Joseph F. Smith

Doctrinal Contributions

During his administration as President of the Church, President Smith issued two significant additions to Latter-day Saint doctrine:

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:"The Father and the Son": On June 20, 1916, the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued a statement examining the LDS use of the term "Father" in scripture, clarifying times when the word referred to God the Father and when the word referred to Jesus Christ. The statement identified four different uses of the word "Father." God the Father is the literal parent of the spirits of mankind and the earthly father of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is referred to as "the Father" when discussing his role as creator of the earth, when he acts as "the Father" of those who abide in his gospel, and when he acts with the authority of his Heavenly Father while on earth. After 1921, to lessen confusion on the nature of the Godhead, portions of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s "Lectures on Faith' dealing with the Holy Ghost were removed from the Doctrine and Covenants, a modern LDS scripture.

Related Topics:
First Presidency - Quorum of the Twelve Apostles - Jesus - Holy Ghost - Doctrine and Covenants

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:"Vision of the Redemption of the Dead": On October 3, 1918, President Smith received a revelation on the nature of the spirit world and on Jesus Christ's role in ensuring that the gospel is taught to all men, living and dead. A written account of the revelation was submitted to the General Authorities on the October 31, 1918 and was unanimously accepted. The revelation was initially published in December 1918, and was added to the Pearl of Great Price, an LDS scripture, in April 1976; it has since been removed from the Pearl of Great Price and added to the Doctrine and Covenants as Section 138. This revelation complemented a 1894 statement on the eternal nature of the family and appropriate work for the dead issued by President Wilford Woodruff. Genealogy work by members of the LDS Church increased after both of these statements.

Related Topics:
Pearl of Great Price - Doctrine and Covenants - Wilford Woodruff

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