Comments on Life On Gold Plates: Amasa M. Lyman's Dundee Sermon: "Nature of the Mis...

Young and some of the L.D.S. hierarchy have not fo...

2010-04-09T07:41:33.423-06:00

Young and some of the L.D.S. hierarchy have not forgiven him this nor his greater success as a preacher and Western colonizer.

Nah.

Amasa Mason Lyman was Smith's primary spiritual su...

2010-04-09T00:07:25.804-06:00

Amasa Mason Lyman was Smith's primary spiritual successor. Young's aggressive usurpation cannot change this fact.

Young and some of the L.D.S. hierarchy have not forgiven him this nor his greater success as a preacher and Western colonizer.

The fault of Amasa, above all else, seems to be hi...

2009-11-23T15:20:24.165-07:00

The fault of Amasa, above all else, seems to be his unwillingness to agree with the rest of the apostles and First Presidency on the doctrine of the atonement, or at least his refusing to agree not to advocate openly what they found so heretical.

As for Amasa's approach to the atonement, I'm still working through it, but from what I can tell so far (and this is based on more than this sermon alone) Lyman saw Jesus as the perfect exemplar and that's about it. It seems he had some aversion to a penal substitution theory of atonement, which is fine, but at the same time he basically preached that Jesus was just the best person ever to live who we should all then emulate and perfect ourselves. Between the works and grace false dichotomy he chose works entirely, whereas many Church leaders saw certain Protestants as choosing grace entirely. So coming down solidly on either side of that debate, excluding one or the other, seems to play a big part.

So in this sermon he essentially seems to say that Jesus himself didn't see himself as an atoning Savior, but as a good example who was supposed to tell people simply to go and sin no more. Further, he states quite explicitly that the death of Jesus was not necessary for the plan of salvation.

Anyway, it deserves a lot closer of a look than I have time to give it here, but I wanted to get a transcript of the sermon online since I couldn't find one anywhere else.

Blair- So the fault of Amasa was his requirement o...

2009-11-23T15:05:24.186-07:00

Blair- So the fault of Amasa was his requirement of forsaking our sins and righteous living for the atonement to have efficacy? I'm not sure I understand.