Sacred Texts: Mormons

Doctrine and Convenants: 51. Revelation through Joseph Smith, Thompson, Ohio, May 1831.

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This is Section 51 of the Doctrine and Covenants, a canonized collection of revelations foundational to Latter-day Saint scripture, presented as direct divine instruction delivered through Joseph Smith. The revelation addresses Bishop Edward Partridge with specific directives for organizing an early LDS community — likely in Ohio or Missouri circa 1831 — under what the tradition calls the "law of consecration," a system of communal economic stewardship. Each member is to receive a written deed to a portion of land or resources sized to their family's circumstances and needs, but surplus goods are to flow into a bishop's storehouse for redistribution to the poor; a member who leaves or is expelled from the church forfeits the consecrated portion while retaining only the deeded one. The text mandates equality of distribution ("receive alike, that ye may be one"), appoints an agent to manage money for food and clothing, and insists all transactions pass through the bishop or a church-appointed representative. A distinctive claim is the explicitly provisional nature of the land grant — God "consecrates" the territory only "for a little season" until commanding the community to move on, urging members nonetheless to farm and build as if settling permanently. The section closes with a brief eschatological reminder that Christ's return is imminent and unexpected, and that faithful stewards will inherit eternal life.

Doctrine and Convenants: 51. Revelation through Joseph Smith, Thompson, Ohio, May 1831.

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