Mahalanobis Distance wrote: ↑September 28th, 2019, 9:51 pm
You guys have fun debating that.
I'm most curious about the speaking in tongues. Were the early saints just following the crowd? (Note: There were other American religions at the time that did this). Or was there really something to it?
Modern LDS teachings shy far far away from the garbled language stuff and insist that the gift of tongues is strictly for sharing the gospel with other nations/cultures. So are we throwing the early saints under the bus?
I will try to do a post on some of the experiences many had in that day, and even today around the world, I have some information on this. Some is not from the Lord, much is fake. Some is inspired by the Devil, for his purposes, many are given without a second person giving the interpretation of what was supposed to be communicated as will be recounted in this post by Joseph Smith(this second person giving the interpretation is acting as a second witness of the intelligence that is being communicated I feel it is safe to say).
We all know that gifts of the spirit can be felt and seen by those outside of the church if they are acting in good faith in our Heavenly Father, and The Lord Jesus Christ according to the light and knowledge they have.
Here are some other examples from early church history of this gift.
“Frederick G. Williams rose and stated that an angel entered through the window and took a place between himself and Father Smith and remained there during the meeting. The congregation shouted, ‘Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to God and the Lamb,' three times, sealing it each time with ‘Amen! Amen! Amen!' Brigham Young spoke in tongues; David W. Patten interpreted, and at four o'clock in the afternoon the dedication was over.”
- King and Newell, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, p. 59
“To describe the scene alluded to would be beyond my pow'r. Suffice it to say the spirit of the Lord was pour'd out and we receiv'd a blessing thro' our belov'd mother Chase & sis Clarissa by the gift of tongues.”
- Patty Bartlett Sessions journal, see Smart, Mormon Widwife
Speaking in tongues is a gift of the spirit. However, the Prophet did give this instruction about it.
The Lord cannot always be known by the thunder of His voice, by the display of His glory or by the manifestation of His power; and those that are the most anxious to see these things, are the least prepared to meet them, and were the Lord to manifest His power as He did to the children of Israel, such characters would be the first to say, “Let not the Lord speak anymore, lest we His people die.”
We would say to the brethren, seek to know God in your closets, call upon him in the fields. Follow the directions of the Book of Mormon, and pray over and for your families, your cattle, your flocks, your herds, your corn, and all things that you possess; ask the blessing of God upon all your labors, and everything that you engage in. Be virtuous and pure; be men of integrity and truth; keep the commandments of God; and then you will be able more perfectly to understand the difference between right and wrong–between the things of God and the things of men; and your path will be like that of the just, which shineth brighter and brighter unto the perfect day.
Be not so curious about tongues; do not speak in tongues except there be an interpreter present;
the ultimate design of tongues is to speak to foreigners, and if persons are very anxious to display their intelligence, let them speak to such in their own tongues. The gifts of God are all useful in their place, but when they are applied to that which God does not intend, they prove an injury, a snare and a curse instead of a blessing. We may some future time enter more fully into this subject, but shall let this suffice for the present. (DHC 5:31)
This seems to be much more limited in our day. I hope it is not because of a lack of faith on our part. I can add a few things more on this subject, this gift seems to fall into three categories.
(1) Divinely-assisted Acquisition/Performance, defined as supernaturally enhanced performance in a foreign language which one is studying or using. This usage is today commonly applied to the Church translation and missionary programs.3 (2) Supernatural Comprehension, or the ability to understand the message of a language one has not learned. A commonly cited exaple of this form of the gift is President David 0 McKay's account of ~is address to the Maoris of New Zealand during which many seemed to understand his sermon without the aid of an interpreter.4 25.1
(3) Xenoglossia (from the Greek, meaning foreign tongue), which is the speaking of a genuine foreign language-living, dead, or heavenly-by a person who has not learned the language in any normal way. Most Mormon accounts of xenoglossia come from the Church's early period and probably the best remembered are those dealing with the Adamic tongue. I think this information originally came from a B.Y.U. source.
I remember in reading Nolan P. Olsen's book about the Logan Temple, he said there were four confirmed times this gift was given inside the Temple.
Here is more. “Brother Leonard spoke in tongues in an Indian language, and prophesied of the destruction of this nation before the coming of the Savior. The power that rested upon him was so great as to produce such an intense sympathy with those in the room, that they were all wonderfully affected.
Sister Eliza R. Snow walked the floor to keep her breath. All felt the distress and agony that awaited the nation, more particularly the priests and harlots being destroyed in their wickedness. Sister Eliza Snow spoke afterwards in the pure language of Adam, with great power, and the interpretation was given.”
- Wells, “A Venerable Woman,” Women's Exponent, v. 12, June 1, 1883, p. 2
“I [Eliza Snow] spoke & she [Patty Sessions] interpreted. I then blest the girls in a song, singing to each in rotation.”
- Eliza Roxcy Snow journal, June 6, 1847, see In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith, by Todd Compton, p. 323
In Kirtland we enjoyed many very great blessings, and often saw the power of God manifested. On one occasion I saw angels clothed in white walking upon the temple. It was during one of our monthly fast meetings, when the saints were in the temple worshipping. A little girl came to my door and in wonder called me out, exclaiming, "The meeting is on the top of the meetinghouse!" I went to the door, and there I saw on the temple angels clothed in white covering the roof from end to end. They seemed to be walking to and fro; they appeared and disappeared. The third time they appeared and disappeared before I realized that they were not mortal men. Each time in a moment they vanished, and their reappearance was the same. This was in broad daylight, in the afternoon. A number of the children in Kirtland saw the same.
When the brethren and sisters came home in the evening, they told of the power of God manifested in the temple that day, and of the prophesying and speaking in tongues. It was also said, in the interpretation of tongues, "That the angels were resting down upon the house."
At another fast meeting I was in the temple with my sister Zina. The whole of the congregation were on their knees, praying vocally, for such was the custom at the close of these meetings when Father Smith presided; yet there was no confusion; the voices of the congregation mingled softly together. While the congregation was thus praying, we both heard, from one corner of the room above our heads, a choir of angels singing most beautifully. They were invisible to us, but myriads of angelic voices seemed to be united in singing some song of Zion, and their sweet harmony filled the temple of God.
We were also in the temple at the pentecost. In the morning Father Smith prayed for a pentecost, in opening the meeting. That day the power of God rested mightily upon the saints. There was poured out upon us abundantly the spirit of revelation, prophesy and tongues. The Holy Ghost filled the house; and along in the afternoon a noise was heard. It was the sound of a mighty rushing wind. But at first the congregation was startled, not knowing what it was. To many it seemed as though the roof was all in flames. Father Smith exclaimed, "Is the house on fire?"
"Do you not remember your prayer this morning, Father Smith?" inquired a brother.
Then the patriarch, clasping his hands, exclaimed, "The spirit of God, like a mighty rushing wind!"
At another time a cousin of ours came to visit us at Kirtland. She wanted to go to one of the saints' fast meetings, to hear someone sing or speak in tongues, but she said she expected to have a hearty laugh. Accordingly we went with our cousin to the meeting, during which a Brother McCarter rose and sang a song of Zion in tongues; I arose and sang simultaneously with him the same tune and words, beginning and ending each verse in perfect unison, without varying a word. It was just as though we had sung it together a thousand times. After we came out of meeting, our cousin observed, "Instead of laughing, I never felt so solemn in my life."
Prescindia Lathrop Huntington, 1810-1892
Autobiography (1810-1842) in
Edward W. Tullidge, The Women of Mormondom
New York, 1877, pp. 207-10, 213.
