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Casey
The the phrase is knowing your incompetency as a historian. Indeed, sir. We never supposed you capable of writing a history. Ouch. However, in recent years, John's reputation as a historian has started to be rehabilitated. Okay, here's the reason why. John might not have been great at writing history, but he's good at collecting history. He starts taking key documents and doing minutes at church meetings and writing down things, and that is incredibly valuable. Sometimes being a good historian is just not throwing stuff away. Right? Putting it in a safe, cataloging it, taking minutes in your meetings. And John is great at that. We owe a huge debt of gratitude for having the Doctrine and Covenants the way we do.
Scott
Hey, Casey.
Casey
Hey, Scott. How we doing? Great.
Scott
Here we are. Part two of this week. We had the gift of gab. Is that a gift of the spirit? We spoke at length about section 46. And so we wanted to break up this week's study into two videos. And so this is part two of this week's. Come, follow me. Sections 47 and 48.
Casey
These are two short revelations, but one of them is near and dear to my heart because it features someone that I've really come to love over the last couple years, which is my guy, John Whitmer. I love John Whitmer. He doesn't end up in the best place with the church. He leaves the church and never comes back. But let's get into it. Let me give you some context. I went on this journey where I found out what a wonderful person John Whitmer was.
Scott
So section 47 is a revelation directed to John Whitmer. So what brought this about?
Casey
In April 1829, Joseph Smith gets a revelation calling Oliver Cowdery to write for my servant Joseph this Doctrine and Covenants 9, 4. Oliver Cowdery is the scribe. It's sort of tacitly understood that he's also the historian. Oliver doesn't produce a lot of history other than the most important history, which is the Book of Mormon. He's the scribe. However, flash forward 1831, and Oliver Cowdery is also called. This is in section 28, to lead a mission to the Lamanites. And so Oliver's going to be taking off, and Joseph needs someone to take his place. And Sidney Rigdon does this a little bit when he shows up. But there's also a need for a historian that can do what Oliver's been doing, and that's John Whitmer. So John Whitmer, a member of the Whitmer family, he's already served as Joseph's scribe in a few different capacities. He was one of the scribes for the Book of Mormon, for instance, and this revelation is calling him to be the church historian. So I love the guy because I'm a historian. I also served in the John Whitmer Historical association, which made me love the guy more.
Scott
Weren't you the president of the John Whitmer Historical Association?
Casey
I didn't want to toot my own horn here, but I was. I serve among that distinguished company. Yeah. And by the way, that. That plays in my experience, which I'll share a little bit later. But I. I got to know John Whitmer. He's very honest. Like, John Whitmer writes this as an introduction to this revelation. He writes, I was appointed by the voice of the elders to keep the church record. Joseph Smith Jr. Said unto me, you must also keep the church history. I would rather not do it, he wrote, but observed, that the will of the Lord be done if he desire. I desire that he would manifest it through Joseph the seer. And thus came the word of the Lord. So the elders of the church say, john, you should be the historian. And John is like, are you sure? And they're like, yes. And he says, could you get a revelation making sure that I'm the person that's supposed to do it. And this is section 47. So section 47 is being given to a guy who's. He's trying to weasel his way out of a colleague, essentially. Here. I would rather not do it. He's a very humble guy, so he accepts the calling to his credit. All right. All right. And here is the revelation. It is not very long. It says this. Behold, it is expedient in me that my servant John should write and keep a regular history and assist you, my servant Joseph, in transcribing all things which shall be given you until he is called to further duties.
Scott
There's the answer, right? John says, I'd rather not do it. The elders pointed me. I came to Joseph and asked, like, does the Lord really want me to do this? And I love the Lord's word there. He says, it's expedient in me. Which in the 1828 dictionary, expedient means it is useful, it is profitable. So I just think that's really interesting. It's not like John Whitman was foreordained in premortality to accept this calling. It's like the church elders said, we think John Whitmer would be a good guy at this. And John says, I don't want to do it? Joseph asked. The Lord says, that's expedient. That would be useful. That would be profitable if you could accept that calling. John. So many church callings are like that, right? It's just like it's, yeah, it's expedient. Like, yeah. Am I. Am I like the perfect person for this? I don't know, but I'm expedient. I can do it, you know.
Casey
Verse 3. It shall be appointed unto him to keep the church record and history continually. For Oliver Cowdery, I have appointed to another office, wherefore it shall be given him in as much as he is faithful by the comforter to write these things. Even so. Amen. I want to note two things here because there are a lot of people out there that feel continual guilt over keeping a journal or writing their family history. It seems like one of those features of being a Latter Day Saint is that, you know, you should be doing this stuff. But we're held back sometimes by saying, I don't know how to do it. I'm not good at it.
Scott
I'd rather not do it.
Casey
The two words the Lord uses to describe the history here are regular, that's in verse one, and continual, that's in verse three. It doesn't have to be brilliant. It doesn't have to be the most literary moving. You don't have to be parley P. Pratt, who I think writes the best biography in the history of the Church. The Lord asked that you do it regularly and that you do it continually. That in his mind is what makes a good history. Joseph Smith seems to take this advice to art. And by the way, he's commanded to keep a history too, in Section 85 of the Doctrine and Covenants. This starts out with them writing just a brief history of the rise of the church in section 20. Later on, John Whitmer is going to literally start to keep a history called the Book of John Whitmer. This includes copies of Revelations, letters, other important history of the Church. Joseph Smith starts to write his history probably around the summer of 1832. This is the earliest account of the first vision. Oliver Cowdery starts to write a history. So the task of compiling church history for the church institutionally, which, yes, is what this revelation is about, but also speaks to us of the importance of compiling our history as a historian. And Scott, you're a pretty good historian too. It's these personal works. It's when someone keeps a really, really great journal like Wilford Woodruff or the record of Elizabeth Ann Whitney that really make Church history come alive, make it sparkle. And throughout the history of the Church, people like Wilford Woodruff, Hebert J. Grant, and Spencer W. Kimball kept journals that provided deep insights into their time and lives. In fact, Wilford Woodruff's journal was so important in compiling the history of the Chur Church that one historian declared, Wilford Woodruff largely made the glasses through which we see the Latter Day Saint passed. So it has a huge impact on how we see things. We sometimes back up and feel like, John Whitmer, I'd rather not do this, or I'm just really not good at it. Spencer W. Kimball, who is one of the great journalers in the history of the Church, said this people often use the excuse that their lives are uneventful and nobody would be interested in what they have done. But I promise you that if you will keep your journals and records, they will indeed be a source of great inspiration to your families, to your children, your grandchildren, and others through the generations. I mean, it's going to be a big deal, maybe to the Church, but definitely to the people that love you. Seeing photos and reading letters. I just got a bunch of letters of my grandpa when he was in basic training during World War II. So amazing to hear his voice. And the fear and anticipation that he's feeling before he goes to war just really like, kept him in my life. He's passed away and been gone for more than 20 years at this point, but. And I was able to hear his voice when I read his writing. So we have a responsibility to do the same thing, too.
Scott
Okay, so to be clear, section 47 is a revelation, clearly to John Whitmer about keeping the official history of the Church. And what I hear you saying, Casey, is that there are principles in here for those of us who want to keep our family's history to do it following these principles of doing it regularly, doing it consistently, and not worrying about whether or not we are recording super amazing, interesting things. Because it's going to turn out President Kimball is saying that future generations are actually going to be really interested in our normal, everyday lives.
Casey
Should we move on to the controversies here?
Scott
Here's the big controversy, I think, with this section, Casey, and I'll be very interested in your answer. Was John Whitmer a good historian or a bad historian?
Casey
That is the question. When I got made president of John Whitmer Historical association, It was their 50th anniversary, and I'm going to be, like, in charge of the 50th anniversary conference, and we thought it would be Great if we found all the surviving founders and interview them, make a little video where all the founders can talk about what JWHA is for. And JWHA is kind of the Community of Christ Historic Organization Association. And all of the founders made this joke at one point or another. John Whitmer wasn't a good historian, is what they would say, basically. Like they said, we didn't name it after him because he was a good historian. He wasn't a good historian. He was just the first historian, is basically what they said. And I kind of came away from these interviews, like, disillusioned. Like, was he a bad historian? And why find a good historian and name the association after him? Well, okay, here's the story. So John accepts the calling reluctantly, but he is diligent. In June 1831, just a couple weeks after this revelation, he starts writing a history he titled the Book of John Whitmer, which, by the way, was part of the artifacts transferred from Community of Christ to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints in March 2024. This is in our possession now. I've got photographs of it. I've looked through the whole thing. It's been on the Joseph Smith Papers site for years. This record contains a lot of important details about the early church in Ohio and Missouri. However, it does seem like John Whitmer was sort of insecure about his writing. In 1833, he writes to Oliver Cowdery and says, I want you to remember me to Joseph in a special manner and inquire of him respecting my clerkship. You know very well what I mean. And also my great desire of doing all things according to the mind of the lor. So he's insecure. He's asking Oliver Cowdery to put in a good word for him. Now, the other big black mark is that John Whitmer's excommunicated in 1838. This is pretty much around the time that the entire Whitmer family leaves the church, and so does Oliver Cowdery. And at the time, John refuses to turn his history, the Book of John Whitmer, over to Joseph Smith. Joseph writes a letter, and in the letter, Joseph Smith sort of implies that John isn't a great historian either. So that's another strike against him.
Scott
Didn't Joseph write a letter and say, you've left the church, but can we have the history you've kept of our church back? And then John replied, no. And then didn't Joseph say, well, it wasn't even that good of a history anyway. So we'll keep it. Or something like that.
Casey
It is accurate and the version. I put excerpts from the letter into our notes on Doctrine and Covenant Central, but I softened what Joseph wrote. But since we're dealing with controversy here, this is what Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon wrote to John Wimmer. I don't know if this is Joseph Smith or Sidney Rigdon. Sir, we are desirous of honoring you by giving. Giving publicity to your notes on the history of the Church of Latter Day Saints after such corrections as we thought would be necessary, knowing your incompetency as a historian and that your writings coming from your pen could not be put to press without our correcting them, or else the Church must suffer reproach. Indeed, sir, we never supposed you capable of writing a history, but we're willing to let it come out under your name, notwithstanding it would really not be yours, but ours. We are still willing to honor you if you can be made to know your own interest. Interest and give up your notes so that they can be corrected and made fit for the press. But if not, we have all the materials for another, which we shall commence this week to write. Ow. So I think that's the reason why all the John Whitmer guys said that John Whitmer was a bad historian, was because Joseph Smith said he was a bad historian.
Scott
So, A, we don't feel comfortable publishing your stuff without us modifying it first. B, you're not super good at it, but we would like to honor you knowing your incompetency.
Casey
We didn't ever really think you were capable of doing this. I mean, at this point, there's some harsh feelings.
Scott
Do you think back here in 1831, when section 47 is given, when the Lord says it's expedient, like it'd be useful, it'd be profitable to have you in this calling? Sure. I think at that point it was just because John Whitmer was the most available. I guess what I'm pulling back. I'm trying to extrapolate. Like church callings. Right. That's something we all experience. And we know some people do a great job with church callings and some people don't do a great job. And maybe the calling is sometimes more for us than it is for the fact that we're going to do a great job. Did Joseph become jaded by 1838 here with John Whitmer, where he's like, it wasn't even that good anyway.
Casey
The phrase is knowing your incompetency as a historian. Indeed, sir, we never supposed you capable of writing a history? Ouch. However, I gotta defend my guy. I gotta defend John Whitmer so he doesn't give them the history at this time. The Book of John Whitmer stays in the Whitmer family and eventually ends up in Community of Christ until 2024, when it comes into her possession. I went to the Community of Christ archives last year. Joseph Smith, like he said, says, we have the notes and we can write our own history, which he starts doing around this time, around 1838. He writes what is now known today as the history of the church. It's about 800 pages long. It's epic. It's huge. It's amazing. I saw John Whitmer's history, which does have some good insights, but is not great. The other thing that happened was after Joseph Smith died, John Whitmer joined James Strang's movement and began writing in his history again. So he picks it up again. He leaves Strang's movement, then crosses out the portions of the history that are about string. So he actually goes back and there's pages and pages where he has drawn a line through everything that he wrote. He never rejoins the church. He passes away in 1878. The final history of the Book of John Whitmer is 96 pages in length. And it's not a great history, though it does have some valuable insights. However, in recent years, John's reputation as a historian has started to be rehabilitated. Okay, here's the reason why. Historians working to compile the Joseph Smith papers noted a couple of things. First, the number of documents we have in the church starts to multiply when John Whitmer becomes the historian. So if you have the Joseph Smith paper sitting on your shelf, you'll note that everything from, like, the first vision until John Whitmer's call is basically one volume. And then John Whitmer gets made the church historian, and all of a sudden, the volumes start to multiply. So John might not have been great at writing history, but he's good at collecting history. He starts taking key documents and doing minutes at church meetings and writing down things. And that is incredibly valuable. Sometimes being a good historian is just not throwing stuff away, right? Putting it in a safe place, cataloging it, taking minutes in your meetings. And John is great at that. Like, he really changes the game for us so that we have this rich documentary record that we can draw from. In addition, John did a superb job recording the revelations given to Joseph Smith. So one of the things that was published along with the Joseph Smith Papers project was the manuscript Revelation Books, which basically are the earliest copy of every revelation in the Doctrine and Covenants. And guess whose handwriting nearly every page is written in. John Whitmer, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to for having the Doctrine and Covenants the way we do. This rich documentary record that we have, which is so powerful and has been so amazing the last couple years as the Joseph Smith Papers have collected it, is John Whitmer's legacy. And that is why I'm going to get on my soapbox for a minute and say here, John Whitmer was a good historian. You don't always have to just be a good writer to be a good historian. You're a good compiler, you're a good listener, you are diligent in your calling. And John was in fact the last entry in his history. Let me read this. Therefore, I close the history of the Church of Latter Day Saints, hoping that I may be forgiven of my faults and my sins blotted out in the last day be saved in the kingdom of God, notwithstanding my present situation, which I hope will soon be bettered, and I find favor in the eyes of God and all men, his saints, farewell.
Scott
He's a good guy, John Acknowledged. I got a lot of weaknesses, I got a lot of faults, I got a lot of sins, but I pray that I can be forgiven of those and still be saved. We're grateful for what he brought forth. That's what I'm hearing you say he actually did some good stuff.
Casey
And he lays the foundations for other amazing church historians like Wilford Woodruff and Willard Richards and Thomas Bullock and William Clayton and Eliza R. Snow that are going to build on his legacy. So I was honored to be the leader of an organization named after John Whitmer because he was a good historian story. And I don't know if Joseph Smith knew the whole story. Honestly, I don't know if he was able to appreciate everything John did. So, I mean, let's go easy on. On our good brother and let's make sure we.
Scott
We contextualize Joseph's statement. It was right in the midst of 1838, when things were falling apart in Missouri and John Whitmer had turned against the church. And the feelings were a little raw right there between John Whitmer and Joseph Smith. And so. So just keep that in context. It helps me feel good, Casey, to know that in the callings that I've been called to that are expedient, that I'm called to, that can be useful for me. I Might not always knock it out of the park, but notwithstanding my weaknesses, maybe I can do a little bit of good. Maybe we can all do a little bit of good, notwithstanding our weaknesses.
Casey
All right, consequences. I think I just listed them. John Whitmer creates a rich documentary record that we still draw from today. He's not the best historian in the world, but regular history and continual history. Yeah, John Whitmer does what he's asked to do.
Scott
Do. Joseph Smith's going to start compiling his own history and he's going to get some other scribes around him. Right. Like you mentioned, some of those like James Mulholland and Willard Richards and others are going to start to help compile the history which becomes that multi volume set that most of us know called the History of the Church. Isn't that started right around this time?
Casey
That started when John Whitmer leaves. So when Joseph Smith says, we have the notes and we can write our own history, that's what he's talking about. And that becomes incredibly valuable to. So win. Win here.
Scott
Yeah, that's Good. That's section 47.
Casey
Okay, let's move on to section 48. This isn't a long revelation, only a few words about six verses. But here's the setup for us. Okay? So you remember the Lord commands everybody to gather to the Ohio. And this creates a kind of refugee crisis in Kirtland.
Scott
Most of them haven't gathered yet, is that correct? Only Joseph and a couple.
Casey
Joseph is like the Vanguard company, but everybody else takes time. Sell your farm, pack up your goods. But now they're making it to Ohio. And we have about a hundred church members from New York that are making their way following the Lord's commandment. And this causes problems. John Whitmer, my boy John Whitmer records this. He said the time drew near for the brethren from the state of New York York to arrive at Kirtland, Ohio. And some suppose that it was the place of gathering, even the place of the New Jerusalem spoken of in the Book of Mormon. According to the visions and revelations received in the last days, there was no preparation made for the reception of the Saints from the East. The bishop Edward Partridge, being anxious to know something concerning the matter. Therefore the Lord spake unto Joseph Smith Jr. As follows. So all these church members are coming. Edward Partridge has been asked to look after them, administer the law of consecration. He wants to know what to do. According to John Whitmer, the two challenges that they face are. One, some church members believe that Kirtland is where the new Jerusalem is. Going to be built. In the revelation, the Lord addresses this by explaining, no, the place hasn't been revealed yet. And second, Bishop Partridge and the other members of the church in Kirtland are trying to implement the law of consecration to assist the saints who have been gathering to Kirtland. So the Lord in this revelation is going to kind of introduce the idea of flexibility in how the law is introduced, leading him to say, hey, take time to get to know every family and know their circumstances. Every man, according to his family, as the way it says in section 48.
Scott
Yeah. And. And doesn't this revelation come about specifically because of Edward Partridge's questions and concerns? Since he's the presiding bishop of the church, he's the one over the temporal affairs. Having an influx of a hundred members is going to fall on him. Right. As to what to do with them and where to put them. And. And there are questions about them. Right. How do we accommodate this? Right. And what am I supposed to do as the bishop? Okay, so what does the Lord actually say? Here we go. Let's drop into the content. So he says, quote, verse one, it's necessary that you should remain for the present time in your places of abode, as it shall be suitable to your circumstances. And in as much as you have lands, you shall impart to the eastern brethren, to those from New York who are gathering to the Ohio. If you've got land, help them out, impart some land to these people. And in as much as you have not lands, let them buy for the present time in those regions roundabout as seemeth them good. For it must needs be necessary that they have places to live for the present time. So here we have kind of some really practical counsel so far, right. That as they come in, let's see if we can find them a place to be. And if we can't find them a place to live, then they will need to buy a place for the time being. Then in verse four, he says, it must needs be necessary that ye save all the money that you can, still speaking to the Kirtland saints, and that ye obtain all that you can in righteousness, why that in time ye may be enabled to purchase land for an inheritance. Even he calls it the city. What's he talking here? Verse 5. The place is not yet to be revealed, but after your brethren come from the east, there are to be certain men appointed, and to them it shall be given to know the place, or to them it shall be revealed. So he's talking here about the final place, Right? The The New Jerusalem. The city, he called it here. So, yeah, Kirtland is not the city. There will yet be an appointed committee that will be sent out to identify the place that kind of sets us up for Section 57 of the Doctrine and Covenants, which we'll get to here in a couple weeks. But here, the Lord is. Is teasing, right? He's teasing that this place will be revealed. It's not this place. For now, let's make accommodations for all the saints as they're coming in from New York. But please know that this is not the final place. Verse 6. And they shall be appointed, meaning this committee who the center place will be revealed to. They shall be appointed to purchase the lands and to make a commencement to lay the foundation of the and then shall ye begin to be gathered with your families, you and Kirtland and those New York saints who've come. Then you will start to be gathered with your families to this new place. Every man, according to his family, according to his circumstances, and as is appointed to him by the presidency and the bishop of the church according to the laws and commandments which ye have received and which ye shall hereafter receive. Even so. Amen. A couple cool things in here, right? That Kirtland is being described as something of a way place before the city. And then once the committee actually identifies which place that will be which spoiler alert, happens in section 57. Once that is made clear, then notice he says there won't be a mad rush to this place. There won't be a mad rush to this city. It's going to happen in order according to families, according as the Presidency, first presidency and the bishop of the church appoint you. In fact, they kind of a cool thing I didn't know about this for a long time, was that there were actually like Zion recommends that the bishop would need to like sign or the first Presidency. Like, you couldn't just go gather to the new Jerusalem to the city of Zion. You couldn't just say, I'm just going to do that. Like you needed to be appointed by the first presidency or the bishopric to say, yes, you are officially hereby, like called to go to Zion. Right. That's what Section 6 is starting to hint at, which will then be developed later. That's the entire section just six verses long, dealing with a practical matter. But there might be some principles in here that are interesting to talk about. Casey, do you want to highlight anything in these six verses?
Casey
Well, I would say the first one is that this is an early indication that the Law of consecration is going to be more flexible than some people think it is. Like a lot of people will come to section 42 and say, unless we're doing exactly what's there, we're not living the law of consecration. But you can already see the Lord appointing the leaders of the Church in Kirtland with flexibility in verse 6, where he says, you're going to be gathered according to your families. You're going to consider every man according to his family and his circumstances as is appointed to him by the presidency and bishop of the Church according to the laws and commandments which you've received. That seems to indicate that it's not going to be a one size fits all situation. Like if you have a family of four and that means a mom and a dad and two adult sons, you might not get the same portion as a family of four. That's a single mother with three small children. The Lord expects his servants who administer the law of consecration to get to know each person in their circumstances and appointed stewardship to them. So this is already an indication that consecration isn't completely laid out in section 42. It's going to be a work in progress that the Lord is going to continually adjust through revelation as they move forward. This is the beginning of a number of sections in the doctrine and covenants that do the same thing again and again. Let's adjust consecration to meet the circumstances we're in right now. I think one of the big things it does is show us, hey, we're going to make consecration a principle based thing. The instructions that I've given you can have some flexibility based on the needs and circumstances of an individual and their family.
Scott
Yeah, I like that. The end of verse six where it says, according to the laws and commandments which ye have received. So that would be section 42 for sure. And he says, which ye shall hereafter receive. Eve suggesting there will be more to come on the specific ways to implement this project. This is a big project to go to a city that is, you're going to lay the foundations of this city, he says, right in verse six. And then you're going to begin to gather with your families and to start like creating this thing which is like your inheritance, he called it in verse four. So this is going to be a big deal. It's going to need to roll out in like a pretty orderly way. And you're right. Yeah. Section 42 does not fully account for all the nuances of that. So this is going to be based on future revelation, which to be fair, section 42 also says that. Right. Section 42 at the end says, and I'll give you additional revelations as circumstances require to help you understand how to implement as you go.
Casey
And second, controversy. They're still really anxious about knowing where the new Jerusalem is going to be. And the Lord's saying, I'm going to tell you, you not yet. Okay, hang in there. And eventually the location will be revealed to you.
Scott
Okay, so consequences for this section, I would say this. So that's going to set up a couple sections coming up here in the next few months. Few months for them, few weeks for us as we study their story. For instance, Section 52 is going to be the place where the Lord will finally appoint that committee that he promised here. There's going to be a committee appointed at the end of section 52 to go to the west west and to locate the city of Zion. So small little committee is going to do that. They're going to make a beeline for the western border in Missouri. And then section 57 is going to be the full fulfillment of the Lord's promise here that it shall be made known unto them the place of the city. And so, Casey, you and I were just driving around that city just what, yesterday, the other day? Yeah, just yesterday. Yeah. We were driving through the streets of this, of this city. Section 48 is kind of this, this interesting section that makes a couple promises that gives some practical counsel to the bishop and helps prepare the saints for more. Right. Saying that this is not everything. We're not just gathering to Kirtland. This is a way station, almost a resting place a midway to the city. We will see more to come as we go into the next couple weeks studying their story. Well, thank you, Casey. Fun little run through these sections 47 and 48. 8 part 2 this week. Any final thoughts on these sections before we call it good Gifts of the.
Casey
Spirit, something that applies to everybody. Writing a history and the importance of keeping a record that applies to everybody. And then this longer term picture of we're going to make consecration work and we're going to build the new Jerusalem that are higher up aspirations as well. Good solid counsel from the Lord here.
Scott
Yeah. Showing his line upon line, precept on precept. You don't need to have it all at once, trust me. Execute part A A, then we'll move to part B and I'm going to keep you moving along until we accomplish the end game of Zion. So good stuff, man, good stuff. We'll see you next week. Thanks Casey. Okay.
Casey
Thanks, Scott. Next time.
Church History Matters – Episode 121 Summary: D&C 47-48 CFM - The Importance of Keeping Records
Release Date: May 9, 2025
Hosts: Scott and Casey from Scripture Central
In Episode 121 of the Church History Matters Podcast, Scott and Casey delve into Doctrine and Covenants (D&C) Sections 47 and 48, exploring their significance in the context of Latter-day Saint Church history. This episode underscores the vital role of record-keeping within the church and highlights the contributions of key historical figures.
Casey begins by discussing the appointment of John Whitmer as the church historian, emphasizing Whitmer's initial reluctance and his eventual acceptance of the role.
[00:01] Casey: "John might not have been great at writing history, but he's good at collecting history... We owe a huge debt of gratitude for having the Doctrine and Covenants the way we do."
Whitmer's appointment comes in D&C Section 47, where he is tasked with maintaining the church’s records and assisting Joseph Smith in transcribing revelations.
[03:54] Scott: "The Lord says, it's expedient in me. Which in the 1828 dictionary, expedient means it is useful, it is profitable."
The conversation shifts to the controversial aspects of Whitmer's tenure. Despite his significant contributions, Whitmer faced criticism and was ultimately excommunicated in 1838.
[10:46] Scott: "Didn't Joseph write a letter and say, you've left the church, but can we have the history you've kept of our church back?"
Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon questioned Whitmer's capabilities, leading to strained relations and Whitmer's departure from the church.
[11:01] Casey: "Knowing your incompetency as a historian. Indeed, sir, we never supposed you capable of writing a history, but we're willing to let it come out under your name..."
Despite initial criticisms, recent scholarship has rehabilitated Whitmer’s reputation. Casey argues that Whitmer was instrumental in collecting and preserving church records, which are invaluable to historians today.
[12:27] Scott: "John might not have been great at writing history, but he's good at collecting history."
Whitmer’s meticulous record-keeping laid the foundation for future historians, ensuring a rich documentary record for the church.
[15:24] Casey: "John Whitmer was a good historian... You don't always have to just be a good writer to be a good historian. You're a good compiler, you're a good listener, you are diligent in your calling."
Drawing from Section 47, the hosts discuss the broader principles of record-keeping, encouraging listeners to maintain regular and continual personal histories.
[05:11] Casey: "It doesn't have to be brilliant... The Lord asked that you do it regularly and that you do it continually."
Scott reinforces this by highlighting the personal value of journals and records, referencing figures like Wilford Woodruff and Spencer W. Kimball.
[07:48] Scott: "President Kimball is saying that future generations are actually going to be really interested in our normal, everyday lives."
The discussion transitions to D&C Section 48, which addresses the gathering of church members to Kirtland, Ohio, and the implementation of the Law of Consecration amidst logistical challenges.
Whitmer records the influx of members from New York and the subsequent need for flexible application of consecration principles.
[20:18] Scott: "Section 48 is kind of this, this interesting section that makes a couple promises that gives some practical counsel to the bishop and helps prepare the saints for more."
Casey highlights the flexibility inherent in these instructions, suggesting that the application of consecration would evolve with revelation and circumstances.
[24:05] Casey: "The Lord expects his servants... appointed stewardship to them."
Scott outlines the practical implications of Sections 47 and 48, noting how they set the stage for future directives and the establishment of Zion.
[26:29] Casey: "This is a big project to go to a city that is, you're going to lay the foundations of this city..."
They anticipate future revelations that would further define and organize the church’s efforts in gathering and consecration.
In conclusion, Scott and Casey emphasize the enduring importance of both institutional and personal record-keeping. They advocate for consistent documentation as a means of preserving faith, history, and personal growth.
[28:08] Casey: "Writing a history and the importance of keeping a record that applies to everybody."
[28:24] Scott: "Executing part A, then we'll move to part B and I'm going to keep you moving along until we accomplish the end game of Zion."
The episode serves as a reminder of the legacy of John Whitmer and the ongoing responsibility of church members to maintain and cherish their histories.
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This episode of Church History Matters offers a comprehensive exploration of D&C Sections 47 and 48, shedding light on the complexities of church historiography and the foundational principles of record-keeping vital to both church history and personal legacy.