|
It seems strange, then, that the Nephite prophets appear to have no understanding of some of the “plain and precious” truths about:
An apologist may cite the principal of continuing revelation as the reason why these important doctrinal elements are absent from the Book of Mormon. Perhaps the Lord reserved some sacred truths for the “fullness of times.” But as apologetics go, he may just as quickly point to other controversial doctrines or practices and argue that they have always existed from the “foundation of the world,” reminding his audience that God is an unchangeable being and that his ordinances and priesthood are eternal. While the apologist may find this type of logical elasticity useful, I doubt it could ever stretch far enough to cover the gaping hole in the Book of Mormon. The glaring question remains: Why wouldn’t the Lord have provided his chosen people with an understanding of some of the most fundamental and precious truths of the plan of salvation? If he did reveal these things to the Nephites, why did they fail to write about them? It’s not as though they didn’t expound on a variety of other doctrinal topics. It’s staggering to think that Mormon, for instance, would fail to elucidate a doctrine with such eternal implications as temple marriage.
"Behold I give unto you a commandment, that you rely upon the things which are written; for in them are all things written, concerning my church, my gospel, and my rock. Wherefore if you shall build up my church, and my gospel, and my rock, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you." (1833 Book of Commandments, Chapter 15) It is interesting that the Lord uses the words, “build up my church,” implying, perhaps, that it already existed. Whitmer explained that the “real” church was already being “built up” for months before the state required the Saints to officially organize themselves, which was done on April 6, 1830. In other words, the organization of the church was merely a formality. Whitmer also disclosed that Joseph had informed him that he (Joseph) was finished with all that the Lord had intended for him to do, with the exception of preaching the gospel, and that it was expedient that they follow the direction of the Spirit from that time forth “to be guided into truth and obtain the will of the Lord.”2 Could it be that Joseph’s original intention was to bring forth scripture that would “reform” Christianity rather than “restore” it? Evidence for this notion is seen below in the following revelation, given before the organization of the church: “And for this cause have I said: If this generation harden not their hearts, I will establish my church among them. Now I do not say this to destroy my church, but I say this to build up my church; Therefore, whosoever belongeth to my church need not fear... but they shall build it up, and shall bring to light the true points of my doctrine, yea, and the only doctrine which is in me. And this I do that I may establish my gospel, that there may not be so much contention; yea, Satan doth stir up the hearts of the people to contention concerning the points of my doctrine… Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.”3 If this isn't clear enough, the first version of this revelation printed in chapter four of the Book of Commandments, before it was edited for the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, has the Lord saying, “if the people of this generation harden not their hearts I will work a reformation among them…” Reflecting the Lord’s final words in the D&C passage above, "Whosever declareth more or less than this...," David Whitmer insisted that Joseph had given in to human passion and pride when he began to “declare more” than that intended by the Lord as printed in the Book of Mormon. He said that over time, “the heads of the church had gone too far, and had done things in which they had already gone ahead of some of the former revelations.”4 To make his point, he cited a startling revision of one of the early revelations found in chapter four of the Book of Commandments. In this revelation, Joseph is told that he “has a gift to translate the book” and that he should “pretend to no other gift,” for the Lord will “grant him no other gift.” Whitmer was incensed as he recalled how this revelation was revised in 1835 to include several more words that radically altered the original meaning: “And you have a gift to translate the plates, and this is the first gift that I bestowed upon you, and I have commanded you that you should pretend to no other gift, until my purpose is fulfilled in this; for I will grant unto you no other gift until it is finished.” (Doctrine and Covenants 5:4) With the limits set by the original revelation obliterated, Joseph was a step closer to enjoying the Lord’s retroactive blessing on a number of developments, including the creation of a new church and new offices in the priesthood, and securing the divine go-ahead for future improvements such as temple worship and plural marriage. But the revelation in chapter four of the Book of Commandments is not the only location where the reader finds the Lord placing limits on Joseph’s authority. In the Book of Mormon, itself, the Lord informed Joseph of Egypt long ago that Joseph Smith would remain under his control: “I
give commandment that he shall do a work for the fruit of thy loins, his brethren,
which shall be of great worth unto them, even to the bringing of them
to the knowledge of the covenants which I have made with thy fathers.
And I will give unto him a commandment that he shall do none other
work, save the work which I
Notwithstanding the Lord’s words above and those found in the fourth chapter of the Book of Commandments, Joseph would later pursue “the work” of an administrator, a banker, a land agent, an editor, a Master Mason, a mayor, a lieutenant general, and a candidate for the presidency of the United States. One wonders if the Lord had all those duties in mind when he gave this revelation. With the evidence suggesting that Joseph transformed the restoration movement into something more than originally intended, it is easy to understand why there is so much critical doctrine missing from the Book of Mormon. Even Joseph, himself, seemed to be aware of this problem when the revelations were being gathered and edited for the publication of the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants (1835). As a result, he quietly authorized a small change in the wording of a critical revelation in order to justify the current reality in the church. What had once been a rigid directive to follow the pattern set forth in the Book of Mormon (“for in them are all things written, concerning my church”) was now a carefully worded command with infinite possibilities: “Behold I give unto you a commandment, that you rely upon the things which are written; for in them are all things written, concerning the foundation of my church, my gospel, and my rock. Wherefore if you shall build up my church upon the foundation of my gospel, and my rock, the gates of hell shall not prevail against you." (D&C 18: 4, 5). Thus with the addition of just a few, simple words, the Restoration was changed forever. What may have begun as another “reformation” was now a dynamic movement limited only by the ingenuity of its founder – a church unchained by the limitations set by the Book of Mormon. With the concept of “open-ended” revelation moving from theory to practice, the young prophet was free to continually redefine himself and his church, and allow his restless imagination and indefatigable creative energy to dictate the future. As Joseph put it, “It is my meditation all the day, and more than my meat and drink, to know how I shall make the Saints of God comprehend the visions that roll like an overflowing surge before my mind.”5
1 David Whitmer, An Address to all Believers in Christ, Richmond, MO, 1887 2 Ibid., p. 32 3 Selections from Section 10 of the Doctrine and Covenants. 4 Letter written by David Whitmer, published in the Saints' Herald, February 5, 1887, quoted in Salt Lake City Messenger, issue 71, April, 1989. 5 History of the Church, 5:362 |
Members of the Mormon Church have been taught from an early age that the Book
of Mormon contains the “fullness of the gospel.” While scholars and general
authorities can argue over the
semantics of such a phrase, the believing reader may find it puzzling
that the Book of Mormon makes no mention of many critical theological elements
embraced by the modern church as "eternal truths.” The Nephites were privy
to knowledge that
superceded anything their Old World counterparts in Jerusalem seemed to
possess – information about the name of the Messiah, the name of the mother of
Jesus, the fact that Jesus
would come to the American Continent, and that he would establish his authority
there and institute his church with all its saving ordinances.
The
pre-existence of man.
Perhaps the paucity of latter-day
doctrines and practices is best understood by examining
early church history. Looking back on the early days of the Restoration, David
Whitmer emphatically declared his
belief that Joseph Smith was never meant to create a church
– that his only calling was to bring forth the “marvelous work and a wonder,”
the Book of Mormon.1
He also claimed that the Book of Mormon was intended to be the ultimate
authority on matters of truth and religious worship. He pointed to a revelation
from the Lord received in June,
1829, intended for Joseph, Oliver Cowdery, and himself:
shall command him. (2 Nephi 3: 7,8)