Sunday, June 29, 2014
Sunstone August 2 @ 2:00
The preliminary program has set my Sunstone paper (Cutting Down the Tree of Life to Build a Wooden Bridge) for Saturday, August 2nd at 2:00. The session will last until 3:30 and include my paper, a response, and Q&A from the audience.
Friday, June 27, 2014
Today Joseph and Hyrum Died
This is the day Joseph and his brother Hyrum were killed. To be more accurate, it is the day Hyrum first, then Joseph momentarily afterwards, were killed.
I spent some time speaking yesterday with a friend I baptized shortly after my own baptism just over 40 years ago. He was a member of the LDS Church for thirty years, and was then excommunicated. I was a member for 40 years, and was then excommunicated. Neither of us intend to ever return to LDS Church membership, and therefore have no reason to curry favor.
The truth is, however, that both of our lives have been fundamentally blessed by the time we were members of the LDS Church. Both of us have experienced the "fruits" of converting. The results include reforming how we lived, what we did with our time, how we pursued education and employment, who we associated with, even how we look at the world now in contrast to how we did before.
I am grateful for every moment I belonged to the LDS Church. I hold no resentments toward it and believe that struggling to remain a member of the organization is worth the effort. It saddens me that there will be a mass resignation to protest the LDS Church's policies this coming Pioneer Day. That is not the way to leave.
Both my friend and I were excommunicated. I didn't quit. I would never have quit voluntarily. I would have stayed and tried to work within the organization to persuade by example, by precept, and by my testimony. Inside my own ward and stake I was very quiet. When asked to teach, I taught. When asked to speak, I spoke. But I didn't force my views on anyone.
It is true I wrote a book. But the book is overpriced to discourage its purchase. It is not easily available, not advertised, not promoted and I've never handed it out to anyone. I think it is true. But it was written to help, not hurt. I think it does help.
I believe Joseph and Hyrum died in a worthy cause. I think the energy and light that exploded onto the world through Joseph Smith's ministry has powered the LDS Church since his passing. Joseph's profound effect was so great that, even in the absence of any leader even a fraction of Joseph's stature, the LDS Church has been able to amass followers and do some considerable good. The absence of another leader like Joseph has slowed the momentum, and now the energy is almost entirely gone. But that does not change the goodness yet to be found inside the LDS Church still.
The forces who are in control of the organization are working harder to stifle what little light that still remains. But those who see this should not desert the battlefield. Stay and testify to what you know to be right. Fight against the darkness. You can be holy even if those around you are not. Read the circumstances in which Mormon and his son Moroni lived. We have not yet fallen to that state.
There are problems to be sure. Why run from them? Why not confront them by your quiet example, your goodness and firm testimony of truth? Why not bring to the attention of others what they have not yet noticed on their own? If they cast you out, then it is their doing, not yours. Let them be the aggressor, and you stay true to the Lord and His path. It is better to offend them by your example of righteousness than to take offense at their example of unrighteousness. Christ is your example.
I spent some time speaking yesterday with a friend I baptized shortly after my own baptism just over 40 years ago. He was a member of the LDS Church for thirty years, and was then excommunicated. I was a member for 40 years, and was then excommunicated. Neither of us intend to ever return to LDS Church membership, and therefore have no reason to curry favor.
The truth is, however, that both of our lives have been fundamentally blessed by the time we were members of the LDS Church. Both of us have experienced the "fruits" of converting. The results include reforming how we lived, what we did with our time, how we pursued education and employment, who we associated with, even how we look at the world now in contrast to how we did before.
I am grateful for every moment I belonged to the LDS Church. I hold no resentments toward it and believe that struggling to remain a member of the organization is worth the effort. It saddens me that there will be a mass resignation to protest the LDS Church's policies this coming Pioneer Day. That is not the way to leave.
Both my friend and I were excommunicated. I didn't quit. I would never have quit voluntarily. I would have stayed and tried to work within the organization to persuade by example, by precept, and by my testimony. Inside my own ward and stake I was very quiet. When asked to teach, I taught. When asked to speak, I spoke. But I didn't force my views on anyone.
It is true I wrote a book. But the book is overpriced to discourage its purchase. It is not easily available, not advertised, not promoted and I've never handed it out to anyone. I think it is true. But it was written to help, not hurt. I think it does help.
I believe Joseph and Hyrum died in a worthy cause. I think the energy and light that exploded onto the world through Joseph Smith's ministry has powered the LDS Church since his passing. Joseph's profound effect was so great that, even in the absence of any leader even a fraction of Joseph's stature, the LDS Church has been able to amass followers and do some considerable good. The absence of another leader like Joseph has slowed the momentum, and now the energy is almost entirely gone. But that does not change the goodness yet to be found inside the LDS Church still.
The forces who are in control of the organization are working harder to stifle what little light that still remains. But those who see this should not desert the battlefield. Stay and testify to what you know to be right. Fight against the darkness. You can be holy even if those around you are not. Read the circumstances in which Mormon and his son Moroni lived. We have not yet fallen to that state.
There are problems to be sure. Why run from them? Why not confront them by your quiet example, your goodness and firm testimony of truth? Why not bring to the attention of others what they have not yet noticed on their own? If they cast you out, then it is their doing, not yours. Let them be the aggressor, and you stay true to the Lord and His path. It is better to offend them by your example of righteousness than to take offense at their example of unrighteousness. Christ is your example.
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Saturday June 28, 2014 Ephriam, Utah
This coming Saturday, June 28th at 9:30 a.m., I will speak at Snow College in Ephriam, Utah. The talk will take place at:
Eccles Performing Arts Center
Concert Hall (seats 700)
Center Street and 300 East
Parking is available across the street
Like the previous six talks in this series, admission is free.
The talk will be on the topic of Christ. It will be between 2 1/2 and 3 hours in length.
Eccles Performing Arts Center
Concert Hall (seats 700)
Center Street and 300 East
Parking is available across the street
Like the previous six talks in this series, admission is free.
The talk will be on the topic of Christ. It will be between 2 1/2 and 3 hours in length.
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Sunstone Registration
Sunstone is an organization that sponsors symposiums and publishes a magazine. They charge for admission to their events.
Here are a few more details about their upcoming 2014 Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium:
For all three days, all workshops, and an MP3 recording of the talks the cost is $225.
For all three days without workshops, the cost is $90.
For a first time attendee, the cost for three days is $75.
For a student with a valid current student ID the cost is $35.
For a single day's admission, it is $40.
The registration is available on the Sunstone site linked here.
I do not know what day or what time I will be speaking.
Here are a few more details about their upcoming 2014 Salt Lake Sunstone Symposium:
For all three days, all workshops, and an MP3 recording of the talks the cost is $225.
For all three days without workshops, the cost is $90.
For a first time attendee, the cost for three days is $75.
For a student with a valid current student ID the cost is $35.
For a single day's admission, it is $40.
The registration is available on the Sunstone site linked here.
I do not know what day or what time I will be speaking.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Women Witnesses
At the time of Christ, culturally women were inferior to men. It was not that way from the beginning. Adam and Eve shared the labor equally. (Moses 5: 1.)
In many ways the Lord deliberately challenged cultural and religious norms of His day. On the day of His resurrection, He made it a point to show His regard for women by appearing first to Mary. (Mark 16: 9; John 20: 14-17.) There were others who also saw Him before His apostles did. The Twelve rejected the testimony of both women and the others to whom He first appeared. This offended the Lord. (Mark 16: 14.)
In Joseph Smith's day, women were likewise thought to be inferior. Women were not considered "competent" to manage their own legal affairs, and when they married, any property belonging to them became their husband's. When Joseph was required to have three witnesses (2 Ne. 27: 12) to the plates, Urim & Thummim, directors, breastplate and sword of Laban (D&C 17: 1), it only made sense to have three men be the witnesses.
The Lord, however, clearly showed His high regard for women. Before the three witnesses were shown the plates of the Book of Mormon, an angel showed them to a woman. In June 1829, just prior to when the plates were shown to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris, Joseph moved from Harmony to Fayette. During the move the plates were given to an angel for transport. Here is how the events then unfolded:
"Whitmer later recounted that during their journey to Fayette, he, Cowdery, and JS briefly encountered a 'pleasant, nice looking old man' whom JS identified by revelation as a heavenly messenger transporting the plates. Whitmer also recalled that soon after their arrival in Fayette, his mother, Mary Mussleman Whitmer, was met 'by the same old man, 'who showed her the plates.'" (Joseph Smith Papers, Documents Vol. 1: July 1828-June1831, p. 67.)
This same volume published by the LDS Church Historian's Press goes on to report: "Though he did not become a witness of the plates for weeks, he [David Whitmer] reported years later that soon after their arrival, his mother was shown the plates by a heavenly messenger." (Id. at p. 83.)
At that time, as in Christ's, culture had little regard for a woman's testimony. But in both of these cases, the Lord chose to first give a witness to women.
We should overcome whatever reluctance we have to listen to women's voices. Women have been able to vote since 1869. The state legislatures have allowed them to own property post-marriage since the 1840's. More importantly than those milestones, however, is the Lord's clear preference to have women as witnesses of His great work. We should take note of this.
Since the days of Adam, the greatest single event was the Lord's resurrection. And a woman was the first to witness the risen Lord. From the close of the New Testament, the greatest event has been the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Again a woman was chosen to be the first (after Joseph) to witness the plates in the hands of an angel.
The Lord trusts women and wishes we would do likewise.
On the other hand, when women focus on church office they may forfeit something a great deal more valuable. Given a choice, I'd trade away all church positions for a visit with the risen Lord. I would gladly exchange membership for a meeting with the heavenly messenger bearing the gold plates. Perhaps such an exchange is required. Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris all left the church, afterall. Granted two of them were rebaptized shortly before their deaths. President Heber J. Grant valued his church membership more than heaven itself, and wanted no angelic appearance to come to him if it compromised his church affiliation.
The Lord has a "strange act" indeed. (D&C 101: 95.)
In many ways the Lord deliberately challenged cultural and religious norms of His day. On the day of His resurrection, He made it a point to show His regard for women by appearing first to Mary. (Mark 16: 9; John 20: 14-17.) There were others who also saw Him before His apostles did. The Twelve rejected the testimony of both women and the others to whom He first appeared. This offended the Lord. (Mark 16: 14.)
In Joseph Smith's day, women were likewise thought to be inferior. Women were not considered "competent" to manage their own legal affairs, and when they married, any property belonging to them became their husband's. When Joseph was required to have three witnesses (2 Ne. 27: 12) to the plates, Urim & Thummim, directors, breastplate and sword of Laban (D&C 17: 1), it only made sense to have three men be the witnesses.
The Lord, however, clearly showed His high regard for women. Before the three witnesses were shown the plates of the Book of Mormon, an angel showed them to a woman. In June 1829, just prior to when the plates were shown to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris, Joseph moved from Harmony to Fayette. During the move the plates were given to an angel for transport. Here is how the events then unfolded:
"Whitmer later recounted that during their journey to Fayette, he, Cowdery, and JS briefly encountered a 'pleasant, nice looking old man' whom JS identified by revelation as a heavenly messenger transporting the plates. Whitmer also recalled that soon after their arrival in Fayette, his mother, Mary Mussleman Whitmer, was met 'by the same old man, 'who showed her the plates.'" (Joseph Smith Papers, Documents Vol. 1: July 1828-June1831, p. 67.)
This same volume published by the LDS Church Historian's Press goes on to report: "Though he did not become a witness of the plates for weeks, he [David Whitmer] reported years later that soon after their arrival, his mother was shown the plates by a heavenly messenger." (Id. at p. 83.)
At that time, as in Christ's, culture had little regard for a woman's testimony. But in both of these cases, the Lord chose to first give a witness to women.
We should overcome whatever reluctance we have to listen to women's voices. Women have been able to vote since 1869. The state legislatures have allowed them to own property post-marriage since the 1840's. More importantly than those milestones, however, is the Lord's clear preference to have women as witnesses of His great work. We should take note of this.
Since the days of Adam, the greatest single event was the Lord's resurrection. And a woman was the first to witness the risen Lord. From the close of the New Testament, the greatest event has been the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. Again a woman was chosen to be the first (after Joseph) to witness the plates in the hands of an angel.
The Lord trusts women and wishes we would do likewise.
On the other hand, when women focus on church office they may forfeit something a great deal more valuable. Given a choice, I'd trade away all church positions for a visit with the risen Lord. I would gladly exchange membership for a meeting with the heavenly messenger bearing the gold plates. Perhaps such an exchange is required. Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and Martin Harris all left the church, afterall. Granted two of them were rebaptized shortly before their deaths. President Heber J. Grant valued his church membership more than heaven itself, and wanted no angelic appearance to come to him if it compromised his church affiliation.
The Lord has a "strange act" indeed. (D&C 101: 95.)
Saturday, June 21, 2014
2014 Sunstone Symposium
I will be presenting a paper at this summer’s Sunstone Symposium in Salt Lake City. The Symposium will be held July 30-August 2. The theme of the conference is “Mormonism Building Bridges."
The title of my paper is “Cutting Down the Tree of Life to Build a Wooden Bridge.”
I will have a 90 minute time block. The paper will be read in the first hour, then there will be a short response from someone who has previewed the paper, followed by Q&A from the audience.
As more details become available I will post them here.
The title of my paper is “Cutting Down the Tree of Life to Build a Wooden Bridge.”
I will have a 90 minute time block. The paper will be read in the first hour, then there will be a short response from someone who has previewed the paper, followed by Q&A from the audience.
As more details become available I will post them here.
Friday, June 20, 2014
The Facts
Some recent comments and emails have accused me of becoming increasingly hostile and angry about the LDS church. These accusations came as a response to my recent post that said the church's press release about the hierarchy not being involved with discipline was "a lie." I was not angry when I wrote that, and do not intend to insult anyone. It happens to be true, and since I am acquainted with the facts, I believe I have an obligation to disclose the truth. In the long run, the LDS church is benefited by the truth, even if they can't see it now. So here are the facts:
In 2011 there were rumors circulating that I was to be excommunicated. My stake president at the time was a man of integrity and discretion. I am certain he was not the source of the rumors. But they were persistent and widespread. Strangers would ask me if I had been excommunicated yet. I got emails asking me if I knew the church was after me. Inside my own ward and stake, however, there was nothing threatened and no hint there was anything that would lead to a church court.
I was told by the stake president at the time that I had come to the attention of the Brethren. However, he said he defended me and explained to them he knew my heart was in the right place and I was a worthy church member. His last Sunday as stake president he spent the afternoon with me in the stake offices, told me there were some in the hierarchy who were angry at me, renewed my temple recommend so I wouldn't be required to be interviewed again for two years, and said the new stake president would not know me but he would do what he could.
Elder Russell Nelson of the twelve heads the Strengthening the Members Committee. He came to my stake and called the new stake president.
A member of the Draper Temple Presidency resides in my ward. In April 2012, he was ready to be released from teaching the Temple Preparation class before the next group of prospective missionaries needed the class. He recommended that I be called. The bishop called me and I accepted the call.
On the Sunday I was to be sustained to teach the temple prep class, the newly called stake president attended our sacrament meeting. Before the meeting, when the bishop mentioned I was being sustained to teach the Temple Preparation class, President Hunt told him to hold off until he had the opportunity to first interview me.
After that sacrament meeting the bishop explained to me what happened, and asked me to begin the Temple Preparation class anyway, unofficially, in my home. I began to teach first one, then three of the priests in my ward to prepare them to go through the temple preliminary to their missions.
On Sunday, April 18, 2012 I had my first interview with President Hunt. He explained I had come to the attention of "downtown" and there had been complaints about me. He needed to meet me and report back. We talked for an hour-and-a-half that Sunday. He said he was "pleased with the interview and had no doubts that my intentions were good." He ended the meeting by committing to read everything I'd written. In the interview I told him that although I had not been sustained, I was proceeding anyway with the Temple Preparation class and I didn't want to do that without telling him. I was not going to be sneaky about it, and if he objected I would stop. He did not object.
Several people asked family members if I had "been excommunicated." One person from Idaho called and asked me if the rumors were true. When I asked what rumors, he responded, that I was "being excommunicated."
Shortly after that interview, my wife discovered and brought to my attention an on-line thread where someone purported to have inside information about me and my meeting with my stake president. I am certain President Hunt was not responsible for this leak. He has too much integrity to have done so, and I do not suspect him in the least. Therefore, the information must have originated from "downtown" with whomever was provoking the interviews. A copy of the post was cut-and-pasted into a blog post on April 26, 2012 and can be found here. The blog-site, LDS-Glo, where the post originally appeared has removed it and therefore the copy cut and put onto this blog is the only place it can be found.
I believed the leak came from the Strengthening the Members Committee over which Elder Russell M. Nelson presides. I have since been able to confirm this. I learned the person who leaked the information was been disciplined for doing so.
President Hunt and I had another meeting April 29th. During the meeting the phone rang in the office, and I was asked to step into the hallway for a moment. When invited back in, I was told that "one of the Seven Presidents had called" and he instructed that President Hunt was "to do nothing" while he and Elder Christofferson of the Twelve studied what I had written. The interview was over and I was free to go.
The seventy who called was Elder L. Whitney Clayton.
I heard nothing further for months. Then I was asked to a meet in November 2012. On November 4th the entire stake presidency met with me and informed me that "Apostles and a President of the Seventy" were pressuring them to act. They felt "a good spirit" from me but the book I'd written (Passing the Heavenly Gift) was "faith destroying." It needed to be rewritten to conform to the church's claims or be withdrawn from publication. These were men of discretion, and I do not believe any of them were the sources of rumors. None of them were in the stake presidency when the rumors began.
In a follow-up email, President Hunt said one of the issues was my "witness of Christ" (meaning my unequivocal statement that the Lord had ministered to me). I responded by asking if that meant the church expected me to deny my witness, or merely not to speak of it again. I have never received a reply to that question.
I quit posting on my blog.
On December 9, 2012 I met with President Hunt again and he said he had "defended me with one of the Brethren" since our last meeting. He asked if I had stopped blogging because of our last meeting, and I said I had. We discussed a missionary from our stake who had returned home early from his mission and he asked if I would work with him. I said I would. I stopped at the young man's house on my way home from the stake office and invited him to come to my house. I began that Sunday to meet with him weekly to address his issues. I thought the conflict was over and the church was going to leave me alone.
In February 2013 President Hunt informed me he continued to "be pressured by Apostles" to hold a disciplinary court. He wanted to talk. We met and he had copied and highlighted pages from the Church Handbook of Instructions about when a church court was "mandatory." We talked about the language. It identified "repeated criticism of the church authorities" [that is a quote from my journal and may not be accurate as to the handbook's actual language]. I explained that I hadn't ever criticized them, much less repeatedly done so. I quoted President Packer with approval, and praised President Monson on my blog. The "criticism," if there was anything of the sort, was quotes taken from diaries, journals, letters and talks given by the leaders themselves. The worst of the comments was made by President Heber J. Grant's mother, recorded in his journal. If there was a problem, then it was how they talked about themselves. He suggested I put some statement on my blog to help deflect criticism. I asked him to draft something and I would edit it into my words and put it up. He also said the book I'd written was "faith destroying" to some readers. I said I had dozens, perhaps hundreds of letters and emails from those who were strengthened in their faith, who returned to activity, or who were going to leave the church but read the book and returned. I offered to let him read them. He said it was not necessary.
I distinguish between faith in Christ and faith in the church. It is essential to salvation that we have faith in Christ. Nowhere, however, do the scriptures ask or command us to have faith in the church. I believe everything I have written encourages faith in Christ. Whether it "destroys faith" in the church or not is irrelevant.
On February 22, I received an outline for a statement which I edited and put on my blog. He was not at all happy with the way it came out.
By March 5, 2013 I was losing hope this could be worked out. I recorded in my journal: "I do not think I will continue to fight the church's effort to cast me out. The trends are all so distressing that I do not foresee any future... They do not want me... I do not intend to provoke them, but will not do anything to appease them."
In May 2013, several bishops and stake presidents offered to call my stake president to defend me. I called President Hunt and asked if that was something he wanted me to initiate. He said he did. After two bishops had called and both reported back to me that the conversations with President Hunt did not go well, I became alarmed. I worried that President Hunt might be gathering information about them, as callers, rather than listening to something which may help my cause. I called the rest of those who had offered to defend me and told them not to call because it was not doing any good.
On May 25, 2013 President Hunt called, he had received further "training" and now believed he must hold a church disciplinary council.
June 2nd President Hunt gave all the members of the high council, along with several high priests in the stake, copies of Passing the Heavenly Gift to get their response to whether this was "faith destroying."
My home teacher (who is a member of the high council) called me the first week of June to tell me the book was apostate and must be withdrawn or I would be excommunicated.
June 16th there was an email exchange between President Hunt and I where he put several questions to me about the priesthood. I asked to meet with the stake presidency and to be permitted to explain my views.
June 20th I went to the stake offices and, using the whiteboard in the high council room, I spent two hours using the board and the scriptures to explain to the three members of the stake presidency my understanding of the priesthood, its history, and the doctrine as I understand it. I bore my testimony, explained my conversion, and the meeting was filled with truth and light. Two of these brethren had tears in their eyes. They all took notes. It was a wonderful meeting. I told them - from my journal, "I have studied the Gospel intently for 40 years, and found it delicious. I told them I had enjoyed every minute of being a Latter-day Saint and hoped they did not end my membership. But if they did it would not concern me, because I know my standing before God." I ended by asking them to pray and ask God if I was one of His saints. I knew He would vouch for me if they asked.
July 8, 2013 I met again for three hours with the stake presidency and was told I was in peril if I did not withdraw Passing the Heavenly Gift from publication. They asked when the Lord had visited me. If I was awake. If He had touched me. If angels had visited me. If I tested them. Whether I thought the church's leaders had priesthood. Whether they held sealing keys. If I realized I was pitting myself against the institution of the church. And that "all 20 people who had read the book" in the stake thought it should be condemned. My journal records: "Essentially either I will put the book out of print or I will be thrown out of the church." I explained that I never intended to create faith in the church, because nowhere in scriptures does it tell us to have faith in the church. That everything I had written or taught was instead intended to cause faith in Christ. I asked to be shown where anything I had done would undermine faith in Christ. Therefore I rejected the complaint that I undermined faith.
August 22, 2013 I received a summons delivered to my door by two of the stake clerks, including a neighbor who lives on my street. On August 28, 2013 a copy of the summons letter was put on the blog so that anyone who would be concerned about reading anything written by someone under threat of church discipline would be aware of my status. I concluded that I should not hide the truth, and mislead anyone about my status.
In emails between the time of the notice and the time of the court, I confirmed with President Hunt that I would be bringing my family. One of my daughters was not able to come home from college that weekend. She was the only one who would not be attending. All the others would be driving home, some from out-of-state, to be with me during the court.
On September 8th the church disciplinary council was held. My journal has pages of entries from throughout the day. When the time arrived, my family and I went to the stake offices. After an hour of discussion, President Hunt refused to permit my family to witness the court. We all tried to persuade him to let us in. He refused. During the hour spent trying to change his mind, I asserted I was worthy of a temple recommend and he agreed. He said the decision to discipline me was "his alone" to make. In response to that I reminded him that we were interrupted by a phone call from one of the Presidents of the Seventy and he was instructed "to stand down. That he then did 'stand down.' And that if he really believed I was worthy of discipline he would never have stood down, but would have acted then." Therefore, this was not his doing, but the doing of those in the hierarchy. He agreed he had been called, and that he had stood down when told to do so, but that he would be the one responsible for making the decision. I told him the decision had already been made, and not by him.
I reminded him that in emails beforehand I had been clear that my family was coming. I did not want them to be unaware of what happened behind closed doors. There would be rumors that this had to do with something other than the book, and therefore I wanted them to see and hear and witness what happened. He said that was a reasonable concern and he said to everyone of us that "this only has to do with a book." One of my daughters responded, almost to herself but loud enough we all heard her: "A book! A book! Are you serious?" Later, all of my children said they thought President Hunt "looked sheepish and ashamed" at this remark. Because my family could not attend, we left without knowing if the court would proceed or be reconvened at another date. As we drove home all of my family said they felt sorry for President Hunt. I agreed. I thought he was put on the spot and doing something he very much did not want to do.
September 10th at 10:30 a.m. as my wife and I were driving to Boise, I received a call from President Hunt. With his permission, I put the call on speaker. He told me I had been excommunicated and I would receive a letter informing me of the decision.
I wrote a few posts about this at the time of the events. President Hunt told me he had only one complaint about what I'd written. He thought I should have made it clear that this was his decision to make. Therefore, I've included that in this post several times.
It is true that church discipline must be taken at the stake level. However, in my case, NOTHING would have been done without the constant pressure from the hierarchy. Repeatedly the stake president and stake presidency were satisfied. Then the hierarchy would "train" them and the relentless pressure resulted in the outcome the hierarchy demanded.
So when I say the recent press release is a "lie," it is not to belittle anyone or to merely name-call. If the hierarchy wants to be involved then they should take credit for their behavior. They shouldn't lie about it.
Both bishops who called to defend me were subsequently interviewed and one of them has been released. Elder Whitney Clayton was responsible for the interview of the bishop who was released. I believe he was also involved with pressuring the stake president in the other case, as well. I am glad I did not have others call President Hunt.
There are two members of the seventy who, following my excommunication, have discussed in private the topic of my excommunication with others. One of these men serves on the Strengthening the Members Committee. The content of those discussions has been passed along to me by friends. It is clear the hierarchy was directly involved and the moving force behind my excommunication. It is also clear that only a stake president can deliver the verdict. The fact that President Hunt was a critical, even necessary participant does not change the fact that the hierarchy had a moving role and overall responsibility for securing my excommunication.
I am not angry with President Hunt and have no animus toward him, the other members of the stake presidency, or the high council. One of the high council is my home teacher and my friend. He is welcome in my home. The facts of my case are plain, and in stating them I am not disparaging anyone.
In 2011 there were rumors circulating that I was to be excommunicated. My stake president at the time was a man of integrity and discretion. I am certain he was not the source of the rumors. But they were persistent and widespread. Strangers would ask me if I had been excommunicated yet. I got emails asking me if I knew the church was after me. Inside my own ward and stake, however, there was nothing threatened and no hint there was anything that would lead to a church court.
I was told by the stake president at the time that I had come to the attention of the Brethren. However, he said he defended me and explained to them he knew my heart was in the right place and I was a worthy church member. His last Sunday as stake president he spent the afternoon with me in the stake offices, told me there were some in the hierarchy who were angry at me, renewed my temple recommend so I wouldn't be required to be interviewed again for two years, and said the new stake president would not know me but he would do what he could.
Elder Russell Nelson of the twelve heads the Strengthening the Members Committee. He came to my stake and called the new stake president.
A member of the Draper Temple Presidency resides in my ward. In April 2012, he was ready to be released from teaching the Temple Preparation class before the next group of prospective missionaries needed the class. He recommended that I be called. The bishop called me and I accepted the call.
On the Sunday I was to be sustained to teach the temple prep class, the newly called stake president attended our sacrament meeting. Before the meeting, when the bishop mentioned I was being sustained to teach the Temple Preparation class, President Hunt told him to hold off until he had the opportunity to first interview me.
After that sacrament meeting the bishop explained to me what happened, and asked me to begin the Temple Preparation class anyway, unofficially, in my home. I began to teach first one, then three of the priests in my ward to prepare them to go through the temple preliminary to their missions.
On Sunday, April 18, 2012 I had my first interview with President Hunt. He explained I had come to the attention of "downtown" and there had been complaints about me. He needed to meet me and report back. We talked for an hour-and-a-half that Sunday. He said he was "pleased with the interview and had no doubts that my intentions were good." He ended the meeting by committing to read everything I'd written. In the interview I told him that although I had not been sustained, I was proceeding anyway with the Temple Preparation class and I didn't want to do that without telling him. I was not going to be sneaky about it, and if he objected I would stop. He did not object.
Several people asked family members if I had "been excommunicated." One person from Idaho called and asked me if the rumors were true. When I asked what rumors, he responded, that I was "being excommunicated."
Shortly after that interview, my wife discovered and brought to my attention an on-line thread where someone purported to have inside information about me and my meeting with my stake president. I am certain President Hunt was not responsible for this leak. He has too much integrity to have done so, and I do not suspect him in the least. Therefore, the information must have originated from "downtown" with whomever was provoking the interviews. A copy of the post was cut-and-pasted into a blog post on April 26, 2012 and can be found here. The blog-site, LDS-Glo, where the post originally appeared has removed it and therefore the copy cut and put onto this blog is the only place it can be found.
I believed the leak came from the Strengthening the Members Committee over which Elder Russell M. Nelson presides. I have since been able to confirm this. I learned the person who leaked the information was been disciplined for doing so.
President Hunt and I had another meeting April 29th. During the meeting the phone rang in the office, and I was asked to step into the hallway for a moment. When invited back in, I was told that "one of the Seven Presidents had called" and he instructed that President Hunt was "to do nothing" while he and Elder Christofferson of the Twelve studied what I had written. The interview was over and I was free to go.
The seventy who called was Elder L. Whitney Clayton.
I heard nothing further for months. Then I was asked to a meet in November 2012. On November 4th the entire stake presidency met with me and informed me that "Apostles and a President of the Seventy" were pressuring them to act. They felt "a good spirit" from me but the book I'd written (Passing the Heavenly Gift) was "faith destroying." It needed to be rewritten to conform to the church's claims or be withdrawn from publication. These were men of discretion, and I do not believe any of them were the sources of rumors. None of them were in the stake presidency when the rumors began.
In a follow-up email, President Hunt said one of the issues was my "witness of Christ" (meaning my unequivocal statement that the Lord had ministered to me). I responded by asking if that meant the church expected me to deny my witness, or merely not to speak of it again. I have never received a reply to that question.
I quit posting on my blog.
On December 9, 2012 I met with President Hunt again and he said he had "defended me with one of the Brethren" since our last meeting. He asked if I had stopped blogging because of our last meeting, and I said I had. We discussed a missionary from our stake who had returned home early from his mission and he asked if I would work with him. I said I would. I stopped at the young man's house on my way home from the stake office and invited him to come to my house. I began that Sunday to meet with him weekly to address his issues. I thought the conflict was over and the church was going to leave me alone.
In February 2013 President Hunt informed me he continued to "be pressured by Apostles" to hold a disciplinary court. He wanted to talk. We met and he had copied and highlighted pages from the Church Handbook of Instructions about when a church court was "mandatory." We talked about the language. It identified "repeated criticism of the church authorities" [that is a quote from my journal and may not be accurate as to the handbook's actual language]. I explained that I hadn't ever criticized them, much less repeatedly done so. I quoted President Packer with approval, and praised President Monson on my blog. The "criticism," if there was anything of the sort, was quotes taken from diaries, journals, letters and talks given by the leaders themselves. The worst of the comments was made by President Heber J. Grant's mother, recorded in his journal. If there was a problem, then it was how they talked about themselves. He suggested I put some statement on my blog to help deflect criticism. I asked him to draft something and I would edit it into my words and put it up. He also said the book I'd written was "faith destroying" to some readers. I said I had dozens, perhaps hundreds of letters and emails from those who were strengthened in their faith, who returned to activity, or who were going to leave the church but read the book and returned. I offered to let him read them. He said it was not necessary.
I distinguish between faith in Christ and faith in the church. It is essential to salvation that we have faith in Christ. Nowhere, however, do the scriptures ask or command us to have faith in the church. I believe everything I have written encourages faith in Christ. Whether it "destroys faith" in the church or not is irrelevant.
On February 22, I received an outline for a statement which I edited and put on my blog. He was not at all happy with the way it came out.
By March 5, 2013 I was losing hope this could be worked out. I recorded in my journal: "I do not think I will continue to fight the church's effort to cast me out. The trends are all so distressing that I do not foresee any future... They do not want me... I do not intend to provoke them, but will not do anything to appease them."
In May 2013, several bishops and stake presidents offered to call my stake president to defend me. I called President Hunt and asked if that was something he wanted me to initiate. He said he did. After two bishops had called and both reported back to me that the conversations with President Hunt did not go well, I became alarmed. I worried that President Hunt might be gathering information about them, as callers, rather than listening to something which may help my cause. I called the rest of those who had offered to defend me and told them not to call because it was not doing any good.
On May 25, 2013 President Hunt called, he had received further "training" and now believed he must hold a church disciplinary council.
June 2nd President Hunt gave all the members of the high council, along with several high priests in the stake, copies of Passing the Heavenly Gift to get their response to whether this was "faith destroying."
My home teacher (who is a member of the high council) called me the first week of June to tell me the book was apostate and must be withdrawn or I would be excommunicated.
June 16th there was an email exchange between President Hunt and I where he put several questions to me about the priesthood. I asked to meet with the stake presidency and to be permitted to explain my views.
June 20th I went to the stake offices and, using the whiteboard in the high council room, I spent two hours using the board and the scriptures to explain to the three members of the stake presidency my understanding of the priesthood, its history, and the doctrine as I understand it. I bore my testimony, explained my conversion, and the meeting was filled with truth and light. Two of these brethren had tears in their eyes. They all took notes. It was a wonderful meeting. I told them - from my journal, "I have studied the Gospel intently for 40 years, and found it delicious. I told them I had enjoyed every minute of being a Latter-day Saint and hoped they did not end my membership. But if they did it would not concern me, because I know my standing before God." I ended by asking them to pray and ask God if I was one of His saints. I knew He would vouch for me if they asked.
July 8, 2013 I met again for three hours with the stake presidency and was told I was in peril if I did not withdraw Passing the Heavenly Gift from publication. They asked when the Lord had visited me. If I was awake. If He had touched me. If angels had visited me. If I tested them. Whether I thought the church's leaders had priesthood. Whether they held sealing keys. If I realized I was pitting myself against the institution of the church. And that "all 20 people who had read the book" in the stake thought it should be condemned. My journal records: "Essentially either I will put the book out of print or I will be thrown out of the church." I explained that I never intended to create faith in the church, because nowhere in scriptures does it tell us to have faith in the church. That everything I had written or taught was instead intended to cause faith in Christ. I asked to be shown where anything I had done would undermine faith in Christ. Therefore I rejected the complaint that I undermined faith.
August 22, 2013 I received a summons delivered to my door by two of the stake clerks, including a neighbor who lives on my street. On August 28, 2013 a copy of the summons letter was put on the blog so that anyone who would be concerned about reading anything written by someone under threat of church discipline would be aware of my status. I concluded that I should not hide the truth, and mislead anyone about my status.
In emails between the time of the notice and the time of the court, I confirmed with President Hunt that I would be bringing my family. One of my daughters was not able to come home from college that weekend. She was the only one who would not be attending. All the others would be driving home, some from out-of-state, to be with me during the court.
On September 8th the church disciplinary council was held. My journal has pages of entries from throughout the day. When the time arrived, my family and I went to the stake offices. After an hour of discussion, President Hunt refused to permit my family to witness the court. We all tried to persuade him to let us in. He refused. During the hour spent trying to change his mind, I asserted I was worthy of a temple recommend and he agreed. He said the decision to discipline me was "his alone" to make. In response to that I reminded him that we were interrupted by a phone call from one of the Presidents of the Seventy and he was instructed "to stand down. That he then did 'stand down.' And that if he really believed I was worthy of discipline he would never have stood down, but would have acted then." Therefore, this was not his doing, but the doing of those in the hierarchy. He agreed he had been called, and that he had stood down when told to do so, but that he would be the one responsible for making the decision. I told him the decision had already been made, and not by him.
I reminded him that in emails beforehand I had been clear that my family was coming. I did not want them to be unaware of what happened behind closed doors. There would be rumors that this had to do with something other than the book, and therefore I wanted them to see and hear and witness what happened. He said that was a reasonable concern and he said to everyone of us that "this only has to do with a book." One of my daughters responded, almost to herself but loud enough we all heard her: "A book! A book! Are you serious?" Later, all of my children said they thought President Hunt "looked sheepish and ashamed" at this remark. Because my family could not attend, we left without knowing if the court would proceed or be reconvened at another date. As we drove home all of my family said they felt sorry for President Hunt. I agreed. I thought he was put on the spot and doing something he very much did not want to do.
September 10th at 10:30 a.m. as my wife and I were driving to Boise, I received a call from President Hunt. With his permission, I put the call on speaker. He told me I had been excommunicated and I would receive a letter informing me of the decision.
I wrote a few posts about this at the time of the events. President Hunt told me he had only one complaint about what I'd written. He thought I should have made it clear that this was his decision to make. Therefore, I've included that in this post several times.
It is true that church discipline must be taken at the stake level. However, in my case, NOTHING would have been done without the constant pressure from the hierarchy. Repeatedly the stake president and stake presidency were satisfied. Then the hierarchy would "train" them and the relentless pressure resulted in the outcome the hierarchy demanded.
So when I say the recent press release is a "lie," it is not to belittle anyone or to merely name-call. If the hierarchy wants to be involved then they should take credit for their behavior. They shouldn't lie about it.
Both bishops who called to defend me were subsequently interviewed and one of them has been released. Elder Whitney Clayton was responsible for the interview of the bishop who was released. I believe he was also involved with pressuring the stake president in the other case, as well. I am glad I did not have others call President Hunt.
There are two members of the seventy who, following my excommunication, have discussed in private the topic of my excommunication with others. One of these men serves on the Strengthening the Members Committee. The content of those discussions has been passed along to me by friends. It is clear the hierarchy was directly involved and the moving force behind my excommunication. It is also clear that only a stake president can deliver the verdict. The fact that President Hunt was a critical, even necessary participant does not change the fact that the hierarchy had a moving role and overall responsibility for securing my excommunication.
I am not angry with President Hunt and have no animus toward him, the other members of the stake presidency, or the high council. One of the high council is my home teacher and my friend. He is welcome in my home. The facts of my case are plain, and in stating them I am not disparaging anyone.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Agreement Through Spirit
Any true doctrine or principal can be used for evil, oppression and excess. To rightly give measure to the matter in your own life you must be guided by the Spirit of the matter, not the mere letter of the doctrine. Each life is different. Each of us have our own responsibilities to our families, neighbors and communities. A true principal in operation in your life may look very different from its operation in mine.
Truth may be absolute, but lives are variegated and are lived in context. Hence the absolute requirement for individual revelation to guide each of us. And as a result we are all pathetically situated to judge one another, but ideally situated to show one another compassion.
We are only authorized to rebuke "when moved upon by the Holy Ghost" and then "showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved." (D&C 121: 43.) Given how little we should want to rebuke others, it should be a profound spiritual moment when it is required of us by the Lord. Though, in truth, even then we should take little delight in dispensing rebukes.
Truth may be absolute, but lives are variegated and are lived in context. Hence the absolute requirement for individual revelation to guide each of us. And as a result we are all pathetically situated to judge one another, but ideally situated to show one another compassion.
We are only authorized to rebuke "when moved upon by the Holy Ghost" and then "showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved." (D&C 121: 43.) Given how little we should want to rebuke others, it should be a profound spiritual moment when it is required of us by the Lord. Though, in truth, even then we should take little delight in dispensing rebukes.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Church Discipline Top-Down
The LDS Church issued the following statement posted on its website. I have copied and pasted as it appears in the original:
SALT LAKE CITY —
SALT LAKE CITY —
The Church issued the following statement today in response to questions from the news media regarding Church discipline:
"The Church is a family made up of millions of individuals with diverse backgrounds and opinions. There is room for questions and we welcome sincere conversations. We hope those seeking answers will find them and happiness through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
"Sometimes members’ actions contradict Church doctrine and lead others astray. While uncommon, some members in effect choose to take themselves out of the Church by actively teaching and publicly attempting to change doctrine to comply with their personal beliefs. This saddens leaders and fellow members. In these rare cases, local leaders have the responsibility to clarify false teachings and prevent other members from being misled. Decisions are made by local leaders and not directed or coordinated by Church headquarters.
"Actions to address a person’s membership and standing in their congregation are convened after lengthy periods of counseling and encouragement to reconsider behavior. Ultimately, the door is always open for people to return to the Church."
It is not true that discipline involving controversial members is exclusively the responsibility of "local leaders" acting independent of influence from the hierarchy. The hierarchy imposes their will from the top-down by instructing the local leaders on what they must do. In my case the news came directly from Elder Russell M. Nelson of the twelve, who presides over the Strengthening the Members Committee. Usually the news comes through Elder Whitney Clayton, one of the seven presidents. He was also involved in my case, but the original pressure came through Elder Nelson directly.
The assertion by the church in their press release that "Decisions are made by local leaders and not directed or coordinated by Church headquarters" is false. In the case of public, controversial members, it is a lie.
I am far more disappointed the church would lie about what they do than I am at their inappropriate top-down behavior. The reason they lie about it is because they are violating the scriptural pattern for discipline. LDS scripture requires discipline to be local. It isn't, so they lie to make it appear that way. Morally, lying to cover up their wrong doing is worse than admitting they manipulate local leaders. Now they are responsible for doing both. They should be more honorable.
I am far more disappointed the church would lie about what they do than I am at their inappropriate top-down behavior. The reason they lie about it is because they are violating the scriptural pattern for discipline. LDS scripture requires discipline to be local. It isn't, so they lie to make it appear that way. Morally, lying to cover up their wrong doing is worse than admitting they manipulate local leaders. Now they are responsible for doing both. They should be more honorable.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
History of D&C Section 27
Joseph Smith received a revelation on August 28th, 1830. When it was originally received, here is how it read in the first handwritten version (Revelation Book 1):
A Revelation to the Church given at Harmony sesquehann County State of Pennsylvania given to Joseph the Seer at a time that he went to punch wine Sacrament & he was stopped by an angel &he he spoke to him as follows Saying
Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ your Lord your God & your Redeemer whose word is quick & powerful for Behold I say unto you it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory Remembering unto the father that my Body which laid down for you & my blood which was shed foryou the Remission of y sins Wherefore a commandment I give unto you that ye shall not Purchase Wine neither strong drink of your enemies Wherefore ye shall partake none except it is made new among you yea in this my Fathers Kingdom which shall be built up on the earth Behold this is wisdom in me Wherefore marvel not for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the Vine with you on the Earth & with those whom my father hath given me out of the world Wherefore life up your hearts & rejoice & Gird up your loins & be faithful until I come even so amen.
The first time it was put into print WW Phelps was the editor in Missouri. The paper was The Evening and Morning Star. He edited it and the version he printed read as follows:
A COMMANDMENT GIVEN SEPTEMBER 4, 1830
LISTEN to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful.
For behold I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory; remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of sins:
Wherefore a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine, neither strong drink of your enemies:
Wherefore you shall partake of none, except it is made new among you, yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.
Behold this is wisdom in me, wherefore marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you, on the earth, and with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world: Wherefore lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins.
This printed version was from the Missouri press a mob destroyed. Some few copies still exist. But the press was destroyed and the effort had to be made again to publish the document. In Kirtland a new version was printed in the renamed paper. Whereas before it was THE Evening and Morning Star, in Kirtland the paper was titled: "Evening and Morning Star" (no "The" in the title of this newspaper). This version was edited and updated by Oliver Cowdery. He made additions to many of the revelations "to reflect current organization, doctrine, and practice, which had continued to develop side the revelations were first dictated." (Joseph Smith Papers, "Revelations and Transcriptions," Vol 2, p. 199.) Below is the version Oliver Cowdery printed (which subsequently became the source from which the 1835 edition of the D&C was taken):
REVELATION
Given September, 1830
Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful.
For behold I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory; remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins:
wherefore a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall not purchase wine, neither strong drink of your enemies:
wherefore you shall partake of none, except if is made new among you, yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.
Behold this is wisdom in me: wherefore marvel not for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel; to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephriam; and also with Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things, or the restorer of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets side the world began, concerning the last days: ale also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gav promise that h should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias; which John I have sent unto you, my servants, Joseph Smith, jr. and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto this first priesthood which you have received, that you might be called and ordained even as Aaron: and also Elijah, unto whom I have committed the keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers, that the whole earth may not be smitten with a curse: and also, with Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham your fathers; by whom the promises remain: and also with Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days.
And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry; and of the same things which I revealed unit them, unto whom I have committed the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last time; and for the fulness of times, in the whih I will gather together in one all things both which are in heaven and which are on earth: and also with those whom my Father hath given me out of the world:
wherefore lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all ye may be able to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth; having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up that where I am ye shall be also. Amen.
I will not type the version now in your D&C. Nor will I contrast these versions with each other. It should be apparent, however, that the version given originally and what the editors did with it has been a "growing concern." The 1835 D&C took the last version and edited it. Joseph Smith was on the editorial board for that version, however, Joseph spent his efforts editing the Lectures on Faith, to be part of the book. He "apparently relied on others to do the actual typesetting and printing and possibly the bulk of the editing, arranging, and other intellectual work needed to prepare the revelations for print." (Joseph Smith Papers, "Revelations and Transcriptions," Vol. 2, p. 305.) Therefore we do not know what Joseph thought of the editorial alterations made to Section 27.
A Revelation to the Church given at Harmony sesquehann County State of Pennsylvania given to Joseph the Seer at a time that he went to punch wine Sacrament & he was stopped by an angel &
Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ your Lord your God & your Redeemer whose word is quick & powerful for Behold I say unto you it mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory Remembering unto the father that my Body which laid down for you & my blood which was shed for
The first time it was put into print WW Phelps was the editor in Missouri. The paper was The Evening and Morning Star. He edited it and the version he printed read as follows:
A COMMANDMENT GIVEN SEPTEMBER 4, 1830
LISTEN to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful.
For behold I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory; remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of sins:
Wherefore a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine, neither strong drink of your enemies:
Wherefore you shall partake of none, except it is made new among you, yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.
Behold this is wisdom in me, wherefore marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you, on the earth, and with all those whom my Father hath given me out of the world: Wherefore lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins.
This printed version was from the Missouri press a mob destroyed. Some few copies still exist. But the press was destroyed and the effort had to be made again to publish the document. In Kirtland a new version was printed in the renamed paper. Whereas before it was THE Evening and Morning Star, in Kirtland the paper was titled: "Evening and Morning Star" (no "The" in the title of this newspaper). This version was edited and updated by Oliver Cowdery. He made additions to many of the revelations "to reflect current organization, doctrine, and practice, which had continued to develop side the revelations were first dictated." (Joseph Smith Papers, "Revelations and Transcriptions," Vol 2, p. 199.) Below is the version Oliver Cowdery printed (which subsequently became the source from which the 1835 edition of the D&C was taken):
REVELATION
Given September, 1830
Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful.
For behold I say unto you, that it mattereth not what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory; remembering unto the Father my body which was laid down for you, and my blood which was shed for the remission of your sins:
wherefore a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall not purchase wine, neither strong drink of your enemies:
wherefore you shall partake of none, except if is made new among you, yea, in this my Father's kingdom which shall be built up on the earth.
Behold this is wisdom in me: wherefore marvel not for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the book of Mormon, containing the fulness of my everlasting gospel; to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephriam; and also with Elias, to whom I have committed the keys of bringing to pass the restoration of all things, or the restorer of all things spoken by the mouth of all the holy prophets side the world began, concerning the last days: ale also John the son of Zacharias, which Zacharias he (Elias) visited and gav promise that h should have a son, and his name should be John, and he should be filled with the spirit of Elias; which John I have sent unto you, my servants, Joseph Smith, jr. and Oliver Cowdery, to ordain you unto this first priesthood which you have received, that you might be called and ordained even as Aaron: and also Elijah, unto whom I have committed the keys of the power of turning the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to the fathers, that the whole earth may not be smitten with a curse: and also, with Joseph, and Jacob, and Isaac, and Abraham your fathers; by whom the promises remain: and also with Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days.
And also with Peter, and James, and John, whom I have sent unto you, by whom I have ordained you and confirmed you to be apostles and especial witnesses of my name, and bear the keys of your ministry; and of the same things which I revealed unit them, unto whom I have committed the keys of my kingdom, and a dispensation of the gospel for the last time; and for the fulness of times, in the whih I will gather together in one all things both which are in heaven and which are on earth: and also with those whom my Father hath given me out of the world:
wherefore lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all ye may be able to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth; having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you, taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up that where I am ye shall be also. Amen.
I will not type the version now in your D&C. Nor will I contrast these versions with each other. It should be apparent, however, that the version given originally and what the editors did with it has been a "growing concern." The 1835 D&C took the last version and edited it. Joseph Smith was on the editorial board for that version, however, Joseph spent his efforts editing the Lectures on Faith, to be part of the book. He "apparently relied on others to do the actual typesetting and printing and possibly the bulk of the editing, arranging, and other intellectual work needed to prepare the revelations for print." (Joseph Smith Papers, "Revelations and Transcriptions," Vol. 2, p. 305.) Therefore we do not know what Joseph thought of the editorial alterations made to Section 27.
Details For Ephriam, June 28th
The seventh talk in the series will be on June 28th at Snow College in Ephriam, Utah.
Eccles Performing Arts Center
Concert Hall (seats 700)
Center Street and 300 East
Parking across the street
Opens at 8:30 a.m. Talk begins at 9:30 a.m.
Eccles Performing Arts Center
Concert Hall (seats 700)
Center Street and 300 East
Parking across the street
Opens at 8:30 a.m. Talk begins at 9:30 a.m.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Requests
I get lots of requests for endorsements, recommendations, for reviews, etc. Here is a recent one:
________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
I cannot be responsible for what anyone says other than myself, or what others believe. Therefore I do not visit other sites, review other blogs, or read other writers when they are advancing new doctrine. I study history, and read a good deal of historical works. I read all the Joseph Smith Papers volumes as they come out. My wife keeps me informed about things on the Internet, when she believes I should hear about them. But I have little time to keep up with all I must do. Therefore I doubt I will ever see this, or any other website discussing new doctrinal thoughts. I'm focused on a return to the beginnings of Mormonism.
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Denver,
I’ve found that the word “restoration” is a double-edged sword. The Book of Mormon uses it to mean a sort of “karma,” that what we send out ultimately comes right back to us. In our modern-day vernacular, however, we define it as what Joseph brought back. In other words, he “restored” the opportunity for man to touch heaven and visa-versa. I believe, however, that we can get into trouble using this term, because we are confused about exactly what is being restored. The modern-day Church tells us that it’s the “keys” and authority which are restored to us, but many reject that, saying that Joseph took the power with him to the grave, and we have been lost ever since. These “purists” I’ll call them (not going to say fundamentalists) look at everything that happened until Joseph’s death and seek to “restore” whatever it was that existed in that day (tithing, Word of Wisdom, etc.)
The question which keeps coming back to me is this: Why do we insist on restoring something that history proves did not work? We don’t know how long after the “Book of the Lamb” came out of the “mouth of a Jew” that it became corrupted. It seems, though, that it wasn’t much longer than a single generation. Yet, the Church insists that something called The Apostasy came along and merely put “the true church” on ice for 1700 years or so, and now we are just picking up where they left off. But if it didn’t work for them and was perverted so quickly, why would it work for us? Likewise, if we attempt to restore ourselves to what Joseph had in mind, isn’t it likely that we will fall into the same trap? While I have no doubts that Joseph was trying to tell us something important, how is it that we will come to understand it using the same failed approach? If we think we can know Joseph’s mind based on the tampered records we have, aren’t we going to repeat what happened with the “primitive church”? What’s to stop a recurrence of that history? Are we so much more enlightened and special than those in Christ’s or Joseph’s day?
I would even suggest that we cannot rely completely on the model given us in the Book of Mormon after Jesus’ death. Yes, the people had Zion on earth for three to four generations, but with that light came a higher degree of accountability, and ultimately they failed to the point that their whole culture was obliterated. So are we better than those Nephites, who had the pure record of the Brass Plates as well as (presumably) the extended words of Christ given in Bountiful AND the three who tarried (actual witnesses to the events of Christ’s day)?
If, as you say, “Mankind gets it wrong all the time. The great challenge is to finally get it right,” (which I believe is true), then why do we insist on “restoring” the thing which experience has proven wrong? If you believe the prophecies of the Book of Mormon, the Gentiles will eventually succeed to the point that they will be forever brought out of “captivity.” Sooner or later, they will take this “standard” to the rest of Israel, who will never again be “confounded” because of what the Gentiles teach them. I think that in order for these prophesies to be fulfilled, there needs to be innovation on the part of the Gentiles. I realize that this, too, can be a dangerous path to walk because the tendency is to become proud, puffed up, and to set ourselves up as a light. But I don’t see that it can be done without using our creativity to form a vessel that the Lord can finally fill. Will there be failures with this course of action? Yes, of course. We should expect and even welcome them, because it is by seeing our weaknesses that they become strengths.
Thankfully, we have been given some excellent guidelines to keep us from going off-track. I think the best ones were given by the Savior Himself at the Sermon in Bountiful when He sums up “perfection” as things like blessing those who curse you, walking a mile with those who ask, and looking past the performances of The Law and into our own hearts. We know that the Spirit of Christ is given to every person so that they may know good from evil, and anything that invites and persuades to “believe in Christ” is approved of God. Since we have an outline of what it means to believe Him, it is very helpful. Surely, there is a lot of wiggle room in our efforts to “finally get it right.” I believe we should be more afraid of not trying than of failure, because doing nothing means stagnation while failure gives us experience.
It is with this in mind that I would like to invite you and anyone else to participate in an “experiment” with me. Over the course of the last seven years, I have received a series of visions. In the process of searching to understand the meaning, I have developed a hypothesis of how the Lord manifests His heavenly gift to the world, and specifically how the Spirit has been “poured out” to the Gentiles. For the next 3 months, I will share what I have experienced with anyone who cares to read, at the following url: www.12visions.blogspot.com. I do not expect you or others to believe anything about what I have learned or what I share. In fact, I would like to remain anonymous and let the content speak for itself. On June 1, it will be exactly seven years since I received the initial vision, so that will be the day I post it.
The Book of Mormon tells us that someday the Gentiles and all the world will read a book containing the “words which were sealed…upon the house tops; and they shall be read by the power of Christ…” I wonder, what is this “power of Christ” which will give people the ability to comprehend something that had previously been “hid from the eyes of the world”? In my opinion, the only way to find out is to experiment until something sticks. While we should not and cannot innovate God’s word, perhaps there are ways of seeing and understanding it that we have not tried. I hope that you are open to exploring the possibilities with me.
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I cannot be responsible for what anyone says other than myself, or what others believe. Therefore I do not visit other sites, review other blogs, or read other writers when they are advancing new doctrine. I study history, and read a good deal of historical works. I read all the Joseph Smith Papers volumes as they come out. My wife keeps me informed about things on the Internet, when she believes I should hear about them. But I have little time to keep up with all I must do. Therefore I doubt I will ever see this, or any other website discussing new doctrinal thoughts. I'm focused on a return to the beginnings of Mormonism.
Christ's Sacrament
Christ instituted the sacrament during the Passover meal. (See
Matt. 26: 26-28; Mark 14: 22-24; Luke 22: 19-20; John gives no description in
his account.) It was His “last supper” with His closest followers. All the
accounts agree on the purpose: to remember the body and blood He would
sacrifice on our behalf.
When the Lord appeared to the Nephites, He proclaimed He had
fulfilled the law. (3 Ne. 15: 5-8.) All the rites and sacrifices added through
Moses pointed to His great sacrifice of His body and blood.
Christ blessed the sacrament many times in His appearances
to the Nephites. (3 Ne. 18: 3; 3 Ne. 20: 3-8; and 3 Ne. 26: 13.) Just like the
descriptions given in the New Testament, no prayer is recorded in the Book of Mormon accounts. But in both the New Testament and Book of
Mormon, the purpose is the same: to remember His body and His blood, which were
shed as a sacrifice for His followers.
The sacrament prayer is not recorded in any of our
scriptures until Moroni chapters 4: 3, for the bread, and 5: 2, for the wine.
Mormon and Moroni lived four hundred years after Christ appeared to the Nephites. However, they learned from first-hand participants
in Christ’s sacrament. Three of the Disciples taught by Christ lived to
minister to Mormon and Moroni. (Mormon 8: 10-11.) Therefore, Moroni's account is taken from the very witnesses to whom Christ gave instructions regarding the sacrament prayers. There is only one blessing to be given for the bread, and one to be given for the wine. The prayers, like all the scriptural accounts, focus on Christ and His great sacrifice on our behalf.
The purpose of the sacrament is to remember Christ. It is to
remind us of His body which was broken to fulfill the required sacrifice. It is
to remind us of His blood which was shed for our redemption.
It is not an ordinance intended to:
-Praise us
-Assure us we are “chosen”
-Flatter us
-Make us feel we are better and more holy than others. These
are corrupt ideas, coming from a false spirit intending to supplant Christ as
the object of devotion and worship. They are, in a word, anti-Christ.
Any man claiming to have authority to change the sacrament through
a higher revelation given to him is deceived, or a liar. There is no such
thing. Nor did the Lord offer three different “levels” of sacrament when He
appeared to the Nephites. Remember there were different people there the second
day than the first. If He changed the ordinance the second day, then those newcomers would have heard a different version than the day before. Christ
would have introduced confusion and division as people debated among themselves which was approved. Basing the claim to have a new, higher “level” of
sacrament because of the silence in the Book of Mormon regarding the words of the sacrament prayer, is foolishness and error. All confusion should be removed when
Moroni recorded the prayers.
In our day the sacrament prayers were given to us in a new
revelation. Those words are identical to those recorded by Moroni. (See D&C 20:77, 79.) Only a fool will trifle with the souls of men.
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