Overview of Postmaster General Amos Kendall Amos Kendall and Political Power in the Postal System Amos Kendall served as Postmaster General under President Andrew Jackson. During the 19th century, the Postmaster General held vast national power because the postal system was one of the few large federal structures. Kendall became widely known for using the … Read more
Early Church Discipline Systems (1830s–1840s) In the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, disciplinary systems were far simpler than today. During the 1830s and 1840s, church members were either “in fellowship” or “cut off.” There were no formal stages such as probation or disfellowshipment. Because of this, individuals could be excommunicated and later … Read more
Introduction Doctrine and Covenants 76 — often referred to simply as “the Vision” by early Saints — presented a radical doctrine to the nineteenth-century Protestant world. Among its teachings are the idea of degrees of glory (celestial, terrestrial, and telestial), the rejection of an eternal hell in the classical Protestant sense, and the affirmation … Read more
Doctrine and Covenants 76 in Early Latter-day Saint Thought Doctrine and Covenants 76, known among early Latter-day Saints simply as “the Vision,” was regarded as one of the most important revelations ever received by Joseph Smith. In Joseph’s time, when people said “Joseph Smith’s vision,” they were usually not referring to the First Vision, but … Read more
Introduction This bonus episode draws on a revealing moment in early Church history: a letter Joseph Smith wrote in 1833 addressing members who rejected or disputed revealed doctrine—particularly the revelation now known as Doctrine and Covenants 76. By examining how early Saints reacted to prophetic teachings, the episode highlights enduring patterns seen again in the … Read more