The Doctrine and Covenants is a significant part of the scriptural canon for Latter-day Saints, containing unique beliefs and providing a mechanism for two churches to practice their faith. It was first published in 1835 and has been accepted as scripture by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ. The latter has added new sections since 1844, including a recent addition designated as section 163.
Considered an important part of the scriptural canon by most Latter-day Saints, the Doctrine and Covenants has a special place in the worship and theology of both the Mormon Church and the Community of Christ. Containing writings that define many of the faith’s unique beliefs, the Doctrine and Covenants provides a mechanism for two churches to affirm and practice their faith in an open canon of scripture.
One of the unique features of Latter-day Saint beliefs is the concept of continuous corporate revelation. In essence, the president of the church is responsible for providing members with divinely inspired counsel. In the early years of the movement, written accounts of Church President Joseph Smith Jr.’s statements were published in church periodicals and called revelation. Within a year and a half of formally organizing the church, members expressed a desire for these revelations to be published in book form.
The first attempt to collect the first revelations began in 1831, and was nearing completion when the printing press was destroyed on July 20, 1833. This effort to organize and publish the revealing documents, entitled the Book of Commandments, was not resumed until 1834, when church leadership authorized a second attempt.
On August 17, 1835, the completed work that became known as the Doctrine and Covenants was presented to the church’s General Assembly. Each leadership quorum approved the writings in the volume, and members present voted to accept the book as scripture for the church, along with the Holy Bible and the Book of Mormon. Each revealing document was designated as a section and assigned a number. Being able to refer to a section by number has made it very easy to refer to specific sections in sermons and church print publications. Later editions organized the text of each section into verse, which improved speakers’ ability to quote key passages in church meetings and quotations for use in educational and devotional materials.
After the fragmentation of the Latter-day Saint movement in 1844, some Latter-day denominations chose not to endorse the Doctrine and Covenants as part of the accepted canon. However, the volume continued to be scripture for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ. Each church publishes its own version of the Doctrine and Covenants, with the two editions sharing approximately one hundred sections in common. Of note, the Community of Christ edition continues to include the 1835 Authorized Section on Marriage, which affirms monogamy as the standard of marriage within the church. The LDS edition of the Doctrine and Covenants does not include this section, and the church rarely chooses to add new sections.
In contrast, the Community of Christ has added a number of sections since 1844. At its 2007 World Conference, the Community of Christ authorized the inclusion of a new section which is intended to be inspired advice given through its current president , designating the new addition as section 163.
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