Blood Atonement and the Origin of Plural Marriage: A Discussion

by Joseph Fielding Smith; R. C. Evans

On January 25th, 1846, he said:

The Saints who have passed through the trials of the Church were generally rooted and grounded in love and have a witness in their own hearts or they would not have remained.—Page 33.

Within a very few days of this time Zenas H. Gurley deserted the Church because he was unable to face the trials and hardships the Saints were forced to undergo. The "Mormon" people were journeying in a strange land, the prospects before them were dark and some of the members became faint-hearted and were unable to endure to the end. Of this number Jason W. Briggs and Zenas H. Gurley were two who turned back and sought refuge in the apostate organization of James J. Strang. Indeed it required a strong heart and a firm-rooted faith for men and women to give up all earthly comforts and undertake a journey of that kind. Death stared the Saints in the face, they were poorly clothed, without shelter, save their ragged tents that would not shed the rain, and almost destitute of food; yet with the exception of the few who sought the "flesh-pots of Egypt," they patiently and determinedly pursued their way until crowned with the victory. The opinion of the world at that time was that the exodus meant the end of "Mormonism," and that the Latter-day Saints had gone to their destruction; for without the necessary means to support life, and isolated as they were from the rest of civilization, they must surely perish in the barren and distant West. Such, too, would doubtless have been the case had not the protecting hand of Jehovah guided them. Is it any wonder under such trying conditions that the hearts of those weak in the faith should fail them?

In 1849 Mr. Gurley filled a mission for Mr. Strang and made a number of converts to that faith. In 1850 he organized the "Yellowstone branch," for the Strangite church. In 1852 he rejected the claim of Mr. Strang and joined with Mr. Jason W. Briggs, and these two men united their respective Strangite branches, those of Yellowstone and Beloit, and organized themselves into a new religious movement known today as the "Reorganized" church. In 1853, the leaders of this movement called a number of men to the ministry, "ordained" seven "apostles" and began a proselyting movement. For several years they tried to get "young Joseph," the son of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who had never affiliated with the Saints since the exodus from Nauvoo, to join them and become their president. In this they failed, but were diligent and finally, through their continued efforts and the persuasion of his mother, he accepted that position in 1860, was "ordained" president of their church by William Marks, Zenas H. Gurley, and William W. Blair, and has continued in that position ever since.

Mr. Gurley remained with this movement till his death, but his family, together with Jason W. Briggs, voluntarily withdrew in 1886.

In 1852, when Jason W. Briggs and Zenas H. Gurley combined their Strangite forces the membership was about one hundred souls, most of whom were converts made for Mr. Strang. In 1860, when "young Joseph" assumed the leadership, the membership was three hundred souls, most of whom were converts that had never belonged to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Of the members of the Church who were in fellowship in 1844-46, the "Reorganization" has received no more, and likely less than one thousand converts, which fact shows that the apostasy was not so great in 1844-46, as has been pictured. These statements are based on the testimony of original members of the "Reorganization," as they testified before the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Western District of Missouri, in 1894, in the Temple Lot suit, which was for the possession of property in the hands of the "Church of Christ" or "Hedrickites."

Before that court Mr. William W. Blair, who for many years was a member of the presidency of the "Reorganization" and who was one of its oldest members, testified that "one thousand was probably too high an estimate for the members of the original church, that had joined the Reorganized church." He could "approximately say" that one thousand had joined the "Reorganized church, and possibly that estimate was too large." Record pp. 180, 181.

William Marks, whose testimony is referred to by Mr. Evans, was also one of those who joined the "Reorganization" in an early day. At the time of the martyrdom he was president of the Nauvoo Stake, but was disfellowshipped for transgression at the October conference, 1844, and finally excommunicated. Afterwards he joined the organization under James J. Strang. In that organization he became a "bishop," was a member of the "high council," and later a member of the "first presidency." After the death of James J. Strang, he joined the organization of Charles B. Thompson, another apostate. This is the same William Marks who "ordained" Joseph Smith, of Lamoni, president of the "Reorganization." In that ordination he was assisted by Zenas H. Gurley and William W. Blair. Mr. Blair never belonged to the Church. It is almost needless to add that these men held no divine authority and could not bestow the Priesthood and officiate in the ordinances of the Gospel, and, therefore, the pretentions of the "Reorganized" church are fraudulent. Judged by its history, doctrines and the unstable character of its founders it is proved to be a counterfeit and nothing more.

Considering the conditions under which the "Reorganization" came into existence, and the fact that in the beginning the original one hundred members came from the Strangite church, and that during the existence of that organization from its foundation to 1894, not more than one thousand members of the "original church" (i.e. the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as it stood in 1844) had joined it, we are not to be blamed if we declare that that church is not the successor, a faction or a portion of the "original church" founded by Joseph Smith the Prophet through the command of God, April 6, 1830. And after following the history of its founders and pointing out their instability and the manner in which they followed after false leaders, receiving "ordinations" and honors under their hands, we can most emphatically declare that they were not the faithful who did "not bow the knee to Baal," and who kept the "everlasting covenant."