In this post I wanted to present to
you a bit of research I have done on the changing of the baptismal prayer from
the Book of Mormon to the one we currently use in the LDS church. I list the
source, then the referenced material, and denote my own thoughts with asterisks
**.
In The Beginning:
3 Nephi 11:25:
“Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
(JSH) Joseph Smith History 1:68:
“We still continued the work of
translation, when, in the ensuing month (May, 1829), we on a certain day went
into the woods to pray and inquire of the Lord respecting baptism for the
remission of sins, that we found mentioned in the translation of the plates.”
FairMormon.org “Chronology of the Translation of the Book of Mormon”:
“15 May 1829 – Oliver and Joseph
receive the Aaronic priesthood; Oliver indicated that their asking about
baptism was stimulated by translating 3 Nephi.” **They reference JSH 1:72 but I
don’t know why.
(JSP) Joseph Smith Papers: Documents: Volume 1, Part 1, Introduction:
April 1829-March 1830:
“That same month a revelation
commanded Cowdery and others to “build up my church,” and about the same time,
Cowdery produced a document called “Articles
of the Church of Christ,” written as “a commandment from God unto Oliver
how he should build up his Church & the manner thereof.”
JSP: Documents: Appendix Items: Appendix 3: “Articles of the Church of
Christ” June 1829:
“A commandment from God unto
Oliver [Cowdery] how he should build up his Church & the manner thereof
Saying Oliver listen to the voice of Christ your Lord & your God &
your Redeemer & write the words
which I shall command you concerning my Church
my Gospel my Rock & my Salvation…And after this manner did he
command me that I should baptize them
Behold ye shall go down & stand in the water & in my name shall ye baptize them And now behold
these are the words which ye shall say
calling them by name saying Having
authority given me of Jesus Christ I
baptize you in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Ghost
Amen And then shall ye immerse them
in the water & come forth again out of the water & after this manner shall ye baptize in
my name.”
Lds.org : Doctrine and Covenants Section 20 Heading (2016):
“Revelation on Church organization and government, given through Joseph Smith the Prophet, at or near Fayette, New York. Portions of this revelation may have been given as early as summer 1829. The complete revelation, known at the time as the Articles and Covenants…”
JSP: Documents: Articles and Covenants, circa April 1830:
“And the manner of baptism &
the manner of administering the sacrament are to be done as is written in the
Book of Morman”
JSP: Documents: The Evening Star and the Morning Star: Volume 1: June
1832:
“And baptism is to be
administered in the following manner unto all those who repent: Whosoever being
called of God and having authority given them of Jesus Christ, shall go down
into the water with them, and shall say, calling them by name:
Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Then shall he
immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water.”
Oliver Cowdery’s Copy of the Book of Commandments Chapter 24, “The
Articles and Covenants of the church of Christ” pg. 53 v. 53 :
“Having authority given me of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”
Changes in the Revelations 1833 – 1835 Karl F. Best :
“At a 30 April 1832 meeting in
Missouri, the Literary Firm decided that W. W. Phelps, Oliver Cowdery, and John
Whitmer should review and select revelations "as dictated by the
Spirit" to be included in the Book of Commandments and "make all
necessary verbal corrections" (Cannon and Cook 1983, 46). Thus the
revelations were already being changed, even before their first publication.
Note that responsibility for the changes was given to Phelps, Cowdery, and
Whitmer, and not to Joseph Smith. Smith did warn Phelps in a letter, however,
to "be careful not to alter the sense of any" of the revelations.” – Note that Cowdrey and Whitmer saw to it that
the original baptismal prayer and revelation stay the same for the 1833
book of commandments edition.
The Change:
JSP: Doctrine and Covenants 1835 and 1844: Section 2, “Articles and
Covenants” v 22:
“Baptism is to be administered in
the following manner unto all those who repent: The person who is called of God
and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water
with the person who has presented him or herself for baptism, and shall say,
calling him or her by name: Having been
commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.
Then shall he immerse him or her in the water, and come forth again out
of the water.”
Fairmormon.org “Deviation from proper wording for baptismal prayer”:
“…in the 1835 edition of the
Doctrine and Covenants, Joseph Smith changed the wording to the modern form we
know well.” **Though Joseph Smith headed the publication committee, it is
unclear how much influence or say he had in the changes to the revelations.
Joseph Smith records that he was engaged in editing “The Lectures on Faith” for publication with the Doctrine and
Covenants.
Fairmormon.org “Why did Joseph Smith edit revelations?”:
No mention of change from
1833-1835 of baptismal prayer. **I include this only because in the entire
article they make no mention of the baptismal prayer change.
Lds.org “The Story of the Doctrine and Covenants”:
“While this committee was
preparing this edition, Oliver Cowdery
was issuing the Kirtland reprint of the Evening and Morning Star. The
revelations contained in the reprint were corrected, and since they agree
favorably with the same ones later published in the Doctrine and Covenants, he must have been using the same
manuscripts that the committee was using.” **Speculation with no evidence
referenced.
There were some at the time the
book was published who objected to the editing of the revelations, apparently
misunderstanding the process of revelation and the principle of “precept upon
precept” that the Lord applied as he continued to give new understanding to the
Saints.
Mormon Publications: 19th and 20th Centuries: BYU
Harold B. Lee Library: Evening and Morning Star Vol 1 No. 1, June 1832:
**Under the June Edition of the
1832 The Evening and Morning Star, they have available the re-print of the 1834
which says “having been commissioned”. Why not the original?
Mormon Publications: 19th and 20th Centuries: BYU
Harold B. Lee Library: Evening and Morning Star Vol 2 No. 1, June 1833:
**Here again is the reprinted
edition but they do not have the original available.
Lds.org: Student Manual Doctrine and Covenants:
“The words that Christ spoke unto
his apostles of old would be no authority unto the apostles today, nor unto any
of the elders of the Church…therefore the elders and priests who take
candidates, who have professed their faith, and who have repented of their
sins, into the waters of baptism today, declare that they have authority given
them; and, being commissioned of Jesus Christ, they baptize in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.”
Lds.org Doctrine and Covenants Section 20 Verse 73:
“The person who is called of God
and has authority from Jesus Christ to baptize, shall go down into the water
with the person who has presented himself or herself for baptism, and shall
say, calling him or her by name: Having
been commissioned of Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen”
Denver Snuffer: 40 Years in Mormonism – Lecture 5, Priesthood:
“But instead of these words
Christ commanded to be used, in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, we say “having been commissioned of Jesus Christ I baptize you in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” (See D&C 20: 73.)
That was actually a word change. It's a word change instituted by Joseph Smith,
and it ought to give you confidence, that since the Lord in the first instance
commissioned the organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, which was done at a time before priesthood was generally disseminated
into the Church, that it is acceptable to God to allow the LDS Church to
baptize in His name. By commissioning the Church, and giving to it the
authority and commission to go out and baptize, the Church possesses the
authority to baptize.
** Throughout my study of this
topic I could not reconcile the word changes between the organization of the
Church of Christ in 1828 and the Doctrine and Covenants of 1835. From around
mid-1832 the baptismal prayer changed from being directly out of the Book of
Mormon to the new “commissioned” statement. Although commission means authority
I find the word change to be disturbing. Then, one night as I was discussing
the gospel with my wife I had a flash of inspiration.
Lds.org Doctrine and Covenants Section 84 v. 57 (2016):
“And they shall remain under this
condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of
Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say,
but to do according to that which I have written—“ **This is a revelation given
to Joseph Smith in September of 1832. The church had only been formally
organized since April of 1830. Less than 2 years after it became an official
legally recognized organization, the Lord had placed it under condemnation. Did
this condemnation ever end?
President Ezra Taft Bensen: Conference April 1986 “Cleansing the Inner
Vessel”:
“Unless we read the Book of
Mormon and give heed to its teachings, the Lord has stated in section 84 of the
Doctrine and Covenants that the whole Church is under condemnation: “And this
condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.” (D&C 84:56.) The
Lord continues: “And they shall remain under this condemnation until they
repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former
commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to
that which I have written.” (D&C 84:57.)”
President Ezra Taft Bensen: Conference October 1986 “Keystone of Our
Religion”:
“In 1832, as some early
missionaries returned from their fields of labor, the Lord reproved them for
treating the Book of Mormon lightly. As a result of that attitude, he said,
their minds had been darkened. Not only had treating this sacred book lightly
brought a loss of light to themselves, it had also brought the whole Church
under condemnation, even all the children of Zion. And then the Lord said, “And
they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the
new covenant, even the Book of Mormon...
If the early Saints were rebuked
for treating the Book of Mormon lightly, are
we under any less condemnation if we do the same? The Lord Himself bears
testimony that it is of eternal significance. Can a small number of us bring
the whole Church under condemnation because we trifle with sacred things? What
will we say at the Judgment when we stand before Him and meet His probing gaze
if we are among those described as forgetting the new covenant?...”
Elder Dallin H. Oaks: “Another Testament of Jesus Christ” : 6 June
1993:
“Along with other General
Authorities, I have a clear recollection of the General Authority temple
meeting on 5 March 1987. For a year, President Benson had been stressing the
reading of the Book of Mormon. Repeatedly he had quoted these verses from the
Doctrine and Covenants, including the Lord’s statement that the Saints’ conduct
had “brought the whole church under condemnation” (D&C 84:55).
In that temple meeting, President
Benson reread those statements and declared, “This condemnation has not been lifted, nor will it be until we repent.”
He also repeated his declaration of a year earlier that “in our day the Lord
has inspired His servant to reemphasize the Book of Mormon to get the Church
out from under condemnation.”
Wikipedia: Book of Commandments:
The Book of Commandments was
planned as a compilation of Joseph Smith Jr.'s early prophecies. Smith, leader
of the Latter Day Saint movement, gathered several of his revelations for a
High Priest's council in November 1831.”
**Joseph Smith Jr. gathered a
council of High Priest’s in 1831 and put together a bunch of his revelations to
publish in the Book of Commandments. This book was finally published in 1833 by
W.W.Phelps. Section 84, the revelation that the church is under condemnation,
was not one of the sections included with the 1833 edition of the Book of
Commandments.
I believe the reason we use the
wording we do in our baptismal prayers is because as a whole, we no longer have
authority nor seek authority on an individual level from Jesus Christ. We have
an association of men who disseminate authority through “keys” (whatever those
are), and we are authorized by the church to baptize in the name of Jesus
Christ.
I know the difference doesn’t
even sound like a difference at all. I want you to entertain a thought though.
In the administration of the church, you can not baptize until you are ordained
to the office of priest, age 16. However, at age 12 you receive the Aaronic
Priesthood. Well, what is the Aaronic Priesthood?
Lds.org D&C 107:20 (2016):
“The POWER and AUTHORITY of
the lesser, or Aaronic Priesthood, is to hold the keys of the ministering of
angels, and to administer in outward ordinances, the letter of the gospel, the baptism of repentance for the remission
of sins, agreeable to the covenants and commandments.”
**So, in 2 years when my 10 year
old will receive the Aaronic Priesthood, he will then hold the key to the
baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, but is not authorized to use
it. Why? Well, the problem would be that he is ordained into the office of
Deacon, an office that according to D&C 20:58, “has no authority to
baptize, administer the sacrament, or lay on hands”. Well, what if right after receiving
the Aaronic Priesthood, we didn’t ordain him into the office of Deacon, what
then? He still has the Aaronic Priesthood and still holds the key to the
baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. If holding the keys is all
someone needs, those with the Aaronic Priesthood have the authority to go
around and use them, right?
No, you need authority! From
whom? From those who have authority over you. I then have to ask, if that is
the way authority works, then when the President of the Church receives all of
the keys in the entire universe, does he then have authority to use them? I
mean, he holds them, but did he get authority from the one who is in authority
above him? If not, he only holds the keys right? He is no more authorized to
use them than my 12 year old son.
Did the President of the Church receive a revelation from God Himself (by voice or appearance), that he is authorized to use the keys that he holds? If so, where is the revelation published in conformity to the standards outlined in the Doctrine and Covenants for us the members to vote in as legit revelation? If not, then does he have any authority to use the keys that he holds?
Is it by sustaining him into the office of President of the Church that he receives that authority? If so, won't my 12 year old son be sustained into the Aaronic Priesthood? If a sustaining vote is all that is needed to hold all the keys and authority of the priesthood, couldn't we just hold elections and vote anyone in? Seems like there is supposed to be something more to being called a President that just a sustaining vote.
Did the President of the Church receive a revelation from God Himself (by voice or appearance), that he is authorized to use the keys that he holds? If so, where is the revelation published in conformity to the standards outlined in the Doctrine and Covenants for us the members to vote in as legit revelation? If not, then does he have any authority to use the keys that he holds?
Is it by sustaining him into the office of President of the Church that he receives that authority? If so, won't my 12 year old son be sustained into the Aaronic Priesthood? If a sustaining vote is all that is needed to hold all the keys and authority of the priesthood, couldn't we just hold elections and vote anyone in? Seems like there is supposed to be something more to being called a President that just a sustaining vote.
Also, D&C 20 is just a
reprint of the “Articles of the Church of Christ” and gives the details of the
offices of the Church, not the authority and keys of the priesthood which are
found in D&C 107. It includes the duties of those called to be Members,
which contains responsibilities and duties that devolve onto everyone. Isn’t
the President of the Church a member of the Church? Nowhere in the entire section of D&C does
it mention Priesthood. Which one prevails? Does the office someone is ordained
to in the church restrict the power of the priesthood that they hold? As a Melchizedek
priesthood holder, could I be ordained to the office of Deacon and lose all of
the priesthood power and authority that comes with my priesthood ordination?
Section 20 also mentions that
Teachers and Deacons can’t administer the sacrament. Do you need priesthood to
administer the sacrament? Section 107 makes no mention of sacrament in
conjunction to priesthood power and authority. Section 84 also makes no mention
of sacrament and it is the Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood.
Lds.org 3 Nephi 18:5-6 (2016):
“And when the multitude had eaten
and were filled, he said unto the disciples: Behold there shall one be ordained among you, and to him will I give power
that he shall break bread and bless it and give it unto the people of my church,
unto all those who shall believe and be baptized in my name. And this shall ye
always observe to do, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread and
blessed it and given it unto you.”
There are MANY who break bread
and bless the (water?) each Sabbath day and administer it to the church. Is
this in contradiction with the scriptures? Does Christ specify what priesthood
someone has to hold to be ordained to this calling? Section 20 says that an
Apostle, Elder, and Priest CAN administer the sacrament, but it doesn’t say
that in order to be an Apostle, Elder, or Priest that you need any specific
level of priesthood authority or power. Who is the one in your ward that has
been ordained to perform this ordinance?
What a mess.
I believe that the reason we have
the current baptismal prayer is because ALMOST NO ONE is seeking for the
authority to baptize from JESUS CHRIST regardless of office. We fall under
condemnation because we toss aside the Book of Mormon and what it teaches us
about administering the affairs of the church. We accept our commission from
the church to baptize out of tradition and go around saying:
We have the keys and authority!
Given by whom?
Why, Jesus Christ of course.
Jesus Christ gave you the authority
to baptize?
Well, he gave the authority and
keys of the administration of the priesthood to Joseph Smith Jr. who in turn
gave them to Brigham Young and then on down to each of the Presidents of the
Church, who in turn gave them to several other people, and eventually down to
me.
So, you have your authority from
the church?
No, Jesus Christ gives the keys
of the authority to the President and then it is bestowed upon me through the
laying on of hands. It is almost as if Christ himself is laying his hands on my
head and giving me the authority to baptize.
So, Jesus Christ gives the
authority to the President directly, and then tells him to distribute that
authority down through the church?
Well, I don’t know if Jesus
Christ gave that authority directly to the current living prophet, but it was
handed down to him through Joseph Smith Jr.
So a prophet, 200 years ago, received
authorization to baptize people by Jesus Christ, and he then handed that
authority down to other people throughout time, until now you have that
authority, which is why you say you have authority to baptize?
Exactly.
Sounds an awful lot like the Catholics
to me. They say that the original Apostles received their keys through Jesus
Christ and they were handed down by the laying on of hands through time down to
them. Are they authorized to baptize?
No, they don’t have the correct
priesthood keys???
??? indeed.
If you are an authorized agent of
the church with the proper priesthood keys (again, whatever that means),
shouldn’t you seek the blessings of heaven and have your priesthood power
ratified by the Powers of Heaven? Shouldn’t you seek the Lord and ensure that
He will give you authority?
Have you done so?
