I am not sharing this so that people will suddenly agree with me, but to shed light on the matter and offer a greater perspective. And if you have the Holy Ghost, then there should be no problem understanding it if it is true because the Spirit edifies. It is light. It expands the mind. I will share only two small excerpts from my essay. The first is taken from a book series written by Joseph Fielding Smith who was the church historian beside his callings as apostle, president and prophet. The book, which was written as a lesson manual for the Melchizedek Priesthood in the 1940s is out of print but can still be found in Kindle version on Amazon.com and it is titled Church History and Modern Revelations. Lesson sixty-nine of this series, page 137, he writes the following:
Further in my essay, I expound on the dilemma held by many of the false and misunderstood notion that God the Father is a spirit. This seems to be the fulcrum of the whole matter and why I believe the LoF have been dismissed and discarded:“There were two schools conducted in Kirtland. One was a school of the Elders where they carried out some of the provisions of this revelation (Sec. 88) in seeking knowledge of countries and kingdoms and languages, all such information as may be gained in the regular daily school. It was in this school where many of the Elders, then residing in Kirtland, hired Dr. Seixas, a learned Hebrew scholar, and under his direction studied the Hebrew language. This school was conducted for several months and the Prophet, and others, became rather proficient in this language, due to the guidance of the Lord as much as that of the Hebrew scholar. This school proved to be of great benefit to these brethren in later years.
The other was the School of the Prophets, and a very good description of this school and its purpose is given in this section of the Doctrine and Covenants, verses 117 to the end of the section. In a letter written by the Prophet Joseph to William W. Phelps in Zion, January 14, 1833, the following appears: You will see that the Lord commanded us in Kirtland, to build a house of God, and established a school for the prophets, this is the word of the Lord to us, and we must, yea, the Lord helping us, we will obey: as on conditions of our obedience he has promised us great things; yea, even a visit from the heavens to honor us with his own presence. In an epistle written by commandment by Elders Orson Hyde and Hyrum Smith they have this to say to the Saints: We now close our epistle by saying unto you, the Lord has commanded us to purify ourselves, to wash our hands and our feet, that he may testify to his Father and our Father, to his God and to our God, that we are clean from the blood of this generation; and before we could wash our hands, and our feet, we were constrained to write this letter. Therefore, with the feeling of inexpressible anxiety for your welfare, we say again, Repent, repent, or Zion must suffer, for the scourge and judgment must come upon her. (D.H.C. 1:320.) The Prophet further writes: This winter (1832-3) was spent in translating the Scriptures; in the School of the Prophets; and sitting in conferences. I had many glorious seasons of refreshing. (D.H.C. 1:322.) This School of the Prophets and the schools where the ordinary branches were taught continued in Kirtland until the exodus from that place. It was for this school that the lectures on Faith were prepared and which were delivered to the Elders. The idea has been expressed that Sidney Rigdon wrote these lectures, but they were compiled by a number of the brethren and the Prophet himself had the final revision of them...
This should suffice to give the reader food for thought. Context is everything and for almost two centuries, points of doctrine in the LoF have been taken out of context. I have labored to clarify the context so that what was authored can be read and understood as it was intended. My essay explains why both Sidney and Joseph could teach what they did and that is because they have both been in the presence of Jesus Christ and also His Father. What they saw and understood far exceeds what most others then did. It is all laid out and fully supported. I'm not asking anyone to agree. But, please at least try to understand it even if you don't agree. Then you can say Sidney or Joseph or this nut job Marc understands it this way, but....It has been compared and contrasted with a passage found in D&C, which states:
“D&C 130:22 The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.”
What this verse does not say is that the Father's body is also that of glory and power. As such, it does not render the verse false or inaccurate. It only gives us so much information. Here is the verse in question from The Lectures on Faith:
“LoF 5:2 There are two personages who constitute the great, matchless, governing and supreme power over all things—by whom all things were created and made, that are created and made, whether visible or invisible: whether in heaven, on earth, or in the earth, under the earth, or throughout the immensity of space...”
Because it was written this way, many have supposed that the authors have declared that there are only two personages in the Godhead. But that is not what this passage states. What it does state is that there are two (of the three) personages in the Godhead “by whom all things were created and made.” Because this part of verse two is referring two personages in one context, it does not render the verse false. It only gives us so much information. Indeed it was the Father and the Son who created man “in our image, after our likeness.” (Genesis 1:26).
Continuing:
“LoF 5:2...They are the Father and the Son: The Father being a personage of spirit, glory and power: possessing all perfection and fulness...”
This part of verse two does not state that the Father is a spirit as I have read many people argue. What it does state is that the Father is a “personage” of:
1. Spirit
2. Glory
3. Power
It does not say that the Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's, but that does not render it false or inaccurate. It only gives us so much information. But let us consider another passage in the scriptures:
“D&C 93:33 For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy.”
This verse states that we are spirit. But how can that be if we have physical bodies here on earth? Does it mean that the verse is wrong? No. it only gives us so much information. If we are spirit, then our physical bodies are elements, being made from the elements (earth). It has been said that we are not physical beings trying to experience spiritual things, but rather we are spiritual beings trying to experience physical things. And so it is. But we have not yet overcome all enemies including death as the scriptures say. But the “Father” has a fulness of joy because He has overcome all things including death. As such, He is a “personage” of spirit and element inseparably connected who is also clothed in glory and power, possessing all perfections and fulness. Nowhere in these lectures does it state or imply that God is a spirit nor does D&C 93:33 imply that man is a spirit...
Here is my essay: https://latterdaylamanite.com/2017/07/2 ... y-witness/