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Joseph Musser in A
Priesthood Issue cites his evidence
Joseph Musser compiled what has become, unarguably, the greatest defense of the
PRIESTHOOD organization ever penned: A Priesthood Issue.
An earlier version appeared by Musser with J. Leslie Broadbent in 1934 entitled
Priesthood Items.
In that pamphlet Musser compiled almost every argument used by Mormon
fundamentalists, even today, to support the teaching that
"there
is a Priesthood organization greater than that of the Church; and that
Priesthood always has, can now and will continue to function aside from and
independent of the Church,"
that there is a PRIESTHOOD
organization
"above
the Church, being God's
power on earth."
In the chart below I have listed his evidences chronologically
and then provided a response, which ca be accessed by simply clicking on the
item. Perhaps the greatest evidence against the idea of an external priesthood
organization is the observation that they never seemed to have done anything for
which there is a record. There are no references to meeting in any journals.
There are no minutes from their gatherings. If they existed and met together,
it appears they did nothing or else they remembered everything, because not one
scrap of paper has been yet identified to document such a group gathering or
discussing an agenda.
Evidences as Cited by Joseph Musser in A
Priesthood Issue
|
Page |
Year |
Month |
Reference |
|
5 |
1829 |
June |
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery are
ordained Apostles. (D&C 27:12.) |
|
12 |
|
|
Twelve are ordained "of" not "by" Jesus
Christ. (D&C 18:29.) |
|
22 |
1832 |
Feb |
References to the "Church of the
Firstborn." (D&C 76, 77, 78, 93, 107.) |
|
13 |
|
|
Church of the Firstborn later organized
at Kirtland. (JD 5:129.) |
|
10 |
|
Sep |
Lord refers to "Apostles, God's High
Priests." (D&C 84:63.) |
|
29 |
|
Nov |
Lord may send one "mighty and strong" to
set in order the House of God. (D&C 85:7.) |
|
9,15 |
1835 |
Feb |
12 Apostles chosen by Oliver Cowdery,
David Whitmer and Martin Harris. (D&C 18:37, JD 6:29.) |
|
13 |
|
Oct |
12 Apostles to attend a solemn assembly
of the first Elders in Missouri next season. (HC 2:287). |
|
5,21 24,29 |
to 1852 |
|
Plural Marriage practiced without
general church knowledge. |
|
13 |
1836 |
Mar |
9 men called "President" and experienced
the Washing of the Feet one day prior to the 12 Apostles. (HC
2:430-431.) |
|
18 |
1837 |
Apr |
Joseph Smith states revelations to come
through the Presidency. (HC 2:477.) |
|
14 |
|
Sep |
Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith Sr. and
Hyrum Smith called as Assistant Counselors. (HC 2:509.) |
|
7,20 |
1841 |
Jan |
Hyrum Smith called as Patriarch, to hold
the "sealing blessings" of the church. (D&C 124:124.) |
|
12 |
1842 |
May |
Endowments given to James Adams, Hyrum
Smith, Newell K. Whitney, Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Willard
Richards, William Law, William Marks and George Miller. (HC 5:1.)
[Endowments I] |
|
13 |
1843 |
May |
Endowment group meets again. (HC 5:409.)
[Endowments II] |
|
20 |
|
July |
Brigham Young teaches a prophet is
accountable to God only. (HC 5:521.) |
|
7 |
|
Aug |
Joseph Smith preaches of "Patriarchal
Priesthood." (HC 5:544.) |
|
11 |
1844 |
|
Joseph Smith bestows keys, ordinances,
and priesthood on the 12. (T&S 5:651.) |
|
17 |
|
May |
Brigham Young states, "the kingdom is
organized." (HC 7:381-382.) |
|
26 |
|
June |
Brigham Young teaches that the
priesthood may build up the Kingdom. (HC 7:235.) |
|
26 |
|
|
Heber C. Kimball states that more than
30 men have authority higher than Sidney Rigdon. (T&S 5:667.) |
|
27 |
|
Oct |
Brigham Young states, "...there are keys
that the written word never spoke of, nor never will." (T&S 5:667.) |
|
10 |
1852 |
Apr |
Brigham Young preaches that Joseph
Smith, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, were Apostles first. (JD
6:320.) |
|
18 |
|
|
John Taylor writes that the priesthood
and the 12 received their priesthood from Joseph Smith. (Government
of God, pp -117.) |
|
21 |
1853 |
Apr |
Brigham Young teaches that prophet and
president are different. (JD 1:133.) |
|
23 |
|
|
Brigham Young writes that the Elders
have attained only a portion of the Holy Priesthood. (MS 15:440.) |
|
17 |
1855 |
July |
Brigham Young teaches "The kingdom is
organized..." (ref. ?) |
|
10 |
1856 |
Dec |
Wilford Woodruff uses the term "High
Priest Apostle." (JD 4:147.) |
|
15 |
1857 |
Oct |
Brigham Young states he is an Apostle of
Joseph Smith and Jesus Christ. (JD 5:296.) |
|
8 |
1861 |
May |
Brigham Young purportedly teaches of a
Priesthood of the Second Comforter. ("in part" JD 9:87.) |
|
20 |
1862 |
Apr |
Brigham Young says every branch will
have a Patriarch, President, Bishop, High Council, etc. (JD 10:96-97.) |
|
19 |
|
|
Brigham Young teaches "abuse of that
principle [Plural Marriage] will send thousands to hell..." (JD
9:269-270.) |
|
19 |
|
Oct |
Brigham Young wishes to see a fully
organized Branch of the Kingdom. (JD 10:20.) |
|
26 |
1867 |
June |
Brigham Young teaches the Christian
world left the Priesthood. (JD 12:69.) |
|
15 |
1873 |
Apr |
Brigham Young calls Albert C.
Carrington, John W. Young, Brigham Young, Jr., Lorenzo Snow, and George
Q. Cannon as additional counselors. (MS 35:292.) |
|
16 |
1874 |
Aug |
Brigham Young says "There are further
organizations..." (JD 17:156.) |
|
14 |
|
|
Brigham Young says there will be no
seats in the temple for the Quorum of the Twelve. (DNW, June 6, 1877.) |
|
19 |
1877 |
June |
Brigham Young states that the Priesthood
of Peter, James and John was the highest ever bestowed. (DNW, June 6,
1877.) |
|
16 |
1879 |
Mar |
John Taylor discusses differences
between church and kingdom. (JD 20:166.) |
|
12 |
1880 |
Jan |
Revelation to Wilford Woodruff - 12 hold
in common the Keys of the Kingdom. Members included John Taylor, Wilford
Woodruff, Orson Pratt, Lorenzo Snow, Charles C. Rich, Erastus Snow,
Franklin D. Richards, George Q. Cannon, Joseph F. Smith, Brigham Young,
Jr., Albert Carrington, and Moses Thatcher. (Wilford Woodruff Journal,
Jan. 26, 1880.) |
|
10 |
1882 |
Oct |
Revelation to John Taylor refers to
Heber J. Grant and George Teasdale being ordained to "the Apostleship of
the Twelve." (My Kingdom Shall Roll Forth, pp. 50-51.) |
|
25 |
1886 |
Sep |
John Taylor has vision of Joseph Smith
and recieves a revelation. According to Lorin C. Woolley, Taylor also
holds an eight hour meeting and afterwards sets apart himself (Lorin),
John W. Woolley, Charles Wilkins, George Q. Cannon and Samuel Bateman as
"High Priest Apostles." (Supplement 56-61.) |
|
21,25 |
1890 |
Oct |
Wilford Woodruff issues Manifesto as
President of Church, but supposedly not as President of the High
Priesthood. (T 5:212.) |
|
23 |
1892 |
|
John Taylor teaches prophets held the
High Priesthood. (M&A p. 68.) |
|
16 |
1893 |
|
B. H. Roberts writes, "The authority of
the Church comes from the Priesthood." (Outlines of Eccle His.,
pp. 373-374.) |
|
20 |
1901 |
Nov |
Joseph F. Smith says, "We have not
always carried out strictly the order of the priesthood. (MS
63:801-802.) |
|
18 |
|
prior |
George Q. Cannon writes that the Church
and Kingdom of God are not the same. (Juvenile Instructor.) |
|
23 |
1918 |
Nov |
No revelation calling Heber J. Grant as
President of the Church. (Musser's observation.) |
|
24 |
1921 |
Apr |
Heber J. Grant states, "No man upon the
face of the earth has any... authority to perform a plural marriage."
(CR 1921 p. 202.) |
|
29 |
1936 |
Mar |
J. Reuben Clark writes, "The Priesthood
is essential to the Church, but the Church is not essential to the
Priesthood." (IE March, 1936, p. 134.) |
|
27 |
|
also |
Samuel the Lamanite "called the Church
to repentance. God ignored the church leadership at that time..."
(Musser's assertion.) |
Joseph W. Musser,
A Priesthood Issue. N.p., n.d. [1948]
. Musser, Priesthood Issue, 25. The New and Everlasting Covenant of
Marriage, published in October, 1933 contained an introduction to
the PRIESTHOOD organization. In July 1934, Musser, with J. Leslie
Broadbent collaborating, wrote Supplement to the New and Everlasting
Covenant of Marriage (abbreviated: Supplement) and in
August, 1934, Priesthood Items. Priesthood Items would be
revised and renamed A Priesthood Issue in 1948. It contains many
more details and has been republished many times. See also Truth
5:179-89 (1 January 1940) and also a rather detailed explanation giving
by Zitting in his unpublished autobiography (quoted in Zitting, Charles F. Zitting, 57-66).
. Most
references to the organization called the "Priesthood"
by Mormon fundamentalists will be capitalized "PRIESTHOOD"
in this discussion, except in citations.
. Musser Journals, 26 April 1939. See also
"The
Priesthood=s
Supremacy,"
in Truth, 2: 21-25 (1 July 1936). In 5 November 1939 Musser
penned: "The
President of the Church is not the President of the Priesthood at this
time. Brother [Heber J.] Grant never received that honor"
(Musser Journals for date).
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