Good morning everyone! Happy Pioneer Day! How is everyone today? I see lots of smiles. The weather has been beautiful and I see that our ranks are still thin. It must still be summer vacation time.

As I sometimes do, I would like to start the lesson with something irrelevant. Yesterday I had a bit of roto-tilling to do in the back yard. My roto-tiller is a big, noisy thing. I had to take my roto-tiller by the chickens, which are after all, chicken. As I went within about 15 feet of the chickens they started squawking and flapping around. I was worried that they just might panic themselves to death. Well, I finished my roto-tilling and as I was going back by the chickens, I noted that the single rooster was standing guard while the hens were in structure, protected from the evil roto-tiller. How's that for a story?

Thanks Jen, that is a valid question. What does the story have to do with anything? Well not really very much, I just thought it was an interesting story, but it did remind me of a couple of things. First, the rooster is an outright polygamist, at least in a common law sense. He hasn't been through the temple and all that stuff... I also thought of how Joseph and Hyrum snuck away from Nauvoo after their polygamy and Joseph's being crowned King of the World became exposed through the Nauvoo Expositor. At least my little rooster had the courage to stand guard against the big, bad roto-tiller. Lastly, I wonder what Joseph thought of the men who would not volunteer for Zion's Camp. Did he think they were chickens? Which brings us to our topic today of the Saints in Missouri being driven from their homes and the failed attempt of Zion's Camp, that actually yielded some very interesting results in the power structure of the church, that persists until today.

Ted, would you give an opening prayer? Thanks.

This lesson is rich with opportunities of things to discuss and even deconstruct. I hope that the particular issues which I choose to address will be useful to you.

Yes Gladys. I know you like the idea of polyandry, but that isn't part of the lesson today. Maybe we can bring it in a few weeks.

Today, the lesson title is, "They Must Needs Be Chastened and Tried, Even as Abraham." As I mentioned previously, this relates to the time period when the Saints were being driven from Independence, Missouri and the attempt of Zion's Camp to aid the Saints in restoring them to their properties.

So why were the Saints even in Missouri?

Yes Teresa. Thanks for the reference. In D&C 57:1-3 we can read the following:

1 HEARKEN, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, who have assembled yourselves together, according to my commandments, in this land, which is the land of Missouri, which is the land which I have appointed and consecrated for the gathering of the saints.

2 Wherefore, this is the land of promise, and the place for the city of Zion.

3 And thus saith the Lord your God, if you will receive wisdom here is wisdom. Behold, the place which is now called Independence is the center place; and a spot for the temple is lying westward, upon a lot which is not far from the courthouse.

Independence was designated by Joseph as the gather place of the Saints. Now if God had designated Independence as the gathering place, how could the Saints have been driven out of their God-given inheritance? There must be some reason...

Thanks Tom, as you suggest, the reason given by the Correlation Committee is shown in D&C 101:2.

I, the Lord, have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted, in consequence of their transgressions

Like you Tom, I suspect that this is really a nice excuse to transfer blame for Joseph's failed prophecy to the members. Joseph couldn't have the responsibility of a failed prophecy on his shoulders. The funny thing is that Hyrum once said of prophecy, paraphrased of course, that if you hit one in ten, that was about as good as it got. This tradition of transferring blame to the members continues to today in the church. What are some examples of this pattern?

Yes Sally, when a person prays for an answer to the veracity of the Book of Mormon, if the answer is not forthcoming in the manner predicted by the scriptures, the blame is placed on the person doing the praying. They prayed incorrectly or insincerely or perhaps they were not believing enough with their prayer.

Randy, what do you think? 

Yes, I hadn't really thought of that one. Joseph had prophesied that the Second Coming would occur by the time he was 85 years old. The failure of that prophecy has been transferred to the "wickedness" of the Saints.

Yes, Elizabeth.

I have heard similar stories from other members. During the last high tech downturn when there was a lot of unemployment in the area, both Elizabeth and her husband were unemployed for nearly a year each. In speaking with the bishop in their previous ward, his initial reaction to their prolonged unemployment was that perhaps they were not paying a full tithe or perhaps their fast offerings were not generous enough. That is sad.

Well, we could probably have lessons for a month of Sundays on how this particular tradition continues today in the church, but let's move on. Why is it that you think that the Saints were actually driven out of Independence?

Jessica.

Yes, the Saints did isolate themselves from the other citizens and they did frustrate the political process by voting as a bloc.

Yes, Frank. 

As you said, that although the most inflammatory rhetoric and aggressive militarism of the church occurred in Missouri a few years later, there was still plenty of fire to go around at this point as well. Thanks for the reference as well. In D&C 63:29 we can read:

Wherefore, the land of Zion shall not be obtained but by purchase or by blood, otherwise there is none inheritance for you.

The local citizenry found the several references to land being obtained either by purchase or by blood to be very frightening. The increasing population and political power of the Saints was very frightening to the other people. Joseph did foreshadow the increasing militarism of the Saints in D&C 101:10 where he wrote, speaking as God:

I have sworn, and the decree hath gone forth by a former commandment which I have given unto you, that I would let fall the sword of mine indignation in behalf of my people; and even as I have said, it shall come to pass.

(Part 2)

Back to you Jessica.

Thanks for your thoughts, they are very useful insights. As Jessica has mentioned, the goal of eternal life is held out as the supreme goal. Often we are told that we can and should suffer in this life with the promise of eternal life in the next. Good reference again, Jessica. In D&C 101:35-38, we can read:

35 And all they who suffer persecution for my name, and endure in faith, though they are called to lay down their lives for my sake yet shall they partake of all this glory.

36 Wherefore, fear not even unto death; for in this world your joy is not full, but in me your joy is full.

37 Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul.

38 And seek the face of the Lord always, that in patience ye may possess your souls, and ye shall have eternal life.

Jessica's reference to Islamic suicide bombers is right on. They believe that if they blow themselves up in this life, taking out as many "infidels" as possible, that they will be rewarded in the next life. Sacrifice in this life for a greater reward in the next. Although I suspect there are some useful practices in this life that can be attributed to this type of mythology, it also opens the door to many tremendous abuses by religion and ecclesiastical authority. I think you should teach this lesson Jessica.

Okay, let's move on to Zion's Camp. Just what is Zion's Camp. It kind of sounds like a nice place to camp. Have any of you ever camped at Zion's National Park? It is a harsh, but extremely beautiful part of the country.

Thank you Sarah. Governor Dunkin of Missouri expressed a willingness to help the Saints restore their homes if the Saints would organize a group of men to provide for their own protection. Joseph asked for 500 men, but eventually ended up with only 207 men to help the Saints get their land back and to protect them afterwards. So what happened? Since this directive was from God, it was successful wasn't it?

Yes, Sam. You are right, I had forgotten about that bit of history. During the trek, the men of Zion's Camp found an important archeological discovery. They discovered skeletal remains of "Zelph, the white Lamanite." Yes, he was proclaimed to be a giant of eight to nine feet tall. He is said to have been killed in a great battle while fighting under Omandagus. Joseph was pretty good at coming up with these types of things on the fly. So where are the Limited Geography Theorists when you need them? Enough about Zelph. What else happened?

Yes, Zack. No, I haven't heard about any ruckus the group made at a bordello along the way. Perhaps that was one of your own visions. Or perhaps Joseph had a vision to that effect...

Thank you Samantha. The group was decimated with cholera. By the time the group got to Missouri, they were weak and sick. Joseph disbanded Zion's Camp without their helping the Saints at all. Like Samantha, I'm not totally sure why they didn't even try to help. I suspect it was because the toll of the trip was too much and the men had just lost too much drive and too much health to be of much assistance. Maybe Joseph was just tired and wanted to go home. This also left Joseph with the opportunity to place the blame squarely with the members for their "inadequacies," as well as with the "evil" Missourians.

Zion's Camp did have a tremendous impact of the power structure of the church. Within a short period of time, nine of the 12 apostles were from the group and virtually all of the Seventies were from Zion's camp. This foreshadowed the reality of the development of the church hierarchy and power structure. Loyalty to Joseph was a primary factor in determining status and position. If you did what he commanded, either as himself or as the mouthpiece of God, you were rewarded. If you balked and used your own reasoning abilities, you were soon out of favor.

This leads to my final point for today. The title of the lesson is, "They Must Needs Be Chastened and Tried, Even as Abraham." This leads to the concept of obedience, or as it is sometimes called, the first law of heaven. Many believe that obedience to God is important, but what of obedience to a man claiming to be a prophet of God or God's mouthpiece? Let me quote a section from Will Bagley's book, Blood of the Prophets.

Joseph Smith preached obedience to priesthood authority as a fundamental LDS belief. Obedience in Mormon culture remains "the first law of heaven, the cornerstone on which all righteousness and progression rest," demanding "complete subjection to God and his commands." The story of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac became a model for unquestioning submission to divine authority. In a belief system based on a living prophet in direct communication with God, absolute obedience was a prerequisite. Mormon scripture made clear that to defy authority at any level was to rebel against God, who did not take such resistance lightly: "Behold, I, the Lord, utter my voice, and it shall be obeyed....[L]et the rebellious fear and tremble...for the day of wrath shall come upon them as a whirlwind." 

The Lord distributed his blessings based on obedience to that law: "he that will not obey shall be cut off in mine own due time." When Smith failed to conquer Missouri in 1834, the Lord explained, "My people must needs be chastened until they learn obedience, if it must needs be, by the things they suffer.

It was a lesson Smith's followers learned well. The LDS church "is not a democracy," a modern apostle [McKonkie] has written. "The Church is a kingdom. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Eternal King, and the President of the Church, the mouthpiece of God on earth, is the earthly king.

Joseph and Brigham Young became masters a taking the role of being divine authority and demanding unquestioning submission.

Okay, sorry for taking the lead on that last part of the discussion. I appreciate all of your insights. We could spend many weeks talking about the subject that come out of this particular lesson.

Sally, would you give the closing prayer. Thanks.

See you next week.