The Restored Branch
Doctrine & Covenants
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The Doctrine and Covenants was first published in 1835 by the sustaining voice and presidency of the church and the congregation united together and still stands today as the only edition of the Doctrine and Covenants to be put before the general body of the church for a sustaining vote. On September 24, 1834, a committee was appointed by the general assembly of the church to organise a new volume of scripture containing the most significant revelations. This committee of Presiding Elders, consisting of Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon, and Frederick G. Williams, began to review numerous revelations for inclusion in the new work. The committee eventually organised the book into two parts, a "Doctrine" part and a "Covenants" part. The "Doctrine" part of the book consisted of a theological course now called the "Lectures on Faith". The Lectures on Faith were a series of doctrinal courses used in the School of the Prophets which had recently been established in Kirtland, Ohio. According to the committee, the Lectures on Faith were included in the compilation "in consequence of their embracing the important doctrine of salvation". Today in The Restored Branch of Jesus Christ's 1835 edition of the Doctrine and Covenants these lectures remain as they were intended and stand as the basis for our doctrine. The "Covenants" part of the book, labelled "Covenants and Commandments of the Lord, to his servants of the church of the Latter Day Saints" contained a total of 103 revelations. These 103 revelations were to "contain items or principles for the regulation of the church, as taken from the revelations which have been given since its organisation, as well as from former ones" . Each of the 103 revelations was assigned a "section number". On February 17, 1835, after the committee had selected the book's contents, the committee wrote that the resulting work represents "our belief, and when we say this, humbly trust, the faith and principles of this society as a body" The book was first introduced to the church body in a General Assembly on August 17, 1835. Joseph Smith and Frederick G. Williams, two of the Presiding Elders on the committee, were absent, but Oliver
Cowdery and Sidney Rigdon were present. The church membership "bore record" of the book's truth and by the end of the General Assembly, the body of the church "by a unanimous vote" agreed to accept the compilation as "the doctrine and covenants of their faith" and to make arrangements for its printing. In 1835, the book was printed and published under the title Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter Day Saints: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God.
Today The Restored Branch of Jesus Christ has compiled an official church edition of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants with the addition of new revelations given to church. For us it is important that both parts of the Doctrine and Covenants remain in tact because they are both relevant to our salvation. The truth is that many Restoration faiths have changed and taken away from the beauty of the 1835 edition by removing the Lectures on Faith and also by removing sections that they do not agree with. In The Restored Branch of Jesus Christ's edition there are no parts removed and there are only those sections in the Doctrine and Covenants that were to be found in the 1835 edition with the exception of our newly given revelations from God. For example many have changed their editions of the Doctrine and Covenants and have deliberately left out Part One on Doctrine, leaving only a Book of Commandments. The teachings of Joseph Smith in Part one do not agree with many of the new doctrines on the character of God taught by many leaders of other Restoration Faiths, so they have removed them. Section 101 in the 1835 Kirtland Edition on the subject of marriage, is not included in some editions published by other Restoration faiths as once again this did or does not agree with their leaders views on marriage. There sadly still today remain many editions of the Doctrine and Covenants published by other Restoration faiths that contain many erroneous sections attributed to Joseph Smith which were not included in any edition of any Doctrine and Covenants while he was alive, but since his death have sadly found their way in to many editions because of the wickedness and corrupt nature of men. For example Sections 2, 13, 77, 85, 87, 108, 109, 110, 111, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125, 126, 129, 130, 131, 132, and 136 were all added by the biggest Restoration faith based in Utah in the United States.
To The Restored Branch of Jesus Christ the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants edition remains a faithful part of our cannon of scripture and will remain so forever as was the intent when first published by the early church gathered together in General Assembly, united in their goal to publish to the world the revelations and doctrine of God and it is our call as Gods church to cherish this great work and no matter what any other Restoration faith may do to their work we shall remain faithful to the original teachings contained within our official church edition.
To read the Restored Branch Edition of The D&C online follow this link: Online Edition
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