Posted by:
Book of Mordor
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Date: August 14, 2016 03:22PM
Correlation-era TBMs may not be aware that part of official church doctrine is the resumption of animal sacrifice in at least one of its temples at some unspecified future date. That date, of course, becomes ever more distant as the church tries to bury older doctrines like this one. So much for the "restoration of all things."
History of the Church, Vol. 4, Ch. 11, pp. 210-11 (also Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 171-73):
"Thus we behold the keys of this Priesthood consisted in obtaining the voice of Jehovah that He talked with him – Noah – in a familiar and friendly manner, that He continued to him the keys, the covenants, the power and the glory, with which he blessed Adam at the beginning; and the offering of sacrifice, which also shall be continued at the last time; for all the ordinances and duties that ever have been required by the Priesthood, under the directions and commandments of the Almighty in any of the dispensations, shall all be had in the last dispensation, therefore all things had under the authority of the Priesthood at any former period, shall be had again, bringing to pass the restoration spoken of by the mouth of all the Holy Prophets; then shall the sons of Levi offer an acceptable offering to the Lord…
"…It is generally supposed that sacrifice was entirely done away when the Great Sacrifice, i.e., the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was offered up, and that there will be no necessity for the ordinance of sacrifice in future; but those who assert this are certainly not acquainted with the duties, privileges and authority of the priesthood, or with the Prophets.
"The offering of sacrifice has ever been connected and forms a part of the duties of the Priesthood. It began with the Priesthood, and will be continued until after the coming of Christ, from generation to generation. We frequently have mention made of the offering of sacrifice by the servants of the Most High in ancient days, prior to the law of Moses; which ordinances will be continued when the Priesthood is restored with all its authority, power and blessings…
"These sacrifices, as well as every ordinance belonging to the Priesthood, will, when the Temple of the Lord shall be built, and the sons of Levi be purified, be fully restored and attended to in all their powers, ramifications, and blessings. This ever did and ever will exist when the powers of the Melchisedek Priesthood are sufficiently manifest; else how can the restitution of all things spoken of by the holy Prophets be brought to pass? It is not to be understood that the law of Moses will be established again with all its rites and variety of ceremonies; this has never been spoken of by the Prophets; but those things which existed prior to Moses' day, namely, sacrifice, will be continued."
[That this referred to animal sacrifice is explicitly stated by the unerring arbiters of traditional orthodox Mormon doctrine. Still, I think even JFS and BRM found the idea distasteful, as they took pains to emphasize that these animal sacrifices would continue for just long enough to get that box checked off, and then would promptly cease.]
James R. Clark, "Messages of the First Presidency," Vol. 5, p. 327:
"OFFICIAL STATEMENT From the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints – Reprint from The Deseret News, Church Section, June 17, 1933
"…The law of animal sacrifice, in force in ancient Israel, has been suspended, but the Prophet Joseph asserted it would be again restored, and such is the effect of the statement made by John the Baptist when restoring the Aaronic Priesthood…"
HEBER J. GRANT, ANTHONY W. IVINS, J. REUBEN CLARK, JR., First Presidency."
Bruce R. McConkie, "Mormon Doctrine," p. 666, SACRIFICES:
"To complete the restoration of all things, apparently on a one-time basis, sacrifices will again be offered in this dispensation. John the Baptist, for instance, brought back the commission and power whereby the sons of Levi shall offer again in righteousness those offerings which they made in ancient days. (D. & C. 13.)
"Malachi foretold that such offerings would be attended to again in the day of the Second Coming of Christ. (Mal. 3:1-4.)…"
Joseph Fielding Smith, "Doctrines of Salvation," Vol. 3, pp. 93-94:
"OFFERING OF THE SONS OF LEVI. What kind of offering will the sons of Levi make to fulfill the words of Malachi and John? Logically such a sacrifice as they were authorized to make in the days of their former ministry when they were first called. Will such a sacrifice be offered in the temple? Evidently not in any temple as they are constructed for work of salvation and exaltation today. It should be remembered that the great temple, which is yet to be built in the City Zion, will not be one edifice, but twelve. Some of these temples will be for the lesser priesthood.
"When these temples are built, it is very likely that provision will be made for some ceremonies and ordinances which may be performed by the Aaronic Priesthood and a place provided where the sons of Levi may offer their offering in righteousness. This will have to be the case because all things are to be restored. There were ordinances performed in ancient Israel in the tabernacle when in the wilderness, and after it was established at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, and later in the temple built by Solomon. The Lord has informed us that this was the case and has said that in those edifices ordinances for the people were performed.
"These temples that we now have, however, the Lord commanded to be built for the purpose of giving to the saints the blessings which belong to their exaltation, blessings which are to prepare those who receive them to 'enter into his rest, …which rest is the fulness of his glory,' and these ordinances have to be performed by authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, which the sons of Levi did not hold.
"RESTORATION OF BLOOD SACRIFICES. We are living in the dispensation of the fulness of times into which all things are to be gathered, and all things are to be restored since the beginning. Even this earth is to be restored to the condition which prevailed before Adam's transgression. Now in the nature of things, the law of sacrifice will have to be restored, or all things which were decreed by the Lord would not be restored. It will be necessary, therefore, for the sons of Levi, who offered the blood sacrifices anciently in Israel, to offer such a sacrifice again to round out and complete this ordinance in this dispensation. Sacrifice by the shedding of blood was instituted in the days of Adam and of necessity will have to be restored.
"The sacrifice of animals will be done to complete the restoration when the temple spoken of is built; at the beginning of the millennium, or in the restoration, blood sacrifices will be performed long enough to complete the fulness of the restoration in this dispensation. Afterwards sacrifice will be of some other character."
Another doctrine fallen down the hole that they no longer teach. (Widtsoe's "Evidences and Reconciliations," pp. 246-47, called for a more symbolic interpretation which the church now uses exclusively.) I suspect that it will be a very long time before any of the Q15 get up in General Conference to announce the restoration of temple-based Adamic animal sacrifice.