{"id":42595,"date":"2022-03-08T06:10:32","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T11:10:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/?p=42595"},"modified":"2022-03-11T12:28:53","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T17:28:53","slug":"what-if-chad-updated-the-doctrine-and-covenants-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2022\/03\/what-if-chad-updated-the-doctrine-and-covenants-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What If \u2026. Chad Updated the Doctrine and Covenants? Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Continuing my hypothetical series about what I would do if I were asked to update the Doctrine and Covenants (and still keeping in mind that<em> I<\/em> have no plans to actually do so and I\u2019m 110% sure the Church doesn\u2019t have any plans for me to do so either), we come to looking at editing documents currently included in the Doctrine and Covenants.\u00a0 In the last couple decades, we\u2019ve had an explosion of research into and availability of the root documents behind the Doctrine and Covenants in the form of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/\">Joseph Smith Papers Project<\/a>.\u00a0 This provides us with the opportunity to examine sections and to work to bring them into greater conformity to what Joseph Smith said and did, as well as some potential opportunities for expanding sections here and there.\u00a0 Along those lines, I will examine Section 130 and Section 131.\u00a0 On the other hand, there are a few opportunities to edit sections that do not reflect current understandings in the Church (I\u2019m looking at you, Section 132).\u00a0 There aren\u2019t a huge number of edits that I would make, so the aforementioned three sections with be the focus of the post.<\/p>\n<p>Reviewing from last time, the goals I have in mind in this theoretical project are that updates to the scriptures must do the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Increase faith in and worship of our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ<\/li>\n<li>Teach core doctrines with power and clarity<\/li>\n<li>Comfort the weary and inspires members to endure in faith<\/li>\n<li>Unify members throughout the Church<\/li>\n<li>Strengthen faith that leaders of the Church are guided by revelation from God<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In approaching this topic, I\u2019m breaking the approach into three main areas, which means that the series will flow as follows:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2022\/03\/what-if-chad-updated-the-doctrine-and-covenants\/\">Organization<\/a><\/li>\n<li><strong>Editing of documents<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Additions<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Each of the sections I\u2019m looking at in this post pose a different opportunity for editing.\u00a0 But one thing I would do in general while editing the Doctrine and Covenants is an effort to shift towards gender-neutral language as part of the goal of unifying members throughout the Church (as was suggested in one of the comments).\u00a0 The male-specific language would be replaced by terms that are more inclusive of women throughout.\u00a0 In that time, it was general practice to use these masculine terms to refer to everyone, but that is no longer the general practice in modern English.\u00a0 Thus, an effort to shift to gender-neutral language would be geared towards preserving and clarifying the original meaning.\u00a0 This is similar to the approach taken in some of the more highly respected English translations, such as the New Revised Standard Version. When that translation was created, the translators decided that \u201cmany in the churches have become sensitive to the danger of linguistic sexism arising from the inherent bias of the English language towards the masculine gender, a bias that in the case of the Bible has often restricted or obscured the meaning of the original text\u201d. They do include footnotes to provide information about whether the words in the original text were definitively masculine, which could be done here, and with the original texts freely available with the Joseph Smith Papers site, the original wording would still be accessible for historical reference.\u00a0 The goal, here, however, is to make a functional text that can be used in unifying members throughout the Church.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Reversion to Original Text<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Section 130 provides an example where the resources made available through the Joseph Smith Papers allow us to edit a section to better align with both the original documents and with current Church doctrine.\u00a0 Section 130 is a compilation of statements made by Joseph Smith over the course of April 2, 1843.\u00a0 At the conclusion of the section, we find the statement that:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note22a\">Father<\/span>\u00a0has a\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note22b\">body<\/span>\u00a0of flesh and bones as tangible as man\u2019s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note22c\">Spirit<\/span>. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note22d\">dwell<\/span>\u00a0in us. <strong>\u00a0<\/strong>A man may receive the\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note23a\">Holy Ghost<\/span>, and it may descend upon him and not\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note23b\">tarry<\/span>\u00a0with him.<a href=\"#_ftn1\" name=\"_ftnref1\">[1]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Originally, however, the two records we have of what Joseph Smith said are as follows:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Father has a body\u00a0of flesh &amp; bones as tangible as mans the Son also, but the Holy Ghost is\u00a0a personage of spirit.\u2014 and a person\u00a0cannot have the personage &lt;of the H G. [Holy Ghost]&gt; in his heart\u00a0he may recive the gift of the holy\u00a0Ghost. it may descend upon him but\u00a0not to tarry with him.<a href=\"#_ftn2\" name=\"_ftnref2\">[2]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>And in the second account:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Holy Ghost is a personage, and\u00a0a person cannot have the personage of the H. G. in his heart. A man may\u00a0receive the gifts of the H. G, and the\u00a0H. G. may descend upon a man but\u00a0not to tarry with him.<a href=\"#_ftn3\" name=\"_ftnref3\">[3]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>There is a significant difference here between the original documents and current text of the Doctrine and Covenants about the nature of the Holy Ghost.\u00a0 The current edition was based off of the official history that was published in 1856 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2021\/08\/this-is-the-light-of-christ\/\">was edited as part of that history to reflect the then-current understanding of the Holy Ghost<\/a> as a substance or influence rather than a person.\u00a0 Hence the references to the Holy Ghost being a personage of Spirit, and \u201cwere it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.\u201d\u00a0 However, we have shifted to an understanding that is closer to what Joseph Smith seems to have believed in 1843 when he stated that: \u201cThe Holy Ghost is a personage, and\u00a0a person cannot have the personage of the H. G. in his heart.&#8221;\u00a0 This is much closer to the current doctrine about the Holy Ghost being a person who is limited in omnipresence, such as when Elder LeGrand Richards taught that: \u201cThe Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit in the form of man (See I Nephi 11:11) and hence confined in his personage to a limited space.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn4\" name=\"_ftnref4\">[4]<\/a>\u00a0 Hence, the edit I would make to Section 130 is to revert the wording to reflect the original records in order to teach core doctrines with greater power and clarity, as follows:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The <span data-scroll-id=\"note22a\">Father<\/span>\u00a0has a\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note22b\">body<\/span>\u00a0of flesh and bones as tangible as man\u2019s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note22c\">Spirit<\/span>, and\u00a0a person cannot have the personage of the Holy Ghost in his heart. <strong>\u00a0<\/strong>A person may receive the gift of the <span data-scroll-id=\"note23a\">Holy Ghost<\/span> and the Holy Ghost may descend upon them, but not to <span data-scroll-id=\"note23b\">tarry<\/span> with them.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>An Opportunity for Expansion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Section 131 provides a different opportunity\u2014that of using original sources to expand and clarify the current text of the section.\u00a0 As currently presented in the Doctrine and Covenants, the section reads:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>In the\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note1a\">celestial<\/span>\u00a0glory there are three\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note1b\">heavens<\/span>\u00a0or degrees; and in order to obtain the\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note2a\">highest<\/span>, a man must enter into this\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note2b\">order<\/span>\u00a0of the\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note2c\">priesthood<\/span>\u00a0[meaning the\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note2d\">new and everlasting covenant<\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note2e\">marriage<\/span>]; and if he does not, he cannot obtain it.\u00a0 He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note4a\">increase<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p data-aid=\"128364751\">(May 17th, 1843.) The more sure word of\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note5a\">prophecy<\/span>\u00a0means a man\u2019s knowing that he is\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note5b\">sealed<\/span>\u00a0up unto\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note5c\">eternal life<\/span>, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priesthood.<\/p>\n<p data-aid=\"128364752\">It is impossible for a man to be\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note6a\">saved<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note6b\">ignorance<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p data-aid=\"128364753\">There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note7a\">spirit<\/span>\u00a0is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note7b\">purer<\/span>\u00a0eyes; we cannot\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note8a\">see<\/span>\u00a0it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note8b\">matter<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The original source is the William Clayton journal, which reads as follows (three entries):<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cNothing but the unpardonable\u00a0sin can prevent him [Clayton] from inheriting\u00a0eternal glory for he is sealed up by the power\u00a0of the priesthood unto eternal life having\u00a0taken the step which is necessary for that\u00a0purpose [plural marriage],\u201d\u00a0 except a man\u00a0and his wife enter into an everlasting\u00a0covenant and be married for eternity\u00a0while in this probation by the power and\u00a0authority of the Holy priesthood they will\u00a0cease to increase when they die (i e) they\u00a0will not have any children in the resurrection, but those who are married by the\u00a0power &amp; authority of the priesthood in this life\u00a0&amp; continue without committing the sin\u00a0against the Holy Ghost will continue to\u00a0increase &amp; have children in the celestial glory. The unpardonable sin is to shed\u00a0innocent blood or be accessory thereto. All\u00a0other sins will be visited with judgement\u00a0in the flesh and the spirit be<span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">ing<\/span>\u00a0delivered\u00a0to the buffetings of Satan untill the day of\u00a0the Lord Jesus.\u201d \u2026<\/p>\n<p>pres<sup>t.<\/sup>\u00a0J. said that the<span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">y<\/span>\u00a0way he knew in whom\u00a0to confide.\u00a0<u>God<\/u>\u00a0<u>told<\/u>\u00a0<u>him<\/u>\u00a0in whom he\u00a0might place confidence. He also said\u00a0that in the celestial glory there was three\u00a0heavens or degrees, and in order to obtain\u00a0the highest a man must enter into this\u00a0order of the priesthood and if he dont he\u00a0cant obtain it. He may enter into the\u00a0other but that is the end of his kingdom\u00a0he cannot have an increase. <a href=\"#_ftn5\" name=\"_ftnref5\">[5]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>He shewed that knowledge\u00a0is power &amp; the man who has the most knowledge\u00a0has the greatest power. Also that Salvation\u00a0means a mans being placed beyond the power\u00a0of all his enemies. He said the more sure\u00a0word of prophecy meant, a mans knowing\u00a0that he was sealed up unto eternal life by\u00a0revelation &amp; the spirit of prophecy, through the\u00a0power of the Holy priesthood. He also showed\u00a0that it was impossible for a man to be saved\u00a0in ignorance. Paul had seen the third\u00a0heavens and I more. Peter penned the\u00a0most sublime language of any of the apostles.<a href=\"#_ftn6\" name=\"_ftnref6\">[6]<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The 7<sup>th<\/sup>\u00a0verse of c 2 of\u00a0Genesis ought to read God breathed into\u00a0Adam\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: line-through;\">the<\/span>\u00a0his spirit or breath of life.\u00a0but when the word \u201cruach\u201d applies to Eve\u00a0it should be translated lives.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of eternal duration of matter\u00a0he said. There is no such thing as\u00a0immaterial matter. All spirit is\u00a0matter but is more fine or pure and\u00a0can only be discerned by purer eyes\u00a0We cant see it but when our bodies\u00a0are purified we shall see that it is all\u00a0matter.<a href=\"#_ftn7\" name=\"_ftnref7\">[7]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Thus, there is some material in the original source that could be added to flesh out the section.\u00a0 There would have to be some editing and selection that went into the process of deciding, but a finished product for an updated Section 131 might read something like this (current text bolded):<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Except a man\u00a0and his wife enter into an everlasting\u00a0covenant and be married for eternity\u00a0while in this probation by the power and\u00a0authority of the Holy Priesthood, they will\u00a0cease to increase when they die (i.e., they\u00a0will not have any children in the resurrection), but those who are married by the\u00a0power and authority of the priesthood in this life\u00a0and continue without committing the sin\u00a0against the Holy Ghost will continue to\u00a0increase and have children in the celestial glory.<\/p>\n<p>The unpardonable sin is to shed\u00a0innocent blood or be accessory thereto. \u00a0All\u00a0other sins will be visited with judgement\u00a0in the flesh and the spirit be\u00a0delivered\u00a0to the buffetings of Satan until the day of\u00a0the Lord Jesus.<\/p>\n<p><strong>In the\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note1a\">celestial<\/span>\u00a0glory there are three\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note1b\">heavens<\/span>\u00a0or degrees; and in order to obtain the\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note2a\">highest<\/span>, a person must enter into this <span data-scroll-id=\"note2b\">order<\/span>\u00a0of the\u00a0<span data-scroll-id=\"note2c\">priesthood<\/span>; and if they do not, they cannot obtain it.\u00a0 He or she may enter into the other, but that is the end of their kingdom; they cannot have an <span data-scroll-id=\"note4a\">increase<\/span>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>(May 17th, 1843.)<\/strong> Knowledge is power and the person who has the most knowledge has the greatest power. \u00a0Salvation means a person&#8217;s being placed beyond the power of all their enemies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The more sure word of prophecy meant a person&#8217;s knowing that they were sealed up unto eternal life, by revelation and the spirit of prophecy, through the power of the Holy Priesthood. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>It is impossible for a person to be saved in ignorance.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>There is no such thing as\u00a0immaterial matter. All spirit is\u00a0matter, but is more fine or pure, and\u00a0can only be discerned by purer eyes.\u00a0We cannot see it; but when our bodies\u00a0are purified we shall see that it is all\u00a0matter.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It\u2019s an expansion of the section that gives greater clarity to the doctrines that Joseph Smith taught on those days.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>What to do with 132?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Finally, what do we do with Section 132?\u00a0 It\u2019s certainly one of the most controversial sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, with various people suggesting that it should be entirely removed from the Doctrine and Covenants, some saying that it needs to stay in as an important part of our history, and others proposing keeping an edited version of the document.\u00a0 I would propose the final solution\u2014including a trimmed down version of the document for ongoing use in the Church.<\/p>\n<p>This solution was proposed by William V. Smith in his volume-length study of the section.\u00a0 As part of his justification for an edited version, he cited a statement from President Joseph F. Smith that:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>When the [plural marriage] revelation was written, in 1843, it was for a special purpose, by the request of the Patriarch Hyrum Smith, and was not then designed to go forth to the church or to the world. It is most probable that had it been written with a view to its going out as a doctrine of the church, it would have been presented in a somewhat different form. There are personalities contained in a part of it which are not relevant to the endeavor.<a href=\"#_ftn8\" name=\"_ftnref8\">[8]<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He also noted that: \u201cThere is precedent for both modification of written revelations and deletion of elements from the Mormon canon by Smith himself (important examples were revelations that now appear as sections 68, 78, and 107 in the Doctrine and Covenants, and the article on marriage that appeared in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants).\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn9\" name=\"_ftnref9\">[9]<\/a>\u00a0 Smith\u2019s goal in creating a theoretical edited version was to: \u201cEliminate the imperative to practice plural marriage but preserve important details about sealing, including the salvific pessimism (or unguaranteed salvation) that was introduced after Nauvoo.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn10\" name=\"_ftnref10\">[10]<\/a>\u00a0 In presenting his version in his book, William V. Smith also included an introduction noting that: \u201cThe text pertaining specifically to Joseph Smith\u2019s family and plural marriage has been removed from the revelation. Full texts of Joseph Smith\u2019s revelations are available as a part of the Joseph Smith Papers, Documents Series.\u201d<a href=\"#_ftn11\" name=\"_ftnref11\">[11]<\/a>\u00a0 It is an intriguing idea, and one worth considering.<\/p>\n<p>In the hypothetical situation that the post proposes (i.e, if I edited the next edition of the Doctrine and Covenants), I would follow a similar approach to William V. Smith, including a trimmed down version of Section 132.\u00a0 Rather than the full section, my goal would be to preserve the doctrinal basis for temple sealings while dropping some of the worst attacks on women (Emma in particular) and support for plural marriage as an ongoing practice.\u00a0 In essence, I would include only verses 4-25.\u00a0 This section covers the necessary parts to know while cutting out the worst of the sections that either do not match current Church teachings or which are focused on the very specific circumstances in Joseph Smith\u2019s family that surrounded the creation of the document.\u00a0 That doesn\u2019t negate the existence of the document (the full thing would be available in previous editions of the Doctrine and Covenants and on the Joseph Smith Papers site), but would keep the focus on the most relevant parts for Latter-day Saints today.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So, there you have it\u2014three edits to existing documents in the Doctrine and Covenants based on information made readily available in the Church today and to better meet the needs of the Church today.\u00a0 Section 130 could be edited to reflect the original text more closely, Section 131 could be expanded to include more details from the original text, while Section 132 could be trimmed down to remove portions that do not reflect the values and teachings of the Church today.\u00a0 In addition, I would make a general shift to gender-neutral language when possible.\u00a0 In the \u201cwhat if\u201d question posed in this article, these are the edits I would make while preparing a new edition of the Doctrine and Covenants for the Church.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Footnotes:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\" name=\"_ftn1\">[1]<\/a> D&amp;C 130:22-23.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\" name=\"_ftn2\">[2]<\/a> \u201cInstruction, 2 April 1843, as Reported by Willard Richards,\u201d p. [43], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 14, 2021,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/instruction-2-april-1843-as-reported-by-willard-richards\/7\">https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/instruction-2-april-1843-as-reported-by-willard-richards\/7<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref3\" name=\"_ftn3\">[3]<\/a> \u201cInstruction, 2 April 1843, as Reported by William Clayton,\u201d p. 70, The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed August 14, 2021,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/instruction-2-april-1843-as-reported-by-william-clayton\/5\">https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/instruction-2-april-1843-as-reported-by-william-clayton\/5<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref4\" name=\"_ftn4\">[4]<\/a> LeGrand Richards,\u00a0<em>A Marvelous Work and a Wonder<\/em>\u00a0(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1953), 103.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref5\" name=\"_ftn5\">[5]<\/a> &#8220;Instruction, 16 May 1843, as Reported by William Clayton,&#8221; p. [14], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed March 2, 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/instruction-16-may-1843-as-reported-by-william-clayton\/2\">https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/instruction-16-may-1843-as-reported-by-william-clayton\/2<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref6\" name=\"_ftn6\">[6]<\/a> &#8220;Discourse, 17 May 1843\u2013A, as Reported by William Clayton,&#8221; p. [16], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed March 2, 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/discourse-17-may-1843-a-as-reported-by-william-clayton\/1\">https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/discourse-17-may-1843-a-as-reported-by-william-clayton\/1<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref7\" name=\"_ftn7\">[7]<\/a> &#8220;Discourse, 17 May 1843\u2013B, as Reported by William Clayton,&#8221; p. [18], The Joseph Smith Papers, accessed March 2, 2022, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/discourse-17-may-1843-b-as-reported-by-william-clayton\/1\">https:\/\/www.josephsmithpapers.org\/paper-summary\/discourse-17-may-1843-b-as-reported-by-william-clayton\/1<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref8\" name=\"_ftn8\">[8]<\/a> Joseph F. Smith, June 23, 1878, <em>Journal of Discourses, <\/em>20:29.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref9\" name=\"_ftn9\">[9]<\/a> William V. Smith, <em>Textual Studies of the Doctrine and Covenants: The Plural Marriage Revelation<\/em> (Contemporary Studies in Scripture) (p. 180). Greg Kofford Books. Kindle Edition.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref10\" name=\"_ftn10\">[10]<\/a> Smith, <em>Textual Studies<\/em>, 181.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref11\" name=\"_ftn11\">[11]<\/a> Smith, <em>Textual Studies<\/em>, 181.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Continuing my hypothetical series about what I would do if I were asked to update the Doctrine and Covenants (and still keeping in mind that I have no plans to actually do so and I\u2019m 110% sure the Church doesn\u2019t have any plans for me to do so either), we come to looking at editing documents currently included in the Doctrine and Covenants.\u00a0 In the last couple decades, we\u2019ve had an explosion of research into and availability of the root documents behind the Doctrine and Covenants in the form of the Joseph Smith Papers Project.\u00a0 This provides us with the opportunity to examine sections and to work to bring them into greater conformity to what Joseph Smith said and did, as well as some potential opportunities for expanding sections here and there.\u00a0 Along those lines, I will examine Section 130 and Section 131.\u00a0 On the other hand, there are a few opportunities to edit sections that do not reflect current understandings in the Church (I\u2019m looking at you, Section 132).\u00a0 There aren\u2019t a huge number of edits that I would make, so the aforementioned three sections with be the focus of the post. Reviewing from last time, the goals I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10397,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2904,53,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-doctrine-and-covenants","category-latter-day-saint-thought","category-scriptures"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10397"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42595"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42595\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42655,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42595\/revisions\/42655"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}