Why Things Change

I just read a Dialogue article written in 1981 by Thomas Alexander about the development of the Word of Wisdom from being a "principle with promise" to a commandment.  Though not comprehensive it's a worthwhile read.  It's not lengthy and provides context for some of the decisions regarding Church policy that were being made at the time.

Diaries, journals, minutes of meetings, and contemporary news articles are great ways to trace the development of individual and group sentiment about matters pertaining to doctrine and policy in our history.  Much of the best information can be found in these sources, and yet it is unfortunately these sources that are underutilized in publications that most members of the Church would be familiar with.  Publications that have done a good job exhausting these resources are viewed by some as antagonistic to the Church.  These same publications, however, are usually the most accurate and thorough.    

Early leaders of the Church held varied personal opinions about the application of the Word of Wisdom.  It's fun to learn about them.  

Lorenzo Snow, for example, believed and taught that members of the Church ought to avoid eating meat, and that this prohibition was a more serious matter than other requirements of the Word of Wisdom.  

George Albert Smith took brandy for medicinal purposes later in his life, while years earlier he advised Stake Presidencies and Bishoprics to no "longer tolerate men in presiding positions who would not keep the Word of Wisdom."  

Wilford Woodruff and George Teasdale believed and taught that eating pork was a more serious offense than drinking coffee or tea.  Brigham Young often taught the same thing.  

Other prominent Latter-day Saints held other views and opinions about this revelation.  Some members even paid their tithing in homemade wine into the latter part of the 19th century, and these tithes were accepted and stored by the Church.  

Growing support of the prohibition of alcohol among Evangelicals and certain political groups influenced the feelings of LDS Church leaders after the turn of the century.  During this time of growing interest in the Prophet's revelation, leaders of the Church began to prevent members from being ordained to the priesthood, from serving in callings, and attending the temple based upon breaches of conduct pertaining to the Word of Wisdom in an effort to encourage compliance.  

Changes in the Church's policies were influenced by what was going on in the political and social world around them.  This was not the first time in our history that changes in policy were implemented because of shifting social opinions.  The Church's consideration of public opinion has only grown since that time.  

This is not to say that many of the decisions on policy aren't made with good intentions and by good men.  It is only to say that many decisions are made without regard for or reference to revelation. 

One thing in particular that caught my attention in his article was the following:

"Late in the 1920s Church leaders urged alternative anti-tobacco legislation, and  in  1927,  Elders  Richard  R.  Lyman  and  Melvin  J.  Ballard  asked  church attorney Franklin S. Richards for information  on the possibility of legislation preventing the advertising of cigarettes on billboards. Even though  Richards believed  that the Supreme  Court would  declare such a law unconstitutional, the  1929 legislature passed  one anyway. The Relief Society Magazine in May, 1929, said  it hoped  that  the courts would  uphold  the law and  regretted  that the Idaho legislature had not passed a similar law. In November,  1929, however,  Judge  David  W.  Moffatt  of  Utah's  Third  District  Court  ruled  the
billboard  law  unconstitutional."

I don't live in Utah, but have seen pictures spread around online of the many billboards advertising City Creek Center.  Some of those billboards portray the consumption of alcohol.  It's ironic to me that in 21st century Mormonism, at a time when the Word of Wisdom has evolved to be among the most defining practices and attributes of Latter-day Saints, we see billboards with alcohol advertising a mall to attract business - for the sake of popularity and gain.  Yet, a hundred years ago when Word of Wisdom adherence was barely in the stages of becoming a requirement to enter the temple under Heber J. Grant's presidency, there were laws being passed attacking the advertisement of the principles the Church claimed it was striving to uphold.  

Money is a powerful taskmaster.  

Political and Social influence have always been an enticement to men.  They influence more of our decisions than they should (1 Ne. 22:23). 

Moroni Finishes His Record, Part 5

"In the name of Jesus Christ I ordain you to be a priest, (or, if he be a teacher) I ordain you to be a teacher, to preach repentance and remission of sins through Jesus Christ, by the endurance of faith on his name to the end.  Amen.

"And after this manner did they ordain priests and teachers, according to the gifts and callings of God unto men; and they ordained them by the power of the Holy Ghost, which was in them" (Moro. 3:3-4).

Anciently, the offices of priest and teacher were given to men, not according to age or duration of church activity, but according to the gifts and callings of God unto men.  What if this is how ordinations were performed in the Church today?  Would it diminish our ability to preserve order in the Church?  Did the Lord intend things to be done differently in our day?   

"Every elder, priest, teacher, or deacon is to be ordained according to the gifts and callings of God unto him; and he is to be ordained by the power of the Holy Ghost, which is in the one who ordains him" (D&C 20:60).

In instructions to the Church in our day, we are taught to ordain men "according to the gifts and callings of God," just as Moroni recorded was done anciently (Moro. 3:4).  Our ordinations are to be performed by "the power of the Holy Ghost, which is in the one who ordains," just as Moroni recorded was done anciently (ibid.).  What do these things mean?

When man elects to alter the manner of operation prescribed by the Lord in the scriptures he runs the risk of falling into error.  This is how, so often in history, the commandments of men replace the word of God.  Traditions are eventually established in place of the revealed word of the Lord.

For example, when you insist that a teacher be between the ages of 14-15, you run into the problem of teachers not being mature enough to grasp (let alone fulfill) their duties as outlined in scripture (Moro. 3:3; D&C 20:53-56).  A young man of 14 is commissioned to "see that there is no iniquity in the church" (ibid.)?  Since they are unable to perform the tasks spelled out for them by the Lord, they are given other duties so they can "practice using the priesthood."  We therefore employ our teachers and deacons to do a work they are not authorized in the scriptures (D&C 20:58).  If adult men, however, were ordained to such offices, according to the gifts and callings of God unto them, they may be successful in comprehending and performing in faithfulness the responsibilities devolving upon them.  This of course has been the tradition for many years, and we don't pay attention to what it says in D&C 20.      

If we understood and taught "the duty of the elders, priests, teachers, deacons, and members of the church of Christ," we wouldn't need to make up callings to help folks feel useful (D&C 20:38).  There are specific responsibilities tied to each of these offices  in the church of Christ.  We've all but discarded them and replaced them with programs, auxiliaries, callings, and sub-callings.  Instead of being busy doing what is required of us by the Lord, we tend to be persuaded to get busy doing what is required of us by men.

We insist upon a progressive structure, through which each man is able to climb a ladder of leadership, responsibility, keys, office, and power.  Today, a 45 year old priest would either be inactive, or a recent convert.  It would be embarrassing to allow him to remain a priest for any longer than was absolutely necessary; that would imply he wasn't worthy of being an elder.  In the present system there are many opportunities for priestcrafts, envyings, and strifes (3 Ne. 30:2).  These all result from pride.      

There are other similarities between the record Moroni left for us and what is revealed in D&C 20.  

- It is clear that it was elders and priests who administered the sacrament anciently, "according to the commandments of Christ" (Moro. 4:1).  This is consistent with the instructions that have been given to us in our day (D&C 20:38-50).  

- "And they did kneel down with the church" during the blessing of the sacrament.  This is consistent with the commandment in our own day (Moro. 4:2; D&C 20:76).  

- They administered wine anciently, as has been commanded in our day (Moro. 5:1-2; D&C 20:78-79).  

For those that don't know, this is how things were done in our church for many years - even long after the death of the Prophet.  While still resembling the ancient practices, we've since veered from the instructions the Lord has given us.  

These are small details.  Yet, it's amazing how small details and small changes can effect a culture.  I wonder, for instance, if we ever would have become lazy enough to decide it was no longer necessary to stand when making covenants before God and angels in our temples, had we continued kneeling as a church during the blessing of the sacrament as instructed by the Lord, and maintained greater reverence for that sacred ordinance.  Then again, I may be missing something.  Perhaps all these changes were not merely about convenience, as I suppose. 

If we would like to understand how things were done anciently, we should trust the text of the Book of Mormon as it stands and not read interpretations into the text that are based upon our own experiences.  Likewise, if we are to properly interpret the Lord's intent in "restoration," we should consider what he has given us in this ancient record.  He intended to restore an ancient religion.  The Book of Mormon should be a revelatory lens through which we can understand the revelations of the prophet Joseph.