1886 Revelation

In the Mormon fundamentalist movement, the 1886 Revelation is the text of a revelation received by John Taylor, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), that is claimed to restate the permanence of the principle of plural marriage. Along with Joseph Smith, Jr.'s 1843 revelation on plural marriage, [ [http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/132 Doctrine and Covenants section 132] .] the revelation is one of the primary documents used by Mormon fundamentalists to justify their continued practice of polygamy. The authenticity of the 1886 Revelation is not accepted by the LDS Church, which officially abandoned polygamy in 1890. [In an “Official Statement” from the First Presidency of the LDS Church, signed by Heber J. Grant, A.W. Ivins and J. Reuben Clark, Jr., it states: “It is alleged that on September 26-27, 1886, President John Taylor received a revelation from the Lord, the purported text is given in publications circulated apparently by or at the instance of this organization (Fundamentalists). As to this pretended revelation it should be said that the archives of the Church contain no such a revelation; the archives contain no record of any such a revelation, nor any evidence justifying a belief that any such a revelation was ever given. From the personal knowledge of some of us, from the uniform and common recollection of the presiding quorums of the Church, from the absence in the Church archives of any evidence whatsoever justifying any belief that such a revelation was given, we are justified in affirming that no such a revelation exists.”] Others have questioned whether the revelation, if authentic, even refers to plural marriage or its continuance.

The text of the revelation was first discovered after Taylor's death in 1887 by John W. Taylor, Taylor's son and an apostle in the LDS Church. [http://www.mormonfundamentalism.com/questions_concerning_the_1887.htm Questions concerning the 1886 revelation] , mormonfundamentalism.com, accessed of the circumstances surrounding the revelation's reception by Taylor.

The text of the revelation is as follows:

::"1886 Revelation" ::"Given to President John Taylor September 27, 1886"::"My son John, you have asked me concerning the New and Everlasting Covenant how far it is binding upon my people."

::"Thus saith the Lord: All commandments that I give must be obeyed by those calling themselves by my name unless they are revoked by me or by my authority, and how can I revoke an everlasting covenant, for I the Lord am everlasting and my everlasting covenants cannot be abrogated nor done away with, but they stand forever."

::"Have I not given my word in great plainness on this subject? Yet have not great numbers of my people been negligent in the observance of my law and the keeping of my commandments, and yet have I borne with them these many years; and this because of their weakness—because of the perilous times, and furthermore, it is more pleasing to me that men should use their free agency in regard to these matters. Nevertheless, I the Lord do not change and my word and my covenants and my law do not, and as I have heretofore said by my servant Joseph: All those who would enter into my glory must and shall obey my law. And have I not commanded men that if they were Abraham’s seed and would enter into my glory, they must do the works of Abraham. I have not revoked this law, nor will I, for it is everlasting, and those who will enter into my glory must obey the conditions thereof; even so, Amen." [ [http://www.fldstruth.com/sysmenu.php?MParent=HISTORY&MIndex=0 1886 Revelation] , fldstruth.com, accesssed 2008-05-09.]

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