Podcast Summary: Standard of Truth

Episode: S5E44 "Letters from Liberty"

Date: October 23, 2025
Hosts: Dr. Gerrit Dirkmaat and Dr. Richard Leduc

Episode Overview

This episode centers on Joseph Smith’s letters from Liberty Jail, exploring the emotional, spiritual, and historical context of Doctrine and Covenants Sections 121–123. Drs. Dirkmaat and Leduc examine the suffering of the Latter-day Saints in Missouri, the transformation of Joseph Smith's letters into scripture, and the enduring comfort and lessons found within these texts. The conversation balances deep historical analysis, personal reflection, and characteristic humor, while reinforcing messages of faith, hope, and perseverance amid suffering.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Opening Banter: Conciseness, Buckwheat, and Podcast Origins

• The hosts joke about their inability to stay concise and their spouses' interventions (03:12).
• Running inside gag about buckwheat as the true purpose of the podcast (04:23).

2. Listener Mail: Saints vs. Revelations in Context (05:54–13:42)

• Listener Question: Which is more suitable for those new to Church history, the "Saints" volumes or "Revelations in Context"?
• Dr. Dirkmaat:
  • "The Saints volumes present a narrative of church history in an easily digestible way... designed to be accessible to someone that you're working with who doesn't know a whole lot about Latter-day Saints" (09:43).
  • "Revelations in Context... is specifically about specific revelations, not the narrative itself" (10:40).
  • Most non-members will simply Google questions and find misinformation, so starting with "Saints" is recommended.
• Advice:
  • Start by reading "Saints" together; consult "Revelations in Context" or Gospel Topics Essays for particular doctrinal or historical questions.
• Notable Quote:
  • "If you want to learn more about this, how about you read the first couple chapters of Saints, and I'll read them with you and we can talk about it." (12:26)
• Richard Leduc: Times Dr. Dirkmaat's response with a stopwatch, leading to humorous pressure on conciseness (13:42).

3. Christie’s Corner: Letters from Liberty Jail – Scriptural and Historical Context (14:10–54:29)

a. Scripture Reflection and Emotional Impact

• Joseph Smith’s letters from Liberty Jail form Doctrine and Covenants 121–123.
• The sections are selected excerpts of lengthy, deeply personal and communal letters written in adversity.

b. Historical Context of Liberty Jail (15:26–22:05)

• Joseph Smith and companions imprisoned after the Mormon War (arrested in 1838, letters written March 1839).
• The Saints suffered severe violence, dispossession, and murder at the hands of the Missouri state militia, not just local mobs.
  • "It is literally the militia of the state of Missouri... looting Mormon houses, assaulting Mormon women, killing Mormon children." (22:27)

c. Reframing 'Mob' Violence

• Dirkmaat insists that characterizing the perpetrators as mere mobs understates the government’s direct role.
  • "They're not even mobs. They're literally the state militia of Missouri." (22:05)

d. Personalizing the Suffering

• Joseph writes from a place of deep anguish—not just for himself, but for the Saints enduring atrocities.
• Reading from Joseph's Letter (29:20–35:34):
  • Example quote: "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." (Joseph Smith Letter, read at 32:59)
• Joseph’s heartbreak lies especially in the suffering inflicted on innocents: “The people who are losing everything are the faithful people who followed Joseph to Far West...” (29:20)

e. Theological Reflection: Suffering, Faith, and Divine Consolation

• Joseph's plea, "O God, where art thou?" is occasioned by others’ suffering, not just his own adversity (35:34).
• Dirkmaat emphasizes the misreading of these sections as a "Joseph Smith pity party," when the true context is mourning for innocent Saints.
  • "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..." (29:20)

f. Doctrine and Covenants 123: Accounting and Healing

• Joseph counsels the Saints to record the injustices suffered (41:56).
• Example: Amanda Smith’s testimony after Haun’s Mill massacre; her anguish encapsulates the depth of loss and faith.

g. Key Verses and Personal Application

• Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-9 offers sustaining hope and perspective.
  • “The Son of man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?”
• The conclusion of section 123: "Cheerfully do all things that lie in our power, and then stand still..."—a call to hope amid suffering (44:09).

h. Rejection of a 'Prosperity Gospel'

• Both hosts denounce the notion that righteousness guarantees an easy or prosperous life.
  • "To believe that if only you had been more righteous, something horrible wouldn't happen to you is to deny the righteousness of women like Amanda Barn Smith, who was absolutely righteous and was in fact following the prophet." (50:41)
• Suffering, trauma, and loss do not reflect a person's lack of faith or worth.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the real impact of Missouri persecution:

  • "It can't be found among the wild and ferocious beasts of the forest... That a man should be mangled for sport, and a woman... violated to gratify the hellish desires of the mob." (31:42)

• On comfort from suffering:

  • “That's the religion we believe in. Yes, there is pain. Yes, there's unfairness. Yes, there's suffering. But there will come a time in the resurrection when there is no more suffering. And we believe it—somehow God will make right the horrible things that have happened to us in our lives.” (54:29)

• On the power dynamic of the Liberty Jail letters:

  • "It'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..." (35:34)

• Personal favorite verse (Richard):

  • “My Missionary scripture was Doctrine and Covenants section 122, verses 7 through 9... the idea that the Son of man hath descended below them all—art thou greater than him?—is beautiful, and it has provided a tremendous amount of peace and comfort into my soul.” (15:07, 44:09)

Timestamps for Critical Segments

• Listener Mail: Saints vs. Revelations in Context

  • 05:54–13:42

• Christie’s Corner – Liberty Jail Context and Doctrine and Covenants

  • 14:10–54:29

• Historical recounting of Missouri persecutions

  • 15:26–22:05

• Reading from Joseph Smith’s Liberty Jail letter

  • 29:20–35:34

• Discussion on the fallacy of the prosperity gospel

  • 49:25–51:15

Episode Tone and Style

The hosts maintain their trademark blend of faith-centered scholarship, gentle humor, and deep personal empathy. Dr. Dirkmaat’s passionate retelling gives historical events emotional weight, counterbalancing the lighthearted banter at the start and end of the episode.

Concluding Reflection

• The Liberty Jail letters, when examined in their original context, are not only foundational for Latter-day Saint doctrine but offer universal lessons about enduring suffering, resisting bitterness, and holding to hope.
• The faithful who suffer are not punished for unrighteousness; rather, their reward and vindication come in the promise of resurrection and healing—a central message of Joseph Smith’s letters and the Restoration.
• "If you are someone who is suffering, let those words speak to you and remember that there will come a time when God will make up for all of it. But we still have to endure." (54:29)

For Further Study

• Complete Liberty Jail letters: josephsmithpapers.org
  (Joseph Smith Letter, March 20, 1839)

[End of Summary]