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gdm Digest          Friday, October 24 1997          Volume 01 : Number 027



In this issue:

    ---> Section 134
    ---> Lesson 39

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: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 23:47:24 -0700
From: "Perry L. Porter" <[e-mail]>
Subject: ---> Section 134

Subject: D&C 134 Notes

Section 134

The date 17 August 1835 is when section 134 was approved by a Church
general assembly to be included in the Doctrine and Covenants, not the
date of writing.

At the close of the meeting, after all those present had examined the
revelations and voted to approve them, Oliver Cowery stood and "read an
instrument containing certain principles or items upon law in general &
church governments." After he had read the document, the entire
congregation unanimously voted that it be accepted and included with the
revelations.

Although Joseph Smith and Frederick G. Williams were on a mission to
Michigan when the above meeting was held, the Prophet approved of section
134 and declared the statement to be "the belief of the Church" on
principles of law and government.

The authorship of section 134 traditionally has been attributed to Oliver
Cowdery.

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. 296.

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

After this action, W. W. Phelps presented an article (not a revelation) on
"Marriage," and Oliver Cowdery one on "Government and Laws in General,"
both of which were ordered printed in the book of "Doctrine and
Covenants." There was also printed in the book a series of Seven Lectures
on Faith, that had previously been delivered before a theological class in
Kirtland. So that the Doctrine and Covenants then comprised the Articles
of Faith, seven in number, the two Articles on Marriage and Government and
a collection of Revelations, (not all that had been given, by the way,)
the last forming the body and greater part of the book.

(See History of the Church, Vol. II, chapter xviii.)


[According to B. H. Roberts]
History of the Church, Vol.2, p.246, Footnotes

It should be observed that this "Article on Marriage" presented by W. W.
Phelps, and also the one on "Government and Laws in General," presented by
Oliver Cowdery, were not presented as revelations and were not published
as such at the time, but were expressions of course, of the belief of the
Saints at that period on those subjects. It should also be noted that
these two articles were presented and acted upon in the absence of the
Prophet who was at the time visiting saints and preaching in Michigan.

- -------------------
Article on Marriage.

"According to the custom of all civilized nations, marriage is regulated
by laws and ceremonies; therefore we believe that all marriages in this
Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints should be solemnized in a public
meeting or feast prepared for that purpose, and that the solemnization
should be performed by a Presiding High Priest, High Priest, Bishop, Elder
or Priest, not even prohibiting those persons who are desirous to get
married, of being married by other authority. We believe that it is not
right to prohibit members of this Church from marrying out of the Church,
if it be their determination so to do; but such persons will be considered
weak in the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Marriage should be celebrated with prayer and thanksgiving, and at the
solemnization, the persons to be married, standing together, the man on
the right and the woman on the left, shall be addressed by the person
officiating as he shall be directed by the Holy Spirit, and if there be no
legal objections, he shall say, calling each by name: 'You both mutually
agree to be each other's companion, husband and wife, observing the legal
rights belonging to this condition: that is, keeping yourselves wholly for
each other, and from all others, during your lives?' And when they have
both answered 'yes,' he shall pronounce them 'husband and wife,' in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by virtue of the laws of the country
and authority vested in him. 'May God add His blessing and keep you to
fulfill your covenants from henceforth and forever. Amen.'


"The clerk of every church should keep a record of all marriages
solemnized in his branch. All legal contracts of marriage made before a
person is baptized into this Church should be held sacred and fulfilled.

Inasmuch as this Church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of
fornication and polygamy, we declare that we believe that one man should
have one wife, and one woman but one husband, except in case of death,
when either is at liberty to marry again.

It is not right to persuade a woman to be baptized contrary to the will of
her husband; neither is it lawful to influence her to leave her husband.
All children are bound by law to obey their parents, and to influence them
to embrace any religious faith, or be baptized, or leave their parents
without their consent, is unlawful and unjust. We believe that husbands,
parents, and masters, who exercise control over their wives, children and
servants, and prevent them from embracing the truth, will have to answer
for that sin."

President Oliver Cowdery then read the following article on "Governments
and Laws in General," which was accepted and adopted and ordered to be
printed in said book, by a unanimous vote'

History of the Church, Vol.2, Ch.18, p.247


- ---------------------
The book's preface (pp. [iii]-iv), signed by Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery,
Sidney Rigdon, and F. G. Williams, February 17, 1835, alludes to the
"aversion in the minds of some against receiving anything purporting to be
articles of religious faith," and defends the book as a needed statement
of the beliefs of the Latter-day Saints, who have been so widely
misrepresented. (Years later David Whitmer, in his Address to All
Believers in Christ (Richmond, 1887), described his opposition to the
Doctrine and Covenants because it enunciated a creed for the Latter-day
Saints. )

The first main part of the book (pp. [5]-74) is occupied with the seven
"Lectures on Faith." These lectures, delivered before the school of the
Elders in Kirtland during the preceding winter, cover such basic doctrines
as the necessity and effect of faith; the attributes of God, Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Ghost; man's relationship to God; and the nature of
salvation; with supporting citations from the Bible, Book of Mormon, and
in some cases, the Book of Commandments. Three of these lectures appeared
earlier in print, the first as a broadside (Item 20) and the fifth and
sixth in the May, 1835, Messenger and Advocate. Exactly who authored the
lectures is not clear, although Sidney Rigdon is a possibility. In any
case, their final form bears the influence of Joseph Smith, who in his
history remarks, "During the month of January [1835], I was engaged in the
school of the Elders, and in preparing the lectures on theology for
publication in the book of Doctrine and Covenants,77 The "Lectures on
Faith" were maintained in the various LDS editions of the Doctrine and
Covenants until 1921.

The second main part of the book (pp. [75]-257) contains 100 revelations
spanning the period July, 1828, to March 28, 1835, as Sections 1-4 and
6-100 with two sections erroneously numbered 66; the minutes of the
organization of the first High Council, February 17, 1834, as Section 5;
an article on marriage and an article on government and laws in general as
Sections 101 and 102; and the minutes of the August 17, 1835, General
Assembly. The sixty-five chapters in the Book of Commandments are
reprinted in the Doctrine and Covenants with substantial changes
consistent with those changes made in the revelations in reprinting The
Evening and the Morning Star. Ten of the chapters in the Book of
Commandments are combined into three sections of the Doctrine and
Covenants, so that fifty-eight sections actually comprise that portion
originally published in the Book of Commandments. Traditionally, the
articles on marriage and government have been attributed to Oliver
Cowdery. These were read at the General Assembly of August 17, 1835, and
accepted as part of the Doctrine and Covenants. The article on marriage
appeared in all LDS editions until 1876, while the article on government
is still included as Section 134. The minutes of the General Assembly
occur only in the 1835 edition. An index comprises pages i-xxiii, and page
xxv contains errata.

Apparently the changes in the printed revelations troubled a certain few
of the brethren. At a meeting of the High Council at Far West, April 24,
1837, David W. Patten charged Lyman Wight with teaching false doctrines,
among others that "the book of Doctrine and Covenants was a telestial law;
and the Book of Commandments (a part of the revelations printed in Jackson
county) was a celestial law." Wight was censured for these teachings, and
directed to acknowledge his error to the churches where he had preached.78
H.C., 2:481-82.

Peter Crawley, BYU Studies, Vol. 12, No. 4, p.502-503

- ---------------------
Official Declaration--1

To Whom it may concern:

Press dispatches having been sent for political purposes, from Salt Lake
City, which have been widely published, to the effect that the Utah
Commission, in their recent report to the Secretary of the Interior,
allege that plural marriages are still being solemnized and that forty or
more such marriages have been contracted in Utah since last June or during
the past year, also that in public discourses the leaders of the Church
have taught, encouraged and urged the continuance of the practice of
polygamy--

I, therefore, as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, do hereby, in the most solemn manner, declare that these charges
are false. We are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage, nor permitting
any person to enter into its practice, and I deny that either forty or any
other number of plural marriages have during that period been solemnized
in our Temples or in any other place in the Territory.

One case has been reported, in which the parties allege that the marriage
was performed in the Endowment House, in Salt Lake City, in the Spring of
1889, but I have not been able to learn who performed the ceremony;
whatever was done in this matter was without my knowledge. In consequence
of this alleged occurrence the Endowment House was, by my instructions,
taken down without delay.

Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural
marriages, which laws have been pronounced constitutional by the court of
last resort, I hereby declare my intentions to submit to those laws, and
to use my influence with the members of the Church over which I preside to
have them do likewise.

There is nothing in my teachings to the Church or in those of my
associates, during the time specified, which can be reasonably construed
to inculcate or encourage polygamy; and when any Elder of the Church has
used language which appeared to convey any such teaching, he has been
promptly reproved. And I now publicly declare that my advice to the
Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by
the law of the land.

Wilford Woodruff

President of the Church of Jesus Christ

of Latter-day Saints.

President Lorenzo Snow offered the following:

"I move that, recognizing Wilford Woodruff as the President of the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the only man on the earth at the
present time who holds the keys of the sealing ordinances, we consider him
fully authorized by virtue of his position to issue the Manifesto which
has been read in our hearing, and which is dated September 24th, 1890, and
that as a Church in General Conference assembled, we accept his
declaration concerning plural marriages as authoritative and binding."

The vote to sustain the foregoing motion was unanimous.

Salt Lake City, Utah, October 6, 1890.

Excerpts from Three Addresses by

President Wilford Woodruff

Regarding the Manifesto

The Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as President of
this Church to lead you astray. It is not in the programme. It is not in
the mind of God. If I were to attempt that, the Lord would remove me out
of my place, and so He will any other man who attempts to lead the
children of men astray from the oracles of God and from their duty.
(Sixty-first Semi-annual General Conference of the Church, Monday, October
6, 1890, Salt Lake City, Utah. Reported in Deseret Evening News, October
11, 1890, p. 2.)

It matters not who lives or who dies, or who is called to lead this
Church, they have got to lead it by the inspiration of Almighty God. If
they do not do it that way, they cannot do it at all...

I have had some revelations of late, and very important ones to me, and I
will tell you what the Lord has said to me. Let me bring your minds to
what is termed the manifesto...

The Lord has told me to ask the Latter-day Saints a question, and He also
told me that if they would listen to what I said to them and answer the
question put to them by the Spirit and power of God, they would all answer
alike, and they would all believe alike with regard to this matter.

The question is this: Which is the wisest course for the Latter-day Saints
to pursue--to continue to attempt to practice plural marriage, with the
laws of the nation against it and the opposition of sixty millions of
people, and at the cost of the confiscation and loss of all the Temples,
and the stopping of all the ordinances therein, both for the living and
the dead, and the imprisonment of the First Presidency and Twelve and the
heads of families in the Church, and the confiscation of personal property
of the people (all of which of themselves would stop the practice); or,
after doing and suffering what we have through our adherence to this
principle to cease the practice and submit to the law, and through doing
so leave the Prophets, Apostles, and fathers at home, so that they can
instruct the people and attend to the duties of the Church, and also leave
the Temples in the hands of the Saints, so that they can attend to the
ordinances of the Gospel, both for the living and the dead?

The Lord showed me by vision and revelation exactly what would take place
if we did not stop this practice. If we had not stopped it, you would have
had no use for...any of the men in this temple at Logan; for all
ordinances would be stopped throughout the land of Zion. Confusion would
reign throughout Israel, and many men would be made prisoners. This
trouble would have come upon the whole church, and we should have been
compelled to stop the practice. Now, the question is, whether it should be
stopped in this manner, or in the way the Lord has manifested to us, and
leave our Prophets and Apostles and fathers free men, and the temples in
the hands of the people, so that the dead may be redeemed. A large number
has already been delivered from the prison house in the spirit world by
this people, and shall the work go on or stop? This is the question I lay
before the Latter-day Saints. You have to judge for yourselves. I want you
to answer it for yourselves. I shall not answer it; but I say to you that
that is exactly the condition we as a people would have been in had we not
taken the course we have.

...I saw exactly what would come to pass if there was not something done.
I have had this spirit upon me for a long time. But I want to say this: I
should have let all the temples go out of our hands; I should have gone to
prison myself, and let every other man go there, had not the God of heaven
commanded me to do what I did do; and when the hour came that I was
commanded to do that, it was all clear to me. I went before the Lord, and
I wrote what the Lord told me to write...

I leave this with you, for you to contemplate and consider. The Lord is at
work with us. (Cache Stake Conference, Logan, Utah, Sunday, November 1,
1891. Reported in Deseret Weekly, November 14, 1891.)

Now I will tell you what was manifested to me and what the Son of God
performed in this thing...All these things would have come to pass, as God
Almighty lives, had not that Manifesto been given. Therefore, the Son of
God felt disposed to have that thing presented to the Church and to the
world for purposes in his own mind. The Lord had decreed the establishment
of Zion. He had decreed the finishing of this temple. He had decreed that
the salvation of the living and the dead should be given in these valleys
of the mountains. And Almighty God decreed that the Devil should not
thwart it. If you can understand that, that is a key to it. (From a
discourse at the sixth session of the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple,
April 1893. Typescript of Dedicatory Services, Archives, Church Historical
Department, Salt Lake City, Utah.)

- -----------------
[Commentary, Plural marriages and rumors of such, including accusation
about adultery mixed with secrete marriages, are what prompted the
statement on marriage, in an attempt to squash rumors and innuendo.  JS
was conveniently out of town, thus he could be seen as supporting the
inclusion of that statement from outsiders, while continuing to spread
plural marriage privately to select people for many years to come.  The
issue of conflicting revelations was avoided by his absence.]

BTW the Article on Marriage was section 101 of the 1835 edition of the
D&C.  The RLDS church maintained this section to this day.  The LDS church
kept it in the Nauvoo editions 1844, 1845 and 1846.  It was not removed
until SLC 1876 Edition, just before the Death of Brigham Young, when
section 132 was inserted.]

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

Date: Fri, 24 Oct 1997 21:31:00 -0700
From: "Perry L. Porter" <[e-mail]>
Subject: ---> Lesson 39

Doctrine and Covenants 132

Lesson 39

Scriptural Highlights

1. Certain conditions must be met for a marriage to last through eternity.

2. Celestial marriage is required for exaltation.

3. Plural marriage is justified only when the Lord commands it.

Ask class members to think about the blessings that come to a man and
woman when they are married in the temple and live true to their
covenants.

Discussion and Application Questions

* What questions from the Prophet Joseph Smith brought about the
revelation in D&C 132? (See D&C 132:1-3 and the Class Member Study Guide
for this lesson.)

* What is the new and everlasting covenant? (D&C 132:4-6. The new and
everlasting covenant is the fulness of the gospel. A new and everlasting
covenant refers to any of the eternal covenants found within the gospel,
such as eternal marriage or baptism.)

* What does it mean to have an action sealed by the Holy Spirit of
Promise? (See D&C 132:7 and the first quotation from President Smith.)

* The Lord said that all things "that are not by me or by my word . . .
shall not remain after men are dead" (D&C 132:13; see also 132:12-14).
What are some of the things that will continue throughout eternity? With
this knowledge, what changes could we make in how we spend our time and
energy?

* Why is it important that we enter into the new and everlasting covenant
of marriage? (See D&C 132:15-18 and the second quotation from President
Smith.) How can we help children understand the importance of marrying in
the temple?

* What conditions must be met in order for a marriage to endure for
eternity? (D&C 132:19.) What blessings does the Lord promise to those who
marry in the temple and keep their covenants? (D&C 132:19-20.) What are
your feelings as you read these verses?

* What does D&C 132:21-25 teach about how we obtain eternal lives? What
does the term "eternal lives" mean? (See the quotation from Elder
McConkie.)

* Why was Abraham justified in having more than one wife and in being
willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice? (See D&C 132:29, 34-37, and the
quotation from the Prophet Joseph Smith.) How has the Lord blessed you
when you have obeyed a commandment even though you did not fully
understand its purpose?

* What may have been reasons for the Lord's commandment to the early
Saints to have more than one wife? (D&C 132:34, 45, 63; Jacob 2:27-30.)

* What great promises did the Lord give to Joseph Smith in D&C 132:45-49?
(Compare D&C 131:5.) When did Joseph Smith receive the sealing power? (D&C
110:13-16. Note that Jesus gave this same power to his Apostles as
recorded in Matthew 16:19.)

Quotations

President Joseph Fielding Smith: "The Holy Spirit of Promise is the Holy
Ghost who places the stamp of approval upon every ordinance: baptism,
confirmation, ordination, marriage. The promise is that the blessings will
be received through faithfulness. If a person violates a covenant, whether
it be of baptism, ordination, marriage or anything else, the Spirit
withdraws the stamp of approval, and the blessings will not be received"
(Doctrines of Salvation, 1:45).

President Joseph Fielding Smith: "If a man refuses to take upon himself
the responsibilities of married life, because he desires to avoid the
cares and troubles which naturally will follow, he is taking a course
which may bar him forever from the responsibilities which are held in
reserve for those who are willing to keep in full the commandments of the
Lord. His eternal progression will thus be limited....

" . . . It is a most serious error for a young man or a young woman to
marry outside of the Church....
"You good sisters, who are single and alone, do not fear, do not feel that
blessings are going to be withheld from you. You are not under any
obligation or necessity of accepting some proposal that comes to you which
is distasteful for fear you will come under condemnation" (Doctrines of
Salvation, 2:74-76).
Elder Bruce R. McConkie: "Those who gain eternal life (exaltation) also
gain eternal/ lives, meaning that in the resurrection they have eternal
'increase, ' 'a continuation of the seeds,' a 'continuation of the lives.'
Their spirit progeny will 'continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if ye
were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them.' (D&C
131:1-4; 132:19-25, 30, 55.)" (Mormon Doctrine, p. 238).

The Prophet Joseph Smith: "That which is wrong under one circumstance, may
be, and often is, right under another. God said, 'Thou shalt not kill;' at
another time He said, 'Thou shalt utterly destroy.' this is the principle
on which the government of heaven is conducted - by revelation adapted to
the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed.
Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not
see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire" (Teachings of
the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 256).

Next Week's Reading Assignment Doctrine and Covenants 135

Page 77

Class Member Study Guide

Lesson 39

As early as 1831, while working on the inspired translation of the Bible,
the Prophet Joseph wondered why Old Testament prophets had more than one
wife. In answer to his inquiry, the Lord revealed the doctrine of plural
marriage. Joseph did not record the revelation unit 12 July 1843 (see D&C
132).

The Lord made clear that plural marriage was justified only when commanded
by him. It was part of the restoration of all things (see D&C 132:45), and
it would be the means of raising up a righteous people. Those members of
the Church who lived this law did so because they knew that Joseph Smith
was a prophet of God and that the law was a commandment of God.

Doctrine and Covenants 132 not only answered the Prophet's questions about
plural marriage, but it explained the doctrine of eternal marriage.

* What are some of the things that will continue throughout eternity? (D&C
132:8-14.) With this knowledge, what changes could you make in how you
spend your time and energy?

* Why won't many marriages endure beyond death? (D&C 132:15-18.) What
conditions must be met in order for a marriage to endure for eternity?
(D&C 132:19-20.)

* What does D&C 132:21 -25 teach about how we obtain eternal lives?

The Nauvoo Temple. Photograph by Lucian Foster, 1846.

Page 78



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1. When the day set apart for the solemnization of the marriage ceremony
has arrived, the
bridegroom, and his wife, and also the bride, together with their
relatives, and such other
guests as may be invited, assemble at the place which they have appointed.


2. The scribe then proceeds to take the names, ages, native towns,
counties, States, and
countries of the parties to be married, which he carefully enters on
record.

3. The President, who is the Prophet, Seer, and Revelator over the whole
church throughout
the world, and who alone holds the keys of authority in this solemn
ordinance, (as recorded in
the 2d and 5th paragraphs of the Revelation on Marriage (D&C 132:7,
18],)--calls upon the
bridegroom, and his wife, and the bride to arise, which they do, fronting
the President.

4. The wife stands on the left hand of her husband, while the bride stands
on her left. The
President, then, puts this question to the wife:

5. "Are you willing to give this woman to your husband to be his lawful
and wedded wife for
time and for all eternity? If you are, you will manifest it by placing her
right hand within the
right hand of your husband."

6. The right hands of the bridegroom and bride, being thus joined, the
wife takes her husband
by the left arm, as if in the attitude of walking: the President, then,
proceeds to ask the
following question of the man:

7. "Do you brother, (calling him by name,) take sister, (calling the bride
by her name,) by
the right hand to receive her unto yourself to be your lawful and wedded
wife, and you to be
her lawful and wedded husband for time and for all eternity, with a
covenant and promise, on
your part, that you will fulfil all the laws, rites, and ordinances,
pertaining to this holy
matrimony, in the new and everlasting covenant, doing this in the presence
of God, angels,
and these witnesses of our own free will and choice?

8. The bridegroom answers, yes.

9. The President, then, puts the question to the bride: "Do you, sister,
(calling her by name,)
take brother, (calling him by name,) by the right hand, and give yourself
to him, to be his
lawful and wedded wife for time and for all eternity with a covenant and
promise, on your
part, that you will fulfil all the laws, rites, and ordinances, pertaining
to this holy matrimony, in
the new and everlasting covenant, doing this in the presence of God,
angels, and these
witnesses of your own free will and choice?"

10. The bride answer, yes.

11. The President then says, "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by
the authority of the
Holy Priesthood, I pronounce you legally and lawfully husband and wife for
time and for all
eternity;

12. "And I seal upon you the blessings of the holy resurrection, with
power to come forth in
the morning of the first resurrection, clothed with glory, immortality,
and eternal lives;

13. "And I seal upon you the blessings of thrones, and dominions, and
principalities, and
powers, and exaltations, together with the blessings of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob,

14. "And say unto you be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth,
that you may have joy
and rejoicing in your posterity in the day of the Lord Jesus.

15. "All these blessings, together with all other blessings pertaining to
the new and everlasting
covenant, I seal upon your heads, through your faithfulness unto the end,

16. "By the authority of the Holy Priesthood, in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost, Amen."

17. The scribe, then, enters on the general record, the date and place of
the marriage,
together with the names of two or three witnesses who were present.

The Temple Marriage Ceremony, published by Elder Orson Pratt in The Seer
(LDS
periodical published in Washington, D.C.) February 1853.

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Despite the obvious Nauvoo origin of the document itself, Mormons have
long held the notion that Joseph Smith received the revelations on the
subject of eternal and plural marriage during the early Kirtland period.
Joseph B Noble, a close friend of the Prophet, said that the doctrine was
revealed to Smith "while he was engaged in the work of translation of the
Scriptures."

...

Implicit in the Mormon concept of revelation is the idea that divine
communications come in response to prophetic inquiries.

...

Section 132 answers at least three separate questions which Joseph Smith
asked the Lord; two are explicitly mentioned in the revelation itself.
Verse one clearly states that Joseph wanted to know and understand why the
ancient patriarchs and prophets were justified in having plural wives. The
second, a query about adultery, is referred to in verse forty-one.

Knowledge of the third question is derived from a clear bu ungrammatical
report of a statement by Joseph Smith in 1844 to the Nauvoo city council
then deliberating the fate of the Nauvoo Expositor. ... In the city
council meeting on 8 June 1844, Joseph Smith explained that a portion of
the revelation came when he inquired "concerning the passage in the
resurrection [sic] concerning 'they never marry nor are given in marriage,
&c.' " This obviously refers to passages in the twenty-second chapter of
Matthew (or parallels) which detail a confrontation between Jesus and the
Sadducees over the doctrine of the resurrection.

The unbelieving Sadducees described a woman who under the Levirate law had
seven husbands but died without issue. Their interrogatory, "in the
resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven?" brought forth from
Jesus the response that "in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are
given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." This reply
apparently piqued the Prophet's curiosity.

...the material immediately following verse one does not answer the
question therein about the patriarchs. The name of Abraham or any of the
ancients is not mentioned until verse twenty-nine. That verse and those
following to verse thirty-nine do answer the question by explaining that
the conduct of the ancients was justified by proper authority. Verses two
through twenty-eight deal with the third question about marriage in
heaven. Lengthy verse seven lays down a general principle regarding the
efficacy of any contract or covenant in the postmortal world. If the
conditions are not met then they "are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in
and after the resurrection from the dead." Verses fifteen to nineteen
apply this principle to three specific case of marriage.

...

The primary issue is, when and why did Joseph ask these questions? There
is very little in the Nauvoo situation immediately preceding the recording
of the revelation that can be discerned which may have prompted questions
one and three, but conditions in Ohio were ripe.

...

Matthews asserts that such questioning was one of the primary reasons
Smith was directed to revise the Bible. ... Joseph Smith revised the
pertinent portions of Genesis dealing with Abraham's plural wives between
February and March of 1831, and by 26 September 1831 had completed
Matthew. Thus, given Joseph's native inquisitiveness as shown on several
other occasions, and the purpose for the revision, there was sufficient
stimulus for him to ask questions at this time about marriage.

... Of the 136 section in the present LDS Doctrine and Covenants, 64
sections or 47 percent were recorded in Ohio from 1831 to 1837, and 1831
led all other years with 37 revelations received, 25 of which were in
Ohio. During the period he worked on the revision of the Bible, from July
1830 to June 1833, 75 revelations or 56.6 percent of the total were
recorded. This then lends considerable credence to the Matthews hypothesis
and increases the likelihood that the doctrines of eternal and plural
marriage were revealed in this period.

Some of the early revelations received in Ohio confirm the Prophet's
interest in marriage in the new church. ... The proximity of a nearby
Shaker community with its practice of celibacy led to the reception of
Section 49 in march 1831. Among its contrasts between Shaker doctrine and
the fulness of the restored gospel is one of the first significant
doctrinal statements regarding the purpose of marriage. Section 74,
received in January 1832, answers a specific question relative to paul's
counsel about marriage to the Corinthians....

The historical situations which spawned the question about adultery is
more difficult to pin down. It is possible, of corse, that Joseph's
curiosity about the meaning of adultery arose during his work with the
difficult teachings of Jesus on that subject in the New Testament. ...may
be connected with passages which obviously refer to the 1843 Nauvoo
situation. ...there was the Bennett scandal of 1842 which brought to the
fore the issues of plural marriage and adultery. Then there was the
problem of undivorced people with bad marriages who wanted permission to
remarry without a divorce ... But a very probable stimulant for the
question may have involved the Prophet's own domestic difficulties. In
verses fifty-one to fifty-six, Emma Smith is commanded to accept those
women that her husband has already married. She is also told to cleave
unto him and "none else" and to forgive him his trespasses against her.
Given the fact that Emma was never reconciled to the matter of plural
marriage, is it possible that accusations of adultery came from her?

...

...for much of what went on in the Kirtland years regarding marriage, sex,
and the family was harmonious with principles outlined in Section 132.

...

Society and culture in the United States were greatly modified in the era
between the Revolution and Civil War. many Americans were politically,
religiously, and philosophically ambivalent. Mormonism, one of the few
religions to emerge and survive this schizophrenic time, mirrored some of
the countercurrents of the day.

...

As Mormon doctrine developed, this tendency to mingle the old and new, the
radical and traditional, is particularly evident in weaving Old Testament
concepts into the restoration of Christianity. Joseph Smith may have
reached back two millennia to the original Christian era for his
inspiration, but the theology which emerge in New York and Ohio exhibited
heavy reliance on the Old Testament. For example, the Book of Mormon is a
mixture of pre- and post-Christian dispensations, and the Old Testament
ideal of a theocracy undergirds the Mormon idea of the kingdom of God.
Likewise, the temple, with its washings, anointings, and covenants, had
its inception in the Old Testament milieu.

...Mormonism's ideas on sex roles, marriage, and the family reflect a
strong Old Testament flavor. The Mormon male role as priesthood bearer and
father hearkened back to the patriarchs and prophets for many of its
examples.

...

The collective weight of the evidence presented above suggests that the
revelations on eternal and plural marriage were not merely
rationalizations for Smith's moral indiscretions or the satisfaction of
his passions as some have averred. Nor dies it appear that they were
outgrowths of significant social dislocation caused by lengthy separations
between spouses while husbands served missions. ... Rather, the impression
coming from a study of the pre-Nauvoo years is that the Prophet was
operating on a level above passionate capriciousness, and like the rest of
Mormon theology the tenets of marriage emerged from a primarily religious
context.

...

Danel W. Bachman, "New Light on an Old Hypothesis: The Ohio Origins of the
Revelation on Eternal Marriage," Journal of Mormon History, Volume 5
(1978).

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[B.H.Roberts]: "There is indisputable evidence that the revelation making
known this marriage law was given to the Prophet as early as 1831. In that
year, and then intermittently up to 1833, the Prophet was engaged in a
revision of the English Bible text under the inspiration of God, Sidney
Rigdon in the main acting as his scribe. As he began his revision with the
Old Testament, he would be dealing with the age of the Patriarchs in 1831.
He was doubtless struck with the favor in which the Lord held the several
Bible Patriarchs of that period, notwithstanding they had a plurality of
wives. What more natural than that he should inquire of the Lord at that
time, when his mind must have been impressed with the fact--Why, O Lord,
didst Thou justify Thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; as also Moses,
David and Solomon, in the matter of their having wives and concubines...?
In answer to that inquiry came the revelation, though not then committed
to writing."

... It appears, therefore, that one of the major reasons for the formal
recording of the revelation in 1843 was to assist Emma to recognize the
divine source of this doctrine.

...

[William Clayton]:

"On the morning of the 12th of July, 1848, Joseph and Hyrum Smith came
into the office of the upper story of the "Brick-store," on the bank of
the Mississippi River. They were talking of the subject of plural
marriage, [and] Hyrum said to Joseph," If you will write the revelation of
celestial marriage, I will take and read it to Emma, and I believe I can
convince her of its truth, and you will hereafter have peace." Joseph
Smiled and remarked, "You do not know Emma as well as I do." Hyrum
repeated his opinion, and further remarked, "The doctrine is so plain, I
can convince any reasonable man or woman of its truth, purity, and
heavenly origin," or works to that effect

.... Joseph and Hyrum then sat down, and Joseph commenced to dictate the
Revelation on Celestial Marriage, and I wrote it, sentence by sentence, as
he dictated. After the whole was written, Joseph asked me to read it
through slowly and carefully, which I did, and he pronounced it correct."

...

The first question asked by the Prophet Joseph was simply why the
polygamous actions of notable Old Testament prophet-leaders had received
divine approval.

...in this instance the explanation for the ancient phenomenon was to be
accompanied by a commandment to institute the practice in modern times.

... "Except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be
married for eternity, while in this probation, by the power and authority
of the Holy Priesthood, they will cease to increase when they die; that
is, they will not have any children after the resurrection. But those who
are married by the power and authority of the priesthood in this life, and
continue without committing the sin against the Holy Ghost, will continue
to increase and have children in the celestial glory."

...

The second question posed by the Prophet Joseph Smith seems to be
associated with the cryptic statement by Jesus in response to a Sadduceean
trap: "Ye do err, non knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in
the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as
the angels of God in heaven".

... This expression, little understood in the days of the Prophet, is
repeatedly given today as scriptural evidence against the Latter-day Saint
doctrine of eternal marriage. Joseph Smith's question concerning its
meaning led to a modern revealed commentary upon the passage and pointed
us to the reality that Jesus Christ had taught the doctrine of eternal
marriage during hi mortal ministry.

...THEY who neither marry nor are given in marriage in eternity are they
who choose not to enter in by the strait gate and partake of the new and
everlasting covenant of marriage.

...

Without question, one of the most misunderstood (and misquoted) verses of
scripture is D&C 132:26. Some members of the Church have wrested the
scriptures to the pont where they have concluded that a temple marriage
alone (which they equate with being sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise)
will assure them of an exaltation, in spite of "any sin of the new and
everlasting covenant whatever, and all manner of blasphemies."

...

All men are subject to temptation and mortal weaknesses and therefore
commit some sin, even those whose callings and elections have been made
sure.

... Though the disposition to commit grievous sin would certainly be less
among such individuals, yet the principles of repentance and forgiveness
are as highly treasured by these as by any of our Father's children.

...

... Verse 27 has specific reference to those who have received the new and
everlasting covenant of marriage and proven faithful enough to have the
final stamp of approval from the Holy Ghost. One who has been sealed up
unto eternal life and thereafter proves to be a total enemy to the cause
of righteousness is guilty of "shedding innocent blood," the innocent
blood of Christ, ad assenting unto his death.

...

Verse 41 of section 132 suggests the third question that Joseph Smith must
have asked of the Lord. In essence, the question of the Prophet was: Why
were not such polygamous relationships violations of the law of chastity?
Why was this not considered adultery?"

...any action inspired, authorized, or commanded of God is moral and good.


...

"... That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be and often is,
right under another.

God said thou shalt not kill,--at another time he said thou shalt utterly
destroy. This is the principle on which the government of heaven is
conducted--by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the
children of the kingdom are placed. Whatever God requires is rigth, no
matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long
after the events transpire.

... Every thing that God gives us is lawful and right, and 'tis proper
that we should enjoy his gifts and blessings whenever and wherever he is
disposed to bestow; but if we should seize upon these same blessings and
enjoyments without law, without revelation, without commandment, those
blessings and enjoyments would prove cursings and vexations in the end,
and we should have to go down in sorrow and wailings of everlasting
regret.

... Blessings offered, but rejected are no longer blessings, but become
like the talent hid in the earth by the wicked and slothful servant--the
proffered good returns to the giver, the blessing is bestowed upon those
who will receive."

[Footnote] A concubine was a wife who came from a position of lower social
standing, and who thus did not enjoy the same status as one of higher
birth. Under ancient practice, where caste systems were much more common
than at present, a man could take a slave or non-citizen as a legal wife,
but it was understood that she was of a lower status. This was the case
with Sarah (the first wife) and Hagar (the servant who became a
concubine).

Robert L. Millet, "A New and Everlasting Covenant," Studies in Scripture,
Volume One: The Doctrine and Covenants, edited by Robert L. Millet and
Kent P. Jackson (Sandy, Utah: Randall Book Company, 1984).

Because the Prophet had learned of and begun to practice plural marriage
several years earlier, and because he started performing eternal marriages
in 1841, many have concluded that section 132 was revealed years earlier,
and merely written down in July 1843. A more accurate interpretation is
that while Joseph Smith may have received revelation on matters contained
in section 132 prior to 1843, this revelation (its form, language, and
message) was unquestionable received for the first time in the summer of
1843.

...available evidence attests that the Prophet began to take additional
wives by 1836, in Kirtland, Ohio. Although plural marriage did not become
a law of the Church until its public announcement in 1852, Joseph Smith,
and later Brigham Young, did instruct a select number of faithful Mormon
brethren to take additional wives before that date.

Whereas the concept of plural marriage appears to have had its birth in
Kirtland, the principle of eternal marriage developed at Nauvoo. ...Emma
... appears to have objected to his taking additional wives. Her refusal
to accept the doctrine and to support her husband in righteousness
resulted in a year's delay in administering the blessings of the temple
endowment to women because Joseph desired his wife to be the first woman
to receive the ordinance.

Finally, in Ma 1843, she consented to the Prophet's taking plural-eternal
wives, but by July she had reversed her position and was adamant. Hyrum
Smith, William Law, and William Marks, presiding Church leaders, also were
bitterly opposed to the doctrine, and while Law and Marks could never
assent to the implications of the practice, the Prophet's brother, Hyrum,
was converted to it on 26 May 1843.

... Hyrum was fairly confident that if the Prophet would write down a
revelation on celestial marriage, he could take it for Emma to read and
thereby regain her support. William Clayton took down the ten-page
revelation at Joseph Smith's dictation in the "small office upstairs in
the rear of [the Prophet's Red Brick] store." ... "...read it to E[mma].
who said she did not believe a word of it and appeared very rebellious."
Towards evening on 12 July Bishop Newel K. Whitney received permission to
copy the revelation. About mid-day on 13 July Joseph C Kingsbury,
store-clerk for Bishop Whitney, carefully took a copy, which both Whitney
and Kingsbury proofread against the original. The Kingsbury copy, which
was given to Brigham Young in March 1847, was used to publish the
revelation five years later.

Whereas the Clayton copy was burned, the Kingsbury copy is still in
existence.

... A statement known as the "Article on Marriage," written by Oliver
Cowdery in 1835, served as the Church's official position on marriage and
was printed in each edition of the Doctrine and Covenants until 1876, when
it was replaced by section 132.

[Footnote] Upon accepting the implications of the doctrine of plural
marriage Emma Smith was eternally sealed to the Prophet (28 may 1843).
...only by receiving the fulness of the priesthood could Emma Smith have
claim on her husband in the eternities. Despite Emma's changing moods
regarding this matter, ultimately she was administered the fulness of the
priesthood, in connection with the Prophet (28 September 1843).

[Footnote] ... Several accounts affirm that Emma Smith burned it.

...

Lyndon W. Cook, "The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical
and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, (Salt Lake
City, Utah: Deseret Book, 1985), p. 293-295.

The information contained in D&C 132 was recorded on 12 July 1843 to meet
a specific need. But the principle of plurality of wives, which
constitutes a major portion of the section, was known to the Prophet long
before this date. Therefore, the new edition adds the following
explanation: "Although the revelation was recorded in 1843, it is evident
from the historical records that the doctrine and principles involved in
this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831." This is an
important clarification relative to the time period in which the laws
governing the plurality of wives were revealed to the Prophet.

Among the historical evidence for the earlier time period is a signed
report written by Elder Orson Pratt in 1878 and published in the
Millennial Star. In it he affirms hi personal knowledge that the Prophet
received a revelation on the matter in the fall of 1831. A second piece of
evidence comes from an address by Elder Joseph F. Smith, delivered in Salt
Lake City on 7 July 1878, in which he gives 1832 as the time of the
revelation.

Robert J. Matthews, "The New Publications of the Standard Works--1979,
1981," Brigham Young University Studies, Volume 22, Number 4 (Fall 1982),
p. 415.

Although verse 7 indicates that "there is never but one on the earth at a
time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred,"
statements and actions later would indicate that many church leaders hold
simultaneously hold this priesthood authority. Of particular note are
comments made by President Hinckley in several conferences where he has
stated that each member of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve
hold all the keys of the priesthood.

Verse 19 seems to say that a couple married in the temple are sealed to
eternal life unless they commit murder. The allusion ("sealed unto them by
the Holy Spirit of Promise, by him how is anointed") is to the second
anointing. Usually only sealed couples received the second anointing. See
" 'The Fulness of the Priesthood': The Second Anointing in Latter-day
Saint Theology and Practice" by David John Buerger

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The Notepad, www.srv.net/~sro/Notepad/Notepad.html, contains notes on D&C
132.  In the notes is a brief explanation that D&C 132:19 does not mean
that a temple marriage is a garantee of salvation.

Also available is "New Light on an Old Hypothesis: The Ohio Origins of the
Revelation on Eternal Marriage" by Danel W Backman

Particularly of note is that at one time, the temple marriage ceremony was
published by the church (specifically by Orson Pratt).  The text is
available on The Notepad, under the Doctrine Index.

http://www.srv.net/~sro/Notepad/Notepad.html


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