Pauline Moffit Watts, "Prophecy and Discovery: On the Spiritual Origins of Christopher Columbus's Voyage of Discovery

http://www.millersville.edu/~columbus/data/art/WATTS02.ART

Hiram Page: An Historical and Sociological Analysis of an Early Mormon Prototype

http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cgi-bin/docviewer.exe?CISOROOT=/MTNZ&CISOPTR=22835&CISOSHOW=20313

First Visions Accounts

http://www.eldenwatson.net/1stVIntro.htm

ETERNAL PROGRESSION FOR GOD'S CHILDREN

1. "It is my belief that God will save all of his children that he can; and while, if we live unrighteously here we shall not go to the other side in the same status, so to speak, as those who live righteously; nevertheless, the unrighteous will have their chance, and in the eons of the eternities that are to follow, they too, may climb to the destinies to which they who are righteous and serve God, have climbed in those eternities" (President J. Rueben Clark Jr., Easter Address, Ensign Stake Quarterly Conference. Copied from Church News, 23 April 1960).

2. "In the future men will exist in varying degrees of glory; that as the stars of heaven differ in infinite degrees of brightness, so also will men in the future exist in places and states of infinite variety, corresponding to the infinite variations of their intelligence, knowledge, tastes, acquirements, inclinations, and aspirations. In other words, environment will correspond to nature, with always the possibility present of improving both the environment and the nature, until a fulness of joy is attained by each intelligent entity -- by each man" (B. H. Roberts, Joseph Smith the Prophet Teacher, pp. 27-28).

3. "In answer to your inquiry in letter of February 15, 1968 addressed to President David O. McKay I am directed to tell you that the Church has never announced a definite doctrine on the point of progression from one kingdom to another after the resurrection. Some of the brethren have held the view that it was possible in the course of progression to advance from one glory to another, invoking the principle of eternal progression; others of the brethren have taken an opposite view. But, as stated the Church has never announced a definite doctrine on this point" (Letter, Joseph Anderson to Dale C. LeCheminant, 28 February 1968. Brother Anderson was Secretary to the First Presidency. This same information was provided also in 1965 and again in 1977).

4. One of the most interesting points of view on this subject comes from the Prophet Joseph's brother, Hyrum Smith. On 1 August 1843, with Joseph in attendance, Hyrum taught: "Those of the Terrestrial Glory either advance to the Celestial or recede to the Telestial else the moon could not be a type [in that] in waxes and wanes" (Franklin D. Richards, "Words of the Prophets," Historical Department of the Church, p. 24. This is a small 30 page handwritten booklet produced by Richards from 1841 -1844. In it he recorded notes from a number of sermons of Joseph Smith and others).

Elder Richards later taught: "...those in the terrestrial kingdom...They will go forward, like unto the new moon, increasing in knowledge and brightness and glory, until they come to a fullness of celestial glory...while those who will not go forward to a fullness will go back to that lesser gory which is likened unto the stars of heaven..." (Franklin D. Richards, Journal of Discourses 25:236, and Millennial Star 16:535).

5. President J. Reuben Clark provided an important perspective when navigating all of the conflicting opinions concerning the possibility of progression after the resurrection. This is especially important with regard to the First Presidency letter stating that the Church has no official doctrine on this matter: "When any man, except the President of the Church, undertakes to proclaim one unsettled doctrine, as among two or more doctrines in dispute, as the settled doctrine of the Church, we may know that he is not `moved upon by the Holy Ghost,' unless he is acting under the direction and by the authority of the President" (J. Reuben Clark, "When are the Writings or Sermons of Church Leaders Entitled to the Claim of Scripture?" 7 July 1954, to Seminary and Institute teachers assembled at BYU, Church News, 31 July 1954, p. 2).

Patriarchal Blessing to Hyrum Smith, by Joseph Smith, Sr.

Hyrum, thou art my oldest son whom the Lord has spared unto me: my eldest was taken at an untimely age, but thy next brother, whom thou didst love, around whose heart thine affections were twined, has been taken in the vigor of youth, even in the morning of his days: his seat is vacant this day, but his spirit is at rest. Wo be to the man who sought his fall, by which means he was deprived of leaving seed to rise up in his inheritance to call him blessed. I, therefore, that his name may not be forgotten, make this mention of him, in thy blessing, that it may be recorded with the same, for my posterity to look upon; and as you are now my eldest, your seed may look upon this in after years and remember the sorrows of they father, and the sorrows of my family: God is just, and he will reward the enemy of my son four fould [sic]. So much I have found in my heart to say, to perpetuate the memory of thy brother, who was an upright man. Behold thou art Hyrum; the Lord has called thee by that name, and by that name he as blessed thee. Thou has bourne the burden and heat of the day; thou hast toiled hard and labored much for the good of thy father’s family: thou been a stay many times to them, and by thy diligence they have often been sustained. Thou has loved they father’s family with a pure love, and has greatly desired their salvation: Thou has always stood by thy father, and reached forth the helping hand to loft him up when he was in affliction; and though he has been out of the way through wine, thou has never forsaken him nor laughed him to scorn. For all these kindnesses the Lord my God will bless thee.... Thy name is written in heaven, and thy salvation sealed on high, even so. Amen.

SOURCE: Joseph Smith, Sr., Blessing on Hyrum Smith: Patriarchal Blessing Book 1:2-3, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah. See also, Marvin Hill, Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1989), p. 190; Richard Bushman Joseph Smith and Beginnings of Mormonism (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1984), p. 255.