Pelatiah Brown was a contemporary of Joseph Smith’s and a doctrinal
speculator. His experience with preaching about the beasts mentioned in the
book of Revelation and the Prophet’s forgiving comments regarding those public
speculations have become perhaps the foremost excuse used by some liberals and
dissidents for proclaiming or teaching unapproved, unorthodox, and false
doctrine. Because of this, the incident is recounted here in full, followed by
comment on it from some modern Church leaders and scholars. Also given is an
official doctrinal directive from Joseph Smith in which he did not display such
an abundance of toleration toward the teaching of false or suspect/speculative doctrine
as some people have used the Pelatiah Brown incident to justify. From Determining Doctrine:
Joseph Smith:
The subject I intend to speak upon
this morning is one that I have seldom touched upon since I commenced my
ministry in the Church. It is a subject of great speculation, as well amongst
the elders of this Church, as amongst the divines of the day: it is in relation
to the beasts spoken of by John the Revelator. I have seldom spoken from the
revelations; but as my subject is a constant source of speculation amongst the
elders, causing a division of sentiment and opinion in relation to it, I now do
it in order that division and difference of opinion may be done away with, and
not that correct knowledge on the subject is so much needed at the present
time.
It is not very essential for the
elders to have knowledge in relation to the meaning of beasts, and heads and
horns, and other figures made use of in the revelations; still, it may be
necessary, to prevent contention and division and do away with suspense. If we
get puffed up by thinking that we have much knowledge, we are apt to get a
contentious spirit, and correct knowledge is necessary to cast out that spirit.
The evil of being puffed up with
correct (though useless) knowledge is not so great as the evil of contention.
Knowledge does away with darkness, suspense and doubt; for these cannot exist
where knowledge is.
There is no pain so awful as that of
suspense. This is the punishment of the wicked; their doubt, anxiety and
suspense cause weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.
In knowledge there is power. God has
more power than all other beings, because he has greater knowledge; and hence
he knows how to subject all other beings to Him. He has power over all.
I will endeavor to instruct you in
relation to the meaning of the beasts and figures spoken of. I should not have
called up the subject had it not been for this circumstance. Elder Pelatiah
Brown, one of the wisest old heads we have among us, and whom I now see before
me, has been preaching concerning the beast which was full of eyes before and
behind; and for this he was hauled up for trial before the High Council.
I did not like the old man being
called up for erring in doctrine. It looks too much like the Methodist, and not
like the Latter-day Saints. Methodists have creeds which a man must believe or
be asked out of their church. I want the liberty of thinking and believing as I
please. It feels so good not to be trammelled. It does not prove that a man is
not a good man because he errs in doctrine.
The High Council undertook to censure
and correct Elder Brown, because of his teachings in relation to the beasts.
Whether they actually corrected him or not, I am a little doubtful, but don't
care. Father Brown came to me to know what he should do about it. The subject
particularly referred to was the four beasts and four-and-twenty elders
mentioned in Rev. 5:8—"And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and
four-and-twenty elders fell down before the Lamb having every one of them
harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints."
Father Brown has been to work and
confounded all Christendom by making out that the four beasts represented the
different kingdoms of God on the earth. The wise men of the day could not do
anything with him, and why should we find fault? Anything to whip sectarianism,
to put down priestcraft, and bring the human family to a knowledge of the
truth. A club is better than no weapon for a poor man to fight with.
Father Brown did whip sectarianism,
and so far so good; but I could not help laughing at the idea of God making use
of the figure of a beast to represent His kingdom on the earth, consisting of
men, when He could as well have used a far more noble and consistent figure.
What! the Lord make use of the figure of a creature of the brute creation to
represent that which is much more noble, glorious, and important—the glories
and majesty of His kingdom? By taking a lesser figure to represent a greater,
you missed it that time, old gentleman; but the sectarians did not know enough
to detect you. (History of The Church 5:339-40.)
J.
Reuben Clark:
Furthermore,
at times even those not members of the General Authorities are said to have
been heard to declare their own views on various matters concerning which no
official view or declaration has been made by the mouthpiece of the Lord,
sometimes with an assured certainty that might deceive the uninformed and
unwary. The experience of Pelatiah Brown in the days of the Prophet is an
illustration of this general principle. (As quoted in Brent L. Top, Larry E.
Dahl, and Walter D. Bowen, Follow the Living Prophets [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1993], 232-33.)
Harold B. Lee:
Some people
get impatient because the Lord hasn’t revealed more than he has. Unmindful of
the fact that he already has revealed more than we are able to digest, in most
cases. There is an interesting story in Church History, told by the Prophet
Joseph Smith, about a man by the name of Pelatiah Brown. Pelatiah Brown was one
of these men that had made a great study about the Book of Revelation and about
the meaning of the beasts. He had a faculty for straining at explanations of
obscure teachings. And they thought to handle him for his fellowship because
his interpretations did not agree with some of the members of the High Council.
Well, the Prophet shielded him from that, “Oh,” the Prophet said, “leave
Brother Brown alone, he has been able to confound the sectarians by what he
says and anything to whip the sectarians and put down priestcraft.” (“But Arise
and Stand Upon Thy Feet—and I Will Speak with Thee,” Address to the Brigham Young University February 7, 1955 ,
10-11.)
Hugh Nibley:
Right from the first we had crazy
ideas, but we don't preach them. Joseph said you do not do that. When old
Brother Brown was brought up before the High Council, Joseph stated the case:
I never thought it was right to call
up a man and try him because he erred in doctrine, it looks too much like
methodism and not like Latter day Saintism. Methodists have creeds which a man
must believe or be kicked out of their church. I want the liberty of believing
as I please, it feels so good not to be trammeled. It don’t prove that a man is
not a good man, because he errs in doctrine. The High Council undertook to
censure and correct Br. Brown because of his teachings in relation to the
beasts [in Revelation], and he came to me to know what he should do about it.
Joseph Smith said that Brother
Brown's teachings were absolutely ridiculous. He could not keep from laughing
at his ideas. But Brother Brown had a right to them, and the elders shouldn't
attack Joseph for defending him. He said, "I . . . qualify my declaration
which I am about to make so that the young Elders who know so much may not rise
up and choke me like hornets." The elders liked to dictate doctrine to
each other, and he didn't reserve to himself even the mysteries. He said,
"There is no salvation in believing an evil report against our neighbor
[instead of criticizing]—I advise all to go on to perfection and search deeper
and deeper into the mysteries of Godliness."
"It has always been my province
to dig up hidden mysteries—new things—for my hearers." "I never hear
of a man being damned for believing too much; but they are damned for
unbelief." But let us always bear in mind that a mystery, by definition,
is something that you keep to yourself; the Greek muo means "to
shut up." A mystery is something you've been initiated into, and you don't
convey that to the general public. (Brother Brigham Challenges the Saints,
Don E. Norton and Shirley S. Ricks, ed. [Salt
Lake City and Provo :
Deseret Book Co., and FARMS, 1994], 413.)
Bruce R. McConkie:
Joseph
Smith tells us of an experience he had with a man by the name of Brown in the
early days. This man was taken before the high council for teaching false
doctrine. He had been explaining the beasts in the Book of Revelation. And he
came to the Prophet, and the Prophet, with him present in the congregation,
then preached a sermon on the subject, and in fact told us what the beasts
mean. In the sermon he said:
“I did not
like the old man being called up for erring in doctrine. It looks too much like
the Methodists, and not like the Latter-day Saints. Methodists have creeds
which a man must believe or be asked out of their church. I want the liberty of
thinking and believing as I please. It feels so good not to be trammeled. It
does not prove that a man is not a good man because he errs in doctrine.” (History of the Church, 5:340.)
That
statement applies to [false] doctrines of the lesser sort. If you err in some
doctrines, and I have, and all of us have, what we want to do is get the
further light and knowledge that we ought to receive and get our souls in tune
and clarify our thinking. Now, obviously, if you preach one of these great
basic doctrines and it is false, and you adhere to it, you will lose your soul.
(Mark L. McConkie, ed., Doctrines of the
Restoration: Sermons & Writings of Bruce R. McConkie [Salt Lake City:
Bookcraft, 1989], 339.)
Joseph
Smith:
Say to the
brothers Hulet and to all others, that the Lord never authorized them to say
that the devil, his angels or the sons of perdition, should ever be restored;
for their fate of destiny was not revealed to man, is not revealed, nor ever
shall be revealed, save to those who are made partakers thereof: consequently
those who teach this doctrine, have not received it of the Spirit of the Lord.
Truly Brother Oliver declared it to be the doctrine of devils. We therefore
command that this doctrine be taught no more in Zion . We sanction the decision of the Bishop
and his council, in relation to this doctrine being a bar to communion. (History
of The Church 1:366.)
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