Friday, November 13, 2009

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Steadfast and Immovable
Prophet Exemplifies Our Savior

by Dale J. Neilson

© Latter-day Times Newspapers


Taking Charge of Being in Charge
In the Oct. 31 edition of the Latter-day Times Newspapers I noted the Prophet Joseph Smith and several Brethren were imprisoned at the Richmond, Mo., jail in 1838.

Instead of execution, the jailed Brethren were subjected to the insidious bragging of rape, torture and murder among Latter-day Saints, for which many early church history antagonists were responsible.

It happened during this very time 181 years ago, perhaps even on Nov. 11 (today). According to the TV series The Joseph Smith Papers, imprisonment at Richmond happened soon after the Prophet and others were released from the Independence, Mo., jail, on Nov.8.

One of the imprisoned Brethren at Richmond, Parley P. Pratt, wrote of the verbal disgust, shock and horror he and others were subjected to in the jail. He was “so filled with the spirit of indignant justice that I could scarcely refrain from rising upon my feet and rebuking the guards” but said nothing to anyone else, including the prophet, though he knew he was awake. (Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938], p. 228-230.)

Maybe all the Brethren there assumed the Prophet Joseph Smith would take charge in such dire circumstances. They may have rightfully feared one false move or complaint could result in their mass execution.

They had every reason to believe their captors wouldn’t make any empty threats.


“Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer
of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only”
This is the dire setting in which the Prophet Joseph, in chains, quietly arose to his feet and strongly rebuked the wicked guards: “Silence! Ye fiends of the infernal pit! In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still. I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die THIS INSTANT!” (ibid.)

The tension of the wicked guards must have been throttling, according to Brother Pratt, as the prophet “stood erect in terrible majesty. Chained, and without a weapon, calm, unruffled and dignified as an angel, he looked down upon his quailing guards, whose weapons were lowered or dropped to the ground, whose knees smote together, and who, shrinking into a corner, or crouching at his feet, begged his pardon, and remained quiet till a change of guards.” (ibid.)

I believe terrible majesty means that majesty of perfect righteousness of which Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son Jesus Christ possess. It’s terrible to evil, which cannot withstand such righteousness and cowardly backs down every time (Matt. 4: 10-11). The Richmond jail guards exemplified cowardly evil in backing down to the righteous Prophet.

Who else even more severely persecuted was also bound, without a weapon but ever in complete control of His circumstances? With all the hatred surrounding Him, yet He still dignified righteousness. He, even our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Angel of Angels, the Beloved Son of God.

Even the centurion at Christ’s death, “which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:39)

Among all of our Heavenly Father’s children, not one of us is even in the same ‘spiritual universe’ as our Beloved Savior. But the Prophet Joseph, indeed the ‘best of the rest’ of us, “has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man who has ever lived in it.” (Doc. & Cov. 135:3)

Brother Pratt’s amazing memory of the Prophet’s fiery response of “dignity and majesty” to combat wickedness is ageless. (ibid.) He also wrote of trying to imagine kings, presidents, other magistrates and law-making bodies poised to enact or enforce laws, decide between life and death, and determine the fate of nations and kingdoms.

Despite it all, “… but dignity and majesty have I seen but once, as it stood in chains, at midnight, in a dungeon, in an obscure village of Missouri.” (ibid.)



Saturday, October 31, 2009
Halloween, Haun’s Mill Massacre Linked Inseperately
by Dale J. Neilson
© Latter-day Times Newspapers

Halloween Week Rough Ride for Pioneer LDS

While Halloween is known virtually worldwide as Oct. 31, not nearly as many know it as the day after the Haun’s Mill Massacre.

That was yesterday, Oct. 30, for those keeping score.

This week notes not only the 181st anniversary of this horrific event, but also of Missouri Gov. Lilburn W. Boggs’ infamous (among Latter-day Saints) extermination order (Oct. 27), the Oct. 24 Battle of Crooked River and the Oct. 31 arrest and ultimate imprisonment in the Richmond, Mo., jail of the Prophet Joseph Smith and other church leaders.

Halloween week seems to carry more macabre reminders for LDS than first thought. But I still appreciate children’s enthusiasm for the day.
These points I considered while watching the 2008 TV series of The Joseph Smith Papers. Its feature presentation documented the options of carrying out Boggs’ command.

The governor wrote in the extermination order that “Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state if necessary for the public good.” (History of the Church 3:175)

This is also the funeral date of martyred apostle David W. Patten, the first apostle to die in this dispensation. At the services, the prophet said, “There lies a man that has done just as he said he would—he laid down his life for his friends.” (HC 3:175)

Living Faith Precedes Major, Minor Miracles
The Haun’s Mill Massacre, which apparently began in early evening, was a brazen and murderous extension of Boggs’ orders ruthlessly targeting church members as enemies. It “included the deliberate and cold-blooded murder of children.” (Antone Clark, Noble Pioneer: A Biography of Ezra Thompson Clark [2002], 72)

Chilling stories abound in the pleasure the killers and tormentors took in delivering pain and death, such as with martyr Sardius Smith.

Eight year-old brother Alma’s hip was virtually shot off at point-blank range, causing blood to gush forth. His mother’s fervent heartfelt prayer for inspiration impressed her to pack cooled ashes into his body’s cavity. Immediately, this faithful mom called for assistance from a priesthood holder nearby.

The man gave Alma a blessing, promising the boy he would not only recover, but walk again and live a productive life.

All of these inspired promises came true, just as promises were made and kept to two other Almas of integrity as recounted in the Book of Mormon.

I first heard this incredible but true story of Alma Smith from seminary teacher Larry LeBaron about 35 years ago. I’ve never known of any other source to corroborate Brother LeBaron’s claim of the ashes, the stirring priesthood blessing and faith in the Savior ultimately healing Alma.

That certainly doesn’t discredit it, though. Apparently, no one else besides the Prophet Joseph has seen and heard the Father and the Son in vision since ancient times, either. But there are millions upon millions of us who know for ourselves it is true.

We all have similar miracles in our lives. Most aren’t as dramatic, but faith-building and obedience aren’t about drama. They’re about following Heavenly Father through His Beloved Son Jesus Christ.

Sometimes it isn’t easy, but always well worth the long-term reward.

Loyalty to God Supersedes Life Itself
2008’s Oct. 26 Joseph Smith Papers said when the prophet Joseph and other Brethren were arrested Oct. 31, they were taken to Far West, Mo. On Nov.1, commanding Maj. Gen. Samuel D. Lucas of the Missouri state militia with mob mentality ordered Brig. Gen. Alexander Doniphan to execute the Brethren at 9 a.m. the next day.

Doniphan, long-considered a friend of the church rebuffed his superior officer’s request, adding, “if you execute those men, I will hold you responsible before an earthly tribunal, so help me God!” (Joseph Fielding Smith, Essentials of Church History, [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1953], 241)

This was a tremendous career and personal safety risk for Doniphan. Not only could he have been court-martialed, but also executed. He, his family and friends may have been victims of retaliation, but no record of any is known.

Lucas apparently didn’t pursue any action against his junior officer. He still ordered the prisoners to be taken to Independence, Mo., for execution.

My great-great-great grandfather, Timothy Baldwin Clark and his family (including son Ezra, my great-great-grandfather) were among those expunged from Missouri, but apparently they escaped serious injury. Like so many other saints, though, the Clarks’ crops and belongings were destroyed by mobbers.

On Nov. 1, T.B. Clark, who fought at Crooked River, was jailed with the initial roundup of church leaders when the mob-like militia entered Far West. He was imprisoned for eight days before release due to age. His will to fight at Crooked River must have influenced his younger children at home.

“The man who had taken his time joining the faith was … defending it with a rifle and … willing to go to jail for doing so.” Timing of the battle and his wife Polly’s declining health may have put his family’s future at significant risk (Noble Pioneer, 73).

"Be of Good Cheer, Brethren"

On Nov. 3, the prophet spoke to his comrades in a subdued but cheerful and confidential tone to “Be of good cheer, brethren; the word of the Lord came to me last night that our lives should be given us, and that whatever we may suffer during this captivity, not one of our lives should be taken.” (Parley P. Pratt, Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1938], p. 187).

While the prisoners were paraded through the streets as a show of Lucas’ power, a woman asked the prophet Joseph if he was the Savior. “No, indeed,” replied Joseph. “I profess to be nothing but a man, and a minister of salvation, sent by Jesus Christ to preach the Gospel.” (HC 3:200-201)

The prophet taught the startled but inquiring woman about the Fourth Article of Faith: faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Several including the inquisitive lady, her companions and wondering soldiers listened with fascinated attention.

The woman rejoiced and prayed that the Brethren would be released from their captors. She and many others were rewarded generously for their steadfast and immovable faith.

Joseph Smith’s public prophecy a few months earlier that an elder of the church would teach the gospel in Jackson County before 1839 was indeed fulfilled. Is it any wonder that it was by the prophet himself?

While imprisoned in Independence (probably Nov. 4-8, according to The Joseph Smith Papers), the prophet said the Brethren mostly taught the gospel, explained LDS practices and developed friendships. Prejudice lessened and the church gained favor in the hearts and minds of most of the locals.

Response of Dignity and Majesty
Meanwhile, another execution of the church leaders now imprisoned in Richmond was ordered by Boggs to be carried out by General John B. Clark. It also failed, but the charges were reduced to “treason, murder, arson, larceny, theft, and stealing,” which apparently brought some amusement to Hyrum Smith. “The poor deluded general did not know the difference between theft, larceny and stealing.” (HC 3:417)

Instead of execution, the jailed Brethren were subjected to the insidious bragging of rape, torture and murder by wicked guards.

This is the setting in which the Prophet Joseph, in chains, thus rebuked their evil captors: “Silence! Ye fiends of the infernal pit! In the name of Jesus Christ I rebuke you, and command you to be still. I will not live another minute and hear such language. Cease such talk, or you or I die this instant!”

Parley P. Pratt’s amazing discourse on this fiery response of ‘dignity and majesty’ to combat wickedness is ageless. It will be reviewed in next week’s Latter-day Times Newspapers.



Poetry Fit for Apostolic Ancestry
by LDS for Poetic Justice
© Latter-day Times Newspapers

An unknown and maybe former Salt Lake City West High and LDS seminary student has at least one claim to anonymous fame: she’s written an essay on the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

It’s not only written in apostolic line of seniority, but also in three sentences. Who else do you know so inspired to pen such a literary work? The original, written before the deaths of beloved First Presidency members Gordon B. Hinckley and James E. Faust and apostle Joseph B. Wirthlin, was necessarily edited for the updated version.

The Original Signature Apostolic Poem
Without further adieu, here’s the original of what may become the signature poem of About the Brethren – A Book of Essays.

There once was a lunch maker named Packer, who made lunch with potato chips for his friend Perry, whose doctor Nelson said it would make his arteries as hard as Oaks, which caused his death.

At his funeral, a Ballard was sung about the Wirthlin of souls. At night, the Scottish tissue was used by Hales from Holland, who gave everyone an Eyring, so they all coughed ‘Uctdorf’ and went to Bednar.

New-and-Improved Apostolic Poetic Justice
With the new First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, this current version includes all 15 of them in apostolic order: Lunch maker Mon’s son Packer made lunch with potato chips for his friend Perry, whose doctor Nelson said it would make his arteries as hard as Oaks, causing his death.

At the funeral, a Ballard sung by a teacher using Scott’s tissues actually Hales from Holland, who gave everyone an Eyring. They all coughed ‘Uctdorf’ and went to Bednar after the Cook ate dinner with Christoffer’s son and Andersen.



Can Latter-day Times readers improvise upon this poem? Your submissions are welcome at editor@latterdaytimes.com.


I’ll Go, Say and Be, Dear Lord—According to Me!
Sustaining Officers—Some ‘More’ Than Others

by Dale J. Neilson
© Latter-day Times Newspapers

We Must Go, Say and Be as He Commands
In our general, stake and ward conferences, we raise our arm to the square to sustain our general and local church leaders. It’s a covenant we make or continually reaffirm with our Heavenly Father.

Do we keep that covenant thoughtfully? Or are we just going through the motions? Is it just a formality to avoid (the bishop’s) attention and later do whatever our lazy and critical behinds please?

Several years ago, the satirical I Won’t Go Where You Want Me to Go was written about LDS who hesitate or refuse to serve and included the melody of church hymn I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go. Besides the title, I only remember this line: I’ll go where you want me to go, dear Lord, just don’t ask me to sing in the choir or help a Boy Scout build and start a campfire.

LDT desires the author to please contact us (editor@latterdaytimes.com)
so we can correspond with him or her.

It seems some have the attitude of I’ll go, do and say what I want ME to go, do and say dear Lord, so keep your big honkin’ nose outta my business!

For example, one active member told his high priests’ group leader in 2008 what “He’s done enough in the church and now it’s time to let somebody else do it.” Soon thereafter, he chastised his current group leader for adding a widow living alone to his three-family home teaching beat.

One auxiliary leader complained in 2008 that a woman “is using the [church welfare] system but that’s not my decision to make” implicating the bishop as either stupid or naive.

Another leader also repeatedly complained in 2006 about someone else in a similar plight and then dropped this bombshell: “I’m thinking about resigning because of it.” He didn’t, but obviously doesn’t understand the inspired bishop alone has final authority over such.

The man personalized something which was none of his business.

After the stake presidency visited a bishopric, a bishop’s counselor complained to a fellow ward member the brethren admonished them to change their respective schedules to spend more time with the youth. The counselor whined there wasn’t even enough time to address the ward’s financial and welfare issues, let alone take on youth activities.

Where’s is the man’s faith in the Savior?

This edict is not merely the stake presidency commanding and demanding as the hot-headed counselor implied, but following inspired church policy.

In the same tirade, the angry counselor with an apparently long-held grudge against the stake president tore into his character. It seemed to finally boil over after beginning when they simultaneously served in the same stake mission presidency several years earlier.

Another man was released for medical reasons from a calling he thoroughly enjoyed, but condemned another who held it later. The first man said the new leader had an aggressive personality, tends to offend others and the bishop should have chosen another. He may have just been expressing indirect frustration over his own poor health. Later, he agreed his replacement was called of God, seemingly having overcome or forgotten the earlier rant.

“he that receiveth my servants receiveth me”
The lack of confidentiality among such complainers is wrong. Telling any ward member such information which should only be discussed with the bishop is a big-time breach of trust. These confidants are some of the closest to priesthood leaders, yet getting on their ‘high horse’ seems to empower their very poor examples.

It reeks of Brutus-like behavior, though they’re not trying to betray and murder anyone as Brutus did Julius Caesar. Unquestionably, they impugned the leaders’ character. They expressed immature feelings. Maybe it was just the unjustified heat of the moment.

We’re continually and rightfully reminded that when we sustain our local leaders, we also promise to give full support to our beloved prophet and the other general authorities. The reverse is also true.

They are our Beloved Savior’s representatives here on Earth. We sustain Him and should do so for those whom He has chosen.

And also all they who receive this priesthood receive me, saith the Lord; For he that receiveth my servants receiveth me; (Doc. & Cov. 84:35-36)

The previous over-reactionary examples don’t decry the tremendous charitable service these church members gave and continue to give. We all have thoughtless moments when we let our guard down against negative thoughts, but that’s no excuse. It shows we’re human and need to remain faithful while we continually repent.

No comments:

Post a Comment