long ago ideas

“When we are tired, we are attacked by ideas we conquered long ago." - Friedrich Nietzsche Long ago, Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery conquered false claims that the Book of Mormon was fiction or that it came through a stone in a hat. But these old claims have resurfaced in recent years. To conquer them again, we have to return to what Joseph and Oliver taught.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Joseph Smith's Birthday - the Urim and Thummim

December 23 is an appropriate time to ponder some classics from churchofjesuschrist.org.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-joseph-smith/chapter-4?lang=eng

In response to the question, “How and where did you obtain the Book of Mormon?” Joseph Smith responded: “Moroni, who deposited the plates in a hill in Manchester, Ontario county, New York, being dead and raised again therefrom, appeared unto me, and told me where they were, and gave me directions how to obtain them. I obtained them, and the Urim and Thummim with them, by the means of which I translated the plates; and thus came the Book of Mormon.”3

History of the Church, 3:28; from an editorial published in Elders’ Journal, July 1838, pp. 42–43

“I was [told by Moroni] where were deposited some plates on which were engraven an abridgment of the records of the ancient Prophets that had existed on this continent. … These records were engraven on plates which had the appearance of gold; each plate was six inches wide and eight inches long, and not quite so thick as common tin. They were filled with engravings, in Egyptian characters, and bound together in a volume as the leaves of a book, with three rings running through the whole. The volume was something near six inches in thickness, a part of which was sealed. The characters on the unsealed part were small, and beautifully engraved. The whole book exhibited many marks of antiquity in its construction, and much skill in the art of engraving. With the records was found a curious instrument, which the ancients called ‘Urim and Thummim,’ which consisted of two transparent stones set in the rim of a bow fastened to a breast plate. Through the medium of the Urim and Thummim I translated the record by the gift and power of God.”

History of the Church, 4:537; punctuation modernized; paragraph divisions altered; from a letter from Joseph Smith written at the request of John Wentworth and George Barstow, Nauvoo, Illinois, published in Times and Seasons, Mar. 1, 1842, p. 707.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/pgp/js-h/1.35,42,52?lang=eng#p35


33 He called me by aname, and said unto me that he was a bmessenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for cgood and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.
34 He said there was a book deposited, written upon gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;
35 Also, that there were two stones in silver bows—and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the Urim and Thummim—deposited with the plates; and the possession and use of these stones were what constituted "seers" in ancient or former times; and that God had prepared them for the purpose of translating the book.
...
42 Again, he told me, that when I got those plates of which he had spoken—for the time that they should be obtained was not yet fulfilled—I should not show them to any person; neither the breastplate with the Urim and Thummim; only to those to whom I should be commanded to show them; if I did I should be adestroyed. While he was conversing with me about the plates, the vision was opened to my bmind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited, and that so clearly and distinctly that I knew the place again when I visited it.
59 At length the time arrived for obtaining the plates, the Urim and Thummim, and the breastplate. On the twenty-second day of September, one thousand eight hundred and twenty-seven, having gone as usual at the end of another year to the place where they were deposited, the same heavenly messenger delivered them up to ame with this charge: that I should be bresponsible for them; that if I should let them go carelessly, or through any cneglect of mine, I should be cut off; but that if I would use all my endeavors to dpreserve them, until he, the messenger, should call for them, they should be protected.
62 By this timely aid was I enabled to reach the place of my destination in Pennsylvania; and immediately after my arrival there I commenced copying the characters off the plates. I copied a considerable number of them, and by means of the aUrim and Thummim I translated some of them, which I did between the time I arrived at the house of my wife’s father, in the month of December, and the February following.
Oliver Cowdery describes these events thus: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated with the Urim and Thummim, or, as the Nephites would have said, ‘Interpreters,’ the history or record called ‘The Book of Mormon.’
_____

1 Now, behold, I say unto you, that because you delivered up those writings which you had power given unto you to translate by the means of the Urim and Thummim, into the hands of a wicked man, you have lost them.

(Doctrine and Covenants 10:1)


Wednesday, December 18, 2019

When the World Will Be Converted


An all-time classic from President Spencer W. Kimball, published 45 years ago, is worth re-reading.


https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1974/10/when-the-world-will-be-converted?lang=eng

Two key excerpts:

Image result for spencer w. kimball photosNow, we have the promise from the Lord that the evil one will never be able to frustrate totally the work that He has commanded us to do.
“This kingdom will continue to increase and to grow, to spread and to prosper more and more. Every time its enemies undertake to overthrow it, it will become more extensive and powerful; instead of decreasing it will continue to increase; it will spread the more, become more wonderful and conspicuous to the nations, until it fills the whole earth.” (President Brigham Young, April conference, 1852.)
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I have stated the problem. I believe there is a solution. I think that if we are all of one mind and one heart and one purpose that we can move forward and change the image which seems to be that “We are doing pretty well. Let’s not ‘rock the boat.’”
_____

I'm hopeful that we can all become of one mind and one heart and one purpose, which would include listening to and believing the teachings of the prophets--including the teachings about the New York Cumorah.

Until then, the message is hazy regardless of how advanced the technology is, or how flashy the graphics and videos are.

Thursday, December 12, 2019

We don't know where Cumorah is?

I posted this 3 years ago today. How much have things changed?
__________
BYU's fantasy map that
teaches M2C because
the prophets are wrong
People are still making the claim, promoted by a group of LDS scholars, that we don't know where Cumorah is. 

This is occurring in classrooms around the Church right now: Gospel Doctrine classes, Gospel Principles classes, BYU campus Religion classes, various classes in the Institutes and Seminaries, and in homes or wherever else missionaries (and parents) are trying to teach the Gospel.

If you're a student in one of these settings, you deserve to know what your teacher thinks, so ask. Probably 99% of the teachers don't know enough about the topic to make an informed decision. They haven't read Letter VII or other recent developments in Church history. They've deferred to the handful of LDS scholars who continue promoting M2C against all reason and evidence.

Even worse than the claim we don't know where Cumorah is, I keep hearing reports of BYU professors still promoting M2C in their classes, such as by using the fantasy map. If you read the KnoWhys published by Book of Mormon Central America and republished by Meridian M2C Magazine, you'll see how devoted these people are to the two-Cumorahs theory.

It's actually a nice persuasion tactic for these scholars to say we don't know where Cumorah is. It makes them sound open-minded, when they're anything but that. 

Upton Sinclair wrote, "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it!" 

In this case, it may not be salary, but any of a number of other factors, that cause these scholars and educators to not understand.

I've previously analyzed the intellectual history of the problem, including the development of the so-called "two-Cumorahs" theory. Basically, here's the argument:

1. First, some RLDS scholars concluded that the Book of Mormon took place in Central America (aka, Mesoamerica).

2. They determined that this setting meant New York was too far away to be the location of Cumorah.
 

3. They concluded that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery started, or perpetuated, a false tradition that their successors have continued to perpetuate.

4. They rationalized that there are two Cumorahs; i.e., a fake Cumorah (Moroni's Cumorah) in New York which is merely the place where Moroni buried his plates, and the "real" Cumorah (Mormon's Cumorah) in Southern Mexico which is the scene of the final battles and the place where Mormon hid the repository of Nephite records (Mormon 6:6). Thus, we have the Mesoamerican/two-Cumorahs theory (M2C).

5. In the 1900s, some LDS scholars adopted the RLDS idea of M2C and began promoting it through books and courses at BYU. Their students accepted M2C and perpetuated it in their families and eventually to their own students.

6. Also in the 1900s, LDS Church leaders opposed M2C by reaffirming the teachings of their predecessors about the New York Cumorah.
7. The M2C scholars teach that whenever a prophet or apostle says something about Cumorah that contradicts M2C, that prophet or apostle was merely expressing his opinion and was wrong.

8. Other LDS scholars, relying on the two-Cumorahs rationale, have claimed Cumorah is in Baja California, or Panama, or Chile, or any of a number of other places around the world.

Here's a convenient chart for comparison purposes.

People who say Cumorah is in New York
People who say Cumorah is not in New York
Joseph Smith
LDS scholars who promote a Mesoamerican setting for the Book of Mormon
Oliver Cowdery
LDS scholars who promote a Baja Californian setting for the Book of Mormon
David Whitmer
LDS scholars who promote a Panamanian setting for the Book of Mormon
Lucy Mack Smith
LDS scholars who promote a Peruvian setting for the Book of Mormon
Brigham Young
LDS scholars who promote a Chilean setting for the Book of Mormon
John Taylor 

Heber C. Kimball

Wilford Woodruff

Orson Pratt

Parley P. Pratt

Joseph F. Smith

Heber J. Grant

George Albert Smith

Joseph Fielding Smith

Marion G. Romney

Mark E. Peterson

Simple, clear, definitive
Mass of confusion

If you're a student anywhere in the Church, at any age, look at this chart and think for yourself.

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Breaching the dam: Proctors and Dehlin, variations on a theme



Rice paddies in the Philippines
When I was a kid, we lived in the Philippines. 

Rice paddies are a boy’s paradise. Different levels of water, separated by banks of earth—you can imagine how excitedly a thoughtless kid would punch a tiny hole in a dam and watch the water trickle out, erode the sides, and soon gush out.

Fortunately, the Filipino farmers chased us out before we damaged their fields. One time they seized my little brother and made threats that scared us enough to never return.

I'm glad they did that. We had no business messing with their dams.

In the Church today, certain intellectuals have punched what they thought was a tiny hole in the dam of faith. 

M2C is a breach in the dam of faith.* It teaches faithful members, and the world as a whole, that the founding prophets of the Restoration misled the Church when they taught that the Hill Cumorah is in western New York. 

Apparently the M2C intellectuals still think they can control the flow out of the breach, but the side banks are eroding and the result is entirely predictable.

And no one is chasing them away from the fields.

But you can.
_____

Meridian Magazine, (aka “latterdaysaintmag.com”), is published by Scot and Maureen Proctor. It's a great magazine, full of useful news and inspirational articles. 

But they are deeply committed to M2C and promote M2C in conjunction with Book of Mormon Central, FairMormon, etc. That's why I refer to it as Meridian M2C Magazine.

They recently published a well-written, thoughtful article titled “It Wasn’t the Evidence that Broke Your Shelf.”

You can read it here:


The article is a fascinating discussion of John Dehlin’s Mormon Stories podcast and web page, which has had a significant impact on many LDS members and prospective members.** 

Along with the CES Letter, Mormon Stories has raised “historicity” concerns that have led many prospective members to reject the Restoration and have led many LDS members to cease activity in the Church or leave entirely. 

In some cases, the problems stem from misunderstanding, bias confirmation, and unrealistic expectations. In other cases, the problems are being addressed by certain LDS intellectuals who basically agree with the historicity concerns because of their ideology. 

There are good alternative explanations that many people don't know about because the intellectuals dominate the conversation and censor alternative views. We discuss those on another blog. Here, we focus on the M2C problem.
_____

The article asserts that it is not “evidence” in the abstract that is the problem, but the subjective interpretation of the evidence that leads people to reach their conclusions.

That’s a valid point; by now we all know, or should know, that people don’t make decisions based on objective facts and sound logic. Otherwise, we’d all agree on matters of religion, politics, science, etc.

Instead, we select facts and reasons to justify the decisions we have already made for mostly emotional and social reasons.

Sometimes it's not even interpretation of evidence that is the problem; instead is the rejection of evidence.

When it comes to the Restoration, we have an example of rejecting important evidence.

We have faithful members who, because of their M2C ideology, actually agree with and support the critics who disbelieve the prophets. 

These two groups differ only in the extent to which they claim the prophets have misled the world.

To the Proctors and other M2C advocates, the difference between faith and disbelief depends not on whether the prophets have misled the world, but instead depends on how much and how often you think they have misled the world.


The "high-water mark of scholarship on the Book of Mormon," according to Terryl Givens, is Mormon's Codex. Here's what that book has to say about the teachings of the prophets regarding the New York Cumorah:

“There remain Latter-day Saints who insist that the final destruction of the Nephites took place in New York, but any such idea is manifestly absurd. Hundreds of thousands of Nephites traipsing across the Mississippi Valley to New York, pursued (why?) by hundreds of thousands of Lamanites, is a scenario worthy only of a witless sci-fi movie, not of history.”

John Sorenson, Mormon’s Codex (Deseret Book, 2013), p. 688.


Every proponent of M2C agrees that the teachings of the prophets about the New York Cumorah are wrong--"manifestly absurd" to be precise. 

Ask them and you'll see. 
Ask any of your friends that believe in M2C. 
Ask anyone at FairMormon, Book of Mormon Central, the Interpreter, BYU Studies, or Meridian Magazine
Ask your Seminary, Institute, or BYU teacher about the New York Cumorah and they will tell you the prophets are wrong because the "real" Hill Cumorah is in Mexico. 

Hence the breach in the dam.

The dark brown streak on the left side of the dam
near the gray bedrock is a leak.
M2C wasn't a significant problem, at first.
Think of the 1976 Teton Dam disaster as a metaphor* for what's happening right now.

M2C advocates take it as an article of faith that the prophets misled the world when they taught that the Hill Cumorah was in New York. 

They say that when Oliver Cowdery and Joseph Smith wrote Letter VII, declaring it is a fact that the Hill Cumorah is in New York, they were wrong.

The leak grows and mud gushes out.
General Authorities reaffirm the NY Cumorah,
but the intellectuals and their followers reject them.
They say that when Joseph and Oliver wrote that the final battles of the Nephites and Jaredites took place in western New York, they were merely expressing ignorant speculation and they were wrong. 

They say that all the Church leaders who have taught that Cumorah is in New York were also expressing their personal opinions and were wrong. Numerous articles in Meridian Magazine have asserted this claim.

Why?

Because, according to the M2C intellectuals, the "real" Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is somewhere in southern Mexico.

Consequently, all the prophets and apostles who reaffirmed the New York Cumorah, including 
The dam nears collapse.
Peep stones replace the Urim and Thummim.
members of the First Presidency speaking in General Conference, misled the Church by teaching and testifying to the truthfulness of their own private, incorrect opinions.
_____

Most M2C advocates also embrace the teaching of the revisionist historians that Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery misled the world when they said Joseph translated the engravings on the plates by using the Urim and Thummim that Moroni provided for that purpose. 

According to these intellectuals, Joseph didn’t even use the plates. He didn’t use the Urim and Thummim. Instead, he simply read words that appeared on a peep stone he put in a hat. According to them, all the prophets and apostles who said otherwise simply misled the Church.

For the Proctors and other M2C advocates, being a faithful member of the Church means accepting these two errors, but not other errors.

Mormon Stories and CES Letter agree with the Proctors

They also tell their followers to start with M2C and peep stones. But while the M2C advocates ask their followers to stop there, the critics encourage their followers to proceed from there. 

Then, once you add up enough errors, you can conclude that the entire traditional narrative of LDS history is false; therefore, the Book of Mormon is fiction, the divine interventions never happened, and Church leaders have misled the world ever since.

Teton dam disaster
IOW, the only difference between the M2C/peep stone “faithful” narrative and the M2C/peep stone “critical” narrative is telling yourself to stop inquiring beyond the M2C/peep stone.

That’s like telling the water, after the dam breaks, to stop midstream on its own.
_____

The alternative, of course, is to not break the dam in the first place.

In my view, there is abundant evidence that corroborates the teachings of the prophets, including the New York Cumorah and the Urim and Thummim translation. 

It’s not a question of “uncovering” evidence. It’s not a question of exposure to “uncorrelated information."

It’s a question of accepting the teachings of the prophets and then examining the evidence that supports those teachings.

The Proctors and other M2C/peep stone advocates reject the evidence that supports the teachings of the prophets. That’s why they think the prophets misled the Church about these two matters.

The M2C intellectuals have broken the dam, the water’s rushing out, and now it’s just a question of whether anyone is going to repair the dam, and if so, when.
_____

The answer, of course, is to fortify your own faith and then help others as you can.

President Eyring discussed an important lesson from the Teton Dam disaster that applies as well to the current situation.

I have seen that faith and courage many times when believing Latter-day Saints have faced fearsome trials. For one example, I was in Idaho when the Teton Dam broke on June 5, 1976. A wall of water came down. Thousands fled from their homes. Thousands of homes and businesses were destroyed. Miraculously, fewer than 15 people were killed.
What I saw there, I have seen whenever Latter-day Saints stand firmly on the rock of a testimony of Jesus Christ. Because they have no doubt He watches over them, they become fearless. They ignore their own trials to go to the relief of others. And they do so out of love for the Lord, asking no recompense.
For example, when the Teton Dam broke, a Latter-day Saint couple was traveling, miles away from their home. As soon as they heard the news on the radio, they hurried back to Rexburg. Rather than going to their own home to see if it was destroyed, they went looking for their bishop. He was in a building that was being used as the recovery center. He was helping to direct the thousands of volunteers who were arriving in yellow school buses.
The couple walked up to the bishop and said, “We just got back. Bishop, where can we go to help?” He gave them the names of a family. That couple stayed mucking out mud and water in one home after another. They worked from dawn to dark for days. They finally took a break to go see about their own home. It was gone in the flood, leaving nothing to clean up. So they turned around quickly to go back to their bishop. They asked, “Bishop, do you have someone for us to help?”
_____

*Metaphors can help explain things because of similarities and patterns. They are not the thing being explained. 
_____

**The article features the inevitable references to Terryl and Fiona Givens, a couple of staunch M2C promoters. (Terryl wrote the Foreword to Mormon’s Codex.) I’ll comment on the Givens excerpts separately.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

December 5, 1834

I wasn't able to post this on December 5th, so I'm posting it today instead.

December 5, 1834, was an important day in Church history. It was the day when Oliver Cowdery was ordained Assistant President of the Church.

Many members of the Church today are unaware of this event. For example, did you know it was John the Baptist who directed that Oliver Cowdery be ordained to this office?

You can read the minutes of the meeting in Joseph Smith's History, 1834-1836, here:

https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/history-1834-1836/19

5 December 1834 • Friday
Friday Evening, December 5, 1834. According to the direction of the Holy Spirit, President Smith, assistant Presidents,  and , assembled for the purpose of ordaining <​first​> High Counsellor  to the office of assistant President of the High and Holy Priesthood in the Church of the Latter-Day Saints.
It is necessary, for the special benefit of the reader, that he be instructed <​into, or​> concerning the power and authority of the above named Priesthood.
First. The office of the President is to preside over the whole Chu[r]ch; to be considered as at the head; to receive revelations for the Church; to be a Seer, and Revelator <​and Prophet—​> having all the gifts of God:— having taking <​Moses​> for an ensample. Which is Second. the office and station of the above President Smith, according to the calling of God, and the ordination which he has received.
Second. The office of Assistant President is to assist in presiding over the whole chu[r]ch, and to officiate in the abscence of the President, according to their <​his​> rank and appointment, viz: , first;  Second, and  Third, as they <​were​> are severally called. The office of this Priesthood is also to act as Spokesman—taking Aaron for an ensample.
The virtue of this the <​above​> Priesthood is to hold the keys of the kingdom of heaven, or the Church militant.
The reader may further understand, that Presidents <​the​> reason why President <​High Counsellor​> was not previously ordained <​to the Presidency,​> was, in consequence of his necessary attendance in Zion, to assist  in conducting the printing business; but that this promise was made by the angel while in company with President Smith, at the time they recievd the office of the lesser priesthood. And further: The circumstances and situation of the Church requiring, Presidents  and  were previously ordained, to assist President Smith.
_____

Why are we discussing this in this blog about M2C?

Because the M2C advocates claim that Oliver Cowdery was wrong when, as Assistant President of the Church, he wrote in Letter VII that it is a fact that the Hill Cumorah of Mormon 6:6 is in New York.

It takes a lot of audacity to repudiate the teachings of an Assistant President of the Church who was called to that position by John the Baptist directly.

Oliver was truthful about everything except...

Letter VII from Messenger and Advocate, July 1835
Those who reject Letter VII cite no justifications for disbelieving President Cowdery other than their preference for a different location for the Hill Cumorah (M2C).

Consider Oliver Cowdery's participation in the Church to put Letter VII in context. When he wrote it, he was the Assistant President of the Church. He had been commanded by revelation to select materials to publish. All eight of Oliver's letters about history are accepted by Church historians as important insights into the early events of the Church.

The only ones who object to any of Oliver's writings are the M2C advocates who reject a few paragraphs out of one of the eight letters.

Oliver published Letter VII in July 1835. In February 1835, he, as one of the Three Witnesses, had selected the first members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He gave them their aspostolic charge. In April 1836, he, along with Joseph Smith, was visited in the Kirtland temple by Moses, Elias, Elijah, and the Savior Himself. Oliver and Joseph were given the keys of the gathering of Israel and the dispensation of the gospel of Abraham.

M2C advocates expect you to believe that Oliver Cowdery could faithfully record the entire Book of Mormon, most of the Book of Moses, and much of Church history. Oliver could faithfully edit and publish two Church newspapers, the Book of Commandments, and the original Doctrine and Covenants. He could accurately write the statement for the Three Witnesses. Of all the writing he did, you're supposed to believe he was faithful and accurate except for a few paragraphs in one letter, solely because those paragraphs establish the New York Cumorah as a fact, which contradicts the opinions of the M2C scholars.

Here is the chronology. Everything that is okay is marked green. The items the scholars object to is marked red.



Date
Event

1829 April
Transcribes Book of Mormon as Joseph dictates

1829 May
Receives Aaronic Priesthood from John the Baptist, baptizes Joseph and is baptized by him

1829 May
Receives Melchizedek Priesthood from Peter, James and John

1829 June
Sees the plates and angel as one of the Three Witnesses

1829 June
Completes Book of Mormon and makes a printer’s copy, supervises printing and publication

1830 April
Helps organize the Church as a Second Elder and apostle, ordains Joseph Smith as First Elder

1830 June
Transcribes Book of Moses 1:1 through 5:43

1830 Oct.
Leaves on mission to the Lamanites

1830 Nov.
Baptizes Sidney Rigdon

1831 Jan.
Arrives in Jackson County, Mo.

1831 Summer
Meets Joseph in Jackson County

1831 Nov.
Takes revelations from Ohio to Missouri for publication

1832
Helps Phelps with printing operation in Missouri

1832 Apr.
Approves Book of Commandments

1833 Nov.
Sets up printing press in Kirtland, reprints Evening and Morning Star

1833 Dec.
Begins editing Evening and Morning Star

1834 Feb.
Chosen as founding member of Kirtland Council

1834 May-Aug.
Leader in Kirtland after Zions Camp left

1834 Oct
Edits LDS Messenger and Advocate and Northern Times

1834 Oct
Publishes Letter I about Church history, part of which is in the current Pearl of Great Price

1834 Nov
Publishes Letter II about Church history

1834 Dec
Publishes Letter III about Church history

1834 Dec
Ordained by Joseph Smith as “Assistant President of the Church”

1835
Publishes Letter IV about Church history

1835 Feb
With David Whitmer and Martin Harris, selects first members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

1835 Feb
Gives apostolic charge to the Twelve Apostles

1835 Mar
Publishes Letter V about Church history

1835 Apr
Publishes Letter VI about Church history

1835 May
Resigns from Messenger and Advocate

1835 July
Publishes Letter VII about Church history

1835 Aug.
Gets Doctrine and Covenants approved for printing

1835 Oct.
Publishes Letter VIII about Church history

1836 Mar.
Resumes editing the Messenger and Advocate

1836 Apr.
Visited in Kirtland temple by Moses, Elias, Elijah, and Christ, receives the keys of the gathering of Israel and dispensation of gospel of Abraham

1836 July
Accompanies Joseph to Salem, MA

1837 Feb.
Turns over printing company to Joseph and Sidney

1838 July
“Excluded from fellowship” for accusations against Joseph

1848 Nov.
Rebaptized into the Church

1850 March
Dies in Richmond at home of David Whitmer

Now, read the ordination of President Cowdery and decide what you think about his credibility.

After addressing the throne of mercy, President Smith laid hands upon , and ordained him to the Presidency of the High priesthood in the Church, saying:
Brother, In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, who was crucified for the sins of the world, that we through the virtue of his blood might come to the Father, I lay my hands upon thy head, and ordain thee a President of the high and holy priesthood, to assist in presiding over the Chu[r]ch, and bearing the keys of this kingdom— which priesthood is after the order of Melchizedek— which is after the order of the Son of God— And now, O Father, wilt thou bless this thy servant with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding— give him, by the Holy Spirit, a correct understanding of thy doctrine, laws, and will— Commune with him from on high— let him hear thy voice, and receive the ministries ministring of the holy angels— deliver him from temptation, and the power of darkness— deliver him from evil, and from those who may seek his destruction,— be his shield, his buckler, and his great reward— endow him with power from on high, that he may write, preach, and proclaim the gospel to his fellowmen in demonstration of the Spirit and of power— may his feet never slide— may his heart never feint— may his faith never fail. Bestow upon him the blessings of his fathers Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and of Joseph— Prolong his life to a good old age, and bring him in peace to his end, and to rejoice with thy saints, even the sanctified, in the celestial kingdom; for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Presidents Rigdon, and Williams, confirmed the ordinance and blessings by the laying on of hands and prayer, after which each were blessed with the same blessings and prayer.
_____

Every member of the Church ought to be grateful to and respectful of Oliver Cowdery for the important role he played in the Restoration of the Gospel.