DOCSLIB.ORG

The Laws of Consecration, Stewardship, and Tithing

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Laws of Consecration, Stewardship, and Tithing 1286 Sperry Treasury live 7/28/04 6:05 PM Page 155 CHAPTER THIRTEEN THE LAWS OF CONSECRATION, STEWARDSHIP, AND TITHING CRAIG J. OSTLER The Lord requires His people to consecrate their lives and temporal possessions for the building of His kingdom and to pr ovide for the poor. In the early days of the Restoration, the Lor d revealed specific laws concerning consecration of earthly property, receiving steward- ships, and payment of tithes to the Church of Jesus Christ. The Lord emphasized that the Saints must lear n to obey these laws to r eceive an inheritance in the celestial kingdom (see D&C 105:1Ð5; 119:1Ð7). Possibly due to misunderstanding of the revelations governing these principles, there has been some confusion regardingtheselaws— especially their relationship to each other and our r esponsibility to abide by them today. One sister in the Church was heard to lament, “InmysituationIcanhar dly make ends meet. Ever y month it is a struggle to pay tithing. How will I ever be able to live the law of con- secration?”Abriefexaminationofr evelations in the Doctrine and Covenants regarding the laws of consecration, stewardship, and tithing within their historical context can illuminate our under- standings of the principles underlying their purposes.1 THE LAWS OF CONSECRATION AND STEWARDSHIP REVEALED (D&C 42) True principles governing the laws of consecration and stewar d- ship evidence the Lord’s wisdom in providing for His Saints. At a con- ference of the Church held in Fayette, New York, in January 1831, Craig J. Ostler is an associate professor of Church history and doctrine at Brigham Young University. 155 1286 Sperry Treasury live 7/28/04 6:05 PM Page 156 156 Craig J. Ostler the LordcommandedtheSaintstogoto“theOhio”where He would give them His law and wher e they would be endowed with power from on high (D&C 38:32). In this same r evelation the Lord twice commandedtheSaints,“letever y man esteem his br other as him- self”(D&C38:24–25),whichinessenceisthespiritofthelawofcon- secration. In February, after the ProphetJosephSmith’s arrival in Ohio, the r evelation,knownas“thelawoftheChur ch,”was received. This revelation clarified principles governing consecration of property to the Lord and receiving stewardships to oversee conse- crated land and material goods. Some of those baptized in Kir tland, Ohio, had pr eviously attempted to live what they believed was the law of having all things in common as found in the New Testament. That is, all property was held jointly by the community, and they referredtoitas“common stock.”JohnWhitmer, early historian for the Church, explained, “Thediscipleshadallthingscommon,andwere going to destruction very fast as to temporal things; for they considered from reading the scripture that what belonged to a br other, belonged to any of the brethren. Thereforetheywouldtakeeachother’ s clothes and other property and use it without leave which br ought on confusion and disappointments, for they did not understand the scripture.”2 In place of the misguided attempts of the early Saints to live according to their private interpretations of New Testament passages, the Lord revealed that the Saints were to consecrate their properties to Him. The foundational principle upon which this law rests is recognition that the Lord is the Creator of the earth and therefore all propertyisHis.“Behold,theLord hath created the earth that it shouldbeinhabited”Nephiexplained;“andhehathcreated his chil- drenthattheyshouldpossessit”(1Nephi17:36).Allworldlywealth, whether it be lands or gold, is providedforthebenefitofGod’s chil- dren during their mortal sojourn. In commanding His Saints to con- secrate their temporal, earthly goods to the building up of His king - dom, the Lord is not interested in real estate, precious ores, jewels, or houses. Rather, consecration is a godly activity, and those who devote their property, time, and talents to blessing others become more godlike. The Lord directed the means by which pr operty was to be conse- crated within His law. Basically, to consecrate property is to set it 1286 Sperry Treasury live 7/28/04 6:05 PM Page 157 The Laws of Consecration, Stewardship, and Tithing 157 apart for sacred purposes. The Lord indicated that properties were to be consecrated or set apart“withacovenantandadeedwhichcan - not be broken”(D&C42:30).Thecovenantwasasacr ed promise made with God to dedicate temporal pr operty to the Church. The deed was a legally binding document, written and signed by both the member consecrating his property and by the bishop who r eceived the property as the Lord’s authorized agent (see D&C 42:31). Thus, the covenant was binding according to both the laws of God and the laws of the land. After deeding all of his property to the Lord’s Church through his bishop,theconsecratingmemberwasappointed“asteward over his own property”(D&C42:32).Thatis,afterconsecratinghispr oper- ties the member received another legal, signed document fr om the bishop listing the lands, furniture, tools, and so forth that were being leased to him by deed as his stewardship. This property was held as a stewardship for the Master, Jesus Christ, Lord of the earth. This arrangement recognized that we are but stewards for the Lord and are accountable to Him for the use of our talents to bless the lives of oth- ers. The Lord clarified that the steward was to receive“asmuchasis sufficientforhimselfandfamily”(D&C42:32).Inotherwor ds, the stewardship property deeded to the member was to be adequate to enable him to provide for his family according to the number of chil- dren and other dependents in the household. Such a law anticipated that some Saints would have mor e prop- erty to consecrate than would be necessary to be deeded back to them as a stewardship. In addition, it was hoped that those who received a stewardship would produce more than they needed and could regularly consecrate the surplus. To this end the Lord explained that“theresidue shall be kept in my storehouse”(D&C42:34).Inso doing the Lord restored the principle of keeping of the Lor d’s store- house, as was done anciently to pr ovide for the poor (see Malachi 3:10). One of the most sacr ed trusts that areplacedinthebishop’s hands is that of providing for the poor and needy. In this law the bishop uses the property or goods that are surplus to provide for the needs of the members. In addition, this law also anticipated the time of building the city of the New Jerusalem. The Lord indicated that another use for the surplus generated in the law of consecration and stewar dship was 1286 Sperry Treasury live 7/28/04 6:05 PM Page 158 158 Craig J. Ostler “forthepurposeofpurchasing lands for the public benefit of the church, and building houses of worship, and building up of the New Jerusalem which is her eafter to be r evealed—thatmycovenant people may be gathered in one in that day when I shall come to my temple”(D&C42:35–36).Thus,there was no thought that Zion would be built up by a single individual; rather, the law of consecra- tion was to be the law of the Lord’s covenant people as a community. IMPLEMENTING THE LAWS OF CONSECRATION AND STEWARDSHIP (D&C 51) Often there is a gap between theory and practice in living the principles of the gospel. Such was the case with implementing the newly restored laws of consecration and stewardship. The Saints desired to obey the Lor d, but the time had ar rived to learn how to obey Him. By May 1831, in r esponse to the Lord’s earlier command for the Church to move to Ohio, approximately two hundred Saints living in New York sold their properties and made the move west. Their arrival called attention to the need for fur ther instructions to implement the laws of consecration and stewar dship as previously revealed. In preparation, an earlier revelation directed the Saints to purchase lands in the r egion near Kir tland (see D&C 48:3). In Thompson, Ohio, a new convert named Leman Copley owned a large tract of land, some 759 acres, which he consecrated for the settlement of the newly arrived Saints. Bishop Edward Partridge was responsible for dividing this pr operty among the Saints. Consequently, he requested the Prophet Joseph Smith to inquir e of the Lord for direction on the matter. The Lord revealed that stewardships were to be given by the bishop according to the laws previously revealed and clarified that in appointing each their portions,“every man [was to be] equal accord- ing to his family, according to his circumstances and his wants and needs”(D&C51:3).Suchinstructions take into consideration that no two families have exactly the same needs. In the division of pr oper- ties, the number of children in a family, as well as the ages and abil- ities of the children, is taken into consideration. A farmer would receive farm land as his stewardship, a printer a printing office, a tan- ner a tannery, and a businessman a mercantile establishment (see D&C57:8,11;104:19–42).“Andallofthis”r eads a later revelation, 1286 Sperry Treasury live 7/28/04 6:05 PM Page 159 The Laws of Consecration, Stewardship, and Tithing 159 “forthebenefitofthechurch of the living God, that every man may improve upon his talent, that everymanmaygainothertalents” (D&C 82:18). In this manner the needs of the poor were provided for and they were placed in a position in which they could supply their own wants and aid others in doing the same. The principles governing who determined what was needed by each individual and family in their particular circumstances posed a challenge.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Mormon Challenge
    1 The Mormon Challenge A presentation of the other side of Mormonism using LDS-approved sources 2 Table of Contents Introduction ........................................................................................................................4 Sources ................................................................................................................................4 PART ONE: THE SCRIPTURES ....................................................................................5 The Book of Mormon.........................................................................................................5 Joseph Smith Sr. and the Tree of Life ............................................................................................................. 5 Ancient Evangelists ......................................................................................................................................... 7 Joseph’s Ability ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Possible Flaws Ch. 1 – Conviction and Moroni’s Promise ........................................................................... 11 Ch. 2 – A Precise Text .................................................................................................................................. 19 Ch. 3 – Testing the Book of Mormon with the Bible .................................................................................... 22 Ch. 4 – The Reality of the Law of
    [Show full text]
  • Consecration in Nauvoo, 1840-1842
    Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Student Works 2011-02-18 The law...could not be kept here: Consecration in Nauvoo, 1840-1842 Mitchell K. Schaefer [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studentpub Part of the Mormon Studies Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation Schaefer, Mitchell K., "The law...could not be kept here: Consecration in Nauvoo, 1840-1842" (2011). Student Works. 124. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studentpub/124 This Presentation is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Student Works by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. “The law… could not be kept here”: Consecration in Nauvoo, 1840-1842 Mitchell K. Schaefer, BYU UCUR, February 18, 2011 Weber State University 1 I. Introduction Since the earliest days of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there has been an ongoing discussion on the law of consecration and stewardship, the Church’s earliest attempt to establish what Joseph Smith’s revelations called Zion, a society unified in heart and mind and void of both poverty and materialism. Within a decade of Joseph Smith’s death Orson Pratt, and other Church leaders, taught said doctrine as though Joseph had revoked or rescinded the law sometime in the 1830s and that it was no longer necessary for the Saints to practice the principles contained therein.1 This ideology has led to at least one assumption held by historians today; that is, the law of consecration was not practiced in Nauvoo nor did Joseph Smith ever try to implement it after the saints’ forced removal from Missouri in 1838.
    [Show full text]
  • The Economics of Zion
    S U N S T 0 N E Plotting a Zion today where there is no poor THE ECONOMICS OF ZION By Dean L. May g THIS ESSAY CONCERNS MATTERS THAT IN MY JUDGMENT of Consecration and Kent W. Huffs Joseph Smith’s United Order: are important to the future of Latter-day Saint society and A Noncommunalistic Interpretation of Early Church History and perhaps to society in the West, generally. Two recent events- Policy.’ Both books are efforts to portray Consecration and one parochial, the other of international significance-have Stewardship as fully compatible with liberal capitalism, and thus enhanced the timeliness of this topic. The first was the publica- of no direct relevance to the way members of the Church con- tion in 1985 of Lyndon W. Cook’s Joseph Smith and the Law duct their lives today, except as pious abstract principles.’ The second is the astonishing fragmentation of the Soviet DEAN MAY is a professor of history at the University of Utah empire, accompanied by a bitter denunciation of Marxist com- and co-author of Building tt~e City of God Community and munism by those who lived under Soviet totalitarianism for Cooperation Among t/~e Mormons. Versions of this article were forty years. presented at a 1980 BYU Honors symposium, the 1986 The first event is a local expression of the politically con- Washington, D.C, Sunstone Symposium, the Miller-Ecdes Study ., servative temperament of America during the Reagan/Bush years Group in 1989, and at the Plotting Zion conference in ] 990. and may represent in part the authors’ desire to reinterpret AUGUST 1990 PAGE 15 S U N S T O N E Church teachings to accord with their own political views andof insight into what a divinely-sanctioned economic order would those of some present-day Church leaders.
    [Show full text]
  • Reading Doctrine and Covenants 42 Joseph M
    Brigham Young University BYU ScholarsArchive Maxwell Institute Publications 2017 Embracing the Law: Reading Doctrine and Covenants 42 Joseph M. Spencer Jeremiah John Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/mi Part of the Religious Education Commons Recommended Citation Spencer, Joseph M. and John, Jeremiah, "Embracing the Law: Reading Doctrine and Covenants 42" (2017). Maxwell Institute Publications. 29. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/mi/29 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Maxwell Institute Publications by an authorized administrator of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Introduction Jeremiah John, Joseph M. Spencer Section 42 of the Doctrine and Covenants purports to be something momentous. It claims to present nothing less than God’s revelation of his law to his people—a law meant to bring about the gathering of Israel, the establishment of the New Jerusalem, and the preparation of the church for the second coming of Christ. Any serious consideration of this fresh revelation of law should therefore raise the question of the general signicance of divine law in the Christian world. For many Christians, the gospel of salvation is emphatically not a revelation of law but a revelation of grace. Other Christians, such as Catholics, understand grace as a part of the new law of Christ, but for them this new law revealed in Christ is the last and nal law; no further law should be revealed between the time of Christ and the nal judgment.
    [Show full text]
  • LDS Historical Files Aaronic Priesthood Adamondiahman
    LDS Historical Files Aaronic Priesthood Adam­ondi­Ahman All­Church Athletic Tournaments Allegany County, New York Anti­Mormon Articles Articles of Faith Baptist Church Break­Offs of the LDS Church Brigham Young Brigham Young and the Twelve Apostles Brigham Young­Polygamy Brigham Young­Transfiguration BYU Educational Documents Campbellites (Disciples of Christ) Carthage Conspiracy Church of Jesus Christ (Breakoff of the Church) Church History in Vietnam Church History Library Church Membership Communitarianism Constitution of the United States Cutlerites Cyrus Bates (Father­in­law of Orson Pratt) Danites David B. Cannon Description and Information on the Church (Non­Mormon) Doctrine and Covenants Early Church History in Photographs Early Tales/World View of Mormons Education Edward Partridge­First Bishop of the Church Emigration to Utah Emma Smith English LDS History Erastus Snow Ezra Taft Benson­Prophet Family History and Genealogy Work Family Home Evening Franklin D. Richards Food Storage Gathering Doctrine Genealogy Lines to Adam General Authorities George Albert Smith George Laub’s Nauvoo Journal George Miller Gordon B. Hinckley­Prophet Hawns Mill Heber C. Kimball Heber J. Grant Hill Cumorah Pageant History of the Church Importance of the Home John Rigdon John Taylor Jonathon Browning House (Nauvoo) Joseph Smith Joseph Smith­Magazine and Newspaper stories about Joseph. Joseph Smith and Emma Joseph Smith­Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ Joseph Smith’s Boyhood Surgery Joseph Smith­Court Trials Joseph Smith’s Family Joseph Smith’s
    [Show full text]
  • An Exploratory Study of Female Networking in a Mormon Fundamentalist Polygynous Society
    Portland State University PDXScholar Dissertations and Theses Dissertations and Theses 1990 An exploratory study of female networking in a Mormon fundamentalist polygynous society Janet Bennion Cannon Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds Part of the Mormon Studies Commons, and the Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Cannon, Janet Bennion, "An exploratory study of female networking in a Mormon fundamentalist polygynous society" (1990). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 4025. https://doi.org/10.15760/etd.5909 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Janet Bennion Cannon for the Master of Arts in Anthropology presented June 4, 1990. Title: An Exploratory Study of Female Networking in a Mormon Fundamentalist Polygynous Society APPROVED BY THE MEMBERS OF THE 1HESIS COMMITTEE: Sharon Carstens, Chair , Daniel Scheans - \ i ' nette Davis Leonard Cain The present study is comprised of two parts: 1) an exploratory ethnography of a contemporary polygynous community governed by a strong patriarchal ideology in Pinesdale Montana with emphasis on social relationships, and 2) an analysis of the factors which have allowed women's groups to develop in Mormon fundamentalism. The ethnographic account of the community contextualizes the occurrence of female groups in Pinesdale. A model of the formation of female groups designed by Nancy Leis (1974) in 2 her study of the West African Ijaw is used to provide a better understanding of how female groups are formed, and is applied to the Pinesdale community.
    [Show full text]
  • The Law of Consecration
    HIDDEN LDS/JEWISH INSIGHTS - Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Gospel Doctrine Supplem ent 14 by Daniel Rona Summary Handout =========================================================================================================== The Law of Consecration Lesson 14 Summary =========================================================================================================== Scripture Doctrine and Covenants 42:30–42; Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Kirtland, Ohio, February 9, 1831. HC 1: 148— 154. It was received in the presence of twelve elders, and in fulfillment of the Lord’s promise previously made that the “law” would be Summary: given in Ohio; see Section 38: 32. The Prophet specifies this revelation as “embracing the law of the Church.” 30— 39, Laws governing the consecration of properties are set forth; Doctrine and Covenants 51; Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Thompson, Ohio, May 1831. HC 1: 173— 174. At this time the saints migrating from the eastern states began to arrive in Ohio, and it became necessary to make definite arrangements for their settlement. As this undertaking belonged particularly to the bishop’s office, Bishop Edward Partridge sought instruction on the matter, and the Prophet inquired of the Lord. 1— 8, Edward Partridge is appointed to regulate stewardships and properties; 9— 12, The saints are to deal honestly and receive alike; 13— 15, They are to have a bishop’s storehouse and to organize properties according to the Lord’s law; 16— 20, Ohio is to be a temporary gathering place. Doctrine and Covenants 78; Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Hiram, Ohio, March 1832. The order given of the Lord to Joseph Smith for the purpose of establishing a storehouse for the poor.
    [Show full text]
  • Doctrine and Covenants Teacher Manual Religion 324 and 325
    Doctrine and Covenants Teacher Manual Religion 324 and 325 Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah Comments and corrections are appreciated. Please send them to: Seminaries and Institutes of Religion Curriculum Services 50 East North Temple Street Salt Lake City, UT 84150-0008 USA Email: [email protected] Please list your complete name, address, ward, and stake. Be sure to give the title of the manual when you offer your comments. © 2017 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Version 1, 9/17 English approval: 9/16 14343 Contents Introduction to the Teacher Manual Maps 1 Introduction to the Doctrine and Covenants; Doctrine and Covenants 2 2 Doctrine and Covenants 1 3 Doctrine and Covenants 3; 10 4 Doctrine and Covenants 5; 17 5 Doctrine and Covenants 6; 8–9 6 Doctrine and Covenants 7; 13; 18 7 Doctrine and Covenants 4; 11–12; 14–16 8 Doctrine and Covenants 19 9 Doctrine and Covenants 20–22 10 Doctrine and Covenants 23–25 11 Doctrine and Covenants 26–28 12 Doctrine and Covenants 29 13 Doctrine and Covenants 30–34 14 Doctrine and Covenants 35–36; 39–40 15 Doctrine and Covenants 37–38; 41 16 Doctrine and Covenants 42 17 Doctrine and Covenants 43–45 18 Doctrine and Covenants 46–49 19 Doctrine and Covenants 50 20 Doctrine and Covenants 51–56 21 Doctrine and Covenants 57–58 22 Doctrine and Covenants 59–62 23 Doctrine and Covenants 63 24 Doctrine and Covenants 64–65 25 Doctrine and Covenants 66–70 26 Doctrine and Covenants 71–75 27 Doctrine and
    [Show full text]
  • Of Many Hearts and Many Minds: the Mormon Novel and the Post-Utopian Challenge of Assimilation
    Of Many Hearts and Many Minds: The Mormon Novel and the Post-Utopian Challenge of Assimilation by Scott Hales A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English & Comparative Literature APPROVED: Jay Twomey, Chair Jennifer Glaser Leland S. Person March 26, 2014 Cincinnati, OH For much of their nineteenth-century history, Mormons rejected the novel as worldly entertainment that corrupted the young and propagated offensive Mormon stereotypes. This changed, however, when Mormons began to recognize the form’s potential for promoting social betterment, teaching wholesome moral values, and using its popular appeal to draw people to the Mormon fold. Interestingly, this shift in attitude toward the novel came at a time when the Mormons, once a militantly separatist people, sought greater assimilation with the American mainstream by abandoning overt utopian practices, like polygamy and communal living, for practices that would no longer alienate them from the nation’s Protestant majority. In my dissertation, I explore the relationship between this transitional period and the development of the Mormon novel, arguing that Mormons embraced the novel as a cultural site for mediating their paradoxical desire to separate from and participate in the American mainstream. Indeed, I show how the novel allowed Mormons to express their utopian principles—if not their utopian practices—as mainstream America compelled them to take what I call a “post-utopian” stance toward society. Moreover, I show how adopting the novel form also enabled Mormons to contribute to and engage American literary culture, construct Mormon identities, and explore their ambivalent encounters with others from inside and outside their ranks.
    [Show full text]
  • Joseph Smith and the Revelations: from Manuscripts to Publication
    Robert J. Woodford: From Manuscripts to Publication 135 Joseph Smith and the Revelations: From Manuscripts to Publication Robert J. Woodford The forthcoming publication of the papers of Joseph Smith is, for me, the most exciting event ever in Mormon historical research. At the outset, the vision was to have most of the volumes on the shelf by the two hundredth anniversary of his birth, but the sheer weight of the mate- rial available and the desire to be accurate and complete have extended the deadlines well beyond that time frame. I was not trained in historical research and writing, and I suppose the invitation to participate as a coeditor for two volumes of the Joseph Smith Papers project was extended because of the work I had done on the revelations in the Doctrine and Covenants. It has been a painful experience to learn how to write the history as objectively as possible and to put aside so many romantic stories that thrive in our culture. But Grant Underwood and William G. Hartley, the other editors of the two volumes with which I am participating, have taken me in hand, and together we are writing what I think is a very complete but, more impor- tantly, a very interesting account concerning the documents connected with Joseph Smith through 1833. There is a line in the 1962 John Ford movie, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, that says, “When legends become fact, print the legend.” ROBERT J. WOODFORD received a BS in Mathematics and Physics in 1963 from the University of Utah, an MA in 1964 from Brigham Young University in Educational Administration, and a PhD in 1974 in Bible and Modern Scripture from Brigham Young University.
    [Show full text]
  • “Myself . . . I Consecrate to the God of Heaven” Twenty Affidavits of Consecration in Nauvoo, June–July 1842
    “Myself . I Consecrate to the God of Heaven” Twenty Affidavits of Consecration in Nauvoo, June–July 1842 Mitchell K. Schaefer and Sherilyn Farnes wenty affidavits, handwritten in the summer of 1842 by Latter-day Saints Tdetermined to follow an apostolic invitation to consecrate themselves and their property to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, invite us to reconsider common perceptions of the law of consecration.1 Many Latter-day Saints believe what Arrington, Fox, and May described as a “folk memory” concerning the law of consecration. It is the belief that the Lord revealed the “higher” law of consecration to Joseph Smith early in Church history and later revoked it because the Saints could not live it. The Lord then revealed the lower law of tithing to replace the higher law. This way of interpreting and relating to Joseph Smith’s revelations seeks to reconcile the past and the present. Arrington, Fox, and May explained this rationale in Building the City of God: “A people failing to live a higher law would be given a lesser law that presumably might prepare them for an eventual res- toration of the more perfect order.”2 It is not completely clear when or why this way of explaining the past emerged, but historians have generally taken it for granted. Though some Mormon leaders taught this interpretation as early as 1854, it apparently does not appear in any of Joseph Smith’s writings or teachings before or 1. Brigham Young and others, “Baptism for the Dead,” Times and Seasons 3 (December 15, 1841): 625–27.
    [Show full text]
  • LDS Historical Files Aaronic Priesthood Adamondiahman
    LDS Historical Files Aaronic Priesthood Adam­ondi­Ahman All­Church Athletic Tournaments Allegany County, New York Anti­Mormon Articles Articles of Faith Baptist Church Book of Abraham Break­Offs of the LDS Church Brigham Young Brigham Young and the Twelve Apostles Brigham Young­Polygamy Brigham Young­Transfiguration BYU Educational Documents Campbellites (Disciples of Christ) Carthage Conspiracy Church of Jesus Christ (Breakoff of the Church) Church History in Jamaica Church History in Las Vegas, Nevada Church History in Vietnam Church History Library Church Membership Church News Communitarianism Constitution of the United States Cutlerites Cyrus Bates (Father­in­law of Orson Pratt) Danites David and Mary Ann Yearsley David B. Cannon David O’ McKay Description and Information on the Church (Non­Mormon) Doctrine and Covenants Early Church History in Photographs Early Tales/World View of Mormons Education Edward Partridge­First Bishop of the Church Emigration to Utah Emma Smith English LDS History Erastus Snow Ezra Taft Benson­Prophet Family History and Genealogy Work Family Home Evening Family Search Franklin D. Richards Food Storage Gathering Doctrine Genealogy Lines to Adam General Authorities George Albert Smith George Laub’s Nauvoo Journal George Miller Gordon B. Hinckley­Prophet Harmony Reconstruction Hawns Mill Heber C. Kimball Heber J. Grant Hill Cumorah Pageant History of the Church Home Teaching/Ward Teaching Importance of the Home John Rigdon John Taylor Jonathon Browning House (Nauvoo) Joseph Fielding Smith Joseph Smith Joseph Smith­Magazine and Newspaper stories about Joseph. Joseph Smith and Emma Joseph Smith­Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ Joseph Smith’s Boyhood Surgery Joseph Smith­Court Trials Joseph Smith’s Family Joseph Smith’s First Vision Joseph Smith’s History Joseph Smith’s Letters Joseph Smith’s Martyrdom Joseph Smith­Murdock Twins Joseph Smith­Polygamy Joseph Smith’s Prophecies Joseph Smith’s Run for the President of the United States Joseph Smith Sr.
    [Show full text]