IUPUI seminar: Mormonism in American Life pt3

[rameumptom]

This was probably the best doctrinal discussion in the seminar!

Kathleen Flake, Assoc Prof of American Religion, Vanderbilt:

Theology of priesthood power and authority developed over the Church's first 15 years. By accident, it backed Kathleen into polygamy.

John Winthrop was concerned with John Hutchinson's antinomianism. Hutchinson was tried in court, but claimed his direct revelation was above earthly courts of law. This became a concern for later Christians against Mormons and others.

Joseph Smith taught direct revelation, not as a conversion tool, but so people could have a direct revelation of God – a theophany. There were 3 powers/authorities developed to direct this, without giving up too much power: Priestly office, Councils, and kinship authorities. All were given to use the powers of heaven, but only to benefit others. No one had overall/absolute power. It granted broad, but limited power to the individual.

Members were endowed to mediate the divine. All were to learn to “speak in the name of God,” while Joseph's power was to beget power and authority in others. The apostleship had the most direct link to God.

Joseph did not monopolize power and authority, but expanded offices with the Church's growth. New offices were created to handle new situations: bishop, elder, priest, etc. Old Testament terms were used: Melchizedek and Aaronic priesthoods. The Melchizedek Priesthood provided the sanctifying ordinances. The Aaronic PH offered an evangelical repentance of sin, but not sanctification.

The law of Sarah came later, which extended priesthood authority to women.

From 1830-1844, there is a pattern to the development of power and authority: 1. practical necessity, 2. to fulfill the imperative that all speak in the name of God.

Initially, the Church held General Conferences, a protestant pattern of worship. As the Church grew, smaller meetings/groups were formed, called Counsels or Quorums. In Feb 1834, Quorums were formalized, including Kirtland's High Council of 12. They were given power and authority. A year later, when the 12 Apostles and Seventy were called, they were immediately formed into quorums. In organizing the Kirtland High Council, Joseph established a pattern of rite, enabling Church coherence: 1. Instruction given by Joseph to the Council, 2. Setting apart by the laying on of hands to mediate power, 3. Council given a solemn charge of righteousness, taken with an oath.

That night, they heard the first case: Brother Rich was breaking the Word of Wisdom and selling the revelations to the congregations out East. Six months later, they met to handle charges made against Joseph Smith. While Joseph was president of the Church, he was still under the high council and obedient to their counsel.

Along with the councils/quorums began a covenant greeting, representing mutual friendship and love.

Next, there was a theology of personal relationship, based upon kinship. New rites subordinated children to their fathers. After setting his father apart for the Kirtland high council, Joseph junior was blessed by his father. Parallel lines of authority were created that shifted according to the relation of one person with others. These status relationships shifted ontologically and jurisdictionally.

Priesthood authority was extended to women gradually, beginning in July 1833. Emma Smith was called an “elect lady,” to be faithful in the “office of they calling,” and counseled to comfort/strengthen her husband, and to exhort others – counsel given to several men in the same revelation. While the duties seemed unremarkable, it foreshadowed the integration of marriage and Church responsibilities.

1842, women raising funds to pay for the Nauvoo temple building. Some wanted to create a benevolent society as in other towns. They drew up a charter and asked Joseph for approval. He told them that God had greater plans for them, and organized them after the Priesthood order, with a presidency, setting apart for callings, and directed by revelation. Joseph Smith stated that “part of the priesthood belongs to them.” They were to seek personal holiness, not just social reform; to relieve poor AND save souls according to the ancient priesthood-to be a kingdom of priests.

Joseph Smith then invited women to join in the priesthood authority, anticipating the new temple and new ordinances extended to women. This may partly be due to the events in Kirtland, where women worked to build the temple, but were not involved much in the priesthood events. New endowment rite included women and Relief Society to prepare them for the temple.

The Kirtland temple was evangelical/Pentecostal in its experience, but later considered not to be a complete endowment. The Nauvoo temple was centered around a Theophany rite.

The endowment helped members obtain the knowledge of God, a “journey of the soul to God.” It is the most complete concept in Joseph Smith's theology.

The Relief Society was overwhelmed by sisters that sought to only have a social gathering or to help the poor. The Anointed Quorums were formed as an advanced quorum of men and women, who sought revelation over important matters. It was based on a kinship relationship, as people were linked through temple sealings. The sealing was designed to sanctify by sealings couples (marriage sealing), and families/kin (adoption sealing). It became a Sacramental means of learning to become like God. It is based on the concept in Moses 1:39, where we are God's purpose – God is fundamentally related to His creation. Eternal Life = God's life. Heavenly power = Priesthood. Mormons sought to conform to the divine nature of God. Families sought to conform to the Heavenly pattern of families.

In early Church, adoption sealings created expansive, tribe-like families, often of people that were not genetically related. It helped create a royal priesthood lineage. Priestly kinship is the saving form/rite, and is a mutual dependency of kinship.

Q/A: Importance of temple? Temple so important that the saints broke shovels digging the foundation for the first temple as soon as they arrived in Great Basin.

Q/A: Did early Americans know how complex LDS teachings were? While this discussion shows the complexity of Mormon thought, early Americans were not aware of how complex it was.

Q/A: Any other Christian churches that have a complex system? Most others are stripping away authority, democratizing. Their covenant is congregationalism.

Q/A: Is there a difference in relationship with God due to Godhead vs Trinity substance issues? Joseph Smith focused on and pulls out the relational from the teachings, it isn't a substance issue.

Q/A: How is it viewed by LDS today? Temple doctrine becomes sentimentalized by LDS and focused on family sealings, losing its theophany/kinship focus.

Q/A: Did it change out West? Out west, women's priestly authority continued, while men's view on it dropped. Emma Smith said she would go out west if Brigham Young recognized her and held her up as a light (one of the Quorum of Anointed). Brigham Young also saw himself as kin of Joseph Smith, and partially blamed Joseph's death on Emma for the uproar on polygamy in Nauvoo.