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Doctrine and Covenants Week 9: D&C 3540, 47

1) Recap: a) [SLIDE 2] Last week we talked about the Lamanite Mission, in which Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, and others were called to travel from western New York to the Indian Territory west of Missouri to preach the restored gospel to Native Americans. 1 b) We also covered how they stopped along the way in northeastern Ohio, where Parley converted his former pastor, Sidney Rigdon. 2) Since Sidney Rigdon plays such an important role in Church history and the Doctrine and Covenants,2 Id like to take a few minutes to review his life up to this point. a) [SLIDE 3] Sidney was born in St. Clair Township, Alleghany County, Pennsylvania, on 19 February 1793. He married Phebe Brook (or Brooks) in 1820 and they became the parents of eleven children. b) He was a tanner by profession, but also a powerful and persuasive orator. He became a popular Baptist preacher in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. c) In 1821 he became affiliated with Alexander Campbells movement (known as the Disciples of Christ or Campbellites).3 i) Campbell rejected all existing churches and their creeds. It was his belief that the true church of Christ no longer existed, and that restoring apostolic Christianity would hasten the millennium. d) Sidney moved to Mentor, Ohio, in 1826 to become pastor of a Baptist church that was more accepting of Campbells views, but by 1830 he found himself disagreeing with Campbell on a number of key issues.4 It was at this point that Parley Pratt and the other Mormon missionaries came to Ohio. e) Sidney read the Book of Mormon, believed it to be true, and was converted to the Mormon faith. He and his wife were baptized on 14 November 1830. f) He then proceeded to convert hundreds of members of his Ohio congregations. By the end of 1830, there were 300 Mormons in Ohio, almost three times as many as were in New York where the Church had been organized seven months earlier. g) Sidney Rigdon would go on to become one of the most important figures in the early years of the restored Church, serving as a counselor to Joseph Smith in the First Presidency, acting as Josephs scribe in the new translation of the Bible,5 participating

See lesson 8, pages 59 (https://sites.google.com/site/hwsarc/home/dc/week08). With the excepts of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdons name appears more often in the Doctrine and Covenants more than any other individuals. 3 Alexander Campbell (17881866) was born in Ireland and educated at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. In 1809, at the age of 21, he immigrated to the United States, and eventually settled in Bethany, Virginia (later West Virginia). It was there that he and his father, Thomas, established the Disciples of Christ movement, which rose to prominence in the United States in the 1820s. 4 These issues included Campbells quest to restore ancient Christianity, employment of communal societies, and gifts of the spirit. 5 Today we call it the Joseph Smith Translation, but this term wasnt created until the 1970s. Joseph always referred to the project in his revelations as the translation or the new translation (see D&C 73:4; 76:15; 90:13; 94:10; 124:89). We will discuss in greater detail in lesson 15.
1 2

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in several important revelations (including D&C 76, the vision of the three degrees of glory), and organizing and teaching the School of the Prophets in Kirtland. 3) D&C 3536. a) After his baptism Sidney felt compelled to meet Joseph Smith. He took Edward Partridge6 with him and travelled to Fayette, New York, arriving in early December 1830.7 b) Soon after they arrived, Joseph received a revelation directed to Sidney (D&C 35) and one to Edward Partridge (D&C 36). c) [SLIDE 4] In the revelation to Sidney Rigdon the Lord compared him to John the Baptist, in that he prepared the way before the Lord by baptizing, but did not give the gift of the Holy Ghost (35:46). He was told that there was a greater work prepared for him (35:3), and was commanded to act as Josephs scribe in receiving the scriptures (35:20), a reference to Josephs work on the translation of the Bible. 4) [SLIDE 5] The Spaulding-Rigdon hypothesis. a) Since were discussing the first meeting between Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith, I thought this would be an appropriate time to review one of the oldest claims about how the Book of Mormon really came into being. b) Sidney Rigdon was one of the few members of early Church who had any formal religious training. He was a skilled writer and speaker, which was unique in a Church that was filled with amateurs. c) Because of his extensive knowledge in religious matters, some critics have claimed that it was actually Sidney Rigdon who wrote the Book of Mormon. (Joseph Smith, of course, was too crude and uneducated to pull it off.) The theory goes like this: i) There was a Congregationalist preacher by the name of Solomon Spaulding (or Spalding) who lived the last years of his life in northeast Ohio and southwest Pennsylvania. He died in 1816 after having written a work of fiction about the lost civilization of the mound builder Indians of North America. ii) After the Book of Mormon was published in 1830 and Mormon missionaries brought it to Ohio, some of Spauldings family and acquaintances claimed that portions of it were identical to Spauldings manuscript, including the main storyline, proper names like Nephi and Lamanites, and the phrase and it came to pass. iii) In 1833 Doctor Philastus Hurlbut8 (Doctor was his first given name, not an earned or honorific title),who had been excommunicated from the Church for immorality,9
6 At this point, Edward Partridge (17931840) was not a member of the Church. His wife, Lydia, had been baptized, but he was still uncertain. After meeting with Joseph Smith he was convinced of the truth of the restored gospel, as was baptized by Joseph on 11 December 1830. Joseph later referred to Partridge as a pattern of piety, and one of the Lords great men. History of the Church 1:128 (http://byustudies2.byu.edu/hc/1/14.html#128). 7 This revelation carried the date 7 December 1830 when it was published in The Ohio Star 3/1 (5 January 1832; http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/miscoh02.htm#010532) and Painsville Telegraph 3/31 (17 January 1832; http://www.sidneyrigdon.com/dbroadhu/OH/paintel3.htm#011732). These two papers were critical of the Church and its truth claims, and used a copy of the revelation provided by Simonds Ryder, who had apostatized after his last name was misspelled Rider in a revelation (D&C 52:37). 8 Hurlbut was baptized in early 1833 and came to Kirtland, where he met Joseph Smith on 13 March 1833, was ordained an elder by Sidney Rigdon, and called to serve a mission in Pennsylvania. Soon after that, fellow missionary Orson Hyde accused Hurlbut of unchristian conduct with the female sex, and he was excommunicated on 3 June 1833. After that he worked vigorously to discredit Joseph Smith and the Church. In summer and autumn 1833 Hurlbut traveled in Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York, collecting statements against Joseph by his former neighbors. He returned to the

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went around collecting affidavits from people who were hostile to Joseph Smith. He included sworn statements from Spauldings acquaintances about connections between the Book of Mormon and the Spaulding manuscript. Spauldings widow gave Hurlbut a manuscript that he claimed, in public presentations, was the source of the Book of Mormon. iv) Hurlbut gave the affidavits and manuscript to Eber D. Howe, who published a book in 1834, Mormonism Unvailed.10 (This has the dubious distinction of being the first anti-Mormon book.) (1) [SLIDE 6] Howe believed the evidence of a Spaulding/Book of Mormon connection was so strong that he mentioned it right on the books title page. (2) Howe was unable to find the alleged similarities between Spauldings manuscript and the Book of Mormon and instead argued in his book that there must exist a second Spalding manuscript which was now lost. Howe concluded that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon used this lost manuscript to produce the Book of Mormon for the purpose of making money.11 v) Proponents of the Spaulding theory had to explain how Joseph Smith could have access to the writings of Spaulding, who died in southwest Pennsylvania when Joseph Smith was 10 years old and living in Vermont. (1) The most popular theory was that Sidney Rigdon had access to the manuscript when both he and Spaulding lived in the Pittsburg, Pennsylvania area, and that Rigdon later gave it to Joseph Smith.12 (2) [SLIDE 7] Palmyra, New York, resident Pomeroy Tucker later embellished this story by claiming in his 1867 book Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism13 that there was a mysterious stranger who regularly visited Joseph Smith prior to the publication of the Book of Mormon.14 [SLIDE 8] This literary genius behind the screen was triumphantly revealed by Tucker to be Sidney Rigdon. 15

Kirtland area in December 1833, and began a series of lectures that stirred up persecution against Joseph and his followers. In at least one of his lectures, Hurlbut vowed to wash his hands in Joseph Smiths blood. Joseph filed a complaint against Hurlbut, and the case went to trial in early 1834. Hurlbut lost and was required to post a $200 bond that he would forfeit if he did not keep the peace Geauga County, Ohio. Hurlbut stopped lecturing, but instead published his research in book form in November 1834. See David W. Grua, Joseph Smith and the 1834 D. P. Hurlbut Case, BYU Studies 44/1 (2005), 3354 (https://byustudies.byu.edu/showTitle.aspx?title=6916). 9 Hurlbut appealed his excommunication. The minutes of the council that heard his appeal are available online at the Joseph Smith Papers project website (http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/minutes-21-june-1833%E2%80%93a). 10 E. D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed: or, a faithful account of that singular imposition and delusion, from its rise to the present time. With sketches of the characters of its propagators, and a full detail of the manner in which the famous Golden Bible was brought before the world. To which are added, inquiries into the probability that the historical part of the said Bible was written by one Solomon Spalding, more than twenty years ago, and by him intended to have been published as a romance (Painesville, Ohio: self-published, 1834). An electronic copy of this book is available online (http://books.google.com/books?id=KXJNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP5). 11 The entire story behind this, along with a rebuttal to modern believers in the Spaulding-Rigdon hypothesis, is presented in Matthew Roper, The Mythical Manuscript Found, FARMS Review 17/2 (2005), 7140 (http://maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/publications/review/?vol=17&num=2&id=584). 12 Spaulding lived in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, from 1812 to 1814. Sidney Rigdon lived south of Pittsburg and was 19 to 21 years old during this time. 13 Pomeroy Tucker, Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism. Biography of its founders and history of its church. Personal remembrances and historical collections hitherto unwritten (New York, New York: D. Appleton and Co., 1867), 75. An electronic copy of this book is available online (http://books.google.com/books?id=1SPym5HSN4C&ots=8s3TPw8uIA&pg=PA1). 14 Tucker, 28. 15 Tucker, 75. 2012, Mike Parker http://bit.ly/ldsarc For personal use only. Not a Church publication.

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(3) How Rigdon came to know Joseph Smith, prior to their first public meeting in December 1830, was never adequately explained by Tucker. vi) The bigger problem for the Spaulding theory is that the manuscript itself, from which its purported connections to the Book of Mormon could be proven, conveniently disappeared in 1834. No one had a copy of it. (1) The claims of its similarity to the Book of Mormon could not be proven, but that didnt stop the Hurlbut affidavits forming that basis for the popular explanation of the origin of the Book of Mormon for the first 50 years after it was published. (2) However, in 1884 a copy of Spauldings manuscript was discovered Honolulu, Hawaii, and it bore no similarity to the Book of Mormon whatsoever: None of the Book of Mormons proper names appeared in the manuscript, there was no use of it came to pass, and Spauldings story was about a group of seafaring Romans who were blown off course and landed in northeastern America, not Israelites from Jerusalem who were led by God to a promised land.16 (3) Although this basically killed the Spaulding theory of the origin of the Book of Mormon, there are still a few die-hard proponents who still believe Eber Howes assertion that there is a second as-yet-undiscovered Spaulding manuscript that is the real source of the Book of Mormon.17 5) D&C 3738. a) [SLIDE 9] The doctrine of the gathering. i) Sidney and Edwards arrival acted as a catalyst for a new doctrine that had recently been introduced to the Prophet by revelation. D&C 29:78
7

And ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of mine elect; for mine elect hear my voice and harden not their hearts; 8wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.

D&C 31:78
7

Yea, I will open the hearts of the people, and they will receive you [Thomas B. Marsh]. And I will establish a church by your hand; 8and you shall strengthen them and prepare them against the time when they shall be gathered.

(1) These revelations, both received in late September 1830, contained the first indications that the members of the new Church would be gathered to a single place.

16 LDS scholars are so confident of the lack of any connection between Spauldings book and the Book of Mormon that Brigham Young University reprinted Spauldings book in its entirety: Manuscript Found: The Complete Original Spaulding Manuscript, edited by Kent P. Jackson (Provo, Utah: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1996. An electronic copy of this book is available online (http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/rsc/id/13968). 17 For the latest on this front, see Wayne L. Cowdrey, Howard A. Davis, and Arthur Vanick, Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon?: The Spalding Enigma (Concordia Publishing House, 2005). (Reviewed and rebutted by Roper; see footnote 11). Wayne Cowdrey once claimed to be a descendant of Oliver Cowdery until it was pointed out to him that Olivers last name is spelled -ery, not -rey, and that Oliver Cowdery had no living descendants.

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ii) [SLIDE 10] With hundreds of new converts in Ohio, and Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridges journey to meet the Prophet, finally the call to gather came in December 1830: D&C 37:1, 3
1

Behold, I say unto you that it is not expedient in me that ye should translate any more until ye shall go to the Ohio, and this because of the enemy and for your sakes. . 3 And again, a commandment I give unto the church, that it is expedient in me that they should assemble together at the Ohio, against the time that my servant Oliver Cowdery shall return unto them.

(1) The commandment to cease translating refers to Joseph and Sidneys work on the new translation the Bible.18 (2) The Ohio refers to the entire area now called the state of Ohio. In 1831 this area was not yet a state of the Union and was commonly referred to as the Western Reserve, or the Ohio.19 (3) Against in this instance means in preparation for.20 The Church was to assemble together at the Ohio in preparation for the time that Oliver Cowdery would return from the Lamanite Mission in Missouri. iii) The third conference of the Church took place on Sunday, 2 January 1831, at the Whitmer home in Fayette. The congregation was aware of Josephs revelation commanding the Church to gather in Ohio. Knowing it would require them to sell their lands and many of their possessions, they sought to receive more concerning the matter, and this revelation was given.21 D&C 38:3133
31

And that ye might escape the power of the enemy, and be gathered unto me a righteous people, without spot and blameless32wherefore, for this cause I gave unto you the commandment that ye should go to the Ohio; and there I will give unto you my law; and there you shall be endowed with power from on high; 33and from thence, whosoever I will shall go forth among all nations, and it shall be told them what they shall do; for I have a great work laid up in store, for Israel shall be saved, and I will lead them whithersoever I will, and no power shall stay my hand.

(1) This revelation explained that the gathering was commanded so that the Church could (a) escape their enemies (specifically the rising persecution in New York),22
This work recommenced on 4 February 1831 (D&C 41:7). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connecticut_Western_Reserve. 20 Noah Webster, American Dictionary of the English Language, 1828 ed., s.v. Against, def. 8 (http://www.1828dictionary.com/d/word/against). 21 See remarks by Orson Pratt, 29 January 1860. Journal of Discourses 7:372 (http://en.fairmormon.org/Journal_of_Discourses/7/58#372). After the revelation was received, Church Historian John Whitmer recorded that there were some divisions among the congregation, some would not receive the above [revelation, i.e. D&C 38] as the word of the Lord: But that Joseph had invented it himself to deceive the people that in the end he might get gain. Now this was because their hearts were not right in the sight of the Lord, for they wanted to serve God and man; but our Savi[o]r has declared that it was impossible to do so. The Book of John Whitmer, 8; reprinted as part of the Joseph Smith Papers in Histories, Vol. 2: Assigned Histories, 18311847, edited by Karen Lynn Davidson, Richard L. Jensen, and David J. Whittaker (Salt Lake City: The Church Historians Press, 2012), 21. 22 For the context of this warning, see D&C 38:13, 2830.
18 19

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(b) create a righteous people, (c) receive the law of the Lord,23 (d) be endowed with power from on high through the ordinances of the Kirtland Temple, and (e) having been endowed, to go forth as missionaries to the nations of the world. D&C 39:15
15

And inasmuch as my people shall assemble themselves at the Ohio, I have kept in store a blessing such as is not known among the children of men, and it shall be poured forth upon their heads. And from thence men shall go forth into all nations.

(2) This repeats the promise in 38:3233 of an endowment upon the Saints, followed by missionary work among foreign nations. iv) Development of the doctrine of the gathering: (1) The concepts of Zion and the gathering that weve discussed are both closely linked together. Zion is a place of safety (D&C 45:66) to which the Saints will gather for protection and to be taught Gods law. (2) For Latter-day Saints, the gathering of Israel involves bringing together the heirs of the covenant to designated places where they can enjoy the blessings of temples. (a) [SLIDE 11] In Nauvoo, Wilford Woodruff recorded a sermon by Joseph Smith:
[Joseph] asked, What was the object of gathering the Jews together 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 glories of his kingdom, and teach the people the ways 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. This was purposed in the mind of God before the world was, and it was for this purpose that God designed to gather together the Jews oft, but they would not. It is for the same purpose that God gathers together the people in the last days: To build unto the Lord a house to prepare them for the ordinances and endowment, washings and anointings, etc.24

(3) The Kirtland area in northeastern Ohio was the first gathering place. But Ohio would be a gathering place only for a little season (D&C 51:16). Zion, in Jackson County, Missouri, was the land appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints (D&C 57:13). (4) Over time the gathering place has shifted from Ohio, to Missouri, to Nauvoo, to Utah. Converts from various countries around the world were encouraged to come to America and join the community of Latter-day Saints.

23 The Law of the Lord was revealed at Kirtland, Ohio, on 9 February 1831. It is canonized as D&C section 42, which well cover in lesson 10. 24 Wilford Woodruff diary, 11 June 1843 (http://www.boap.org/LDS/Parallel/1843/11Jun43.html); spelling and punctuation modernized. Words of Joseph Smith 21213; see also HC 5:423; Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith 30708.

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(5) Today, members in all parts of the world are now encouraged to gather in their own communities and build Zion in their own wards and stakes.25 Stakes have been established and temples have been built in many countries to facilitate this. 6) [SLIDE 12] Unity and the beginnings of consecration. a) Another important passage from D&C 38 commands the members of the Church to be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine (38:27). i) Its important that this oft-quoted scripture is read in context. Its often used in the sense that Latter-day Saints need to hold the same beliefs or opinions about doctrinal or secular matters, but thats not what its really about. D&C 38:2427
24

And let every man esteem his brother as himself, and practise virtue and holiness before me. 25And again I say unto you, let every man esteem his brother as himself. 26 For what man among you having twelve sons, and is no respecter of them, and they serve him obediently, and he saith unto the one: Be thou clothed in robes and sit thou here; and to the other: Be thou clothed in rags and sit thou thereand looketh upon his sons and saith I am just? 27 Behold, this I have given unto you as a parable, and it is even as I am. I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.

ii) Remember, one of the major concerns the members of the Church had at this time was that they would have to sell their lands and possessions in order to gather to Ohio.26 iii) For even further context, go back to verses 1620, which speaks of the divisions in the Church between rich and poor, and the promise of a land of inheritance where everyone will benefit. Then go forward to verses 3439, which tells them how to organize the move to Ohio while look[ing] to the poor and the needy, and administer[ing] to their relief. iv) When the entire passage (v. 2427) is read in context, it becomes clear that the unity the Lord is concerned about is economic equality.
In order to prepare the Saints for the celestial law of consecration about to be given them, the Lord commanded that they teach each other, within the scope of their callings, that they learn to care about their fellow Saints as much as they did themselves, and that they practice virtue and holiness. Note the repetition of the commandment to esteem their brother as themselves in verse 25, for this is the key. For example, if I truly love you as I love myself, then I cannot be happy if you are in want, and your well-being becomes a condition of my well-being. This is the attitude the Saints had to develop if they were going to be able to live the Lords celestial law when they got to Ohio and Missouri.27

v) This revelation was given to prepare them for the law of the Lord, which he promised to give them in Ohio, and which well discuss in greater detail in our next lesson.

25 The shift from gathering to a central place to building Zion in ones own home nation began with the administration of President Joseph F. Smith and was finalized under President David O. McKay. 26 See also John Whitmers statement in footnote 22 that some were concerned the command to gather was invented by Joseph so that he might personally profit. 27 Stephen E. Robinson and H. Dean Garrett, A Commentary on the Doctrine and Covenants (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2000), 1:264.

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7) D&C 3940. a) [SLIDE 13] The background of these two revelations concerns James Covill (1756 1844), who heard about the Church, came to Joseph Smith, and covenanted that he would obey any command the Lord gave him through Joseph. i) History of the Church and the section heading in the 1981 Doctrine and Covenants claims that Covill had been a Baptist minister for 40 years. More recent research has shown that he was actually a Methodist minister.28 b) Through Joseph, the Lord revealed to Covill intimate details of his life: That his heart was now right with God (39:8), but he previously rejected Christ many times because of his pride (39:9). The revelation then commanded him to be baptized, serve as a missionary, and help build up the Church (39:1013). c) After receiving this revelation, Joseph explained that James Covill rejected the word of the Lord, and returned to his former principles and people.29 d) The Lord then revealed to Joseph that Covill had been sincere when he came asking for a revelation (40:1), but that the fear of persecution and the cares of the world caused him to reject the word (40:2). e) These two revelations underscore the doctrine of agency that we discussed last week.30 James Covill covenanted to do what the Lord said, Satan offered his counterproposal (40:2), and Covill made the decision which he was going to follow. f) These were the last revelations received in New York before the Church membership moved west to Ohio. 8) D&C 47. a) Were going to fast forward two months and to Ohio for moment to talk about the office of Church Historian. D&C 47:13
1

Behold, it is expedient in me that my servant John [Whitmer] should write and keep a regular history, and assist you, my servant Joseph, in transcribing all things which shall be given you, until he is called to further duties. 2 Again, verily I say unto you that he can also lift up his voice in meetings, whenever it shall be expedient. 3 And again, I say unto you that it shall be appointed unto him to keep the church record and history continually; for Oliver Cowdery I have appointed to another office.

i) [SLIDE 14] John Whitmer (18021878) was a son of Peter Whitmer, Sr. and one of the Eight Witnesses of the Book of Mormon. The previous revelations in sections 15, 26, and 30 were addressed to him. In D&C 47, received on 8 March 1831, he was called to the office of Church Historian. (Oliver Cowdery had been serving unofficially in this position since the Church was organized.) (1) John faithfully served in the historians office until July 1834, and continued to keep a history of the Church until 1838.31
28 No detailed records of Church history were kept at the time (January 1831), and the claim that Covill was a Baptist (in HC 1:143) was based on Josephs flawed recollection in 1839, more than eight years later. See Steven C. Harper, Making Sense of the Doctrine and Covenants: A Guided Tour through Modern Revelations (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2008), 13233. 29 HC 1:145 (http://byustudies2.byu.edu/hc/1/15.html#145). 30 See lesson 8, pages 14 (https://sites.google.com/site/hwsarc/home/dc/week08 ).

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ii) Why is the keeping of our history so important to the Church? (1) Primarily because its a commandment of the Lord (D&C 21:1; 47:3; 123:117). (2) Also because Latter-day Saints believe that God intervenes in the history of mankind to bring to pass his purposes and goals. The Old Testament and Book of Mormon are examples of two divine histories that show how God was directly involved in the lives of his people. (3) Thirdly, I think our obsession with our history is to make sure that we are following the right path based on correct recording of revelations and other decisions. (a) [SLIDE 15] Joseph instructed the Twelve at Kirtland:
If you assemble from time to time, and proceed to discuss important questions, and pass decisions upon the same, and fail to note them down, by and by you will be driven to straits from which you will not be able to extricate yourselves, because you may be in a situation not to bring your faith to bear with sufficient perfection or power to obtain the desired information; or, perhaps, for neglecting to write these things when God had revealed them, not esteeming them of sufficient worth, the Spirit may withdraw and God may be angry; and there is, or was, a vast knowledge, of infinite importance, which is now lost. What was the cause of this? It came in consequence of slothfulness, or a neglect to appoint a man to occupy a few moments in writing all these decisions. [SLIDE 16] Here let me prophesy. The time will come, when, if you neglect to do this thing, you will fall by the hands of unrighteous men. Now, if you will be careful to keep minutes of these things, as I have said, it will be one of the most important records ever seen; for all such decisions will ever after remain as items of doctrine and covenants.32

(b) Truman G. Madsen:


If all of the Twelve then in Nauvoo had promptly recorded the meeting in which Joseph rolled off the responsibility from his shoulders upon them and charged them, in what he called his last charge, to go forward in building the kingdom, any claim that he intended someone else to succeed to the Presidency of the Church would be completely refuted by contemporary documents. But only one of the Twelve, Orson Hyde, recorded that meeting at the time. Most of those present didn't say much about it until several years later. Hence, although the charge that this meeting was a convenient afterthought is a false one, as a Church we would have been invulnerable on this point if proper records had been kept. They would have refuted any possible claim that Joseph did not want the President of the Twelve to succeed him.33

31 John Whitmer was excommunicated at Far West, Missouri, on 10 March 1838 for conduct unbecoming of a Christian. He remained in Far West until his death on 11 July 1878. Though he never reunited with the Church, he remained true to his testimony of the Book of Mormon. His written Church history has recently been published as part of the Joseph Smith Papers project; see footnote 21. 32 Joseph Smith, Important Items of Instructions to the Twelve, 27 February 1835. HC 2:199 (http://byustudies2.byu.edu/hc/2/14.html#199). 33 Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet (Bookcraft: 1989), 111.

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(c) Although the decisions made down at the ward level are less consequential to the Church as a whole, I believe that keeping accurate minutes in quorums and auxiliaries is just as important. (i) Someone in each meeting should be writing down the plans and commitments made in the meeting so they can be reviewed in future meetings; this ensures that important itemsand people!do not slip through the cracks. iii) Is Church history the same kind of history as kept by secular historians? (1) The history of the Church as kept by Church members is going to naturally be biased toward seeing events as unfolding according to a divine purpose. And thats as it should be: We believe we have a divine commission from God, and our official history is going to reflect how people responded to that commission. (2) Secular historywhat some have called warts and all historyplays an important role, but that role is not to build faith or uplift. I believe it is important that we know that side of our history, and be aware of the failings and mistakes of individuals in our history. But that we temper that with a perspective of faith, and a realization that God is at the helm, even if the people he chooses often carry out his directives imperfectly. 9) [SLIDE 17] Well be taking an extended break for the holidays. Well return on 3 January 2013. a) D&C 4142, 44, 48, 51, 70, 72, 79.

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