Doctrine and Covenants

The Doctrine and Covenants is considered a foundational text for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, containing revelations and teachings received by Joseph Smith and subsequent leaders of the church. It is often viewed as a guide for church governance, doctrine, and personal conduct, with the introduction asserting its divine origin:

The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of divine revelations and inspired declarations given for the establishment and regulation of the kingdom of God on the earth in the last days. Although most of the sections are directed to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the messages, warnings, and exhortations are for the benefit of all mankind and contain an invitation to all people everywhere to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking to them for their temporal well-being and their everlasting salvation.

However, a critical examination of the Doctrine and Covenants reveals several significant issues regarding its claims of divine inspiration. In this section, I discuss specific problems with the Doctrine and Covenants that I believe negate any potential for divine inspiration. Because church leaders do not emphasize the truthfulness of the Doctrine and Covenants in the same way they emphasize The Book of Mormon, this section is a discussion of the book’s cultural and theological problems rather than a dissection of its truthfulness.

Manipulative and Abusive Language

The Doctrine and Covenants is replete with language that many would consider manipulative or abusive. The following passage is particularly problematic, even from the most faithful perspective:

Doctrine and Covenants 132:51-56. Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice.

And let mine handmaid, Emma Smith, receive all those that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure, and have said they were pure, shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God.

For I am the Lord thy God, and ye shall obey my voice; and I give unto my servant Joseph that he shall be made ruler over many things; for he hath been faithful over a few things, and from henceforth I will strengthen him.

And I command mine handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.

But if she will not abide this commandment, then shall my servant Joseph do all things for her, even as he hath said; and I will bless him and multiply him and give unto him an hundred-fold in this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds.

And again, verily I say, let mine handmaid forgive my servant Joseph his trespasses; and then shall she be forgiven her trespasses, wherein she has trespassed against me; and I, the Lord thy God, will bless her, and multiply her, and make her heart to rejoice.

I believe this passage speaks for itself as a reflection of Joseph Smith’s character and intentions. In my opinion, this does not seem like the language of the loving God found elsewhere in scripture.

Compatibility with Other Scripture

If the Doctrine and Covenants were truly inspired by God, one would expect it to be consistent with other works that claim inspiration from God. Because this is visibly not the case, I conclude that the Doctrine and Covenants was likely written primarily by Joseph Smith to serve other (selfish) interests.

Appearance of Deity

The Book of Ether is asserted to take place around 2000 BC¹. It quotes God directly:

Ether 3:15. And never have I showed myself unto man whom I have created, for never has man believed in me as thou hast. Seest thou that ye are created after mine own image? Yea, even all men were created in the beginning after mine own image.

In order to be logically consistent, other scripture may not allow the appearance of God to anyone before about 2000 BC. However, the Doctrine and Covenants directly contradicts this assertion, assuming the church’s claim that Adam and his son Seth lived around 4000 BC is true.

Doctrine and Covenants 107:53-55. Three years previous to the death of Adam, he called Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, who were all high priests, with the residue of his posterity who were righteous, into the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman, and there bestowed upon them his last blessing.

And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.

And the Lord administered comfort unto Adam, and said unto him: I have set thee to be at the head; a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them forever.

This contradiction raises serious concerns, as God—a perfect being—should not have forgotten that He showed himself to Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah when He spoke in the book of Ether. While there exist many apologetic responses to this contradiction, I find it unreasonable to believe that these texts are inspired by God.

Polygamy

Polygamy is perhaps the most hotly contested topic in the church. I suggest the discussion of polygamy in the Doctrine and Covenants alone is damning evidence that Joseph Smith was acting in his own interests during the formation of his church, and I claim that it is reasonable to reject the hypothesis that he was inspired by God.

In The Book of Mormon, polygamy is generally condemned. While the book’s discussion of polygamy leaves room for God to temporarily allow polygamy, the following verse makes God’s stance on one specific case of polygamy clear:

Jacob 2:24. Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.

Later, the Doctrine and Covenants claims God has a contradictory opinion on polygamy. Not only is David’s and Solomon’s polygamy not abominable, but the book claims God provided wives and concubines to David.

Doctrine and Covenants 132:38-39. David also received many wives and concubines, and also Solomon and Moses my servants, as also many others of my servants, from the beginning of creation until this time; and in nothing did they sin save in those things which they received not of me. David’s wives and concubines were given unto him of me, by the hand of Nathan, my servant, and others of the prophets who had the keys of this power; and in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; and he shall not inherit them out of the world, for I gave them unto another, saith the Lord.

God’s stance in the Doctrine and Covenants is generally more compatible with the position expressed in the Bible:

2 Samuel 12:7-8 (KJV). And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; And I gave thee thy master’s house, and thy master’s wives into thy bosom, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things.

The Lord Dwelling in the Heart

The Book of Mormon clarifies that the Lord does dwell in the heart:

Alma 34:36. And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.

The Doctrine and Covenants directly and clearly contradicts this verse:

Doctrine and Covenants 130:3. The appearing of the Father and the Son, in that verse, is a personal appearance; and the idea that the Father and the Son dwell in a man’s heart is an old sectarian notion, and is false.

While apologetic responses to this contradiction often assert that the symbolic nature of the passages does not lend itself to a formal analysis, I propose the following: If it were purely symbolic and thus did not matter, God would not have wasted limited resources (Joseph Smith’s time, paper and ink, and space in a relatively small scriptural canon) to include these contradictory verses in scripture.

Priesthood Authority

The concept of priesthood authority also presents contradictions between the two texts. The Book of Mormon discusses the priesthood in a more general sense, emphasizing the importance of righteousness and the power of God rather than a specific organizational structure.

In contrast, the Doctrine and Covenants provides a detailed account of the restoration of the priesthood and the specific offices within the church. It clearly outlines the hierarchy of the priesthood, including the roles of apostles, bishops, and other leaders. This emphasis on a structured priesthood can be seen as a departure from the more egalitarian and personal nature of priesthood described in The Book of Mormon, leading to questions about the legitimacy of priesthood authority and its implications for church governance.

Nature of Revelation

Another area of contradiction is the role and nature of revelation. The Book of Mormon presents a narrative in which prophets receive direct revelations from God, often in the form of visions or angelic visitations. For example, in Mosiah, King Benjamin delivers a powerful sermon after receiving a divine message, emphasizing the importance of personal revelation and the need for individuals to seek their own understanding of God’s will.

Conversely, the Doctrine and Covenants places a strong emphasis on the authority of church leaders to receive revelation on behalf of the entire church. This is particularly evident in sections that outline the roles of the President of the Church and other leaders as prophets, seers, and revelators. For instance, the Doctrine and Covenants states that the church is to be governed by the revelations given to its leaders, which can create a tension between individual revelation and the centralized authority of church leadership. This tension raises questions about the nature of personal revelation and its compatibility with the hierarchical structure established in the Doctrine and Covenants.

Discussion

I believe the glaring inconsistency between The Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants is damning evidence that Joseph Smith was not inspired by a perfect being when he penned these records. If he were indeed inspired by God, this contradiction would leave room for the following possibilities:

1. God was wrong. This raises huge problems for other truth claims, as an infallible God is critical to the possibility that one true church exists.
2. God changed His mind between the writing of these verses. This would invalidate the claim that God is unchanging, and it creates problems for people who act according to the church’s commandments, as a God who changes His mind would not be a just deity.
3. Joseph Smith incorrectly interpreted revelation. This raises significant concerns about the legitimacy of his other claims, including claims that have significantly impacted the trajectory of the church and the lives of its members.
4. Only one of the canonized books is inspired by God. Were this the case, the modern church would be in apostasy, as the church uses both books as canon.
5. Joseph Smith penned religious texts himself, and he was not inspired by God. Using Occam’s Razor, I would suggest this is the most realistic option.

Further, I believe that it would be unreasonable to blame ongoing revelation and restoration for these errors. These scriptures have existed for generations, and at least 15 people at the head of the church have claimed to have direct access to inspiration from God. I expect that if there are errors in fundamental religious texts, God would instruct these people to make appropriate corrections as promptly as possible.

Conclusion

While it is possible to spend years dissecting every problem with the Doctrine and Covenants, I believe in the context of a book claiming divine origin, even one problem is sufficient. The church and the book itself fail to uphold their burden of proof of the book’s validity. While I have presented my own conclusion, there are many high-quality sources on these topics from spiritual and secular perspectives. I encourage those who may use this information to guide major life decisions to explore both sides of this topic in-depth and draw their own conclusions.