Doctrine and Covenants 123:1

The Saints who suffered in Missouri were obedient to the Prophet Joseph Smith’s counsel in Doctrine and Covenants 123, and they collected numerous accounts of their persecutions. The following are three of the official statements given to judicial officials:

“General Clark came to Caldwell with his troops. I was living about two miles from Far West … near to Mr. Gad Yale’s. A number of General Clark’s troops came to Mr. Yale’s house and stopped there for about two days and destroyed considerable property. They tore up both the floors of the house, destroyed their poultry and hogs, and set fire to … a haystack. I saw them set fire to the stack, which was entirely destroyed. They took what corn they wanted for their horses from Mr. Yale, and I believe he had about ten acres destroyed. … Some of the hogs which they shot down were left to rot on the ground. I also saw some of the militia go into Mr. Cyrus Daniel’s house, which they plundered. I saw them carry out one bed and bedding and some clothing” (Mary K. Miles, in Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 1833–1838 Missouri Conflict, ed. Clark V. Johnson [1992], 496–97; punctuation, capitalization, and spelling standardized).

“I hereby certify that my father stopped at Haun’s mill and was living in a tent at the time the massacre took place there. I was in the tent when the company rode up. Some of our people hollered to the women and children to leave the tents. I ran into a blacksmith shop where my father was. I crept under the bellows, as also did my brother and another boy by the name of Charles Merrick. I was wounded on the hip, my brother had his brains blown out, and the other boy received three wounds and has since died of them. My mother tells me that I was eight years old last month. I saw some of our enemies pull off my father’s boots before he was dead” (Alma Smith, in Mormon Redress Petitions, 537; punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and spelling standardized).

“This may certify that I, Delia Reed, moved to Missouri in the year 1836. My husband died soon after we arrived and left me with seven small children. … When the troubles came on between the inhabitants and the Mormons, I, with the rest of our society, was obliged to leave the state. … I was obliged to sacrifice the most of my property [and] my family [became] scattered, and I had to gain a daily pittance among strangers” (Delia Reed, in Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 1833–1838 Missouri Conflict, ed. Clark V. Johnson [1992], 523; punctuation, capitalization, and spelling standardized).

Doctrine and Covenants 123:4–5

Elder Robert D. Hales:

“Experience shows that seasons of negative publicity about the Church can help accomplish the Lord’s purposes. In 1983 the First Presidency wrote to Church leaders, ‘Opposition may be in itself an opportunity. Among the continuing challenges faced by our missionaries is a lack of interest in religious matters and in our message. These criticisms create … interest in the Church. … This provides an opportunity [for members] to present the truth to those whose attention is thus directed toward us’ [First Presidency letter, Dec. 1, 1983].

“We can take advantage of such opportunities in many ways: a kind letter to the editor, a conversation with a friend, a comment on a blog, or a reassuring word to one who has made a disparaging comment. We can answer with love those who have been influenced by misinformation and prejudice—who are ‘kept from the truth because they know not where to find it’ (D&C 123:12). I assure you that to answer our accusers in this way is never weakness. It isChristian courage in action” (“Christian Courage: The Price of Discipleship,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 73).

Elder Neil L. Andersen:

“There have always been a few who want to discredit the Church and to destroy faith. Today they use the Internet.

“Some of the information about the Church, no matter how convincing, is just not true. In 1985, I remember a colleague walking into my business office in Florida. He had a Time magazine article entitled ‘Challenging Mormonism’s Roots.’ It spoke of a recently discovered letter, supposedly written by Martin Harris, that conflicted with Joseph Smith’s account of finding the Book of Mormon plates.

“My colleague asked if this new information would destroy the Mormon Church. The article quoted a man who said he was leaving the Church over the document. Later, others reportedly left the Church. I’m sure it was a trial of their faith.

“A few months later, experts discovered (and the forger confessed) that the letter was a complete fraud. I remember really hoping that those who had left the Church because of this deception would find their way back” (“Trial of Your Faith,”Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2012, 41).

President Dallin H. Oaks:

“Evaluation … has two dimensions, intellectual and spiritual.

“In terms of the intellectual, readers and viewers clearly need to be more sophisticated in evaluating what is communicated to them. …

“For Latter-day Saints, evaluation also has a spiritual dimension. This is because of our belief in Moroni’s declaration that ‘by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things’ (Moroni 10:5). That promise assures spiritually sensitive readers a power of discernment that will help them evaluate the meaning of what they learn.

“In connection with our spiritual powers of evaluation, we need to remember that the Spirit of the Lord will not guide us if our own attitude is one of faultfinding. That principle applies to readers and writers. …

“Our individual, personal testimonies are based on the witness of the Spirit, not on any combination or accumulation of historical facts. If we are so grounded, no alteration of historical facts can shake our testimonies. Our Heavenly Father gave us powers of reason, and we are expected to use them to the fullest. But he also gave us the Comforter, who he said would lead us into truth and by whose power we may know the truth of all things. That is the ultimate guide for Latter-day Saints who are worthy and willing to rely on it” (“Reading Church History,” in Symposium Speeches [symposium on the Doctrine and Covenants and Church history, Aug. 14–16, 1985], 4, 5).

Doctrine and Covenants 123:12

President M. Russell Ballard:

“Far too many people have a poor understanding of the Church because most of the information they hear about us is from news media reports that are often driven by controversies. Too much attention to controversy has a negative impact on peoples’ perceptions of what The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really is” (“Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet,” Ensign, July 2008, 62).

“There are conversations going on about the Church constantly. Those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches. While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time. …

“Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration. … This, of course, requires that you understand the basic principles of the gospel. It is essential that you are able to offer a clear and correctwitness of gospel truths” (“Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet,” 61, 62).

Doctrine and Covenants 123:17

The Prophet Joseph Smith believed and lived the principle that we must do all we can before we can have the assurance of God’s help. As recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 101:86–89, the Lord commanded the Saints to bring the accounts of their suffering and persecution to the attention of government leaders, including the president of the United States. On November 29, 1839, the Prophet Joseph Smith and Elias Higbee, a judge, met with the president of the United States, Martin Van Buren.

“At first Van Buren was inconsiderate of the Prophet’s plea. However, as the discussion progressed, the president promised to reconsider his position and ‘felt to sympathize with [the Mormons], on account of [their] sufferings’ [in History of the Church, 4:40].

“After their visit with President Van Buren, the Prophet and Elias Higbee stayed two months in the East, trying to gain support from senators and representatives who might be willing to espouse their cause [see History of the Church, 4:40, 43–44]. They met with President Van Buren again in February 1840. By this time, Van Buren had lost any sympathetic feelings he might have had for the Church. According to the Prophet, the president treated them rudely and declared: ‘Gentlemen, your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you. … If I take up for you I shall lose the vote of Missouri’ [in History of the Church, 4:80]” (Arnold K. Garr, “Joseph Smith: Campaign for President of the United States,” Ensign, Feb. 2009, 49).