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prophet and the presidency: Mormonism and politics in Joseph Smith's 1844 Presidential campaign, The
Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, Summer 2000 by Wood, Timothy L
Indeed, the highest objective in the Mormon scheme of eternity was achieving after death the state of being known as the Celestial Kingdom. Into that kingdom, claimed Smith, entered all worthy Mormons; those who "received the testimony of Jesus, and believed on his name . . . that, by keeping the commandments, they might be washed and cleansed from all their sins, and receive the Holy Spirit. . . . (Doctrine and Covenants 91:5)"16 Within that Celestial Kingdom, the souls of redeemed Saints might continue their eternal progression to godhood. Within that realm, departed Mormons "are gods, even the sons of God" (D & C 91:5). To Smith, that level of exaltation was the ultimate end of humanity. Again, in the King Follett discourse, Smith declared: "The first principles of man are self-existent with God. God himself, finding he was in the midst of spirits and glory, because he was more intelligent, saw proper to institute laws whereby the rest could have a privilege to advance like himself. The relationship we have with God places us in a situation to advance in knowledge. He has power to institute laws to instruct weaker intelligences, that they may be exalted with Himself, so that they might have one glory upon another, and all that knowledge, power, glory, and intelligence which is requisite to save them in the world of spirits."" Thus, the revelations and commandments of Mormonism were the stepping stones to deity, and careful adherence to them was the key to transcending the secularism and sectarianism of early nineteenth century America.
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Nevertheless, no matter how eagerly the Saints looked forward to their glorification in the next world, the business of everyday living must by necessity be carried out in this one. As the sociologist Thomas F. O'Dea has pointed out, the relationship between religious and secular authority during the early days of the Mormon movement was quite paradoxical. Although Mormonism came into being during a time of heightened democratic awareness in the United States, it quickly developed many authoritarian tendencies. According to O'Dea, as Mormonism developed a coherent church polity during the 1830s, a potentially unstable dichotomy emerged. On one side was the impulse toward congregationalism that so many of the New England Saints had been steeped in, which emphasized the authority and participation of the general membership. On the other hand, to avoid schism the church needed to contain religious charisma and innovation within the office of the prophet-president.18 To maintain any kind of unity of purpose, Smith alone had to be seen as the sole source of direction for the Restoration movement.
The resulting system has been characterized as "a willingly designated absolutism."19 Obviously, to allow the average member the same latitude allowed to Smith in delivering up prophetic revelations affecting the earthly destiny of God's true church would be to promote any number of withdrawals and secessions from the parent body as new "prophets" eagerly stepped forward into leadership positions. In order to cope with that tension, Smith oversaw the development of the Mormon church's extensive system of lay priesthood. Lacking a professional clergy, one of the signature traits of Mormonism has always been the induction of all male members of good standing into a multitiered priesthood. Thus, the work of "kingdom building" within the LDS church has always been widely distributed, offering opportunities for service to a large number of individuals.
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