Priesthood of the Relief Society

The Relief Society was organized on March 17th, 1842 and on March 17th 2013 it will have its 170th Anniversary. This women’s organization was originally called the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo. Before the first meeting began, there was found a scrap of paper laying on an open Bible. On this paper was written the words:

“O, Lord! help our widows, and fatherless children! So mote it be. Amen. With the sword, and the word of truth, defend thou them. So mote it be. Amen.”

This prayer is one of many clues to understand the purpose and structure of the Relief Society. There is a key phrase that is repeated twice, “So mote it be.” This phrase is an archaic form of “So may/might it be.” It comes from Freemasonry. The idea of helping the widows and fatherless children is also strongly connected to Masonry. The phrase “defend thou them” comes from Psalms 5:11. There are probably other scriptural connections that could be made.

It is also important to note that the Relief Society’s first meeting was in the Masonic Hall where Joseph Smith became a Master mason the night before. I suggest that Joseph Smith left the Bible there, and wrote this prayer on the scrap of paper and placed it on the open Bible. It was all prepared for them to find it that day. There may even be some Masonic connection associated with that act. However I don’t know enough about masonry to try and make a connection. Nevertheless, before the first meeting even starts we can see the intense connections to Freemasonry.

In my piece Understanding Priesthood Keys, I attempted to clarify Joseph Smith’s understanding of Priesthood Keys. I demonstrated that, even from the early years, Joseph’s concept of priesthood and keys was tied to Freemasonry. The association that Mormonism has to Freemasonry was not a Nauvoo innovation, but has been there since before the church was founded. It is no surprise to find the Relief Society organized following the same model.

But wait, isn’t Masonry only for men? It’s not. In about 1740 a branch of Masonry was developed in France. It was called ” Maçonnerie d’Adoption” or “Adopted Masonry.” It was developed to allow women to participate in a female branch of Masonry. Its is apparent that the highest rank in Adoptive Masonry is that of “Elect Lady.” In July 1830 a revelation was given, which became Section 25 of the Doctrine and Covenants. Emma is referred to by this title. In our modern editions of the scriptures it is written thus:

3 Behold, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an elect lady, whom I have called.

It could just be a coincidence. Since “elect lady” is not capitalized it is probably not referring to a title. However, I looked up the original revelation in my Facsimile Edition. In the original revelation it is written this way:

Behold thy sins are for given thee & thou art an Elect Lady whom I have called

Elect Lady is capitalized in the original revelation. Being capitalized it is far more likely referring to a title and calling. In addition to Emma Smith being referred to as an Elect Lady, some Relief Society Presidents after her were referred to as Elect Lady.

During the first meeting of the Relief Society Joseph Smith initially Presided and suggested that they elect a presiding officer. That officer would then choose two councilors. Joseph Smith then said he, “would ordain them to preside over the Society.” Joseph also instructed them that the Presidency of the Relief Society would preside “just as the Presidency, preside over the church.” I suppose this could be interpreted as meaning that the Relief Society Presidency was to preside in the same manner as the First Presidency. However, those are very powerful words to use. I think it puts the Relief Society Presidency on a much more powerful footing than simply being in charge of the girls club.

Emma Smith was elected unanimously to be the President of the Relief Society. The “Presidentess Elect” then chose Sarah M. Cleveland and Elizabeth Ann Whitney to be her Counselors. Joseph then read the revelation to Emma Smith which had been received twelve years earlier. He then “stated that she was ordain[e]d at the time, the Revelation was given, to expound the scriptures to all; and to teach the female part of community; and that not she alone, but others, may attain to the same blessings.”

I searched the word “expound” on scriptrues.lds.org and found that every entry in the Doctrine and Covenants was associated with some ordination, calling, or priesthood office/responsibility.

Joseph Smith further hits his point home about Emma’s position by reading the first verse of 2^nd John which also refers to an elect lady. Emma was not simply called an elect lady because she was a special person. She was an Elect Lady because that referred to her office as a President. After Emma’s election John Taylor then ordained the two women* to be councilors to “the Elect Lady.” President Emma Smith and her two councilors then took charge of the meeting only deferring to Joseph when they needed instruction on how to conduct the meeting.

We can see further Masonic connections in the 3^rd Meeting of the Relief Society on March 30^th. Joseph Smith was in attendance and was worried that they were growing too fast. He instructed them that they should, ”grow up by degrees.”

In an Epistle sent on March 30, 1842, Church leadership was going to disclose some confidential information to the Relief Society but they weren’t sure that the Relief Society could ensure it’s confidentiality. They are worried that “there may be some among you who are not sufficiently skill’d in Masonry as to keep a secret.” They then close the epistle with, “Let this Epistle be had as a private matter in your Society, and then we shall learn whether you are good masons.”

Masonry is very closely tied to the nature of the Relief Society. The Endowment was an Appended Body to the Blue Lodge degrees of Masonry. It was often called “Celestial Masonry.” Emma Smith was ordained to a Masonic title in 1830; and the parallel women’s organization, which was established in 1842, has definite Masonic ties. It would actually be very surprising to find that it didn’t have those ties.

Women and Gifts of the Spirit

Gifts of the Spirit are those acts which are fruits of the Holy Ghost. They come through the Spirit to be a proof that the a person is a true believer. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12 these gifts are listed as: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, divers kinds of tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. These gifts were abundant in the Relief Society. On April 19, 1842 during their fifth meeting, Sarah Cleveland said that she felt things in her heart that she could not express in our language; so she powerfully spoke in tongues. Another women then gave the interpretation of what had been spoken. During that meeting it was recorded that, “The meeting was very interesting, nearly all present arose & spoke, and the spirit of the Lord like a purifying stream, refreshed every heart.”

At another meeting later in the year “Mrs. Chase” prophesied that if the sisters are faithful the gifts of the spirit would be with them. Thus showing that the gift of prophecy was also present among the women.

During the sixth meeting on April 28, 1842 Joseph Smith spoke to them. He had heard that members of the Relief Society were saying that women shouldn’t be laying their hands on the sick and healing them. Joseph addressed this concern saying that people should rejoice that the sick could be healed. He went on to say that the Gifts of the Spirit should follow all who believe whether male or female; and that “if the sisters should have faith to heal the sick, let all hold their tongues, and let every thing roll on.”

Joseph gave further approval of women laying on their hands to heal the sick by saying that if God gave his sanction, in that the person was healed then, “there could be no devils in it.” Dealing the final blow to settle the matter concerning whether women should heal the sick he said, “there could be no more sin in any female laying hands on the sick than in wetting the face with water— that it is no sin for any body to do it that has faith, or if the sick has faith to be heal[e]d by the administration.”

It is important to remember that there is a distinction between laying on hands to heal the sick and laying on hands for a priesthood blessing. They are two different things.(D&C 42:43, 44)

Even though some members of the Relief Society, and probably the church in general, doubted that women should be able to exhibit these spiritual gifts; Joseph corrected this misconception. If women are believers in Christ they too should exhibit the gifts that follow believers. The Relief Society in these years was filled with the exhibition of these spiritual gifts. Women were healing and being healed, they were speaking in tongues, and they were prophesying.

Women and the Priesthood

There is a strong correlation between Joseph Smith’s views on priesthood and Masonry. With the Relief Society’s close ties with to Masonry could it be possible that priesthood plays into this? This is actually exactly what we find. During the very first meeting of the Relief Society Joseph Smith instructed them that officers should “be appointed and set apart, as Deacons, Teachers, &c. are among [the church].”

During the meeting on March 30, 1842 Joseph Smith said that “the Society should move according to the ancient Priesthood” He also said that he “was going to make of this Society a kingdom of priests as in Enoch’s day— as in Pauls day.”

Sarah Kimball recalled Joseph Smith’s invitation to the first assembly of women. She recalled his description that the Relief Society would operate “under the priesthood after the pattern of the priesthood.”

Later, on April 28, 1842 Joseph visited the Relief Society and spoke to them, “respecting the Priesthood, and give instructions for the benefit of the Society.” It is recorded that his instructions were intended only for the Relief Society. Later during this meeting he read from the twelfth chapter of 1^st Corinthians and instructed them concerning the different offices. Thus seeming to indicate that those offices were to be present in the Relief Society

28 And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

It seems that the climax of Joseph Smith’s discourse to the Relief Society was when he most clearly “spoke of delivering the keys to this Society and to the church.” He continued by stating “that the keys of the kingdom are about to be given to them, that they may be able to detect every thing false— as well as to the Elders.” Not only was Joseph Smith going to give the Keys of the Priesthood to the Quorum of the Twelve(Elders) but also to the Relief Society. Following those statements he reaffirmed, for a third time, his intent of giving the keys by saying “I now turn the key to you in the name of God and this Society shall rejoice and knowledge and intelligence shall flow down from this time.”

Elder Reynolds Cahoon addressed the Relief Society on August 13, 1843 and said that he was “perfectly satisfied with the order of this society.” He also compared the Relief Society to other organizations in the world by saying, “There are many Benevolent Societies abroad design[e]d to do good but not as this[;] ours is according to the order of God connected with the priesthood.”

We can further see the Relief Society’s role as a parallel priesthood organization in Cahoon’s statement that “the organization of this Society & the Church is similar[,] according to the mind & order of God.” The church leadership(First presidency, Elders, Priest, teachers, Deacons, etc.) are to be mirrored in the Relief Society. Joseph established it this way to be a parallel priesthood organization for women. This follows the Masonic model and also manifests the complimentary male-female duality of humanity. When some people discuss women and the priesthood they expect it to be some androgynous concept with women in the First presidency, and potentially men in the Relief Society Presidency. But this is not the case as it does not preserve the unique qualities of each.

The biggest problem in people’s minds is that they view genders as competitive. They believe that there must be women in the First presidency or else women are not equal with men. This is because they view the Relief Society as lesser than that First Presidency. But they are not. Remember what Joseph Smith stated about the Relief Society Presidency; that they should preside “just as the Presidency, preside over the church.” The Relief Society is the female priesthood counterpart to the male priesthood offices. One is not higher than the other, rather they are complimentary. Just as males and females are complimentary to each other.

The following quote sums up the nature and purpose of both men, women, and their priesthoods. It was given by Bishop Newel K. Whitney in the presence of Joseph Smith during the May 27, 1842 Relief Society meeting:

In the beginning God created man male and female and bestowed upon man certain blessings peculiar to a man of God, of which woman partook, so that without the female all things cannot be restored to the earth. It takes all to restore the Priesthood.

---

* Cleveland was ordained to be a Counselor to “the Elect Lady”; and Whitney was ordained to be a Counselor to “Mrs. Smith, the Prest. of the Institution.”

Most of these quotes were taken from the Nauvoo Relief Society minute Book which can be found here.

Coming to Terms With Change

Here’s an Essay I wrote last week for my English Class:

For young men who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, one of the most anticipated events is the reception of a mission call. A mission call is a letter, sent from Church leadership, “calling” the young man on a mission to a certain place. On this mission the young man will be expected to spend two years in a certain area, preaching the message of the Gospel. Missionaries are only allowed to email home once a week. Their time and attention is to be focused on their mission.

Such was my experience, in late 2003, after having sent in my papers to inform Church leadership of my desire to serve; I received my mission call. The simple white envelope arrived in the mail and my family and I went to the park and gathered around a bench. I sat there with the white envelope held in my trembling fingers. As I prepared to open the envelope, my mother asked me, “Where do you want to go?” I thought of all the places I might want to go; my father went to England; and I was studying Russian. After a few second I replied, “I want to go anywhere, as long as it’s not hot.” With that, I quickly ripped open the top of the envelope. I pulled out the papers from the envelope and began to I slowly read the letter. My family stared at me with excitement.

“Brother Michael Ellis, you are called to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are called to serve in the,” I paused for dramatic effect, “Philippines Baguio Mission.” After I had slaughtered the pronunciation of the name Baguio, I knew my desire to serve someplace, “not hot.” had jinxed me. I was going to be serving in a tropical area, the Philippines.

The following months were followed by a variety of preparation including purchasing necessary books, and materials. A new suit was purchased, as a well as three pairs of shoes. On January 2004, I went to the Missionary Training Center(MTC) in Provo, Utah. In the MTC other missionaries, and myself, were trained in preaching and languages skills. We were taught the importance of being obedient to our Church leaders so that we could effectively teach by the Holy Spirit.

Almost two months later we flew to the Philippines to begin our missions. Missionaries are always paired with another missionary. This is so there are always two together at a time. As I served, I became close friends with many of the missionaries I was paired with. I also became close friends with many of the Filipino people I served among.

During the first months of my mission it took a lot of patience to understand the Filipino culture and even more to learn their language. The language skills we had been taught in the MTC were barely sufficient for basic communication. There was another challenge I had to overcome. For a long time I had been afraid of public speaking and starting conversations with people I haven’t met. My pulse would race with each person we contacted. In contacting people, we would start a conversation about God or some other subject. We would then inform them about the message of the Gospel we had to share. If they did not have time at the moment we would set an appointment to return.

The first lesson we would teach people was about the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is a text that is believed to have been miraculously translated from an ancient record by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the 1800s. This book is used as evidence to support the belief that prophets have been called by God again in our times. We would then teach them that the successors of Joseph Smith from the 1800s until today were also prophets.

In other lessons we would teach them about the various beliefs and doctrines of the Church. We would teach about the basic principles of the Gospel, such as: faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism of water and receiving the Holy Ghost. Other things we taught concerned eternal families, and the importance of temples. Perhaps the most important thing we taught was that thanks to Joseph Smith, Jr., the true Church of Jesus Christ had been restored to the earth. We taught people that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was that true church; and that the leadership was divinely inspired of God.

Ever since I can remember I have always been interested in scripture. I believed that what I was taught was correct, and that we missionaries were the representatives of the Lord. It was my belief that as a representative of the Lord when others were kind to me, or helped me, then they were really helping the Lord. I would offer quiet prayers for those people who were good to me.

While it is true that the main objective of a missionary is preaching, relationships are also formed. The local members of the Church would help us in contacting and teaching people from the local area. Usually bonds of friendship would be formed with these people. I can recall many nights eating dinner at a member’s house. We called him Brother Dudi. The Filipino missionary I was paired with would chat away with him, while I sat and sketched in my notebook, catching only a few words here and there. As time progressed, I could communicate better in the native language, Tagalog. I also became better at sketching.

Towards the end of my mission a member of the Church gave me the phone number of a woman in the area. Missionaries are not allowed to date on their mission; so after my two years were up and I returned home, I called her. Three years later we were married here in Idaho.

After a couple more years I began doing serious study into my beliefs. I read and searched the important texts of my religion. Through this research, and other online resources, I discovered that there were contradictions in my religion. I realized that the teachings of my religion contradicted the revelations and texts we viewed as authoritative. As I continued to examine these things it was as if my eyes had been opened. I could clearly see the differences between what the texts were actually saying, and what I was told they were saying.

One of the biggest discrepancies came in the area of missionary work. The book Doctrine and Covenants contains, what Mormons believe to be the revelations of Joseph Smith. In this book it is stated that missionaries should leave without taking any money or food, and that they should rely upon the charity of others for their sustenance. However the actual practice for the Church today is that missionaries and their families should pay a monthly amount to the Church. That amount is put into a general fund; the missionaries then receive a monthly allowance from that general fund.

I realized that, rather than being representative of the Lord, I was actually just a representative of a religious corporation. I had been teaching things not found in the scriptures, but instead were found only in the traditions that had been passed down through generations. This contradiction weighed heavily on my mind. What I had previously accepted as correct doctrine was actually only the opinons of others; rather than the actual doctrine itself. It was necessary that I either accept the modern contradictory teachings or accept the original texts.

Now as I look back on my missionary experience I see myself as having been used to promote this corporation whose teachings, in many cases, I no longer agreed with. Yet, there were still many positive experiences I had experienced on my mission. It wasn’t all bad. I had made friends, learned things, and even met the woman who would become my wife.

I cannot throw away my missionary experience like so many others have. How then, do I accept my mission as a good thing, while also disagreeing with it? Is it possible for good to come from bad means? Even today, these are the question I ask, as I seek to reconcile my current views with my previous actions. Changing a world view is not an easy task. Though perhaps, the process of change in our lives is never really complete. Maybe the journey is the destination; and we all must find the good out of all the things we have done, and all the mistakes we have made.

The Deseret Region

While this post isn’t what most people expect from my blog it is something important to me. One of the reasons my posts here have been few and far between lately is because of other projects I’ve been busy with. One of the biggest of those projects is the Deseret Region.

Proposed State of Deseret

Modern Deseret Region

The Deseret Region is a project to develop a self sufficient region within the western United States. The Deseret Region gets its name from the historic State of Deseret which was proposed by early Mormon settlers in the 1850′s. The modern Deseret Region roughly follows the same boundaries, except is it determined by modern county borders.

The purpose of the Deseret Region is to initiate and coordinate various projects and programs to improve infrastructure, lifestyle, and economy; so that the Deseret Region can be self sufficient.

Why is self sufficiency important? It is important because it allows us to provide for our own necessities. We don’t have to rely on outside sources for the things we need. For example currently food is imported from distant areas. This causes some major problems. The food is more expensive because it has to be transported long distances. Also because the food has to be transported it is harvested when it is under ripe. This means it has to be treated with chemicals to give the illusion of being ripe. But if food is grown, harvested, and sold locally, it is much healthier, and better for the local economy. Another issue would be if the trucking systems were shut down due to some disaster. Currently if this where to happen, many people would quickly starve. But if we were self sufficient then a shut down of outside trucking systems would have little effect.

Our projects page brings up many infrastructural issues that need addressing. So go check it out and see what we are facing.

Additionally we have a business directory and we offer free listings for any business within the Deseret Region. If you have a business within the Deseret Region come and get your business listed now for free.

We have a presence on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Come like our Facebook page; join our group; and follow us on Twitter.
I also invite all my readers, even if you live outside the Deseret Region, to join our forum. This is where we can get together and discuss solutions to problems. And for a limited time the first fifty accounts to reach 10 posts get a free Upgraded Membership. An Upgraded Membership allows for more PMs and an uploaded avatar.

Finally we have a Deseret Region blog. I’m looking for other bloggers to help contribute. So if you would like to become a contribute on our blog please email me at info@deseretregion.com.

This project is something I think is very important. By developing this region we can create a buffer that will soften the blow of the coming disasters such as a financial collapse. We must act now to prepare ourselves for the future. Self sufficiency only makes sense. We are One Region, and we have One Future.

Understanding Priesthood Keys

Modern Beliefs About Keys

In the Church today we are often taught about the importance of Priesthood Keys. In Chapter 14 of Gospel Principles, Joseph F. Smith teaches:

“The Priesthood in general is the authority given to man to act for God. Every man ordained to any degree of the Priesthood has this authority delegated to him.”

“But it is necessary that every act performed under this authority shall be done at the proper time and place, in the proper way, and after the proper order. The power of directing these labors constitutes the keys of the Priesthood. In their fulness, the keys are held by only one person at a time, the prophet and president of the Church. He may delegate any portion of this power to another, in which case that person holds the keys of that particular labor.” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 141).

A common analogy is that of a physical key. In order to properly enter someones house. We must receive a key from the owner. That key allows us to unlock the door and enter.

Priesthood keys, we are taught, are not a set of physical keys, but are a set of spiritual authorities. They are all bestowed upon the President of the Church when he is ordained. The President can then bestow certain keys on other male Priesthood holders so that they may perform their duties.

It is through these keys that the affairs of the church are administered. Those priesthood duties can be done with God’s authorization and thus have effect in both heaven and earth. For example, a person who seals a marriage must have sealing keys otherwise that sealing is not recognized by God in the eternities.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe that these keys were restored to Joseph Smith and that they have been passed down to through Brigham Young and all his successors and that they are held today by President Thomas S. Monson.

It is important to note that we are taught the bestowal of these keys does not come through the transfer of any physical object. Rather they are received by the laying on of hands by those who already possess keys. It is then pronounced that the recipient has the keys and they are now recognized as having that spiritual authority.

In the case of a new President of the Church being ordained, the Quorum of the Twelve collectively holds all the keys, they give all these keys to the new President. In the case of a local leader, someone with higher authority, who possessed only a limited number of keys, bestows an even more limited number of keys upon the local leader.

This is the modern understanding. However, there are statements by Joseph Smith that show that perhaps our current understanding of keys is not complete. As initial evidence of this, I would like to present Doctrine and Covenants Section 129. After explaining how to detect messengers of God by using handshakes, we read in verse 9:

These are three grand keys whereby you may know whether any administration is from God.

Here in this revelation Joseph Smith uses the term keys, but it doesn’t seem to be used in the sense of a spiritual authority. Rather it seems to be a piece of knowledge that is a key.

Another example is on page 156 of Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph Smith states:

“I will give you one of the Keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is an eternal principle, that has existed with God from all eternity”

Here Joseph Smith says he is giving one of the Keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom and then he says that “It”, the key, is an eternal principle. If Joseph Smith restored the Priesthood keys as we understand them today; why then would these statements exist which do not agree with our modern understanding?

There must be something else about these Priesthood Keys, in Joseph Smith’s understanding, than what exists in our modern one. If we dig a little deeper we can find out just what Joseph Smith understood Priesthood keys to be. And since Joseph Smith is the one who restored the keys, his understanding and teachings about the keys must be the foundation upon which we base our understanding.

Joseph Smith’s Understanding of Keys

Joseph Smith’s beliefs about keys were developed early in his life. If we look at Joseph’s youth we can see that he was involved in practices that are termed as, “magic.” There is often a negative connotation associated with using the term magic in association with Christianity and also Mormonism. However the “magic” that Joseph Smith was practicing came from the tradition of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. This type of “magic” is actually better understood as actions that help a person gain the attributes of God. So while Joseph Smith was doing things that can be called magic, in Joseph Smith’s mind it was a set of practices to help him gain the attributes of God.

Because many of Joseph Smith’s relatives were Freemasons Joseph was also immersed in Freemasonry, as was common at the time. Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa’s book* was used by Joseph Smith in his “magical” practices. The reason Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa carried such weight in those days was because at the time it was believed that Agrippa was a Freemason. Because of this other masons were reading his works. Agrippa’s teachings, and also those of Masonry, established the framework through which Joseph Smith’s would later understand and relate to his spiritual experiences.

If we look at this information we can see that Joseph Smith’s understanding of keys came from these works and his Masonic upbringing. In these books we read of certain “keys” for invoking the power of God or for bringing various aspects of His power down to man.

It is taught that a Key possesses three attributes. The first attribute is physical. A key must possess some physical manifestation such as a hand grip, hand gesture, or something written.

The second attribute is something spoken. A key must possess a spoken manifestation. But this is not simply saying a word. It is speaking something with complete conviction, as if your entire being is that word.

The third attribute is the Spiritual power or attribute that is accessed by the previous two elements.

So when Joseph Smith spoke of keys he was referring to these type of keys. It was not simply a spiritual authority, but was a physical and spoken manifestation that must be known. It was believed that when these keys were used they brought about a very real spiritual power/manifestation.

In Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith(pg. 199) we read:

There are certain key words and signs belonging to the Priesthood which must be observed in order to obtain the blessing. The sign of Peter was to repent and be baptized for the remission of sins, with the promise of the gift of the Holy Ghost obtained.

Here we have Joseph Smith teaching that there are KEY WORDS(spoken attribute) and SIGNS(physical manifestation) which belong to the priesthood.

With this new understanding of keys we can reexamine events in the history of the church from a new perspective. Here is when Joseph received the keys in the Kirtland temple

Doctrine and Covenants 110:1-16

11 After this vision closed, the heavens were again opened unto us; and Moses appeared before us, and committed unto us the keys of the gathering of Israel from the four parts of the earth, and the leading of the ten tribes from the land of the north.

12 After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.

13 After this vision had closed, another great and glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken to heaven without tasting death, stood before us, and said:

14 Behold, the time has fully come, which was spoken of by the mouth of Malachi—testifying that he [Elijah] should be sent, before the great and dreadful day of the Lord come—

15 To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the children to the fathers, lest the whole earth be smitten with a curse—

16 Therefore, the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors.

Since we understand what Joseph meant by the term keys we can better understand what occurred during these events. Joseph and his companions didn’t just stand there and have angels tell them, ‘I am now giving you the keys.’ Rather these were sacred communions with heaven wherein knowledge of the Keys, and how to perform them, was transmitted from angels in heaven to men on earth.

When these visitors came to Joseph and gave him the keys. They were not simply imbuing him with power. But they were giving him knowledge and teaching him the keys necessary to access the powers of heaven pertaining to the specific realms of each key.

Conferral of the Keys

Let’s discuss this idea of conferring Keys in greater depth. We have seen that according to Joseph Smith’s understanding that the conferral of Keys in the early church was not a magical transfer of power from one person to another. Rather the conferral of Keys involved educating the recipient in the Keys and how to perform them.

What this means is that in order to receive priesthood keys the recipient must be taught them. This concept is almost completely foreign to modern members of the church. However this is exactly what was meant by Joseph Smith. And we know this is the case because of Joseph Smith’s early practices, his statements, and beliefs.

Knowledge of what the Keys are and how to use them cannot be transferred through simply uttering the phrase, “I bestow upon you the keys.”

It would be like giving your car keys to someone, but not actually giving them the physical keys. Instead you just tell them that they now possess the keys to your car. But unless they do some hot wiring, they aren’t going to be starting the car anytime soon.

No, the Keys must be taught to the recipient. Therefore, when Joseph Smith received the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood, the messengers who bestowed them must not have simply pronounce upon them the keys. Rather they bestowed the knowledge of the physical and spoken manifestations that are the Keys.

This entire concept is can be difficult to grasp. However there is something that many members of the church can relate to, and this is something I feel I should speak very carefully about. In the endowment ceremony members receive certain keywords and signs. These keywords and signs that are given in the endowment are keys. And all the other keys of the priesthood as restored by Joseph Smith are similar to these.

Who is Supposed to Hold the Keys?

It is very easy to show that the President of the Church is supposed to hold all the keys. It is also easy to show that the Quorum of the Twelve is supposed to hold all the keys collectively. But there is information to show that other people are supposed to hold all the keys as well.

Before I continue, I know people will be pointing to Section 132:7 where it says: “7 …whom I have appointed on the earth to hold this power (and I have appointed unto my servant Joseph to hold this power in the last days, and there is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred)…”

This verse is often quoted as proof that only one person on the earth at any given time who holds all the Keys of the Priesthood. But there are problems with Section 132. The most original version we have came from Brigham Young after the Saints arrived in Salt Lake. To explain this situation I would like to quote Rock Waterman from the blog Pure Mormonism:

Brigham’s later explanation for why the revelation was not in Joseph Smith’s handwriting was that this one was actually a copy of the original revelation, as “Sister Emma burnt the original.”

When Emma Smith, back in Nauvoo heard this claim, she replied that she had “never saw such a revelation until it was published by Pratt in The Seer.”

This “copy” of a very lengthy revelation was in the handwriting of William Clayton, formerly a scribe of Joseph Smith. He was also now a polygamist.

What I wonder about is this: was it the practice of Joseph Smith to have his scribes immediately create a second copy of all of his revelations, or did Brigham Young simply ask Clayton to “recreate” this one from memory?

To be succinct the providence of section 132, especially the phrase about only one holding they keys at a time, is not as clear cut as first thought. Also when considering some of Joseph’s other statements it may not be correct.

First, here is a quote that relates to the issue of women and the Priesthood(a topic which I plan on blogging about another time):

[Joseph] spoke of delivering the keys to this Society and to the church— that according to his prayers God had appointed him elsewhere.

This comes straight out of the Relief Society minute book available on Josephsmithpapers.org. Here Joseph Smith says he is going to give the Keys to the Relief Society and also to the Church. There are other quotes relating to this but are not relevant to the discussion of keys.

Second, Joseph spoke that it was part of the ordinances of the church that a person receive all the keys of the priesthood:

The declaration this morning is, that as soon as the Temple and baptismal font are prepared, we calculate to give the Elders of Israel their washings and anointings, and attend to those last and more impressive ordinances, without which we cannot obtain celestial thrones. But there must be a holy place prepared for that purpose. There was a proclamation made during the time that the foundation of the Temple was laid to that effect, and there are provisions made until the work is completed, so that men may receive their endowments and be made kings and priests unto the Most High God, having nothing to do with temporal things, but their whole time will be taken up with things pertaining to the house of God. There must, however, be a place built expressly for that purpose, and for men to be baptized for their dead. It must be built in this central place; for every man who wishes to save his father, mother, brothers, sisters and friends, must go through all the ordinances for each one of them separately, the same as for himself, from baptism to ordination, washing and anointings, and receive all the keys and powers of the Priesthood, the same as for himself.

Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith p.362

Here we see that for the operation of the church the President holds all the keys and also the Quorum of the Twelve holds all the keys collectively. But we also see that it is the divine purpose for each person to attain the fulness which includes “all the keys and powers of the priesthood”.

Conclusion: The Keys Today

We have examined this topic from a historic perspective. We have learned that Priesthood Keys are not simply a spiritual authority; but are a three part key bringing together the physical, the spoken, and the spiritual to distill the powers of heaven upon mankind. We have learned who are supposed to hold the keys. We have also learned that keys cannot be conferred only by placing hands on the head, but they must be taught to the recipient. Now in order to bring our analysis full circle we must apply our understanding to our modern times. We can clearly see that the understanding of priesthood keys early in the restoration is not the same as that which we have now.

So what happened? Did God change the nature of priesthood keys? Was Joseph Smith wrong in his understanding? Or has something been lost in our understanding of what keys are?

For me I don’t think God would change something as fundamental as Priesthood keys. The Keys were restored as a certain type of tool, a physical and spoken manifestation, to access the powers of heaven. For this to have been changed would completely undermine the work of Joseph Smith and the restoration. Likewise if Joseph was wrong about the keys then it destroys the work he did as the founding prophet of this dispensation and again undermines our own foundation.

I think the issue we must face today is that we have simply lost a fundamental understanding of what the priesthood keys are supposed to be. And since the understanding of keys, which is taught to us from the highest level of the Church, is different than what Joseph Smith taught keys were; then it seems that the nature of keys has also been lost among the leaders as well. Granted, this is just speculation on my part, but it seems to me that if the leaders are not teaching the correct nature of priesthood keys, then it means that they themselves do not have this understanding. This begs the question, How long ago was this understanding lost? When did it happen? And even more importantly, if and understanding of the nature of priesthood keys has been lost, then the keys have not been taught to the following generations of leaders. And if they keys have not been taught to the leaders, then how are they supposed to possess them?* These are questions we must all very carefully consider.

Post Script: What Are the Keys?

Now that we have an understanding of what keys really are in general terms lets look at specific keys. Throughout the scriptures there are mentions of specific keys. Only a small portion of these references exist in the Bible, the rest are in the Doctrine and Covenants. I apologize for not including the references for each key.

Here is a list of keys, some of which have an explanation as best as I can research(many have a descriptive name so I have not provided an explanation):

Key of the house of David/Key of David

“The word key in this verse is maf-tay-ach in Hebrew. It means an opener, Strong’s #4668.

The name Eliakim (EL-YAW-KEEM), Strong’s #471, means “whom God raises up or sets up”.

The word shoulder is she-kem, Strong’s #7926, meaning the place of burdens like a yoke.

So now we have the paraphrase: ‘EL will lay the yoke on the place of burdens of the one He raises up; and this yoke is the opener of the house of David. What He opens no one shall shut; and what He shuts no one shall open.’” – http://yeshivahanateev.org/keyofdavid.html

This key refers to the authority to establish the House of David or the Kingdom. Revelation 3:7 tells us that it is Christ that holds this key.

Keys of the Kingdom

This is a term that seems to refer to all the keys. It is related to the sealing powers and the Key of knowledge.

Key of Knowledge

According to Luke 11:53(JST) the Key of Knowledge is the fulness of the scriptures.

Keys of Hell and Death

In Revelation 1:18 Christ tells us he holds the Keys of Hell and Death. Hell could be associated with salvation and death could be associated with resurrection.

Key of the Bottomless Pit

Keys of the Gift of Translation

The term “translation” here means translating languages, not the changing of the body into a Celestial state.

Keys of John’s ministry

Key to live until Christ comes

Key to prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues, and people

Keys of the Record of the Stick of Ephraim

Keys of Bringing to Pass the Restoration of All Things Spoken by the Mouth of All the Holy Prophets Since the World Began, Concerning the Last Says.

Keys of the Power of Turning the Hearts of the Fathers to the Children, and the Hearts of the Children to the Fathers

Keys of the Mysteries and Revelations Which are Sealed (a.k.a. Keys of the Mystery of Those Things Which Have Been Sealed)

Keys of the Church

Keys of the Mysteries of the Kingdom

- That man who rises up to condemn other, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy;

Keys of the Aaronic Priesthood:

Key of the ministering of angels

Key of gospel of repentance

Key of baptism for the remission of sins

Keys of Salvation

Keys of the School of the Prophets

Keys of this Kingdom and Ministry

Keys of all the Spiritual Blessings of the Church

Keys of the Gathering of Israel From the Four Parts of the Earth

Keys of the Leading of the Ten Tribes From the Land of the North

Keys to Administer in Outward Ordinances

Keys of the Patriarchal Blessings

Keys Whereby He May Ask and Receive Blessings

Keys of the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times

Key to Know a Resurrected Being by Shaking His Hand

Key to Know a Just Spirit by Offering Your Hand and He Will Not Take It.

Key to Know an Angel from the Devil in that You Will Not Feel His Hand When You Offer to Shake It.

There are also the Keys of the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood as given in the Endowment.

Family Home Evening Lesson 1: The Sacrament

Having been raised in an L-DS family and married to and L-DS woman, and attending an L-DS ward, family home evening is something I’m encouraged to do. I don’t think there is anything wrong with taking one night out of the week to study the gospel and spend time together as a family.

 
But I feel the same way about Family Home Evening as I do about scripture study. It does no good to regiment it. By saying you need to read your scriptures once a day relegates it to a chore, a task on a long checklist. Instead we should just be a scripture reading people. Reading scriptures shouldn’t be a task to complete everyday. Rather it should just be who we are. The use, and knowledge, of the scriptures should be a fundamental element of our daily lives.

 
So I feel that relegating activities associated with Family Home Evening to one night a week is counter productive to our ultimate goal. Instead, every day we should be involved in gospel discussion and family bonding(treats wouldn’t be that bad either). It should just be part of who we are. Not a weekly event to plan and complete.
But anyway, I’ve decided that I will do my best to hold a weekly family home evening. This is mainly for the benefit of my beloved wife. I feel at times that my lack of interest in L-DS Church promoted activities has a negative affect on her. So I feel that by doing an activity, such as Family Home Evening,  it will help her and also help me take a more active lead in the spiritual path of my family.

 

So here we go. Lesson one, about the sacrament. My daughter is almost three so these lessons will be VERY simple. So the key notes of the lesson will be in bold. The scriptural backing will be in plain text. Because there will be many people who disagree with what I teach I will back up my statements with the scriptures and words of the Prophets. This lesson should not take more than two minutes to complete. The spirit led me to expound and simplify things as I explained it to my daughter. So just go where you are led, and don’t stick to exactly what I’ve outlined.

Sacrament

What is the sacrament?

The sacrament is a way that baptized members of the church, show our love for Christ. It was a way that we remember him and show our faith in him.

Bread

To remember the body of Christ

To witness to Heavenly Father that we are willing to:

- Take upon the name of Jesus

- Always remember Jesus

- Keep the commandments

These things so that we may have the Spirit to be with us.

Wine

To remember the blood of Christ which was shed for us.

To witness to Heavenly Father that we do always remember Christ

These things so that we may have the Spirit to be with us.

D&C 20:76-79

76 And the elder or priest shall administer it; and after this manner shall he administer it—he shall kneel with the church and call upon the Father in solemn prayer, saying:

77 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it, that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

78 The manner of administering the wine—he shall take the cup also, and say:

79 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

How do we partake of the sacrament:

Bread and Wine

Matthew 26:22

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and brake it, and blessed it, and gave to his disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is in remembrance of my body which I give a ransom for you.

Wine

Matthew 26:23, 24

23 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it.

24 For this is in remembrance of my blood of the new testament, which is shed for as many as shall believe on my name, for the remission of their sins.

D&C 89:5, 6

5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.

6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.

D&C 27:2, 3

2 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.

3 Wherefore, a commandment I give unto you, that you shall not purchase wine neither strong drink of your enemies;

Elders or Priests Bless the sacrament

D&C 20:38, 40, 46, 50

38 The duty of the elders, priests, teachers, deacons, and members of the church of Christ—An apostle is an elder, and it is his calling to baptize;

40 And to administer bread and wine—the emblems of the flesh and blood of Christ—

46 The priest’s duty is to preach, teach, expound, exhort, and baptize, and administer the sacrament,

50 But when there is an elder present, he is only to preach, teach, expound, exhort, and baptize,

Kneel when the sacrament is being blessed

Moroni 4:2

2 And they did kneel down with the church, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ, saying…

D&C 20:76

76 And the elder or priest shall administer it; and after this manner shall he administer it–he shall kneel with the church and call upon the Father in solemn prayer, saying…

Only those who are baptized should eat of the sacrament

3 Ne. 18: 28, 29

28 And now behold, this is the commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall not suffer any one knowingly to partake of my flesh and blood unworthily, when ye shall minister it;

29 For whoso eateth and drinketh my flesh and blood unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to his soul; therefore if ye know that a man is unworthy to eat and drink of my flesh and blood ye shall forbid him.

Eat until Filled

3 Nephi 18: 4, 5

4 And when they had eaten and were filled, he commanded that they should give unto the multitude.

5 And when the multitude had eaten and were filled, he said unto the disciples: Behold there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power that he shall break bread and bless it and give it unto the people of my church, unto all those who shall believe and be baptized in my name.

I also printed out two pictures as visual aids.

I did not use a picture of Christ because I believe that falls under the making of graven images. For me when I see an image or painting of Christ it draws me away from actually coming to know Christ. This is because an artist has already depicted Him for me. I would rather have my own image of Christ in my mind and heart rather than imagining an artist’s depiction of Him.

Finally here’s an interesting write up I found while doing research. It comes from here: http://truthseeker.tripod.com/LDSQUESTION11.html

How did we overlook that we should all kneel as the sacrament is being blessed?

Consider:
Moroni 4:2 And they did kneel down with the church, and pray to the Father in the name of Christ, saying…

D&C 20:76 And the elder or priest shall administer it; and after this manner shall he administer it–he shall kneel with the church and call upon the Father in solemn prayer, saying…

Note that in both scriptures it says that the person blessing the sacrament will kneel WITH the church and not FOR the church or IN FRONT OF the church. No, WITH the church, that is to say WITH the members which together are the church.

This very issue was discussed in the 1890′s and was dismissed by Joseph F. Smith as being “rather impracticable”:

“I want to speak of one or two little things that have been brought to my mind here and at other places, which may be profitable to some of us. I would like to call the attention of the congregation, especially of the Bishops, to the mode of administering the sacrament. The book of Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that the Elder or Priest who administers the sacrament ‘shall kneel with the Church.’ Of course, it is quite difficult, and probably inappropriate, for a whole congregation to kneel while the blessing is being asked upon the bread and upon the water. The confusion and noise incident to kneeling and rising again would be inappropriate. Besides, the construction of our meeting houses, and the size of the congregations generally, would make that practice rather impracticable.” (Collected Discourses, Vol. 3, Joseph F. Smith, July 16, 1893)

Difficult? Probably inappropriate? Confusion and noise? Construction of our meeting houses? Size of congregations? Impracticable? Sounds a lot more like excuses rather than revelation to me.

Our meeting houses could have been built to accommodate the word of God! Catholics stand and kneel as a congregation during Mass without noise or confusion. I believe we were supposed to kneel during the sacramental prayers but this point has been over looked and is now lost.

Lessons from the Great Apostasy

The Great Apostasy happened many years ago, but there is still a large number of people who are affected by it. By looking at the great apostasy we not only learn about the past, but our minds can be brought to understand that actions we must take in the future. The lessons you learn will be up to you. If you look at these events with God as the center of your life you will understand and be able to see ways to improve your life. If you look at this with a closed mind, and you prefer traditions over revelation, then you will learn nothing.

A great many years ago Christ came to the Earth and set in motion events that would build up his church. There were people ordained as Apostles and prophets. They witnessed of Christ and taught his Words. While these people were not perfect, many of them tried very hard to obey the words of Christ. Slowly more people began to see the truth of Christ’s Words. They accepted his teachings and gathered together as the body of Christ(aka the church).

These people shared all that they had. For a time they were able to worship at the temple. In fact they met there regularly. They worshiped together in small intimate groups.

But something happened. Many of the people around them could not understand Christ’s teachings. They thought these people were some strange group. These people rose up and persecuted the followers of Christ. Eventually they even killed the very one who began this movement. These wicked people thought that they had defeated these Christians. They thought that with the leader dead these followers of Christ would disband. Many Apostles were also killed.

After this there began to be divisions among the people. Doctrines became corrupted, and many people tried to gain followers and lead the church. But there was one main group of Christians that really took off. However there was a problem. Revelation began to cease among the leaders. With no more revelation, the teachings of Christ began to be corrupted. Doctrines and ordinances were changed.

They changed the ordinance of Baptism. They also changed the ordinance of the Sacrament. They taught that they no longer had to share everything they had. They stopped worshiping at the temple daily. They changed the Word of God in the Scriptures.

These Christians were persecuted severely by the nations of that time, and even hunted down and killed. But eventually the killing stopped when this Church subjected itself to the government. As the Church corrupted itself more and more, it became more and more accepted by the people and the government. Eventually the leaders of the Church were highly favored of the government leadership.

This Church became rich and began to build huge ornate buildings. They rejected the poor and began charging money to worship. This Church, rather than trying to unify with others, persecuted those who left or belonged to different faiths. There were many who began to look at the things this Church was doing and to compare them to the Holy Scriptures. They saw there were many differences between what Christ taught and what this Church was doing. When they left to try and live as the scriptures taught they were persecuted.

This Church that was founded many years ago, still exists today. These corruptions of doctrine and ordinances are accepted as truth by many good people. And that is the real problem that allowed this great apostasy. There were very few people who actually set out to corrupt the Church. Rather these issues, and fallings away, happened because well-meaning people thought up a simple solution to a problem. Or maybe there was a slightly different way of doing things. There’s no harm in being more efficient is there?  With just a small imperceptible change in the angle of a rudder, a ship can end up far off course.

Nobody out and out said that they want to lead these Christians into apostasy. Rather they all said that it was part of the plan. The people could not detect the small changes that occurred and all the time thought they were doing God’s will. There was no official proclamation that the Church had gone into apostasy and the people didn’t recognize that things has gone astray. These were good people who were too blinded by traditions to stop and look and compare where they were, with where they should be.

But fortunately God is in control. And while the path taken by these people was a long and hard one, just like that Ancient Israelites before, there was hope. For before any of this happened God had promised that there would be a restitution of all things. He will fulfill all His promises. And in spite of this great apostasy which fell upon this church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, there is hope. Christ will triumph and Zion will be established. But if we want to have a part in this, we must awaken to our current state.

This post is about us, the latter day church of Christ, not the ancient church of Christ. My purpose is to illustrate that we have fallen into the same path of error that the ancient church did. So much so that as you read the above description of the church in MODERN times, you thought you were reading a description of the apostasy of the ancient church.

And just as with ancient times our leaders, no matter what sect of Mormonism you belong to, do not get up and announce that we are in apostasy. No. Instead we continue operating under the assumption that the Holy Spirit is guiding our every action. Just as the ancient Christians did, we believe that our practices and policies must be approved by God, because some leader with the title of prophet(or pope) announced it. But you, me, and all of us must wake up. We have to look at the scriptures and history and say, “Wait, what we’re doing right now is not how God revealed it should be done.” Then after we come to a realization of our awful state we must repent, changing our ways, and bring ourselves into compliance with God’s commandments.

Many of you reading this will likely feel upset or even angered. How dare I speak against the Church. How could I write such evil things against the Lord’s one True Church. Surely I must be an apostate anti-mormon. But my brothers and sisters, I didn’t write this to attack Mormonism. I wrote this to support Mormonism. The same Mormonism which has been corrupted by modern Churches. The same Mormonism that was restored by The Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. I didn’t write this to tear you down. I wrote it to tear down your assumptions.

And now I take the words of the great prophet Alma as my own:

Alma 7:22-25
22 And now my beloved brethren, I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God, after which ye have been received.
23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
24 And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.
25 And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out.

Please, please, please! It’s time to stop playing Church. It’s time to stop playing dress up. Look around you! People are leaving the Church faster than new ones join. We are corrupting and rejecting our doctrines so that we can look good to the world. We want to be known as the common normal person, not the salt of the earth. We spend our money on MULTI-BILLION dollar shopping malls. We are building temples around the world, while the most important temple of this dispensation sits unbuilt, just an empty field.

Haven’t you ever felt that excitement that anticipation of the day when someone will finally say, Let’s go to Jackson county and build Zion. Well guess what, that call came over 100 years ago and was never rescinded. I finally realized that that call would never come. The leaders of the Church will never stand up and announce that it is time to finally live the law of consecration and build Zion. I realized that we must act NOW if we want to see Zion. If we are waiting to be commanded in all things we will be rejected by God. Come on, let’s live by every Word that proceeds forth from the mouth of God. Lets make Zion happen, now!

This chart is to reference the claims I made above. You can truly see that we have followed the same path as the ancient Christian Church. Unless we take action now we will blindly fall into deeper apostasy until we are no different that our Catholic brothers.

Christ came to the Earth and set in motion events that would build up his church.	First Vision, 1820
People ordained as Apostles and prophets	Joseph Smith and early Church leaders appointed
These people shared all that they had.	Law of Consecration and the United Order
For a time they were able to worship at the temple.	The Kirtland Temple
These people rose up and persecuted the followers of Christ.	Early Mormon Persecution
Eventually they even killed the very one who began this movement.	June 27, 1844 Martyrdom of Joseph Smith, Jr.
There began to be divisions among the people.	1844 Succession Crisis
One main group that really took off.	Followers of Brigham Young
Revelation began to cease among the leaders.	After Joseph Smith published revelations were reduced to a trickle. Heber J. Grant proclaimed that the Heavens were as brass before him. Gordon B. Hinkley proclaim that we don’t need must revelation anymore. There has not been an official revelation since the late 1800′s. Don’t believe me? Then find one.
Doctrines and ordinances were changed.	The Endowment has been changed many times since it was revealed. Often to make it more palatable to modern patrons or faster. The simplicity of the Gospel of Christ has been burdened by additional requirements.
They changed the ordinance of Baptism.	Rebaptism was a revealed ordinance for sins and for healing. It was abandoned in the 20th century.
They also changed the ordinance of the Sacrament.	Doctrine and Covenants Section 20 states that Priest can only administer the sacrament if no elders are present. It is now forbidden to use wine a most sacred and fitting emblem of the blood of Christ. The sacrament used to be given in large portions so that those who ate would be filled. Today it is not even enough to make a snack.
They taught that they no longer shared everything they had.	Over time the law of Consecration and the United Order fell out of favor. Many Mormons believe that tithing was given as a preparatory law. But this is not true. The revelation on tithing states clearly that Tithing is part of the law of Consecration. The law of tithing has been changed from its revealed purpose to mean something else.
They stopped worshiping at the temple daily.	The temples were designed to be the center of Mormon life. They were not once a month endowment places. Rather they were to be schools, offices, storage facilities, libraries, and sites for ordinances. They were to be the center of Mormon cities(Stakes of Zion) not spread around the world randomly.
They changed the Word of God in the Scriptures.	In 1921 Heber J. Grant removed the Lectures on Faith from the Doctrine and Covenants. The Lectures on Faith are the Doctrine portion of the Doctrine and Covenants.
These christian were persecuted severely by the nations of the day and even hunted down and killed.	United States government persecuted the Church.
As the Church corrupted itself more and more it became more and more accepted by the people and the government.	“In 1923 President Grant mortgaged the temple and put it in the hands of the world in order to support a sugar business! To take out a $30 million loan (for fifty years) he used Temple Square as collateral.”
Eventually the leaders of the Church were highly favored of the government leadership.	Today leaders of the Church freely mingle with world leaders. If we were doing what we should world leaders would be condemning and persecuting us.
This Church became rich and began to build huge ornate buildings.	The Church now owns billions of dollars worth of assets. The Church builds fancy temples, a conference center, hotels, shopping malls, etc.
They rejected the poor and began charging money to worship.	While the Church does give to the poor, that amount is less than 1% of the amount of income the church receives from donations. Billions are starving while the Church builds a mall in Salt lake City. In order to worship within the walls of the temple one must pay ten percent of all their income to the Church.
This Church, rather than trying to unify with others, persecuted those who left or belonged to different faiths.	Instead of trying to unify with other sects of Mormonism the Church condemns them as “apostates” and rejects their claims.
When they left to try and live as the scriptures taught they were persecuted.	Anyone who tries to teach something that is in line with the scriptures but not in line with modern policies is persecuted. Those who try to live as God has commanded are excommunicated.

Temple of Zion

UPDATED: MAY 21, 2012 12:01 PM

The first temple that will be built in the City of Zion. Also known as the House of the Lord for the presidency of the High  and most holy priesthood after the order of Melchizadeck  which was after the order of the son of God upon Mount Zion; City of the New Jerusalem.

Based on the most recent of the original drawings I am making the 3D rendering of the temple. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. I also feel that being able to actually see what the temple could look like may be a motivator for building Zion.

I will continue to update this post as I make more progress on the model.

Updated Renders:

The East end Pulpits

The East end with pillars and revised pulpits: