From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 26 Date: 02 Aug 1997 23:52:45 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 88:1-85, 117-41 Lesson 26 Scriptural Highlights 1. The light of Christ 2. Kingdoms and the laws that govern them 3. Seeking knowledge by study and faith You might ask one or two class members to tell how obeying the laws of God has brought them happiness. Discussion and Application Questions * What did the Lord reveal about the light of Christ in D&C 88:6-13? (See also D&C 84:45-47 and the quotation from the Guide to the Scriptures.) How does the light of Christ bless all who dwell on the earth? (See the quotation from President Smith.) What can we do to allow this light to bless our lives more abundantly? * In D&C 88:17-20, 25-26, what does the Lord teach about the destiny of the earth? (See also Articles of Faith 1 :10.) How do these passages affect your attitude toward the earth? * What determines whether a person will receive a celestial, terrestrial, or telestial glory? (See D&C 88:21-24, 34-40; and the quotation from Elder Talmage.) According to D&C 88:21, 34-35, why are God's laws essential? * What is the purpose of the parable in D&C 88:51 -61? * What insights about prayer do you gain from D&C 88:62-65? * What does it mean to become sanctified? (D&C 88:67-69, 74-75; Moses 6:59-60.) What must we do to be worthy of the Lord's promise that we may someday see him? (See D&C 67:10-14; 93:1; and the quotation from the Prophet Joseph Smith in lesson 20.) * In D&C 88:77-80 the Lord commands us to teach and learn the things "that pertain unto the kingdom of God." What subjects does the Lord include among these things? What should be the purpose of our learning? What does it mean to seek knowledge by faith as well as by study? (D&C 88: 118.) How can the principles taught in D&C 88:119-26 help us better serve in the Lord's kingdom? * Although D&C 88:119-20 refers to the building of a temple, these verses can be applied to our homes. What can we do to make our homes places where the family's thoughts and activities are centered on the work of the Lord? * Why does covetousness damage our spiritual growth? (D&C 88:123.) How can we overcome covetous feelings? (John 13:34-35.) * Why do you think the Lord calls charity "the bond of perfectness and peace"? (D&C 88:125). * The Prophet Joseph Smith called D&C 88 "the 'olive leaf' which we have plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord's message of peace to us" (History of the Church, 1:316). How can the teachings in D&C 88 bring peace to us? Quotations Guide to the Scriptures ("Light, Light of Christ"): "Divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. It is the law by which all things are governed in heaven and on earth (D&C 88:6-13). It also helps people understand gospel truths and helps to put them on that gospel path which leads to salvation." President Joseph F. Smith: "It is by the spirit which lighteth every man that cometh into the world that our minds are quickened and our spirits enlightened with understanding and intelligence. And all men are entitled to this. It is not reserved for the obedient alone; but it is given unto all the children of men that are born into the world" (Improvement Era, Mar. 1908, p. 380). Elder James E. Talmage: "The Lord has said that according to the laws we obey here shall we receive from Him. We speak of rewards just as we speak of punishments. But rewards and punishments will come through the operation of law.... If a man cannot or will not obey celestial laws, that is, live in accordance with the celestial requirements, he must not think that he is discriminated against when he is excluded from the celestial kingdom, because he could not abide it, he could not live there. If a man cannot or will not obey the terrestrial law he cannot rationally hope for a place in the terrestrial kingdom. If he cannot live the yet lower law - the telestial law - he cannot abide the glory of a telestial kingdom, and he will have to be assigned therefore to a kingdom without glory" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1929, p. 69). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 89-92 Page 51 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 26 The first 126 verses of D&C 88 were received during a conference in Kirtland, Ohio, on 27 and 28 December 1832. The remaining verses, dealing with the School of the Prophets, were added during the following week. The Prophet called this revelation "the 'olive leaf' which we have plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord's message of peace to us" (History of the Church, 1:316). At this time new converts were gathering in Jackson County so rapidly that many problems arose and Zion was not being established in the way commanded by the Lord. Some members would not accept the authority of their leaders in Missouri and criticized the Prophet for his actions. There was general neglect in keeping the commandments, resulting in petty jealousy, covetousness, light-mindedness, unbelief, and in some cases apostasy. The Prophet called the Missouri Saints to repentance and sent them a copy of D&C 88 to give them a higher vision of the majesty of God and their responsibilities in building the kingdom. As you study D&C 88:1-85, 117-41, consider the following: * What did the Lord reveal about the light of Christ? (D&C 88:6-13; 84:45-47.) What can you do to allow this light to bless your life more abundantly? * What insights about prayer do you gain from D&C 88:62-65? * What does it mean to become sanctified? (D&C 88:67-69, 74-75; Moses 6:59-60.) * How do the teachings in this section bring peace to you? The kitchen in the restored Newel K. Whitney store in Kirtland, Ohio. Page 52 VVVVVV-----From: Stephen Ott ------VVVVVVV Section 88 Verses 1-126 were received 27-28 December 1832, and verses 127-141 were received January 1833. ... received in the Prophet's translating room in the Whitney Store. Frederick G. Williams: ... to reveal his will unto us concerning the upbuilding of Zion.... ...we all bowed down before the Lord, after which each one arose and spoke in his turn his feelings, and determination to keep the commandments of God. ... proceedd to receive a revelation concerning the duty of the Elders as above stated. 9 oclock A.M. the revelation not being finished the conference adjourned till tomorrow morning 9 oclock A.M. 28th met according to adjournment and commenced by Prayer thus proceded to received the residue of the above revelation ... The solemn assembly was intended to be another day of Pentecost for the latter-day elders. ... but much preparation was to precede the occasion. First the elders were to be schooled both spirituall y and secularly; later they were to be washed and anointed to cleanse them from the sins of this world. The final preparation, the ordinance of washing of feet, was to occur on the day of the sacred meeting when the righteous would see the face of the Lord. ... On 30 March 1836, three days after the temple dedication, three hundred brethren assembled for the long-awaited meeting. The time was spent in administering the ordinances of washing the feet and partaking of the sacrament. Many witnessed remarkable spiritual manifestations. On 6 April 1837 another solemn assembly was held in the Kirtland Temple especially for those elders who had not been washed and anointed the previous year. ... Although the building subsequently would be referred to as a "temple," early appellations were simply "house of God," or "school." Evidence shows that the Prophet initially conceived the primary function of the sacred edifice to be that of a schoolhouse for those called to the ministry. .. It is unclear when the decision to build a house of worship was made public.... ...by the first week in June a revelation was received which gave the dimensions of the house of worship but stated that the architecture would be revealed later to three (i.e., the Presidency of the High Priesthood). The revelation further clarified that the house of worship should have two levels the lower for preaching, fasting, and praying and the upper for the school and promised that in the building the Lord would "endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high." ... 20 ... The temple is of high rectangular shape with double rows of windows and a tower rising from the main body. The dimensions are impressive: the structure measures 78=27x58=27, and from the basement to the tower the height is about 110 feet. The building is divided into three levels two almost identical stories of equal height and an attic and is lighted with thirty-two Gothic, three Venetian, ten dormer, one circular, and two square-gable windows. The ground floor was specially intended for worship, and the upper floor for classroom use. The attic was partitioned into then small rooms, five on either side of a hall. Both main levels had two complete sets of pulpits, one at either end. The western pulpits were for the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the eastern pulpits for the Aaronic. Each pulpit group ahd a compartment with a lectern behind which rose three tiers of pulpits. Eight wooden columns supported a ceiling that was flat over the aisles and arched over the center. Sets of ropes and pulleys concealed within the columns operated curtains (veils) that could be lowered to divide each hall and each row of pulpits into smaller compartments. ... Constructing the building took some thirty-three months and requires enormous sacrifice of the Saints. A conservative estimate of the cost of construction is 247-,000. On 6 April 1837 Sidney Rigdon was recorded as stating that the then "unliquidated debt" on the temple was 2413,000. The building was not completely finished when first occupied by a Hebrew school on 4 january 1836. This group occupied a room designated the "translating room" in the attic story, and two weeks later the entire School of Elders moved from the printing office to an adjoining room to the Hebrew class in the temple attic. The sacred building was dedicated on 27 March 1836 in the presence of some one thousand persons. After singing, praying, and preaching, the dedicatory prayer (section 109) was read aloud. ... the House of the Lord remained in constant use for several years with Sunday worship.... ...the Saints did not enjoy permanent use of the sacred house because a majority of those in the Kirtland area had left Ohio for Missouri by mid-1838, and the remainder by 1845. Although title to the temple appears to have been transferred to one of the Church's creditors in 1837, members remaining in Kirtland maintained use of the building until about 1845, when preparations were being made to migrate to the West. In 1880 the Reorganized LDS Church was awarded title to the building by "adverse possession" than is, although they did not hold legal title to it, their use and possession of the building over several years constituted ownership. ... The school, variously known as the "School of the Prophets," the "School of the Elders," and the "school of mine apostles," was intended to teach doctrine as well as secular topics to the Elders in order to properly "qualify themselves as messenger of Jesus Christ." Instruction for the "Elders" was offered during four winter sessions in Kirtland: January-April 1833, 1834-35, 1835-36, and 1836-37. Evidence also affirms that at least one session of the school was held in Missouri, during the summer of 1833. ... On January 23 a small number of men convened to organize the School of the Prophets. The event which predominated the meeting was the washing of feet. ... Consisting primarily of high priests, members of the school met regularly for nearly ten weeks (23 January to about 1 April 1833) in Kirtland, Ohio. The school was held in a small (10=27 x 14=27) room in the upper story of Newel K. Whitney's store. ... Although Joseph Smith presided over the school, Orson Hyde was appointed teacher. The number composing the 1833 school probably never exceeded twenty-five. ... The salutation recorded in D&C 88:133 was given each time the group came together. The teacher, "saluted the brethren with uplifted hands as they came in," remembered Zebedee Coltrin, one of the original school, and "they also answered with uplifted hands." Coltrin also stated, "Before going to school we washed ourselves and put on clean linen." Members of school came fasting at sunrise and normally continued until near 4:000 P.M. The Sacrament was "administered at times when Joseph appointed, after the ancient order; that is, warm bread to break easy was provided, and broken into pieces as large as a fist and each person had a glass of wine." At the conclusion of each meeting, the scholars were dismissed following a prayer with uplifted hands. Although the school was primarily intended for "revelation and doctrine," time was also given for "learning English grammer...." ... ... Church leaders in Jackson County, Missouri, organized a school for the Elders in 1833. ... The School of the Elders (Missouri) was intended to serve as a counterpart to the School of the Prophets (Kirtland) in preparing and instructing those called to the ministry. ... Orson Hyde appears to have had primary responsibility for teaching the regular courses of reading, writing, and arithmetic. The 1835-36 curriculum also included the study of Hebrew. 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, 1985), p. 181-191. The earlier heading read, "REVELATION given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, December 27, 1832. Designated by the Prophet, the Olive Leaf." It has been enlarged in the 1981 edition to read, "It was designated by the Prophet as the 27olive leaf ... plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord's message of peace to us.' It appears from the historical records that portions of this revelation were received on December 27 and 28, 1832, and January 3, 1833." Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works 1979, 1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4 (Fall 1982). A few verses that pertain to temple ordinances and ideas in D&C 88: 7-13: Creation motif 20-24: Degrees or progression 34-40: Eternal laws 46-61: Progression through degrees-with parable 68-84: Preparation before missionary work. The elders were expecting to receive an endowment (not a temple ordinance, but a spiritual manifestation like the Day of Pentecost) through the temple. Then they would be authorized to take the gospel to the world. 75: Clean from sins 118-126: Cleanliness; school of the Prophets 128-136: Greeting with uplifted hands 138-140: Cleanliness and specific ordinances ^^^^^^-----From: Stephen Ott ------^^^^^^^ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 24 (extra info) Date: 02 Aug 1997 23:53:22 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 84-85 Lesson 24 VVVVVV-----From: Stephen Ott ------VVVVVVV Section 78 Most students of Church history are aware that sections 78, 82, 92, 103, 104, and 105 carried a number of code names and words used to disguise the identity of the persons, places, and concepts referred to. The original drafts of these revelations did not contain these code words but used rather the real names of the persons and places. These code words began with the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. However, many readers have not understood why these unusual names were used. Some have supposed they represented a divine or revealed name of the persons and perhaps pertained to past or future existence. This evidently was not the case. The code names were used in 1835 so as not to expose to the enemies of the Church the identity of the persons, places, or concepts. The 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants printed the real names in brackets after the code words. This practice was continues until the 1981 edition. Since there exists no present need to have the code names, the 1981 edition uses only the names in the original manuscript. This procedure is explained in the new headnote to sections 78 and 82. Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works?1979, 1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4. The United Firm was a business partnership consisting of about a dozen Church leaders. Members of the firm were either land-owners or merchants whose purpose was to work in concert, using the financial means at their disposal, to generate pofits. Inasmuch as the members of the partnership were also presiding Church leaders, it is difficult to determine which of their financial transactions were purely personal and which were Church-related This dual relationship has led some writers to erroneously conclude that the United Firm administered the law of consecration. Specifically, the Church bishop administered the program of consecration. The United Order was essentially a private business concern. The nucleus from which the United Firm grew was the Gilbert-Whitney store, as it was called, expanded to two branches (one in Kirtland and one in Independence) .... Section 78 directed that the order be formed and commanded that Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Newel K. Whitney "sit in council with the Saints ... in Zion," to regulate the affairs of the poor. ... During their visit in Missouri, a meeting of the United Firm essentially incorporated the Missouri branch of the Gilbert-Whitney Store into the firm. William E. McLellan stated on more than one occasion that there were nine members of the United Firm, but there may have been more. The following are known to have been members in 1832: Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Jesse Gause, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris, A. Sidney Gilbert, Newel K. Whitney; undoubtedly Edward Partridge, William W. Phelps, and John Whitmer were also members in that year. Frederick G. Williams and John Johnson became members of the order in 1833. The members of the United Firm were consecrated in their respective responsibilities, and although they were to benefit personally from the profits of the firm, the surplus profits were to be used for the operation and blessing of the whole Church. ... On 10 Aprl 1834 members of the firm met and decided that the order should be dissolved, ... a revelation (section 104), commanded that the two brances of the firm become separate entities and that the members discontinue operating jointly. The coded names in section 78 and subsequent revelations dealing with United Firm ... were used to prevent enemies of the Church from taking advantage of the brethren after the revelations were published. It was decided that the financial affairs of the Church, administered by the firm, should be kept confidential. 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, 1985), p. 167-169. According to two manuscript copies ... section 78 was received in Kirtland not Hiram .... A notation in the "Kirtland Revelation Book," ... details the Prophet's activities ... "From the 16th of February up to this date [8 March] have been at home except a journey to Kirtland on the 29th Feby. and returned home on the 4th of March we received a revelation in Kirtland and one since I returned home blessed be the name of the Lord." The revelation received in Kirtland was section 78 ... and the revelation received after the Prophet's return to Hiram, Ohio, related to the duties of the Church bishop and the calling of counselors in the presidency of the High Priesthood .... Early manuscripts of section 78 ... clearly indicate that the subject at hand was the organization of brancehs of the Literary and United Firms .... Explicit reference to these business concerns was deleted when the revelation was published in 1835. ... The terms "Adam-ondi-Ahman" and "Son Ahman" ... were not part of the original revelation ... but were added in 1835. 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, 1985), p. 312-313. 15,20: Adam-ondi-Ahman & Son Ahman not part of the original revelation. 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, 1985), p. 313. References to business concerns deleted when published in 1835. 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, 1985), p. 313. 81 At a priesthood conference hold in Amherst, Ohio, on 25 January 1832, Joseph Smith was ordained and sustained President of the High Priesthood. Less than two months later the Prophet appointed two men to stand with him in the Presidency of the High Priesthood. ... Although the "Presidency" of the High Priesthood ... was to preside over all ordained high priests, by 1834 this body had become the First Presidency of the Church. ... While the recipient of Section 81 has traditionally been believed to be Frederick G. Williams, the "Kirtland Revelation Book" discloses that the revelation was intended for Jesse Gause. ... 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, 1985), p. 170-171. Use of the term "First Presidency" in revelations prior to 1834 is anachronistic. In all cases where this occurs the language was modified in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. 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, 1985), p. 314. 82 ... 26 April 1832, a general council of the Church was convened in which the Missouri Saints acknowledged Joseph Smith as President of the High Priesthood. At the close of the conference, the Prophet received section 82. ... Section 82 concerns itself witht he organization of a branch of the United Firm in Missouri and the responsibilities of the members of the firm to "manage the affairs of the poor." Verse 1 specifically refers to difficulties between Joseph Smith and Church leaders in Missouri and an eight-month-old disagreement between Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge. ... We lack some details about the latter problem, but the factors involved were "money," Ridgon's near drowning in the Missouri River on his return trip to Ohio from Missouri in 1831, and inconveniences suffered on the 1831 Missouri trip. ... Sidney became so disturbed over this affair that he became mentally depressed and preached falsely in public in Kirtland. ... ... Rigdon quickly became aware of his error, sought forgiveness, and on 28 July was reordained as a member of the Presidnecy of the High Priesthood. 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, 1985), p. 172-175. Sidney's first revelation in Kirtland was telling the people that the kingdom was rent from the, and they might as well all go home for they were rejected. The saints felt very bad and were alomost distracted. When brother Joseph cam home, (who was absent at the hime) he called Sidney into council and there told him he had lied in the name of the Lord; and says he, "you had better give up your licence and divest yourself of all the authority you can, for you will go into the hands of satan, and he will handle you as one man handleth another, and the less authority you have the better for you .... 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, 1985), p. 315. 104 ... an important revelation giving instructions to members of the United Firm. ... "revelation given April 23d 1834, appointing to each member of the United firm their stewardships." Prior to the Prophet's leaving for Missouri in May 1834, he desperately sought to borrow or collect by donation two thousand dollars to pay pressing debts incurred by the United Firm. ... Joseph Smith and other journeyed to New York to seek volunteers to help redeem the Jackson County Saints and to obtain money "for the relief of the brethren in Kirtland." ...a Church council voted that several elders should "exert themselves to obtain two thousand dollars for the present relief of Kirtland" .... ... returned to Kirtland unsuccessful in obtaining the needed money, the Prophet met with Newel K. Whitney, Frederick G. Williams, Oliver Cowdery, and Heber C. Kimball and prayed that the Lord would "furnish the means to deliver the [United] Firm from debt." ... On 10 April 1834, unable to secure the needed funds, members of the United Firm met and agreed that the "order" should be dissolved and each member have his stewardship set off to him. Section 104 gives the particulars of the division of the United Firm among the members living in Kirtland, and also directs the two branches of the firm (i.e., the Missouri branch and the Kirtland branch) to become separate entities. ... ... another revelation, received the same day ... required "every one of what was then called the firm to give up all notes & demands that they had against each other and all be equal." ... which follow verse 59 in the "Kirtland Revelation Book," are not part of the present text of section 104 of the Doctrine and Covenants: Therefore, a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall take the books fo Mormon and also the copy-right, and also the copy-right which shall be secured of the Articles and Covenants in which covenants all my commandments which it is my will should be printed, shall be printed, as it shall be made known unto you; and also the copy-right of the new translation of the scripture; and this I say that others may not take the blessings away from you which I have conferred upon you. 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, 1985), p. 210-212. ... the practice of bracketing the real names next to the substituted names began with the 1876 edition. By the 1921 edition almost all the real names had been identified. In the 1981 edition the code names were removed from the text in all but four cases, and the identity of one of these four is suggested in a textual note. ... ... received by Joseph Smith between 1832 and 1834. ... Joseph Smith was officially sustained for the first time by a conference vote as President of the High Priesthood. With his selection of two counselors in March, the first presiding quorum of the Church was established. ... By the end of the the membership was about ten thousand. ... Nevertheless, by 1832 a growing climate of hostility was manifesting itself against the Mormons. ... In the context of this growing hostility the decision was made to conceal the true idnetities of various early leaders, particularly those responsible for the economic matters of the Church. Sicne there were numberous problems connected with the early attempts to establish the law of consecration and stewardship, especially as it related to property holding, it was natural to hide the identity of those assigned specific temporal duties. The published revelations which contained the substituted names include section 78, 82, 92, 96, 103, 104, and 105. ... all of them were concerned with the united firm .... Thus section 78, the first section to use code names, deals with the establishment of a storehouse for the pooor; section 82 with the management of the properties for the poor; 92 with Frederick G. Williams who was instructed as a member fo the First Presidency to become a member of the united firm; 96 with the purchasing of properties; 104 with the stewardships fo those who were members of the united firm; and 105 with Zion's Camp and the redemption of Zion in Missouri. ... None of them appears in the 1833 Book of Commandments.... All but two (103 and 105) were printed in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants.... It is clear that the pseudonyms were not part of the original revelations, for in the cases where original manuscripts are extant, the code names are absent. ... The first attempt in LDS literature to explain the substituted names was made by Orson Pratt. ... Orson decided to publish an article on the matter in The Seer. Although it was a short essay, it was the first attempt to publicly reveal the true identities of the pseudonyms. ... He concluded his explanation by revealing the real names from memory and listing the five pseudonums whose real names he could not remember: Alsam, Mahalaleel, Horah, Shalemanasseh, and Melemson. ... Int he 1876 eidtion the code names were placed beside the real names. ... The unidentified names in the 1981 edition, with only one exception , are the same names Orson Pratt could not remember in 1854. ... The Phelps list is important because it finally reveals the identity of the remaining substituted names. ...it reveals the actual names of the remaining three individuals unidentified in the 1981 edition of the D&C: Mahalaleel was Algernon Sidney Gilber; Horah was John Whitmer; and Shalemanasseh was William W. Phelps. ... ... It is possible that they were simply invented, but it appears more likely that most of these names came from the Hebrew sutdies of early Mormon leaders. ... these early Mormons were just beginning their Hebrew studies, and perhaps a closer search fo their texts and dictionaries might reveal the actual source of these pseudonyms. David J. Whittaker, "Substituted Names in the Published Revelations of Joseph Smith," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 23, Winter 1983, Number 1. ... these economic revelations were given to specific people for specific purposes and ... generalizing may misinterpret them. ... Contrary to the traditional idea of failure, the United Order of Joseph Smith's time performed its mission brilliantly. This group was chosen even before the Twelve Apostles were called on 14 February 1835.... It combined the functions of today's Corporation of the President, the First Presidency, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric in conducting the business affairs of the Church. As the Quorum of the Twelve became mature and stable, it assumed with the First Presidency all the duties of the United Order. ... The creation of units in Utah from 1854 to 1877, which were also called united orders, has caused confusion.... The united orders from different eras had different purposes, structures, and membership. They also had no historical continuity. The United Order of Joseph Smith's day was organized essentially as a general partnership, with t a branch in Kirtland and one in Missouri. By law all the partners of a business partnership are fully liable for the business agreements made by any one of the partners. In that sense, all the partners hold all business and personal assets in common and put all business gains into one account before each person's share of the total is calculated. ... The original United Order was a combination of Church leader in Kirtland ... and those who had recently been sent to Missouri.... Bishop Partridge's two counselors, John Corrill and Isaac Morley, apparently acted as agents of the firm.... Two other men -- Frederick G. Williams and John Johnson -- were added later as full members by specific revelations.... ... From the original group of eleven partners, subgroups were formed as specific transactions or funcitons needed to be carried out.... These subgroups were kept insulated from each other.... In today's world where liability-limiting corporations can be formed almost at will, the myriad of general partner/silent partner arrangements of Joseph Smith's Order would likely be recast into a system of subsidiary corporations under the control of a parent corporation. ...that was not practical in Joseph Smith's day, since a separate act of state legislature was needed for any new corporation and men in the legislature were often hostile to LDS interests. ... If two or three men operated one store under a normal business name, and two or three other men operated another store under a different business name, and a third group operated a printing establishement under a third name, no one would suspect that all were really part of the same group.... ... It allowed the United Order brethren to control their business credit, risks, and liabilities. If a creditor of one Mormon enterprise realized that he could claim payment from several other enterprises which were all parts of the same organization, that creditor could severlely disrupt the gathering and settlement of the Saints. As it was, the creditors contracted with a limited set of men and looked only to them for repayemnt. The brethren contracted some large debts in their business dealings with the trade and finance institutions of their time.... These large lines of credit were necessary to sustain extensive purchases of land in Kirtland and Missouri, and later, Far West and Nauvoo.... Church -controlled firms made wholesale purchases of goods and resold them to the Saints, providing a reliable source of supplies and precluding price-gouging by outside traders.... It was, of course, necessary for some early migration plans to be secret.... If anyone, Church member or not, knew shere and when the Church was planning to move, they could purchase land at the destination from the government and then resell it at a large profit to the Saints. ... ... the existence and mission of the United Order was of necessity known to very few. ... ... After the initial thrust into Missouri, communication between the east and west branches probably was too slow to allow most decisions to still be made in Kirtland. Men on the spot had to be given that authority. The single firm became two firms, and each probably added extra personnel as agents. ... the eastern branch relinquished control of the western branch's operating decisions. Finally, some time after 1838, the functions of the United Order were absorbed by the First Presidnecy, the Quorum of the Twelve, and the Presiding Bishopric.... Kent W. Huff, "The United Order of Joseph Smith's Times," Dialogue: Journal of Mormon Thought, Summer 1986. ------------ Section 86 ... the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, found in Matthew chapter 13. The first draft of this parable in the Prophet's translation of the Bible retained the wording found in the King James Version, namely, that the tares would first be gathered. ... revised (probably on 6 December 1832) ... the wheat would first be gathered. 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, 1985), p. 179. This revelation clarifies some aspects of the parable of the wheat and the tares contained in Matthew 13. The former heading read, "REVELAT ION given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio:; December 6, 1832." The new heading adds by way of explanation, "This revelation was received while the Prophet was reviewing and editing the manuscripts of the translation of the Bible." There are interesting historical items that contribute to the foregoing statement. The Prophet had already completed the translation of the New Testament by March 1832, eight months before he received the revelation recorded as section 86. In his initial translation, the Prophet did not alter Matthew 13:30, which in the King James Version places the gathering of the tares before the gathering of the wheat. However, the Joseph Smith Translation manuscript has a note pinned over the passage, making the proper correction that the wheat is gathered first. This corresponds with the sequence given in D&C 86:7. This correction apparently was added on 6 December 1832, while the Prophet was reviewing the manuscript for publication. Although this entire "review" was not completed until July 1833, in December the Prope t was working with Matthew 13. A note in the Prophet's journal for 6 December 1832 reads, "December 6 translating and received a revelation explaining the Parable of the Wheat and the Tares etc." The activity referred to by the Prophet apparently has reference to his review of the Bible manuscript. This example is an illustration that during the process of the Bible translation the Prophet received light and inspiration, not only correcting errors that had crept into the Bible but also providing additional information. In this case, section 86 not only corrects a biblical error but also interprets the parable in terms of latter-day fulfillment. This revelation also demonstrates the close relationship that existed between the translation of the Bible and the reception of many revelation now contained in the Doctrine and Covenants. Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works 1979, 1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4 (Fall 1982). Section 87 ... some twenty-eight years before the American Civil War commenced.... In November 1832, before the reception of this revelation, South Carolina adopted a States' Rights position intended to nullify federal regulations not in their interests . ... Brigham Young, who noted that section 87 was intentionally left out of the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, indicated that this revelation was received "when the brethren were reflecting and reasoning with regard to African slavery on this continent, and the slavery of the children of men throughout the world." ... Section 87 was first published in the Pearl of Great Price in 1851 and was included as section 87 in the 1876 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. 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, 1985), p. 180. A history of the church's position of war during different wars; Ray C. Hillam and David M. Andrews, "Mormons and Foreign Policy," Brigham Young University Studies, Vol. 25, Number 1 (Winter 1985). 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 fabricatoin of gods of stone and steel ships, planes, missiles, fortifications and depend on them for protection and deliverance. When threatened, we become anti-enemy 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 Saviour's teaching: "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).... 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 no longer be our enemies. Spencer W. Kimball, "The False Gods We Worship," Ensign, 6 (June 1976). We repeat our warnings against the terrifying arms race in which the nations of the earth are presently engaged. We deplore in particular the building of vast arsenals of nuclear weaponry.... Its planners state that the MX system is strictly defensive in concept, and that the chances are extremely remote that it will ever be actually employed. However, history indicates that men have seldom created armaments that eventually were not put to use.... Our feelings would be the same about concentration in any part of the nation. ... such concentration, we are informed, may even invite attack under a first-strike strategy on the part of an aggressor. If such occurred the result would be near annihilation of most of what we have striven to build since our pioneer forebears first came to those western valleys.... Our fathers came to this western area to establish a base from which to carry the gospel of peace to the peoples of the earth. It is ironic, and a denial of the very essence of that gospel, that in this same general area there should be constructed a mammoth weapons system potentially capable of destroying much of civilization. The First Presidency, "Statement of the First Presidency on Basing of the MX missile," Church News9 May 1981. I don't want you to think ... that God has designed or willed that war should come among the people of the world, that the nations of the world should be divided against each other in war, and engaged in the destruction of each other God did not design or cause this. Joseph F. Smith, "Opening Address," Eighty-Fifth Semi-annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4 Oct. 1914 (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1915). Three months before the first world war. ... the Civil War was one of the bloodiest in history. The number killed or wounded varies considerably depending upon the source. Most Civil War studies give casualty figures in excess of 600,000. ... The next highest U.S. casualty figure is for World War II, which is 318,000. World War II is followed by World War I with 115,000. U.S. casualty figures for other wars include: The American Revolution, 4044; War of 1812: 2,200; Mexican War: 13,270; Korean War: 33,000; Vietnam War: 46,616. Donald Q. Cannon, "A Prophecy of War," Studies in Scripture, Volume One: The Doctrine and Covenants, Edited by Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson (Sandy, Utah: Randall Book Co., 1984), p. 337. Critics of the Prophet Joseph have maintained that this revelation was not published until after the Civil War. It is true that the revelation was not published in the Doctrine and Covenants until 1876. It was published, however, in the Pearl of Great price in 1851. Furthermore, the leaders of the Church were fully aware of Joseph Smith's prophecy concerning the Civil War as early as the 1830s. Orson Pratt, for example reacalled "When I was a boy, I traveled extensively in the United States and Canadas, preaching this restored gospel. I had a manuscript copy of the Revelation, which I carried in my pocket, and I was in the habit of reading it to the people among whom I traveled and preached." Studies in Scripture, Volume One: The Doctrine and Covenants, Edited by Robert L. Millet and Kent P. Jackson (Sandy, Utah: Randall Book Co., 1984), p. 338. The former editions have the following headnote: "REVELATION AND PROPHECY ON WAR, given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, December 25, 1832." The new edition adds the following: "This section was received at a time when the brethren were reflecting and reasoning upon African slavery on the American continent and the slavery of the childrn of men throughout the world." This information is attributed to President Brigham Young. Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works 1979, 1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4 (Fall 1982). Section 88 Verses 1-26 were received 27-28 December 1832, and verses 127-141 were received January 1833. ... received in the Prophet's translating room in the Whitney Store. Frederick G. Williams: ... to reveal his will unto us concerning the upbuilding of Zion.... ...we all bowed down before the Lord, after which each one arose and spoke in his turn his feelings, and determination to keep the commandments of God. ... proceedd to receive a revelation concerning the duty of the Elders as above stated. 9 oclock A.M. the revelation not being finished the conference adjourned till tomorrow morning 9 oclock A.M. 28th met according to adjournment and commenced by Prayer thus proceded to received the residue of the above revelation .... ... The solemn assembly was intended to be another day of Pentecost for the latter-day elders. ... but much preparation was to precede the occasion. First the elders were to be schooled both spirituall y and secularly; later they were to be washed and anointed to cleanse them from the sins of this world. The final preparation, the ordinance of washing of feet, was to occur on the day of the sacred meeting when the righteous would see the face of the Lord. ... On 30 March 1836, three days after the temple dedication, three hundred brethren assembled for the long-awaited meeting. The time was spent in administering the ordinances of washing the feet and partaking of the sacrament. Many witnessed remarkable spiritual manifestations. On 6 April 1837 another solemn assembly was held in the Kirtland Temple especially for those elders who had not been washed and anointed the previous year. ... Although the building subsequently would be referred to as a "temple," early appellations were simply "house of God," or "school." Evidence shows that the Prophet initially conceived the primary function of the sacred edifice to be that of a schoolhouse for those called to the ministry. .. It is unclear when the decision to build a house of worship was made public.... ...by the first week in June a revelation was received which gave the dimensions of the house of worship but stated that the architecture would be revealed later to three (i.e., the Presidency of the High Priesthood). The revelation further clarified that the house of worship should have two levels the lower for preaching, fasting, and praying and the upper for the school and promised that in the building the Lord would "endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high." ... The temple is of high rectangular shape with double rows of windows and a tower rising from the main body. The dimensions are impressive: the structure measures 78'x58', and from the basement to the tower the height is about 110 feet. The building is divided into three levels two almost identical stories of equal height and an attic and is lighted with thirty-two Gothic, three Venetian, ten dormer, one circular, and two square-gable windows. The ground floor was specially intended for worship, and the upper floor for classroom use. The attic was partitioned into then small rooms, five on either side of a hall. Both main levels had two complete sets of pulpits, one at either end. The western pulpits were for the Melchizedek Priesthood, and the eastern pulpits for the Aaronic. Each pulpit group ahd a compartment with a lectern behind which rose three tiers of pulpits. Eight wooden columns supported a ceiling that was flat over the aisles and arched over the center. Sets of ropes and pulleys concealed within the columns operated curtains (veils) that could be lowered to divide each hall and each row of pulpits into smaller compartments. ... Constructing the building took some thirty-three months and requires enormous sacrifice of the Saints. A conservative estimate of the cost of construction is 247-,000. On 6 April 1837 Sidney Rigdon was recorded as stating that the then "unliquidated debt" on the temple was 2413,000. The building was not completely finished when first occupied by a Hebrew school on 4 january 1836. This group occupied a room designated the "translating room" in the attic story, and two weeks later the entire School of Elders moved from the printing office to an adjoining room to the Hebrew class in the temple attic. The sacred building was dedicated on 27 March 1836 in the presence of some one thousand persons. After singing, praying, and preaching, the dedicatory prayer (section 109) was read aloud. ... the House of the Lord remained in constant use for several years with Sunday worship.... ...the Saints did not enjoy permanent use of the sacred house because a majority of those in the Kirtland area had left Ohio for Missouri by mid-1838, and the remainder by 1845. Although title to the temple appears to have been transferred to one of the Church's creditors in 1837, members remaining in Kirtland maintained use of the building until about 1845, when preparations were being made to migrate to the West. In 1880 the Reorganized LDS Church was awarded title to the building by "adverse possession" than is, although they did not hold legal title to it, their use and possession of the building over several years constituted ownership. ... The school, variously known as the "School of the Prophets," the "School of the Elders," and the "school of mine apostles," was intended to teach doctrine as well as secular topics to the Elders in order to properly "qualify themselves as messenger of Jesus Christ." Instruction for the "Elders" was offered during four winter sessions in Kirtland: January-April 1833, 1834-35, 1835-36, and 1836-37. Evidence also affirms that at least one session of the school was held in Missouri, during the summer of 1833. ... On January 23 a small number of men convened to organize the School of the Prophets. The event which predominated the meeting was the washing of feet. ... Consisting primarily of high priests, members of the school met regularly for nearly ten weeks (23 January to about 1 April 1833) in Kirtland, Ohio. The school was held in a small (10' x 14') room in the upper story of Newel K. Whitney's store. ... Although Joseph Smith presided over the school, Orson Hyde was appointed teacher. The number composing the 1833 school probably never exceeded twenty-five. ... The salutation recorded in D&C 88:133 was given each time the group came together. The teacher, "saluted the brethren with uplifted hands as they came in," remembered Zebedee Coltrin, one of the original school, and "they also answered with uplifted hands." Coltrin also stated, "Before going to school we washed ourselves and put on clean linen." Members of school came fasting at sunrise and normally continued until near 4:000 P.M. The Sacrament was "administered at times when Joseph appointed, after the ancient order; that is, warm bread to break easy was provided, and broken into pieces as large as a fist and each person had a glass of wine." At the conclusion of each meeting, the scholars were dismissed following a prayer with uplifted hands. Although the school was primarily intended for "revelation and doctrine," time was also given for "learning English grammer...." The earlier heading read, "REVELATION given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, December 27, 1832. Designated by the Prophet, the Olive Leaf." It has been enlarged in the 1981 edition to read, "It was designated by the Prophet as the 'olive leaf ... plucked from the Tree of Paradise, the Lord's message of peace to us.' It appears from the historical records that portions of this revelation were received on December 27 and 28, 1832, and January 3, 1833." Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works 1979, 1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4 (Fall 1982). ------------------- A Mormon Interview Copied from Brother Ashbel Kitchell's2 Pocket Journel.--(By E.D.B.) [Elisha D. Blakeman]3 Elisha D. Blakeman, BYU Studies, Vol. 20, No. 1, p.95 Some time in the year 1829 the new religion, (if so it may be called,) of the Mormons began to make a stir in a town not far from North Union.4 It created a good deal of excitement among the people. They stated they had received a New Revelation, had seen an angel, & had been instructed into many things in relation to the history of America, that was not known before. Late in the fall a number of them came to visit the Believers. One by the name of Oliver Lowdree [Cowdery], who stated that he had been one who had been an assistant in the translation of the golden Bible, and had also seen the Angel, and had been commissioned by him to go out & bear testimony, that God would destroy this generation. We gave him liberty to bear his testimony in our meeting; but finding he had nothing for us, we treated them kindly, and labored to find out what manner of spirit they were of.--They appeared meek and mild; but as for light, or knowledge of the way of God, I considered them very ignorant of Christ or his work; therefore I treated them with the tenderness of children. They tarried with us two nights & one day, and when they were ready to start they proposed to leave some of their Books among us, to which we consented, and they left seven, which we distributed among the people; but they were soon returned as not interesting enough to keep them awake while reading. After some months they called for them & took them away, except one which was given me a present.--They appeared to have full faith in the virtue of their Books, that whoever would read them, would feel so thoroughly convinced of the truth of what they contained, that they would be unable to resist, and finally would be obliged to unite with them. They thot [sic] it prudent to wait on us a while for the leaven to work, so that things moved on smoothly for sometime, and we had time for reflection. I believed that I should one day have to meet them and decide the matter; and least I should do any thing that should injure the cause of God, or bring weakness on myself I wrote home for council [sic]; but could obtain none, for the case was new and none were acquainted with it in the Church, therefore they could give no council, and they left me to exercise my judgment.--For some time I felt some straitened, not knowing what course to take. At length I concluded that I was dedicated and entirely devoted to God, & desired to do what was right; that if God had any hand in that work, he would inform me by some means, that I might know what to do, either by letting me have an interview with the angel, or by some other means give me knowledge of my duty. In this situation, I remained for a long time, occasionally hearing that they expected to come after a while and lead us into the water. We continued on friendly terms in the way of trade and other Acts of good neighborship untill [sic] the spring of 1831 when we were visited on saturday evening by Sidney Rigdon and Leman Copley,5 the latter of whom had been among us; but not likeing [sic] the cross6 any to [sic] well, had taken up with Mormonism as the easier plan and had been appointed by them as one of the missionaries to convert us. They tarried all night, and in the course of the evening, the doctrines of the cross and the Mormon faith were both investigated; and we found that the life of self-denial corresponded better with the life of Christ, than Mormonism, the said Rigdon frankly acknowledged, but said he did not bear that cross, and did not expect to.--At this assertion I set him without the paling of the Church, and told him I could not look on him as a Christian.--Thus the matter stood and we retired to rest, not knowing that they had then in possession what they called a revelation or message from Jesus Christ to us, which they intended to deliver to day (sabbath.) and which they supposed would bring us to terms. Sabbath morning, matters moved on pleasantly in sociable chat with the Brethren, until I felt to give them all some council, which was for neither to force their doctrine on the other at this time; but let the time be spent in feeling of the spirit, as it was Rigdon's first visit, for it might be possible that he would yet see that the foundation he was now on, was sandy, as well as those he had been on, while professing the various doctrines of the day; and if he should, he might desire to find a resting place--something substantial to place his feet on, where he would be safe; therefore I wished him to know what we had, and by what spirit we were moved, &c. He said he would subject himself to the order of the place, and I left them. A little before meeting, another one came from the Mormon camp as an assistant, by the name of Parley Pratt. He called them out, and enquired [sic] how they had got along? and was informed by Rigdon and Leman, that I had bound them to silence, and nothing could be done. Parley told them to pay no attention to me, for they had come with the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the people must hear it, &c. They came into meeting and sat quietly untill the meeting was through, and the people dismissed; when Sidney Rigdon arose and stated that he had a message from the Lord Jesus Christ to this people; could he have the privilege of delivering it? He was answered, he could. He then said it was in writing; could he read it? He was told he might. He then read the following Message. [The text of D & C, section 49, is here quoted with only a few minor wording changes from the way it appears in the Book of Commandments, chapter 52.] At the close of the reading, he asked if they could be permitted to go forth in the exercise of their gift and office.--I told him that the piece he had read, bore on its face, the image of its author; that the Christ that dictated that, I was well acquainted with, and had been, from a boy; that I had been much troubled to get rid of his influence, and I wished to have nothing more to do with him; and as for any gift he had authorized them to exercise among us, I would release them & their Christ from any further burden about us, and take all the responsibility on myself. Sidney made answer--This you cannot do; I wish to hear the people speak. I told him if he desired it, they could speak for themselves, and steped [sic] back and told them to let the man know how they felt; which they did in something like these words; that they were fully satisfied with what they had, and wished to have nothing to do with either them or their Christ. On hearing this Rigdon professed to be satisfied, and put his paper by; but Parley Pratt arose and commenced shakeing [sic] his coattail; he said he shook the dust from his garments as a testimony against us, that we had rejected the word of the Lord Jesus. Before the words were out of his mouth, I was to him, and said;--You filthy Beast, dare you presume to come in here, and try to imitate a man of God by shaking your filthy tail; confess your sins and purge your soul from your lusts, and your other abominations before you ever presume to do the like again, &c. While I was ministering this reproof, he settled trembling into his seat, and covered his face; and I then turned to Leman who had been crying while the message was reading, and said to him, you hypocrite, you knew better;--you knew where the living work of God was; but for the sake of indulgence, you could consent to deceive yourself and them, but you shell reap the fruit of your own doings, &c.--This struck him dead also, and dryed up his tears;--I then turned to the Believers and said, now we will go home and started.--Sidney had been looking on all this time without saying a word; as he had done all he did only by liberty nothing was said to him, and he looked on with a smile to see the fix the others were in, but they all followed us to the house.--Parleys horse had not been put away, as he came too late; he mounted and started for home without waiting for any one.--Sidney stayed for supper, and acknowledged that we were the purest people he had ever been acquainted with but he was not prepared to live such a life. He was treated kindly and let go after supper.--But Leman tarried all night and started for home in the morning. He had a large farm, and about 100 Mormons were living with him, on it. When he got home, he found the Mormons had rejected him, & could not own him for one of them, because he had deceived them with the idea of converting us. He felt very bad;--was not able to rest;--came back to us and begged for union. After some consultation we concluded to give him union, and help him through; and to accomplish this, I went home with him, and held a meeting in the dooryard, among the Mormons; but few of them attended. They appeared to be struck with terror and fear lest some of them might get converted; but they could not get out of hearing, without leaving the place, so that I found that they understood the subject.--I stayed over night, and in the morning I had conversation with the Elder, whose name was Knight [Newel K. Knight]. In the course of the conversation, I stirred the feelings of an old man, that proved to be the Elder's Father [Joseph Knight, Sr.], which so raised the indignation of the Elder that he let on me his heaviest mettels [sic]; he poured it on at the top of his voice, and wound up by informing me that unless I repented I should go to Hell! I waited with patience until he was thro', and then asked him if he would hear me;--to which he consented. I told him if the words he had spoken had come from a man of God they would have caused my knees to have smote together like Belshazers, but coming as they did from a man that lived in his lusts--who gratified a beastly propensity, and often in a manner that was far bellow the beasts, and at the same time professing to be a follower of Christ, his words had no weight, but passed by me without makeing [sic] any impression. I then gave him a lecture on the subject of the cross, and a life of self denyal [sic] which was fully satisfying to all present, who had the right end of the story.--I stayed all day, and assisted them to settle their affairs.--I wrote for them two or three hours; and after I was thro' I took hold of the Elder and walked the floor, amuseing [sic] him with a number of pleasant things; and lastly I repeated part of a verse of an old hymn, which reads thus, "But now as I close One thing I'll propose To the man that salvation would find No longer put your trust, In a man that lives in lust, For how can the blind lead the blind." At the recital of these words, he loosened his hold and made for the door, and here ended my labors for the Mormons for that time. Ashbel Kitchel. ------------------- Section 57 20 July 1831 ... numerous pairs of missionaries started for Independence.... At Independence the Prophet and his party were greeted by Oliver Cowdery, others of the Lamanite Mission, and a handful of Missouri converts. ... On 2 August 1831, some twelve miles west of Independence, Sidney Rigdon consecrated and dedicated the land for the gathering of the Saints. ... On 3 August 1831, the Prophet dedicated a "spot" for the construction of a temple.... Bishop Edward Partridge purchased a tract of land consisting of 63 and 43/166 acres from Jones H. Flournoy on 19 December 1831 for $130. This purchase included the three-acre temple lot dedicated by the Prophet. 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, 1985), p. 91-92. And by the special protection of the ord, Bro. Joseph Smith, Junior, and Sideny Rigdon, in company with eight other elders, with the church from Colesville, New York, consisting of about sixty souls, arrived in the month of July and by revelation the place was made known where the temple shall stand and the city should commence.... On the second day of August, 1831, Brother Sidney Rigdon stood up and asked, saying, Do you receive this land for the land of your inheritance with thankful hearts from the Lord? Answer from all, We do. Do you pledge yourselves to keep the laws of God on this land which you have never kept in your own land? We do. 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, Oiver 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 Jospeh Smith, Junior, laid a stone at the northeast corner of the contemplated temple in the name of the Lord Jesus of Nazareth. After all present had rendered thanks to the Great Ruler of the universe, Sidney Rigdon pronounced this spot of ground wholly dedicated unto the Lord for ever. Amen. ... Although the History of the Church, 1:199, notes that Joseph Smith dedicated the temple spot, John Whitmer's account ... credits Rigdon with that action, and the Times and Seasons ... 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, 1985), p. 142. Section 58 "... how we will manage about getting our families here." Verse 49 commanded that an agent be appointed "unto the Church in Ohio, to receive monies to purchase lands" in Missouri. Newel K. Whitney was later appointed to this office. ... Verse 50 directed Sidney Rigdon to write a description of the land of Missouri. This he did, but the initial draft was not acceptable. Verse 47 instructed Sidney Rigdon to dedicate the land of Zion, which he did on 2 August 1831. Verse 58 directed that a conference be held before the Ohio elders returned home. This meeting was held on 4 August 183, ... thirty-one members of the Church present Undoubtedly referring to D&C 52:2 and 58:58, the record affirms that the meeting was held according to "special commandment." 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, 1985), p. 92-93. A prefatory note for section 59 in "Book of Commandments, Laws and Covenants" Book A, states: "Given by Joseph the translator & written by Oliver Cowdery August 7, 1831 in the land of Zion. 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, 1985), p. 143. History of the Church, Vol.1, Ch.16, p.196 On the second day of August, I assisted the Colesville branch of the Church to lay the first log, for a house, as a foundation of Zion in Kaw township, twelve miles west of Independence. The log was carried and placed by twelve men, in honor of the twelve tribes of Israel. At the same time, through prayer, the land of Zion was consecrated and dedicated by Elder Sidney Rigdon for the gathering of the Saints. It was a season of joy to those present, and afforded a glimpse of the future, which time will yet unfold to the satisfaction of the faithful. As we had received a commandment for Elder Rigdon to write a description of the land of Zion, we sought for all the information necessary to accomplish so desirable an object. The country is unlike the timbered states of the East. As far as the eye can reach the beautiful rolling prairies lie spread out like a sea of meadows; and are decorated with a growth of flowers so gorgeous and grand as to exceed description; and nothing is more fruitful, or a richer stockholder in the blooming prairie than the honey bee. Only on the water courses is timber to be found. There in strips from one to three miles in width, and following faithfully the meanderings of the streams, it grows in luxuriant forests. The forests are a mixture of oak, hickory, black walnut, elm, ash, cherry, honey locust, mulberry, coffee bean, hackberry, boxelder, and bass wood; with the addition of cottonwood, butterwood, pecan, and soft and hard maple upon the bottoms. The shrubbery is beautiful, and consists in part of plums, grapes, crab apple, and persimmons. The soil is rich and fertile; from three to ten feet deep, and generally composed of a rich black mold, intermingled with clay and sand. It yields in abundance, wheat, corn, sweet potatoes, cotton and many other common agricultural products. Horses, cattle and hogs, though of an inferior breed, are tolerably plentiful and seem nearly to raise themselves by grazing in the vast prairie range in summer, and feeding upon the bottoms in winter. The wild game is less plentiful of course where man has commenced the cultivation of the soil, than in the wild prairies. Buffalo, elk, deer, bear, wolves, beaver and many smaller animals here roam at pleasure. Turkeys, geese, swans, ducks, yea a variety of the feathered tribe, are among the rich abundance that grace the delightful regions of this goodly land--the heritage of the children of God. The season is mild and delightful nearly three quarters of the year, and as the land of Zion, situated at about equal distances from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as from the Alleghany and Rocky mountains, in the thirty-ninth degree of north latitude, and between the sixteenth and seventeenth degrees of west longitude, it bids fair--when the curse is taken from the land--to become one of the most blessed places on the globe. The winters are milder than the Atlantic states of the same parallel of latitude, and the weather is more agreeable; so that were the virtues of the inhabitants only equal to the blessings of the Lord which He permits to crown the industry of those inhabitants, there would be a measure of the good things of life for the benefit of the Saints, full, pressed down, and running over, even an hundred-fold. The disadvantages here, as in all new countries, are self-evident--lack of mills and schools; together with the natural privations and inconveniences which the hand of industry, the refinement of society, and the polish of science, overcome. But all these impediments vanish when it is recollected what the Prophets have said concerning Zion in the last days; how the glory of Lebanon is to come upon her; the fir tree, the pine tree, and the box tree together, to beautify the place of His sanctuary, that He may make the place of His feet glorious. Where for brass, He will bring gold; and for iron, He will bring silver; and for wood, brass; and for stones, iron; and where the feast of fat things will be given to the just; yea, when the splendor of the Lord is brought to our consideration for the good of His people, the calculations of men and the vain glory of the world vanish, and we exclaim, "Out of Zion the perfection of beauty, God hath shined." On the third day of August, I proceeded to dedicate the spot for the Temple, a little west of Independence, and there were also present Sidney Rigdon, Edward Partridge, W. W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, Martin Harris and Joseph Coe. The 87th Psalm was read:-- His foundation is in the holy mountains. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah. I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me; behold Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia; this man was born there. And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her: and the Highest Himself shall establish her. The Lord shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah. As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there: all my springs are in thee. The scene was solemn and impressive. On the 4th I attended the first conference in the land of Zion. It was held at the house of Brother Joshua Lewis, in Kaw township, in the presence of the Colesville branch of the Church. The Spirit of the Lord was there. On the 7th, I attended the funeral of Sister Polly Knight, the wife of Joseph Knight, Sen. This was the first death in the Church in this land, and I can say, a worthy member sleeps in Jesus till the resurrection. LDS Communities In Jackson And Clay Counties Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.2, MISSOURI LDS interest and settlement in Jackson County, Missouri, came as a direct result of a revelation designating it as the location for Zion and the New Jerusalem. Both the Book of Mormon (Ether 13:2-3; 3 Ne. 20:22) and revelations to Joseph Smith (D&C 28:9; 29:7-9; 35:24; 42:9, 35-36, 62; 45:65-71) filled the Latter-day Saints with a zeal to know the time and place for the establishment. Elders from the Lamanite mission had traveled to western Missouri in early 1831, knowing they were near the location of Zion (D&C 28:9). The day after a significant June 1831 conference in Ohio, a revelation directed Joseph Smith and other Church leaders to go to Missouri, where the land of their inheritance would be revealed (D&C 52:3-5, 42-43). Three new groups of Saints proceeded to western Missouri in the summer of 1831: Joseph Smith's party of leaders; an entire branch of the Church from colesville, New York, who were commanded to relocate in Missouri (D&C 54:8); and thirteen pairs of missionaries who were instructed to preach along the way (D&C 52:7-10, 22-33; 56:5-7). The Prophet's group, traveling by foot, investigated other counties near the western Missouri border before determining that Jackson County was to be their ultimate destination. Their observation of Missouri's frontier communities was in harmony with a general feeling even in the West that the society of western Missouri, composed as it was of recent arrivals who had sought out the frontier to escape society's constraints, was not a model of civilization. "Our reflections were many, coming as we had from a highly cultivated state of society in the east," reads Joseph Smith's official history, "to observe the degradation . . . of a people that were nearly a century behind the times" (HC 1:189). In response to the question "When will Zion be built up in her glory, and where will Thy temple stand?" (HC 1:189), the Lord declared, "Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion. . . . The place which is now called Independence is the center place; and the spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the court-house" (D&C 57:2-3). In the summer of 1831, Church leaders explored the county, wrote a description of it for future Saints, established the first settlement in Kaw Township (now in Kansas City), dedicated the land for a gathering place, dedicated the temple lot, and conducted a conference for all Saints thus far gathered. The following men were assigned to prominent Church positions in Missouri: Edward Partridge, bishop; A. Sidney Gilbert, financial agent; W. W. Phelps, printer and editor; and Oliver Cowdery, assistant printer and editor. After Joseph Smith returned to Ohio, Bishop Partridge began buying land for the Saints' new inheritances. LDS settlers who spent the winter of 1831-1832 in Jackson County struggled to cut timber; build ferries, bridges, mills, dams, homes, outbuildings, and fences; and prepare land for cultivation. Even though up to ten families lived in each log cabin, "there was a spirit of peace and union, and love and good will manifested in this little Church in the wilderness" (Pratt, p. 56). Plainly, it was not what Zion was but what it could become that buoyed up the Saints and lifted sagging spirits. Early in 1832, Gilbert established a Church storehouse and Phelps the printing office. Proceeds from the store were used to buy and develop more land. Phelps began publishing a religious monthly, The Evening and the Morning Star, and a secular weekly, The Upper Missouri Advertiser; work also proceeded on the book of commandments, a compilation of revelations that had been received by Joseph Smith, and on a compilation of hymns. Establishing schools also became a high priority. By fall, schools were started in Kaw Township (called the Colesville School) and in Independence near the temple lot. Proper observance of the Lord's Day also received special emphasis (see D&C 59). The subject that received the most attention was "gathering to Zion." Through the Star, Phelps reminded migrating Saints not to gather without adequate preparation, including carrying a recommend from the bishop in Ohio or from three elders. Bishop Partridge assigned land "inheritances" to new arrivals. Some three to four hundred arrived in the spring and summer of 1832, and by November there were 810 Latter-day Saints in Missouri. Up to this time, five settlements had easily absorbed the immigrants: a community in Independence near the temple lot; a branch on the Blue River three miles to the west; the Whitmer Branch three miles farther west; the Colesville Branch in Kaw Township two miles south of the Whitmer Branch; and the Prairie Branch on the Missouri state border. Editorials in the Star reflected the Saints' optimism. The year 1833 brought numerous new challenges to the Church in Jackson County. Some members circumvented appointed leaders and ignored their authority to preside. Others tried to obtain property through means other than the revealed laws. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon had visited the area in the spring of 1832, but now there arose a general concern among Missouri Latter-day Saints that their Prophet should move permanently from Ohio to the new Zion. Additionally, there were petty jealousies, covetousness, and general neglect in keeping the commandments. None of this helped the newcomers to cope with the worst problem--increasing hostility with the "old settlers" of Jackson County. As the LDS population in the county reached twelve hundred by the summer of 1833, concerns of the local citizens reached fever pitch. It did not help that some members unwisely boasted that nonmembers would be driven from the county. However, not everything was gloomy in the Jackson County settlements. Solemn assemblies in each branch had brought about a new spirit of humility, diligence, and order to the Church. A school for elders was established on the model of the School of the Prophets in Kirtland, Ohio. Joseph Smith sent a plan for the building-up of the city of Zion and its accompanying temple (see City Planning). The Book of Commandments was nearing completion. But all of this seemed only to increase hostility. Mob violence broke out against the Saints in late July 1833. The printing press was destroyed, the page sheets of the Book of Commandments were scattered, and Bishop Partridge was tarred and feathered. Under duress, Church leaders signed an agreement to vacate Jackson County (see Missouri Conflict). Church members sought redress from the government, but were granted only sympathy, not help. When the old settlers saw that the Saints intended not to depart immediately but to hold their ground and defend themselves, they resumed acts of violence. After small battles erupted and led to several fatalities, the local militia succeeded in disarming the Mormons and driving them from Jackson County in early November. Although some Saints fled to Van Buren and LaFayette counties, most found refuge north across the Missouri River in Clay County. The citizens of Liberty, the seat of Clay County, charitably offered shelter, work, and provisions. The refugees moved into abandoned slave cabins, built crude huts, pitched tents, and lived on meager subsistence until spring. Most Clay County citizens were friendly but considered the settlement of the Saints in their midst as only temporary. To help the Missouri Saints, Joseph Smith arrived in June 1834 at the head of Zion's Camp, a paramilitary body of Latter-day Saints from the East. All efforts to achieve either reentry into Jackson County or redress of grievances came to naught. Outright war between Missourians and Mormons seemed imminent. By revelation (D&C 105) Joseph Smith was told to disband the camp because Zion could not yet be redeemed; bloodshed was thereby averted. Before returning to Ohio, the Prophet established a presidency and high council for the Missouri Saints with David Whitmer as president and W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer as his counselors. Church members began establishing more permanent residences in Liberty and the surrounding Clay County countryside. They won a reputation for retrenchment and thrift and were generally able to live at peace with their neighbors. Gradually, however, citizens of Clay became concerned about the permanence of LDS settlements. This concern became acute after the arrival of additional Church members in 1835 and 1836. In June 1836 a public meeting was held at the courthouse in Liberty to discuss objections to the Mormons remaining in the county. The citizens reminded the Saints of their original pledge to leave the county when they were no longer welcome, but promised to control any violence until they left. Bishop Partridge and W. W. Phelps explored new gathering spots for the Saints in relatively uninhabited territory in northern Missouri, and by early 1837, Church members began moving out of Clay County into the newly created "Mormon county" of Caldwell (see Missouri: LDS Communities in Caldwell and Daviess Counties). -------------------- ... an article by McLellin that appeared in 1848 in his short-lived periodical, the Ensign of Liberty. This agrees with Journal I by mentioning his attendence at a conference "in the town of Orange" on October 25, "From this conference I went home with the Prophet," McLellin continued, "and on Saturday, the 29th, I received through him, and wrote from his mouth a revelation concerning myself." ... McLellin explained, I went before the Lord in secret, and on my knees asked him to reveal the answer to five questions through his Prophet, and that too without his having made such a request." ... The Ensign of Liberty article, written more than ten years after McLellin had left the LDS Church, is even more insistent about the responses that came in the revelation. It describes the effect the revelation had on McLellin's conviction that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God.... It is clear the McLellin believed, both while he was a member of the Church and ten years after he had become disaffected, that in 1831 Joseph Smith was a true prophet. ... "What were the five questions?" McLellin left no list, probably because of the intensely personal nature of the questions. With the emergence of his journals and other papers, however, a careful reading of the answers in section 66 suggests likely possibilities: Question 1 How does this little church that I have just joined, organized by Joseph Smith, fit into the religious world? D&C 66:2 Question 2 What is my spiritual standing D&C 66:3 Question 3 What is my role in the Church? I have closed my school and settled my affairs in Illinois. What am I to do now? D&C*66:5-8 Question 4 I have seen and personally experienced the power to heal by both Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Will I be able to have this power? D&C*66:9 Question 5 How can I escape the temptation of adultery and other sins which have burdened me, especially since the recent death of my wife? D&C 66: 9, 10, 12 "The Journals of William E. McLellin," Edited by Jan Shipps and John W. Welch, (Brigham Young University and the University of Illinois Press, 1994) ^^^^^^-----From: Stephen Ott ------^^^^^^^ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 26 (extra Info) Date: 03 Aug 1997 19:23:45 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 88:1 - 85 117-41 VVVVVV-----From: Stephen Ott ------VVVVVVV Joseph Smith identified the tree of life with the olive tree when he designated D&C 88 (see its preface) as an "olive leaf ... plucked from the Tree of paradise, the Lord's message of peace to us." In early Jewish and Christian tradition, the tree of life is sometimes considered to be an olive tree," around which is entwined the vine, often believed to be the tree of knowledge. John A. Tvedtnes, "Borrowings from the Parable of Zenos," The Allegory of the Olive Tree, Edited by Stephen D. Ricks and John W. Welch, (Deseret Book Company, 1994) p. 378. 10, The temporary transporting of an individual into the presence of the Lord is a fundamental characteristic of the endowment (see D&C 76:5-10, 114-19). For examples, see, in chronological order, Ether 3:13-20; Genesis 28:10-22- 35:6-15; Isaiah 6:1 (1-8); Ezekiel 37:1; 1*Nephi 1:8 (8-14); 11:1 (chapters 11-14), 2 Nephi 4:25; Helaman 5:44-50; Matthew 17:1-9 (cf. 2 Peter 1:16-18); 3 Nephi 28:13-16,36-40 (cf. D&C 84:33); Acts 7:55-56; 2 Corinthians 12:1-4; Revelation 1:10, 4:1-2; D&C 88:63-69 (45-75); 93:1. Andrew F. Ehat , "'Who Shall Ascend into the Hill of the Lord?' Sesquicentennial Reflections of a Sacred Day: 4 May 1842," Temples of the Ancient World, Edited by Donald W. Parry, (Deseret Book Company, 1994), p. 61-62. The first order God gave to his people was to remove themselves utterly from the world, to be completely different, holy, set apart, chosen, special, peculiar (... sealed), not like any other people on the face of the earth (see Deuteronomy 7;6). If "glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and power" are to be theirs (D&C 128:23), they must be sanc-tified, con-sacr-ated, ... all of which mean set off or cut off bya a fence, an insurmountalbe wall, an unbridgeable gap. "Assemble yourselves together, and organized yourselves, ... sanctify yourselves; yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean" (D&C 88:74). Hugh W. Nibley, "On the Sacred and the Symbolic," Temples of the Ancient World, Edited by Donald W. Parry, (Deseret Book Company, 1994), p. 543. In some scriptural and pseudepigraphal passages, sacred clothing is equated with righteousness. 2 Nephi 4:33; 2 Nephi 9:14; Isaiah 11:5; Job 29:14 The same idea is found in modern revelation: "Clothe yoruselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectnes s and 'eace" (D&C 88:125...). John A. Tvedtnes, "Priestly Clothing in Bible Times, Temples of the Ancient World, Edited by Donald W. Parry, (Deseret Book Company, 1994), p. 672. D&C 88:85-86 The Passage from Doctrine and Covenants 88 is from the section denoted the "Olive Leaf" by Joseph Smith, which is a revelation specifically designed to prepare the Latter-day Saints for the templs that the Lord commanded them to build. In this connection, we note the Bible's most prominent temple hymn, Psalm 24, in which we read that those who are worthy to enter the sanctuary (the "hill of the Lord") are those who have "clean hands and a pure heart." John A. Tvedtnes, "Priestly Clothing in Bible Times," Temples of the Ancient World, Edited by Donald W. Parry, (Deseret Book Company, 1994), p. 703. ^^^^^^-----From: Stephen Ott ------^^^^^^^ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 27 Date: 05 Aug 1997 18:01:00 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 89-92 Lesson 27 Scriptural Highlights 1. The Word of Wisdom 2. The keys of the kingdom and the oracles of God 3. Use of the Apocrypha Invite one or two class members to bear testimony about the Word of Wisdom. Discussion and Application Questions * What is the historical background of D&C 89? (See the Class Member Study Guide for this lesson.) Why does the Lord want us to be concerned about what we take into our bodies? (See 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 and the quotation from President Benson.) The Lord revealed the Word of Wisdom for the "temporal salvation" of the Saints (D&C 89:2). What is temporal salvation? How is our temporal salvation related to our spiritual salvation? (For one example, see the quotation from President Clark.) * In the Word of Wisdom, what did the Lord reveal about the things we should and should not take into our bodies? (D&C 89:5-17.) What can we do to live these commandments more fully? What temporal and spiritual blessings have you received from living the Word of Wisdom? * How can we help youth recognize the importance of obeying the Word of Wisdom? * How does Satan tempt people to disobey the Word of Wisdom? (D&C 89:4.) How can we resist these temptations? * President Heber J. Grant taught that the Word of Wisdom "would solve the economic problems not only of our country but of every other country, if it were obeyed by the people of the world" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1936, p. 48). How do you think this would be so? * in D&C 90 the Lord promised that "the keys of the kingdom" (the right to direct the priesthood) and "the oracles of God" (the powers of revelation) would be given to the Church through Joseph Smith. How was this promise fulfilled? (See the quotation from President Smith.) * What does the Lord promise those who "search diligently, pray always, and [are] believing"? (D&C 90:24). How has this promise been fulfilled in your life? How have even your difficult experiences "work[ed] together for your good"? * What is the Apocrypha? What did the Lord reveal about its accuracy and the value of reading it? (See D&C 91, the quotation from Elder McConkie, and "Apocrypha" in the Bible Dictionary.) Quotations President Ezra Taft Benson: "The condition of the physical body can affect the spirit. That's why the Lord gave us the Word of Wisdom" (Ensign, Oct. 1986, p. 2). President J. Reuben Clark: "Drunken with strong drink, men have lost their reason; their counsel has been destroyed; their judgment and vision are fled; they reel forward to destruction. Drink brings more cruelty into the home; it walks arm in arm with poverty; its companions are disease and plague; it puts chastity to flight; it knows neither honesty nor fair dealing; it is a total stranger to truth; it drowns conscience; it is the bodyquard of evil; it curses all who touch it. Drink has brought more woe and misery, broken more hearts, wrecked more homes, committed more crimes, filled more coffins, than all the wars the world has suffered" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1942, p. 8). President Joseph Fielding Smith: "The word of the Lord was fulfilled wherein he said that through Joseph Smith the oracles should be given to the Church, and by command of the Lord the Prophet, in Nauvoo a few months before his death, called the apostles together and said to them that the Lord had commanded him to confer upon them all the keys and authorities which he had had conferred upon him, so that work could be 'rolled off' of his shoulders onto theirs. He thereupon conferred upon them his divine governing power, but this governing power could not be exercised by any one of the twelve while the Prophet was living. Upon his death the right to preside and set in order and to hold the keys of authority in the Priesthood and in the Church, rightfully belonged to President Brigham Young and by authority of the ordination he had received under the hands of Joseph Smith and by being sustained by his brethren and the Church, he was vested with the supreme power" (Church History and Modem Revelation, 1:3 88-89). Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "Scholars and Biblical students have grouped certain apparently scriptural Old Testament writings, which they deem to be of doubtful authenticity or of a spurious nature, under the title of the Apocryphal... "Obviously, to gain any real value from a study of apocryphal writings, the student must first have an extended background of gospel knowledge, a comprehensive understanding of the standard works of the Church, plus the guidance of the Spirit" (Mormon Doctrine, pp. 41-42). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 93-96 Page 53 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 27 Doctrine and Covenants 89, known as the Word of Wisdom, was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith as the answer to a problem that arose in the School of the Prophets. Brigham Young recalled that brethren came hundreds of miles to meet in the small room over the Prophet's kitchen. During their meetings they would "light their pipes and, while smoking, talk about the great things of the kingdom and spit all over the room, and as soon as the pipe was out of their mouths a large chew of tobacco would then be taken. Often when the Prophet entered the room to give the school instructions he would find himself in a cloud of tobacco smoke" (in Journal of Discourses, 12:1 58). The Prophet asked the Lord about the use of tobacco, and the Lord revealed D&C 89 in response. At first the Word of Wisdom was given not as a commandment but rather as a revelation of the "will of God" (D&C 89:2). President Joseph F. Smith explained that a commandment "would have brought every man, addicted to the use of these noxious things, under condemnation; so the Lord was merciful and gave them a chance to overcome, before He brought them under the law" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1913, p. 14). Recent prophets have taught that the Word of Wisdom is a commandment and that we should avoid anything that is harmful to the body. As you study D&C 89-92, consider the following: * What can you do to live the commandments in the Word of Wisdom more fully? (D&C 89:5-17.) What are some of the temporal and spiritual benefits you have received from living the Word of Wisdom? * What does the Lord promise those who "search diligently, pray always, and [are] believing"? (D&C 90:24). How has this promise been fulfilled in your life? The room in the restored Newel K. Whitney store where the first School of the Prophets met. Page 54 VVVVVV-----From: Stephen Ott ------VVVVVVV Section 89 ... at a meeting of the School of the Prophets in the upper level of the Whitney store. ... although twenty-two brethren were in attendance that day, section 89 was received in an adjoining room, in the presence of two or three brethren. 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, 1985), p. 191. The first school of the prophets was held in a small room situated over the Prophet Joseph's kitchen, in a house which belonged to Bishop Whitney, and which was attached to his store, which store probably might be about fifteen feet square. In the rear of this building was a kitchen, probably ten by fourteen feet, containing rooms and pantries. Over this kitchen was situated the room in which the Prophet received revelations and in which he instructed his brethren. The brethren came to that place for hundreds of miles to attend school in a little room probably no larger than eleven by fourteen. When they assembled together in this room after breakfast, the first they did was to light their pipes, and, while smoking, talk about the great things of the kingdom, and spit all over the room, and as soon as the pipe was out of their mouths a large chew of tobacco would then be taken. Often when the Prophet entered the room to give the school instructions he would find himself in a cloud of tobacco smoke. This, and the complaints of his wife at having to clean so filthy a floor, made the Prophet think upon the matter, and he inquired of the Lord relating to the conduct of the Elders in using tobacco, and the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom was the result. Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 12:158. ------------ Section 90 Although the manuscript of this revelation is dated 5 January 1834, 1833 is more consistent with known facts regarding Williams's appointment. The words counselor and scribe are contained in both the unpublished revelation as well as section 90:19. 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, 1985), p. 320. -------------- Section 91 "Having come to that portion of the ancient writings called the Apocrypha, I received [section 91]." HC 1:331. -------------- Section 92 Section 92 instructed Frederick G. Williams to become a member of the United Firm. The terms United Order and United Firm were used interchangeable by members of the firm.... 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, 1985), p. 194. --------------- The heading in former edition read, "REVELATION given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, February 27, 1833, known as the Word of Wisdom." The 1981 edition adds the following background information: "As a consequence of the early brethren using tobacco in their meetings, the Prophet was led to ponder upon the matter; consequently he inquired of the Lord concerning it. This revelation, known as the Word of Wisdom, was the result. The first three verses were originally written as an inspired introduction and description by the Prophet." When the Word of Wisdom was first printed, originallly as a separate tract and later in the 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, the material now contained in verses 1-3 consisted of a paragraph taht was not part of the text. It became a regular part of the text in teh 1921 edition. Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works--1979, 1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4. --------------- Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.4, WORD OF WISDOM Word of Wisdom is the common title for a revelation that counsels Latter-day Saints on maintaining good health and is published as Doctrine and Covenants: section 89. The practice of abstaining from all forms of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea, which may outwardly distinguish active Latter-day Saints more than any other practice, derives from this revelation. Called "a Word of Wisdom" in the introduction, the revelation was given to Joseph Smith at Kirtland, Ohio, on February 27, 1833, when the School of the Prophets was meeting at his home in the Whitney Store. It came in response to the Prophet's inquiry about tobacco, which was being used by some of the men attending the school. The revelation states that it is specifically for the latter days because of "evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men" (D&C 89:4). The Word of Wisdom limited alcohol use to wine for the Sacrament and hard liquor for washing the body. It noted tobacco as useful only for treating bruises and sick cattle. Hot drinks (later defined as coffee and tea) were not for "the body or belly" (D&C 89:9). Additional advice was given permitting the use of meat, but suggesting that it be restricted to winter or times of famine (D&C 89:12-13). The revelation places strong emphasis on the use of grains, particularly wheat, as the staple of the human diet (D&C 89:14, 16-17), and upon fruits and vegetables ("herbs" verse 11; cf. 59:17-18) in season. The Word of Wisdom also states that some "herbs" are present on the earth for the healing of human ailments (D&C 89:8-11). Church members should not consume alcohol, tobacco, tea, or coffee and should use moderation in eating other foods. Those who follow this counsel and keep the other commandments of God are promised that they will have "health in their navel and marrow to their bones," "shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint," "shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures," and "the destroying angel shall pass by them . . . and not slay them" (D&C 89:18-21; cf. Dan. 1:3-20; 2:19-30). The promises associated with the Word of Wisdom are considered both temporal and spiritual. The temporal promise has been interpreted as better health, and the spiritual promise as a closer relationship to God. These promises reflect the concern of the Church with both the temporal and spiritual Welfare of its members. They also reflect God's concern with the condition of the physical body of every person, paralleling aspects of other religious health codes defining types of foods forbidden for health and spiritual reasons. The introduction to the 1835 printing of the revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants indicated that it was given as counsel or advice rather than as a binding commandment, though the revelation states that it was "adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all saints" (D&C 89:3). Compliance with its teachings was sporadic from the late 1830s until the early years of the twentieth century. The Church encouraged leaders to be an example to the people in abstaining from alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee; but no binding Church policy was articulated during this time. The prohibition movement, spearheaded by the Protestant Evangelical churches in America, focused on alcohol consumption as a political rather than a moral issue. The movement intensified the Church's interest in the Word of Wisdom. There is evidence that Church Presidents John Taylor, Joseph F. Smith, and Heber J. Grant wanted to promote adherence to the Word of Wisdom as a precondition for entering LDS temples or holding office in any Church organization; and indeed, by 1930 abstinence from the use of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea had become an official requirement for those seeking temple recommends. While abstinence from these substances is now required for temple attendance and for holding priesthood offices or other Church callings, no other ecclesiastical sanctions are imposed on those who do not comply with the Word of Wisdom. Other dietary aspects of the Word of Wisdom have not received the stress that the abstinence portions have. While some leaders, such as John A. Widtsoe, have emphasized the benefits of eating whole grains, no distinctive dietary practices have emerged that distinguish Mormons from non-Mormons, though the use of whole-grain cereals is often assumed to be higher among Latter-day Saints than other people. With the appearance of cola drinks in the early 1900s, the Church was confronted with cold beverages containing caffeine, a harmful substance believed to make coffee and tea unacceptable. While no official Church position has been stated, leaders have counseled members to avoid caffeine and other addictive chemicals. Church leaders universally caution against any use of such drugs as marijuana and cocaine and the abuse of prescription drugs. While none of these substances are mentioned specifically in the Word of Wisdom, the concept of the sanctity of the body and the deleterious effects of chemical substances on it have been emphasized as an extension of the Word of Wisdom. Many of the health benefits associated with abstinence from the substances mentioned in the Word of Wisdom did not become clear until the latter part of the twentieth century. During World War I use of cigarettes among men became widespread, and during World War II, among women. The association of cigarette smoking with lung cancer was documented in the early 1950s, but official statements by scientific bodies accepting this relationship as causal did not occur until the mid-1960s. Since that time, many other diseases have been associated with cigarette smoking, including cancers of the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, kidney, bladder, and pancreas; peptic ulcers; coronary heart disease; chronic bronchitis; infant mortality; and chronic obstructive airway disease. Studies have found that Latter-day Saints have substantially lower risk for all of these illnesses (30-80 percent below that of non-Mormons living in Utah or in other areas of the United States) and that people who abstain from these substances are at much lower risk of these diseases than those who do not. Few health risks have been clearly identified with the use of tea and coffee, though some evidence suggests that those who abstain from coffee may be at lower risk for peptic ulcers, cancer of the pancreas, and coronary heart disease. Some studies estimate that those complying with the Word of Wisdom increase their life expectancy up to seven years. Bibliography Alexander, Thomas G. Mormonism in Transition, pp. 258-71. Urbana, Ill., 1986. Arrington, Leonard J. "An Economic Interpretation of the "Word of Wisdom."' BYU Studies 1 (Winter 1959):37-49. Backman, Milton V., Jr. The Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio 1830-1838, pp. 234-36, 257-61. Salt Lake City, 1983. Bush, Lester E., Jr. "The Word of Wisdom in Early Nineteenth-Century Perspective." Dialogue 14 (Autumn 1981):47-65. ----. "The Mormon Tradition." In Caring and Curing: Health and Medicine in the Western Religious Traditions, ed. R. Numbers and D. Amundsen, pp. 397-419. New York, 1986. Enstrom, James E. "Cancer Mortality Among Mormons." Cancer 36 (1975):825-41. ----. "Health Practices and Cancer Mortality Among Active California Mormons." Journal of the National Cancer Institute 81 (1989):1807-1814. Gardner, John W., and Joseph L. Lyon. "Cancer in Utah Mormon Men by Lay Priesthood Level." American Journal of Epidemiology 116 (1982):243-57. ----. "Cancer in Utah Mormon Women by Church Activity Level." American Journal of Epidemiology 116 (1982):258-65. Lyon, Joseph L., et al. "Cancer Incidence in Mormons and Non-Mormons in Utah, 1966-1970." New England Journal of Medicine 294 (1976):129-38. ----, and Steven Nelson. "Mormon Health." Dialogue 12 (Fall 1979):84-96. ----; John W. Gardner; and Dee W. West. "Cancer Incidence in Mormons and Non-Mormons in Utah during 1967-1975." Journal of the National Cancer Institute 65 (1980):1055-61. Peterson, Paul H. "An Historical Analysis of the Word of Wisdom." Master's thesis, Brigham Young University, 1972. Widtsoe, John A., and Leah D. Widtsoe. The Word of Wisdom: A Modern Interpretation. Salt Lake City, 1937. Woolley, F. Ross; Katharina L. Schuman; and Joseph L. Lyon. "Neonatal Mortality in Utah." American Journal of Epidemiology 116 (1982):541-46. JOSEPH LYNN LYON --------------- ...[1815].. Eventually the movement was supported by Christian leaders, and temperance reform became inseparably connected with the spread of revivalistic religion. Many churchgoers came to view drinking as inconsistent with Christian tenets as well as an indication of moral depravity. ... The creation of the American Temperance Society in 1826 marked the beginning of organized temperance groups, and inaugurated a movement which had far-reaching consequences. Almost immediately hundreds of state and local auxiliaries sprang into existence, and within a year after the organization of the American Temperance Society, 222 local groups had been formed in sixteen states. ... ... As in other areas, the churches became the leading vehicles for temperance expression with the evangelical denominations in the forefront. ... Temperance agitation was apparently strong in the Mormon settlements of Kirtland and Mentor. On October 6, 1830, the Kirtland Temperance Society was organized. ... The Kirtland distillery which had existed since 1819 was closed for want of patronage by February 1, 1833, approximately four weeks before Smith announced the revelation. ... ... it is not improbably that some Saints were members of the Kirtland Temperance Society .... ... while the Mormon Prophet was in all likelihood not associated with any temperance organization, it seem highly improbable that he would not have been sensitive to the prevailing temperance sentiment. ... There was no consistent pattern of interpretation or application of the Word of Wisdom between the time it was given and the middle 1840's. ... It is evident that at first adherence to at least some portions of the revelation was mandatory and necessary for Church fellowship. ... ... it would appear that they had little objection to its occasional use for medicinal purposes. In an age when these items were frequently used as a relief for a wide variety of ailments, it would have been imprudent to have entirely forbidden their use. ... ... While the general use of whiskey and liquor was contrary to the principle, many Saints felt these venerates had redeeming medicinal qualities. It was drunk by some to help remedy the effects of cholera, and evidently was used as an alleviating cure for the effects of other sicknesses. Sidney Rigdon, perhaps as strict and rigid as any Mormon leader regarding Word of Wisdom observance, proposed in December, 1836, that Church members discontinue liquor in health and in sickness, but it would appear that this instruction was not followed by many Saints. ... Some Church members used liquor for reasons other than medicinal. Joseph Smith and other prisoners drank liquor and whiskey in the Liberty Jail in token of friendship, while references to wine-drinking are commonplace. Excessive drinking, however, was not tolerated, and some Mormons were threatened with loss of membership for failure to curb drunkenness. ... [Nauvoo] It first appeared that the city fathers had designed this city as a "dry town." In February,, 1841, the city council prohibited liquor by the drink and declared exceptions to this rule punishable by the fine of twenty-five dollars. ... Nauvoo, however, was a thriving river town as well as a city of Saints. In all probability, the desires of the growing Gentile element for easier accessibility of alcoholic beverages, along with similar urgings of many Mormons not holding to the view of strict abstinence, led to a gradual relaxation and liberalization of liquor laws. ... ... By 1846, then, the somewhat strict prohibitions of the 1830's regarding the use of alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee among the Mormons had begun to erode away, as moderation rather than abstinence became the major concern. ... Joseph's approach to the Word of Wisdom, when viewed in historical perspective, seems sensible and rational. In the late 1830's the Kirtland Stake had dissolved due to apostasy, the Missouri Saints were being driven from the State with accompanying hardships, and Joseph himself was imprisoned. At a time when the Church was struggling for mere existence, it would seem small and petty to quibble about a dring of tea or coffee. Similarly, after a comparatively comfortable initial existence in Nauvoo, Mormon society was torn apart by internal dissension and by the controversy and persecution which resulted from the promulgation and practice of peculiar religious doctrines. Emphasis on a rigid interpretation of a health code during such a period of turmoil would seem ill-timed and inappropriate. Moreover, there is some evidence that Joseph sought to avoid needless dissension among the Saints by urging moderation and charity. It would appear that some Mormons had been influenced by the fanaticism that characterized sermons of some of the radical temperance reformers, and tended to be intolerant of those with professed Word of Wisdom weaknesses. The Prophet, recognizing that the revelation must be seen in perspective with other matters and doctrines pertaining to the growth of the "Kingdom," urged them to be slow to judge or condemn others. Joseph's rather curt reaction to a talk advocating "temperance in the extreme" was illustrative of his desire to teach the Saints to be charitable and merciful, rather than vindictive and unforgiving. After reproving the speaker as Pharisaical and hypocritical, the Prophet said the following: If you do not accuse each other, God will not accuse you. If you have no accuser you will enter heaven, and if you will follow the revelations and instructions which God gives you through me, I will take you into heaven as my back load. If you will not accuse me, I will not accuse you. If you will not throw a cloak of charity over my sins, I will cover yours -- for charity covereth a multitude of sins. ... The tendency toward tolerance in interpreting the Word of Wisdom contineued in the Church from the death of Joseph Smith to the 1860's. As a group, in fact, it seems that Mormons were less inclined to observe Word of Wisdom principles during this era than any other. At least two practical reasons may account for this. first, many Mormons probably felt that alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee had redeeming qualities from the standpoint of medical need and fatigue, and reasoned that the obvious hardships associated with the settlement of a harsh and barren region justified their use. ... Secondly, Brigham Young, successor to Joseph Smith as Mormon Prophet and President, never chose to make obedience to the Word of Wisdom a test of fellowship in the Church. ... ... Observations made by four non-Mormons who traveled through Utah Territory in the 1850's suggest that Mormons were considerably more moderate in the use of alcohol, tobacco, tea, and coffee, than was contemporary society. ... While it was evident that Church authorities had little concern with individual Word of Wisdom lapses, it is interesting to note that in the 1850's a new trend in teaching adherence to the revelation began. ... Accepting the fact that many older Saints were addicted to their tobacco, or "hot drink" habits, and realizing that many would have a difficult time living a life of abstinence, Church leaders began to appeal to the younger generation to live the Word of Wisdom. ... It is sometimes said that at a General Conference meeting held on September 9, 1851, Word of Wisdom observance was made obligatory upon Church members. Here Brigham Young called on all the sisters who would refrain from using tea and coffee to manifest it my raising their right hand. He then asked "boys under ninety" to abstain from tobacco and whiskey and other undesirable items mentioned in the revelation. Apparently both notions were unanimously agreed upon. A letter sent from the First Presidency to the Saints abroad explained this action in the following manner: "The Conference voted to observe the Word of Wisdom and particularly to dispense with the use of tea, coffee, snuff, and tobacco, and in this thing as well as many others, what is good for the Saints in the mountains, is good for the Saints in other places ...." The many references to this particular event often leaves the impression that the Word of Wisdom was made a commandment at the time. ... Despite such numerous statements, a close perusal of sermons by various authorities in the 1850's and 1860's would lead to another conclusion. ... [1860] But within two or three years this rather lenient attitude toward offenders changed and an increased emphasis on a more rigid application became evident. At least two reasons for this change are apparent. (1) It would seem that around 1862 Brigham Young had curbed his own habits. ... (2) The conditions of the Mormon economy made strict enforcement practical if not necessary. ... the coming of the transcontinental railroad posed a particularly crucial problem for Church leaders. The desire "to escape absorption into the wider free-trading economy of the nation," necessitated among other things, a reduction of unproductive consumer imports such as tobacco and tea to a minimum in order to finance productive imports. The organization of Relief Societies and Schools of the Prophets in 1867 with their requirements specifying Word of Wisdom adherence figured prominently in this facet of Church policy. ... Young's speeches regarding observance were characterized by a firm, if not invective spirit. ... Perhaps a partial explanation for the harsh tone of such sermons was the apparent inability of many Mormons to maintain a consistent standard. It seems as if a steady verbal barrage was necessary to keep them from slipping back into former patterns. ... [School of the Prophets] In the late 1860's overt concern with money outlay for personal consumption items such as tobacco and tea resulted in an eventual entrance requirement specifying adherence to the Word of Wisdom. Since this rule was difficult for many to abide by, the Word of Wisdom was a much-discussed topic. Avoiding the frequent use of liquor was probably somewhat difficult for many St. George residents. Recognizing that Southern Utah needed an economic boost, Brigham Young suggested in the early 1860's that the area manufacture wine. One reason was to provide wine for sacramental purposes, but a more important function was to provide income for destitute Saints in Southern Utah. ... ... Much of the wine was of poor quality and the sale of inferior wine damaged the reputation of this product. This, plus the personal degradation of individual Saints, convinced Church authorities that the promotion of this industry had probably been a mistake. By 1900, Church members were counseled to dig up their vineyards. Beginning in 1880, and lasting throughout the remainder of the eighties, a great prohibition wave swept the country. ... ... the Mormon Church initiated in 1883 the most zealous, widespread, and probably most influential crusade to encourage Church members to obey the Word of Wisdom. ... ... John Taylor, Young's successor as Church President, said that he had received a revelation on October 13, 1882, which designated the Word of Wisdom as a commandment. Interestingly enough, Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal that Taylor received revelation in October of 1882, "in which the duties of the Priesthood and of the Saints were set forth." Whether these revelations were related is, of course, open to conjecture. ... Just what was specifically included in President Taylor's revelation is unknown, but subsequent events suggest that reemphasis on the Word of Wisdom was but one area of concern. The concurrent reorganization of the School of the Prophets "in accordance with the designs of the Almighty," and the stress on and increase in plural marriages infer that Taylor desired to bring about a series of general reforms. In short, one could refer to the 1883-1884 period in Church History as a "Second Reformation." ... Taylor referred to the revelation as being obligatory on all officers of the Church. Curiously enough, there are relatively few references to the Word of Wisdom between 1885 and 1893. This void can be accounted for in part by the polygamy persecutions and federal raids which were prevalent during this time. ... The "lapse period" of the late 80's and early 90's ended October, 1894, when Wilford Woodruff, now President of the Church, spoke forcefully to Church members regarding Word of Wisdom observance... [this was after the manifesto] The next few years were characterized by occasional but firm declarations by Church leaders to adhere to the Word of Wisdom, and clarifications on some of the finer points of the revelation. ... ... Evidence would suggest that by 1900, a majority of Church leaders, including those on the local level, obeyed the revelation. Joseph F. Smith, Mormon Prophet from 1901 until 1919, was probably as strict with regard to Word of Wisdom observance as any of his predecessors .... ... President Smith advised Hess to: (1) Use his own discretion in most cases (2) Refuse recommends to flagrant violators (3) Work with those having weaknesses (4) Be somewhat liberal with very old men who had contracted the tobacco habit but insist that they refrain from using tobacco those days they are in the temple. (5) Draw the line on drunkenness. ... [prohibition] came at a time when Mormon-Gentile relations were strained. Many Church leaders, leery of more negative exposure, were probably reluctant to involve themselves in so sensitive an issue. ... It was expected that the Mormon Church with it stand on "strong drinks" would be a major force in the push for statewide prohibition, and it was not surprising that Church leaders chose to emphasize the Word of Wisdom during the 1908 General Conference sessions. ... While the Word of Wisdom was the obvious theme of October General Conference, it was somewhat puzzling to some that at a time when prohibition was being hotly debated, no specific pronouncement was being made regarding that question. Though many Authorities spoke in favor of temperance or abstinence, the lack of precise reference to prohibition suggested to some that the Church was not openly in favor of statewide prohibition. ... ... have led some to conclude that [Joseph F. Smith's] ambivalence was due to a fear that direct Mormon entrance into the controversy would deepen Mormon-Gentile wounds and result in a renewal of anti-Mormon agitation. ... Although Smith never chose to comment often on prohibition, his statements on the Word of Wisdom would suggest that he was moving the Church slowly but steadily in the direction of complete abstinence. ... In 1913, the First Presidency instructed Nephi L. Morris, President of the Salt Lake Stake, not to call or recommend young men for missions unless they observe the Word of Wisdom By the close of Joseph F. Smith's administration prospects for increasing Church-wide obedience were bright. ... abstinence rather than merely temperance was probably the rule among Ward and Stake leaders, and most Mormons had come to accept compliance to the revelation as a tenet of their faith. ... Heber J. Grant, President of the Church from 1919 until 1945, emphasized the Word of Wisdom with constant firmness and fervor. Under Grant's leadership the revelation came to be regarded as a binding principle, a test of individual obedience and worthiness, and a requirement for a temple recommend. Determining precisely when Grant declared the Word of Wisdom to be binding is difficult, and many have maintained it was made obligatory before Grant's time. ... Concurrent with Grant's elevation to the Presidency was the beginning of the Prohibition era in the United States. Prohibition was a measure with [sic] Grant had diligently worked for and he frequently spoke out in favor of the experiment. ... Grant desire to make Word of Wisdom obedience mandatory was manifest early in his administration. ... Grant pre-occupation with Word of Wisdom adherence became even more pronounced in the late 1920's and early 1930's. This emphasis can be accounted for, in part, by the growing dissatisfaction with prohibition and the accompanying sentiment for repeal. ... Grant's refusal to soften his verbal barrage occasionally resulted in criticism, and his replies to his detractors indicate his sincerity and devotion to his task. In 1932, the Mormon leader stated he had been called a crank for constantly urging the Saints to observe the Word of Wisdom, but mentioned that he expected to be a crank in that respect to the end of his life. ... Paul H. Peterson, "An Historical Analysis of the Word of Wisdom," A Thesis presented to the Department of History Brigham Young University, In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement s for the Degree Master of Arts, August 1972. -------------------- If survival is the first task of the movement, the natural and inevitable response of the host society is either to domesticate the movement or to destroy it. In seeking to domesticate or assimilate it, the society will apply various kinds of social control pressures selectively in an effort to force the movement to abandon at least its most unique and threatening features. To the extent that the society succeeds in this domestication effort, the result will be the eventual assimilation of the movement. Failing to achieve sufficient domestication, the host society will eventually resort to the only alternative: persecution and repression.. The logical extreme of either of these two societal responses (assimilation or repression) is, of course, oblivion for the movement. ... Movements which, like Mormonism, survive and prosper are those that succeed in maintaining indefinitely an optimum tension ... between the two opposing strains: the strain toward greater assimilation and the respectability, on the one hand, and that toward greater separateness, peculiarity, and militance, on the other. ... If, in its quest for acceptance and respectability, a movement allows itself to be pulled too far toward assimilation, it will lose its unique identity altogether. If, on the other hand, in its quest for uniqueness of identity and mission, it allows itself to move too far toward an extreme rejection of the host society, it will lose its very life. Its viability and its separate identity both depend upon a successful and perpetual oscillation within a fairly narrow range along a continuum between two alternative modes of oblivion. [The book makes the comment that after plural marriage and other distinctive Mormon practices were given up, practices such as the Word of Wisdom and regular temple attendance were strongly encouraged. These practices maintained the distinctiveness of the Mormons from the Gentiles.] Armand L. Mauss, The Angel and the Beehive: The Mormon Struggle with Assimilation, (University of Illinois, 1994) p. 4-5. -------------------- The Xanthines: Coffee, Cola, Cocoa, and Tea by Clifford J. Stratton, BYU Studies, Vol. 20, No. 4, p.371 ... Caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline are three alkaloids that occur in many plants throughout the world. Because they are so closely related both chemically and in their actions on the human body, they are collectively called the xanthines. From earliest times, man has made food solids and beverages from the extracts of plants that contain these substances.4 Table 1 illustrates some common dietary sources of xanthines. A close examination of the table reveals that there are significant quantities of these drugs present in many popular commodities. Coffee is derived from the seeds of Coffea arabica and its related species. According to legend, Arabian "shepherds reported that goats that had eaten the berries of the coffee plant gamboled and frisked about all through the night."5 An Arabian priest in a monastery obtained the plant and became the first known person to make and drink a beverage from it, allowing him to undergo long nights of prayer. The coffee shrub produces a fruit called a "cherry" that contains two oval coffee beans. These are dried, hulled, roasted, and ground. Instant and freeze-dried coffee are produced by extracting ground coffee with water and freeze-dried the extract, by drying it on a drum in a vacuum, or by spraying it into a heated chamber. Decaffeinated coffee is obtained by steaming green coffee and treating it with a chlorinated organic solvent which dissolves out nearly all the caffeine. Coffee contains the xanthine caffeine. Cocoa, obtained from the seeds of Theobroma cocoa, was used in the New World long before Columbus. It grows as a bean in pods seven to twelve inches long, each containing from thirty to forty beans (seeds). The beans are removed, allowed to ferment for several days, dried, and hulled. The resulting "nibs" are ground into a semiliquid past called "chocolate liquor." The liquor solidifies to a hard, brown block when cooled and is sold as baking chocolate or bitter chocolate. Milk chocolate for bars is made by adding milk, sugar, and flavorings; and sweet chocolate for cooking is made by adding only sugar and flavorings. Sometimes the liquor is squeezed in a hydraulic press to remove the cocoa butter. The defatted residue is the common "cocoa" used to make hot cocoa drink and also used in manufacturing confections as well as pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparations. Cocoa that has been treated with alkali to produce a less acid flavor is called "Dutch" chocolate. Cocoa and chocolate contain the xanthines theobromine and caffeine. Tea is the national drink of most of the human race, being most popular in Asia, the Middle East, and the United Kingdom. The beverage use of tea probably started in China long before the birth of Christ. Tea is the dried leaves of Thea sinesis, an evergreen shrub. The young, unopened leaf bud is considered the highest quality. Black tea is made by rolling the leaves after they have withered and are soft. The rolling releases enzymes that cause chemical reactions within the leaf, and oxygen is taken up as a result. The leaves are spread out in order to absorb a maximum of oxygen. They are then heated and dried to be ready for use. For green tea, the leaves wither and are rolled, but are immediately heated and dried. Instant tea is made in much the same way as instant coffee. Tea owes much of its flavor to the complex mixture of more than twenty substances that make up the tannins it contains. Tea contains the xanthines caffeine, theophylline, and theobromine. Cola-flavored beverages contain an extract from kola nuts obtained from the Cola acuminata tree. Carbonated beverages were first made by early Europeans to imitate the popular and naturally effervescent waters from famous springs that were reputed to have therapeutic value. Today carbonation is achieved by cascading the chilled beverage mixture in thin layers over a series of plates in an enclosure containing carbon dioxide gas under pressure. Cola drinks contain the xanthine caffeine. How Do the Xanthines Act on the Body ... 1. Brain and spinal cord.19 Caffeine and theophylline are powerful central nervous system stimulants. They stimulate all potions of the cortex of the brain, resulting in greater sustained intellectual effort and a more perfect association of ideas a keener appreciation of sensory stimuli. If a person has become depressed by barbiturates or other drugs, caffeine or theophylline may be administered to speed up breathing to an acceptable level, since they act on the respiratory center of the brain. Overindulgence or abuse of the use of caffeine and theophylline products leads to "chronic xanthine poisoning" which may produce the following symptoms: diarrhea, dizziness, apprehension, restlessness, a high level of anxiety, and a ringing hissing noise in the ears. 2. Cardiovascular systems.20 All three xanthines have a powerful action on the heart and blood vessels. Xanthines cause the blood vessels that feed the brain to constrict, decreasing both the blood flow and the oxygen tension of the brain. This action is responsible for the striking relief from headaches obtained from xanthine consumption. Note in Table 1 that almost all prescription medications, over-the-counter analgesics, and cold preparations contain significant amounts of caffeine for that purpose. All of the xanthines stimulate the heart directly to increase the force of contraction, the heart rate, and the output. Theophylline is a valuable drug in the heart is filled with blood due to a venous obstruction. Because the xanthines dilate the blood vessels that nourish the heart, causing increased blood flow, they are used in the treatment of coronary artery disease and other coronary insufficiencies. Large doses result in tachycardia (a rapid beating of the heart, over 100 beats per minute). Continued stimulation occasionally results in permanent heart irregularities. Such are sometimes "encountered in persons who use caffeine beverages to excess."21 3. Smooth muscle.32 The xanthines, particularly theophylline, relax the smooth muscles that surround the bronchioles (the air tubes that go to the lungs). They are used to relieve respiratory distress, especially in the treatment of certain cases of bronchial asthma. 4. Skeletal Muscle.33 Caffeine and theobromine strengthen the contraction of the voluntary muscles of the body (e.g., arm and leg muscles), resulting in an increased capacity for muscular work. Abuse may result in shaking or trembling. 5. Kidneys.34 Theobromine and theophylline increase the production of urine and are sometimes used as diuretics. Overuse causes more frequent urination. 6. Gastric secretion.35 Moderate doses of caffeine increase the amount of acid secreted into the stomach. Repeated daily doses of caffeine have been shown to contribute to ulcers. For this reason, excessive use of coffee and cola beverages is a concern to many physicians. Abuse of these stimulants may also cause nervous or "butterfly" stomach. 7. Body metabolism.36 The xanthines cause an increase in the basal metabolic rate (they increase the amount of energy produced by the cells). Ingestion of 500 mg. of caffeine (about four cups of coffee--see Table 1) increases the basal metabolic rate ten percent to twenty-five percent. However, the effects are not seen until a few hours after the drug is taken. As would be expected, this stimulation is usually followed by a period of sluggishness or mild body depression. ... Because he does not feel the increased heart rate, dilation of heart vessels, the decreased blood flow and oxygen tension of the brain, the increased gastric secretion nor the increased body metabolism, but only observes the stimulation and the diuretic effect, the prince only appears small. ... Because theobromine, unlike caffeine and theophylline, only slightly stimulates the central nervous system, some people incorrectly assume that its other effects are minimal. This has resulted in the ingestion of cocoa and chocolate by people who refrain from caffeine and theophylline in tea, coffee, and cola drinks. As early as 1939, in an article appearing on the Journal of the American Medical Association,43 a question concerning the use of cocoa and chocolate was answered: "In considering cocoa as a beverage for children, it should be regarded as a stimulant similar to coffee." Today, as a result of many years of research and clinical experience with the xanthines, it is known that theobromine is more potent than an equal amount of caffeine in causing heart stimulation, dilation of heart vessels, smooth muscle relaxation, and diuresis. ... To an adult weighing 150 lbs. "a cup of instant coffee or a can of cola beverage could give about 1 mg. caffeine per kilogram of body weight. In a very young child, the cup of chocolate or candy bar would give the same proportion of caffeine to body weight. When this child drinks a can of cola,. . . caffeine intake is comparable to an adult drinking 4 cups instant coffee. ... Clifford J. Stratton, "The Xanthines: Coffe, Cola, Cocoa, and Tea," Brigham Young University Studies, Vol. 20, Number 4, (Spring 1980). Tables in this article show the amount of xanthines in substances: 6 oz brewed coffie= 100-150 mg caffeine 12 oz can of cola: Tab=50 mg; Coca Cola=65 mg; Dr. pepper=61 mg; Mountain Dew=55 mg 8 oz chocolate bar= 87 mg caffeine, 471 mg theobromine 6 oz tea=38-81 mg caffeine; 2 mg theobromine 6 oz instant hot chocolate=18 mg caffeine; 175 mg theobromine --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Perry L. Porter" Subject: ---> Lesson 28 Date: 24 Aug 1997 21:54:22 -0700 Doctrine and Covenants 93-96 Lesson 28 Scriptural Highlights 1. Each person can obtain a fulness of glory. 2. We should base our lives on truth. 3. The Lord directed the construction of the Kirtland Temple. Seek the guidance of the Holy Ghost while preparing and presenting this lesson. Encourage class members to pray in their hearts to know how to apply the principles taught in these revelations. Discussion and Application Questions * What must we do to be worthy to see and know the Lord? (See D&C 93:1; 67:10-14; 88:67-68; and the quotation from the Prophet Joseph Smith in lesson 20.) * In D&C 93:6-17, John testified that the Savior received a fulness of the Father's glory. What does this mean? How did the Savior receive this fulness of glory? (D&C 93:11 -15.) * The Lord promises that we' like the Savior, may "receive of [the Father's] fulness" (D&C 93:19). How can we receive this fulness? (D&C 93:19-22, 26-28.) How do these verses help you understand your potential and the love that the Father and Son have for you? What does it mean to receive "grace for grace"? (D&C 93:20; 98:12). How have you progressed from grace to grace in developing your testimony, understanding gospel principles, or growing spiritually? How does knowing that the Savior "received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace" help you as you strive to progress? * The Lord said he revealed D&C 93 so "that you may understand and know how to worship, and know what you worship" (D&C 93:19). What does D&C 93 teach you about how to worship the Lord? How can the truths in this section help you worship more meaningfully? * What do we learn about truth in D&C 93:24-30, 36-37? What do you learn from these verses about how to seek truth in all aspects of your life? How do these verses help you understand the consequences of choosing to follow Satan, even in seemingly small ways? (See also D&C 93:31-32 ) * In D&C 93:33-35, what does the Lord teach about the importance of our bodies? (See also D&C 138:15-17, 50.) When will the spirit and element be inseparably connected? (D&C 88:14-17.) * In D&C 93:38-40, what does the Lord teach about little children? How are light and truth taken away from children as they grow up? What does it mean to bring up children "in light and truth"? * In D&C 93:41-50 the Lord instructed early Church leaders about teaching their children. How can the instructions given in these verses help us teach children? (See also the quotation from President Kimball.) * Why does the Lord chasten us? (D&C 95:1-2; Hebrews 12:5-11.) In what ways does he chasten us? What can we do to make the Lord's chastening more valuable to us? How can parents follow the Lord's example when chastening their children? * What "grievous sin" is referred to in D&C 95:3? Why was the Lord so concerned that a temple be built in Kirtland? (D&C 95:8-9.J What does D&C 95 teach about the importance of the temple? How can we make the temple more important in our daily living of the gospel? Quotation President Spencer W. Kimball: "We bring children into the world to become kings and queens, priests and priestesses for our Lord.... How sad if the Lord should charge any of us parents with having failed to teach our children. Truly a tremendous responsibility falls upon a couple when they bring children into the world. Not only food, clothes, and shelter are required of them, but loving, kindly disciplining' teaching, and training" (Ensign, Apr. 1978, pp. 4-5). Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 97-100; 134 Page 55 Class Member Study Guide Lesson 28 By 2 February 1833 the Prophet had temporarily concluded his translation of the New Testament, but he continued to work on the Old Testament. In May the Lord directed him to hasten the work (see D&C 93:53) and to make plans for a building in which to print the translation (see D&C 94:10). The Prophet was also involved in planning the Kirtland Temple, the first building erected for worship by the Latter-day Saints. In December 1832 the Lord had commanded the Saints to build the temple (see D&C 88:119) , but by June 1833 little had been done. The Lord called on his people to repent and to hasten their work on the temple (see D&C 95). He promised to reveal the design of the temple to three leaders of the Church (see D&C 95:14). Frederick G. Williams recalled: "Joseph received the word of the Lord for him to take his two counsellors [Frederick G.] Williams and [Sidney] Rigdon and come before the Lord, and he would show them the plan or model of the House to be built. We went upon our knees, called on the Lord, and the Building appeared within viewing distance: I being the first to discover it. Then all of us viewed it together. After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us, and the Makeup of this Hall seems to coincide with what I saw there to a minutia" (quoted in The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 198). Other matters also demanded the attention of Church leaders. For example, as the Latter-day Saint population in Kirtland grew, it became necessary to acquire more land. After the Church purchased a large piece of property, a conference of high priests could not reach an agreement about who should manage the property. The brethren resolved to seek the will of the Lord on the matter and received D&C 96 in answer. As you study D&C 93-96, consider the following: How did the Savior receive a fulness of the Father's glory? (D&C 93:11 -17.) How can we receive this fulness? (D&C 93:19-22, 26-28.) * In D&C 93:40-50, what did the Lord teach about the responsibility parents have to their children? What can you do to bring up your children "in light and truth"? * What does D&C 95 teach about the importance of the temple? How can you make the temple more important in your daily living of the gospel? An architect's drawing of the Kirtland Temple. The Lord revealed the design of the temple and commanded, "Let it be built after the manner which I shall show unto . . . you" (D&C 95:14). Page 56 Section 93 ... The headnote of section 93 in the 1921 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants ... suggests that the text of the revelation contains a portion of the record of John the Apostle. Both John Taylor and Orson Pratt believed the record to be that of John the Baptist. 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, 1985), p. 194-195. Section 94 Both the "Kirtland Revelation Book" and a letter from the Prophet and others to Church leaders in Missouri, dated 6 August 1833, give the date of reception for section 94 as 2 August 1833. Moreover, the 6 August 1833 letter makes it clear that sections 97 and 94 were received together and appear to be either two part of one revelation or two revelations joined together section 94 constituting the latter half. Internal evidence also suggests that section 94 was received after section 94: verses 1-2 of section 94 indicate that the pattern for constructing the Kirtland Temple had already been given, but section 95 gave the dimensions for the temple and added that the "manner" (i.e. architecture) would be later shown to three. ... two sacred building to be constructed in Kirtland: the house for the Presidency and a house for printing. 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, 1985), p. 195. Section 95 ... take into consideration the commandment in section 88 to build a house for the School of the Prophets. 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, 1985), p. 197. F.G. Williams came into the Temple about the time the main hall 1st floor was ready for dedication. He was asked, how does the house look to you. He answered that it looked to him like the model he had seen. he said President Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon and himself were called to come before the Lord and the model was shown them. He said the vision of the Temple was thus shown them and he could not see the difference between it and the House as built. (Angell to Taylor, 11 March 1885, Church Archives). 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, 1985), p. 322. ----------------------------