Joseph Fielding Smith Manual – Sealing Power and Temple Blessings – By Gary Carter

 Chapter 17 Review of the 2014 Teaching Manual. See chapter here.

We live in an age where the differences between religions, denominations and sects are blurring. Those who subscribe to the pluralistic point of view would argue that there is no fundamental difference between any of the major world religions. There is movement of ecumenism in the churches that emphasize our shared core beliefs rather than our distinct theological differences. There is also a movement that seeks to dampen down the key theological differences between Christianity and Mormonism. Such theological differences that are sometimes ‘smoothed over’ are the issues of grace and works, the degrees of salvation, the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood and the temple ordinances. The temple and the ordinances that occur within its walls are not something that can be seen publicly outside of the practicing LDS community but from what we do know, these ordinances are definitely outside the realm of standard Christianity. In the second of our chapter reviews of the Teachings of the Presidents: Joseph Fielding Smith, we shall jump forward a few chapters to investigate JFS’s views on the temple ordinances, his viewpoint on what the ordinances value is and what the underlining theology is behind these ordinances.

Mormon religious life should, in the view of JFS as well as nearly every major leader of the LDS church, revolve around the temple and the ordinances. This is definitely the case with JFS as he argues that one should go to go the temple as a necessary part of faith unless there is unable due to infirmity or extreme poverty.

These ordinances, temple marriage, baptism for the dead, initial washing and anointing and endowment are all fundamental to the practice of Mormonism. The ordinances, reserved only for the faithful in the dedicated sacred space of the LDS temple, are unique to Mormonism and due to their ‘closed’ nature are difficult to fully explain and explore but they all have some similar key foundations. These foundations are ritual as part of salvation and the family.

Our key passage today is Malachi 4:5-6:

‘See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction.’

This passage, one of the key passages in this chapter that is referred to by JFS, is very useful in illuminating the theological foundations of the ordinances. JFS links this verse, rather unsurprisingly, to a quotation from Doctrine and Covenants:

“Behold, I will reveal unto you the Priesthood, by the hand of

Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day

of the Lord. “And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises

made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to

their fathers. “If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his

coming.” (D&C 2:1–3.)

Whilst there is no clear sign from these passages that point directly to the temple ordinances explicitly, what we do see is the theme of family. We can be even more precise with regards to this theme when we look at the terminology of ‘parents’ and ‘children’. These links between the generations appear pivotal in these passages and I am not here to argue against that but there are questions as to whether JFS’s use and interpretation of these passages necessarily lead logically to the conclusions that JFS uses to support temple ordinances.

When we consider LDS theology we cannot escape the fundamental idea of family. Baptism for the dead brings those who we on earth have lost into the eternal family even if they were not Mormons in life. Temple marriages involve sealings that bind the parties together in eternal marriage for all eternity. Receiving the endowments are necessary for the progression to the celestial kingdom that involves the family that was bound together on earth. There is a doctrine/theological thought within Mormonism called the patriarchal chain that emerges from Abraham 2:9-11.

9 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood unto all nations;

 10 And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall rise up and bless thee, as their father;

And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed(that is, thy Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.(Abraham 2:9-11)

This ‘chain’ links the practicing Mormons of the present back through the generations to Abraham, Adam and the beginning of the human race on earth. One is fused into this chain by faithful Mormon living and by observing the ordinances. When we consider the ordinances in light of the passages above, it is not all that hard to see the link. ‘The hearts of the children turning to the fathers’ verse is typical of how humanity as a whole, in general, views their relationship with their parents and elder relatives. The pain of losing those relatives and not being with them again can be unbearable. Anyone who dismisses the emotion that can be involved in such things is being realistic. It is not surprising therefore that a theology can develop around turning to their forefathers and seeking to be bound together for all eternity. Surely the Lord, the almighty, all loving God would want our families to be together if that is such a primordial desire? Such a viewpoint, whilst immensely credible when we consider our own feelings and desires, does have some serious problems.

It would be fair to say that JFS’s interpretation of Malachi 4 is not the only interpretation. A standard Christian interpretation of this section would not end with the focus on family but on promise. The ‘hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers’ because of the promises that have been placed into the hearts of the children that the Lord made to their fathers. These promises are the promises of the coming Christ, given that Malachi came before the coming of Christ and the promises of God after Christ died and was resurrected. These promises are that the God of their fathers, the God who saved and walked with their fathers is the God who saves and walks with them. So what can conclude when we compare the two interpretations? It would be fair to say that this passage isn’t necessarily explicit either way but there is more evidence for the Christian interpretation of promises of Christ compared to the evidence for sealings and ordinances of JFS’s interpretation. This isn’t necessarily because there is a lot of evidence for the Christian perspective but because it is difficult to see any evidence for this interpretation in Malachi 4. The passage says nothing of sealings to family for eternal marriage or the patriarchal chain explicitly and it is difficult to see an implicit reading. Disrespecting the fathers and the elder generations is definitely not in the Lord’s plan. The Lord wants us as children to look to the fathers and the promises made, that much is clear but to make the link to sealings and temple ordinances is a massive leap. There is also nothing to lead to this conclusion in the Doctrine and Covenants section that JFS refers to. The similarities between the Malachi passage and the D&C section are striking but this passage is no more explicit or implicit in supporting this reading.

The theology of these ordinances can also be called into question. What is the theological point of these rituals within Mormonism? Before we can answer this question, we must ask ourselves, what are the main theological points of the Christian rituals of baptism and communion? These rituals, whilst considered key to living out the Christian life are not considered necessary for salvation. The necessity for salvation within Christian theology is faith. Other works are unnecessary and unhelpful if they replace faith. The temple ordinances, performed in the holy of holies are essential for progression to from ‘mere’ salvation to exaltation in the celestial kingdom and the eternal family. Whilst the Christian key rituals are not necessary ultimate goal within Christianity, the temple ordinances are necessary within Mormonism. Let us consider what JFS says on page 220:

“Temple work is so interwoven with the plan of salvation, that one cannot exist without the other. In other words, there can be no salvation where there [are] no temple ordinances peculiarly belonging to the temple.”

When we consider this passage, it is not erroneous to suggest that JFS believes that temple work is woven into salvation, cannot be removed from salvation, and are fundamentally necessary not only to the Mormon idea of salvation but for exaltation as well. Bearing this in mind, the logical conclusion is that temple sealings, blessings and work are key to the Mormon understanding of salvation exaltation and glory and this is fundamentally different to the Christian understanding of salvation. The differences between the Mormon and Christian understandings can also be seen in re readings of the passages we have mentioned. JFS’s theology of sealings and temple work as necessary doesn’t seem to be firmly established in the Malachi and Doctrine and Covenants passages he quotes. The patriarchal chain cannot be found when reading the text for an implicit reading.

It is possible to discuss a wide range of topics when we think of temple ordinances. We can consider the need for a temple in post-Christ times. We could consider the links that have been raised between temple ordinances and freemasonry. We could consider the secrecy of the temple and the need to be worthy to enter. What we need to consider though when we consider the temple ordinances and the theology of JFS however, what we can clearly see is the difference between the Mormon understanding of salvation, exaltation and the celestial kingdom and the Christian understanding of salvation by faith alone without additional works or rituals. When we consider the differences, it cannot be concluded that these gospels are the same.

Lorenzo Snow–21 Loving God More Than we Love the World, by Mike Thomas

Most of this chapter comprises extracts from a sermon Lorenzo Snow delivered just after he had been called as president of the Quorum of the Twelve in April 1889. That date, that period, is significant because many of the conditions that prevailed some fifty years earlier were again being experienced by the Mormon Church.

In her seminal biography of Joseph Smith, No Man Knows My History, the historian Fawn M Brodie wrote:

“Mormon theology was never burdened with otherworldliness…Wealth and power [Mormons] considered basic among the blessing both of earth and of heaven…” (No Man Knows My History, 1966 ed. pub. Alfred A Knopf, p.p. 187/8)

A quote from an 1831 letter throws light on the Saints’ view of wealth and entitlement:

“It passes for a current fact that there are immense treasures in the earth, especially in those places in the State of New York from whence many of the Mormonites emigrated last spring; and when they become sufficiently purified, these treasures are to be poured into the lap of their church; to use their own language, they are to be the richest people in the world.” (Ezra Booth, letter written late in 1831. Quoted in Brodie p. 187)

This understanding has bearing on the subject of Snow’s sermon. Here are the salient facts surrounding both periods, 1835 and 1889:

By 1835 Joseph Smith had built his own little kingdom in Kirtland

By 1877, the time of his death, Brigham Young had built a kingdom in the Salt Lake Valley

In 1835 rumours of polygamy were causing problems for the church and Joseph Smith was forced to deny the rumours, even though his denial was a palpable lie.

In 1887 the Edmunds-Tucker Act allowed the government to effectively dissolve the Mormon Church as a legal entity because of the practice of polygamy and, in 1890, it was this that forced the hand of church president Wilford Woodruff who issued the Manifesto abandoning polygamy.

In 1835 a new temple had been completed and had drained church resources

By 1890 the Salt Lake temple was completed and had drained church resources

So, what did the Saints do in 1835 to solve their financial problems? What caused Lorenzo Snow to refer to an apostasy?

Land-Grabs and Dodgy Banking

in the mid 1830’s Mormons entered a period of frenzied land speculation led by Joseph Smith himself. In other words, if there was an apostasy, Joseph was chief heretic. There was a huge influx of immigration that caused the population in and around Kirtland to jump 62 percent and the question of where they would all live had dollar signs spinning in the eyes of those able to buy and sell property.

In Kirtland, lots jumped from $50 to $2,000, and surrounding farms from $10 and $15 an acre to $150. Joseph began buying and selling land with the rest. His credit, backed by the collateral of the new temple built for some $70,000, was good so he borrowed, speculated to accumulate. Along with three others, he began a frenzy of borrowing and purchasing, hoping to make riches from the incoming Mormon population. Of course, this created a property bubble that couldn’t last but that didn’t seem to trouble the prophet.

Mormon apostle, Parley P Pratt was so concerned he wrote a letter to Joseph Smith in which he declared himself, “…fully convinced that you, and president Rigdon, both by precept and example, have been the principle means in leading this people astray, in these particulars, and having myself been led astray and caught in the same snare by your example, and by false prophesying and preaching, from your own mouths, yea, having done many things wrong and plunged myself and family, and others, well nigh into destruction, I have awoke to an awful sense of my situation, and now resolve to retrace my steps and get out of the snare, and make restitution as far as I can.” (quoted in Tanner, Mormonism-Shadow or Reality, p.528)

The level and extent of speculation was so damaging it depreciated paper money going into the United States Treasury. On July 11, 1836 Andrew Jackson issued a specie circular, forbidding agents to accept anything but gold and silver for the sale of public land (specie is a term for money in the form of coins and paper)

According to the History of the Church, Joseph Smith had marked September 11, 1836 as the day God would redeem Zion. Quoting in part Isaiah, he said, “Then, for brass the Lord will bring gold, and for iron silver, and for wood brass…and then the land will be worth possessing and the world fit to live in.” Unfortunately, the prospect facing the Saints was bleak, and they faced being driven out of Missouri as those who once were pleased to shelter them now lost all sympathy for them.

Buried Treasure

Money had to be gained from somewhere, but the specie ban made it very difficult. It was then that news of buried treasure reached Joseph, first in the form of a story in the Painesville Telegraph.

War treasure was said to be buried beneath a house in Salem, Massachusetts, and a convert named Burgess claimed he was the only one who remembered its exact location. I know what your thinking; he surely isn’t going to fall for this. Well, the pull of the old days was just too strong, the promise of buried treasure too tempting, and he arrived in Salem early in August, 1836.

Joseph’s true objective could not be revealed and in this he faced a dilemma. His initial explanation was that this was a mission tour. The truth had to come out at some time however and, as so often before, he solved his problem by receiving a revelation, Doctrine & Covenants 111 which begins:

“I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies. I have much treasure in this city for you, for the benefit of Zion, and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion, through your instrumentality.

Therefore, it is expedient that you should form acquaintance with men in this city, as you shall be led, and as it shall be given you. And it shall come to pass in due time that I will give this city into your hands, that you shall have power over it, insomuch that they shall not discover your secret parts; and its wealth pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours. Concern not yourselves about your debts, for I will give you power to pay them.” (v.v 1-5)

Mormons today who get their Mormon history only from official sources will know nothing of Joseph’s true motives, of the Saints’ true financial and moral dilemma. The heading for section 111 disingenuously reads:

“Revelation given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Salem, Massachusetts, August 6, 1836. At this time the leaders of the Church were heavily in debt due to their labors (sic) in the ministry. Hearing that a large amount of money would be available to them in Salem, the Prophet, Sidney Rigdon, Hyrum Smith, and Oliver Cowdery traveled (sic) there from Kirtland, Ohio, to investigate this claim, along with preaching the gospel. The brethren transacted several items of Church business and did some preaching. When it became apparent that no money was to be forthcoming, they returned to Kirtland. Several of the factors prominent in the background are reflected in the wording of this revelation.”

They were not, however, “in debt due their labours in the ministry,” they were in debt because of wild and unsustainable land and property speculations, Joseph leading the charge.

It had been ten years since he had dug for buried gold but he hadn’t left behind his simple faith in the folklore and blind superstitions that had led to his early treasure-seeking adventures in the first place. Unfortunately for him, Burgess soon abandoned this venture, claiming the city had changed so much he could no longer be sure of the treasure’s location. The biter bit? It would seem so, since Joseph had fallen victim to the same scam he had pulled on others and, like them, he walked away without the gold in which he so believed and on which he had so depended to get him out of his dilemma.

Dodgy Banking

Joseph Smith didn’t come back entirely empty-handed, having negotiated more loans from companies in the East. However, he couldn’t go on living indefinitely on borrowed funds. At some point, he knew, his debts had to be liquidated and the Saints’ finances established on a more sure footing.  It was now, and in the same spirit of wild speculation, that Joseph Smith established his own bank, the Kirtland Safety Society Bank Company. This wasn’t unusual at the time; the rapid expansion of the West created a demand for money that wasn’t being met by existing banking institutions.

Again, Joseph legitimised this new venture with a new revelation. The Saints were assured that Smith’s bank would “grow and flourish, and spread from the rivers to the ends of the earth, and survive when all others should be laid in ruins.” (Reported in Zion’s Watchtower, March 24, 1838)

The bank’s establishment was announced in January 1837 in the Messenger and Advocate, which issued an appeal…”We invite the brethren from abroad, to call on us, and take stock in our Safety Society; and we would remind them also of the sayings of Isaiah…’Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with them, unto the name of the Lord thy God.’”

The problem was that this rapid expansion of banking facilities to meet these needs led to a chaotic banking system and on January 1, 1837, the same day the Kirtland bank’s printed bank notes were issued, the Ohio legislature refused the bank’s incorporation.

Joseph told his followers that it was because they were Mormons, but the truth was only one bank was allowed incorporation and the legislature was simply gaining control of a spiralling situation.

To get around the problem Joseph stamped his bank notes with the prefix anti and the suffix ing around the word Bank, creating the Kirtland Safety Society Anti-bank-ing Company. Now it was a quasi-bank, needn’t be incorporated and, if he could pull this off long enough to convince investors his problems might be solved.

The problem was he didn’t have the assets to back up the notes being printed. Bills were being paid, debts cleared and, for a fleeting fortnight, Kirtland was rich; but all on notes not worth their face value.

Joseph Smith confidently assured people he had $60,000 in the vaults and a further $600,000 readily accessible. The truth is he had $6,000 and access to not a penny more. He said there was no more than $10,000 in bills in circulation when, in fact, there was more than $150,000.

By January 27 merchants were refusing notes and the bills were streaming back into Kirtland.  Joseph Smith redeemed the notes but soon realised a run on the bank would ruin him so stopped taking his own money. By February 1 every dollar of Kirtland money was worth no more than twelve and a half cents!

The truth is, the bank had always been illegal, the fixed penalty for the crime was $1000 with informers taking a share of the fine. Joseph Smith had enemies aplenty and it didn’t take long for one to swear a writ against him. By March 24 Joseph was on trial and ordered to pay the $1000 penalty, plus costs. The final reckoning established that the Mormon leaders owed non-Mormon individuals well over $150,000.

So, Lorenzo Snow-1889

In 1889 the Mormon Church had arrived at the same place. Church property had already been confiscated under the Edmunds-Tucker Act, the $4m temple had depleted church funds and there was another bubble, this time a railroad bubble, as well as overbuilding that would lead to the panic of 1893. Hundreds of banks would close across America, thousands of businesses go under.

Lorenzo Snow’s sermon was aimed at Mormons who might be tempted to follow the example of their founding prophet and speculate their church out of existence and themselves into “apostasy.” It is clear that he was not impressed by Joseph’s conduct, which he had witnessed first-hand. Nevertheless, he hawked around the “official” account which had been worked up over the years, and that exonerated Joseph and blamed “apostate” church members as well as some leaders.

Mormons were still facing financial ruin and would still need to resolve their financial difficulties. In 1899,  now as president of the church, Lorenzo Snow toured the territories preaching tithing. You can read about that in a previous post. There the church’s subsequent change in fortune was described in this way:

“The church’s 1898 deficit of $1.25m became a net worth of $3.2m by 1904 and, while church leaders ascribed the changing fortunes of the church to God’s blessing tithe payers, it may have had more to do with the saints gaining full statehood and involvement in the rapid growth of the US economy from 1897 to 1907. Of course, the eyes of faith would have it otherwise, with the fortunes of the United States tied in with the fortunes of Mormons.”

When Mormons became American Mormonism became financially secure and Mormonism the American Religion.

Mike Thomas was a Mormon for 14 years, became a Christian in 1986 and for many years worked with Reachout Trust speaking and writing about Mormonism. He still researches Mormonism and occasionally posts his thoughts on Mormon issues at The Mormon Chapbook

John Dehlin Interviews Tom Phillips.

Hey all below is an interview with John Dehlin from Mormon Stories and Tom Phillips an ex Mormon Bishop/Stake President who no longer believes. He tells his story of leaving Mormonism and a ritual he went through in the Mormon Temple called the 2nd annointing. This interview has been talked about a lot lately because John Dehlin decided not to include it on his podcast, I think this was largely because of how closely it describes some LDS General authorities, its very long (4 hours plus) so its only for the super keen and while I would far from agree with everything Tom says it really is fascinating.

John Dehlin Interview with Tom Phillips

(Left Click to listen, right click and save target as to save)

Sandra Tanner Explains Mormon Temples.

Below are the three parts to an interview with Sandra Tanner about the Mormon Temple rituals compared to the Old Testament Temples which is what the Mormon Church claims their temples are a modern day fulfilment of.

For those who dont know Sandra Tanner is a descendent of Brigham Young who left the Mormon church many years ago and since then has produced masses of information about the Mormon church. Their Ministry website www.utlm.org is probably the best website on the internet to see many aspects of the Mormon church you would never hear through official Church releases.