RR #20_ “The Mormon Succession Crisis of 1844”

Nathaniel Hart Dr. Jeffrey G. Cannon Religion C 225 - Foundations of the Restoration Reading Reflection #20: “The Mormon Succession Crisis of 1844” 16 November 2023 “The Mormon Succession Crisis of 1844” 1. What is it? (talk/sermon, letter, historical narrative) a. Academic/ Historical Article from BYU Studies Quarterly. 2. Who created it? (speaker, author, editor, and/or translator) a. Author: D. Michael Quinn (professor at BYU and historian). i. Quinn, D. Michael (1976) "The Mormon Succession Crisis of 1844," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 16 : Iss. 2 , Article 2. 3. Who is the audience? a. BYU staff, students, and anyone wishing to access this article for academic study and reference. 4. When was it created? (context) a. April 1st, 1976 5. Why was it created? a. To inform of what the church procedures were in prophetic succession after Joseph was martyred. 6. How do the answers to these questions help us interpret the text? a. They show the author has credentials and experience, perhaps with slight bias since he is a member of the church and was a professor at BYU. However, it’s more safe to say there is great accuracy in his studies. 7. What does it say? a. Many viewed Joseph Smith as the keystone of Mormonism, and when he died, Mormonism crumbled with him too. By the time of his martyrdom, there was no explicit outline of presidential succession in print. Joseph suggested eight possible strategies of succession: i. 1 by a counselor in the first presidency, ii. 2 by a special appointment, iii. 3 through the office of associate president, iv. 4 by the presiding patriarch, v. 5 by the council of fifty, vi. 6 by the quorum of the twelve apostles, vii. 7 by three priesthood councils, and viii. 8 by a descendant of Joseph Smith Jr. Michael describes how Church leadership addressed these strategies suggested by Joseph. b. “Three men claimed they had received secret ordinations from nations or appointments that gave them authority for the divergent paths they took after the martyrdom: James J. Strang, Lyman Wight, and Alpheus Cutler. ” They soon made their own colonies in other states. William Smith was most problematic in his claims and was excommunicated for his actions. c. “A final meeting of nine of the apostles on this proposal occurred 5 December 1847 on this occasion Brigham Young said, ‘I have been stirred up to do this by the spirit of the lord by this time resistance to the proposal had been reduced to two men george A smith whose opposition was tentative and orson pratt whose argument was more pronounced nevertheless after a five hour meeting the apostles voted unanimously that Brigham Young and two other apostles comprise a separate first presidency .’”