Sources of LDS Doctrine:

A Look at Official and Non-Official Documents

by Kevin K. Winters

Prologue

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are often accused of not being open about what we believe. Cries of deception occur often.[1] In the majority of cases, this bias is based on inappropriate and un-official sources. But what sources are “official”? What constitutes LDS doctrine? How does a source become “official”? That is what will be address in this paper.

Non-Official Documents

There are many sources that are popular among those who are LDS-critical used to “expose” the “true” beliefs of the LDS Church. Those we will be looking at are Bruce R. McConkie’s Mormon Doctrine, Joseph Fielding Smith’s Doctrines of Salvation, Orson Pratt’s The Seer, James E. Talmage’s Jesus the Christ and The Articles of Faith, (more works possibly forthcoming).

Mormon Doctrine

Mormon Doctrine is a compilation of LDS concepts by Elder Bruce R. McConkie. At the time of its production, Elder McConkie was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The book is in dictionary-like form, going topic by topic in alphabetical order from “Aaron” to “Zoramites”. The first edition was published in 1958 and the second edition was published in 1966.

I have often heard this book affectionately called “McConkie Doctrine”.[2] Was it ever intended to be an “official” source of LDS doctrine? What was the author’s view on it and other books like it?

In the Preface to the First Edition, Elder McConkie states: “This gospel compendium will enable men, more effectively, to ‘teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom’; to ‘be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient’ for them ‘to understand.’ (D.& C. 88:77-78.)” to which he quickly adds, “For the work itself, I assume sole and full responsibility.”[3]

In speaking of the official canon, Elder McConkie says:

A canon is a standard, or principle, or rule of doctrine and faith by which all else is measured. It is common among Latter-day Saints to speak of their four volumes of scripture as the standard works. Thus the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, as well as the Bible, are canonical books.

These volumes of added latter-day scripture were selected by prophetic insight and then approved by the voice of the people in conference assembled, to stand as canonical measuring rods.[4]

In speaking further of the “canon” of the LDS Church, McConkie states: “Canonizing is generally considered as complete when some formal council, convention, or other official church assemblage officially adopts a particular work. Thus, applying Biblical standards to revelations in general, the standard works of the Church may be said to be canonical books.”[5]

In the work in question, McConkie explains that “[t]he books, writings, explanations, expositions, views, and theories of even the wisest and greatest men, either in or out of the Church, do not rank with the standard works. Even the writings, teachings, and opinions of the prophets of God are acceptable only to the extent they are in harmony with what God has revealed and what is recorded in the standard works.”[6]

It would appear that Elder McConkie would not place his work(s) in the realm of the canon and, thus, as a source of “official” and “binding” doctrine. This fact should make us pause when we consider using Mormon Doctrine as an authoritative source.

Doctrines of Salvation

Doctrines of Salvation is a compilation of excerpts from sermons, letters, articles and written by President Joseph Fielding Smith during his lifetime.[7] The compilation was done by his son-in-law, Bruce R. McConkie.

In the Preface, McConkie states:

It follows that a host of answers will be found herein to gospel questions frequently asked, but seldom answered with the authoritative finality of the oracles of God.[8]

Naturally, one could object that this is simply McConkie’s idea and that, possibly, Pres. Smith would beg to disagree. A look at the views of Pres. Smith within this work would, very likely, answer such an objection.

In Doctrines of Salvation, Volume 1, Joseph Fielding Smith states:

The Church is not responsible for the remarks made by any elder or for the numerous books that have been written. The authors of the words or books must be responsible for their own utterances.... The point is this, if in these books mistakes are found, "they are the mistakes of men," and the Church as an organization is not to be held accountable for them…[9]

In volume 3 of the same work Pres. Smith states: “You cannot accept the books written by the authorities of the Church as standards in doctrine, only in so far as they accord with the revealed word in the standard works.”[10]

Pres. Smith will also apply this standard to his own writings:

If I should say something which is contrary to that which is written and approved by the Church generally, no one is under obligation to accept it. Everything that I say and everything that any other person says must square itself with that which the Lord has revealed, or it should be rejected.[11]

We will address more of Pres. Smith’s words in the section “Sources of ‘Official’ Doctrine” as he speaks abundantly on the process of canonization. For the time being, the above is sufficient to prove that Joseph Fielding Smith, author of Doctrines of Salvation, would not consider his work binding on the Church as a whole.

The Seer

Elder Orson Pratt endeavored to publish a periodical to explain the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first article was published in January of 1853 with the following introduction:

The pages of the SEER will be mostly occupied with original matter, illucidating the doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as revealed in both ancient and modern Revelations.

His desire is that “the President elect, the Hon. Members of Congress, the Heads of the various Departments of the National Government, the highminded Governors and Legislative Assemblies of the several States and Territories, the Ministers of every Religious denomination, and all the inhabitants of this great Republic, will patronize this Periodical, that through the medium of our own writings they may be more correctly and fully informed in regard to the peculiar doctrines, views, practices, and expectations of the Saints who now flourish in the Mountain Territory, and who will eventually flourish over the whole Earth. And we say to all nations, subscribe for the SEER, and we promise you a True and Faithful description of all the principal features, characterizing this great and last ‘dispensation of the fulness of times.’"[12]

It is under the auspice of this lofty claim that LDS critics desire to quote (quite liberally) from its pages. How did the First Presidency and Council of the Twelve view this periodical? It was not with open arms.

The works of Orson Pratt are scrutinized in two proclamations/addresses to the Saints. In speaking of Elder Pratt’s “Pre-existence of man” and “Great First Cause”, the brethren stated that they “are plausibly presented. But to the whole subject we will answer in the words of the Apostle Joseph Smith, on a similar occasion. One of the Elders of Israel had written a long communication....The Prophet commended his style in glowing terms...and that he had but one objection to it....”It is not true.”[13] This was signed by the then current First Presidency: Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Daniel H. Wells.

The second “epistle” dealt specifically with a few of Elder Pratt’s works.[14] It quotes sections of “The Holy Spirit”, published in Millennial Star, and another tract by the same title.[15] These are those “items which stand out most prominently in the publications referred to, and which strike [the Twelve] as being most objectionable.”[16] In Pratt’s defense, they state that “the expounder of these points of doctrine [Elder Pratt] acknowledges that he has not had any revelation from the heavens in relation to them....They are mere hypotheses, and should be perused and accepted as such, and not as doctrines of the Church.”[17]

In overview, the Twelve state:

...the Seer, The Great First Cause, the article in the Millennial Star of October 15^th, and November 1, 1850, on the Holy Spirit, and the first half of the tract, also on the Holy Spirit, contain doctrines which we cannot sanction, and which we have felt impressed to disown, so that the Saints who now live, and who may live hereafter, may not be misled by our silence, or be left to misinterpret it.[18]

Elder Pratt, in response to the above “proclamation”, published the following:

TO THE SAINTS IN ALL THE WORLD

Dear Brethren,--Permit me to draw your attention to the proclamation of the First Presidency and the Twelve, published in Deseret News, and copied into the Millennial Star of the 21^st inst., in which several publications that have issued from my pen are considered objectionable. I, therefore, embrace the present opportunity of publicly expressing my most sincere regret, that I have ever published the least thing which meets with the disapprobation of the highest authorities of the Church; and I do most cordially join with them in the request, that you should not make such dispositions of the publications alluded to, as counselled [sic] in their proclamation.

London, Oct. 25, 1865 Orson Pratt, Sen.[19]

Should we give more emphasis to a work (or works) which: 1) were not accepted by the presiding councils in the Church at the time, 2) were publicly denounced by such and 3) were not considered authoritative by the author himself? Such should give us reason to stop, or hesitate in, quoting the Seer as authoritative and binding on “what the Church teaches.”

Jesus the Christ and The Articles of Faith

Dr. James E. Talmage is a revered name in LDS literature and doctrine. As scientist, educator and Saint, Talmage contributed much to the Church in areas of both thought and doctrine. Talmage’s Jesus the Christ and The Articles of Faith are two of the greatest literary contributions to LDS theology and thinking that is greatly cherished by LDS readers.

Work on Jesus the Christ was entered upon the request of the “presiding authorities of the Church” and was, at its completion, “approved by the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve.” Despite this, Talmage states:

It [Jesus the Christ] presents, however, the writer’s personal belief and profoundest conviction as to the truth of what he has written.[20]

The Articles of Faith, written 2 years before Jesus the Christ, has no such clause. Despite this, there is evidence within The Articles of Faith that Dr. Talmage was aware of the “canonization” process. For example:

The Standard Works of the Church constitute the written authority of the Church in doctrine. Nevertheless, the Church holds itself in readiness to receive additional light and knowledge "pertaining to the Kingdom of God" through divine revelation.... We rely therefore on the teachings of the living oracles of God as of equal validity with the doctrines of the written word. The works adopted by the vote of the Church as authoritative guides in faith and doctrine are four: the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price [g. See Appendix 1]. Many books have been and are being published by officers and members of the Church, and such may be sanctioned by the people and the ecclesiastical authorities; but the four publications named are the regularly adopted "Standard Works of the Church." of the doctrines treated in the authorized standards, the Articles of Faith may be regarded as a fair though but partial summary.[21]

Dr. Talmage elsewhere states, “These books have been adopted by the members of the Church, in conference officially assembled, as their Standard Works.”[22] In the chapter entitled “The Holy Bible”, Talmage explains that the Bible is “first among the books which have been proclaimed as [the Church’s] written guides in faith and doctrine.”[23]

Outside of the works cited, we have the firmest testimony of Dr. Talmage of the authority of his works, as well as a commentary on any work outside the works accepted by the unanimous voice of the Church. It occurred during a trial hearing of Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah, before the Committee on Privileges and Elections.[24] The following is an excerpt from Dr. Talmage’s testimony:

Mr. Worthington: Let me ask you about...[the book, titled] the Articles of Faith. You say you were authorized by the high church officials to prepare such work...and it was approved by a committee of high officers of the church, appointed by the presidency. Is that work, or anything in it, binding upon any member of your church?

Mr. Talmage: Oh, in no sense.

Mr. Worthington: (referring to earlier remarks of Talmage): It would have to be submitted to the church conference and adopted by them before it would bind any Mormon?

Mr. Talmage: Most assuredly...

Mr. Worthington: Is there any publishing house authorized to publish works and sent them out, which works bind the church as an organization?

Mr. Talmage: No such publishing house could be named...

Mr. Worthington: The Deseret New has been spoken of here frequently as the organ of the church. Has anybody in your church the power to put in the Deseret News anything which is not in the standard works, that shall bind the people of your church, if it has not first been approved by the people?

Mr. Talmage: No one, not even the president of the church....No one could make anything binding by simply publishing it in the Deseret News, or any other medium, or any other form.[25]

The strictness that Dr. Talmage employs both towards his own works and the works of others in areas of doctrinal authority is evident. As, by his own testimony, The Articles of Faith is “in no sense” binding upon any “member of [the] church” it should not be quoted as a literary authority except as it is in agreement with the Standard Works. Though a cherished work, liberal quoting of it should be done with caution.

Teachings of the Prophets

The works often utilized outside of the Standard Works in critiquing “Mormonism” are too numerous to work on individually. The above are those selected works that are most often utilized. Now we will address the words of the Prophets.

Many (but not all) of the prophets have testified of the “canon”, or measuring rod, of the Standard Works and its centrality in establishing and supporting true doctrine. A small number would even go so far as to outright declare their own words as being subject to this test, of which a failure would warrant rejection of the doctrine or principle. We will, then, address the most specific of references to this principle as spoken/written by the prophets of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Brigham Young is known among the Latter-day Saints for his outspoken nature, bluntness, and occasional venturing into “speculative theology.” Despite this, Pres. Young was very vocal about the need of having the doctrinal norm of the Standard Works (which were canonized in his day and under his direction). For example, on one occasion Pres. Young stated:

There is no clash in the principles revealed in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants; and there would be no clash between any of the doctrines taught by Joseph the Prophet and by the brethren now, if all would live in a way to be governed by the Spirit of the Lord. All do not live so as to have the Spirit of the Lord with them all the time, and the result is that some get out of the way.[26]

On another occasion Pres. Young stated that “[t]he Old and New Testaments, the Book of Mormon, and the book of Doctrine and Covenants...are like a lighthouse in the ocean or a fingerpost which points out the road we should travel....They are of God; they are invaluable and necessary; by them we can establish the doctrine of Christ.”[27] He elsewhere states that “the doctrines taught in the Old and New Testaments concerning the will of God towards his children here on the earth; the history of what he has done for their salvation; the ordinances which he has instituted for their redemption; the gift of his Son and his atonement -- all these are true, and we, the Latter-day Saints, believe in them.”[28]

John Taylor (3^rd President of the Church) declared his standard of discovering truth:

I have generally taken the liberty of applying the word of God to principles of religion whether taught by the Methodists, Church of England, Roman Catholics, or any others; and when Mormonism was presented to me, my first inquiry was, “Is it scriptural? Is it reasonable and philosophical?” This is the principle I would act upon today. No matter how popular the theories or dogmas preached might be, I would not accept them unless they were strictly in accordance with the scriptures, reason, and common sense.

Pres. Taylor then adds, “Prove all things, hold fast that which is good, and reject that which is evil, no matter what guise it may come in. I think if we, as Mormons, hold principles that cannot be sustained by the scriptures and by good sound reason and philosophy, the quicker we part with them the better, no matter who believes in them or who does not.”[29]

Wilford Woodruff (4^th President) asks himself an important question: “Do we teach anything that is contrary to the gospel as taught in the days of the apostles?” to which his answer is an emphatic: “We do not."[30] In speaking of a measuring rod to test doctrine, Pres. Woodruff focused much on the Spirit, which we will address in the next section.

Lorenzo Snow (5^th President) speaks of his “comparison” of the Restored Gospel with scripture:

When this gospel or order of things which we have received was presented to us, we carefully compared it with the Gospel recorded in the Scriptures, and found it alike precisely in every particular, as regarded its forms, ordinances and the authority to administer them, its promise of the Holy Ghost and of the signs that should follow, together with a promise of a knowledge of its divinity.[31]

Joseph F. Smith (6^th President) states that “[w]hen visions, dreams, tongues, prophecy, impressions or any extraordinary gift or inspiration conveys something out of harmony with the accepted revelations of the Church or contrary to the decisions of its constituted authorities, Latter-day Saints may know that it is not of God, no matter how plausible it may appear.”[32]

Pres. Harold B. Lee (7^th Presidend), in response to ideas that “a prophet is always a prophet” states:

It is not to be thought that every word spoken by the General Authorities is inspired, or that they are moved upon by the Holy Ghost in everything they write. I don’t care what is position is, if he writes something or speaks something that goes beyond anything that you can find in the standard works, unless that one be a prophet, seer, and revalator—please not that one exception—you may immediately say, “Well, that is his own diea.” And if he says something that contradicts what is found in the standard church works, you may know by the same token that it is false, regardless of the position of the man who says it.[33]

This idea was echoed in the words of Spencer W. Kimball (12^th President). He states: “It must be remembered that all books published by Church authors are not official Church publications, and the reader must be discriminating and selective. But all these numerous books have much of value in them for the discriminating student. In all the commentaries, good as they may be, it must be remembered that none takes the place of the original source material.”[34]

Ezra Taft Benson is famous for his emphasis on reading the Book of Mormon. He, likewise, gives emphasis to all the scriptures. Pres. Benson gave 3 “tests” by which we can “avoid being deceived”. The first of these is to ask ourselves, “What do the standard works have to say about it?”[35] He elsewhere said:

I now add my voice to these wise and inspired brethren and say to you that one of the most important tings you can do as priesthood leaders is to immerse yourselves in the scriptures. Search them diligently (see D&C 1:37; 3 Nephi 23:1). Feast upon the words of Christ (see 2 Nephi 31:20; 32:2). Learn the doctrine. Master the principles that are found therein. There are few other efforts that will bring greater dividends to your calling. There are few ways to gain greater inspiration as you serve.[36]

Pres. Benson also signed the First Presidency Message stating “that no member of the Church has the right to publish any doctrines, as doctrines of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, without first submitting them for examination and approval to the First Presidency and the Twelve.”[37] Pres. Benson was a great exponent in increases scripture study among the Latter-day Saints.

It is believed that the above expresses well the standard that the Presidents of the Church would give to all doctrinal statements, including their own. The Standard Works are, for them, a real “standard” of doctrine and belief. It is understood that each President will emphasize different aspects of the question of “official” sources, but the general consensus among the Prophets is that the scriptures are our basis of doctrine and the measuring rod by which all other ideas and beliefs should be considered. We now proceed to the question: “What constitutes LDS doctrine?”

Special thanks goes out to Scott Pierson of http://pub26.ezboard.com/bpacumenispages for his help in finding quotes and inspiring me to compose this work.