Revelations after Joseph Smith | Ep. 1749 | LDS Discussions Ep. 38

When God Speaks, Then Changes His Mind: The Problem of Post-Joseph Revelations

The foundational promise of Mormonism rests on a simple claim: God speaks to living prophets. Gordon B. Hinckley famously declared that everything stands or falls on Joseph Smith's First Vision, yet an equally consequential question remains unexplored in Sunday School curricula. What happened to the revelations after Joseph died? A recent episode of Mormon Stories Podcast (Episode 1749) confronts this question directly, comparing the prolific canonization of Smith's era with the administrative silence that followed. The contrast reveals not a closed canon, but a closed door.

From Canonized Commandments to Corporate Consensus

Joseph Smith produced scripture at a startling pace. When a member asked whether to serve a mission, Smith dictated a specific revelation, canonized in the Doctrine and Covenants, commanding the individual to sell their possessions and depart in spring. Today, when members ask about Heavenly Mother's identity or LGBTQ+ inclusion, the First Presidency responds with variations of "we have no idea."

This shift began immediately after Smith's death. The podcast hosts note that early successors hesitated to claim the title "Prophet," preferring "President" until the mid-twentieth century. More tellingly, they stopped adding to the scriptural canon. While Community of Christ (the former RLDS Church) continues to add revelations to their Doctrine and Covenants, the LDS Church has canonized nothing since 1978, and that single addition resolved a policy crisis rather than announcing new doctrine.

The Revelations That Weren't Divine