D&C 1: My "hopeview"

Setting aside verse 30—which makes every liberal Mormon squirm and prompts even a good number of progressively orthodox Mormons to do a little interpretive tapdancing to reduce the offense to other Christians—D&C 1 pretty much encapsulates my worldview. Or perhaps I should say more accurately (especially in light of last night's angry, gloomy post about the Israeli ground offensive), it encapsulates my "hopeview."

We're told in this section that the human race has broken God's covenant (v. 15). We are not living in relationship with God and one another in the way God intends. Instead of seeking to "establish [the Lord's] righteousness"—I'm thinking, love of God and neighbor, justice, mercy, Zion—people seek their own interests and material aggrandizement (v. 16). The result is that we are bringing upon ourselves "calamity" (v. 17)—I'm thinking, war, global poverty, economic collapse, environmental degradation. God, knowing this and desiring to prevent it, raises up prophets (vv. 17-18)—an entire community of disciples, actually, who are commissioned and empowered to raise "a voice of warning" to all people (vv. 4-5). Part of that message of warning is that in the day of judgment, we will recieve whatever we have seen fit to mete out to others: "the Lord shall . . . measure to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man" (v. 10).

Let's linger over vv. 17-18 again. We read that God called on Joseph Smith and gave him commandments—and also to others. It's possible that Smith intends that simply as a reference to the revelations he gave to his followers. But the words are capable of other readings, and I read them as indicating that God has raised up prophetic voices besides Smith in the effort to avert calamity, the large-scale suffering humans inflict on themselves and one another. I'm thinking, say, Oscar Romero. Gustavo Gutierrez. Desmond Tutu. Rachel Carson. Al Gore, annoying though he may be.

In vv. 19-28, we're given a list of objectives, as it were, for the divine work we call the Restoration, this raising up in our time of new prophetic voices and an empowered community of disciples:

• That the weak things of the world will break down the mighty and strong.
• That everyone might speak in the name of God—that everyone might be an inspired, prophetic mouthpiece.
• That faith—hope, confidence for a better future—will increase on earth.
• That God's covenant will be reestablished—that human beings will live in loving relationship with God and one another in the way we were meant to.
• That the weak and simple will proclaim God's message of judgment and a better way through all the world and particularly to those who govern.
• That by receiving revelation "from time to time," God's servants can grow out of error into greater wisdom, humility, and a more perfect understanding of God's will.

That's a set of objectives to which I can shout a hearty "Amen! May it be!" That's the work I want to be a part of.