Origin Of The 'Reorganized' Church And The Question Of Succession

Origin of the "Reorganized" Church and the Question of Succession

By Elder Joseph F. Smith, Jr. Salt Lake City 1909...

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INTRODUCTION.

During the summer of 1906 and continuing until the summer of 1907, a number of Reorganite ministers who were engaged in missionary work in Salt Lake City and Ogden, were greatly encouraged by one or two apostates and the local anti-"Mormon" press. Their method of proselyting was of the usual nature, a tirade of abuse and false accusation hurled at the authorities of the Church. Encouraged by the anti-"Mormon" help, they became extremely vindictive in their references to President Brigham Young a

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SAINTS FOLLOWED PRESIDENT YOUNG.

And this is not true. Now I intend to show that at the martyrdom the Latter-day Saints followed President Brigham Young and the Twelve. And too, in accordance with divine revelation. For we learn in the Doctrine and Covenants that the quorum of Apostles is equal in authority with the First Presidency and it is their right to take the lead of Church affairs and the presidency in the absence of the First Presidency, or when that quorum is invaded by the death of the President of the Church. At the

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WHO FORSOOK THE CHURCH?

I do not intend to convey the idea that there was not a falling away, an apostasy, at the time of the martyrdom and the exodus from Nauvoo, for there were many who forsook the cause, but compared with the Church membership, they were but few. Who were they? Did the faithful Saints forsake the Church at that time? Did those who risked their lives—who were shot with the Prophet and Patriarch forsake the Church? No! We do not find the faithful Latter-day Saints, who had the Gospel rooted in their h

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FEW JOINED REORGANITES.

Of the members of the Church who were in fellowship in 1844-6, the "Reorganized" Church has received no more, and likely less than 1,000 converts, which fact shows that the apostasy was not so great in 1844-6 as has been stated by the Senator from Michigan and members of the "Reorganization." This statement is based on the testimony of William W. Blair, one of the original members of the "Reorganized" Church, as he testified before the United States court of appeals for the Western district of M

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ORIGIN OF "REORGANIZED" CHURCH.

We will now consider the origin of this "Reorganized" Church. Many people have been lead to believe that this society had its origin at the martyrdom, or immediately following the martyrdom. But this is not the fact. Properly it did not come into existence until 1860—16 years after the martyrdom, but the two men who were mainly responsible for the organization commenced their work in 1852-3. These men were Jason W. Briggs and Zenas H. Gurley. Perhaps a brief outline of their lives would be inter

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WHY BRIGGS SECEDED.

In this alleged revelation we have this man teaching lineal Priesthood or the right of succession from father to son. We also have him teaching the literal gathering to Zion of the honest in heart. We will now see what his reasons were for withdrawing from the "Reorganized" Church. We find on pages 248-249 of volume 33 of the Saints' Herald that the reasons why this man withdrew from the "Reorganization" with the family of Zenas H. Gurley, were as follows: That he could not believe in: (1) "The

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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

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TEMPLE BUILT BY SACRIFICE.

Let us here pause a moment and see what it took to build the Temple. That structure cost more than one million dollars; the Saints were poor, and a great deal of the time the Temple was in course of erection they were harassed by their enemies. The Prophet Joseph was forced into exile to avoid his enemies who tried to drag him to Missouri, and therefore he could not devote his personal attention to the building of the Temple as he otherwise would have done; and in this way the work was retarded

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NAUVOO TEMPLE COMPLETED.

In proof that the Temple was completed I present the following evidence. In the Times and Seasons, volume 6, page 1017, we find the following: "It certainly afforded a holy satisfaction to think that since the 6th of April, 1841, when the first stone was laid, amidst the most straightened circumstances, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has witnessed their bread cast upon waters; or more properly their obedience to the commandments of the Lord appear in the tangible form of a Templ

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THE REVELATION ON TEMPLE WORK.

I have now shown that the Temple was completed; that the Saints were diligent in their labors, and they were also hindered by their enemies. I now reaffirm what has previously been said; that it made no difference, so far as the Church and its authority is concerned, even if the Temple had not been completed, or finished, in the technical sense of that word. Some of the embellishments, the ornamentations and fixtures, may not have been placed in the building according to the original intention,

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BAPTISMS FOR THE DEAD OBLIGATORY.

We will now examine the thirty-second verse; it is: "But behold, at the end of this appointment, your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me." That means, of course, the baptisms in the river shall not be acceptable after the font is built. But listen to this: "And if you do not these things at the END OF THE APPOINTMENT ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God." If you do not do what things? Does it mean if you do not build the Temple at the END

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SALVATION FOR THE DEAD IMPORTANT.

Now, is it not plain to see how important this doctrine is, and why the Saints were to be rejected? But they were not rejected for they performed the baptisms for their dead, and are today performing the baptisms and the ordinances for and in behalf of their dead. Therefore they are not rejected. Again, the Prophet says that the Saints have not too much time to save and redeem their dead, and gather their living relatives together that they may be saved also, before the earth will be smitten, as

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LINEAGE.

We will now consider this "law of lineage." From section 86, they quote to us as follows: "Therefore, thus saith the Lord unto you with whom the Priesthood hath continued through the lineage of your fathers, for ye are lawful heirs, according to the flesh, and have been hid from the world with Christ in God; therefore your life and the Priesthood hath remained and must needs remain through you and your lineage, until the restoration of all things spoken by the mouths of all the holy prophets sin

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CHOSEN BY HIS FATHER.

We will now consider the claim that the president of the "Reorganized" Church was appointed by his father. They base their claim on the testimony of the following witnesses: (1) the statement of the president of the "Reorganization," (2) the statement of Lyman Wight, (3) the statement of James Whitehead, (4) the statement of John S. Carter, (5) and the statement of William Smith. The president of their church declares that he was blessed in Liberty Jail, twice afterwards before the fall of 1843,

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TESTIMONY OF PRESIDENT YOUNG.

At a meeting held at Nauvoo, August 7, 1844, he said: "How often has Joseph said to the Twelve, 'I have laid the foundation and you must build thereon, for upon your shoulders the kingdom rests. * * * * I tell you in the name of the Lord, that no man can put another between the Twelve and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Why? Because Joseph was their file leader, and he has committed into their hands the keys of the kingdom in this last dispensation for all the world; don't put a thread between the Pri

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TESTIMONY OF HEBER C. KIMBALL.

"Brother Joseph has passed behind the veil, and he pulled off his shoes, and some one else puts them on, until he passes the veil to Brother Joseph. President Young is our president, and our head, and he puts the shoes on first. If Brother Hyrum had remained here, he would have put them on. Hyrum has gone with Joseph and is still his counselor. The Twelve have received the keys of the kingdom, and as long as there is one of them left, he will hold them in preference to any one else."—Times and S

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TESTIMONY OF ORSON HYDE.

"The shafts of the enemy are always aimed at the head first. Brother Joseph said some time before he was murdered, 'If I am taken away, upon you, the Twelve, will rest the responsibility of leading this people, and do not be bluffed off by any man."—Times and Seasons, 5: 650. "Before I went east on the 4th of April last, we were in council with Brother Joseph almost every day for weeks, said Brother Joseph in one of those councils, 'There is something going to happen; I don't know what it is, bu

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TESTIMONY OF WILFORD WOODRUFF.

"Has the Prophet Joseph found Elder Rigdon in his councils when he organized the quorum of the Twelve, a few months before his death, to prepare them for the endowment? And when they received their endowment, and actually received the keys of the kingdom of God, and oracles of God, keys of revelation, and the pattern of heavenly things, and thus, addressing the Twelve, (Joseph) exclaimed, 'Upon your shoulders, the kingdom rests, and you must round your shoulders, and bear it; for I have had to d

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BATHSHEBA W. SMITH'S TESTIMONY.

"I was a resident of Nauvoo, State of Illinois, from 1840 to 1846. I was married to George A. Smith, July 25, 1841, Elder Don Carlos Smith performing the ceremony. Near the close of the year 1843, or in the beginning of the year 1844, I received the ordinance of anointing in a room in Sister Emma Smith's house in Nauvoo, and the same day, in company with my husband, I received my endowment in the upper room over the Prophet Joseph Smith's store. The endowments were given under the direction of t

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BENJAMIN F. JOHNSON'S TESTIMONY.

At the eighty-seventh birthday anniversary celebration of Elder Benjamin F. Johnson, held at Mesa, Arizona, July 29, 1905, that Patriarch said: "I speak of things of which I know I was the business partner of Joseph Smith, from my mission until the time of his martyrdom, was as familiar with him as with my brother or my father. "Do I know that Brigham Young was the true successor of Joseph Smith? I knew it before the Prophet was martyred, for Joseph had made it known. I was present when the Prop

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EZRA T. CLARK'S TESTIMONY.

"Before I left Nauvoo, I heard the Prophet Joseph say he would give the Saints a key whereby they would never be led away or deceived, and that was: 'The Lord would never suffer the majority of this people to be led away or deceived by imposters, nor would he allow the records of this Church to fall into the hands of the enemy.' I heard Joseph say this, and I also heard him say that he would roll the burden of the Apostleship upon the quorum of the Twelve. I heard Joseph preach many times; heard

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PROPERLY ORDAINED.

We will now consider the claim that Joseph Smith of the "Reorganization" was properly ordained. We must first know what constitutes a proper ordination. First. It must be done by those holding authority in the Priesthood who have been properly appointed; otherwise the ordination is not valid. Second. The ordination must be approved by the body of the Church and sanctioned by the Church, or it is not valid. For there is in the Gospel the law of common consent. Doc. &amp; Cov. Sec. 20:63, 65;

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GURLEY'S AUTHORITY.

Zenas H. Gurley, who also laid hands on the head of Joseph in that "ordination," was ordained to the office of a Seventy in Nauvoo in 1844 under the direction of President Joseph Young. Members of the "Reorganization" claim that he was ordained a Seventy in Far West, Mo., in 1838, but this is not the fact. The records in the Historian's office show that this man was ordained in 1844, as I have stated, and the following year—April 6, 1845—he was made the senior president of the Twenty-first quoru

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THE GODHEAD.

The first article of faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, reads as follows: "We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost." We accept these three personages as the supreme governing council in the heavens. The Father and the Son have tabernacles of flesh and bones, and the Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit. (D. &amp; C. 130:22). We worship the Father in the name of the Son, who is the Mediator between God and man, and His i

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ADAM.

A word now, in relation to Adam. If all those, as it is written—and the Scriptures cannot be broken —are Gods unto whom the word of God came, and they are to receive all things, even the fulnesss of the Father's glory and be made equal with him, will not Father Adam be included among them? What do the Scriptures say of him ? In section 107:54-55: "And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the Prince, the Archangel, "And the Lord administered comf

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THE ONLY BEGOTTEN OF THE FATHER.

In connection with this subject, Reorganites also claim that Brigham Young went astray and apostatized because he declared that Jesus Christ was not begotten of the Holy Ghost. Reorganites claim that He was begotten of the Holy Ghost, and they make the statement that the Scriptures so teach. But they do err not understanding the Scriptures. They tell us the Book of Mormon states that Jesus was begotten of the Holy Ghost. I challenge the statement; the Book of Mormon teaches no such thing! Neithe

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MARRIAGE.

The question of Celestial (including plural) marriage is treated quite extensively in Blood Atonement and the Origin of Plural Marriage so it will be passed with a brief notice here. We maintain with abundant authority that Joseph Smith the Prophet introduced Celestial Marriage, that is, marriage for eternity, into the Church. This fact has been admitted by many members of the "Reorganized" Church, notwithstanding they attack us on this doctrine and say it is not a doctrine of the Church. And wh

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BLOOD ATONEMENT.

This subject is also found in Blood Atonement and the Origin of Plural Marriage , therefore only a brief outline will be given here. Joseph Smith taught that there were certain sins so grievous that man may commit, that will place the transgressors beyond the power of the atonement of Christ. If these offenses are committed, then the blood of Christ will not cleanse them from their sins even though they repent. Therefore their only hope is to have their own blood shed to atone , as far as possib

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ZION.

Members of the "Reorganized" Church inform us that Zion does not include Utah, [2] but is limited to Jackson County, Mo., and the regions round about, Nauvoo being one of the "corner stones;" and when the Saints came westward they left the borders of Zion. Moreover, since Temples were to be built in Zion and Jerusalem, all the Temples we may build in Utah or the West are not recognized of the Lord on this ground alone, if no other. We accept the fact that the center place where the City New Jeru

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"AN ESOTERIC GOSPEL."

Another charge is that after the death of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, President Young and the Apostles introduced secrets into the Church, that they claimed to hold " keys that the written word never spoke of, nor never will ." (True Succession, p. 122). All this, say they, is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to the teachings of Joseph Smith, who always taught openly and not in secret. One of their defenders writing on this point quotes from the Redeemer as follows: "Jesus answered him, I

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TEMPLE BUILDING AND CEREMONIAL ENDOWMENTS THEREIN.

Another phase of this same subject is Temple work, which is so bitterly attacked by the Reorganites. They say: "That as to the alleged 'temple building and ceremonial endowments therein,' that we know of no temple building, except as edifices wherein to worship God, and no endowment except the endowment of the Holy Spirit of the kind experienced by the early Saints on Pentecost day." (Book of Resolutions, p. 82). They take the ground that the Temple work of the Latter-day Saints is contrary to t

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REVELATION.

Another charge is that the Presidents of the Church have not received the revelations of the Lord which have been given to the "Reorganization" through their president. The charge is false. The Presidents of the Church from the Prophet Joseph until now have received revelations from the Lord for the guidance of His people. While all these revelations have not been placed in the Doctrine and Covenants, they are none the less true. Not all the revelations given to Joseph the Seer were placed in th

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WHO ORDAINED BRIGHAM YOUNG.

The following is from the Deseret News, May 11, 1907 . A correspondent writing from Parker, Idaho, requests a reply, through the columns of the "News" to the question, "By whom was President Young ordained to the Presidency of the Church?" It appears that the emissaries of the Reorganite Church have discovered in that question a fruitful source of sophistical controversy, and that they are triumphantly asking it wherever they go. The proper reply is, he was ordained by the Prophet Joseph to that

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