resist
the temptation to program the vacuum.
7.
Shift budget emphasis from stake to wards.
8.
Reduction of both time and money.
9.
Teach tithing.
10.
"Family is apart from and above the other organizations and under the
sealing authority, more enduring than them all."