Section 24
Overview
Doctrine and Covenants Section 24 was dictated by Joseph Smith in July 1830 during a period of intense persecution and legal trouble in Harmony, Pennsylvania. The text serves as a divine mandate restructuring Smith's responsibilities and the church's obligations toward him. Theologically, it establishes a paradigm where Smith is explicitly exempted from 'temporal labors' (secular work) and commanded to focus entirely on spiritual duties, including translating, receiving revelation, and expounding scripture. In return, the nascent church branches in Colesville, Fayette, and Manchester are commanded to provide for his temporal needs (food, clothing, money). The revelation introduces a severe imprecatory element: if individuals or congregations reject Smith, or if anyone takes legal action against him, Smith and his associates are authorized to leave a 'cursing instead of a blessing,' including the ritual of dusting off their feet and commanding physical smiting. Furthermore, it outlines the parameters for performing miracles and instructs Oliver Cowdery to preach continuously. For believers, this text reinforces the absolute authority of the prophetic office, intertwining the reception of the prophet with one's standing before God, and establishes the early framework for a full-time, church-supported clergy in Mormonism.
Key Figures
- Jesus Christ (Implicit Speaker): The divine voice dictating the revelation, asserting authority to bless, curse, and direct the church.
- Joseph Smith: The primary recipient, designated as the exclusive expounder of scripture, exempted from secular labor, and granted imprecatory authority.
- Oliver Cowdery: The secondary recipient, commanded to preach the gospel continuously and promised divine strength.
- The Comforter (Holy Ghost): The entity identified as the source of the words Joseph Smith is to write and speak.
Doctrines Analyzed
Key theological claims identified in this text:
Prophetic Exemption and Temporal Support
Assertion
The prophet is divinely exempted from secular labor and the church is mandated to provide for his financial and material needs under threat of a curse.
Evidence from Text
And in temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling... But if they receive thee not, I will send upon them a cursing instead of a blessing.
Evangelical Comparison
In Evangelical theology, the financial support of ministers is biblical, rooted in passages like 1 Corinthians 9:14 and 1 Timothy 5:18. However, the Apostle Paul frequently engaged in 'temporal labors' (tentmaking) to avoid being a burden and to provide an example of hard work (Acts 18:3, 2 Thessalonians 3:8-10). D&C 24 diverges sharply by claiming God actively removes the prophet's strength for secular labor ('thou shalt not have strength'). Furthermore, the text weaponizes this financial support by attaching a divine 'cursing' to any congregation that fails to provide for the prophet. This introduces a coercive element to giving that contradicts the New Testament model of cheerful, non-compulsory giving (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Imprecatory Authority (Cursings)
Assertion
Church leaders possess the divine authority to curse individuals, command physical harm upon attackers, and curse those who take legal action against them.
Evidence from Text
And whosoever shall go to law with thee shall be cursed by the law... whosoever shall lay their hands upon you by violence, ye shall command to be smitten in my name
Evangelical Comparison
This doctrine stands in stark contrast to the ethical teachings of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explicitly commands believers to 'love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you' (Matthew 5:44). The Apostle Paul reiterates this: 'Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not' (Romans 12:14). D&C 24, however, grants Joseph Smith the authority to actively curse those who reject him, command physical smiting upon his enemies, and specifically curse anyone who takes him to court ('go to law with thee'). This reflects a retaliatory theology that aligns more with Old Testament imprecatory psalms than with the New Covenant ethic of grace and non-retaliation.
Continuous and Authoritative Revelation
Assertion
The prophet receives immediate, infallible revelation that must be heard and obeyed by the church, equating his spoken and written words with God's voice.
Evidence from Text
And it shall be given thee in the very moment what thou shalt speak and write, and they shall hear it, or I will send unto them a cursing instead of a blessing.
Evangelical Comparison
This text establishes the epistemological foundation of Mormonism: the living prophet. By asserting that Joseph Smith will be given 'in the very moment' what to speak and write, and that the church must hear it or be cursed, the text elevates Smith's ongoing dictations to the level of infallible scripture. This directly violates the Evangelical pillar of Sola Scriptura, which maintains that the 66 books of the Bible are the sole, sufficient, and infallible rule of faith and practice. Evangelicals believe the canon is closed (Jude 1:3, Revelation 22:18-19) and that while God still guides believers, no modern individual possesses the authority to generate new, binding scripture or demand absolute obedience to their spontaneous utterances under threat of divine cursing.
Comparative Analysis
Theological Gap (Summary)
The text elevates a human leader to a mediator-like status, where one's standing with God is determined by their financial support and absolute obedience to that leader, coupled with a retaliatory ethic of cursing enemies.
Theological Gap (Explained)
The theological gap between D&C 24 and Evangelical Christianity centers on the nature of spiritual authority, Christian ethics, and the role of the minister. Evangelically, Christ is the sole mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). While pastors are respected and supported, their authority is entirely derivative of and subject to the written Word of God. D&C 24 constructs a paradigm where Joseph Smith acts as a functional mediator; the church's blessing or cursing is entirely contingent upon how they receive him and his spontaneous utterances. Furthermore, the text violates the New Covenant ethic of grace. Jesus explicitly revoked the 'eye for an eye' mentality, commanding believers to love and bless their enemies (Matthew 5:38-44). D&C 24 reverts to a retaliatory posture, granting Smith the divine right to curse those who oppose him legally or physically. Finally, the mandate that the church must provide for Smith's temporal needs under threat of a curse contradicts the biblical model of giving, which is to be done cheerfully and not under compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7).
For All Ages
Imagine if a pastor stood up and said, 'God told me I don't have to work a normal job anymore. You all have to pay for my food, clothes, and give me money. If you don't, God will curse you. Also, if anyone tries to sue me, God will curse them too.' In the Bible, Jesus tells us to love our enemies and pray for people who are mean to us. The Apostle Paul even worked making tents so he wouldn't be a burden on the church. This text teaches that following God means giving money and absolute obedience to one specific man, and it uses fear and curses to make sure people do it.
Friction Points
Sola Scriptura
Asserts that Joseph Smith's spontaneous words are divine revelation equal to scripture and must be obeyed under threat of a curse.
Christian Ethics (Sermon on the Mount)
Commands the cursing of enemies and those who take legal action, directly contradicting Christ's command to love and pray for enemies.
Nature of Christian Giving
Mandates financial support for the prophet under the explicit threat of divine cursing, violating the principle of non-compulsory giving.
Semantic Warnings
Terms that have different meanings between traditions:
"The Gospel"
In This Text
The specific message of the restored church, including the authority of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon.
In Evangelicalism
The good news of Jesus Christ's substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection for the justification of sinners by faith alone (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
"Magnify thine office"
In This Text
To fully exercise the exclusive rights of the prophetic calling, including receiving new revelation and demanding church support.
In Evangelicalism
To serve faithfully in one's calling with humility, pointing others to Christ rather than elevating one's own status (John 3:30).
Soteriology (Salvation)
Salvation Defined: Not explicitly defined in this section, but framed in terms of receiving 'blessings' versus 'cursings' based on alignment with the prophet.
How Attained: By receiving the prophet, hearing his words, and supporting him temporally.
Basis of Assurance: Enduring afflictions and remaining loyal to the prophetic leadership.
Comparison to Sola Fide: This text shifts the focus away from faith in Christ's finished work. Instead of justification by faith alone (Romans 5:1), one's spiritual standing (blessed vs. cursed) is contingent upon their reception and financial support of Joseph Smith.
Mandates & Requirements
Explicit Commands
- go thy way and sin no more
- Magnify thine office
- go speedily unto the church which is in Colesville, Fayette, and Manchester
- continue in calling upon God in my name
- writing the things which shall be given thee by the Comforter
- expounding all scriptures unto the church
- devote all thy service in Zion
- Be patient in afflictions
- endure them [afflictions]
- Attend to thy calling
- continue in laying on of the hands and confirming the churches
- Oliver shall continue in bearing my name before the world, and also to the church
- he [Oliver] shall open his mouth and declare my gospel
- Require not miracles, except I shall command you
- ye shall leave a cursing instead of a blessing, by casting off the dust of your feet
- cleansing your feet by the wayside
- ye shall command to be smitten in my name [those who lay hands on you]
- thou shalt take no purse nor scrip, neither staves, neither two coats
- prune my vineyard with a mighty pruning
Implicit Obligations
- The church members must unquestioningly accept Joseph Smith's words as divine.
- The church members must provide full financial and material support to Joseph Smith.
- Adherents must view legal action against the prophet as an act against God.
Ritual Requirements
- Laying on of hands
- Confirming the churches
- Casting off the dust of the feet as a testimony
- Cleansing feet by the wayside
- Casting out devils (when required)
- Healing the sick (when required)
Evangelism Toolkit
Practical tools for engagement and dialogue:
Discovery Questions
Open-ended questions to promote reflection:
- When you read verse 9, where God says Joseph won't have strength for temporal labor, how do you reconcile that with the Apostle Paul, who worked as a tentmaker so he wouldn't be a financial burden to the church?
- In verses 15-17, the text commands cursing those who reject or sue the church leaders. How does this fit with Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5 to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us?
- How does it make you feel to read that God would send a 'cursing instead of a blessing' on a church congregation if they didn't provide money and shoes for the prophet?
Redemptive Analogies
Bridges from this text to the Gospel:
Comfort in Affliction
The desire for God's presence during hard times is a universal human longing. We can bridge this to the true comfort found in Christ, who promised to never leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), not based on our ability to 'magnify an office', but based on His grace.
Spiritual Weight
Burdens this text places on adherents:
Believers are placed under the psychological threat of divine cursing if they fail to adequately support or obey the church leadership. This creates a relationship with God based on fear of retribution rather than grace.
By instructing leaders to curse those who oppose them legally or physically, the text fosters a deep suspicion and hostility toward outsiders, reinforcing a persecution complex and isolating members from the broader community.
The explicit command to provide money, food, and clothing to the leadership, tied directly to one's spiritual standing, places an undue material burden on the congregation.