"Mission to the American Indians"

I've previously discussed the revisionist history in Saints, Vol. 1, regarding the mission to the Lamanites. A reader, Bruce Lloyd, submitted this analysis, which I post here with his permission.
_____

A Mission to the Lamanites is reported differently in Saints and other documents compared to Parley P. Pratt’s autobiography.

Parley’s 1831 description of Oliver Cowdery preaching to the Delaware Indians (in Indian Territory west of Missouri) states, "This Book, which contained these things, was hid in the earth by Moroni, in a hill called by him Cumorah, which hill is now in the State of New York, near the village of Palmyra, in Ontario county. " See History of the Church, Vol 1, p184, The Deseret Book Company 1973.  Missionaries didn't arrive in Guatemala until 1947!

In History of the Church, Page 183 (1950 Copyright, same as above), it states, “* THE MISSION TO THE LAMANITES.—As the “mission to the Lamanites” is a very prominent event in early Church history, it is proper that the labors of the brethren engaged in it should be spoken of more fully than appears anywhere in the Prophet’s narrative, and at this point, following the letter of Oliver Cowdery, seems as appropriate a place as will be found to speak of it.”

The Saints, Vol 1 doesn’t think the mission to the Lamanites is very prominent.  In fact, they totally remove it from the narrative!  Are they trying to promote or accommodate the Mesoamerican model?  On page 98, it states, “The revelation then called Oliver to go nearly a thousand miles to the western edge of the United States to preach the restored gospel to the American Indians, who were remnants of the house of Israel.”  Two paragraphs later, on the same page 98, it states, “The Lord called Peter Whitmer, Jr, Ziba Peterson, and Parley Pratt to join Oliver on the mission to the West.”  On page 108, it states, “After Oliver left on his mission to the West…””

The Book of Mormon Introduction states, “After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are among the ancestors of the American Indians.”  This is the only reference to American Indians in all the scriptures.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/revelations-in-context/a-mission-to-the-lamanites?lang=eng is described on the Title Page as:

Revelations in Context

The Stories behind the Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants Edited by Matthew McBride and James Goldberg

Including Insights from the Joseph Smith Papers

Published by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Salt Lake City, Utah

© 2016 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America

English approval: 8/16
Translation approval: 8/16
Translation of Revelations in ContextEnglish
14095 000

This 2016 Doctrine and Covenants study manual refers to the Lamanite Mission and the Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, but it doesn’t mention that Parley told the Delaware Indians about Moroni and the metal plates deposited in the hill Cumorah in western New York near Palmyra.

The Preface to Revelations in Context states:

“The stories in this collection, which treat almost all of the sections in the Doctrine and Covenants, were written by historians in the Church History Department. In telling these stories, the authors brought to bear both their faith in the restored gospel and their training and expertise in American and Mormon history. Particularly important to this series was the Joseph Smith Papers Project, which has provided a foundation of meticulous scholarship upon which all historical interpretation of Joseph Smith’s life and work should build. Citations to the Joseph Smith Papers in Revelations in Context typically direct the reader to the documents and materials generously made available on josephsmithpapers.org.”

Sadly, Saints, The Standard of Truth, 1815-1846, Vol 1, calls it a “mission to the West” vice “mission to the Lamanites” on pages 98 and 108.  Footnote 22 on page 98 refers to:

Doctrine and Covenants 30:5–8 (Revelation, Sept. 1830–D, at josephsmithpapers.org); Doctrine and Covenants 32 (Revelation, Oct. 1830–A, at josephsmithpapers.org); Joseph Smith History, 1838–56, volume A-1, 60, in JSP, H1:458–60 (draft 2); Givens and Grow, Parley P. Pratt, 36.

Doctrine and Covenants 30:5–8

Revelation, Sept. 1830–D

Doctrine and Covenants 32

Revelation, Oct. 1830–A

Joseph Smith History, 1838–56, volume A-1, 60

The footnote is flawed.  It should point to Oliver’s preaching to the Delaware Indians and Moroni and the Hill Cumorah.  I guess flawed narrative has to point to a flawed footnote.  Why no mention of Section 28?  I don’t know what is on page 36 of Parley P. Pratt.

My missionary Triple Combination (Copyright 1970) that I used in the Ontario Quebec Mission from Nov 1971 to Nov 1973 uses the words “mission to the Lamanites” in the section headings for Sections 28 (mentions Lamanites 3 times in the scriptural text) and 30 (Lamanites mentioned 1 time in the scriptural text).  The section heading to Section 32 mentions “Lamanites” once and “Indian tribes in the west” once.  The scriptural text uses the words “into the wilderness among the Lamanites.”

My 1980 Copyright Triple Combination scriptures in Section 28 in the heading doesn’t say anything about Oliver’s mission to the Lamanites and has several fewer sentences than the 1970 version.  The subheading for verses 1-7 does state, “Oliver Cowdery is to preach to the Lamanites.”  The scriptural text does mention Lamanites 3 times like the 1970 version.

Section 30 has different verbiage and no reference to Oliver Cowdery’s mission to the Lamanites in the heading.  The subheading for versus 5-8 does state, “Peter Whitmer, Jun., is to accompany Oliver Cowdery on a mission to the Lamanites.”  The scriptural text does mention Lamanites 1 time like the 1970 version.

Section 32 has different verbiage in the heading and deletes the word “yearning” from “yearning desires.”  The last sentence from the 1970 version has been excluded in the 1980 version, “The missionaries admonished to confine themselves to the expounding of the written word, as they shall be given understanding thereof.”  The subheading for verses 1-3 does state, “preach to the Lamanites.”  The scriptural text matches the 1970 version and uses the words “into the wilderness among the Lamanites.”

As you can see, the 1980 version is drifting away from the “mission to the Lamanites” verbiage.  I didn’t compare with the online version.

Keep taking your vitamins and get some rest the April 2020 Conference is going to be different than any previous conference.  To prepare, we are supposed to study the first vision and early church history, etc.