-- 170 years ago today - Aug 20, 1841
[Apostle Heber J. Grant Diary] Afternoon meeting Gardo meeting Presidency and Apostles. A Lot of questions to be answered before the Master in Chancery were presented. I could not make satisfactory answers . . . (2)
-- 120 years ago today - Aug 20, 1891
J. D. 14:242; Elder Orson Pratt; August 20, 1871.
There are no marriages among spirits, no coupling together of the males and females among them; but when they rise from the grave after being tabernacled in mortal bodies, they have all the functions that are necessary to people worlds. As our Father and God begat us sons and daughters, so will we rise immortal males and females, and beget children and, in our turn, form and create worlds, and send forth our spirit children to inherit those worlds, the same as we were sent here, and thus will the works of God continue, and not only God himself, and His Son Jesus Christ have the power of endless lives, but all of His redeemed offspring. (3)
-- 140 years ago today - Aug 20, 1871
1 - Cook, Lyndon W., The Revelations of the Prophet Joseph Smith: A Historical and Biographical Commentary of the Doctrine and Covenants, Seventy's Mission Bookstore, Provo UT, 1985, http://amzn.to/RevelationsofJosephSmith
2 - Diary Excerpts of Heber J. Grant, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies
3 - Quotations Dealing with the Relationship of Our First Earthy Parents to Our Heavenly Parents (1830-1978)
What is the Master in Chancery?
ReplyDeleteOn Jul 1, the Utah Supreme Court appointed Judge Charles F. Loofbourow to take testimony in the Church suits as a master of chancery. He was the appointed judge, handling cases related to the church, and particularly polygamy.
ReplyDeleteGrant felt strongly about continuing to live with his wives (cohabiting) and was not able to give satisfactory answers to the judge that his cohabitation had ceased (he would later flee the country to keep him safe).
Later, by Oct 6, the First Presidency testified to the Master in Chancery that cohabitation was discontinued, which surprised church leaders and members when they read this testimony to the judge. Woodruff also stated that the manifesto also applied to the polygamist safe havens of Mexico and Canada.