“That We May Be Redeemed” Painting by Glen Hopkinson
In Mormon culture it’s common to talk about who’s who in Mormondom. There are even websites created for the sole purpose of letting the world know which famous people are Mormons. Many know that American Idol David Archuleta is a Mormon, that Larry King married a Mormon, and rumors continue to float that Steve Martin is one too, but did you know that America’s Founding Fathers are Mormon!? It’s true.
At the time of America declaring its independence from Great Britain, with the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, subsequent victory in the Revolutionary War, and later the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Christ’s Church and Gospel had not yet been restored. A great apostasy had taken place, and while the fulness of the Gospel was lacking, these and other inspired events, headed by wise and inspired men, paved the way for the restoration of the Priesthood, the Gospel, and Church of Jesus Christ, through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
If the Church of Jesus Christ wasn’t officially established until 1830, you might ask how it is that the Founding Fathers are Mormons? Only a few of the Founding Fathers, and signers of the Declaration of Independence, were still alive in 1830 (James Madison was the last to pass away in 1836).
“It was to [President Wilford Woodruff] that the founders of the American nation appeared in the St. George Temple, seeking to have the temple ordinances performed for them. That was very unusual, brethren, and those kinds of miracles and visions and revelations were rather unusual, as you would know. These men of the American Constitution had lived in a day when the gospel was not upon the earth, but they were upright, good men who were entitled to all of the blessings which come to us. (Spencer W. Kimball, ”Preparing for Service in the Church” 47)
President Ezra Taft Benson shared further details of Wilford Woodruff’s experience in his talk The Constitution: A Heavenly Banner:
“Shortly after President Kimball became President of the Church, he assigned me to go into the vault of the St. George Temple and check the early records. As I did so, I realized the fulfillment of a dream I had had ever since learning of the visit of the Founding Fathers to the St. George Temple. I saw with my own eyes the records of the work that was done for the Founding Fathers of this great nation, beginning with George Washington. Think of it, the Founding Fathers of this nation, those great men, appeared within those sacred walls and had their vicarious work done for them. President Wilford Woodruff spoke of it in these words:
“Before I left St. George, the spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, “You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we never apostatized from it, but we remained true to it and were faithful to God.” These were the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and they waited on me for two days and two nights….
“I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McCallister to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men. (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1946, pp. 160-61)
“These noble spirits came there with divine permission-evidence that this work of salvation goes forward on both sides of the veil.
“At a later conference, in April 1898, after he became President of the Church, President Woodruff declared that “those men who laid the foundation of this American government and signed the Declaration of Independence were the best spirits the God of heaven could find on the face of the earth. They were choice spirits … [and] were inspired of the Lord” (CR, April 1898, p. 89). We honor those men today. We are the grateful beneficiaries of their noble work.
“But we honor more than those who brought forth the Constitution. We honor the Lord who revealed it. God himself has borne witness to the fact that he is pleased with the final product of the work of these great patriots.”
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Special thanks to LDS Liberty and Tammy Broderick for creating an audio version of this article. Well done.
Great article and please change the year of the Constitutional Convention to which you typed 1987 when it should be 1787.
Thanks for catching that :)
Specifically, which Founding Fathers actually appeared in the St. George Temple, and which did not?
See: http://www.josephsmithacademy.org/inspira/wiki/index.php?title=Eminent_Spirits_Appear_to_Wilford_Woodruff
Also:
http://chapmanresearch.org/PDF/Vision%20of%20Former%20Eminent%20Men%20in%20The%20St%20George%20Temple.pdf
Did you know that founders had ALREADY been baptized in Nauvoo years ahead of time?http://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V23N02_87.pdf.
Thanks for sharing that.
Well wait a minute, if they were baptized in Nauvoo, why was it necessary to baptize them again?
They weren’t rebaptized, their Temple work was done in St. George. They had come asking why it had taken so long. A great book is “The Other Eminent Men of Wilford Woodruff”; it tells the story of the Founding Father’s visitation as well as who else the work has been done for.
I don’t mean to be argumentative, but I don’t think Jeanetta’s response to Michael’s question is accurate.
As Wilford Woodruff’s narrative above clearly states, he performed the vicarious baptisms for these people:
“I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McCallister to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men.”
I hadn’t heard that the baptisms for these people had been done previously, but if that’s the case I wonder if it was a recordkeeping issue. I’ve heard that when the doctrine of vacarious baptism for the dead was revealed, there were many ordinances done without a proper record being kept.
“I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McCallister to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men. (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1946, pp. 160-61)
But it seems very clear that they we’re re-baptized…maybe I missed something here. Let me know please!!
I just want to comment that I have read the 3 different articles posted by others in the comments above, regarding this issue of the founding fathers having their temple work done for them… I highly recommend that you also check out those linked articles.
While on a mission at the SLC Family History Library with my wife, I made print-outs of the film showing the recordings of the baptisms by name of the Founders, beginning with George Washington, 54 of the 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence, US Presidents up to and including Andrew Johnson, Christopher Columbus, and other “eminent” men and women. I imagine then film is still available for viewing. One need only ask for the number of the film showing baptisms at the St. George Temple for 21 August 1877.
I don’t think saying that the founding fathers are “Mormon” is correct; I understand the point that you are making but I think it’s a little sensational.
Most people don’t even know what “Mormon” means. They just think it is another church. We believe that this church is guided under the direction of Jesus Christ and it’s purpose is to act as a vehicle to preach the gospel and administer the ordinances of salvation to man that he might receive the blessings of the atonement.
“Mormonism” happens to be the nickname of the work of God in our day, the same work that began when Adam left the garden of Eden; it gets to be a semantics game.
Well, even the early saints referred to themselves as “Mormons”, but anyways… it is correct that the founders are Mormon, in the sense that they have accepted the restored Church and Gospel of Jesus Christ, similarly as we have… but I understand what you’re saying ;)
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