OCR Text |
Show 43 enter into His rest."36 Apostle Orson Pratt was greatly conce-.ned over the Saints' lack of faith in returning to Jackson County: "The people think of everything else but the redemption of Zion," he lamented, but "I think that this event is nearer than this people are aware of. "37 Church leaders were anxious about the worldliness of the people and their inability to perceive the importance of redeeming Zion before the Second Coming. Subsequently, Mormon leaders initiated the Reformation throughout Mor-mondom. The Reformation was an intense revival of values and a purification of the soul. A H unrighteousness was to be purged from the membership. All Mormons, from Brigham Young on down, were to oe rebaptized as a renewal of the covenants they had made with the Lord. Obedience to the counsel of the church leadership was stressed; the word of the prophet was the word of the Lord. Those who refused to conform were excommunicated, and, occasionally, overzeal-ousness resulted in violence during the excitement of the Reformation. Millennial expectations rose to considerable heights during the Reformation period. Apostle Parley P. Pratt wrote on January 3, 1857 that "all things are ripening for a universal overthrow of all human power in the land. J The trials of the last days were a favorite pulpit theme during the Reformation. Orson Pratt exclaimed that the Saints "ought to be prepared for whatever is to come, troubles, distress, famine, war, or anything else.,,:J" While the people yearned for the millennial promises to be realized, it appeared at times that the church heirarchy was almost begging for a collision. In I856 Brigham Young said, "We are bound to become a sovereign state in the Union, or an independent nation by ourselves, and let them drive us from this place if they can."1*0 Heber C. Kimball, a counsellor to President Brigham loung, was reported by the Deseret News of December 5> 1855 to have declared to a congregation: |