Saints: The Standard of Truth

There was a lot of excitement centered around the release of Saints: The Standard of Truth, a publication put out by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This book is the first of a four-part series of the church's history.

A lot of people I spoke with talked about how much they were learning, and how many things they never knew before. Having read a LOT of Church History, I didn't really learn many "new" things from this book. That being said, I did gain new perspectives and I got to read accounts from people that I had not read before. So, although I may have been familiar with the material, I was not as familiar with the different perspectives.

Take, for example, the Missouri conflict. I knew that one of the causes of conflict between the saints and the residents of Jackson county was the issue of slavery. Converts to the church were mostly from the North and opposed slavery. Missouri was, however, a slave state. I always understand this would create conflict. But what I had never taken into consideration was the fear that the slave-owning Missourians had that the church members would incite their slaves to rebellion. This had happened in other states and in one case, the slave rebellion resulted in the deaths of fifty whites.

While the concern can be understandable, it in no way excuses the people in Missouri for doing what they did to those early saints. Although the saints did many things wrong and disobeyed many commandments from the Lord, the heinous acts committed against them are inexcusable.

I also was pleasantly surprised to find accounts from some of Joseph Smith's plural wives. Although I have known for most of my life that Joseph Smith restored the practice of plural marriage, I honestly could not name more than one of his plural wives. This book talked about several of them, and I even got to read some of their accounts. The accounts shed more light on how difficult it was for Emma, at one time accepting the doctrine (and even attending the sealing of two other wives to Joseph), and at other times totally rejecting the doctrine (kicking those same two women whose sealing she witnessed out of their house).

Emily Partridge was one of these women. The doctrine of plural marriage was extremely difficult for her to accept, but after receiving her personal witness from the Lord, she agreed to practice it. Many years later she wrote the following:

"I know it was hard for Emma, and any woman, to enter plural marriage in those days, and I do not know as anybody would have done any better than Emma did under the circumstances. God must be the judge, not I." (Saints, pg. 508).

This first volume ends just as the saints are leaving Nauvoo and preparing to head west. I am excited to read more when the new material is ready. I am grateful to have read this volume, and to have read more about many of the saints, particularly Joseph Smith. I love reading his words. I love reading his testimony. I have my own witness that he truly is God's prophet.