Thirty-Nine (1844)It was expected that the LDS people would stumble. Before Joseph was killed in June
of 1844, he made sure that not only were his own stumbling blocks securely in place, but that
there were others who would unknowingly continue the process of causing the people to
stumble, as intended by our creators.
Joseph’s Counselors, Sidney Rigdon and William Law, Became His Critics....................
By the vote of the Church, Sidney Rigdon had maintained his post as Joseph’s “First
Counselor.”^26 In January of 1844, Joseph was successful at getting rid of William Law, his other
counselor.^27 When Joseph made himself the only man who could authorize a plural marriage^28
and began to take numerous women as his spiritual wives, Law rejected this ostensive abuse of
authority outright and joined forces with Rigdon to undermine Joseph’s authority.
Rigdon never told Law the true reasons for the practice, though Rigdon was fully
aware of them. Because few knew the true purpose, rumors spread quickly and vain and
foolish imagination overcame the people, sanctioning them to believe whatever they wanted
to believe about the principle of spiritual wifery. The members and leaders invented their
own understanding of “spiritual unions,” which understanding is at the root of the modern-
day LDS/Mormon practice of Temple Marriage. Before long, even men were being sealed to
Joseph, as well as other married women who did not think their husbands would be worthy
enough to make it to the Celestial kingdom.
Because of William Law’s troubled mind towards Joseph, he often related his
distrust and complaints to his wife Jane. Jane Law was a good friend of Emma Smith and
both were intimately involved in the Relief Society. Jane confided in Emma many of her
husband’s complaints, which, of course, reached Joseph’s ears. In sum, Emma expressed to
Joseph that Jane wanted to be sealed to him. So Joseph met with Jane Law in private and
asked her if she wanted to be sealed to him so as to ensure that she, according to her
understanding and desire, would make it to the Celestial kingdom if her husband did not.
Jane confessed having the private meeting with Joseph to her husband and what it was
about—this became the last straw for William Law.
William Law became one of Joseph’s most outspoken critics. Law met with whoever
would listen to his disparaging rhetoric about Joseph. Law wanted to convince others that,
although Joseph might have been a true prophet at one time, he was now a fallen prophet. He
claimed that Joseph was becoming a dictator who wanted to overthrow the United States
government and establish himself as the head of the nation. Of course, his main complaint was
that Joseph was a sexual predator who wanted all the women for himself, especially Law’s wife.
Secretly, Joseph agreed with William Law’s concerns. He knew Law was sincere and
had made some good reasoned points about his alleged behavior. Unfortunately, Joseph
was not allowed to tell Law the real truth—that he was doing all these things to make the
people stumble, because they desired it.
The “Council of Fifty” Began as a Political Campaign Committee
The people made their voice known and wanted Joseph to run for U.S. President
with Sidney as his running mate.^29 The church councils formed a commission of men that
was similar to a presidential election commission, which would manage the candidacy and
establish a political platform on which he and Rigdon would run. LDS dogma, rumor, and,
of course, the LDS/Mormon appetite for conspiracy and legend, rumored this group of men