Why Nauvoo, Illinois isn't the headquarters of the LDS Church

I was taught that hostile non-Mormons drove my ancestors out of Nauvoo, IL at gunpoint, in the winter of 1845 - 1846, after vile men had unjustly jailed and killed Joseph Smith, Jr. and his brother, Hyrum Smith, in Carthage, IL. Fortunately, my ancestors made it through the winter exodus that led to 600 deaths at Winter Quarters, Nebraska, and many more while crossing the plains to Deseret (Utah). I have always wondered why the Lord allowed these persecutions rather than protect His covenant people. I believe I’ve discovered the answer in the scriptures and finally can make sense of my LDS heritage.

Doctrine and Covenants chapter 124, a Revelation given in January of 1841, opens with the Lord directing Joseph Smith, Jr. to prepare to make a “solemn proclamation” to all the leaders of the Nations and World (verses 1 – 5), the Lord says “For, behold, I am about to call upon them to give heed to the light and glory of Zion, for the set time has come to favor her” (verse 6).

The Lord is preparing the World for “the day of [His] visitation, when I shall unveil the face of my covering” (verse 8). The Lord is creating “Zion” and calling the righteous in the World to come to it (verses 9 – 11).

The Lord commands the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo to build two houses; the Nauvoo House (verses 22 – 24) and the Temple (verses 25 – 27). The Lord explains the purpose for building these two edifices: 

28 For there is not a place found on earth that he [the Lord] may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the fulness of the priesthood.

 29 For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead—

 30 For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me.

The purpose for the Lords command is:

1.       To restore the fullness of the priesthood, ”which was lost or taken away”.

2.       To accommodate the performance of a sacred ordinance (baptism for those who are dead) in His house, where it belongs.

3.       Verse 27 states a very important purpose, “and build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell therein”.

The Lord places the Saints under specific commandments which will result in specific blessings if obeyed, or cursing’s if disobeyed.

31 But I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me; and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me.

(The Lord was temporarily accepting vicarious baptisms in the Mississippi river),

 32 But behold, at the end of this appointment your baptisms for your dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God.

33 For verily I say unto you, that after you have had sufficient time to build a house to me, wherein the ordinance of baptizing for the dead belongeth, and for which the same was instituted from before the foundation of the world, your baptisms for your dead cannot be acceptable unto me;

The Lord explains some major consequences for failure to build a house unto the Lord in the “sufficient time” granted:

1.       The Lord will reject the church, with your dead (vicarious temple ordinances).

2.       Baptisms for your dead are unacceptable.

In verses 34 – 41 the Lord explains more reasons for His commandment to build the Temple. While He doesn’t specify the duration of “sufficient time” granted, considering that Joseph Smith Jr. and Hyrum Smith were killed three and one half years after this commandment, it is important to carefully examine what transpired in Nauvoo during that period of time and how it affected the performance of the Saints.

After giving these warnings, the Lord makes conditional promises to the Saints. 45 And if my people will hearken unto my voice, and unto the voice of my servants whom I have appointed to lead my people, behold, verily I say unto you, they shall not be moved out of their place.

Recollect the history of the Church to this point (1830 – 1841); one third of the membership, including Apostles, drove Joseph Smith, Jr. and the balance of the Church members out of Kirtland, OH (the detractors also attempted to kill Joseph Smith, Jr.). The Missouri troubles (extermination order, Hans Mill massacre, mobbing’s, etc.) upon Mormons are well-documented.  The Lord now covenants that the Saints “shall not be moved out of their place”, as long as they hearken unto (obey) His voice, and the voice of His servants whom He has appointed to lead His people.

The Lord makes the consequences of disobedience crystal clear:

 46 But if they will not hearken to my voice, nor unto the voice of these men whom I have appointed, they shall not be blest, because they pollute mine holy grounds, and mine holy ordinances, and charters, and my holy words which I give unto them.

 47 And it shall come to pass that if you build a house unto my name, and do not do the things that I say, I will not perform the oath which I make unto you, neither fulfil the promises which ye expect at my hands, saith the Lord.

 48 For instead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads, by your follies, and by all your abominations, which you practice before me, saith the Lord.

The Saints had been driven “out of their place” twice before (Kirtland, OH and Missouri), yet now the Lord promises He would not let anyone move them out of their place (Nauvoo). UNLESS they disobey Him and the servants He had appointed (Joseph Smith, Jr. and Hyrum Smith).

Verses 49 and 50 are very important to examine, and take to the Lord in prayer:

49 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings.

 50 And the iniquity and transgression of my holy laws and commandments I will visit upon the heads of those who hindered my work, unto the third and fourth generation, so long as they repent not, and hate me, saith the Lord God.

I had always perceived ”those who hindered” the Lord’s work in Nauvoo were non-Mormon mobs and government officials; therefore, the Lord didn’t hold the Latter-day Saints responsible for completing  the Nauvoo Temple within the time limit. Easy enough, huh, it wasn’t our fault! But I’ve since put in the effort and learned there’s much more that happened in Nauvoo that identifies ”those who  hindered” the Lord’s work.

Let’s start this examination with an eye-witness account of Dennison Lott Harris. In 1844, Harris was nineteen years old; he kept a secret for thirty seven years of events he witnessed in Nauvoo, IL, having promised Joseph Smith, Jr. he would not reveal, even to his own father, for a minimum of twenty years. Harris first told of these events to a member of the First Presidency while attending a meeting in Ephraim, Utah in May 1881. His family believes he also told his story to Brigham Young several years earlier while Brigham Young lodged at Harris’ home in Monroe, Utah. Dennison Lott Harris (1825 - 1885) was a Bishop of the LDS Church in Monroe, Utah, for nineteen years, and his body rests in the Monroe City Cemetery.

A detailed account of the "Conspiracy of Nauvoo" was published in the Latter-Day Saints MILLENNIAL STAR on August 11, 1884. Conspiracy of Nauvoo

An abbreviated version of this history was shared with the general population of the LDS Church in the Priesthood Session of General Conference in April 1987, in a talk given by Dallin H. Oaks. http://historyharrisfamily.blogspot.com/2010/03/dennison-lott-harris-story-told-by.html

I wasn’t paying attention back in 1987, and so this history didn’t come to my attention until a few years ago when I found some posts by descendants of Martin Harris (one of the three witnesses of the Restoration).

https://familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/1379379   http://historyharrisfamily.blogspot.com/search/label/Dennison%20Lott%20Harris  

Also, a fine gentleman posted the story here:

https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-303-43991-480-10/dist.pdf?ctx=ArtCtxPublic

Here’s a little background on what is termed the “Conspiracy of Nauvoo”.

Former Latter-day Saint, John C. Bennett, had become hostile toward Joseph Smith Jr. and the LDS Church following his excommunication for immorality. In 1842, Bennett raised charges against Joseph Smith, Jr. for essentially the same immoral crimes for which Bennett was convicted and excommunicated. In early June, 1844, Bennett published defaming accusations against Joseph Smith, Jr. and the LDS Church. 

William Law and others within the LDS Church leadership quietly adopted belief that Joseph Smith, Jr. was a “fallen prophet”, due primarily to accusations of polygamous teachings and practices alleged to have been initiated by Joseph Smith, Jr. On January 8, 1844, William Law was removed from the First Presidency of the LDS Church and he and his wife were excommunicated on April 18, 1844.

If you have already read the links above, you know what the “Conspiracy of Nauvoo” is. For those of you breezing through this post, I’ll give you a summary.

The Conspiracy of Nauvoo

In January, 1844, a secret meeting was called by William Law at his residence in Nauvoo. Among the Latter-day Saint men invited were Dennison Lott Harris and Robert Scott. The perplexed and confused young men brought the invitation to the attention of Harris’ father, Emir, (brother of Martin Harris). Emir brought the young men to Joseph Smith, Jr. where they repeated the details of the invitation. After listening to and discerning the hearts of the young men, Joseph instructed them to attend the secret meeting and afterward visit the details upon him. The secret meeting revealed a plan to murder Joseph Smith, Jr., Hyrum Smith, and potentially other leaders of the LDS Church. Joseph Smith asked the two young men to attend two more meetings, but warned that the last meeting may cost them their lives. The two chose to accept the risk and went. At the last meeting, the leaders of the conspiracy decided to put everyone (approximately 200 Latter-day Saint men) under a secret oath. When the two young men attempted to dismiss themselves, suggesting they were only foolish boys who didn’t understand what was going on, angry voices in the crowd demanded they be taken to the cellar and killed before they spilled the beans on the conspiracy. Miraculously, the boys were expelled with the threat of certain death if they spoke of this with anyone. At the final meeting with Joseph Smith, Jr., he put the two young men under a vow (for their protection) to never speak of what they witnessed with anyone for a minimum of twenty years.

On June 27, 1844, Joseph Smith Jr. and Hyrum Smith were ambushed and murdered by a mob while being held at a Carthage, IL jail. History says the “mob” was a local militia (Carthage Greys) who were supposed to be protecting the LDS leaders awaiting a pending trial. Now I wonder if there were any of those 200 Latter-day Saint men among the mob.

Knowledge of this history certainly opens one’s eyes as to what was happening in Nauvoo, IL from 1841 through 1844. ”Those who hindered” the Lords work were not only non-Mormon hostiles, but also current members and former leaders in the LDS Church and former allies of Joseph Smith, Jr. and Hyrum Smith. Let’s remind ourselves what the Lord promised upon the heads of those who hindered His work? 48 For instead of blessings, ye, by your own works, bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads, by your follies, and by all your abominations, which you practice before me, saith the Lord.

So, am I suggesting these “defectors” brought the Lords wrath upon ALL Latter-day Saints (200 bad apples condemned 12,000 righteous)? Yes I am (strike one). And what about whether or not the Nauvoo Temple was completed within the “sufficient time” given by the Lord? It clearly was not (strike two). https://history.lds.org/article/museum-treasures-nauvoo-temple-in-ruins-lithograph?lang=eng#

Another very distressing question is why the Lord allowed Hyrum Smith to accompany Joseph Smith to Carthage, IL. Sure, because Hyrum was accused of crimes too! The Lord could have protected Hyrum Smith; but instead, He allowed Hyrum to die minutes before Joseph, thrusting the LDS Church into a “Succession Crisis”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_crisis_(Latter_Day_Saints)

So why then, if the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo were worthy of the Lords promised protection, did the Lord allow Hyrum to die? Did you know that the Lord had appointed Hyrum as a prophet, seer, and revelator in 1841? Consider the Lords feelings for Hyrum at that time:  D&C 124: 15 And again, verily I say unto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord.

D&C 124: 91 And again, verily I say unto you, let my servant William be appointed, ordained, and anointed, as counselor unto my servant Joseph, in the room of my servant Hyrum, that my servant Hyrum may take the office of Priesthood and Patriarch, which was appointed unto him by his father, by blessing and also by right;

 92 That from henceforth he shall hold the keys of the patriarchal blessings upon the heads of all my people,

 93 That whoever he blesses shall be blessed, and whoever he curses shall be cursed; that whatsoever he shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever he shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

 94 And from this time forth I appoint unto him that he may be a prophet, and a seer, and a revelator unto my church, as well as my servant Joseph;

 95 That he may act in concert also with my servant Joseph; and that he shall receive counsel from my servant Joseph, who shall show unto him the keys whereby he may ask and receive, and be crowned with the same blessing, and glory, and honor, and priesthood, and gifts of the priesthood, that once were put upon him that was my servant Oliver Cowdery;

 96 That my servant Hyrum may bear record of the things which I shall show unto him, that his name may be had in honorable remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever.

You know, when my Wife and I taught 8 – 9 year old Primary children, we wondered why Hyrum Smith isn’t recognized in LDS curriculum as the second “prophet, seer, and revelator” of the LDS Church. We thought it wrong that Hyrum wasn’t mentioned as a “prophet, seer, and revelator”, but only as the second “patriarch”, having succeeded his father, Joseph Smith, Sr. We cringed while singing those “cute” Primary songs “Latter-day prophets … are number one … Joseph Smith … then Brigham Young …”. How can Hyrum Smith’s name be had in “honorable remembrance from generation to generation, forever and forever” if we aren’t teaching the entire truth from the scriptures? It wouldn’t take very long before Hyrum Smith became known only as “the second patriarch” and “devoted brother” to the prophet, Joseph Smith, Jr.

From his appointment in 1841 as co-prophet, seer, and revelator of the LDS Church, Hyrum Smith was never accepted as such by his contemporary Latter-day Saints. Could the Lord have allowed Hyrum Smith to go to his death at Carthage as an exclamation point on the disobedience of the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo? (strike three, you’re out!!!)

Can we identify any “cursing’s, wrath, indignation, and judgments” that have followed the Saints since Nauvoo?

How about the fact the LDS Church was “moved out of its place” and broke into at least six factions, a/k/a the “Succession Crisis” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Succession_crisis_(Latter_Day_Saints) (“Brigham-ites”, “Rigdon-ites”, “Joseph-ites = RLDS”, “Strang-ites”, “Hendrick-ites”, “Wight-ites“.

Those of us whose ancestors followed Brigham Young to Deseret (Utah) might argue that there have been no “cursing’s, wrath, indignation, and judgments” upon us “the authorized religion”; yet a historically honest examination tells a different story. Hundreds of deaths at Winter Quarters and during the exodus to Deseret (Utah), absence of ongoing revelation (four canonized revelations in 173 years), Polygamy and effects of Edmunds – Tucker Act (members fled to Canada and Mexico to avoid jail and asset seizures), Fundamentalist break-offs (80 and counting), controversial doctrines (Blood Atonement, Oath of Vengeance, Curse of Cain – Lesser Valiancy), “Mormon War”, “Mountain Meadows Massacre”, settling of Brigham Young Estate, Senator Reed Smoot hearings (need for 2^nd Manifesto), financial distress (solved by alignment with Babylon a/k/a Wall Street), societal maladies (prescription drug abuse, pornography, fraud and white-collar crime (Ponzi-schemes), bankruptcy filings, teen pregnancy/suicide), and throughout all the generations since Nauvoo, pride (ref. Mormon 8: 35 – 41, 3 Nephi 16: 10 – 15).

“Zion”, as described in Moses 7: 18, has not been achieved by any of the groups that stem from what the Lord started in Nauvoo, IL, 173 years ago. And has anyone seen evidence that “that portion of the priesthood which was lost or taken away” (D&C 124: 28) was actually restored sometime after January 1841?

The Lord promised, however, that the cursing’s, wrath, indignation and judgments would only be upon the third and fourth generations? So what if you’re part of the fifth generation and beyond, would you be encouraged at evidence the Lord has turned to face the “Restoration” again? I am, and so are many others. I encourage your review, with sincere prayer, of the following link: http://www.preservingtherestoration.info/