Mormon History
The Inventor of Mormonism - 1879
The Salt Lake Daily Tribune – July 25, 1879
INSPIRATION ANALYZED.
________
Sidney Rigdon the Chief Inventor of
the Latter-day Dispension.
________
Says Orson
Pratt: "The Book of Mormon claims to be a divinely inspired record, written by a
succession of prophets who inhabited Ancient America. It professes to be
revealed to the present generation for the salvation of all who will receive it,
and for the overthrow and damnation of all who reject it. This book must be
either true or false. If true, it is one of the most important messages ever
sent from God to man; if false, it is one of the most cunning, wicked, bold,
deep-laid impositions ever palmed upon the world, calculated to deceive and ruin
millions who will sincerely receive it as the word of God, and will suppose
themselves securely built upon the rock of truth until they are plunged with
their families into hopeless despair.
"The nature of the message in the Book of Mormon is such that, if true, no one
can possibly be saved and reject it; if false, no one can possibly be saved and
receive and receive it. Therefore, every soul in all the world is equally
interested in ascertaining its truth or falsity. If, after a rigid examination,
it be found an imposition, it should be extensively published to the world as
such. The evidences and arguments on which
should be clearly and logically stated, that
those who have been sincerely yet unfortunately deceived may perceive the nature
of the deception and be reclaimed, and that those who continue to publish the
delusion may be exposed and silenced." -- Introduction to "Divine
Authenticity of the Book of Mormon."
When those who continue to publish the delusion shall have answered the
evidences and arguments already put forth, that not only the Book of Mormon, but
the entire system of Mormonism is a fraud of human contrivance, thereby
manifesting to the world their candor and unfortunate sincerity, by showing at
least that they have something to offer in their own defense and in behalf of
their books and system, beyond the simple "feel ing" that they "know" such and
such things to be true, (in spite of any amount of evidence to the contrary,) a
statement perhaps painfully clear and distressingly logical of the evidences and
arguments on which the imposture was detected, will be cheerfully presented.
Meanwhile, the bare internal evidence that
is so
apparent and so overwhelming to the present writer that it seems hardly worth
the time and labor of serious consideration.
As long ago as the fore part of 1831, Mr. Thomas Campbell promptly accepted a
challenge made to the world by Sidney Rigdon to disprove the Book of Mormon,
addressing Rigdon a courteous, friendly letter of some dozen printed pages, in
which he gave Rigdon a fair and full statement of his intended method of defenze
and attack. In
this letter Campbell says:
"In the last place, we shall examine the internal evidence of the Book of Mormon
itself, pointing out its evident contradictions, foolish absurdities, shameless
pretensions to antiquity, restore it to the rightful claimant, as a production
beneath contempt, and utterly unworthy the reception of a schoolboy. The sooner
this investigation takes place, the better for all concerned; therefore, it is
hoped you will not protract the time beyond what may justly be deemed necessary
for giving publicity to the proposed discussion, -- say one week after your
reception of this proposal to accept the challenge you have publicly given."
My Campbell opens his letter to Rigdon thus:
" It may seem strange that instead of a confidential and friendly visit, after
so long an absence, I should thus address, by letter, one of whom for many years
I have considered not only as a courteous and benevolent friend, but as a
beloved brother and fellow laborer in the Gospel; but alas! how changed -- how
fallen! Nevertheless, I should now have visited you as formerly, could I
conceive that my so doing would answer the important purpose both to ourselves
and the public, to which we both stand pledged, you, as a professed disciple and
public teacher of
and I as a professed disciple of the supernal book of the old and New Testament of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which you now say is superseded by the Book of Mormon -- is become a dead letter -- so dead that the belief and obedience of it, without the reception of the latter, is no longer available to salvation. To the disproof of this assertion, I understand you defy the world. I here use the epithets infernal and supernal in their primary and literal meaning, the former signifying 'from beneath,' the latter 'from above,' both of which are truly applied, if the respective authors may be accredited; of the latter of which, however, I have no doubt. But, my dear sir, supposing you as sincere in your present, as in your former profession, (of the truth and sufficiency of which you have frequently boasted with equal confidence) neither yourself, your friends, nor the world, are therefore bound to consider you as more infallible in your [latter] than in your former confidence, any further than you can render good and intelligible reasons for your present certainty. This, I understand from your declaration on last Lord's day, you are abundantly prepared and ready to do. I, therefore, as in duty bound, accept the challenge, and shall hold myself in readiness, if the Lord permit, to meet you publicly in any place, either in Mentor or Kirtland, or in any of the adjoining towns that may appear most eligible for the accommodation of the public. The sooner the investigation takes place, the better for all concerned," etc.
Rigdon,
when he came to the expression "Infernal Book of Mormon," committed this letter
hastily to the flames, no doubt glad of any excuse to back out of the
discussion. Had he met Thomas Campbell the probability is that Mormonism would
soon have ceased to exist. That "infernal Book of Mormon," like young Matthew
Clapp's "it's all a lie," struck home. But who was Rigdon, that he should take
the matter so seriously to heart? He was a simple and very recent convert, you
know; had not been in the Church three months. He had just returned from
visiting Joseph for the first time in New York. Joseph and he were acquaintances
of but a few weeks; whereas Campbell and he had been companions-in-arms for
years in the Disciples' fold together. Why should Rigdon manifest such a sudden
sense of responsibility? It is wonderful -- wonderful, when you once commence to
pick this fraud to pieces.
Here is a striking revelation to Edward Partridge, the firts bishop of the
Mormon Church, given in December, 1830, when he and Rigdon visited Smith in New
York. Mind, Rigdon then had only been acquainted with the Prophet Joseph a few
days: "Thus saith the Lord God, the Mighty One of Israel, behold I say unto you,
my servant Edward, that you are blessed, and your sins are forgiven you, and you
are called to preach my gospel, as with the voice of a trump, and I will lay my
hand upon you
(Rigdon)
and you shall receive my spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall
teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom. And you shall declare it with a
loud voice saying, Hosanna, blessed by the name of the Most High God. And now
this calling and commandment give I unto all men, that as many as shall come
before my servant Sidney and Joseph, embracing this calling and commandment,
shall be ordained and sent forth to preach the everlasting gospel," etc.
"My servant Sidney" appears to have a surprisingly sudden pre-emmence over the
Lord's prophet. "The Lord" lays his hand upon Partridge by the hand of Rigdon,
[here's a] "proxy" for you; the first four miles. But where is Joseph? Why are
all the human family expected to present themselves before "my servant Sidney
(1) and Joseph (2)" when Sidney is a raw recruit, and especially when the Lord
has his prophet? Said Rigdon shortly after his "conversion" to Mormonism, "If
Smith could be proved a liar, or should say himself that he never found the Book
of Mormon as he reported, I should still believe the Book." What amazing faith!
What a truly marvelous convert! Rigdon, it will be remembered, obtained a
knowledge of the truth of the Book of Mormon almost immediately upon its being
presented to him, "by the testimony of the spirit." And that is the [same?] plan
laid down in the Book itself. "The things of God can only be discerned by the
spirit of God." That is the one song they sing, Rigdon himself pitching the key
note of the fanaticism: "open your mouths and shut your eyes." Does not all this
appear odd, O! my friends? Verily it doth, "to a man up a tree." But Mr. Pratt
and Mr. Any-other-Saint may spare their theories. The thing is a farce, a wicked
farce, at times a tragical and bloody farce, but it is about played out to the
bitter end. Here are a few more keys, and with these I shall pause, for if Mr.
Pratt desires argument and evidence they are thick as leaves in Vallombrosa. Why
will the most learned of the apostolic brotherhood be so stupid? Has he lost all
common sense? Is all his natural clearness of discernment
He has
been outrageously imposed upon in his youth, no question of that, as so many
others more have been; but don't for goodness sake, impose upon your own
understanding.
Do not any longer mistake Sidney Rigdon for God Almighty.
I say this deliberately, without irreverance. That terrible mistake has been
made too long. As the Mormon coin is seen to bear the Rigdon image (if not the
Rigdon superacription,) now let us render unto Caesar the things that are
Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
An editorial on "Keys" Times and Seasons,
Dec. 25th, 1844), John Taylor editor, thus concludes, "And even the great
Anti Christ of the last days, who would fain make the world believe -- the
Saints know better -- that he is 'my Servant, the Branch,' holding the
before-mentioned key of David, has gone to Pittsburg to prepare for war." This
has reference to Rigdon.
Rigdon of course dared not make open claim of having been the founder of
Mormonism; the cardinal pretension was that God instituted the system through
Joseph Smith, Jr., who was set up to be the "prophet," the target and
figure-head, his notorious illiteracy was to be both shield and spear. It is
highly edifying to learn what Rigdon did think prudent and safe to arrogate to
himself --
and to
trace his maneuverings. He claimed, -- did he -- to be "my servant, the Branch,"
spoken of in the Bible (Zechariah v, 12) and in the Book of Mormon; and to be
the person spoken of, Revelation iii. 7, as "he that hath the key of David, he
that openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth and no man openeth."
O ho! By indirection, then, after his prophet's death, and when figuring for the
successorship, Rigdon did claim, as pointedly as he dared, to be the one who
"opened" this Latter-day Dispensation, holding authority to open and to shut,
etc. We find this key on the house of David again referred to in the Bible,
Isaiah xxii. 22: "And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his
shoulders; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut and none
shall open." Rigdon would fain have made the Saints believe he held that
wonderful key of David. But "the Saints knew better." Did they, though?
It is a striking and suggestive fact, that Rigdon, alone of the Latter-day
Apostates, whould have been characterized as Anti Christ by his former brethren
and by the present President of Mormondom; that he should have been proclaimed
to the world as "the great Anti Christ of the last days," yet the Church which
he founded be the Church of Christ.
There was a scheme and a carefully elaborated scheme in this man's plunderings
and perversions and expansions of Scripture: half conscientious, half crazed. By
poring over the Bible, and especially the prophecies, Rigdon had worked himself
up to the belief that these were indeed the last days and that he himself was an
instrument in the hands of God to open "the dispensation of the fullness of
times." But as to being exactly a prophet, he was shrewd enough to know that he
was not thus called, that in the political role he would not and could
not prove a success. He had been too long before the public, his peculiarities
were too well known. Were he to discover the same plates, those pesky "Campbellites"
would be after him with a sharp stick. And did he not read that the weak things
of the world were to confound the wise? If he could act more safely and with
better effect as spokesman, and a wire-puller behind the scenes --
Conscientious! Yes, in a degree, if there be any conscience in a religious
craze.
"My Servant the branch shall build the temple of the Lord" (Zach. vi. 12). Who
does give [demensions], directions, etc., for building the first temple, at
Kirtland? Why, who but Sidney Rigdon? What is the substituted name for Kirtland
in the Mormon revelations? Shinehah. "To build a house in the land of Shinar,"
says Zechariah v. 11. Let the reader who is interested in finding out who is
really the author and finisher of his or her faith in Mormonism, read the
account of the services at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. Note, that
Rigdon, in the
that of washing of feet, is the boy to ape Jesus and gird himself with a towel and that he first washes Jospeh's, then old man Smith's and Hyrum's feet, and then has his feet washed by the prophet of the Nineteenth Centry. Who's boss, pray? Note Rigdon's text xviii Maithew, 18, 19, 20 verses. Note especially the bearing of the 19th verse: "Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven." Inspired translation and correction has this verse, "so that they ask not amiss," showing that the passage in which the "two" were spoken of had been dwelt upon. Who dedicates the centre stake of Zion, with its temple lot? Why, Sidney Rigdon. Again, the "two olive trees" so nauseatingly dwelt upon and elaborated in the Book of Mormon, and the "two olive branches." We had the germ of this ridiculous and preposterous expansion in Zechariah, fourth chapter, toward the end, and which is likewise strikingly suggestive of
in the revelation business. "Then," said he, "these are the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." The inspired translation and correction of the Holy Scriptures renders this verse, "the two anointed ones that stand before the Lord of the whole earth." This verse, then, was likewise dwelt upon long enough to be changed. And is not this just what these two individuals have done -- thrust themselves with their vapid revelations before the Lord and elbowed him out of the way? The world does not require human mediators and go betweens. All priesthood is summed up in Christ, who is the
Such, as I
understand, is the Christian scheme.
The system known as Mormonism can never be thoroughly understood and
successfully grappled with until the nature and character of its real founder
are understood. We may go blindly and blunderlingly dealing with results and
secondary causes till Doomsday; the true solution of the anomaly will not be
reached. Viewed superficially, as a lawless fanaticism and excrescence, idle the
thought of extirpating it from the hearts of its votaries by force of law, while
the idea expressed now and again of subduing Mormonism by the sword is, to say
the least, extremely far fetched and premature. It is continually provocative of
"bad blood," is altogether gratuitous, confusing and unnecessary. The rational,
the humane, the common-sense method is best, and that is to know and to show who
originated and started Mormonism. This point once clearly settled and made plain
to the comprehension, whether of Mormon or non-Mormon, there will thenceforth be
but little difficulty in the
Then, and not till then, will the root of bitterness, altercation, distrust and hate be plucked out of the deluded Mormon mind. God speed that day! Enough said about "our enemies." That is over -- the slogan of selfish, hate-breeding Imposture. Let Mormons but once find out and become clearly satisfied, that they have been grossly and most outrageously imposed upon by pretended divine revelation, by a pretended divine ordination of priestly rule, and that the man Sidney Rigdon was the author and contriver and fashioner of both divine revelation and divine ordination, and they will themselves solve the Mormon problem in short order. Meanwhile if any individual Mormon feels himself so secure in the divine authority of his system as to flout the idea of its merely human origin, there never was a better opportunity than the present to have the matter squarely tested.