Doctrine & Covenants 76; the Vision of the Degrees of Glory, part 2

 

Compiled by Dennis B. Horne

 

At Pres. Marion G. Romney’s funeral, Elder Boyd K. Packer shared this experience:

 

On one occasion, we were holding a meeting of mission presidents in Geneva, Switzerland. He arrived a day late, having spent a day in England to work on a very difficult problem for the First Presidency. We met him at the airport. I’d never seen him so tired. I pushed my way through the attendants and walked back where he was waiting for his luggage and he stood there, looked at me, and finally said, “Hello. What do we have going tonight?” I said, “Oh, I think maybe you’d better rest.” But he thought he’d better meet with us.

            As we gathered, the rest of the agenda was suspended and he talked to us. Perhaps because he was weary and less guarded in what he might have otherwise said, he spoke openly of inspiration and the process by which we receive divine direction. And then he told us more than he had said publicly about an event in the growth of his testimony.

Doctrine & Covenants 76; the Vision of the Degrees of Glory, part 1

 

Compiled by Dennis B. Horne

 Elder Harold B. Lee told a close friend (who decades later told me) that, “Twenty years ago, the most electrifying and most interesting man in the Quorum of the Twelve was Melvin J. Ballard. People used to travel miles just to go and hear him at a stake conference. People just flocked to hear him. Hardly anyone knows who he is now.” Elder Lee told the Ballard family that of all the men he knew, he most wanted to be like Elder Melvin J. Ballard.

 

Elder Melvin J. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve (Pres. M. Russell Ballard’s grandfather):

Excerpts from his famous address, “The Three Degrees of Glory”:

 

The greatest revelation the Lord, Jesus Christ, has ever given to man, so far as a record is made, was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith on the 16th of April, 1832, known as the 76th section of the book of Doctrine & Covenants, commonly called for years and still known as "The Vision." This to my mind is the climax of all wonderful revelations that have come from the Lord from the days of Father Adam until the present moment. . . .

“Assumptions” or Inspiration—Which?

by Dennis B. Horne

 

In 1973 Elder Bruce R. McConkie gave a major devotional address at BYU that he titled, “Agency or Inspiration—Which?” I have borrowed the gist of that talk title and two paragraphs from it to make a point and ask some questions that some might find worth pondering.

 

The author of a chapter in a recently published (free) ebook uses the word “assumptions” frequently, almost obsessively, when describing how certain past apostolic Church leaders interpreted and taught the scriptures.[1]

 

He gave academic names to categories of these alleged assumptions. The ebook itself uses the word “assumption[s]” 87 times and the chapter noticed here uses it some 60 of those; mostly applying it to certain teachings of Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith and Elder McConkie. Some examples follow:

Apostolic Comment on the 1911 BYU Modernism-Evolution Concern, and Three Associated Dream-Visions

 

by Dennis B. Horne

1911 saw the culmination of a grave problem at Brigham Young University between a few highly educated faculty pushing scientific and theological theories, and Church leaders and school administrators seeking stable gospel orthodoxy for students. A well-written overview of this episode, which really stretched from 1909 to early 1911, is found in Ernest L. Wilkinson, ed., Brigham Young University: The First One Hundred Years (Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1975), 4 vols, 1:412-435. The episode is not found in Saints, vol. 3, though mention of the Scopes Monkey trial is.

What is shared below are comments from Apostles who dealt with the BYU circumstances by formal committee assignment or later referred to it (plus a few dream-vision accounts of related interest).

Apostolic Reading (Correlation) Committee Comments on Elder B. H. Roberts’s Formerly Unpublished Book "The Truth, the Way, the Life"

 

Compiled and Arranged by Dennis B. Horne

The following are comments given by a reading committee made up of members of the Quorum of the Twelve in 1929, regarding questionable doctrinal assertions in Elder B. H. Roberts’s  book, The Truth, The Way, The Life.  These comments, made by the committee in their official responses to their reading of Elder Roberts’s book, are an exceptional example of the work done by these earlier Church reading committees.  Because Elder Roberts would not edit his book in conformity with their wishes, it was not published as originally planned by the Church and desired by Elder Roberts. Then, in the early 1990s, a group of scholars at Brigham Young University reviewed the recently made-available work and its history, and published it with their commentary and the reading committee’s comments as well.  Two papers were prepared by the reading committee, one titled, “Doctrinal points questioned by the Committee which read the Manuscript of Elder B. H. Roberts, entitled—The Truth, The Way, The Life.” and the other “List of Points on Doctrine in Question by the Committee in Relation to B.H. Robert’s Ms.” There were also notes included of a report made by the chairman of the committee, George Albert Smith, to the Quorum President, Rudger Clawson. The committee was made up of George Albert Smith, Joseph Fielding Smith, David O. McKay, Stephen L Richards, and Melvin J. Ballard. For a complete review of this committee’s work, see B. H. Roberts, The Truth, The Way, The Life: An Elementary Treatise on Theology, John W. Welch, ed. (Provo, Utah: BYU Studies, 1994). The following selected items are taken from this publication, the reading committee’s comments on Roberts’s statements coming from the footnotes. Page numbers are given after each excerpt. (See also James B. Allen, “The Story of The Truth, The Way, The Life” BYU Studies 33, no. 4 [1993], 691-741.)[1]

Elder Mark E. Petersen on the Creator/Creation and the “Race of God”

 

by Dennis B. Horne 

[Editorial note: The information in this post is an overview of Elder Mark E. Petersen’s (and others’) teachings and experience and may not necessarily represent official Church understanding.] 

            “The Lord counsels us to learn from all the best books, as you know” Elder Mark E. Petersen stated to a gathering of church religious educators. “‘The glory of God is intelligence,’ and the glory of man is intelligence. We must learn. We must acquire more knowledge. We must apply that knowledge. We must develop wisdom with that knowledge. If we are eventually to become perfect as God is perfect, then our learning must be on and on continuously. We must have an almost insatiable desire for more knowledge and more learning. The big thing about it, though, is that we must make sure that our knowledge is good knowledge, that it is uplifting knowledge, that we get fact and not theory. We must have the facts. If we learn mistaken notions, we got off on a tangent. It is only the truth that keeps us on the track, and there we must be highly selective in the kinds of books we read and in the kinds of instructions we accept.”[1]

Elder Bruce R. McConkie’s Alternative to Evolution

by Dennis B. Horne 

One could wonder if Elder McConkie might have preferred another stronger title—“The Lord’s Revealed Alternative to the False Theory of Evolution”—for such is how he viewed it. In an Ensign article, he wrote: “The Lord expects us to believe and understand the true doctrine of the Creation—the creation of this earth, of man, and of all forms of life. Indeed, as we shall see, an understanding of the doctrine of creation is essential to salvation. Unless and until we gain a true view of the creation of all things we cannot hope to gain that fulness of eternal reward which otherwise would be ours.”[1]

As he neared the closing years of his life and ministry as an Apostle of the Lord, the three subjects he seemed to give the most attention to in his writings and talks were the creation, the fall, and the atonement of Jesus Christ—what he called “the three pillars of eternity.”

A Little-Known Slice of Church History: Marion G. Romney’s Teachings about the Origin and Mission of Adam

 

by Dennis B. Horne

 Some Introductory Life History

President Marion G. Romney (1897-1988) is little-known in the contemporary Church, so an introduction is in order, including a few special highlights. Born in Mexico, in the Colonia Juarez colony, he grew up in a tight-nit Latter-day Saint community. With the 1912 Mexican revolution his family was forced to leave, eventually ending up in Oakley, Idaho, where he attended Rick’s College for two years. He served a mission to Australia, where his testimony solidified. Two motivating experiences should be mentioned.

Interesting Items from the George F. Richards journal published by the Church Historian’s Press

 

Compiled by Dennis B. Horne

 

Note: The below are excerpts from the journal of George F. Richards, member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (and also President of that Quorum), from the time of his call to the end of what the CHP has so far posted. These are selections that I find interesting for a variety of reasons, as will become apparent to readers. I have provided links at the end of entries for those who wish to read the originals.

ScriptureCentral Goofs Up

By Dennis B. Horne

 

I have long thought of ScriptureCentral as a fine organization doing much good and I still do. But they occasionally get things wrong, with no way to straighten them out or at least have posted corrected views. The Church has a Correlation Department to help keep its doctrine pure, but ScriptureCentral does not—so you can get some bad opinion on occasion. In this case Scott Woodward and Casey Griffiths (and Paul Reeve) have stumbled with some of their interpretations and conclusions on the issue of blacks and the priesthood/temple ban.

An Apostle’s Letter to a Missionary Son:

 

Elder Spencer W. Kimball discusses being “In” and “Out of the Spirit,” Testimony,

and Constructive Gospel Study

Transcribed and Edited by Dennis B. Horne

 

Editorial Note: The Church Archives has just recently scanned and posted a letter written in 1947 by Elder Spencer W. Kimball, by then an apostle for only a few years. The letter is largely doctrinal in nature, being answers to questions posed by his missionary son Andrew. The below text constitutes about half of the letter (and a couple of bonus excerpts of another). Anyone can read all or part of the original scans on the Church Archives site. Some small portions of the explanations given are now obsolete and some policies have changed, but much of the doctrinal reasoning from the scriptures is still sound and insightful—some exceptionally so, such as the below:

Prophetic Warnings Against Teaching False Doctrine

  (McConkie, Petersen, Clark, Benson)

Compiled by Dennis B. Horne

 

Elder Bruce R. McConkie [self-explanatory letter to a private individual, 1982]:

I have just read for the first time your letter . . . in which you spend six pages presenting the general thesis that [mentions a false doctrine]. As you might surmise I am inundated with a flood of letters and manuscripts which set forth quaint and cranky and bizarre and false doctrines. . . . It is my practice to discard them because I have neither the time nor the inclination to engage in discussions or debates on doctrinal matters of the sort contained in your letter. You have indicated a sincere desire for a response and I think in your case I will make a few comments.

Personal Doctrinal and Scriptural Responsibility

  Assembled by Dennis B. Horne from the writings and counsel of

Elder Bruce R. McConkie

            I include below some emphatic counsel that Elder McConkie gave to his son and others regarding how to approach and search the scriptures. I underline salient points that the Ben Spackmans and Grant Hardys and Joseph Spencers and others of like ilk in and out of the Church could surely benefit from. These are taken from Joseph Fielding McConkie’s biography of his father, Elder McConkie:

Ben Spackman Attacks the Prophet Lehi’s Teachings

 

By Dennis B. Horne 

In a recent blog post, Ben Spackman wrote:

“I believe Lehi in 2 Ne 2 was doing as prophets do; he “spoke in part and prophesied in part” per 1 Co 13:9. Lehi was reading Genesis through his sixth-century Israelite “experience and knowledge,” as is apparent from some other things in that chapter; the fact that it appears in the canonized and inspired Book of Mormon does not automatically render it an ultimate revelation of eternal scientific fact from the mind of  God, which overturns all evidence to the contrary.”

Inspirational Excerpts from the Journal of President Spencer W. Kimball

 

Compiled by Dennis B. Horne

 

Editorial note: the below excerpts from President Kimball’s journal were selected because I find them to be extra uplifting and edifying, or otherwise special in some way. I did not include a date with them because when I encountered and chose them I was interested in precious spiritual experience and insight, not scholarship. Some of these items can be found by using the index and links previously posted as “Precious highlights in President Spencer W. Kimball’s Journal.” Below is what I judge to be some of the cream of the cream in his diary. These tidbits make my soul sing and reinforce within me how grateful I am to be a member of the Restored Church of Jesus Christ. This apostle and prophet became celestial material indeed. I include a little introduction of a few words to each excerpt to give some context:

Counseling Experiences from President Kimball’s Journal: the Moral (homosexual, adultery) Problems of Members and His Book, The Miracle of Forgiveness

 Journal text selected by Dennis B. Horne 

Much of Spencer W. Kimball’s Apostolic ministry was devoted to working with and counseling members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that had committed “moral” sins. This mostly meant adultery (or fornication) but especially what today would be called LGBT immorality (or homosexual sin—the initials were not known in his time). Often this behavior resulted in marital problems.

A Prophet of God speaking for God Items regarding President David O. McKay from the Journal of President Spencer W. Kimball

 Selected by Dennis B. Horne

 

Editorial note: most of the below comes from either official minutes or dairy narrations of formal Council meetings in the Temple. Follow links to read all of the entries.

 

Journal, March 5, 1953. Thursday, Additional. Pres. McKay had asked Marion G. Romney and me to administer the Sacrament, it being our Testimony-Fast day. After we completed, Pres. McKay said something like this: “I am sure the Lord is pleased with our program. I believe that this TWELVE is approved by the Savior as much as any he has ever had.

Elder Spencer W. Kimball’s Apostolic Call Experience From his own writings

 Compiled by Dennis B. Horne

 

            Elder Kimball’s Apostolic calling had several main components: the “long-distance” telephone call from Pres. J. Reuben Clark Jr. with the call itself; the mountain-top experience in which Elder Kimball received, after much mental anguish, spiritual confirmation and assurance; his visit with President McKay; and his sustaining and ordination. The journal entries below, with a few other items, describe these. I have underlined what seem to me critical and precious portions—especially that received on the mountain above Boulder Colorado:

 

Autobiographical account, “My Call to the Apostleship”:

Precious Highlights in President Spencer W. Kimball’s Journal Located, described, linked, and dated by Dennis B. Horne

Pearls . . . gems . . . nuggets . . . whatever you want to call them. Probably 98% of President Kimball’s diary (thousands of pages) is tedious in the general sense of being notations about meeting itinerary, travelogue, mission tours, ordination names, and weather reports. But the remaining fraction is more precious than jewels to the spiritually literate and appreciative, and to those that love the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Finding pearls made wading through the rest of it worth it.

The below pages contain a date, then a brief description of a journal item, followed by a link to the page it is on. These often run into more than one page, sometimes many. So keep reading or clicking the right arrow until you are sure you have exhausted the subject. Sometimes this means clicking that right arrow to get past a letter, pictures, newspaper clippings, or other intervening items. Sometimes words, lines, paragraphs, and even entire pages are redacted (blacked out; this is material considered sacred, private, and confidential). I have had some links change on me, so I also included dates to find if the links don’t quite get you there.

President Joseph F. Smith Clarifies Doctrine

 (Submitted by Dennis B. Horne)

 

            Editorial note: The below quotations are excerpts from letters written by President Joseph F. Smith answering doctrinal inquiries received by him. His answers largely speak for themselves: