Council of January 26, 1838

Two senior apostles and the high council reject David and John Whitmer, W. W. Phelps as presidents of Zion and arrange for neighborhood meetings on the case.

Spelling of names has been standardized.

Date January 26, 1838 FWR, 135–136.
Location Far West house of John Anderson
Officiating John Murdock, moderator
Samuel Bent, clerk		  
  Meeting pursuant to Social Occasion of January 20, 1838.
Present   Apostles High Counselors Others
  Thomas B. Marsh
David W. Patten		 John Murdock
Simeon Carter
Elias Higbee
George M. Hinkle
Thomas Grover
Levi Jackman
George Morey
Lyman Wight 		Samuel Bent, high priest
Others

History of David W. Patten

History of Lyman Wight

Lyman Wight, Wild Ram of the Mountains
  "John Murdock being the most aged in Council presided and Samuel Bent was chosen clerk of the meeting."
  Committee reports that the presidents declared they had not broken any revelation or law of God by selling their lands in Jackson County Committee: George M. Hinkle, Thomas Grover, and George Morey.
Presidents refuse to follow revelations in temporal matters

and further if they were deprived of that privilege they would sell their possessions in Far-West and move out of the place and W. W. Phelps said he would move out of the accursed place and further they declared they would not be controlled by an ecclesiastical power or revelation whatever in their temporal concerns.

 
Oliver, David, John use tea and coffee

And respecting the word of wisdom, W. W. Phelps Said he had not broken it but had kept it. O Cowdery said he had drank tea three times a day this winter on act of his ill health. David and John Whitmer said they did use tea and coffee but they did not consider them to come under the head of hot drinks.

 In Kirtland, non-compliance with the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89, February 27, 1833) was declared grounds for removal from office at the ¶ Council of January 26, 1834. In Far West, the council went even further at the ¶ Conference of May 1837: compliance was to be based on a literal reading of the revelation.
Council resolves:
Council rejects presidents
1st That under existing circumstances we no longer receive them as Presidents.
Branches to meet on the case
2nd That the case be laid before the Church at different meetings held for that purpose by seven of the High Councellors viz. John Murdock, Simeon Carter, Elias Higbee, Levi Jackman, G. M. Hinkle, George Morey, and Lyman Wight …
Thomas B. Marsh is later appointed to replace Higbee, and Thomas Grover to replace Jackman.
Written notification 3rd Elias Higbee and G. M. Hinkle are to notify the various neighborhoods of meeting times and places.
  4th Thomas B. Marsh is to give the presidents written notification of the council's decision.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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