Sacred Texts: Mormons

Mormon Doctrine & Covenants 50. Revelation through Joseph Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, May 1831.

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This is Doctrine and Covenants Section 50, a canonized Mormon scripture presented as a direct revelation from God through Joseph Smith in May 1831. The text addresses a specific crisis facing early Latter-day Saint elders in Ohio: the emergence of ecstatic or charismatic spiritual manifestations that church members were uncertain how to evaluate, and which the revelation attributes partly to deception by "false spirits" and "hypocrites" within the community. The central argument is an epistemological one — that genuine spiritual communication is always mutually intelligible, edifying, and conducted "by the Spirit of truth," so any spirit that confuses rather than enlightens can be identified as not of God. A practical test is offered: if elders encounter a spirit they cannot understand, they should pray about it, and if God does not confirm it, they have authority to rebuke it publicly but without railing or boasting. The revelation closes with direct pastoral instructions naming specific individuals (Parley P. Pratt, John Corrill, Edward Partridge) and reassures the community with language drawn from the Gospel of John — that God and Christ are one, believers are held secure, and Christ is present among them as "the good shepherd." Its most distinctive claim is the symmetric, mutually-edifying model of spiritual discernment: authentic revelation is recognizable precisely because both preacher and hearer understand each other equally.

Mormon Doctrine & Covenants 50. Revelation through Joseph Smith, Kirtland, Ohio, May 1831.

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