Mormon History
The Lone Issue of the Nauvoo Expositor - 1844
Warsaw Messenger – June 12, 1844
The Nauvoo Expositor.
We have
received the first number of this long looked for paper. In both its editorial
and mechanical departments, it is highly creditable, and we hail it as an
efficient auxiliary in the good cause of prostrating Joe's influence, and
exposing his villainy.
The first number contains a long exposition of the views of the new church or
dissenters. They still adhere to the doctrines officially taught by Joe, "which
is contained in the Old and New Testament, the Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and
Dovenants, as verily true." They speak of Joe as the embodiment of every
abomination, and state the reasons why they have not heretofore been exposed, --
which is, that they had hoped that gentle reproof in private would produce
reform. They then draw the following picture of the condition and treatment, by
Hon. Joe, of poor females in Nauvoo:
It is a notorious fact, that many females in foreign climes, and in countries to
us unknown, even in the most distant regions of the Eastern hemisphere, have
been induced, by the sound of the gospel, to forsake friends, and embark upon a
voyage across waters that lie stretched over the [greatest] portion of the
globe, as they supposed, to glorify God, that they might thereby stand acquitted
in the great day of God Almighty. But what is taught them on their arrival at
this place? They are visited by some of the strikers, for we know not what else
to call them, and are requested to hold on and be faithful, for there are great
blessings awaiting the righteous; and that God has great mysteries in store for
those who love the Lord, and cling to brother Joseph. They are also notified
[that] brother Joseph will see them soon, and reveal the mysteries of heaven to
their full understanding, which seldom fails to inspire them with new confidence
in the Prophet, [as well as] a great anxiety to know what God has laid up in
store for them, in return for the great sacrifice of father and mother, of gold
and silver, which they gladly left far behind, that they might be gathered into
the fold, and numbered among the chosen of God. They are visited again, and what
is the result? They are requested to meet brother Joseph, or some of the Twelve,
at some insulated point, or at some particularly described place on the bank of
the Mississippi, or at some room, which wears upon its front Positively NO
admittance. The harmless, inoffensive, and unsuspecting creatures, are so
devoted to the Prophet, and the cause of Jesus Christ, that they do not dream of
the deep-laid and fatal scheme which prostrates happiness, and renders death
itself desirable, but they meet him, expecting to receive through him a
blessing, and learn the will of the Lord concerning them, and what awaits the
faithful follower[s] of Joseph, the Apostle and Prophet of God, when in the
stead thereof, they are told, after having been sworn [a] most solemn manner, to
never divulge what is revealed to them, with a penalty of death attached, that
God Almighty has revealed it to him, that she should be his (Joseph's) Spiritual
wife; for it was right anciently, and God will tolerate it again; but we must
keep those pleasures and blessings from the world, for until there is a change
in the government, we will endanger ourselves by practicing it -- but we can
enjoy the blessings of Jacob, David, and others, as well as to be deprived of
them, if we do not expose ourselves to the law of the land. She is
thunder-struck, faints, recovers, and refuses. The Prophet damns her if she
rejects. She thinks of the great sacrifice, and of the many thousand miles she
has traveled over sea and land, that she might save her soul from pending ruin,
and replies, God's will be done, and not mine. The Prophet and his devotees in
this way are gratified. The next step to avoid public exposition from the common
course of things, they are sent away for a time, until all is well; after which
they return, as from a long visit.
The Dissenters complain that many false and damnable doctrines are taught in the
church -- such as: 1st. plurality of Gods. This doctrine is, that the God
of the Earth, is not the God of the Universe, but as much inferior to him, as we
are to the God who immediately presides over us, and the latter and his
creatures are subject to fail, as did Lucifer.
2nd. The Doctrine of Spritual Wives. This doctrine is, that a man may
have Spiritual wives, or may marry virgins; -- "That David and Solomon had many
wives, yet in this they sinned not, save in the matter of Uriah."
3d. The Doctrine of Unconditional Sealing up. This doctrine teaches, that
a man may be sealed on this earth, so that no matter what crime or act he may be
guilty of, save the shedding of innocent blood, he will be saved eternally.
The Dissenters conclude their exposition with a series of resolutions from which
we extract the following:
RESOLUTIONS.
Resolved 1st, that we will not
encourage the acts of any court in this church, for the trial of any of its
members, which will not suffer the accused to be present and plead their own
cause; we therefore declare our decided disapprobation to the course pursued
last Thursday evening, (the 18th inst,) in the case of William and Wilson Law,
and Mrs. William Law, and R.D. Foster, as being unjust and unauthorized by the
laws of the Church, and consequently null and void; for our law judgeth no man
unless he be heard; and to all those who approbate a course so unwarranted
unprecedented and so unjust, we would say beware lest the unjust measure you
meet to your brethren, be again meeted out to you.
Resolved 2nd, Inasmuch as we have for years borne with the individual
follies and iniquities of Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, and many other official
characters in the Church of Jesus Christ, (conceiving it a duty incumbent upon
us so to bear,) and having labored with them repeatedly with all Christian love,
meekness and humility, yet to no effect, feel as if forbearance has ceased to be
a virtue, and hope of reformation vain; and inasmuch as they have introduced
false and damnable doctrines into the Church, such as a plurality of Gods above
the God of this universe, and his liability to fall with all his creations; the
plurality of wives, for time and eternity, the doctrine of unconditional sealing
up to eternal life, against all crimes except that of sheding innocent blood, by
a perversion of their priestly authority, and thereby forfeiting the holy
priesthood, according to the word of Jesus: "If a man abide not in me, he is
cast forth as a branch and is withered, and men gather them and cast them into
the fire, and they are burned," St. John, xv. 6. "Whosoever transgresseth and
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God, he that abideth in the
doctrine of Christ, hath both the Father and the Son; if there come any unto you
and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him
God speed, for he that bideth him God speed is a partaker of his evil deeds;" we
therefore are constrained to denounce them as apostates from the pure and holy
doctrines of Jesus Christ.
Resolved, 3rd, That we disapprobate and discountenance every attempt to
unite church and state; and that we further believe the effort now being made by
Joseph Smith for political power and influence, is not commendable in the sight
of God.
Resolved 4th, That the hostile spirit and conduct manifested by Joseph
Smith, and many of his associates towards Missouri, and others inimical to his
purposes, are decidedly at variance with the true spirit of Christianity, and
should not be encouraged by any people, much less by those professing to be the
ministers of the gospel of peace.
Resolved 5th, That while we disapprobate malicious persecutions and
prosecutions, we hold that all church members are alike amenable to the laws of
the land; and that we further discountenance any chicanery to screen them from
the just demands of the same.
Resolved 6th, That we consider the religious influence exercised in
financial concerns by Joseph Smtih, as unjust as it is unwarranted, for the Book
of Doctrine and Covenants makes it the duty of the Bishop to take charge of the
financial affairs of the Church, and of all temporal matters pertaining to the
same.
Resolved 7th, That we discountenance and disapprobate the attendance at
houses of revelling and dancing; dram-shops and theatres; verily believing they
have a tendency to lead from paths of virtue and holiness, to those of vice and
debauchery.
Resolved 8th, That we look upon the pure and holy doctrines set forth in
the Scriptures of Divine truth, as being the immutable doctrines of salvation;
and he who abideth in them shall be saved, and he who abideth not in them can
not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.
Resolved 9th, That we consider the gathering in hasted, and by sacrifice,
to be contrary to the will of God; and that it has been taught by Joseph Smith
and others for the purpose of enabling them to sell property at most exhorbitant
prices, not regarding the welfare of the Church, but through their covetousness
reducing those who had the means to give employment to the poor, to the
necessity of seeking labor for themselves; and thus the wealth which is brought
into the place is swallowed up by the one great throat, from whence there is no
return, which if it had been economically disbursed amongst the whole would have
rendered all comfortable. That notwithstanding our extensive acquaintance with
the financial affairs of the Church, we do not know of any property which in
reality belongs to the Church (Except the Temple) and we therefore consider the
injunction laid upon the saints compelling them to purchase property of the
Trustee in trust for the Church, is a deception practiced upon them: and that we
look upon the sending of special agents abroad to collect funds for the Temple
and other purposes as a humbug practiced upon the saints by Joseph and others,
to aggrandize themselves, as we do not believe that the monies and property so
collected, have been applied as the donors expected, but have been used for
speculative purposes, by Joseph, to gull the saints the better on their arrival
at Nauvoo, by buying the lands in the vicinity and selling again to them at
tenfold advance; and further that we verily believe the appropriations said to
have been subscribed by shares for the building of the Nauvoo House to have been
used by J.Smith and Lyman Wight, for other purposes, as out of the mass of stock
already taken, the building is far from being finished even to the base.
Resolved 11th, That we consider all secret societies, and combinations
under penal oaths and obligations, (professing to be organized for religious
purposes,) to be anti-Christian, hypocritical and corrupt.
Resolved 12th, That we will not acknowledge any man as king or law-giver
to the church; for Christ is our only king and law-giver.
Resolved 13th, That we call upon the honest in heart, in the Church, and
throughout the world, to vindicate the pure doctrines of Jesus Christ, whether
set forth in the Bible, Book of Mormon, of Book of Covenants; and we hereby
withdraw the hand of fellowship, from all those who practice or teach doctrines
contrary to the above, until they cease so to do, and show works meet for
repentance.
Resolved 14th, That we hereby notify all those holding licences to preach
the gospel, who know they are guilty of teaching the doctrine of other Gods
above the God of this creation; the plurality of wives; the unconditional
sealing up against all crimes, save that of sheding innocent blood; the spoiling
of the gentiles, and all other doctrines, (so called) which are contrary to the
laws of God, or to the laws of our country, to cease preaching, and to come and
make satisfaction, and have their licences renewed.
Resolved 15th, That in all our controversies in defence of truth and
righteousness, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God,
to the pulling down of the strong holds of Satan; that our strifes are not
against flesh, blood, nor bones; but against principalities and power against
spiritual wickedness in high places and therefore we will not use carnal weapons
save in our own defence.
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