charges against oliver to justify his excommunication....

[fusnik11]

Wednesday, April 11,—Elder Seymour Brunson preferred the following charges against Oliver Cowdery, to the High Council at Far West:fn

To the Bishop and Council of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I prefer the following charges against President Oliver Cowdery.

"First—For persecuting the brethren by urging on vexatious law suits against them, and thus distressing the innocent.

"Second—For seeking to destroy the character of President Joseph Smith, Jun., by falsely insinuating that he was guilty of adultery.

"Third—For treating the Church with contempt by not attending meetings.

"Fourth—For virtually denying the faith by declaring that he would not be governed by any ecclesiastical authority or revelations whatever, in his temporal affairs.

"Fifth—For selling his lands in Jackson county, contrary to the revelations.

"Sixth—For writing and sending an insulting letter to President Thomas B. Marsh, while the latter was on the High Council, attending to the duties of his office as President of the Council, and by insulting the High Council with the contents of said letter.

"Seventh—For leaving his calling to which God had appointed him by revelation, for the sake of filthy lucre, and turning to the practice of law.

Eighth—For disgracing the Church by being connected in the bogus business, as common report says.

"Ninth—For dishonestly retaining notes after they had been paid; and finally, for leaving and forsaking the cause of God, and returning to the beggarly elements of the world, and neglecting his high and holy calling, according to his profession."

(Joseph Smith, History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7 vols., introduction and notes by B. H. Roberts [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1932-1951], 3: 16.)

i found it interesting he accused joseph of adultery.

and for you lawyers 7 is of particular interest. i hope you all dont pay tithing.

[Dan]

... piling on Oliver to justify his excommunication. His real fault was that he would not sustain Joseph. Joseph was involved, prior to this time, with Fanny Alger, but Joseph did not allow Oliver to take a plural wife as well. Oliver thought this was unfair. He started to become disaffected with Joseph. When Joseph would not budge, Oliver seethed further. Oliver began telling people Joseph commit adultery. Polygamy was secret at the time and Oliver had to be stopped ASAP for the sake of holding the church together. Joseph, obviously, could not tell members of the church what Oliver was really being excommunicated for, so they threw a bunch of mud (charges against Oliver noted by Fusnik from Documentary History of the Church) on the wall against Oliver. Some of the things were justified, yet Oliver was liable because of (to Oliver) Joseph's hypocritical behavior. Many of the early brethren like Oliver, the Whitmers, the Johnsons, etc. became disaffected with Joseph the more formalized the church became. They were rooted out over time in this manner when they would get too vocal about then secret things.

[non sequitur]

"Seventh—For leaving his calling to which God had appointed him by revelation, for the sake of filthy lucre, and turning to the practice of law.

I think number seven was the nail in the coffin. All you lawyers take notice.

[SoCalCoug]

My former boss, a plaintiff's attorney, was actually asked in his temple recommend interview by our stake president how he reconciled his vocation with the principles of the gospel.

[non sequitur]

Originally Posted by Dan

His real fault was that he would not sustain Joseph. Joseph was involved, prior to this time, with Fanny Alger, but Joseph did not allow Oliver to take a plural wife as well. Oliver thought this was unfair.

I've never heard this version of it before. Everything I have read indicates that Oliver was repulsed by Joseph's relationship with Fanny Alger. In a letter to his brother, Oliver Cowdry referred to it as "a dirty, nasty, filthy affair." That doesn't sound like someone who is upset that he isn't being allowed to get a piece of the action.

[Archaea]

for not getting some of what Joseph got.

I admit it's not compelled logically, but psychologically it makes plausible sense.

I suspend judgment of what Joseph did, but it does bother me and taints him to some degree for me.

Up until polyandry, you can understand his actions. I do not understand polyandry for any reason. It is illogical.

[fusnik11]

was fanny alger beautiful or something?

ive heard people say fanny algers and joseph never married and thus the accusation of adultery....

of course my knowledge is little and something i read i cannot remember where but will search for it.

[Dan]

:cry: ... I will go back and look for sources on that. But once Oliver was denied the same privileges as Joseph, it is easy to see why he would outwardly claim it was a nasty affair and not allude to his own desire to enter into the practice. Sources are tougher to come by on this point as there was just as much incentive for Oliver's side and Joseph's side to keep their own involvement on the down-low.

Regarding polyandry, I know it is a tough pill to swallow, but the justification (if you swallow it) is that Joseph was told certain women were his. They agreed to be his when presented with the concept. Since plural marriage was secret at the time, Joseph was content to take them for 'eternity' as his, yet allow them to continue living for 'time' with a temporal spouse. That does not mean he did not enjoy his rightful conjugal visits . :lol:

[Dan]

... cute, adoreable young maiden in the ward that everyone sort of favors to one degree or another.

[Archaea]

the women who "were his", weren't also the cute, adorable women.

If he'd had taken the ugly bags, then it would be an easier pill to swallow.