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gdm Digest            Sunday, May 18 1997            Volume 01 : Number 012



In this issue:

    ---> Lesson 16
    ---> Lesson 17

See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the gdm
or gdm-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 24 Apr 1997 18:38:15 -0700
From: "Perry L. Porter" <[e-mail]>
Subject: ---> Lesson 16

Doctrine and Covenants 51-56    Lesson 16

Scriptural Highlights

1. The law of consecration

2. A pattern to protect us from being deceived by Satan 3. Spiritual
challenges of the rich and poor

Remind class members to prayerfully seek the Spirit's help as they study
the scriptures. Encourage class members to bring their scriptures to class.
Discussion and Application Questions

* What important principles did the Lord teach in D&C 51-56?

* As the Saints gathered to Ohio, the Lord wanted to teach them the law of
consecration. (D&C 51.) What is the law of consecration? (D&C 42:30-36.) In
what ways can Church members live the law of consecration today? (See D&C
52:40 and the quotation from President Kimball.)

* While giving instructions about the law of consecration, the Lord
emphasized, "Let every man deal honestly" (D&C 51 :9). Why is it important
that we be honest? (Proverbs 12:22.) Why are people sometimes dishonest
with themselves, with others, and with God? How can we teach children to be
honest? (James 1 :22; 2 Nephi 31:13; Articles of Faith 1 :13.)
While instructing Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon to go to Missouri, the
Lord said that if they were faithful, "it shall be made known unto them
what they shall do" (D&C 52:4). What experiences have you had with God
revealing his will for you step by step? How can we develop the faith to
obey the Lord even when we don't know his purposes at the time? (See D&C
58:3-4 and the quotations from Elder Packer and Elder Scott.)

* In D&C 52:14-19 the Lord gives a pattern for us to follow so we are not
deceived by Satan. What characteristics does the Lord emphasize that his
servants must have to protect themselves from being deceived? How can we
develop these characteristics?

* The Lord revealed D&C 54 in response to some Church members who had
broken their covenants. What covenants do Church members make with the
Lord? How can we strengthen our commitment to keep these covenants?

* In D&C 54:10, what counsel does the Lord give to people who face trials
and tribulation? How can we increase our patience to endure trials? How has
the Lord blessed you (or people you know) as you have endured trials
patiently?

* Why didn't Ezra Thayre obey the commandment to preach the gospel? (See
the headings to D&C 54 and 56.) What personal concerns sometimes get in the
way of our serving the Lord? If this happens, what should we do? (D&C 56:8.)

* What spiritual challenges do the rich face? (D&C 56:16.) How can the rich
overcome these obstacles to their spiritual growth? (D&C 52:40; Matthew
6:33; 19:16-21.)

* What spiritual challenges do the poor face? (D&C 56:17; Mosiah 4:24-25.)
How can the poor overcome these obstacles to their spiritual growth? (D&C
56:18; Luke 12:15; Mormon 9:27.)

Quotations

President Spencer W. Kimball: "Consecration is the giving of one's time,
talents, and means to care for those in need=97whether spiritually or
temporally=97and in building the Lord's kingdom. In Welfare Services, member=
s
consecrate as they labor on production projects, donate materials to
Deseret Industries, share their professional talents, give a generous fast
offering, and respond to ward and quorum service projects. They consecrate
their time in their home or visiting teaching. We consecrate when we give
of ourselves" (Ensign, Aug. 1984, p. 4; see also Ensign, June 1976, pp.=
 3-6).

Elder Boyd K. Packer: "Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, l
went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my
problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay
counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be
obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do.

"I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the
direction I was counseled to go. He said, 'The trouble with you is you want
to see the end from the beginning.' I replied that I would like to see at
least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: 'You must
learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the
darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you' " (BYU
Today, Mar. 1991, pp. 22-23).

Elder Richard G. Scott: "When we seek inspiration to help make decisions,
the Lord gives gentle promptings. These require us to think, to exercise
faith, to work, to struggle at times, and to act. Seldom does the whole
answer to a decisively important matter or complex problem come all at
once. More often, it comes a piece at a time, without the end in sight"
(Ensign, Nov. 1989, p. 32).

Additional Ideas

1. Show and discuss segment 11, 15, or 18 of the Family Home Evening Video
Supplement (53276 or VNW2764).

2. Suggested topic for family home evening: honesty (see "honesty" in the
index of the Family Home Evening Resource Book).
Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 57-58
=20
page 31

Class Member Study Guide Lesson 16

Doctrine and Covenants 51-56 were revealed during May and June of 1831, a
time when hundreds of Saints were arriving in Ohio from New York. For the
first time a large Latter-day Saint community was being established, and
several of these revelations dealt with settling the newcomers and caring
for the poor.

Even as the Saints settled in Ohio, they looked forward to the time when
they could establish Zion. In D&C 52, Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon were
called to journey to Missouri, where the Lord would make known to them the
location of Zion, the land of their inheritance (see D&C 52:2-5).
As you study D&C 51-56, consider the following:

* As the Saints gathered to Ohio, the Lord wanted to teach them the law of
consecration. (D&C 51.) What is the law of consecration? (D&C 42:30-36.) In
what ways can Church members live the law of consecration today?

* What spiritual challenges do the rich face? (D&C 56:16.) What spiritual
challenges do the poor face? (D&C 56:17.) How can we overcome challenges
caused by wealth or poverty?
Edward Partridge was the first bishop called in this dispensation (see D&C
41 :9). He was appointed to regulate the Saints' stewardships and
properties (see D&C 51). Engraving by Charles B. Hall.
Sidney Rigdon joined the Church in late 1830 and became a close friend and
adviser to Joseph Smith, serving as a counselor in the First Presidency
from 1833 to 1844. Formerly a BaptistCampbellite minister, he was a gifted
orator and was called to be a spokesman for the Church. Painting by J.
Saunders, 1873

W. W. Phelps was called to preach the gospel and print books for the Church
(see D&C 51 :4). He published the first Church newspaper, The Evening and
the Moming Star, and helped publish the Book of Commandments. He wrote many
hymns, including ``The Spirit of God." From the Charles W. Carter=
 Collection.

Page 32

- ----------------------------
Subject:  Law of Consecration in Ohio (D&C Sec. 51)

... a hybrid combining individualism and collectivism; it contained
elements of communitarianism as well as capitalism.  The program was
distinctly communitarian in that it required total consecration of all
possessions as well as yearly donation to the church of all surplus
profits.  It did not allow for private ownership of property, and it
contained strong elements of group control and supervisory management
bv the bishop.  ...  Stewards were given specific .property for which
they alone were responsible.  There was freedom of enterprise in
production and in the management of properties held as stewardships as
well as basic freedom of economic activity.  =20

... there was to be, at least, an equality in consumption.  And
private accumulation of property was impossible because surplus profits
or production were consecrated yearly by the stewards to the
storehouse.  This redistribution of each year's surpluses discouraged
luxurious living and precluded competitive expansion.

The bishop was the central Church officer designated to
implement God's plan of making his Saints equal.  His job was to
redistribute the wealth of the stewards and regulate their lives so as to
maintain temporal equality and spiritual unity.  The bishop met with
individual members to work out the details of -each consecration and
subsequent stewardship.

... prospective stewards, would legally transfer title to all of their
possessions to the bishop.  ...   The bishop's job was to make sure that
the prospective steward's disclosure was satisfactory and then
determine what he should be given as an "inheritance." ... in the case of
differences of opinion, the bishop had the authority to make a final
decision regarding the size and nature of the steward's inheritance.=20
An important feature of the Mormon law of consecration which
clearly distinguished it from other communitarian systems was the
concept of individual stewardship.  "Every man" was to be a "steward
over his own property.  ... there was to be a "yearly"  accounting
between the bishop and the steward. ...

The yearly consecration of surplus profits naturally threatened
the profit motive, but the fact that the stewards could negotiate with the
bishop over what was necessary for his "support" and "comfort" was to
provide sufficient incentive.  Undoubtedly the Prophet believed that large
surpluses of the Saints' own products, placed in the general storehouse
of the Mormon community, beyond what they could consume, would not
only eradicate any existing poverty, but raise the living standard across
the board and thus provide the incentives for surplus production.

...  Mormon bishops were rare during the first decade of the
Church's existence.  There were hardly more than two until the Mormons
settled in Nauvoo.  During the 1830s, the high priests assisted when
necessary by the elders, directed the administrative and spiritual affairs
of the Church.  ... bishops did not have charge of specific congregations,
nor did they spend large amounts of time interviewing and counselling
members in their private lives.

The bishop was given the management and supervision of the
finances of the Church as well as the law of consecration and
stewardship.  The bishop received the properties of the Saints, allocated
stewardships, administered to the poor, and managed Church funds.

... the Mormon system of land tenure during this period did not
include full rights of conveyance of property in fee simple.  The contracts
granted right of use only?a life lease subject to cancellation by the
bishop in case of withdrawal from the Church or excommunication.  And
the revelations had clearly spelled this out.  After the bishop "has
received the properties" of the steward, they "can not be taken from the
church." And again, he that "sinneth and repenteth not shall not receive
again that which he has consecrated unto me."

... the system prohibited the steward from selling or exchanging
the consecrated property with others in the program, even family
members.  ...the rigid control of the property by the bishop tended to
discourage opportunists who might join the economic system to obtain an
"inheritance" of land, and promptly withdraw.

...  The property in the storehouse (including deeds and titles as
well as commodities) was known as the "residue" or the common
.property, and although held by the bishop it was understood that it was
jointly owned by all of the stewards.  The common property was derived
from (1) surplus initial consecrations (property or money that the
steward could reasonably manage without when he entered the system)
and (2) surplus profits (property or money that the steward had
produced during a year's time which he could reasonably manage
without) which were consecrated to the bishop.

...  while the bishop was given a fair amount of latitude in this
regard, and could exercise discretion in his disbursement of funds and
goods, he was, nevertheless, contractually bound to use the common
property for certain and specified purposes, namely (1) for  purchasing
land for inheritances, (2) Church building projects in Jackson County,
Missouri, and (3) to redistribute to the poor and needy "from time to time,
that every man who has need may be amply supplied and receive
according to his wants."

The Saints' attempt to implement all of the details of the 1831 law
of consecration and stewardship was short lived.  This resulted mostly
from inexperience but partly because of human selfishness.  ...

... the failure of the 1831 of the 1831 economic law is not
surprising.  Frist, the denial of private ownership of property was a
drastic modification of conventially accepted and recognized property
rights.  ... private accumulation and control of wealth was viewed by
Americans as an essential guarantee of every citizen of the United
States.  Similarly, the requirement of the stewards to transfer all of their
property to the bishop and to reconsecrate their annual surpluses
threatened the incentive motive and prompted members to withhold
possessions from consecration or pursue private investments outside of
the system.

... the members were by and large poor before they entered the
consecration system.  Redistribution of property thus resulted in a
leveling down rather than a leveling up of the stewards' living standard.=20
...

Lyndon W. Cook, Joseph Smith and the Law of Consecration, (Provo,
Utah: Grandin Book Company, 1985), p. 5-22.

- ----------------------------
Subject:  Notes to D&C 51-56  (Cook's Book)

Section 51
Verse 5 of section 51, as we now have it, was not originally part
of the revelation, but subsequently added.

Wherefore let my servant Edward receive the properties of this people
which have covenanted with me to obey the laws which I have given
and let my servant Edward receive the money as it shall be laid before
him according to the covenant and go and obtain a deed or article of this
land unto himself of him who holdeth it if he harden not his heart for I
have appointed him to receive these things and thus through him the
properties of the church shall be consecrated unto me.

When members of the Church arrived in Missouri they were to
convey to the bishop legal title to their assets.  ... the bishop was to
provide "inheritances" for the Saints.  ... initially this distribution did
not
secure to the member private ownership of his stewardship.  Early
contracts used by Bishop Partridge in Jackson County stipulated that real
estate was "leased" to the individual transgression or unworthiness,
members forfeited any or all of their stewardship properties.  These
early arrangements were defective for obvious reasons and when
challenged by some dissenters, were no upheld by the courts.
Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and
Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 69-70.

Section 52
...  Levi Hancock recorded that the revelation was received in the
evening of 6 June 1831.

In accord with the instructions of section 44, a three-day
priesthood conference was convened in Kirtland, Ohio, 3-5 June 1831.=20
Section 52 was received at the close of these meetings.  ... sixty-two
present and reveal that the time was spent in ordaining and "giving
exhortation."

Joseph Smith and twenty-two other elders were ordained to the
High Priesthood on the first day of the conference, marking the first
occasion on which any were ordained to that office in this dispensation.

...  There was great interest in the Missouri mission since the
New Jerusalem was to be identified.

[Ezra Booth is identified as the first Mormon apostate to publish
anti-Mormon literature.]

[Simonds Ryder apostatized because Joseph Smith misspelled last name
in revelation.]
Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and
Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 71-83.

The significance of these ordinations to the high priesthood can
be appreciated only if one understands that for several years the office
of high priest was recognized as the highest priesthood office in the
Church (see Alma 13:5-18 which undoubtedly served as the basis for
this idea)  Joseph Smith and his associates did not equate high
priesthood with Melchizedek Priesthood.  Only high priests held the high
priesthood; as such they were recognized as the elite of the priesthood.=20
In January 1832 Joseph Smith was sustained as President of the High
Priesthood (i.e., president of all the high priests), and two months later=
 he
appointed two counselors to assist him....  Section 84:63 ... clearly
identifes the early prominence of the high priests....  The affairs of the
Church were governed by two bodies of high priests, one in Kirtland and
one in Missouri, until the organization of the Church high councils in 1834,
when a small number of high priests, with additional powers, were
selected to administer and adjudicate Church matters.  The Quorum of
the First Presidency grew out of the Presidency of the High Priesthood
by 1834.  Although it retained its supremacy as a presiding body, the title
(First Presidency) more clearly identified the body as the supreme
quorum over the whole Church rather than merely an organizational
presidency.  ...  Whereas the Quorum of Twelve Apostles would
eventually assume greater authority than that of the high councils, this
did not occur immediately following the appointments to the quorum in
1835, instead it developed gradually.  By 1841, the Twelve had begun to
take their place next to the First Presidency.  Until at least 1841, elders,
seventies, and apostles wererecognized as "elders," and high priests
were high priests?the elite.   ...  Subsequently, priesthood supremacy
was given to those who had received temple ordinances, because
receiving all such ordinances extended to man the "fulness" of the
priesthood.  After the Prophet's death the significance began diminish,
and eventually the high priesthood became synonymous with
Melchizedek Priesthood and "higher priesthood."

Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and
Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 137-138.

Section 53
Joseph Smith left for Missouri on 19 June 1831; thus, section 53
would have been received before that date.
Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and
Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 84.

Section 54
The Saints from Colesville, New York, arrived in the Western
Reserve about mid-May 1831 and were located in Thompson, Ohio, on
property claimed by Leman Copley.  Intending to purchase some of
Copley's property, Church leaders had made arrangements for members
of the Church to occupy and improve the land.  Soon after their arrival,
the Saints from Colesville began to improve the property by making
fences and plowing and planting the fields.  When Church members in
Thompson were asked to consecrate their property to the Church,
Copley refused to do so, and he even reneged on the previous land
agreement.  With no place to live, members of the Church in Thompson
"sent Newel Knight and other Elders" to see Joseph Smith.  Responding
to their request, the Prophet inquired of the Lord and received section 54.

Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and
Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 85.

Section 55

Section 56
Unpublished revelation referred to in verse 8:

Hearken unto my words and behold I will make known unto you
what ye shall do as it shall be pleasing unto me for verify I say unto yo it
must needs be that ye let the bargain stand that ye have made
concerning those farms until it be so fulfilled behold ye are holden for the
one even so likewise thine advisary [sic] is holden for the other.=20
Wherefore it must needs be that ye pay no more money for the present
time until the contract be fulfilled and let mine aged servant Joseph and
his family go into the house after thine advisary [sic] is gone and let my
servant Ezra board with him and let all the brethren immediately assemble
together to put up an house for my servant Ezra and let my servant
Fredericks family remain and let the house be prepared and their wants
be supplied and when my servant Frederick returns from the west
behold and lo he desireth to take his family in mine own due time unto the
west let that which belongeth unto my servant Frederick be secured
unto him by deed or bond and thus he willeth that the brereap the good
thereof let mine aged servant Joseph govern the things of the farm and
provide for the families and let him have healp [sic] in as much as he
standeth in need let my servant Ezra humble himself and at the
conference meeting he shall be ordained unto power form on high and
he shall go from thence (if he be obedient unto my commandments) and
proclaim my gospel unto the western regions with my servants that must
go forth even unto the borders of the Lamanites for behold I have a great
work for them to do and it shall be given unto you to know what ye shall
do at the conference meeting even so amen.
What shall the brethren do with the monies.  Ye shall go forth and
seek dilligently [sic] among the brethren and obtain lands and save the
money that it may be consecrated to purchase lands in the west for an
everlasting inheritance even so Amen.

Lyndon W. Cook, The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and
Covenants, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 89.

- -------------------------
Subject:  Trials in Hiram, Ohio

Hiram mobs introduced to Joseph a new depth of hos?tile fury,
anger, and rage.  Joseph's hope of Hiram's becoming a continuing refuge
for pondering the scriptures and translating the Bible ended abruptly
when a violent mob sought to do him bodily harm or even take his life on
24 March 1832.

... Hiram shared with other societies the English tradition of
"appropriate" mob rule.  Although not legal, the practice of tarring and
feathering was considered a right and even a responsibility of Hiram's
citizens under "specified" mob circumstances. Southern abolitionists,
wife beaters, harsh government agents, scandalously immoral persons,
and a prophet were its victims.

Little is known of the particulars of Ryder's visit to Joseph in
Kirtland except that Ryder read a newspaper describing great
destruction caused bv an earthquake in Peking, China.  When he read the
account, he recalled having heard a young Mormon girl predicting the
event.  A skeptical account continues: "This appeal to the superstitious
part of his nature was the final weight in the balance and he threw the
whole power of his influence upon the side of Mormonism."
He accepted baptism in early June 1831, was ordained an elder
on 6 June by Joseph Smith, Sr., and on 8 June was called to the ministry.
=20
...  When he received communication of his ministerial Call signed by the
Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon "both in the letter he received
and in the official commission to preach, however., his name was
spelled R-i-d-e-r, instead of R-y-?d-e-r ... he thought if the 'Spirit'
through
which he had been called to preach could err in the matter of spelling his
name, it might have erred in calling him to the ministry as well; or, in=
 other
words, he was led to doubt if he were called at all by the Spirit of God,
because of the error in spelling his name!"

Another historian indicated that Ryder's later apostasy was
influenced by more than the misspelling of his name.=20


This name-calling and haranguing furthered sparked the
smoldering fuels of mobocracy, but in the interim it did not prevent
Joseph's stay in the Johnson farmhouse from being productive.  The
seven months in the home proved vital to the spiritual growth and
definition of the Church.  Joseph received at the home sixteen of the
most important revelations on the development of the Church.  Among
these revelations was section 76 on the three de?grees of glory.  Other
significant events included a decision to compile and publish the Book of
Commandments, five Church conferences, and the translation of portions
of the Bible.

These months of uninterrupted spiritual outpourings came to an
abrupt end on the night of 24 March, when violence displaced peace and
crushed the sense of haven for Joseph, Sidney, and their families.=20
Although Mormon and anti-Mormon sources disagree on the details, all
agree that the local citizens, tarred and feathered Joseph and Sid?ney.=20
The local history praises "the good people of Hiram and some others,"
saying that they "went to the house of Smith and Rigdon, took them out,
stripped them to the buff, and treated them to a coat of tar and feathers
and a rail ride, which induced them to leave."

[This story should be fairly familiar.  It includes the illness inflicted
on one of the young twins that eventually caused death.  SO]

Susan Easton Black, "Hiram, Ohio: Tribulation," The Prophet Joseph:
Essays on the Life and Mission of Joseph Smith, Edited by Larry C.
Porter and Susan Easton Black (Salt lake City: Deseret Book Company)

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 18 May 1997 00:03:47 -0700
From: "Perry L. Porter" <[e-mail]>
Subject: ---> Lesson 17

Doctrine and Covenants 57-58
Lesson 17

Scriptural Highlights
1. The Lord identifies Independence, Missouri, as the center place of Zion.
2. Be faithful in tribulation.
3. Obey the laws of the land.
4. "Be anxiously engaged in a good cause."
5. Seek the Lord's glory.
6. Repentance brings forgiveness.

Arrange for a small group or the entire class to sing a hymn about Zion
(see "Zion" in the index of the hymnbook).

Discussion and Application Questions
* What had Joseph Smith prayed for when he received D&C 57? (See the
heading to D&C 57.) What is Zion? (D&C 97:21; Moses 7:18.) What did the
Lord reveal in D&C 57:1-3 about the establishment of Zion?

* Zion is to be both a geographical location and a condition of the heart.
Why must the condition of the heart exist before the city can be
established? How can we help build Zion? (See D&C 58:6-7, the first
quotation from President Kimball, and the quotation from Elder McConkie.)

* What does it mean to be "faithful in tribulation"? (D&C 58:2). How do
some of us murmur in tribulation? How can we endure trials more faithfully?
How has the Lord blessed you when you have been faithful in tribulation?
(D&C 58:3-4 )

* What does the Lord teach us about the laws of the land? (D&C 58:21-23;
98:4-10.) What can we do in our community and nation to help improve the=
 laws?

* Why is it important that we do good things of our own free will without
being commanded? (See D&C 58:26-29 and the quotation from Elder Benson.)
What are some ways we can do good on our own initiative? How has the Lord
blessed you when you (or others) have done good things on your own=
 initiative?

* The Lord told Martin Harris to repent of seeking "the praise of the
world" (D&C 58:39). Why is it important that we seek the Lord's glory
instead of our own glory? (D&C 88:67.) How do we sometimes seek the praise
of the world rather than the praise of God? How can we learn not to seek
the praise of the world?

* The Lord said he was not pleased with William W. Phelps because "he
seeketh to excel, and he is not sufficiently meek" (D&C 58:41). How might
some ways of seeking to excel displease the Lord? (2 Nephi 9:28, 42.) How=
 can
we seek to excel in ways that please him? (2 Nephi 9:29; Alma 13:28-29;
Matthew 6:33.)

* How can we obtain God's forgiveness for our sins? (See D&C 58:42-43; 61
:2; and the second quotation from President Kimball.) How can we know when
we have repented sufficiently? How can we know when God forgives us?
(Mosiah 4:3.) How can we forgive ourselves=97 and others - as completely as
God forgives us?

Quotations
President Spencer W. Kimball: "Zion can be built up only among those who
are the pure in heart, not a people torn by covetousness or greed, but a
pure and selfless people. Not a people who are pure in appearance, rather a
people who are pure in heart. Zion is to be in the world and not of the
world, not dulled by a sense of carnal security, nor paralyzed by
materialism. No, Zion is not things of the lower, but of the higher order,
things that exalt the mind and sanctify the heart" (Ensign, May 1978, p 81).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "Zion is the pure in heart; we gain purity of
heart by baptism and by obedience.... This then is the counsel of the
Brethren: Build up Zion, but build it up in the area where God has given
you birth and nationality. Build it up where he has given you citizenship,
family, and friends.... Each one of us can build up Zion in our own lives
by being pure in heart" (Ensign, May 1977, p.118).

Elder Ezra Taft Benson: "Usually the Lord gives us the overall objectives
to be accomplished and some guidelines to follow, but he expects us to work
out most of the details and methods. [These] are usually developed through
study and prayer and by living so that we can obtain and follow the
promptings of the Spirit....

"Sometimes the Lord hopefully waits on his children to act on their own,
and when they do not, they lose the greater prize, and the Lord will either
drop the entire matter and let them suffer the consequences or else he will
have to spell it out in greater detail. Usually, l fear, the more he has to
spell it out, the smaller is our reward" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1965,
pp.121-22).

President Spencer W. Kimball: "The confession of [our] major sins to a
proper Church authority is one of those requirements made by the Lord....
Where a major sin is involved, . . . two sets of forgiveness are required
to bring peace to the transgressor - one from the proper authorities of the
Lord's Church, and one from the Lord himself" (The Miracle of Forgiveness,
p.179.)
Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 59-62

Class Member Studv Guide
Lesson 17

The establishment of Zion and the New Jerusalem was a subject of great
interest to early Latter-day Saints. But where was Zion to be located? The
Lord had revealed earlier that it would be "on the borders by the
Lamanites" (D&C 28:9) in Missouri (see D&C 52:2).

Following instructions given in D&C 52, Joseph and several elders journeyed
to Missouri, preaching as they went. Shortly after the Prophet arrived, he
received D&C 57, in which the Lord explained that Zion would be built in
Independence, Jackson County, Missouri. Joseph described the land around
independence as "beautiful rolling prairies" that yielded abundant crops.
(See History of the Church, 1:197-98.)
As you study D&C 57, consider the following:

* What had Joseph Smith prayed for when he received D&C 57? (See the
heading to D&C 57.) What is Zion? (D&C 97:21; Moses 7:18.) How can we help
build Zion?
Soon after the Prophet arrived in Missouri, the Church members who had been
commanded to go there also arrived (see D&C 54:7-8; 57:15). These Saints
were eager to learn the will of the Lord for them in this new place of
gathering. During this time, Joseph received D&C 58.
As you study D&C 58, consider the following:

* What are the blessings of faithfully enduring tribulation? (D&C 58:2-4.)
What are some ways we can do good things of our own free will without being
commanded? (D&C 58:26-29.)

On 2 August 1831 in Kaw Township, twelve miles west of Independence, Sidney
Rigdon consecrated and dedicated the land for the gathering of the Saints.
On the following day, Joseph Smith dedicated the temple site at=
 Independence.

On 3 August 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith dedicated a tract of land in
Independence, Missouri, for the building of a temple. This picture shows a
portion of the original plot. Photograph by George E. Anderson, 1907.

Page 34
- -----------------------------
The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, p.406
Every Latter-day Saint should sustain, honor, and obey the constitutional
law of the land in which he lives. (74-02)

The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, Sources - Sermons and Articles
74-02    "Guidelines to Carry Forth the Work of God in Cleanliness," Gen.
Conf., Ensign (May 1974), 4 (sins of the world)
- -----------------------------
James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.3, p.30
We are expressly commanded, and it becomes our duty, to uphold and sustain
every law of the land which is constitutional; we have always had a strong
desire to obey such laws, and to place ourselves in harmony with all the
institutions of the country.=20
- -----------------------------
AN EPISTLE of the First Presidency to the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.3, p.72
Read at the Semi-Annual Conference, held at Coalville, Summit County, Utah,
October, 1886.
James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.3, p.72
Dear Brethren and Sisters:

...

James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.3, p.73
THE PURIFICATION OF ZION
James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.3, p.73 - p.74
So far as we can learn there is an increased disposition on the part of the
faithful officers of the Church to do all in their power to cleanse the
Wards and Stakes in their charge from those who will not conform to the
requirements of the Gospel. Greater strictness is being shown, and the
Saints who have the love of the truth within them feel that the time has
come to put away their follies and their sins far from them and to conform
to a higher standard of righteousness. The great, crying sin of this
generation is lasciviousness in its various forms. Satan, knowing how
powerful an agency this is in corrupting men and women, and in driving the
Spirit from them, and bringing them under condemnation before the Lord,
uses it to the greatest extent possible. It requires an incessant warfare
to check its spread and to prevent the people of God from becoming its
victims. No people who practice or countenance these sins can be accepted
of the Lord or find favor in His sight. His anger will fall upon them
unless they thoroughly and heartily repent of every such evil. When we take
into consideration the teachings we have received upon this subject, the
holy covenants into which we have entered, and the professions which we
make, unchastity should have no existence among us. It is sorrowful to
contemplate that Satan finds those among us who are willing to yield to his
temptations, and thus bring misery upon themselves and all connected with
them. We solemnly call, as we have done so often before, upon all the
officers of the Church to set their faces like flint against practices of
this character. Those who indulge in them must be dealt with according to
the laws of God, and they must be made to feel that if they do indulge in
this wickedness they cannot have the fellowship of the Saints nor a
standing in the Church of Christ. If men and women would only profit by the
experience of those who have fallen, they would resist the allurements of
sin and walk in the path of righteousness. "The wages of sin is death." The
misery which it brings upon the guilty, and upon all connected with them,
furnishes some idea of the dreadful condition of the wicked who die in
their sins and do not obtain the forgiveness of their God. O! that men and
women could be warned, and that they would turn to the Lord and seek unto
Him, humble themselves before Him, put away their sins, and obtain His Holy
Spirit to be their guide and their companion, then no matter what the
circumstances might be in which they were placed, they would have the peace
of heaven, the joy of the Holy Ghost, and a conscience void of offence
towards God and man? And this is the condition in which every Latter-day
Saint should live.

...

JUDICIAL PERVERSION AND OPPRESSION
James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.3, p.77
The District Courts of Utah still pursue their extreme, vindictive and
unrelenting course. The law is perverted, not justly administered; the
object appears to be, not the maintenance of social purity nor the
rectification of alleged evil, but the oppression and distress of
individuals because of their religious position. The Latter-day Saints are
under the most sacred obligations to do the will of God. At the same time
they wish to obey every valid law of the land. But by the strained
interpretation and the unwarrantable application of the Edmunds Act, men
are made offenders because of their religious scruples, and rendered
criminals when they are not fairly amenable to the law. Defendants who,
according to the evidence, have only lived with one wife, are "presumed" to
have cohabited with another wife, and thus are convicted of "cohabiting
with more than one woman, when the presumption is obliterated by the proof."
- -----------------------------
James R. Clark, Messages of the First Presidency, Vol.5, p.258 - p.259
We call upon all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
throughout the world to honor the laws of God, and obey and uphold the law
of the land; and we appeal to good men and women everywhere, regardless of
creed, party affiliation, race or condition, to join with us in an effort
to put into operation the words of Lincoln, the great emancipator, that our
country may continue to be a light to the world, a loyal, law-abiding,
God-fearing Nation. HEBER J. GRANT, ANTHONY W. IVINS, CHARLES W. NIBLEY,
First Presidency.
- -------------------------------
Neal A. Maxwell,  That My Family Should Partake, p.113
d. Civic responsibilities: "Renounce war and proclaim peace." Elect to
office good and wise men. Obey and befriend "that law which is the
constitutional law of the land."
- -------------------------------
Journal of Discourses, Vol.22, p.13 - p.14 - p.15, John Taylor, January
9th, 1881
I will follow this subject a little further.  We are talking about building
up Zion.  Here is where the thing applies itself with great force to me as
well as to you, when you comprehend it as it exists and see it by the light
of the Spirit of Truth.  For it is written:  "And I say unto you, if my
people observe not this law, to keep it holy, and by this law sanctify the
land of Zion unto me, that my statutes and my judgments may be kept
thereon, that it may be most holy, behold, verily I say unto you, it shall
not be a land of Zion unto you."  Well, we are talking about building up
the land of Zion, which is one of the things we are here for.  And God has
said that if we do not obey this law, it shall not be a land of Zion unto
us.  Does this apply to us? ...
- ----------------------------------

- ----------------------------------
Chapter 25:
Uphold Good Government
Separation of Church and State
William E. Berrett, Teachings of the Doctrine and Covenants, p.161

From the re-establishment of the Church of Christ upon the earth, April 6,
1830, the Church has recognized the need for a separation of Church and
State. Further, the Saints have been instructed to obey civil government
and to uphold the law of the land.

[Editorial, between 1831 to 1890, when the Mormons were living polygamy, it
was against the law of the land in every state and territory.  Mr. Berrett
is offering a simplistic historical point of view, that does not square
with reality or honor the sacrifices of our former pioneers]


On February 9, 1831, Joseph Smith received a revelation in which the
following is found:

And it shall come to pass, that if any persons among you shall kill they
shall be delivered up and dealt with according to the laws of the land; for
remember that he hath no forgiveness; and it shall be proved according to
the laws of the land.

And if a man or woman shall rob, he or she shall be delivered up unto the
law of the land.

And if he or she shall steal, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law
of the land.

And if he or she shall lie, he or she shall be delivered up unto the law of
the land.

And if he or she do any manner of iniquity, he or she shall be delivered up
unto the law, even that of God.1

Obey the Law of the Land in Which You Live

This sharp distinction between crime, punishable by the law of the land and
iniquity to be handled by the Church, presented no great difficulty to the
Latter-day Saints. It was the prevailing view of Protestant New England. It
was especially acceptable as a doctrine because there is a close
relationship between obedience to [p.162] the law of the land and obedience
to the laws of God. On August 1, 1831, the Lord declared:

William E. Berrett, Teachings of the Doctrine and Covenants, p.162

Let no man break the law of the land, for he that keepeth the laws of God
hath no need to break the laws of the land.

Wherefore, be subject to the powers that be, until he reigns whose right it
is to reign, and subdues all enemies under his feet.2 Ibid., 58:21-22.
- -------------------------------
Journal of Discourses, Vol.23, p.71, Joseph F. Smith, April 9th, 1882
I ask myself, What law have you broken?  What constitutional law have you
not observed?  I am bound not only by allegiance to the government of the
United States, but by the actual command of God Almighty, to observe and
obey every constitutional law of the land, and without hesitancy I declare
to this congregation that I have never violated, nor transgressed any law,
I am not amenable to any penalties of the law, because I have endeavored
from my youth up to be a law-abiding citizen, and not only so, but to be a
peacemaker, a preacher of righteousness, and not only to preach
righteousness by word, but by example.  What therefore have I to fear?  The
Lord Almighty requires this people to observe the laws of the land, to be
subject to "the powers that be," so far as they abide by the fundamental
principles of good government, but He will hold them responsible if they
will pass unconstitutional measures and frame unjust and proscriptive laws,
as did Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, in relation to the three Hebrew children
and Daniel.  If lawmakers have a mind to violate their oath, break their
covenants and their faith with the people, and depart from the provisions
of the Constitution where is the law human or divine, which binds me, as an
individual, to outwardly and openly proclaim my acceptance of their acts?
Journal of Discourses, Vol.23, p.71, Joseph F. Smith, April 9th, 1882
I firmly believe that the only way in which we can be sustained in regard
to this matter by God our Heavenly Father is by following the illustrious
examples we find in holy writ.  And while we regret, and look with sorrow
upon the acts of men who seek to bring us into bondage and to oppress us,
we must obey God, for He has commanded us to do so; and at the same time He
has declared that in obeying the laws which He has given us we will not
necessarily break the constitutional laws of the land.
- -----------------------------------
Melvin J. Ballard, Conference Report, April 1922, p.86
President Ivins called our attention to those experiences through which we
passed in the days of President Woodruff, when we resigned the practice of
a principle that God had revealed, when we gave it up. What for? In order
to obey the law of the land. It produced hardship, heart-ache, sorrow and
distress. Men had shown their devotion to that principle and had suffered
bonds and imprisonment, but in order that we might be a law-abiding people,
honoring and obeying and sustaining the law, we surrendered it, no matter
what it cost; the practice of it we gave up, and I hold it before the
people of this country as an evidence of the ability of the "Mormon" people
to honor and to obey the law. Let us not forget it, Latter-day Saints, that
there is a duty incumbent upon us, to continue to set a law abiding example.

[Editorial, ironically it was Ivins that was the go-between for Willford
Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow and Joseph Fielding Smith, and the Mormon Colonies
where the Mormons continued to break the laws of the land, after pretending
to obey them.  Plural marriage was illegal in Mexico as well as the US and
Canada.  Ivins more than anyone knew that Woodruff did NOT resign the
practice.  Which went on for just as many years as did the presidency of JS.

Also there are very few conference talks about obeying the law of the land,
at least using that phrase, non before 1890 and most after 1904.]=20
 =20
- -----------------------------
Anthony W. Ivins, Conference Report, April 1923, p.93
What a simple thing it is, and yet how vitally important. If the people of
the world could only be taught obedience to this doctrine, to willingly
honor and obey the law of the land in the control of civil affairs, leaving
all men to answer to the Lord in matters of faith and worship, each having
decent respect for rights and opinions of his neighbor, thus rendering to
Caesar that which belongs to Caesar, and to God that which pertains to his
Kingdom, peace would soon prevail throughout the earth, Christ's Kingdom
would be established, and the will of the Lord would be done of earth, as
it is done in heaven. May that day be hastened, is my humble prayer,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.
- ----------------------------
Anthony W. Ivins, Conference Report, October 1928, p.16
"We call upon all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints throughout the world to honor the laws of God, and obey and uphold
the law of the land; and we appeal to good men and women everywhere,
regardless of creed, party affiliation, race or condition, to join with us
in an effort to put into operation the words of Lincoln, the great
emancipator, that our country may continue to be a light to the world, a
loyal, law-abiding, God-fearing Nation.
- -----------------------------
George Albert Smith, Conference Report, October 1947, p.166
As President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I say we
do not condone it. We desire our people to obey the law of the land in
reference to marriage. If you hear anybody say that the leadership of the
Church is not in harmony with the Manifesto of Wilford Woodruff as
sustained by the Church, then you may know that he is mistaken.
- -----------------------------
Marion D. Hanks, Conference Report, April 1960, p.103
I count it one of the great privileges of my life to have been a student of
the law for some years and to have acquired through that experience a great
respect, as my father had before me, for the system of justice and the body
of law which we enjoy in this land. This is not to suppose that every
decision, judgment, interpretation, or application of law is good and just
altogether. The workings of our appellate system, the initiation, revision,
and abrogation of laws, testify that this is not so. It is to suggest that
freedom and liberty rest on law, that our laws are rooted deeply in
religious principles and rest on the moral law, and ultimately on the law
of God, and that it is our responsibility at the ballot box, in the jury
box, in civic responsibility and political leadership in our homes and on
the highways, to obey, honor, and sustain the law of the land, and to teach
our children to do likewise.
- ----------------------------
N. Eldon Tanner, Conference Report, October 1965, p.49
May we accept these truths and as free men honor, obey, and sustain the law
of the land in which we live, and obey the laws of God, that we might be
found worthy of the country in which we live and worthy of eternal life, I
humbly pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
- -----------------------------
The Church News, Conference Issues 1970-1987, p.4
"Every Latter-day Saint should sustain, honor and obey the constitutional
law of the land in which he lives," said President Kimball.
- -----------------------------
John A. Widtsoe, Centennial Series, Handbook of the Restoration, p.184
Religion is more than ethics. To be honest because it is [p.184] safe and
profitable in a community of equally strong men; or to be virtuous to
escape venereal disease; or to obey the law of the land to avoid the jail...
- -----------------------------
After Baptism, What?, p.21
It is easily seen, therefore, why the Lord told us that if we obey his law,
there is no need to disobey the law of the land.
After Baptism, What?, p.21
- ------------------------------
Times and Seasons, Vol.4, p.248
Joseph Fielding Smith, Life of Joseph F. Smith, p.95
Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, p.272
Mormon Redress Petitions, p.628
History of the Church, Vol.3, Appendix, p.413

All give the following quote.

My brother Joseph replied that he did not know what good he could do in any
consultation, as he was only a private individual; however he said that he
was always willing to do all the good he could and would obey every law of
the land, and then leave the event with God.

[Editorial, JS had polyginst wives and polyandrus wifes, which were against
the law of the land where he lived.]

- -------------------
Lyndon W. Cook; BYU Studies Vol. 22, No. 1, pg.55
William Law perceived Joseph Smith's religious views to be antithetical to
good law and order. Not unlike that of Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer,
Thomas B. Marsh, and others, William's disaffection coincided with a
spiritual departure from the essential purposes of the Kingdom. Law opposed
a growing ecclesiastical control over his economic, political, and social
life. According to his own statements (made just prior to and after his
excommunication), William Law turned against the Mormon prophet because of
William's perception that (1) Joseph was totally ungovernable and defiant
and was determined to obey or disobey the law of the land at his
convenience (i.e., a claim to higher law); (2) Joseph united church and
state, both as mayor of Nauvoo (in the passage of city ordinances and the
use of police power) and as an influential religious leader by manipulating
or seeking to manipulate politicians for private purposes (i.e., breakdown
of the rule of law); (3) Joseph had allowed the established judicial order
of church government to be trampled under foot; (4) Joseph had attempted to
control the temporal (financial) interests of the Mormon people by
ecclesiastical authority; and (5) more importantly, Joseph had corrupted
the Church by introducing "false and damnable" doctrines such as a
plurality of Gods, a plurality of wives, and the doctrine of unconditional
sealing up unto eternal life (i.e., Joseph Smith was a fallen prophet).
- ---------------

------------------------------

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