B (29:20)
The faithful people who followed Joseph to Far west, the people who stood by the community even though Joseph was arrested. And so we often read Doctrine and Covenants, Section 121. I mean, look, I indict myself with this, so I won't say we. Garrett often reads Doctrine and Covenant, Section 121 as almost like a Joseph Smith pity party. I know that sounds very, very. I often read it when I'm having a really difficult time in my own life. And so I read it to try to apply it to myself and have God say to me through those words, thine affliction and thine adversity will be but a small moment. So, look, I selfishly read doctrine and covenants 121, 22 and 23. I most often in my life have gone to them when I'm looking to be buoyed up over something that's going on in my life. So I understand why we read it that way because, frankly, it is beautiful. I mean, I have said since the day I first started researching on this, if Joseph Smith wasn't a prophet for anything else, he was a prophet for the fact that he understood human nature better than anyone did, that it is the nature of almost all men. As soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose, they immediately begin exercising unrighteous dominion. And I don't know a better description of how power corrupts psychologically than that. And we've all seen it. We've all seen people who are really Great people who got a little bit of money, got a little bit of power, and they started turning into a jerk. We, we've seen people exercise unrighteous dominion in local church callings, you know, brow beating people because. Well, actually I'm the president of the Sunday School. That was probably autobiographical for me, but so I understand why we read it the way we do. But I'm going to read part of this letter to you that DNC121 is excerpted from. And I think it will change a little bit about your perspective. It is very long. You can read the whole thing on josephsmithpapers.org, you can go to joseph smithpapers.org go to. It's called Joseph Smith Letter 20-3-1839. Okay, so the 20th of March, go to Joseph Smith Papers, go to documents, go to 1839. And as you scan down, you'll see a letter, 20-3-1839, and you'll see the letter in its entirety. But he starts off the letter talking about how grateful he is for the people that have remembered them, that have love them, and how important that fellowship is. Dearly beloved brethren, we are the more ready and willing to lay claim to your fellowship and love. For our circumstances are calculated to awaken our spirits to a sacred remembrance of everything. And we think that yours are also. And nothing therefore can separate us from the love of God and fellowship one with another. That every species of wickedness and cruelty practiced upon us only tend to bind our hearts together and seal them together in love. I mean, again, all Joseph has the ability to do as he's in this hole in the ground, in liberty is here by messenger, by the jests of guards, by letters, by newspapers of the horrible, horrible things that are happening to the people that he loves, that are happening to the saints. I imagine that some of you felt a small, small particle of this feeling when you turned on the news and saw that church burning in Michigan and you saw the numbers go up and up and up of the people who were shot and murdered and wounded and those who died. I can only imagine that you had a feeling in your soul that shot to its center. It was sorrow. It was, if you're me, it was anger. Possibly other people are more Christlike than me. So it wasn't anger for everybody, but it was angry. It was anger for me. It was distress. Like, how could something like this happen? There were lots of feelings, but they were very poignant. And these were people that, I don't know what if they Were people that you did. What if it was your church house? What if you just so happened to be gone to Disneyland that weekend when it happened? Imagine the feeling that you would have as you learn about the violence that happened to people that you love. That you have worshiped with. The people who've taken care of your kids. The people who've borne testimony to you. And now they're dead because of evil people. Imagine. So this is where Joseph is. It is needful to say to you that. Say unto us. We are driven from our homes. And we are smitten without cause. We understand that if the inhabitants of the state of Missouri had let the saints alone. And had been as desirable of peace as the saints were. They would have had nothing but peace and quietude in this state unto this day. And we would not be in this hell surrounded with demons. If not those who are damned. Those who shall be damned. And where we're compelled to hear nothing but their blasphemous oaths. And witness a scene of blasphemy and drunkenness. And hypocrisy and debaucheries of every description. And the cries of orphans and widows Would not have ascended up to God. The blood of the innocent women and children, yea, and of men also would not have cried to God against them. It would not have stained the soil of Missouri. But, oh, the unrelenting hand, the inhumanity. The murderous disposition of this people. It shocks all nature. It beggars and defies all description. It is a tale of woe. A lamentable tale, yea, a sorrowful tale. It is too much to tell. It's too much for contemplation. It's too much to think for a moment. It's too much for human beings. It can't be found among the heathens. It can't be found among the nations where kings and tyrants are enthroned. It can't be found among the savages of the wilderness. Yea, I think it cannot be found among the wild and ferocious beasts of the forest. Forest. That a man should be mangled for sport. And a woman robbed of all that they have as their last morsel of subsistence. And then violated to gratify the hellish desires of the mob. And finally left to perish with their helpless offspring clinging around their necks. But this is not all. After a man is dead, he must be dug up from his grave. And mangled to pieces. For no other purpose than to gratify their spleen against religion of God. They practice these things upon the saints. Who have done them no wrong, who are innocent and virtuous, who love the Lord their God, and were willing to forsake all things for Christ's sake. These things are awful to relate, but they are true. It must needs be that offenses come, but woe to them by whom they come. O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed in thine eye? Yea, thine pure eye. Behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants and thine ear be penetrated with their cries. Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions before thine heart be softened towards them and thy bowels moved with compassion towards him. So you see when you read it in context what Joseph is talking about right as he moves into that is not boy, this jail is really terrible. And they've been feeding us horrible rotten food and they're not giving us blankets and they're treating us badly and they're making fun of us. And that that's not what spurs Joseph to say, oh God, where art thou? True to Joseph Smith's personality, it's when people that he loves are being hurt that he cannot account for this, as he said back in 1833 in a letter he wrote when the saints were driven out of Jackson County. Now the letter goes on after that for a very long time before there's another excerpt that's taken from it that's part of 121. And then again you have a couple more places. And then there's another letter that's written probably sometime around or on March 22nd. So a couple days later, again, very lengthy letter which another huge portion of doctrine covenant section 121 is taken from. In fact, the portion we already quoted, right? Many are called and fewer chosen. Why they set their hearts upon the vain things of this world. In this second letter, it's when Joseph, after listing off all of the horrible, horrible, horrible things that have happened that Joseph teaches them what's then in 123 today we suggest for your consideration the propriety of the saints, gathering up a knowledge of all the facts and suffering and abuses made upon them by the people of that state and also all the property and amount of damages they have sustained, both in character and personal injuries as well as real property and the names of the person that a hand in their oppression as far as they can find them out. It's in this part of the letter where he, he talks about the horrible, horrible things that have, that have been done. Again, this is part of doctrine covenant section 1 23. It's a duty that we owe not only to our own wives and children, but to the widows and the fatherless whose husbands and fathers have been murdered under its iron hand, which dark and blackening deeds are enough to make hell itself shudder and to stand aghast and a pale and the hands of the very devil tremble and palsy. And also it is an imperious duty that we owe to all the rising generation, to all the pure in heart of which there are many yet on the earth among all generations and, and sex and parties and denominations who are blinded by the subtle craftiness of men. So you know, they do collect these. I mean one of the more painful things you'll ever read is the statement of Amanda Smith whose husband and whose 10 year old son are murdered at Haun's Mill and whose six year old son is wounded and nearly killed at Haun's Mill. Loses everything, has all kinds of threats. When she totals up what her value is, she says my losses are worth more than all of the state of Missouri is worth. And as she's writing to the Congress, she says, what would you give in exchange for your families? It is not a pleasant thing to do to go read the affidavits that are created as a result of Doctrine and Covenants section 123. They are horrific. There are things in them that you better not read if you have a soft stomach or if you're not able to deal with the expressions of violence. They are chilling and they are horrific. And there's a reason why the devil palsies at how horrible these actions were. Well, that is a really light way to talk about Doctrine and Covenant Section 121, 22 and 23. I believe I went far beyond whatever the stopwatch said. I apologize to everyone, but this should at least get Elder Abel to being a 70.
