“Brigham Young on Brigham Young: His Life, Conversion and Faith, in his Own Words” explores the life, faith, and leadership of Brigham Young through his own words, as transcribed from 19th-century shorthand records. The talk highlights his humble upbringing, his journey to accepting the Book of Mormon, and his unwavering testimony of Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling. It addresses common concerns, such as why Brigham Young did not write revelations like Joseph Smith and how he relied on daily guidance from the Spirit to lead the Church through periods of persecution and hardship. The talk also sheds light on his experiences during Zion’s Camp and his role in fulfilling divine commandments under difficult circumstances. Brigham Young’s reflections reveal a man of deep thought, faith, and devotion, challenging misconceptions and inviting a re-examination of his legacy within the historical and cultural context of his time.
This talk was given at the 2024 FAIR Conference “FAIR and Valiant Voices”, on the campus of the American Heritage School in Salt Lake City, Utah, on August 8, 2024.
LaJean Purcell Carruth is a professional transcriber at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, specializing in 19th- and early 20th-century shorthand documents, including Pitman and Taylor shorthand and the Deseret Alphabet.
Transcript
Scott Gordon: I’m excited for our next speaker. LaJean Purcell Carruth has spoken for us before. She is a Senior Researcher and Historian at the Church History Library. I want her to have all the time she needs, so I’ll just turn it over to LaJean.
LaJean Purcell Carruth
Brigham Young on Brigham Young: His Life, Conversion and Faith, in his Own Words
Brigham Young at the Dedication of the Salt Lake Tabernacle
On October 6, 1867, the Saints met in the new Salt Lake Tabernacle for the first time. Brigham Young rose, made some remarks about the still unfinished state of the organ, and then dedicated the tabernacle to the Lord. This dedicatory prayer was completely unknown until I found the original shorthand record of it several years ago and transcribed it. Prior to that time, the earliest known dedication of the tabernacle was in 1875. I will read the very start of his dedicatory prayer; the entire prayer is available online at history.churchofjesuschrist.org.
Oh God our Heavenly Father who dwells in the heavens, in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ we come before thee at this time to worship thee. On this occasion we ask for the aid of thy Holy Spirit to teach us how to pray, what we should ask for, [and] how to ask that we may receive.”
This and other prayers by Brigham Young tell us a lot about the man: in prayer, the “Lion of the Lord” was a humble, pleading servant. I have, at times, followed his example and prayed to know how to pray and what to ask for, and how to pray that I may receive.
Transcribing Brigham Young’s Words
I am a professional transcriber of 19th and early 20th century documents written in Pitman and Taylor shorthands at the Church History Library, Salt Lake City. I have spent much of my career transcribing the words of Brigham Young. Last year at FAIR, I presented how the words spoken by Brigham Young and others were often significantly altered in transcription and editing. The versions of these words that were published in the Journal of Discourses, the Deseret News, and the Millennial Star often differ significantly from what was actually said. These changes incorrectly warp readers’ opinions of Brigham Young and others.
Brigham Young, as he really spoke, was a much more powerful speaker and a much kinder, more understanding, and thoughtful man than he has come to be seen through sermons which have been altered, edited, added to, and changed in many ways.
Preserving the Authenticity of Brigham Young’s Sermons
In addition to these changes, many of the sermons spoken by Brigham Young and others were reported in Pitman shorthand but never transcribed until I transcribed them—most over 150 years after they were spoken. These previously untranscribed sermons by Brigham Young include many statements that he made about himself, his life, his conversion, and his faith.
Today, I will present Brigham Young through his own words—words that were not transcribed or, in a very few cases, transcribed incorrectly. All quotes in this paper are from my transcriptions of Brigham Young’s sermons from the original shorthand records. Hear what Brigham Young said about Brigham Young, in his own words.
Brigham Young’s Humble Beginnings
Brigham Young grew up in a very strict, very poor home.
After I was 23 years old [I had] 11 days of education. … [I was] brought up in the woods. My father wanted to be wealthy, and [was] plowing the new countries to make himself wealth. My father never bought me but one hat from the world and it cost him a dollar. I do not think my father ever furnished me more than two or three pair of shoes in his life.”
At that time, children, or the labor of children, belonged to their parents until they were 21. Brigham Young’s father told him when he was 16 years old that he could have his time—that is, he could leave and support himself. From that age onward, Brigham supported himself, learning many things in the process.
I went to school 11 days, [the] most school I ever had, but from time I was 16 years old I clothed and fed myself. … I have been in school of economy since [I was] 16.”
He worked hard and took pride in the very high quality of his work.
Searching for Truth
Brigham Young searched many years from his youth up to find a church whose teachings and practices agreed with the Bible, but he was unable to find one. He was finally convinced that there was not a Bible church or a Bible Christian on the earth.
Long before Joseph Smith published the gospel, I [had] lived long enough to learn that the whole sectarian world was ignorant, was in darkness <if> they were not in unbelief, but [I] supposed they were. They were in ignorance; they didn’t know God and Jesus. … I was skeptical with regard to religions of the day.”
Hearing of the Gold Plates
He learned about the gold plates from a newspaper article shortly after Moroni’s first visit to Joseph Smith.
Four years before [Joseph Smith obtained the plates], I picked up a newspaper and there [read]: There is a young man living in town of Manchester, Ontario County, that has found plates in the earth. He says it is a history of aborigines of our country, giving details of [the] forefathers of the Indians now living here, and who knows but what our Indians will have a Bible as well as the Jews? And that was all that was said.”
Having been disappointed so many times in his search for a Bible church, Brigham Young was skeptical at first. Yet, he was interested enough to follow the travels and activities of Joseph Smith over the years.
Witnessing Joseph Smith’s Journey
Although I was not a member of the church until [it was] 2 years old, yet I knew very well about Joseph Smith before he organized the church. Brother Kimball and I only lived 14 miles [from] where the plates [were] taken from the ground. We could hear of the doing of this, about travels to Pennsylvania, over to New York State … and back to Palmyra and so forth, and we had the history of the young man all the time.
And in [18]30, immediately after the organization of the church, the brethren commenced to preach. I recollect my father and myself early took it into our hearts [that] we [would] go and hear Elder Cowdery preach. I turned to look for my horse to get up a little wagon Sunday morning, [but] I found my horse [was] lame that we could not go. Some circumstances transpired that we didn’t go. If only [we had] seen Oliver Cowdery, Joseph Smith, as soon as the church [was] organized, and known or seen any person [who had] explained to us and given us the reason of hope then, though I expect we should have embraced the faith as we did, when we did.”
We can hear the longing in his voice: “If only …”
Early Struggles to Obtain the Plates
He heard others talk about their efforts to get the gold plates from the hill before Joseph Smith obtained them.
I knew one astrologer. I heard him say when Joseph was looking for the Book of Mormon, they was in the hill, and a number of men knew there was a treasure. … They sent for this astrologer, he was [the] smartest one ever I saw. … He went up the last time there, the last he goes on first of September, a few days before Joseph got the plates, [he] came into David Smith’s store.
I was there [when] he came in. … He commenced swearing about this loot and damned him and said I believe he will get the treasure I cannot get [it]. They flee away from me. This is the third time I been there and I cannot go to the spot and I cannot get it.”
Brigham Young and the Book of Mormon
Brigham Young said he had a copy of the Book of Mormon in his hands shortly after its publication in March 1830:
When the Book of Mormon was first printed I had it [in my] hands two three weeks after. Did I believe, though the man [who] brought [it] told me … this is the gospel of salvation, revelation [the] Lord has brought forth for redemption of Israel, [the] gospel according to Jesus Christ and apostles? …
Hold on, says I. … Wait a little while. What is the doctrine of [the] book and of [the] revelations the Lord has given? Let me apply my heart to them. And after [I have] done this, [it is] my right to know for myself. … It took me two years before I made up my mind to receive that book. I knew it was true as well as I believe sight of my eyes, [the] touch of [my] finger, and all my senses.”
Learning the Gospel from Humble Messengers
He was introduced to the gospel by men who were not learned, but who brought the power of God:
I praised Christ but disbelieved the religions of the day and [thought] that their practice [was] all folly and nonsense. … When I heard the gospel, men came to our neighborhood, they could not quote half dozen passage of scriptures, they could not talk longer than every brother here today, some 3 minutes some 11, 13 and 9, … but they brought the power of God with them, and the Holy Ghost spoke through them, and spoke to my heart.”
He used his experience with the Book of Mormon to encourage the Saints to ask God to know if things were true:
When the Book of Mormon came to me, when the revelations came to me, when witnesses came and declared that Joseph Smith [was a] prophet, seer, and revelator, [and] bore their testimony, the revelations neither the Book of Mormon was testimony to me until I got the revelations for myself [that] it was true and of God. …
Upon this grand principle men [and] women [are] capable of judging the things of God and those that are not of him.”
Disappointment in Fellow Church Members
Like many new converts, Brigham Young had very high expectations for other members of the church. However, he was deeply disappointed in the behavior of some members:
When I received the spirit of this religion that we have embraced, that so far enveloped me in love, purity, good thought and good feelings, I could not but believe that every man and woman that came into this kingdom was as pure as an angel. Herein I was mortally deceived. …
[When] I received the gospel I put up my books, I laid them aside, I did not expect to charge another particle of labor for anything I should do. I calculated to live with the church and had not the least idea that book account[s] [were] needed in this church.
I calculated that every man would do every thing necessary to do for themselves and something more, and hand it to send the gospel, gather up the poor saints, learn them how to get their living, and how to do for themselves, and no one should say aught they had, they possessed. I found myself mistaken.”
Meeting Joseph Smith
Brigham Young’s Journey to Meet the Prophet
Brigham Young was baptized in April 1832. That fall, he traveled to Kirtland, Ohio, to meet the Prophet Joseph Smith for the first time. On his way, he visited with a minister who was strongly opposed to Joseph Smith.
I recollect when I was going to see [the] brethren for the first time, one of my Methodist friends, I do not know whether Methodist or not but he was a preacher. I recollect calling on him; he began to tell what old Joe Smith [had] done, [that] himself [had] done this, that, and [the] other thing. What [power did he do it] by? By the power of the devil! [He said that Joseph Smith was] one of wickedest men [to] ever live. Says I, hold on a little! Let me talk.
Joseph Smith I have never seen, to my knowledge, though I have always lived close by him. And the revelations that the Lord has revealed through him is the same as he revealed through his ancient prophets and apostles, and by his Son Jesus Christ. I have taken the rule laid down there, and in the late revelations, to know whether they are true or not. [I thought], if they are true, the Lord will tell [me], he will answer [me], he will reveal [it to me].
Go to the Father in [the] name of Jesus Christ, and all these things shall be made known. Now, says I, I do not know anything about Joseph. But the doctrine [that has been] been revealed through him, I do know to be the plan of salvation according to the New and Old Testament[s], and the signs God has given me.
He may act like the devil, for aught I care: I did not call him to be a prophet, deliver the plates of [the] Book of Mormon [or] send Moroni to administer to him. And I had nothing to do with him, and do not care to the latest day he lived what he do. It is not my business to call in question an act of his life: he was in the hands of him that called him, and the doctrine, and the author could do as he pleased with his servant.”
Trust in the Lord’s Chosen Servants
The Lord ‘could do as he pleased with his servant.’ I think our society, even in the church, is so quick to judge and condemn that we forget whose place it is to call, and to judge those he does call.
Brigham Young’s First Meeting with Joseph Smith
Brigham Young’s description of meeting Joseph Smith for the first time in the fall of 1832 is my favorite quote of all the thousands and thousands of pages of shorthand I have transcribed:
After I was baptized and built quite a number of branches, I had to see the prophet in the fall. I wanted the hand of prophet in my hand. his eye to look in mine, I wanted to look in his eye, and I wanted to read that man’s heart, and I wanted to know for myself and not for another. I saw him and heard him speak, he was chopping in the woods.
[He] stopped and shook hands with us. All right. He put down his ax. I said, I can chop this, so we chopped and loaded a little while, and then [he] said, come let’s go to the house.
I knew then for myself and not for another. I wanted to see this man that dictated and led and guided and the Mormons where they lived together and then for the world I defy it to produce any community like this that is governed and controlled by words and words alone.”
A Testimony That Never Wavered
He gained a firm testimony of Joseph Smith, and he never wavered, ever. He earnestly sought to learn all he could from him:
When I first saw Joseph, I had but just one prayer and that was all the time I could hear Joseph and hear his doctrine. … I would watch him; I was with him several years before I ever opened my mouth. I was with him when [he] received revelation and so was Brother Kimball and others. … An angel never watched him closer than I did, and that is what has given me the knowledge I have today.”
Brigham Young traveled on many missions, including one to Canada before he was baptized. He described how he obtained food and lodging while traveling and preaching the gospel:
I have traveled without purse or scrip about as much as any other man in the church. … If I [was hungry and] went into a house I make known my wants, and by time I got through eating they were willing to talk about Mormon [or] anything else.
If I wanted to stay over night I made known my want. I don’t recollect of one circumstance but what I was made welcome and could call again and was welcome to every table lodging and friendship.”
He must have been an engaging, very pleasant guest. I wish I could have been the proverbial fly on the wall and watched his interactions with those with whom he stayed.
Missouri Persecutions
The Saints were driven from their homes in Jackson County, Missouri, in the fall of 1833. In 1834, a group of Latter-day Saints called Zion’s Camp traveled with Joseph Smith from Kirtland and other places to try to help the Saints who had been driven and restore them to their lands.
When they returned without fighting and without restoring the Missouri Saints to their lands, many considered the venture a failure. Brigham Young later related a conversation he had with one such person:
I recollect in the year [18]34 [that] 205 [of us] was going up to Jackson County. We did not go [into Jackson County]. We did not reinstate the brethren. We returned and the Lord gave Joseph a revelation concerning this matter.
I understood it. I recollect when I returned home the question was asked me by some of the elders: ‘Brother Brigham, what have you gained by your going up to Missouri?’
‘Knowledge.’
“‘What is the advantage of Joseph calling a company together to lead them to Missouri? They have accomplished nothing!’
Says I to the individual that was talking with me: ‘For the knowledge I have gained: this is the use in leading the companies, gathering saints, dealing with myself, overcoming myself, governing and controlling the spirits of others:
…for this knowledge I have gained I would not give it for this town, and then I will add the county of Geauga, and I will add the state of Ohio, too, and every person there is in it to be our slaves, and every particle of property in it to be my own individual property.
‘You did not go, did you?’
‘No.’
‘No, and there is something we have gained [that] you will never learn.’”
Learning to Lead Through Experience
The experience he gained on Zion’s Camp, watching Joseph Smith and learning from him how to lead a group of people, became invaluable four years later, when Joseph Smith was imprisoned in the Liberty Jail and Brigham Young and the Twelve had to direct the Saints’ removal from Missouri to Illinois, and then again years after that when he had to direct the emigration to the Salt Lake Valley.
Brigham Young described how his father, John Young, a veteran of the Revolutionary War, felt when the Saints were expelled from the state of Missouri in 1838:
My father was a revolutionary soldier. ‘Now.’ says he ‘I want to live no longer. I have fought for the liberty of my country but there is no liberty left, no freedom left for the inhabitants of the country I have fight for. I want to live no longer.’”
John Young died in Quincy, Illinois, in October 1839.
Obedience to the Lord’s Commandments
Months before the Saints were driven from Far West and other parts of Missouri in the fall of 1838, Joseph Smith had received a revelation on July 8, 1838, in Far West, Missouri. It directed the Twelve to leave on their mission to England the next spring, recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 118:5:
Let them take leave of my saints in the city of Far West, on the twenty-sixth day of April next, on the building-spot of my house, saith the Lord.”
While the thought of a mission to England must have sounded daunting in and of itself, none of the Saints could have imagined in July 1838 the mobbing and violence they would experience that fall, their expulsion from Missouri, or that Joseph Smith and other leaders would be arrested and held in Liberty Jail.
Returning to Far West in 1839 was literally life-threatening for a Latter-day Saint. Many said the Twelve should not go to Far West as commanded, but as Brigham Young later related, he was determined to follow the Lord’s directions and keep His commandments at all costs:
It was pretty hard in the eyes of many for us to go to Far West [at the] time we left. There was nine of us there after ordaining George A and another. Some of our brethren said we should not live to go there.
I said we should and come back, and one thing [was] certain, if we didn’t live to go, we should die trying, we should fulfill all the Lord had spoken.
They had said far and near that there was one revelation could not be fulfilled. The revelation was given on 8th of July and was published in Elder’s Journal and went forth among the people, and they cried that that revelation never could be fulfilled, but it was, and we went our way rejoicing.”
They arrived in Far West shortly after midnight on the appointed day. They sang, prayed, ordained George A. Smith and Wilford Woodruff as apostles, symbolically started their mission (though they were not able to leave for some weeks), and went on their way rejoicing. They fulfilled the commandment of the Lord.
Brigham Young’s View of Himself
Brigham Young’s comments on himself help us see him as he saw himself and as he really was. He said he didn’t care what others thought of him:
I am that independent. I never lose a moment’s sleep reflect[ing] whether people love me or not. [It] never takes away my appetite. I never hate anybody so as take away my appetite, or love anybody so as do it, but I delight in doing good, keeping the commandments of [the] Lord, and building up this kingdom, and it is my chief and only joy.”
He loved music; his singing voice was one of the comforts on Zion’s Camp. He supported the Tabernacle Choir but would scold them for not following their conductor. Once, he invited a choir from a small Utah town to Salt Lake City to show the Tabernacle Choir how to follow their leader and sing.
He also worried about the discomfort of people sitting on the hard benches in the old tabernacle:
We ought to have this tabernacle filled with sofas and have it large enough for every man and woman to lie down upon and sing psalms until we sing ourselves to sleep. … I ought to have a room to myself and if I wished in myself sit and sing myself to everlasting bliss.”
He would have loved the Conference Center with its soft seats.
Brigham Young as a Prophet and Leader
After Joseph Smith’s death, Brigham Young and the Twelve took their proper place as the leadership of the church. Brigham Young later said:
When I heard of the death of Joseph [my thought was], what will become of the people? What will the Saints do? The prophet has gone! It was my whole desire to preserve the sheep, the flock of God. This was my desire and my whole desire and it is so today: what can we do to preserve the flock of God.”
Responding to Claims of Leadership
But there were others who also laid claim to the leadership of the church. When Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed, most of the Twelve were away on missions, sent by Joseph Smith.
Sidney Rigdon arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois, on August 3, 1844, before most of the Twelve and immediately pressed his claim to the leadership of the church. Brigham Young and four other members of the Twelve arrived in the evening of August 6. Sidney Rigdon had called a meeting of the Saints for August 8, 1844, at which he spoke about the future of the church.
Brigham Young later recalled his response to Sidney Rigdon’s words:
I do think I am a good hand to keep dogs out of the flock. When Sidney Rigdon was saying he [should become the] church guardian, … I went there alone, and pretty soon Kimball came and Brother Woodruff, this and that and the other, and filled up the stand and Sidney took his place on the wagon.
I thought, my good fellow, if I do not hunt you until you are out of this flock of sheep, I am mistaken! That is the way I feel to this day.”
Called of God
Brigham Young knew he was called of God:
The Lord in his providence called me where I am; [it is] not my own doing, and it is and through the providence of God, and I know how to build up the kingdom.”
He applied the same standard to himself that he did to Joseph Smith, about the Lord calling His prophets:
I am naturally as much tempted as any other man. As to the complaint many make want of education, there is not a man in this stand that can tell harder story with regard to [woods?], back woods, hard fare. …
I know how to cut down hemlock trees and beech, maple, basswood. I know how to clear off farms. I knew it in my youth, learned it as trade, hard fare.
What I aim to say [is], God calls me to [this] duty. [It is] none of my business whether [I am] capable or not; if he doesn’t give me anything to say to people I sit down, and hold [my] tongue.”
Revelation and Brigham Young
Many church members questioned then and later why Brigham Young did not write revelations like Joseph Smith did. Brigham Young addressed this on occasion:
Many whine [that] Brother Brigham does not have revelation. Why bless your souls, hearts or gizzards! I could not speak [or] exist one day without living in the light of revelation.
[People ask me], Why do not you write your revelations? Because it would damn the people, and when a revelation is given, if [they do] not abide it, [it would] cut people from the church.
I speak the words of the Lord to the people without writing a revelation and saying thus saith the Lord; it is to spare the weak and the feeble and the ignorant.”
He explained that if he wrote a revelation and it was accepted by the people, those who did not obey would be under condemnation. For this reason, he did not write his revelations. Section 136 is the only revelation given to Brigham Young included in the Doctrine and Covenants.
Though he did not write revelations as Joseph Smith did, Brigham Young said that revelation was essential to him to live and lead:
I don’t know how a saint can get along without the revelations of the Spirit of the Lord day by day. I don’t. I cannot accomplish any business transactions and know how to conduct myself before my family, before my neighbors, and do my work, to be prepared to accomplish the work here upon the earth that is assigned me to do manfully, nobly and acceptably to God…
I don’t know [how to] see how a person can get along without the revelations of the Lord Jesus.”
Learning and Following God’s Will
Brigham Young sought to learn and follow the mind and will of the Lord, as he told the Salt Lake City School of the Prophets in May 1868:
I have an experience in these things and it is this: in the first place to learn the mind and the will of God, then bring my will and mind and love and affection directly to that line, to do the things the Lord wants done and requires of me. That is what I wish to do. I wish to do nothing else but the will of God. …
I know just as well how to direct this people how to sustain themselves, to become wealthy and wise, as I know the road home. God has given this to me, and filled me with everything [I] know, place and time, and it is plain to me how to dictate the people.
There is no goodness in me more than others, only I am here. I am here, and I only desire to do the best I can, and lead this people to victory and glory, the Lord being my helper and he does help me all the time.”
Conclusion
When we hear Brigham Young, as he spoke, his own words, according to the shorthand record, we hear a very different man from the one that is so often criticized. Brigham bashing has become a sport in the church—criticizing him for his words or parts of his teachings, often without correct information or considering the times in which he lived.
Yes, he said things that I and many others wish he had not said, but I have said many things that I wish I had not said, and I suppose every person here has also. We, as a people, need to re-examine what we believe and say about Brigham Young, based on correct understanding and based on correct sources.
He was a complex person and lived in complex times. He thought deeply and shared his thoughts. He led the church through many perilous times. He organized the first emigration to Salt Lake City and tried every means, including handcarts, to bring the Saints to Utah, even though he knew many, if not the majority, would not stay faithful. He was a brilliant organizer.
He sought the Lord and His gospel long before he found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When he found the truth, he studied it intensely, then believed, and believing, never wavered. He learned for himself of the divinity of Joseph Smith’s call, as he said: “I knew then for myself and not for another.”
He lived according to what he knew; when hard times came and difficult teachings, he studied and prayed and pondered until he could understand. He always remained faithful to Joseph Smith, to his teachings and revelations, to the gospel, to the church, and to the Lord.
Q&A with LaJean Purcell Carruth
Following her talk, LaJean Purcell Carruth was interviewed by Scott Gordon.
Brigham Young and Joseph Smith: A Controversial Theory
Scott Gordon: What is your view on the theory that Brigham had Joseph Smith killed?
LaJean Purcell Carruth: It is absolute, total, utter nonsense. I have in my life experienced a tremendous amount of personal slander somewhat ugly that has made me fierce in seeking truth and defending on the truth. I have personally transcribed George DWT Shand notes taken in the courtroom when men were tried for the murder of Joseph Smith. There are two other sets of longhand notes that I have also read. If any group had any interest in promoting that theory it would have been those men on trial for murder. There’s a hint of it that’s utter nonsense. It’s easy to make up stories and throw stones.
Shorthand Research and Translation
Scott Gordon: Regarding your shorthand research, are there lots of records in shorthand that need to be translated still and are there many people with this skill and what has that work been like?
LaJean Purcell Carruth: I’m solo. I’ve taught some brilliant people to reach shorthand. I’ve got this wacky brain. I can’t drive. I goof up all sorts of things, but I can read shorthand. It’s my calling and my gift.
I have transcribed almost everything we have said by Brigham Young and everything we have by John Taylor and working on W for R and others. There will be some left. I’m 72. I’ll work still for several years, I hope, but maybe I have some hope on my daughter.
Brigham Young and the Priesthood Ban
Scott Gordon: What have you learned about Brigham’s views on slavery and did that feed into the priesthood ban or and or another part, did you find anything related to Brigham in the priesthood ban while you’re doing your shorthand transcription?
LaJean Purcell Carruth: Yes. I am co-author with U of U history professor Paul Reeve attorney and PhD history student Christopher Rich on the start of the priesthood ban in 1852. The Utah territorial legislature was debating slavery. Some Southern church members had brought slaves into Utah territory and there needed to be some laws passed.
In this mid of this debate, Brigham Young said they can’t hold a priesthood. Now in one note on one other meeting there’s a, this is stated before, but this is the first record of anybody stating it for BTIM, but it was obvious from the debate that everybody knew it. Now the book will be published by Oxford in October in the lunchroom and where the book room where the book sale is there’s flyers with 30% discount code for pre-orders from Oxford. I’m not trying to sell the book. That’s not my job here. But if you’re going to buy the book, there’s a, I am, I’m trying to sell anything out of the bookstore so go ahead. No, it’s just a, it’s just a flyer, but I’m sure you’ll carry it. It’s called This Abominable Slavery.
The Adam-God Theory
Scott Gordon: Has your research ever added insight to Brigham’s comments on the Adam-God theory?
LaJean Purcell Carruth: Brigham Young said once, “Let doctrine alone you don’t understand.” When it comes to Adam-God, I say, “Thank you, Brigham.” Yes, the big first talk he gave on April 9th I think it is 1852, the Shand doesn’t exist. He did teach it. I personally don’t understand it.
So I follow his advice and let doctrine alone I don’t understand. But there are some teachings of and things that I have transcribed.
Brigham Young’s Words and Research Resources
Scott Gordon: Where would be the best place for me if I was looking for stuff on Brigham Young?
LaJean Purcell Carruth: Matthew Grow, the director of the Church History Library, is writing a biography of Brigham Young. He’s a very, very, very busy man. That will be the biography to read on Brigham Young.
If you want to read his words, go to the Church History Library catalog and look in collection CR R 100 912 or else you can just put my name in the search box and there is literally thousands of pages of Brigham Young’s words that I’ve transcribed. Wait for Matt Grow’s biography. That’s, that’s going to be the one to read.
Brigham Young’s Example for Young Members
Scott Gordon: What have you learned about Brigham’s character that is most applicable to young members of the Church, and what about him should young people strive to emulate?
LaJean Purcell Carruth: His intense desire to find the truth and follow it. He searched out every church he could find anything about trying to find a church that followed the Bible. You know, he met Joseph Smith. The quote I read, he says, “I knew for myself and not for another.”
We must all seek and find the truth for ourselves, but be careful you are searching from the truth. There is so much nonsense and garbage out there purporting to be the truth. Check citations. Be careful. Be careful of sources. Study his words. But he was a good, good, good man. He was a caring man. He was a loving man.
coming soon…
- Date Presented: August 8, 2024
- Duration: 44 minutes
- Event/Conference: 2024 FAIR Conference
- Topics Covered: Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, Zion’s Camp, LDS history, revelation, faith and obedience, Missouri persecutions, apologetics, prophetic guidance, gospel principles, Church leadership, Netflix American Primeval, Mountain Meadows Massacre, early Latter-day Saints, Mormon pioneers, LDS Church history, Mormonism, Mormon history controversies, Brigham Young and violence, LDS Church leaders
1. Concern: Brigham Young was a violent man.
This talk shows a side of Brigham Young that contrasts common perceptions of him as harsh or violent. His own words demonstrate humility, kindness, and thoughtfulness, particularly in his prayers and teachings. Brigham Young’s actions, such as leading Zion’s Camp and fulfilling difficult revelations like the mission to Far West, reveal a man devoted to obedience and the well-being of others, not one driven by aggression or violence.
2. Concern: Brigham Young did not receive revelation like Joseph Smith.
Brigham Young acknowledged this concern in his words, explaining that while he did not write down revelations in the same way Joseph Smith did, he lived by continuous revelation. He expressed that written revelations would have condemned those who failed to obey, which he sought to avoid for the benefit of the Church. Brigham Young emphasized that daily guidance from the Lord was essential to his life and leadership, illustrating his deep connection to divine inspiration.
3. Concern: Brigham Young’s teachings and actions are outdated or irrelevant.
The talk invites listeners to consider the historical and cultural context in which Brigham Young lived. His leadership during times of persecution and hardship required practical and sometimes unpopular decisions. By sharing Brigham Young’s own reflections on his teachings and actions, the talk urges members to re-evaluate their criticisms with accurate information and a better understanding of his time.
1. Joseph Smith (Prophets and Revelation)
Brigham Young’s testimony of Joseph Smith is a recurring theme in the talk. He spoke of his initial skepticism and how he gained a firm, personal witness of Joseph Smith’s divine calling through observation and revelation. His unwavering support for Joseph Smith highlights the continuity of prophetic authority and the legitimacy of Joseph’s revelations, reinforcing the importance of prophets in the Church.
2. Book of Mormon (Scriptures and Translation)
Brigham Young described his process of accepting the Book of Mormon, emphasizing the need to study and pray for personal confirmation. His approach reflects a model for those investigating the Book of Mormon, demonstrating that the gospel requires both faith and intellectual engagement. Brigham Young’s testimony defends the divine origins of the Book of Mormon and its critical role in the Restoration.
3. Zion’s Camp (Faith and Sacrifice)
The talk illustrates how Brigham Young viewed Zion’s Camp as an invaluable spiritual experience, even though it did not accomplish its immediate goals. He explained that the lessons he learned in leadership, faith, and obedience prepared him for future responsibilities. This perspective defends the spiritual and practical purpose of Zion’s Camp, showing it as a refining experience that shaped future Church leadership.
Fact-checking American Primeval: What’s Real and What’s Fiction?
- Mountain Meadows Massacre Researchers Rick Turley and Barbara Jones Brown | Peace & Violence
- “American Primeval: A Historical Fiction Series about 1850s Utah”
- Craig L. Foster, “Murder, Mayhem and Mormons: Was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Really a Violent Faith?”
- The Mountain Meadows Massacre|300 Primary Sources
- New Netflix series debuts Thursday about Brigham Young, Mountain Meadows. Is it accurate?
- Ronald W. Walker, Richard E. Turley, and Glen M. Leonard, Massacre at Mountain Meadows (Oxford University Press, 2011)
- Richard E. Turley and Barbara Jones Brown, Vengeance Is Mine: The Mountain Meadows Massacre and Its Aftermath (Oxford University Press, 2023)
- Janiece Johnson, Convicting the Mormons: The Mountain Meadows Massacre in American Culture (The University of North Carolina Press, 2023)
- Lessons from the Mountain Meadows Massacre
- American Indians and Latter-day Saint Pioneers
- Brigham Young
- Danites
- Indian Slavery and Indentured Servitude
- “Peace and Violence among 19th-Century Latter-day Saints,” Gospel Topics Essays, topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
- Richard E. Turley Jr., “The Mountain Meadows Massacre,” Ensign, Sept. 2007, 14–21.
- What is the Mountain Meadows Massacre?
- Was Brigham Young Involved in the Mountain Meadows Massacre?
Share this article
