Witness to Change:

Church Transitions in My Lifetime

There is one advantage to old age: I have seen a LOT of Church history. Consequently, I have seen some important changes over time.

Sometimes young people have the impression that the LDS Church changes very little or that revelation has come to a virtual stand still. I may have had that impression when I was a young man. No longer.

The Church promotes "continuing revelation," and that term can be translated to mean that the LDS people believe in change, adaptation, modification, and revision. (Cultural evolution operates much like biological evolution, but that is a story for another day).

In a previous essay I have recounted some of the changes that took place in the 19th century Church. (See: "The Latter-day Church in the 19th Century: Going Back in Time to Learn about Ourselves").

I want to build upon my previous essay by recounting some changes that I have actually witnessed:

*****Plural Marriage*****

From a distance, I witnessed the last stages of polygamy in the LDS Church. I am NOT exactly ancient, but I am old enough to have known widows (now deceased) who had practiced polygamy in a form still sanctioned by the LDS Church. (The LDS Church officially dropped the practice of polygamy in 1890. However, there was a transition period known as the "Post-Manifesto" that lasted until 1904 or so). Still alive are children from those plural marriages. They are few in number (and they do not advertise themselves), but I know some of them.

I am NOT a proponent or a fan of plural marriage, but in my interviews with those involved I was impressed by their spiritual connections with the topic. They believed they had done as God wanted.

Even so, I am grateful that practice is in the past. Our Church made a dramatic change, and the change was for the best.

*****Blacks & Priesthood*****

My father did some scientific training and workshops in the early 1960s at Louisiana State University (LSU), and so my family lived in Baton Rouge for short periods of time. The education it provided me was dramatic. I saw up-close impoverished African Americans living in shanties along the Mississippi River. I saw "Whites Only" public bathrooms and water fountains. Racial discrimination and segregation became particularly distasteful to me at an early age. My parents taught me to be sensitive to the NEED for change.

Consequently, my family paid close attention to the Civil Rights Movement in the sixties. I served a mission in the early seventies and then later attended BYU. At that time, I had hoped for a change in Church policy toward the blacks.

Then, one day in 1978 while walking on a sidewalk near Cougar Stadium someone shouted at me that the Church had changed its policy. All worthy males, regardless of skin color, could be ordained to the priesthood. I literally jumped in the air, producing a shout of joy and clicking my heels. Other people nearby me followed suit. (When I tell this story in person, I can give the shout but I can no longer jump and click my heels).

The Church has been truly blessed by virtue of this change.

*****Temples*****

Prior to serving a mission I received my endowment in the Los Angeles Temple in 1972. In about 1980 I began to hear rumors that the Church was thinking about building smaller versions of the temple so that they could operate in many more locations. Then in October of 1997 President Hinckley made an announcement in Conference that the Church would begin to build small temples. Soon, new construction sites appeared all over multiple continents and countries. With respect to the LDS temple, I have seen important changes in design, practice, and clothing. Such changes have made the ceremonies more efficient and poignant for modern peoples.

*****Scriptures****

In 1979 I witnessed a new LDS edition of the King James Bible with study aids, such as a thorough topical index, Bible dictionary, and portions of the Joseph Smith Translation.

In 1981 the Church published a new Triple Combination. This edition included Sections 137 and 138, which had been added to the scriptural canon in 1976. (see George S. Tate: "The Great World of the Spirits of the Dead").

*****General Authorities*****

I have witnessed any number of organizational design changes in the Seventies and Area Authorities. They are too numerous and complex for me to accurately recount. I have never seen design changes in the First Presidency or Council of Twelve.

*****Conclusions*****

The Church changes and evolves. Critics might argue, "God is the "same yesterday, and to day, and for ever" (Hebrews 13:8). I would counter, "True, but people are NOT the same yesterday, today, or tomorrow." Needs change and an interested God can communicate.

I do not pretend to know how the Church will change, but it is a safe prediction that it will continue to change. I am NOT arguing that basic standards or morals will change, but I am saying that continuous revelation allows Latter-day Saints to put their practices and doctrines into a modern context.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a dynamic movement, not designed for stagnation. It is designed with staying power. Change is an essential ingredient.

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Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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