The Nauvoo Expositor is seen in Mormonism as a viscous pack of lies and the reason that Joseph was killed. There was nothing good and redeeming from it and it was just created by a bunch of disgruntled excommunicated members that distorted things for their gain. Joseph was also completely justified in destroying the Expositor since it was a public nuisance. However, these statements today are all lies. The Expositor told the truth, and Joseph was terrified of it getting out.
Expositor
The first thing I want to mention is that this has direct links to over 130 sources and documents. I would really encourage you to make use of that and look at things yourself. It is one thing to listen to me, and another thing entirely to see it for yourself. I really don’t want to go too much into depth about the Expositor itself. However, it should be known that the Expositor was a newspaper that was setup by some disaffected members in Nauvoo. The Expositor authors included William Law who had been in the First Presidency of the church and Austin Cowles who had been in the Nauvoo Stake Presidency. Very interestingly, William Law speaks quite openly about his time in Nauvoo during an interview with a reporter in 1887 which I would recommend you read.
I would certainly encourage you to read that before you vilify him as so many others have done in defense of Joseph’s actions. Most people today think the Expositor essentially only was a rant about polygamy from evil apostates. However, this is not true. In the list of grievances, polygamy was a relatively minor point overall however we incessantly talk about it like it was the only problem mentioned.
The Expositor published their first and only edition of the newspaper on Friday, June 7th, 1844. Joseph met with the Nauvoo City Council on the 8th, and then again on the 10th. They met to discuss legal recourses and then decided on the 10th that the newspaper should be destroyed. Joseph was then arrested for the destruction of the newspaper on the 12th and the rest is history as we know it.
A lot of people have discussed the destruction of the Expositor and declared it to be legal. I really don’t care because governments can make up laws to justify anything they want. Throughout history we have seen many people or corporations twist the laws to benefit themselves at others expense. However, I instead want to focus on the claims made in the Expositor and see why Joseph felt they were so dangerous to the public and needed to be exterminated immediately.
Some also claim that Joseph wasn’t involved in the destruction at all, and this was another conspiracy to frame Joseph. This is easily false since we have the order to destroy the press with Joseph’s signature. Joseph also sent an order to the Nauvoo legion to be on standby during the Expositor’s destruction. We also know that Joseph was involved in the deliberation with the City Council. He is actually even mentioned several times in the meeting minutes. In the minutes, Joseph personally spoke about how the Expositor shouldn’t exist anymore and that the City Council should do something about it. Joseph absolutely was involved and was the mayor so the decision would ultimately be his anyways.
Accusations
The Expositor itself describes many accusations against Joseph and describes wanting a reset back to simpler doctrinal principles. I completely agree with this sentiment. The church in Nauvoo had become far too complicated and significantly departed from the simple Doctrine of Christ. It is hard to hear, however things had significantly departed from the truth.
Most people when they think of the Nauvoo Expositor, they think that it only had to do with polygamy. However, polygamy is one, comparatively minor point, in the overall list of grievances from the Expositor. The Nauvoo Expositor however described four specific accusations, a set of 15 resolutions to remedy those accusations, and then three affidavits to testify of various details. The first accusation was that Joseph was taking advantage of young women who joined the church and were vulnerable.
The second was that Joseph was taking advantage of political power to further causes that he felt were important and not necessarily in line with principles of God. The third was that Joseph was teaching false doctrines including the idea of many gods and that God can fall if he is not careful. The fourth and last accusation, was that Joseph was excommunicating people from the church without a fair trial and in some cases without any notice at all.
I want to focus on the resolutions and in doing so will address the accusations as well. However, I really want to stress the fact that this newspaper was obviously printed before Joseph’s death, by a member of the First Presidency of the church, and a member of the Stake Presidency. Many today blame all these accusations on Brigham, however they obviously were happening in Joseph’s day or at least being rumored about for the Expositor to have described them. Wouldn’t two insiders to the church and the Nauvoo stake know something about what was happening?
This of course doesn’t automatically mean Joseph is guilty. However, it certainly means for Brigham to have orchestrated this conspiracy then Brigham would had to have started earlier and operated wider than people are currently claiming. Brigham would also have had to influence far more people and historical records than people are claiming. Joseph would also have had to have been far more oblivious than people are currently claiming. I frankly think it is simpler to just conclude that Joseph was involved to some degree.
Affidavits
Before looking at the resolutions I briefly want to look at the affidavits. Certainly, just because someone swears to the truth of something, this doesn’t mean it is actually true. I am not claiming anything contrary. However, it is remarkable as to the number of details that the affidavits get right according to the overall information that we have. Again, it is important to keep in mind that this was published before Joseph’s death by people who were very familiar with Joseph, the church, and the workings of Nauvoo.
The first affidavit is from William Law who was in the First Presidency of the church. He testifies that Hyrum read to him a revelation, in his office, which advocated for plural marriage and was reportedly from Joseph. William then took it home and showed it to his wife. The revelation commanded Joseph to enter into this new law and that it should be taught to others.
The next affidavit from is William’s wife Jane Law. Jane testifies that she read the revelation from William and that it was a revelation allowing for plural marriage. She also mentions that this revelation stated that if a wife didn’t allow her husband to have more than one wife then she would be damned.
The last affidavit is from Austin Cowles who was in the Nauvoo high council and stake presidency. In this affidavit, Austin testifies that Hyrum read a revelation in the High Council of Nauvoo that authorized multiple things. The first was the unconditional sealing to eternal life, which we would call the 2nd anointing today. The next would be the doctrine of plural marriage. He describes how these things made him leave the church and he vowed to never teach these false doctrines.
There is no reason to believe the affidavits are false since they do agree with many other accounts. However, I am not going to assume they are correct either. It is just important to remember that all this was put out before Joseph’s death by people who had direct knowledge if it happened. Some have however claimed that Brigham made everything up and just copied the details from these accounts. This of course makes no sense; however, many people have to grasp at straws before admitting the truth to themselves.
Resolutions
In looking at the resolutions, that the Expositor proposed for the church, then it is my goal to show how they are perfectly valid and how they were needed because of the conduct of Joseph and the other leaders. If they were all needed and perfectly valid, then Joseph had no reason to destroy the Expositor other than to cover up his complicity.
As I have shown several times, the church was turned over to Satan and was essentially running wild at this point. Many of the Nauvoo members had emigrated and were so invested in the church that the thought of the church not being what they thought it was, was not something they wanted to entertain. As a result, the church slid more and more into Satan’s grasp and now almost 200 years later we are still dealing with that.
1. Excommunications
The first point of the resolutions was actually one of the accusations that the Expositor made and probably was the most personal for the authors. It was that some people were being excommunicated from the church without a trial in order for them to present evidence in their defense. In their opinion this was tyrannical and entirely unchristian. The Expositor mentioned:
That we will not encourage the acts of any court in this church, for the trial of any of its members, which will not suffer the accused to be present and plead their own cause; we therefore declare our decided disapprobation to the course pursued last Thursday evening, in the case of William and Wilson Law, and Mrs. William Law, and R.D. Foster, as being unjust and unauthorized by the laws of the Church, and consequently null and void; for our law judgeth no man unless he be heard
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 1
The reason this was so personal to the Expositor authors was because they were the listed individuals. The LDS church today describes them as just excommunicated dissenters however this completely misses the point. They were excommunicated without a trial, without an ability to present evidence in their defense, and in some cases weren’t even told there was going to be a trial. This may be okay for a lowly member like me.
However, this was for a member of the First Presidency of the church and a member of the Nauvoo Stake Presidency. Imagine how you would feel if you went to church one day and found out that you had been excommunicated the day prior. This is insane to even begin to think about the brazen attitude of the leaders and the fact that no one really seemed to do anything to stop it.
It is recorded in Joseph’s journal on April 18th, 1844, that many of the 12 apostles, along with members of the Nauvoo high council met in secret to excommunicate R.D. Foster, Wilson Law, William Law, and Jane Law. R.D. Foster was told that a trial of his was going to happen on Saturday the 20th, in preparation he gathered 41 witnesses for his defense.
While he was preparing to bring his witnesses before the trial he was informed by William Marks, the Nauvoo Stake President, that he had already been excommunicated, two days prior, and so his witnesses were no longer needed. There is no judicial system in the world that operates like this except in a tyrannical one. Imagine showing up for any kind of criminal trial and then the judge politely letting you know that your defense is no longer needed because you have already been found guilty.
It is also important to keep in mind that D&C 107 says that a member of the First Presidency can’t be tried in the same way as other members can. There is a completely different process which they didn’t follow. Therefore, since the trial was unjust, and the excommunication was invalid then William Law was still a member of the First Presidency. Joseph or the other leaders had no right to do what they did.
They did it because they didn’t want a fair trial, and they didn’t want things like in the Expositor being spread about. If it was a mistake though, then Joseph could have easily corrected the error, however he didn’t. In William Law’s later account of this he describes the animosity Joseph and Hyrum had for him. It is quite apparent that it’s true considering how they treated him in this case. Therefore, this resolution and the accusation were completely valid. The Expositor was right. Joseph and the leaders were excommunicating members that they feared would pose a problem if there was a public trial.
2. False doctrines
The next point in the list of resolutions is that Joseph and Hyrum are now teaching many false doctrines. This includes multiple gods, unconditional eternal life, and polygamy. The tricky thing about this is that one person’s false doctrine is another person’s true doctrine. However, we can certainly see how these doctrines deviated from the earlier teachings of the church. The Expositor mentioned:
Inasmuch…as they have introduced false and damnable doctrines into the Church, such as a plurality of gods above the God of this universe and his ability to fall with all his creations; the plurality of wives, for time and eternity; the doctrine of unconditional sealing up to eternal life, against all crimes except that of shedding innocent blood, by a perversion of their priestly authority and thereby forfeiting the holy priesthood…we therefore are constrained to denounce them as apostates from the pure and holy doctrines of Jesus Christ.
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 2
About two months prior to this point, Joseph had just delivered the talk that we know of today as the King Follett discourse. In that talk Joseph advanced many doctrines which included the idea that God was once a man, God is eternally progressing, and that God can fall if he is not careful. Many people had a hard time with the talk since it contradicted with the existing teachings of the church.
Joseph had also been teaching secret new ordinances including the Endowment and 2nd Anointing, in a secret group called the Anointed Quorum. This group would commonly meet in robes and administer what they called “the highest and holiest order of the priesthood”. For instance, Joseph and Emma were ordained to this order together on September 28th, 1843, according to Joseph’s journal. These events started in the upper floor of the Red Brick Store and then continued to the upper floor of Joseph’s Mansion house later that evening.
These new ordinances and doctrines were a departure from the simple ideas and doctrines of the Kirtland era. Things were now starting to coalesce around a rigid hierarchy of ordinances and rules needed for salvation along with a God that was different. Prior to this, salvation was through Jesus, however now it was through ordinances and false doctrine. Many members of the church didn’t like these new changes. For instance, we have a June 16th, 1844, letter from Isaac and Sarah Scott which describes their feelings about the situation. It reads:
We feel it to be our duty to let you know how things are going on in this land of boasted liberty, this Sanctum-Sanctorum of all the Earth, the City of Nauvoo. The elders will likely tell you a different tale from what I shall as they are positively instructed to deny these things abroad. … We will now give you a correct statement of the doctrines that are taught and practised in the Church according to our own knowledge. We will mention three in particular. A plurality of Gods. A plurality of living wives. And unconditional sealing up to eternal life against all sins save the shedding of innocent blood or consenting thereunto. These with many other things are taught by Joseph, which we consider are odious and doctrines of devils.
Letter, Isaac and Sarah Scott, June 16th, 1844 – Published in The New England Quarterly 1936-12: Vol 9 Iss 4
In regard to the doctrines now taught by Joseph, they were a clear departure from the simpler doctrines of the church. For instance, the Lectures on Faith taught a different god than Joseph was teaching along with the Book of Mormon. No where in the scriptures did it ever teach God was a man once, or there are multiple Gods, or that God could fall if he wasn’t careful. In fact, the Book of Mormon clearly taught that Jesus was God made flesh. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. Joseph was now teaching false doctrines.
3. Church and state
The 3rd point in the list of resolutions is that Joseph was attempting to merge his political power and his standing in the church. This would result in Joseph having virtually unlimited power in all aspects of society. The Expositor mentioned:
We disapprobate and discountenance every attempt to unite church and state; and that we further believe the effort now being made by Joseph Smith for political power and influence, is not commendable in the sight of God.
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 3
The Council of Fifty was a secret group that Joseph organized which sought to establish a theocratic government outside of the established United States. The goal was then for Joseph to preside over the newly formed government, and it would presumably be a safe place for the church. It certainly makes sense that Joseph would want a safe place to go. However, the means and methods Joseph was using were highly questionable.
For instance, in the meeting minutes it is recorded that Joseph was voted as the group’s “Prophet, Priest & King“. This is exactly the merger between politics and religion that the Expositor was warning about. The meeting minutes read:
This honorable assembly [should] receive from this time henceforth and forever, Joseph Smith, as our Prophet, Priest & King, and uphold him in that capacity in which God has anointed him.
Council of Fifty minutes – April 11th, 1844
Christ should be our only Prophet, Priest, and King. Joseph no doubt had good intentions. However, anytime you consolidate power like this then you will inevitably have issues. Very few people can wield absolute power like this and not have problems. Shortly after Joseph was made king then he thought it wise to suspend the council and instead focus all efforts on his presidential campaign. Joseph instructed the council to start trying to get him elected and to keep a low profile so not to rouse suspicion. The minutes for April 25th, 1844, record:
[Joseph] suggested the propriety of passing some resolutions, saying that those of this council who could, should go forth immediately to electioneer &c. we must suspend our meetings for the time being and keep silence on the subject, lest by our continual coming together we raise an excitement. We can call the council together again when necessary.
Council of Fifty meeting minutes – April 25th, 1844
It is strange to me that Joseph had presidential ambitions considering that anti-Mormon hostility was so strong. However, it is easy to see Joseph’s motivations when he essentially lived in the bubble of Nauvoo. George Miller, who was a member of the Council of Fifty, wrote, about 10 years later, what Joseph’s desires were in seeking the presidency. He mentioned that Joseph thought there was a chance to convert the entire country to Mormonism. George Miller wrote:
It was further determined in Council that all the elders should set out on missions to all the States to get up an electorial [sic] ticket, and do everything in our power to have Joseph elected president. If we succeeded in making a majority of the voters converts to our faith, and elected Joseph president, in such an event the dominion of the Kingdom would be forever established in the United States;
George Miller letter – June 28th, 1855
I completely fail to understand how any of it really makes sense. Certainly, converting the entire country would have solved a lot of problems. However, did Joseph really think he could become Prophet, Priest, and King of the world? According to God in D&C 24, Joseph wasn’t even supposed to seek after temporal concerns, yet that is almost all he did. Joseph was surrounded by yes-men who would do anything he wanted. This absolutely had to have played a role in how Joseph saw himself and how he thought others saw him.
The authors of the Expositor knew the dangers of merging religious ambition with political ambition and didn’t want to risk the entire church for it. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. Joseph was consolidating political and religious power which absolutely was dangerous.
4. Hostility
The 4th point in the list of resolutions was that the hostility between Mormons and others should be eliminated. This may seem obvious today, however during that time there was deep animosity between the church and specifically the Missourians. The Expositor mentioned:
That the hostile spirit and conduct manifested by Joseph Smith, and many of his associates towards Missouri and others inimical to his purposes, are decidedly at variance with the true spirit of Christianity, and should not be encouraged by any people, much less by those professing to be the ministers of the gospel of peace.
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 4
It is hard to imagine what it was like, however the members had been kicked from place to place and certainly had to have resented having to start over again and again. In 1838, tensions had been building and there had been small skirmishes between the members and Missourians. A small militant group of members formed together into what is known as the Danites. Joseph supported this group and Hyrum was a founding member. Joseph remarked that the Danites were able to clean the church in ways that he couldn’t publicly. Tensions remained fairly static until July 4th, 1838, when Sydney gave an incredibly inflammatory talk in which he advocated for the complete extermination of anyone that opposed the church. He said:
We take God and all the holy angels to witness this day, that we warn all men in the name of Jesus Christ, to come on us no more forever, for from this hour, we will bear it no more, our rights shall no more be trampled on with impunity. The man or the set of men, who attempts it, does it at the expense of their lives. And that mob that comes on us to disturb us; it shall be between us and them a war of extermination, for we will follow them, till the last drop of their blood is spilled, or else they will have to exterminate us: for we will carry the seat of war to their own houses, and their own families, and one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed.
Sydney Rigdon
About one month after the speech, from Sydney, tensions erupted again at Gallatin, Missouri which caused several fights to break out. Things simmered for a while until October 18th, 1838, when the Danites and many other members organized themselves into groups and began to systematically destroy Missourians property including homes. It was reported that every night for two weeks it was common to see homes, in Missouri, being burned to the ground.
In consequence, Lilburn Boggs, the governor of Missouri, issued the infamous extermination order. Things continued to decline rapidly until the members were outnumbered and surrounded causing Joseph to surrender to the authorities for his survival. Joseph was then arrested and fled from jail. After this he continually fought extradition back to Missouri for his trial. There absolutely continued to be tensions between the church and Missourians up until the point of Joseph’s death. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. The members had been incredibly unchristian towards the Missourians and were horrendous examples of the gospel.
5. Chicanery
The 5th point in the list of resolutions was that some members of the church were not being held to the same standards as others. I am not sure if they had specific individuals in mind. However, certainly Joseph was not being held to the same standards as other members. The Expositor mentioned:
We hold that all church members are alike amenable to the laws of the land; and that we further discountenance any chicanery to screen them from the just demands of the same
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 5
Joseph was no stranger to the criminal justice system. It seems trouble followed him everywhere he went. He was arrested numerous times, and either was acquitted or fled before his trial. I believe this latter case is what the Expositor is referencing. After the 1838 Missouri war and the very real possibility of the church destroying itself, Joseph surrendered to the authorities and was taken to Liberty Jail awaiting trial. While awaiting trial, Joseph tried to escape from Liberty Jail more than once however was unsuccessful. On April 11th, 1839, a grand jury indicted Joseph on the charge of treason and he was scheduled for trial.
While waiting for the trial, Joseph bribed William Bowman, who was the sheriff entrusted with guarding him. William let Joseph and the others go, and they promptly left the state for Illinois. Some report Joseph bribed the guards with alcohol while others report it was a large sum of money. However, Joseph not standing trial, angered the Missourians so much that a mob formed who tied the sheriff to a steel rod and drug him through town. The injuries he experienced were so severe that he died a short time later.
It is safe to say that the Missourian’s wanted justice for what Joseph and church had done the previous year. Joseph would then spend the next 5 years avoiding extradition to Missouri by every means possible. The last of these cases was on June 6th, 1843, when Joseph was indicted on the charge of treason by a grand jury in Missouri. A sheriff from Missouri joined a constable from Illinois and arrested Joseph on June 21st, 1843.
However, the sheriff and constable themselves were arrested and taken to Nauvoo where Joseph was freed. Essentially when Joseph was in the bubble of Nauvoo then he was untouchable. He was mayor and commander of the militia. There was very little anyone could do without triggering a civil war like the 1838 Missouri war almost turned out to be. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. Joseph was being treated differently in the eyes of the law and several tricks were used to assist him in doing so.
6. Finances
The 6th point in the list of resolutions was that Joseph was essentially controlling the financial affairs of the church. Certainly, there were a lot of people involved. However, Joseph was the one to make all the large decisions. The Expositor mentioned:
We consider the religious influence exercised in financial concerns by Joseph Smith, as unjust as it is unwarranted, for the Book of Doctrine And Covenants makes it the duty of the Bishop to take charge of the financial affairs of the Church
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 6
In a group like the early church the power dynamics can be very strange indeed. For instance, someone can delegate power and authority to another, however that power and authority can in fact be controlled by someone else entirely. For instance, we see this quite commonly in the United States Congress and I would imagine other government bodies as well. We see this in large corporations, and we see this in religious bodies. Some people just have enormous amounts of power and control, even if they are not the ones on paper who make the decisions.
This was no different in the early church. Joseph was a “Prophet, Priest & King“. There were very few people who would say no to Joseph by virtue of his position. Those that did disagree with him were excommunicated like we already saw with William Law. Other leaders like William Marks said he disagreed with Joseph about the Council of Fifty, however he didn’t feel it was his place to do anything about it.
To avoid unnecessary repetition, I will just reference information from the other resolution points. Resolution #3 shows how Joseph was mixing church and state in order to form a theocracy with him at that top. This would certainly be alarming. Resolution #9 shows how Joseph was using inflated prices of land sales in order to support himself and the church. Resolution #10 shows how Joseph was selling church property that didn’t even belong to the church, as if it did in fact belong to the church. Joseph was highly involved in the financial affairs of the church which caused a huge conflict of interest.
However, it is helpful to look at Joseph’s relationship to money and the law. After Joseph’s failed businesses in Kirtland, and the failure of the Kirtland Safety Society, Joseph was heavily in debt in the amount of about $5 million dollars today. In order to escape this burden, Joseph filed for bankruptcy in the spring of 1842 using a new law which had just been passed.
However, it seems Joseph wanted to keep somethings hidden. This included the land that he purchased on credit, instead of it being returned to the creditor or a renegotiation. In early 1842, Joseph started deeding land to several people including his very young children. In one of these cases, he deeded his 10-year-old daughter Julia 237 acres of land. She obviously had no use for the land and wouldn’t for quite a while. However, Joseph needed to divest himself of as much as possible before the bankruptcy.
John C. Bennett found out about Joseph’s scheme and wrote a letter to the Sangamo Journal, which was published in the July 15th, 1842, edition of the paper. In the paper Bennett mentioned:
Further facts in relation to Jo Smith’s application for the benefit of the Bankrupt Law … evidence from the Records of Hancock county of Joe’s putting his property out of his hands before applying for the benefit of the Bankrupt Law-Joe makes his family rich, including his infant children
John C. Bennett – published in Sangamo Journal – July 15th, 1842
Most people would dismiss Bennett entirely, however Justin Butterfield the Illinois district attorney, at the time, investigated the claims and determined they were true. In an October 11th, 1842, letter to Charles B. Penrose, the Solicitor of the Treasury, Butterfield wrote that Joseph’s bankruptcy should be put on hold. As a consequence, Butterfield formally filed objections with the Illinois District Court which stopped the process. The letter reads:
Upon my arrival at Nauvoo I made a very full examination into the transfers of property made by Joseph Smith upon the eve of his application for the benefit of the said act, and I succeeded beyond my expectations; I found that after the passage of the Bankrupt Act, and after he had contracted the debt upon which the judg’t in favor of the United States was rendered against him, he made voluntary conveyances of real estate of an amount much more than sufficient to satisfy the said judgment to his wife and to his infant children and friends, without any consideration whatever; I found that all the statements made by Gen’l Bennett in relation to Joseph Smith’s fraudulent transfers of his property were true; and that there were several other fraudulent conveyances not mentioned by him
Letter, Justin Butterfield to Charles B. Penrose, 11 October 1842
It is unbelievable; however, Joseph was trying to hide land and money from the government so he could discharge the debts and possibly get everything back afterwards. This is obviously quite dishonest and shows Joseph was using the newly passed Bankruptcy act entirely in a self-serving way. This is honestly exactly how the modern Mormon church interacts with money today as we have seen in their recent attempt to hide money. The LDS church used a series of shell corporations to hide money, and Joseph essentially did the same.
In returning back to the Expositor’s claim that the bishop is the one who should be managing the temporal affairs of the church. It is helpful to remember that the office of Bishop was completely different back then as it is today. The bishop was called to look after the temporal concerns of the church and the members. His role was not spiritual in nature but was purely temporal. He was also paid for his time and was fully supported by the church as he fully supported the church in return. Today of course, it is vastly different.
If we look at the D&C though, we can see this very clearly. For instance, D&C 51 directs the bishop of the church to receive money and purchase land. D&C 42 directs the bishop to use the churches resources to care for the poor and the needy. Lastly, D&C 41 directs the bishop to have no other concern than the temporal needs of the church and the members. The roles were very clear. However, Joseph muddied the waters when everything centered around him, and he started receiving money and land. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. Joseph was using his religious influence to direct the financial affairs of the church.
7. Dram shops
The 7th point in the list of resolutions was that bars, taverns, and theaters were distracting and possibly could lead to sinful behavior. Since the beginning of time, alcohol has been a scourge and ruined so many lives. Even today alcohol continues to be a problem for many people who are unable to break free from the addiction. The Expositor mentioned:
We discountenance and disapprobate the attendance at houses of reveling and dancing; dram-shops and theatres; verily believing they have a tendency to lead from paths of virtue and holiness, to those of vice and debauchery
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 7
Of course, in Mormonism we wouldn’t think alcohol would be a problem, in Nauvoo, since we have the Word of Wisdom, which was received well before this point. However, alcohol was commonly used by members up until the prohibition era when it largely fell out of favor. Today we have very strict rules, in the church, concerning the Word of Wisdom however it was completely different in Joseph’s time.
In Nauvoo there were in fact many places to purchase alcohol and enjoy a night of wild drunkenness. For instance, there were many bars in Nauvoo, Joseph’s personal residence served alcohol, and the Nauvoo House served alcohol as well. In fact, Joseph even got an official waver from the Nauvoo City Council, on December 12th, 1843, to ensure that no one could object to his alcohol usage. The city council minutes read:
Be it ordained by the City Council of Nauvoo, that the Mayor of the city be and is hereby authorized to sell or give spirits of any quantity as he in his wisdom shall judge to be for the health and comfort, or convenience of such travelers or other persons as shall visit his house from time to time.
Nauvoo City Council meeting minutes
This city ordinance was then published in the December 13th, 1843, edition of the Nauvoo Neighbor newspaper. Joseph himself was no stranger to alcohol and was seen several times consuming alcohol. I personally have no qualms with this. However as was shown previously, alcohol overall should be avoided because of the terrible cost associated with it. Alcohol does lead to many things that people would never do sober. Alcohol is a drug and is really very dangerous. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. Alcohol was a problem in Nauvoo and Joseph personally helped contribute to that problem.
8. Scriptures
The 8th point in the list of resolutions was that the scriptures should be our source of truth for the doctrines of God. This was in contrast to the feelings of the day where Joseph could say or do anything, and it would be accepted as new doctrine. Even today there are members of the LDS church which treat President Nelson’s words in General Conference as more valuable than the scriptures themselves. We have even heard talks telling us that living leaders are more valuable than the scriptures. This was also the sentiment during Joseph’s time. The Expositor mentioned:
We look upon the pure and holy doctrines set forth in the Scriptures of Divine truth, as being the immutable doctrines of salvation; and he who abideth in them shall be saved, and he who abideth not in them cannot inherit the Kingdom of Heaven
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 8
In Lehi’s dream in 1 Nephi 8, Lehi saw an iron rod which led to the Tree of Life. This iron rod was a sure and steady guide that was used to navigate through the mists of darkness and the many other obstacles along the way. In 1 Nephi 15 we are told specifically that the iron rod was a representation of the word of God. This word of God will never lead us astray while the words of men will always do so. The Expositor authors knew the dangers inherent in following men and knew it should be avoided. Nephi told us long ago that the only sure way to God is through his words
I said unto them that [the Tree of Life] was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God … would never perish
1 Nephi 15:24
Today we like to redefine what the word of God means. We say it is the words of our leaders, or whatever teachings agree with us at the time. The words of men can certainly have great value to us. However, the words of God will always have the most value to us. Contrary, to popular opinion we absolutely should use the scriptures as our guide when judging our current leaders. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. The words of God in the scriptures should be our guide. When we let the doctrines of men mingle with the truths of God, we get 100’s of years of confusion like we see in modern Mormonism.
9. Land speculation
The 9th point in the list of resolutions was that Joseph was using the rapid influx of members in order to sell land at inflated prices. The inflated prices were actually the result of the rapid influx of members and the fact that Joseph and other leaders had been purchasing land in their own names then selling them for a profit. The Expositor mentioned:
We consider the gathering in haste, and by sacrifice, to be contrary to the will of God; and that it has been taught by Joseph Smith and others for the purpose of enabling them to sell property at most exorbitant prices
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 9
When the church first relocated to Nauvoo, leaders of the church started purchasing property as fast as they could. Soon the church owned almost all the land near and around Nauvoo. In June 1839, after the Nauvoo relocation was well underway, Joseph gave a speech which made many members feel they had to move to Nauvoo as soon as possible for their own safety. Joseph remarked:
God has told us to flee, not dallying, or we shall be scattered, one here, and another there. … I prophesy, that that man who tarries after he has an opportunity of going, will be afflicted by the devil. Wars are at hand; we must not delay; but are not required to sacrifice. We ought to have the building up of Zion as our greatest object. When wars come, we shall have to flee to Zion. The cry is to make haste. The last revelation says, Ye shall not have time to have gone over the earth, until these things come. It will come as did the cholera, war, fires, and earthquakes; one pestilence after another, until the Ancient of Days comes, then judgment will be given to the Saints.
Joseph Smith – June 26th, 1839
Joseph clearly felt the end was very soon. However, this call to gather in haste had many unfortunate consequences. On Oct 20th, 1839, the Nauvoo High Council met and made Joseph the treasurer of the church with the authority to sell lots to the newly arriving members. The High Council decided that lots should cost between about $7000 to $30000 in currency today. However, Joseph would commonly sell lots for almost $35,000. Many will think this is not that big of a problem. However, the church paid on average $700 in currency today per acre of land. This is a 10x increase which is exactly what the Expositor claimed that Joseph was doing. This increase had to be paid by the members themselves, who in many cases were already struggling.
Another issue was Joseph was mingling the profits from the lot sales with his personal funds which is never good in business. In June 1840, it seems Joseph was even exclusively living off the amount of money he received from the lot sales. The burden of selling land became too much for Joseph and he went before the Nauvoo High Council, on June 20th, 1840, and requested a different arrangement. The meeting minutes record:
President Joseph Smith Jr praying that the Council would relieve him from the temporalities of the Church … That in order to relieve him from the anxiety and troubles necessarily attendant on buisness—transactions, they would appoint some one to take charge of the City Plot & attend to the buisness transactions which have heretofore rested upon him. That when he is relieved from such temporal—duties he would have no means of support whatever & requested that some one might be appointed to see that all his necessary wants are provided for
Nauvoo High Council meeting Minutes
The High Council decided to appoint Henry G. Sherwood to sell lots and act as a clerk in Joseph’s business dealings. However, 4 years later when Joseph died, many things, including lots, were still in Joseph’s name which greatly complicated things. According to the Expositor the gathering was in haste, which it was, and the land was being sold at a sizable markup, which it was. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. Poor struggling members felt they had to relocate immediately and then were sold land far outside the amount they could afford. Nauvoo was built on debt which caused many problems for everyone involved.
10. Church property
The 10th point in the list of resolutions is that members were being asked to purchase property from the church when in fact the church didn’t own the property. This is highly related to the previous resolution we looked at concerning land speculation. Instead of the church owning the land, most of the property was actually held in the names of various individuals. However, funds were in fact being raised for the church. When the property would sell then these funds were commonly mixed with church and personal finances making everything complicated. This is obviously a huge conflict. The Expositor mentioned:
We do not know of any property which in reality belongs to the Church (except the Temple) and we therefore consider the injunction laid upon the saints compelling them to purchase property of the Trustee in trust for the Church, is a deception practiced upon them
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 10
As mentioned in the previous point, the church was gobbling up land as soon as it was available. However, the property was actually being held in the names of various individuals. It seems even in some cases Emma was used as a proxy for the land deals. At various times Joseph held more than 10,000 acres of land in his personal name. This amounted to millions of dollars in money today. Almost all of these purchases would also be made on credit with other church property used as collateral.
Joseph would then sell land at inflated prices and pocket the difference. The sticking point for the Expositor though is people were specifically instructed to buy land from the church, thinking that the church owned the land. In the Dec 20th, 1843, edition of the Nauvoo Neighbor newspaper, William Clayton published:
I feel it my duty to say … that there is in the hands of the trustee in trust, a large quantity of lands, both in the city and adjoining townships in this county, which is for sale, some of which belongs to the church and is designed for the benefit of the poor, and also to liquidate debts owing to the Church, for which the trustee in trust is responsible. … If the brethren who move in here and want an inheritance will buy their lands from the Trustee in Trust they will … even then only be doing that which is their duty … Let all the brethren, therefore, when they move to Nauvoo, consult President Joseph Smith, the trustee in trust, and purchase lands of him
Nauvoo Neighbor – Dec 20th, 1843
It should be remembered that at this point Joseph had multiple failed business ventures along with the failed Kirtland Safety Society. All of these debts belonged to the church through Joseph. Today this would total into the millions of dollars. No doubt the land speculation was seen as an avenue to get the church out of debt. However, struggling members shouldn’t have to pay extra for land just to bail Joseph out of debts that he shouldn’t have taken on in the first place. Joseph was told, by God in D&C 24, that he was not to seek after temporal things however that is almost all that he did.
Members were however instructed to go directly to Joseph or one of the other leaders and purchase land from them with the understanding they were purchasing it from the church. This is certainly misleading and led to extortion in some cases since the newly arrived converts needed land to live and there were no other options. This is the same thing that happened in Kirtland. Many people tried to profit from the poor members. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. Land was being sold in the name of the church when in fact the church didn’t own the land. At that time churches couldn’t even own more than 5 acres of land.
11. Secret societies
The 11th point in the list of resolutions was that secret societies were antagonistic towards the principles of the gospel. Today this seems pretty basic. However, during the time of Joseph secret societies were very common. The Expositor mentioned:
We consider all secret societies, and combinations under penal oaths and obligations, (professing to be organized for religious purposes,) to be anti-Christian, hypocritical and corrupt
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 11
During the early 1800’s membership in masonic lodges exploded rapidly. For instance, in 1800, there were about 350 masonic lodges nationwide with about 16,000 members. However, just 25 years later New York alone had over 450 lodges and 20,000 members. This rapid growth continued as people moved westward.
Nauvoo was no exception to this trend. In 1841 a request was made to charter a new masonic lodge in Nauvoo. The request was granted on October 15th, 1841, and a new lodge was formed. This lodge met on March 15th, 1842, to install new officers and initiate new members. One of these new members was Joseph who joined as an Entered Apprentice which is the lowest level. This is verified according to lodge records as well as Joseph’s personal journal.
The next day the lodge met again, and Joseph was advanced to the “sublime degree of Master Mason” which is the highest degree available. This is also verified according to lodge records and the minutes of the meeting. By April 1843, there were at least 300 registered masons in Nauvoo with additional lodges being formed. This isn’t a problem by itself. However, it seems that Joseph was starting to merge the link between the church and Freemasonry. For instance, in a private 1842 letter from Heber C. Kimball to Parley P. Pratt, Heber mentions that Joseph taught masonry was a version of the priesthood and contains many truths. His letter reads:
We have organised a Lodge here. of Masons. since we obtained a charter. that was in March since that thare has near two hundred been made masons[.] Br Joseph and Sidny was the first that was Recieved in to the Lodg. all of the twelve have become members Except Orson P. he Hangs back. he will wake up soon, thare is a similarity.of preast Hood in masonry. Br Joseph ses masonary was taken from preast Hood but has become degennated. but menny things are perfect.
Heber C. Kimball – Letter to Parley P. Pratt – Transcript
On March 31st, 1842, Joseph wrote a letter to the newly established Relief Society. This letter was warning against nefarious individuals and specifically mentioned no names would be given because:
some among you who are not sufficiently skilled in Masonry as to keep a secret,
Joseph Smith – March 31, 1842
This concept of the need for secrecy was continued with a talk Joseph gave on October 15th, 1843. In this talk Joseph was discussing masonry and the need to keep things secret. He said:
The secrets of masonry. is to keep a secret.
Joseph Smith
With all these things in mind, then it is pretty clear that in Nauvoo there was a culture of secrecy. Certainly, it might have revolved around masonry. However, during this same time the Anointed Quorum was meeting, and Joseph was administering the first endowment ceremonies. If we even look today, then the LDS endowment has enormous parallels with masonic rites. These are being removed as the endowment seems to be in constant change. However, that doesn’t mean they weren’t there to being with.
Naturally though, you would have to ask yourself what does a secret organization, like masonry, have to do with a church of God? Many people, including the Expositor authors wondered this. Why was there such a need to keep things secret. Why did Joseph swear individuals or groups to secrecy multiple times? For instance, he swore a group of people to secrecy on February 15th, 1844, and he swore the Council of Fifty group to secrecy on March 11th, 1844. Why would a religious leader ever be doing this, yet this is what Joseph did and it aligns perfectly with everything else.
Masonry may be a perverted view of things like Joseph claimed. However, if it is perverted then why associate with it? Why swear yourself to secrecy and make binding secret oaths if it is perverted? The whole concept is strange to me, however it highlights perfectly that Nauvoo itself was perverted and they were no longer seeking after the things of God. They should have shunned secret societies instead they welcomed them with open arms. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. Secret societies are an abomination to God and should have no place among the people of God.
12. King
The 12th point in the list of resolutions was that Joseph was acting as a king of the people, when the only king should be Christ. I have spoken to this a few different times, however it helps to focus on this point alone here. The Expositor mentioned:
We will not acknowledge any man as king or law-giver to the church; for Christ is our only king and law-giver
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 12
As was mentioned, the Council of Fifty was setup to be a theocratic government with Joseph at the head. In this government, Joseph was unanimously voted as their Prophet, Priest, and King. The alarming aspect of this though, is that Christ is the culmination of all three offices in one. It is unclear whether Joseph thought of himself as a Christ-like figure, however he certainly assumed the roles which are Christ’s alone. We can see this culmination in the Council of Fifty meeting minutes for April 11th, 1844, which read:
[Erastus Snow] concluded by offering a motion that this honorable assembly receive from this time henceforth and forever, Joseph Smith, as our Prophet, Priest & King, and uphold him in that capacity in which God has anointed him.
Council of Fifty meeting minutes – April 11th, 1844
The motion was seconded and accepted unanimously.
A motion was offered to take a second expression on Er Snows motion.
Any good god-fearing person should take alarm at this. Joseph is allowing himself to be set on a pedestal by these people and essentially worshiped. Christ alone is our prophet, Christ alone is our priest, and Christ alone is our king. Joseph here though, was significantly blurring the lines between his roles in the church and his roles in temporal concerns. Therefore, I completely understand the caution the Expositor was requesting.
As we have seen, in point #5, Joseph was using his status in Nauvoo to influence the judicial system. In point #6, he was using his status as head of the church to influence the finances of the church, and in point #1, he was excommunicating those that disagreed with him. None of these things are what he should be doing. If we actually look at some of the roles that Joseph had then we can get a better picture. In Nauvoo, Joseph was prophet, seer, revelator, general, mayor magistrate, priest, king, and aspiring president.
It is certainly foretelling. However, Joseph wrote a letter to Lyman Wight on August 16th, 1834, where he remarked about all the negative things people were saying about him at the time. Joseph wrote:
I was met in the face and eyes as soon as I had got home with a catalogue that was as black as the author himself and the cry was Tyrant! Pope!! King!!! Usurper!!!!Abuser of men!!!!! Ange!!!!!! False proph[e]t
Joseph Smith – August 16th, 1834!!!!!
It is clear to me that things were changing in Nauvoo. The order of things was changing, and Joseph was seeing himself differently than he had before. Of course, this could be because of “further light and truth” as the LDS church claims. Or it could be because Joseph was now surrounded by yes-men who would do anything he wanted. Honestly, how do you surround yourself with people like this and not have it go to your head? Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. Joseph was king of Nauvoo and was seeking to become king of America through his presidential campaign as we saw in #3.
13. Simple doctrine
The 13th point in the list of resolutions was that we should focus our doctrines on the scriptures and not the words of men. To me this seems pretty similar to #8 which was also a request to focus on the scriptures. The Expositor mentioned:
We call upon the honest in heart, in the Church, and throughout the world, to vindicate the pure doctrines of Jesus Christ, whether set forth in the Bible, Book of Mormon, or Book of Covenants; and we hereby withdraw the hand of fellowship, from all those who practice or teach doctrines contrary to the above
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 13
Throughout history, numerous people have placed themselves between us and God. At this point it seems almost human nature to do so. However, if we look in the scriptures then we can see that the gospel of Jesus is fundamentally simple. Actually, I think it is so simple that we think there has to be more to it and we complicate it in our quest to explain the simplicity.
For instance, immediately after Christ appeared to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 11, Christ gave Nephi the authority to baptize and then taught the people his doctrine which is really rather simple. Jesus told the people:
Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will declare unto you my doctrine. And this is my doctrine, … I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me. And whoso believeth in me and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. … Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them. And whoso shall declare more or less than this, and establish it for my doctrine, the same cometh of evil, and is not built upon my rock;
3 Nephi 11:31 – 39
Jesus told the Nephites that his doctrine was to simply repent, believe in him, and get baptized. He then cautioned the people to avoid anyone not built upon this pure and simple doctrine. Today many people twist the words of Jesus to say that since we can build upon the doctrine then we can advocate for all manner of things like masonic ceremonies that are needed to approach God and such. I don’t think this is what Jesus meant at all.
I believe what Jesus meant was that we should absolutely repent, believe, and get baptized. However, after that then we should go to God individually and see what he wants from us. We shouldn’t instead rely on a checklist of items that are supposedly needed for us to approach God. This pure and simple doctrine is also taught by Nephi in 2 Nephi 31.
Essentially Jesus’ entire ministry in Jerusalem was a call for the people to repent, believe, and get baptized. The Doctrine of Christ is fundamentally simple. We don’t need religious institutions getting between us and God. However, it seems we always let them. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. The Doctrine of Christ is found in the scriptures, and we should heed the truths found there instead of the doctrines of men.
14. Teaching
The 14th point in the list of resolutions was any missionary that was teaching false doctrines should be called home and then learn the correct doctrine of God’s kingdom. This is pretty obvious. However, at that time missionaries didn’t have a standard message and would just teach whatever they wanted. The Expositor mentioned:
We hereby notify all those holding licenses to preach the gospel, who know they are guilty of teaching the doctrine of other Gods above the God of this creation; the plurality of wives; the unconditional sealing up against all crimes, … and all other doctrines, (so called) which are contrary to the laws of God, or to the laws of our country, to cease preaching, and to come and make satisfaction, and have their licenses renewed
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 14
In March 1836 licenses to preach were standardized which signified that the bearer was appointed and ordained according to church procedures and practices. Of course, anyone could teach without a license, however a license was seen as a way to ensure a basic level of conformity. Early missionaries would of course teach about the Book of Mormon, however there was very little else standardized. Today we teach investigators about the First Vision, however the First Vision itself wasn’t even publish in America until March 1842. Therefore, missionaries would really teach whatever they felt like.
Parley P. Pratt was one of these missionaries that would publish pamphlets in order to simplify the message and distribute it more widely. These pamphlets give us a great glimpse today into the beliefs of the early members and what they were teaching. Other missionaries however would commonly teach whatever they themselves were taught which wasn’t always mainstream doctrines. A BYU article mentions:
New converts, the products of missionary work themselves, embraced their missionary responsibilities and went forth on their own, sharing the good news with their family and friends, with no formal missionary training. Although some were called directly to the work by revelation, the vast majority simply opened their mouths and shared their message with anyone who would listen.
The Nineteenth-Century Euro-American Mormon Missionary Model – Reid L. Neilson
With a system like this then it is very apparent how false doctrines can quickly make their way throughout the church and quickly be taught directly to new converts. A missionary could genuinely be teaching what they believe is true, however that of course doesn’t make it true. If multiple gods, multiple wives, and unconditional sealing to eternal life are false doctrines, then it makes perfect sense to revoke all licenses and issue new ones where the true doctrines are clarified.
Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. The church was already teaching false doctrines and as a consequence so would the missionaries. The doctrines should have been realigned with truth and licenses reissued for those who wanted to comply.
15. Weapons of war
The 15th, and last, point in the list of resolutions was that the Expositor was fighting a spiritual war for truth, not a physical war. The Expositor authors knew they couldn’t reshape Mormonism through violence but needed to get people to understand the truth. The Expositor mentioned:
In all our controversies in defense of truth and righteousness the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of the strong holds of Satan; that our strifes are not against flesh, blood, nor bones; but against principalities and power, against spiritual wickedness in high places and therefore we will not use carnal weapons save in our own defense
Nauvoo Expositor – Resolution 15
This is a bit ironic that the Expositor is fighting against “spiritual wickedness” without the use of “carnal weapons” and Joseph responds with physical violence. I would imagine the leaders of the church had to have been upset about the publication as it directly confronted them. According to records, on the 10th, Joseph issued an order to John P. Greene the Nauvoo city marshal. In reading this order, it is quite apparent as to the amount of hatred Joseph felt towards the Expositor. The order reads:
You are hereby commanded to destroy the printing press from whence issues the Nauvoo Expositor, and pie the Type of said printing establishment in the streets and burn all the Expositors and libellous hand bills found in said establishment and if resistance is offered to your execution of this order by the owners or others, demolish the house and if any one threatens you or the Mayor or the officers of the city, arrest those who threaten you, and fail not to execute this order without delay
Joseph Smith’s Order to Nauvoo City Marshal, 10 June 1844
In looking at the order itself, Joseph wanted the press destroyed, the printed newspapers burned, the marshal to “pie the Type“, the building itself demolished if needed, and anyone who resisted to be arrested. This is quite obviously far beyond simply removing a newspaper that he didn’t agree with. This was financially devastating to William Law and the other authors since they had devoted so much money getting the newspaper up and running.
Most are not familiar with the phrase “pi the type”, however it just means to take all the type and to drop it so that it is all scattered. At that time, newspapers were printed from 1000’s of individual metal characters all arranged in a specific order. Joseph was therefore asking the marshal to cause maximum destruction to the Expositor which certainly was irreversible.
This would be like if my neighbor published a blog post that I didn’t agree with, then I would destroy their computer, delete the post, demolish their house, break their fingers so they could never type again, and arrest them if they resisted. Seems fair, right? All the Expositor wanted was a free exchange of ideas. However, that was too much for Joseph and the other leaders. They didn’t want the people to have a reason to doubt so the best thing to do was to cause maximum damage to anything that disagreed. Therefore, again this resolution is completely valid. The Expositor was right. We are in a spiritual war and violence only begets violence as Joseph saw personally.
Conclusion
I don’t really know how to summarize this other than to say that the Expositor was right about every single one of their claims. Most people when they hear about the Nauvoo Expositor they immediately think of polygamy. However, polygamy is such a comparatively little part of what the Expositor is claiming overall. There was absolutely no reason for Joseph to have destroyed the Expositor except that he was afraid of the truth getting out.
Joseph did excommunicate those that disagreed with him. Joseph did teach false doctrines. Joseph did merge his political power and religious power. The church did have animosity towards their neighbor. Joseph did use chicanery to avoid legal consequences. Joseph did use unjust methods when dealing with the church’s finances. Joseph did encourage alcohol usage.
Joseph did teach doctrines not found in the scriptures. Joseph did exploit land prices for his and the church’s gain. Joseph did mingle his and the church’s property. Joseph did use secret societies for his purposes. Joseph did allow himself to be made a king. Joseph did teach a doctrine contrary to the simple doctrine of Christ. Missionaries should be required to teach true doctrines. Lastly, Joseph did use violence to accomplish his purposes when the Expositor only wanted a free exchange of ideas.
It is hard to come to terms with, however Joseph was already well outside of his bounds and was no longer being fully directed by God. The church had rejected the fulness, and it was turned over to Satan. Joseph’s prophetic eyes were covered according to 2 Nephi 27, and he was continuing just like any other 19th century man would.
We can see this in Joseph changing revelations to aid himself, going after temporal concerns when God told him not to, and in no longer receiving revelations entirely. The culmination of this was Joseph starting to openly teach false doctrine with the King Follett discourse and going after strange gods. The Expositor authors saw this and wanted to warn others of this spiritual decay. Joseph responded with violence, hatred, and contempt which ultimately cost him his life.
In thinking about Nauvoo, and the wonderful opportunity they had and ultimately lost, I can’t help but think of Mormon’s lament about the loss of his own people.
O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you! Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I mourn your loss.
Mormon 6:17
I mourn the loss of the fair ones of God and everything that could have been, yet never was because of pride and the vanity of man. I mourn the 200 years of spiritual darkness we have endured while thinking we have the full light of God. Lastly, I mourn the many people today who are doing everything they think God wants of them yet are doing works of darkness that will never be accepted by God.
