Griffith Test

Hyrum Smith

Brother of Joseph Smith, killed at Carthage Jail, designated successor of Joseph smith

Elijah Abel

African American ordained to the priesthood during Joseph Smith’s lifetime.

Sidney Rigdon

member of the first presidency, claimed that he should be the “guardian” of the church till the Savior comes again, excommunicated, had a “vision”, not supportive of temple ordinances

David O McKay

President of the church that prayed for revelation about priesthood policy but did not change it.

Joseph Smith

Martyred in Carthage Jail

Spencer W. Kimball:

 Updated priesthood policy during Worldwide Church era, official declaration 2, every worthy male can hold the priesthood

Emma Smith

Has a complicated relationship with polygamy(sec 132), doesn’t go west, doesn’t support Brigham Young, descendants create RLDS, 1st president of the Relief Society

Oliver Cowdery

present when Christ appears in Kirtland and temple, leaves the church but comes back

Joseph F. Smith

received D&C 138 about the spirit world, codified the policies of the church

Brigham Young

leads exodus west, chosen to be next prophet by the people after a spiritual manifestation 

John Taylor

3rd President of the Church, survived Carthage jail after being wounded

Eliza R snow

 Wrote the first declaration for the Relief Society. Asked by Brigham Young to reorganize the Relief Society in the Salt Lake Valley. “RS was in every dispensation.”

John D Lee

Carries out and instigates the mountain meadows massacre

Willard Richards

Survived Carthage Jail with John Taylor

Beginnings 1820-1831

• First vision 

• Priesthood restored 

• Book of Mormon published

Two church Centers- 1831-1839

• Saints in both centers (ohio + missouri) 

• First temple dedicated - Kirtland!

• Keys received in Kirtland temple (Kirtland pentecost) 

• Section 76 received (plan of salvation) 

• First plural marriage is performed 

• Law of consecration is revealed 

• Quorum of the 12 and president organized 

Nauvoo- 1839-1846

• Baptisms for the dead 

• More plural marriage (but still very secret!!)

• Plural marriage taught to select members

• Joseph murdered 

• Council of 50 formed 

• Relief society organized 

The Church in the West- 1847-1890

• Interviews with people from past 

• Brigham Young made word of wisdom a commandment (not for temple recommend) 

• Brigham Young institutes policy on priesthood ban for race 

• More temples built 

• Endowments for the dead are performed in the St. George temple

Expansion- 1890-1950

• Church brought temples to people 

• Church welfare system starts 

• Second manifesto is given (those who make new plural marriage will be excommunicated) 

World Wide church

• Declaration two, Spencer W Kimball gets rid of the priesthood ban on race

D&C 25

EMMA SMITH - AN ELECT LADY

D&C 124

Reconstruction of the Church (instructions for the saints after the extermination order)

D&C 127

Proxy Baptism Instruction

D&C 130

Life after death

D&C 132

Celestial Marriage

D&C 136

The Word and Will of the Lord, winter quarters

D&C 138

Vision of the Spirit World (Joseph F. Smith)

Official Declaration #1

The Manifesto on plural marriage

OD #2

The Long Promised Day (ban on blacks and the Priesthood lifted)

D&C 104

Church of councils. Presiding councils in the Church and the function of each council.

Function and purposes of Church disciplinary councils.

• To save the soul of the transgressor, to protect the innocent, to safeguard the churches purity, integrity, and good name

Sacred treasury:

 building temples, churches, missionary work, gospel work

Secular treasury:

things the church presidency wants to build to help the community, city creek mall, church welfare

Presiding councils in the Church and the function of each council.

governing bodies in the Church responsible for overseeing stakes, missions, and branches, ensuring effective leadership and administration.

Kirtland temple

• Church HQ

• JS did translations here

• Pentecost where all the keys were restored

Nauvoo temple

• Living ordinances happen, baptisms and endowments

• Baptisms for the dead, but no endowments for them

Modern Temples

• Work for living and dead

• St george was first temple to do proxy endowments 

Two houses

• Sacred house = Nauvoo temple

• Secular house = Nauvoo house

  • A hotel for travelers

  • Hard to build because commerce was swampy 

  • Hoped people would convert while staying there

Historical circumstances surrounding the dedication of the Kirtland temple.

The Lord had commanded the Saints to construct three houses 1)the House of the Lord 2)a House for the Presidency 3)a house for the printing of the scriptures

Divine beings who appeared in the Kirtland temple and what keys each restored.

• The Savior, accepts the house as His, declares that they have been endowed, and promises personal appearances

• Moses-key to gather Israel from 4 corners of the earth

• Elias-Keys of the Dispensation of Abraham

• Elijah- Keys of Sealing

Fall of Kirtland and story of the Kirtland safety society bank.

Kirtland Safety Society opens for business Jan 1837, Feb meeting in Kirtland temple for all those who consider JS a fallen prophet, intend to appoint David Whitmer as president of church. May 1837 Panic of 1837 hits Ohio and JS is unable to pay creditors on goods purchased for store. Aug apostates break up meeting in Kirtland Temple. Nov. Kirtland safety society closes its doors. Jan 1838 JS flees Kirtland to escape enemies, arrives in Far West Missouri in march.

Circumstance and causes of the 1838 Mormon War in Missouri.

Danites organized, Battle of Crooked River, extermination order from Boggs, Hawn’s Mill Massacre, JS and others taken to Liberty Jail

Teachings about priesthood and divine power given in Liberty Jail.

Priesthood cannot be used for wrong purposes

Teachings about trials and how to overcome them.

God can make the Liberty Jails of our lives into temples

Reconstruction of the Church

buildings and commandments given for Nauvoo.

Historical events leading to the revelation of work for the dead.

JS Sr. had just died as well as Edward partridge. JS taught baptism for the dead at a funeral.

In section 137 Joseph sees his brother Alvin and learns that work can be done for the dead

In prison until your work is done and you can go to paradise (138)

Counsel and early practices concerning baptisms for the dead (D&C 127-128)

Origins of the Relief Society - who started it? under what circumstances?

• Sarah M. Kimball and Margaret Cook wanted to make a sewing society to help with the Nauvoo Temple. Emma smith started it

• D&C 25 (Emma is an elect lady)

• Has existed in every dispensation

Practices within the Relief Society, ordinations, healings, etc. 

• Women don’t hold the priesthood, but they can do the work of God. ordained to heal the sick. Power of faith, not priesthood.

The Retrenchment movement, Eliza R. Snow, and the restoration of the Relief Society.

Origins of temple ordinances and marriage practices in Nauvoo. Plural Marriage

• As part of the restitution of all things

• To provide a customized trial for the saints

• Multiplying and replenishing the earth

• To allow all worthy women to be sealed to an eternal husband

Types of sealings in Nauvoo and what each one meant.

• For time: just this life

• For eternity: only in effect in the next life

• For time & eternity: this life & the next

Context and teachings in D&C 132, i.e., sealing power, types of marriages, importance, etc. 

Types of sealings

-not sealed by Holy Spirit of promise, out of force when they are dead, act as ministering angels

-sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, come forth in the first resurrection, Inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, powers, dominions, all heights and depths.

In full force when they are out of the world.

"They shall be gods, because they have no end"

Joseph Smith's teachings about the nature of angels, humans, and divine beings.

• D&C 129??? Talks about the angels

  • Spirits of just men made perfect 

  • Resurrected beings w bodies

  • Earthly angels

  • May be premortal spirits

• Teachings concerning the nature of the next life, sociality, etc. 

  Context and main points of the King Follett discourse, what questions it answers. etc. 

  • Man does not comprehend himself until he comprehends the nature of God, bc we’re the same type of being & have potential to become like Him. He was once like us.

Key individuals involved in the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. 

-William Law (LDS) publisher of the Nauvoo Expositor and Thomas Sharp (non-LDS) says the powder and ball thing. john C. Bennett excommunicated member

Origins of the Nauvoo Expositor and its claims, what led to its destruction

• started just to try & get Nauvoo’s charter repealed. Published defaming statements & called for Joseph Smith’s arrest

• Destruction of Expositor was technically legal

• Accused Joseph of setting up Gov Bogg’s murder, which made people really mad & touchy

• They came all the way to Nauvoo from Missouri to arrest him & demanded he go to Carthage

D&C 135, 136 and the purposes given for Joseph and Hyrum Smith's deaths.

• Taken home to get rest 

• Woodruff says he needed to seal testimony with blood and teach spirits in prison

Key individuals involved in the succession crisis of 1844, their teachings and backgrounds.

• Sidney Rigdon 

• Brigham Young

• James J. Strang

• Joseph III eventually

How the process of succession developed throughout the history of the Church. 

• 1st Presidency dissolved

• Senior apostle takes presidency pretty much

• Over time the organization of the first presidency has been faster (Lorenzo Snow says should be immediate)

Key principles involving prophetic succession.

keys of the kingdom given to the twelve

-seniority: a governing principle of presidency

-at the president’s death there is no authority over the twelve

-reorganization of the the first presidency

Function and purposes of the Council of Fifty. 

• Ran Joseph’s presidential campaign

• Organized trek west

• Ran affairs of Nauvoo 

D&C 136 instructions given to the Saints during their trek west. 

-take care of each other and provide for those behind you

Circumstances surrounding the Utah War and the Mountain Meadows Massacre. 

-big army coming with new governor, this intimidated the saints and put them on edge

-Haight and John D. Lee most involved, go against Brigham Young’s later advice

Historical circumstances surrounding the origins of the priesthood policy. 

never barred from anything when JS was president

-unevenly applied throughout 19th cent after Brigham Young institutes ban

Recipe for widespread racial conflict

1. African enslavement

2. Prevailing scientific thought

3. Incorrect Biblical interpretation

more info: all false!

Correct and false ideas taught in the Church about the nature of the priesthood policy. 

People with dark skin could not hold the priesthood.

Africans are the descendants of Cain, and restricted from holding the priesthood.

Those who came to the earth through this lineage were less noble. 

There was a hierarchy of races based on Premortality.

Premillennialism

worse until Christ comes

Postmillennialism

things will get better and we will present what we have done well to Christ

Amillennialism

symbolic motivation. peace inward.