General Conference Odyssey post for April 1981 Saturday afternoon session.

In this session, (then Elder) Hinckley speaks on The Joseph Smith III Document and the Keys of the Kingdom. This alone is an interesting title for his talk, demonstrating a nothing-to-fear attitude. First, let me review what this document is about.

A few months earlier, the church was being offered, for purchase, some newly discovered documents that would discredit our known church history. Mark Hofmann was apparently discovering, and selling, documents such as:

• The Charles Anthon Transcript (a paper full of reformed Egyptian writing, supposedly copied by Joseph Smith, and presented to Charles Anthon).
• The Salamander Letter (supposedly written by Martin Harris explaining events surrounding Joseph receiving the Golden Plates in which a Salamander appeared).
• The Lucy Mack Smith Letter (a letter written supposedly by Joseph Smith’s mother explaining things written in the lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon).
• The Joseph Smith III Blessing (a blessing given by Joseph Smith, Jr. to his son, Joseph Smith III, where he supposedly appoints him as his rightful successor).

This particular talk was given before anyone realized all of these were forgeries done by the hand of Mark Hofmann. The public wanted explanations and Elder Hinckley gave them through testimony. Even though Mark Hofmann was pretty convincing (and not suspected of anything at this point), clearly Elder Hinckley expresses his doubt of him, in this talk. He testifies that the succession of the prophets correctly went to Brigham Young, etc.

“That same authority which Joseph held, those same keys and powers which were the very essence of his divinely given right to preside, were by him conferred upon the Twelve Apostles with Brigham Young at their head. Every president of the Church since then has come to that most high and sacred office out of the Council of the Twelve. Each of these men has been blessed with the spirit and power of revelation from on high. There has been an unbroken chain from Joseph Smith, Jr., to Spencer W. Kimball. Of that, I bear solemn witness and testimony before you this day.”

It was over six years later that Mark Hofmann was discovered as a forger and a murderer when, to hide his crimes, he made bombs that went off, killing two people. (Then Elder) Dallin H. Oaks spoke on the aftermath, testifying clearly that Hofmann never caused any damage to the church as so many people believed.

“And so we are, hopefully, at the end of this tragic episode. After exhaustive investigations by law enforcement authorities and a host of media investigators, the charges against the Church and its leaders have been shown for what they are. Vicious lies have been exposed. Innuendos of Church or Church-leader involvement in the crimes of Mark Hofmann have been demonstrated to be groundless. In fact, Hofmann has admitted that his documentary crimes were at least partly motivated by his desire to change the history of the Church in which he no longer had faith. Everyone who believed and repeated his lies and used his forged documents was at best an unwitting servant of his efforts to discredit the Church.”

As sensational as this was, it never hurt the church. Today, we have similar uproars where people purport sensational news about the church or demand screen time with their allegations against the church, but the truth of the matter is that Jesus Christ is in charge of what happens to His church, and His church is protected by His divine protection. Sensational news will continue in the form of attacks, but we have nothing to fear as long as we follow the prophet.

In this same session, Elder LeGrand Richards states:

“Now, because Satan brought with him the knowledge that he had in the spirit world, he knew whom he had fought against in that war in heaven and he has tried to put to death the prophets of God.”

And so, it continues in our day. May we always remember that this is Jesus Christ’s true church led by His inspired prophets. Though evil attacks will continue against the church, we have nothing to fear.