Aside from a small handful of events, like the First Vision, the translation of the Book of Mormon, and the restoration of priesthood keys, it is possible that what happened in Nauvoo on August 8th, 1844 was the most critical, pivotal moment in our history forever shaping the trajectory of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was the day Church members in Nauvoo voted on who would lead the Church following the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. And the stakes could not have been higher as they decided between Joseph’s first counselor, Sidney Rigdon, on the one hand, and the Twelve Apostles led by Brigham Young on the other, because the choice at hand was not just about who would lead the Church, but ultimately about what kind of Church that would be. Would the Church hold onto and perpetuate the Nauvoo doctrines and practices, or abandon them in favor of returning to a more Kirtland or even Fayette-era type church? With this vote, the future of the Church hung in the balance.  

On this episode of Church History Matters, we walk through the six days in August leading up to and including this meeting of August 8th. And we weigh into the controversy about whether or not God actually transfigured Brigham Young in front of the crowd to make him look and sound like Joseph Smith.

For show notes and transcript for this and other episodes go to https://doctrineandcovenantscentral.org/church-history-matters-podcast/