Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Arch S. Reynolds: Simply Church Leaders having the Seer Stone Does Not Mean they Will Have the Right or Gift to Translate

  

President John Taylor in 1882 knew that the instrument known as the Urim and Thummim was lost; he also knew that the Seerstone was available if he were able to use it. He had stated that the Church had lost the power of translation. The mere fact that the Church had possession of one of the media which God had sanctified for the translation of unknown languages—the Seerstone—did not give it the power or gift to use this instrument unless God so sanctified such use—and permitted it to do so. Oliver Cowdery had been permitted the gift to use the Seerstone and translate ancient records, if he remained faithful. This promise did not hold, since he did not understand the method, so the gift was withdrawn from him.

 

The mere fact that a person may have possession of an instrument that God has sanctified for a certain use does not necessarily given him power or right to exercise that gift. According to Brother B. H. Roberts, the Church at the late-date of 1930 had the Seerstone that Joseph used. (Comprehensive History of the Church, vol. 6, p. 230) Please not that President John Taylor did not say that the Church had lost the power of receiving translations through the Seerstone; but rather that the Church had lost the power to translate ancient languages. It is our belief that President John Taylor used the Seerstone to receive revelations in 1882 and 1886. We also believe that Wilford Woodruff used it to receive the visions and revelations which he received, as recorded in his daily journal. (Arch S. Reynolds, The Urim and Thummim And Other Media Used by the Prophet Joseph Smith to Translate the Scriptures [2d ed.; Springville, Utah: Self-published, 1953], 19)