Mountain Meadows Massacre

A website devoted to telling the story of the Mountain Meadows Massacre explains it as follows:

The Mountain Meadows Massacre was the killing of roughly 120 emigrants who were passing through Southern Utah in September 1857. The massacre occurred on September 11, 1857. The emigrants--men, women, and children--were traveling from Arkansas to California, part of the Baker-Fancher wagon train. They were killed by a group of Mormons with the help of local Paiute Indians.

After leaving Arkansas, the Fancher party traveled west through Kansas and Nebraska territories before entering Utah territory. In Utah, the party passed Fort Bridger and Salt Lake City, traveling south west until reaching Cedar City. Cedar City was the last stop before California. In Cedar City, the Fancher party attempted to buy grain and supplies but was refused by the local Mormons due to the Mormons' suspicion of aiding potential enemies.

After the Fancher party left Cedar City, frustrated with the refusal of local Mormons to sell them needed goods, they continued southwest through the mountain pass called Mountain Meadows. There they were attacked by Mormon assailants, some of them killed. The remaining emigrants pulled their wagons into a tight circle for protection. Over the next five days, the emigrants were held at siege in their wagon circle. During this period they were attacked two more times.

On September 11, 1857, John D. Lee entered the wagon circle with a white flag, convincing the emigrants to surrender peacefully. Required to put down their guns, the women and children were escorted out first, then the men and boys. Each man and boy was escorted by an armed militiaman.

They walked about a mile when, upon a predetermined signal, the militiamen turned and fired on each man and boy. Indians who had been convinced to participate in the massacre came out from their hiding places to attack the women and children.

While most of the Fancher party was killed (about 120 people), there were 17 young children who survived. These 17 children were adopted by local families. Two years later in 1859, the U.S. government reunited the children with their extended families in Arkansas

In our next post we will discuss whether the LDS Church had anything to do with this tragedy.

After Missouri

After being expelled from Missouri by the Extermination Order, the Mormons found refuge in Quincy, Illinois, in January of 1839. These kind people helped them until they could find a place to establish themselves. Brigham Young led the Church while Joseph remained in prison on charges of treason. Finally, on April 16, a friendly guard, realizing that Joseph and the others were being unjustly confined, allowed them to escape. [1]

The Mormons were anxious to return to Missouri or get just compensation. Joseph asked everyone to write down what had happened and to try to account for all that they had lost. In October, 1839, Joseph took these affidavits to Washington, D.C., and spoke with members of the Congress and President Martin Van Buren. They said that since Missouri was a sovereign state, only Missouri could redress their wrongs. [1]

Joseph returned to Nauvoo and with the other leaders determined that they would not let themselves be driven and harassed by mobs again. They petitioned for a charter for their own city, giving them the legal right to defend themselves against attacks both from the law and from mobs. The charter created a militia, which was very common at the time, and established a university. It also stated that no resident of Nauvoo could be arrested without a writ of habeas corpus before a city judge. This meant that no person living in Nauvoo could be dragged off by mobs or sheriffs without getting a fair chance to hear the charges against them. [1]

By 1841, the number of Mormons had grown, and they spilled over into Hancock County and across the Mississippi into Iowa. Persecution followed, and the Missouri government tried several times to extradite Joseph Smith and others back to Missouri. [1]

The years of 1842 and 1843 were not so peaceful. Joseph and other leaders were often forced into hiding. In May, John C. Bennett, who had become a close associate and friend of Joseph Smith, was excommunicated from the Church because of adultery. After he left the Church, he became very bitter and started writing attacks on Joseph and the Church. This forced Joseph to spend much of the fall in hiding. [1]

Early 1844 was a difficult time. Some people dissented from the Church because they opposed polygamy or felt that Joseph had fallen from being a prophet. Anti-Mormons and ex-Mormons like Bennett continued to stir up trouble by publishing scandalous and libelous reports about the Mormons and Joseph, whom they mockingly called Joe Smith orPeepstone Joe. Joseph decided that to respond to these critics, he needed a national forum. He therefore decided to run for President. It isn't likely that he expected to win, but he and the Church used this as a platform to express their views. Joseph promised that if elected, he would use the government to protect minorities. He also planned to end slavery by establishing a fund to buy slaves from slave owners, and then free them. The slave owners could use the money to transform their estates so that they would no longer need slaves. [1]

In June of 1844, William Law, a disaffected Mormon, published the first and only edition of the Nauvoo Expositor. It was a scandalous paper that called for Joseph Smith to be hung. It described in lurid prose all the evil things they suspected Joseph and other leaders of doing. Joseph as mayor and the city council met to decide what to do. They determined that based on their interpretation of their charter, they had the power to remove the press, since it posed an imminent threat by calling for violence. The press and most copies of the paper were destroyed. [1]

A riot ensued and the next day Joseph was sought by the sheriff on charges of inciting riot. Fearful that a mob would attack when in jail or that the trial would be unfair, Joseph hid for a few days. He sought a change of venue, but was denied. Governor Thomas Ford came from Springfield to oversee the affair and promised Joseph protection and a fair trial if he turned himself in. So on June 22, Joseph surrendered to the governor and was taken to Carthage, Illinois. The governor left Carthage on June 26, and left the Carthage militia in charge. [1]

On June 27, 1844, Joseph arose early with his brother Hyrum, and apostles John Taylor, and Willard Richards. Around 5:00 p.m. a mob with faces painted black surrounded the jail. The mob, comprised of the Carthage Greys stormed the jail. As the mob rushed the jail, Joseph and Hyrum tried to hold the door. As Hyrum tried to hold the door, he was shot in the face and fell to the floor. His last words were: "I am a dead man!" While the other men, Willard Richards and John Taylor, (Taylor would be shot four times but survive) held the door, Joseph walked to the window. At the window he was shot. He collapsed. He exclaimed, "Oh Lord, my God," as he fell out the window and landed near a well. He was shot three more times as he lay on the ground. [1]

Joseph’s murder gave the Mormons a short respite, as their enemies waited for them to disintegrate but they did not. In January of 1845, the Nauvoo charter was rescinded. Adding insult to injury, in May, the leaders of the mob who murdered Joseph and Hyrum were acquitted in a sham trial where no Mormons were allowed to testify or attend. In September, the citizens of Hancock County demanded that the Mormons leave. [1]

In February 1846, the first company of Mormon pioneers left Nauvoo, walking across the frozen Mississippi into Iowa. By September 16, 1846, the last Mormons were driven from the city and eventually made their way to the Salt Lake Valley. [1]

Having established the background of persecution, in our next post we will cover the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Early History of Persecution

Early believers in the LDS Church suffered tremendous persecution. Those who joined the church in the first days in New York suffered pretty mild persecution compared to what would come later. The headquarters of the church moved from New York to Kirtland, Ohio in January of 1831. Although there was some persecution from time to time, the nearly 7 years of the Ohio period was not dominated by these problems. But then the Saints moved to Missouri. Things were different in Missouri from the very beginning.

Although the headquarters was in Ohio, a second settlement was established in Jackson County starting in 1831. By 1833 the church members were driven from Jackson County by mobs, their leaders tarred and feathered, some of their homes burned, and the rest stolen from them. Remuneration for the loss of property never occurred as the local authorities (and later federal authorities) refused to provide justice.

It would be bad enough if this was the only persecution that occurred in Missouri, but it was only the opening round compared to the atrocities that would follow.

The Saints found temporary refuge in Clay County, Missouri, but the residents made it clear that they could not stay. In 1836, the residents of Clay County voted to expel the Saints, and the state of Missouri created Caldwell County for their home. They built up new cities in Caldwell County, but their numbers grew and they spilled over into Ray, Carroll, Clinton, and Daviess Counties. [1] That created problems.

Mobs continued to attack outlying areas, and some Mormons were fed up with running. A few of them organized defenses and retaliatory attacks. Sidney Rigdon delivered a fiery speech condemning the apostates and their enemies. Some took this as permission to fight back. The battles got worse.

As the Saints from Ohio began arriving in early 1838, the Mormons were again mobbed by those who feared their growing political influence. In August of 1838, Mormons attempting to vote in the town of Gallitin in Daviess County were attacked and kept from the voting. A group of Saints, calling themselves Danites, began to fight back without Joseph Smith or the Church knowing or approving their actions. In October, Mormon Apostle David W. Patten was killed in a battle along the Crooked River in Ray County. Finally, on October 27, 1838, Governor Lilburn Boggs issued what later became known as the Extermination Order. [2] It read, in part as follows:

The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary, for the public peace-their outrages are beyond all description. If you can increase your force, you are authorized to do so, to any extent you may consider necessary. [3]

Three days after the order, a mob attacked Mormon settlers in the village of Haun's Mill and massacred dozens of men, women and children. On October 31, 1838, Joseph Smith and several others were arrested. The militia commanders illegally condemned the Mormon leaders to death, but Alexander Doniphan, a former state legislator and friend to Mormons, refused to allow it to be carried out, declaring that such action would be "cold-blooded murder." Moreover, he said, the militia could not condemn Joseph Smith, because he was a civilian, and that he had to be tried before a civilian court. In the end Joseph Smith and other leaders lives were spared but they were imprisoned nontheless. [4]

Once again the Saints were driven from their homes in the dead of winter. Brigham Young lead the people to Illinois where kind people, especially the citizens of Quincy, took care of them. Joseph Smith and a few others languished in jail until April of the following year. They were not permitted to see their families or even to call witnesses on their behalf. After several attempts at a trial, the guards allowed Joseph Smith and the others escape to Illinois, where they rejoined their families. [5]

In our next post we will cover the trials that awaited the Saints in Illinois and on the trail to the West. With that historical foundation we will then address the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Mountain Meadows Massacre

One of the ugliest parts of Mormon history - the Mountain Meadows Massacre - will be our next topic. Because of the nature of this cold-blooded massacre of men, women, and children on 11 September 1857; some preliminary historical explanations need to be done in order to put this tragedy in context.

Over the course of several posts I will address this horrific crime with a promise to tell the whole story. We will also address some of the criticisms of the Church over this event in what will probably be 3 or 4 different posts. Stay tuned!

Senator Bennett

Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) has written a book defending the Book of Mormon. Mormon Times has the following:

The Republican senator from Utah is the author of "Leap of Faith," which was recently released by Deseret Book. It examines the origins of the Book of Mormon and confronts accusations by detractors that the text was forged while also encouraging members to analyze and better found their own understanding of it.

Bennett didn't like the way the Book of Mormon was represented in media coverage leading up to the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He began penning letters to the editor of newspapers and the project soon "took hold" of him, and he expanded them into a book in the years afterward.

The article goes on to explain more about the senator's background in identifying forgeries. Although I haven't yet read the book it sounds fascinating. It can be purchased at your local LDS bookstore or by clicking here.

Missionaries to Be Deported From Guyana

Mormon Times is reporting that Guyana is preparing to deport a number of LDS missionaries from their country. As I always do in such circumstances, I wonder how many more times we are going to hear of such things in the run up to the Second Coming? I doubt this will be the last time.

What Kind of Posts Would You Like?

What kinds of things would you like me to research and cover on this blog. Please comment below.

Biblical Prophecies Atheists Love Part 4

The fourth (and possibly last one I will address) biblical prophecy that aethists love is found in the Old Testament in the Book of Judges. In Judges 13:5 an angel promises Samson's mother that Samson would "begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." No matter how forgiving you want to be with the facts of Israelite history, there is no way it can be concluded that Samson fulfilled this prophecy!

Not only did Samson fail to free Israel from the Philistines, but

• he consorted with Philistine women,
• he married a Philistine,
• he never led any Israelite troops against the Philistines, and
• the Philistines eventually humiliated him.

Most importantly Israel actually lost ground to the Philistines during Samson's tenure. Judges 13-16 illustrates Philistine encroachment into Hebrew lands. All of this is the opposite of the prophecy uttered by the angel!

So is the angel a false prophet? If we use the standard that critics of the LDS Church use with latter-day prophets then the answer must be yes! If these critics are to be consistent they must declare that the angel was bearing false witness or the Book of Judges/Bible is false!

Of course such a conclusion is silly. Angels sent from on high are not going to be making mistakes. There has to be something else so let's examine this story a little more deeply, using the rules for interpreting prophecy that we frequently reference. Fortunately LDS people can be consistent and still accept this prophecy that failed to come to pass by simply applying the standard that we use for all prophets, both ancient and modern.

The fact that Judges 13:5 failed to come to pass can be placed squarely at the feet of Samson's failure to live according to his calling as a Nazarite. Basically he did not keep the commandments. In addition to his sexual liaisons, he married a Philistine, ate unclean food, drank wine, and allowed his hair to be cut. His behavior (sins) allowed the angel's prophecy to be nullified. The angel is not a false prophet, Samuel's sins did not allow the prophecy to be fulfilled. Samuel's agency left him free to fulfill the prophecy or not; and he chose to do otherwise.

The angel announced what should have happened; what Samson was fore-ordained to accomplish, but Samson was free to live his life as he chose. He chose not to fulfill his divine appointment and the prophecy went unfulfilled. Sin can nullify prophecy the same way that it can nullify priesthood or patriarchal blessings. That in no way reflects on the inspiration behind the prophecy/blessing. Agency always holds the trump card.

Note that the angel placed no conditions on his promise that Samson would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. He simply declared that Samson would do it. Regular readers of this blog will note the parallels between the story of Samson and the story of Oliver Cowdery.

Biblical Prophecies Atheists Love Part 3

In Matthew Chapter 10 we read where the Savior says the following:

But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

In this section Jesus very matter-of-factly states that His second coming would occur before the disciples returned from the mission on which He was sending them. This, of course, did not happen and as far as I know; and I'm pretty sure about this, the Second Coming still hasn't occurred! ;-}

If we use the standard enemies of the LDS Church use; and most of them claim to be Christian, then Jesus has to be declared a false prophet. Jesus is the Savior of the world, the only perfect man who ever walked upon its face. Jesus made hundreds of prophecies and this one simply requires that one understand how prophecy is to be interpreted before getting uppity and declaring the Jehovah of the Old Testament to be a false prophet. For obvious reasons, it is absurd to accuse Jesus of being a false prophet. I am simply pointing out that if our enemies are to be consistent, then it is they who must make this declaration. As Latter-day Saints, we find such an accusation to be patently absurd!

Could it possibly be that Jesus was addressing the office of an apostle instead of the men standing before him who held that office? Readers of this blog will remember that this sounds an awful lot like the story of David W. Patten.

Biblical Prophecies Atheists Love Part 2

Anti-Mormons love to quote Deuteronomy 18:20-21 as a preliminary to attacking the alleged false prophecies of Joseph Smith.

21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?

22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

Michael T. Griffith writes "Using a strictly literal interpretation of these verses as their guide, most if not all anti-Mormons insist that if a prophecy does not come to pass, it is automatically false, period. These critics don't seem to realize they are stepping into quicksand when they use this criterion to attack Joseph Smith."

One of the problems this creates is found in 2 Samuel 7:5-17, where we read that the prophet Nathan unequivocally prophesied to David that through his son Solomon the Davidic empire would be established "forever;' that the children of Israel would dwell in the promised land "and move no more," and that the "children of wickedness" would no longer afflict them. These things are clearly stated. No conditions are attached to these promises.

Any student of the scriptures knows that none of these things came to pass! So is Nathan a false prophet? If we continue to insist on interpreting prophecy literally there is only one conclusion - Nathan is a false prophet. But by applying the rules for interpreting prophecy that we covered in this post, Nathan can be validated. And that is exactly what Latter-day Saints do; we accept Nathan and all of the Biblical prophets as true emissaries from on high.

Naturally we insist Joseph Smith and his successors are judged by the same standard.

A Biblical Prophecy Atheists Love

Why would an atheist love a biblical prophecy? Because it allows them to discredit the Bible and justify their atheism. Let us examine a Biblical prophecy, which if we apply the standard that anti-Mormons apply to our prophecies, would invalidate the Bible.

W. John Walsh points out that by the standard our opponents use, Jonah would be a false prophet. The Holy Bible records that "And Jonah began to enter into the city a day’s journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." (Jonah 3:4)

But the people of Ninevah repented and the Lord withdrew the prophecy. "And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not." (Jonah 3:10)

By the standard that our enemies use with the Prophet Joseph Smith's prophecies, Jonah would be a false prophet and we should therefore reject the Bible. Of course this interpretation is ludicrous, as any child can point out - Jonah's prophecy was conditional (see Rules for Interpreting Prophecy). There is an implied "if" in a prophecy of this nature. "If" the people of Ninevah do not repent, then in 40 days Ninevah will be overthrown. The "if" wasn't stated, but it was there.

The experience of Jonah shows to us that the Lord reserves the right to change His commandments when He sees fit. We must never forget that Isaiah taught us that the Lord does not think like we think for "my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord." (Isaiah 55:8)

Do we have a parallel in the history of Mormonism that our critics like to use to discredit us? Why yes we do. In September of 1832 the Lord commanded the Saints to build a temple in Independence, Missouri using the following language.

4 Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.

5 For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house.

This prophecy/commandment was conditional and the the Lord later withdrew the requirement, just as he withdrew His word in the days of Jonah, this time because of the sins of the people of Missouri.

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.

51 Therefore, for this cause have I accepted the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and a house unto my name, in Jackson county, Missouri, and were hindered by their enemies, saith the Lord your God.

Oliver Granger

In Doctrine and Covenants 117 we read the following:

12 And again, I say unto you, I remember my servant Oliver Granger; behold, verily I say unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord.

Enemies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints like to ask members who Oliver Granger is. Normally they get a blank look in response. Do you know who he is? I wouldn't know if I had not researched this alleged "false prophecy". Stephen R. Gibson answers this better than I can so I'll simply give you his wonderful response. He writes the following in One Minute Answers.

Anti-Mormons take great delight in asking unsuspecting Latter-day Saints who Oliver Granger was. Few know the answer. Then the detractors claim, "That proves that this is a false prophecy since Joseph Smith said that all would remember Oliver Granger and no one does."

Let's look a little further into the subject. Oliver Granger was the financial agent for the Church who was asked to settle the affairs of the Church in Kirtland, Ohio, after the Saints left that area. The surest evidence that Oliver Granger is held in sacred remembrance is that his name is included in one of our four most sacred books, the Doctrine and Covenants. This, in itself, fulfills the prophecy. The verse also states that the Lord remembers him. How much more sacred remembrance can one have than being remembered by the Lord? Detractors instead imply that the Doctrine and Covenants says everyone will remember him. That is not what the revelation says. As long as we have the Doctrine and Covenants, Oliver Granger's name will be there, and therefore this declaration is fulfilled.

The Bible student will find an interesting parallel in Matt. 26:13. Here the Savior states that wherever the gospel is preached, the act of the woman anointing him will be as a memorial to her. Last time the gospel was preached, did anyone tell the story about this woman? Not likely. But this doesn't detract from the truthfulness of the statement in the Bible any more than it would have regarding the Doctrine and Covenants, if that had been what D & C 117 had said. Her act was preserved in the Bible, and therefore this prophecy is fulfilled.

Psalms 45:17 contains an additional Old Testament parallel. Here, David writes about a woman: "I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore shall the people praise thee forever and ever." The problem is, her name is not included in the Bible so that we might remember it forever.

The double standard of expecting the Latter-day Saints to remember Oliver Granger, but not expecting all believers in the Bible to remember to preach about the woman who anointed the Savior, nor the woman about whom David spoke, should be quite evident.

What can I say? He's right.

Oliver Cowdery

Another of the alleged false prophecies of Joseph Smith involves a promise in the D&C directed at both Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. It is found in the 110th section.

After this, Elias appeared, and committed the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham, saying that in us and our seed all generations after us should be blessed.

Whether this prophecy has been realized in the case of Joseph Smith is debatable but Oliver Cowdery had no grandchildren. So how can this be true?

Oliver Cowdery apostatized and was removed from his position. Hyrum Smith was assigned to take Oliver's place in the Presidency and as a result ended up dying in his place at Carthage Jail. The 124th section of the Doctrine and Covenants records the transferral of these blessings from Oliver to Hyrum.

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;

Has the Church and all generations been blessed by the seed of Hyrum? Well for starters his son and grandson grew up to be Presidents of the Church. Each was considered a master of doctrine in his day and his grandson, Joseph Fielding Smith, wrote numerous books that are still blessing the world nearly 40 years since his passing. Joseph Fielding Smith's son-in-law, Bruce R. McConkie was another prolific author and apostle whose writings are still blessing the world nearly 25 years after his passing. And there are many others of this distinguished lineage - other apostles and General Authorities - that are fulfilling this prophecy to the letter. There is probably no greater example of a righteous family in the whole world.

Once again the attempts by our enemies to portray the Prophet Joseph Smith as a false prophet are shown to actually be validation that he truly was a Prophet of God. You would think that they would eventually learn not to get into such silly debates with us. The truth is on our side and therefore always wins.

David W. Patten

One of the attacks against the Church involves a prophecy concerning David W. Patten found in D&C 114 which reads

1 VERILY thus saith the Lord: It is wisdom in my servant David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto all the world.

2 For verily thus saith the Lord, that inasmuch as there are those among you who deny my name, others shall be planted in their stead and receive their bishopric. Amen.

Section 118 of the Doctrine and Covenants explains more about this mission and calls the Twelve to depart on the mission from Far West on April 26, 1839. David W. Patten never left on this mission because he was killed at the Battle of Crooked River when a contingent of Caldwell County militia, under his leadership, attempted to rescue three Latter-day Saints who had been taken prisoners by a company of Missourians. Since he was called to leave with the Twelve, and because of his death he failed to do so, the enemies of the Church think they have caught Joseph Smith in a false prophecy. But have they?

As a result of the persecutions against the Saints in Missouri the knees of David W. Patten had briefly buckled, and Patten signed a letter falsely accusing the Prophet of things which the Prophet had not done. His remorse over this brief period of apostacy was so great that he prayed fervently that he might be able to give his life for the cause and in retribution for his sin. When he shared this with the Prophet Joseph, the Prophet said "Oh Brother Patten, when a man with faith like yours prays like that, he will likely find his prayer answered."

That is the story behind why Joseph, upon learning that David W. Patten was dead, said "There lies a man who has done just as he said he would - he has laid down his life for his friends." Because Joseph had talked with him about his prayer to be martyred, he knew both the background and the sequel.

When D&C 114 was revealed David W. Patten was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. His successors, John Taylor, John E. Page, and Wilford Woodruff were all present at the meeting held on April 26, 1839 in Far West Missouri and left for their mission assigned by revelation from that meeting. The prophecy found in D&C 114 applied to David W. Patten the Apostle, not David W. Patten the man. The role that he filled - that of an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ - fulfilled the prophecy literally.

Our enemies love to interpret the Bible and its prophecies in non-literal ways in order to justify their doctines and defend the Bible; but when finding fault with the Latter-day Saints, suddenly they find that the only way to interpret our prophecies is to be literal. The same God who revealed prophecies to Moses, Isaiah, and Jesus of Nazareth is still revealing them today. Most of those prophecies are very clear as we have pointed out in previous posts (1, 2, 3, 4) ; but sometimes there is more of the symbolic involved. This prophecy is one of the latter.

For more information about how to correctly interpret prophecy please review this post. Please pay particular attention to item #2 and the story from 2 Kings 20:1-7 which is almost an exact parallel to the story of David W. Patten. Rather than being evidence of a false prophecy by Joseph Smith; this prophecy concerning David W. Patten validates Joseph Smith as a prophet of the Lord.

Rules for Interpreting Prophecy

Fordham explains that the second important principle in understanding prophecy, is understanding the rules for interpreting prophecy. This is important in order to remain consistent.

One of the repeated themes in the writings of our critics is the double-standard they employ when interpreting Bible prophecy when compared to interpreting prophecies put out by prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Judging the Bible by the standard they hold us to results in the Bible being declared false! Here is an example of what I mean.

In 2 Kings 20:1-7 we read of a prophecy, which if we applied the standards our critics apply to us, would make Isaiah, the prophet of prophets, a false prophet. Fordham desribes the story this way:

Here the prophet Isaiah visited Hezekiah, who was "sick unto death," and said to him, "Thus saith the Lord, Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live." Hezekiah, in prayer, reminded the Lord of all of his good works. The Lord, then, responded mercifully to his plea. He changed his mind and instructed Isaiah to go back to Hezekiah and tell him that his prayers had been heard; the Lord would heal him and he would live for fifteen more years. Was Isaiah any less a prophet of God because the Lord told him something would happen, and it didn't, for whatever reason?

Michael T. Griffith put together a list of rules for interpreting prophecy that, when applied to the Bible, makes all Biblical prophecies true. That is a standard our critics can not disagree with. However we insist that the same tests be applied to LDS prophecies and prophets before declaring them false. Here is his list of rules for interpreting prophecy:

1. Almost all prophecy is conditional to one degree or another, even if this is not stated in the prophecy itself.
2. In many cases human actions and choices can alter, postpone, or prevent the fulfillment of prophecy.
3. A prophecy is not always telling us what will happen, but what could happen under certain circumstances.
4. A prophet can misunderstand the timetable for a prophecy's fulfillment.
5. A prophet can be mistaken about certain details of a prophecy but correct with regard to its central message.
6. A prophecy can apply to more than one occurrence or time period, i.e., it can have dual application.
7. A prophecy's fulfillment can be intended to take place in the spirit world or during the millennium, even if this is not stated in the prophecy itself.
8. The fulfillment of prophecy can go unobserved and/or unrecorded.
9. A prophecy can contain rhetorical overstatements. For example, a prophecy might read that "every single house" in a certain town will be "leveled to the ground," when what is really meant is that the town will suffer heavy destruction.
10. Such terms and expressions as "soon," "quickly," "in a little while," "shortly," etc., are often given from the Lord's perspective of time--so that "soon," for example, might turn out to be a very long time by our reckoning.
11. The text of a prophecy can undergo alteration to the point that it no longer reflects the original intent of the prophecy.

Fordham writes that "most critics of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints judge Joseph Smith's prophecies with a standard that is just as damaging to Biblical prophecies, thereby showing a double standard of interpretation. They seem willing to allow any possible explanation and exception for Biblical prophecies, but none for those of Joseph Smith. Critics don't seem to realize that the standards they use to judge Joseph Smith can also be used to attack the Biblical prophets and Jesus Christ. "

If we follow Griffith's list above, the truth of the Bible can remain unassailed, and the same will be true for the Latter-day Saint prophets and prophecies. Given the fact that the source for both is the same, it is not surprising!