Revelation and the Mormon Church

November 10th, 2006 by Giuseppe | Filed under Mormon.

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Revelation is an important subject in the doctrine of the Mormon Church. In fact, one of the main points of controversy with other Christian churches is that most of those churches teach that revelations are a thing of the past, forever lost after the death of the Apostles who lived on the earth at the time of Jesus.

Nothing could be more far from the truth. According to the Prophet Joseph Smith and his successors in the presidency and apostleship in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints revelation is what Jesus meant when said that on “this rock” He would build His Church. ( Read more )

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3 Responses to “Revelation and the Mormon Church”

  1. Connor Boyack | 10/11/06

    Men have come to speak of the revelation as somewhat long ago given and done, as if God were dead… It is the office of a true teacher to show us that God is, not was; that He speaketh, not spake.—Ralph Waldo Emerson, Divinity College Address, Cambridge, July 15, 1838

  2. Jeff G | 10/11/06

    The question is, however, whether any significant difference can be drawn between post-JS/BY Mormon revelation and that of post Peter/James/John Catholicism. It’s easy to claim other churches “obviously” lost revelation when PJ&J died, but what reasons do we have to accept this while rejecting the claim that revelation “obviously” ceased with the death of JS/BY?

  3. Connor Boyack | 10/11/06

    Jeff,

    That’s an interesting question I’ve pondered before. The following passage I came across in Richard Bushman’s Rough Stone Rolling provides an answer:

    The council served as a kind of constitutional convention for Church government. Speaking of the occasion, Joesph’s history said “the minutes were read three times, and unanimously adopted and received for a form and consideration of the High Council of the Church of Christ hereafter.’ The priesthood holders plus ‘fourteen private members’ ratified the decision. The procedure set a startling precedent for the Church. The establishment of a basic governing body by the members of the council themselves gave their work the status of revelation. The minutes of the council were included in the Doctrine and Covenants alongside revelations coming directly to Joseph Smith. By putting the work of councils on the same plane as his own revelations, Joseph set a precedent for inspiration other than his own: revelation through a council. The more formal March 1835 revelation, ratifying the year’s development in Church government, came at the end of the process rather than the beginning.

    Joseph acknowledged the inspiration of the council in the provision that the president of the council was the receive revelation. In case of doubt about true policy, the minutes said, the president “may inquire and obtain the mind of the Lord by revelation.” … These presidents could learn the mind of the Lord, as could any president of any high council in any stake of Zion. Joseph told the high council in Clay that through them “the will of the Lord might be known on all important occasions in the building up of Zion, and establishing truth in the earth.” Rather than monopolizing inspiration, Joseph spread it widely, always with the proviso that revelation at one level did not regulate the authority above.

    Reminds me of D&C 6:32:

    Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them—even so am I in the midst of you.

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