Comments on: Gospel Doctrine Lesson 8: How We Taught This Topic in the Past

By: The Teacher

The Teacher — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:00:24 +0000

Thanks, J. Stapley. The Millennial Star piece is very interesting.

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:08:47 +0000

Teacher, I remember one discussion that might interest you and that gets at some of the major sources.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:50:38 +0000

Teacher, I sometimes joke that history for me begins on July 24, 1847. Before that, I know nothing more than the average seminary graduate. Really.

I’ve read some of the discussions about dating the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood, and whether there were gradual, multiple restorations, and I find them all fascinating. It was, in fact, a casual comment by Keith Perkins in a BYU religion class a generation ago, about narrowing down the date of the MP restoration by reading diaries to find the narrow window where all conditions and participants were right, that gave me my very first inkling that church history was something you could uncover and build on, not limited to the recitation of a standard official narrative.

So far, though, for me the discussions all have the feel of tentative ideas and the flavor of seeking to win converts to one theory or another. I’ll defer to the experts … but which expert is right, affiant knoweth not.

By: The Teacher

The Teacher — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 22:40:39 +0000

Wow, there is a lot here. The discussions regarding the date of the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood are fascinating. I have often wondered why we do not have a specific date for that event. Very interesting to consider.

Have you ever looked at the conference in June 1831 and the ordinations to the “high priesthood” referenced by Bushman and others? I would be interested how you think that plays into the restoration timeline.

Thanks, Ardis.