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(From back cover.) "The LDS hierarchy was divided in 1837 over the militarization of the church in Missouri. Many in the leadership eventually reconciled, but one of the twelve apostles, William E. McLellin, became what might be termed a friendly critic. He retained his belief in the divinity of the Book of Mormon and kept in contact with former colleagues in the Quorum of the Twelve but could not support the new policies and directions. He resigned from the quorum in 1836 and was excommunicated in 1838.

"Most interesting for readers of the present volume may be McLellin's observations about how the church changed during his separation. McLellin said that in his five years of activity in the church, he never once heard of Joseph Smith's First Vision. Available historical evidence confirms that the First Vision was not known in the church until the 1840s, after McLellin's departure.

"McLellin wrote further: 'I heard Joseph [Smith] tell his experience of his ordination and the organization of the church probably more than twenty times to persons who, near the rise of the church, wished to know and hear about it. I never heard of Moroni, John [the Baptist], or Peter, James, and John.' McLellin believed that angels had visited Joseph Smith but not that human beings could become angels—a teaching not yet current in the 1830s—or that priesthood authority could be conveyed in that way.

"In addition, McLellin wrote of his disappointment in attending the Kirtland, Ohio, temple dedication in 1836 and not seeing angels, as he had hoped. The narrative regarding the appearance of Elijah and others in the temple would not be publicized until 1852. So in many ways, it was a much different church in the 1830s. McLellin illuminates what it meant to be LDS when the emphasis was on Christ's imminent return to earth; the gathering to Independence, Missouri; revelation through seer stones; and gifts of the Spirit—all of which McLellin continued to promote as beliefs of a true follower of Christ in the last days."

(From inside jacket.) "Historians, including those represented in the present volume, are divided on questions surrounding William E. McLellin's life and teachings. For instance, whether he was cordial or cranky comes down to interpretation of scant evidence. On whether he was a personal enemy of Joseph Smith, McLellin condemned what he considered excessive frivolity and drinking in Kirtland but otherwise restricted his comments to doctrine. In fact, he professed an enduring affection for his former brethren, especially for Joseph Smith, even though he thought Smith was wrong to have launched a military campaign against the State of Missouri, to have engaged in secret political machinations in Illinois, and to have married more than one wife.

"How accurate was McLellin's memory? When compared to other available documents, his recollections are clear and seem factually correct, although always subject to personal interpretation. What is disconcerting to historians is that, as a high-ranking church official, McLellin must have played a larger role in some key events than he indicates. For instance, he watched for weeks as editors prepared Joseph Smith's revelations for publication and does not say he voiced an objection, so the conclusion must be he either condoned the activity at the time or reserved judgment. Yet in later years, his complaint that God's words were edited formed a large part of his narrative. For whatever reason, out of an abundance of humility, or alternately out of pride, he chose to distance himself from the history he participated in and narrated.

"McLellin hoped the church Joseph Smith founded would somehow right itself, that if Joseph failed to acknowledge his alleged errors, a new prophet would emerge to replace him. In a letter to "dear friends" in 1870, McLellin wrote the following:

"O I feel happy this morning! I have no doubts!!! I feel sure the Lord is at the helm. My old heart has burned within me ever since I received that glorious intelligence from Heaven. Now I feel sure that we shall prevail, because I have lost the love of money, the love of riches, honors, or pleasures. I have no object before me only to serve and only God. I mean to be humble, meek and Lowly; and not have contention with any. If any comes, and wishes to unite with us, who have not shed innocent blood, who have not been polygamists, nor run so far into abominations that they cant be forgiven, we will receive them, but polygamists will have to wait until some man rises with the Interpreters or Urim in order to tell their fate."

Table of Contents

Foreword, George D. Smith
Editors' Preface

Essays

1. Mormonism's "Stormy Petrel," Richard P. Howard
2. Discovery of the McLellin Papers, Dawn House
3. The Past as Decline from a Golden Age, Thomas G. Alexander
4. "My Eyes Were Holden in Those Days," D. Michael Quinn
5. Reinventing McLellin, John-Charles Duffy
6. Portrait of a "True Believer" in Original Mormonism, William D. Russell

Notebooks

1. A Treatise on Faith, 1854-57
2. On the Testimony of Book of Mormon Witnesses, 1871
3. The Blood of Adam and of Christ, 1877
4. Views on the Bible, 1877
5. Why I Am Not a Latter Day Saint, 1878
6. On Original Sin, 1878
7. Reasons Why I Am Not a "Mormon," ca. 1880

Letters 1854-1880

1. To Orson Pratt, 29 Apr. 1854
2. To Joseph Smith III, 10 Jan. 1861
3. To Granville Hedrick, ca. 1864
4. Letter fragment, ca. May 1869
5. To Dear Friends, 12 July 1869
6. To Davis H. Bays, 23 Nov. 1869
7. To Dear Friends, Feb. 1870
8. To Davis H. Bays, 24 May 1870
9. To Old Friends, 21-25 Oct. 1870
10. To Mark H. Forscutt, 1 Oct. 1871
11. To Old Friends, 22 Feb. 1872
12. To Joseph Smith III, July 1872
13. To Dear Mary, 30 Aug. 1872
14. To John L. Traughber, 11 Mar. 1875
15. To John L. Traughber, 6 Dec. 1875
16. To John L. Traughber, 19 Feb. 1877
17. To John L. Traughber, 7 May 1877
18. To John L. Traughber, 22 June 1877
19. To John L. Traughber, July 1877
20. To John L. Traughber, 25 Aug. 1877
21. To Thomas Fuller, 1877
22. To John L. Traughber, 14 Dec. 1878
23. To John L. Traughber, 5 Jan. 1879
24. To John L. Traughber, 1 Oct. 1879
25. To unidentified recipient, ca. 1878-79
26. To James T. Cobb, 14 Aug. 1880

Appendixes

1. McLellin's Published Articles and Letters, 1832-49
2. McLellin's "Ruins of Central America and Yucatan"
3. Biographical Notes
4. From the Illinois Patriot, 1831
5. Bibliography

Index