Origin of the 'Reorganized' Church and the Question of SuccessionSmith, Joseph Fielding
History
Origin of the 'Reorganized' Church and the Question of Succession
Smith, Joseph Fielding
Latter Day Saint churches -- Government; Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints -- Government
We see that this Mr. Briggs repudiated the fundamental portions of
his alleged revelation. In the "revelation" he teaches the gathering,
but here he says he does not believe in the gathering, either to
Jackson county or to any other place to be known as a local Zion. In
his "revelation" he teaches lineal Priesthood, but when he withdraws
from the church one reason was that he could not believe in "a sole
mouth-piece of God to the Church," and in an "imperial dynasty," which
he erroneously thought was taught in the revelation. Thus he repudiates
his "revelation," denies the divine mission of the Prophet Joseph
Smith, and repudiates the standard works of the Church.[7] Unstable to
the last, this man would not rest content in this organization which he
was such a potent instrument in bringing into existence.[8]
There is another thing in his so-called "revelation" that is
interesting. He declares that the Lord would raise up one of the seed
of Joseph Smith who would be mighty and strong. Now, evidently this
refers to Joseph Smith, president of that organization. Joseph Smith
of the "Reorganized" Church declares that he is not the one mighty and
strong and the "Reorganized" Church has backed him up by resolution in
that conclusion.[9]
QUESTION OF REJECTION.
We now come to the question of the rejection of the Church. Our friends
tell us that the Church was rejected for the reason that they failed
to complete the Nauvoo Temple "in the sufficient time granted by the
Lord." They say that the Temple was not finished. The president of the
"Reorganization" has made the following statement in this connection:
"The basement was fitted for occupation and the baptismal font was
ready for use. The auditorium on the first floor was completed
sufficiently to be seated and occupied for assembly purposes. The
stairway on the south side was completed for use. The auditorium
on the second floor, the stairway on the north side, nor any other
portion of the building except those above named were completed;
though the small rooms above the second floor auditorium were used
by President Young and the resident Church authorities for various
purposes." (History of Reorganized Church, 2:562).
His brother Alexander makes a similar statement.
In reply to this it is only necessary to say that it made no difference
whether the Temple was finished or not. The revelation of January 19,
1841, provided,
"That when I (the Lord) give a commandment to any of the sons of
men, to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all
their might, and with all they have, to perform that work, and
cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them, and
hinder them from performing that work; behold, it behooveth me to
require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to
accept of their offerings:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account