The Oahspe Text and Mormonism
This article outlines many of the unique correlations between the contents of Oahspe and Mormon theology and scripture. For an introduction to Oahspe, see my article here.
Here are just a few of the concepts in Oaspe which support esoteric Mormon doctrine.
1. Oahspe’s view of the Great Spirit, perhaps matching with Mormonisms view of the “God above all other God”, from D&C 88:7–13 and D&C 121:28. (The embodied God of D&C 130:22–23 matching with the lower planetary Gods of Oahspe.
2. Oahspe’s view of the ruling gods and hierarchy of heaven. how they are simply ascended men. ‘
(In particluar Oahspe’s “‘First, Second & Third Resurrections” or heavenly planes matching perfectly with Mormonism’s three degrees of glory/heaven and resurrections of D&C 76.
3. Oahspe’s view of the apostasy and “false christ” and other false gods & saviors (caused by cosmic regions of darkness), matching well with LDS Doctrine on (& Book of Mormon discriptions of) the “great and abominable church”, the apostasy of heaven and setting up of the self-made god’s who fight against Jehovah.
4. Oahspe’s view of true religion, which is in works and not words matching with many sermons of LDS leaders past and present..
5. Unbelievable similarities between Oahspe’s view of communities of the third resurrection with Mormonisms United Order.
6. One notable difference is Oahspe’s Islamic view of Christ being stoned instead of crucified. Which is one of just a few things LDS readers will and should fully reject as a falsity that likely creeped in (perhaps by the later editor)
Overview
One interesting aspect of the Oahspe text is how its generally hostile toward organized religion. Its teachings on this matter come across a lot like other Mormon sources which insinuate that organized religions are often revealed by gods & angels but quickly corrupted through apostasy.
Oahspe’s four false gods of the lowest heavens are part of anti-organized religion theology reminiscent of the “mother of harlots” or “great and abominable church” aspect of Nephi’s vision of the Book of Mormon. Suggesting the true church of Jehovah exists in heaven, not often on earth. It suggests the medieval or Gentile Christian Church was part of the 4 false religions on earth run by lower false gods, doing things such as the inquisition, political and military control, forced conversion, manipulation, etc.
1 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld many nations and kingdoms.
2 And the angel said unto me: What beholdest thou? And I said: I behold many nations and kingdoms.
3 And he said unto me: These are the nations and kingdoms of the Gentiles.
4 And it came to pass that I saw among the nations of the Gentiles the formation of a great church.
5 And the angel said unto me: Behold the formation of a church which is most abominable above all other churches, which slayeth the saints of God, yea, and tortureth them and bindeth them down, and yoketh them with a yoke of iron, and bringeth them down into captivity.
6 And it came to pass that I beheld this great and abominable church; and I saw the devil that he was the founder of it.
7 And I also saw gold, and silver, and silks, and scarlets, and fine-twined linen, and all manner of precious clothing; and I saw many harlots.
8 And the angel spake unto me, saying: Behold the gold, and the silver, and the silks, and the scarlets, and the fine-twined linen, and the precious clothing, and the harlots, are the desires of this great and abominable church.
9 And also for the praise of the world do they destroy the saints of God, and bring them down into captivity.
In fact Oahspe teaches that nearly EVERY true sect on earth has a false counterpart in heaven ruled by a false imposter God where non-saved adherents of their faith go after death. In The Book of Es 18:6-19 it explains how Mormonism, Shakers, Swedenborgians, Hindus, Bhudists, Presbyterians, Methodists, Catholics and even Jesus early church all had “druj’s” or false God’s establish kingdoms in the lower heavens where lower adherents to all faiths go after death preparing for a time they raise high enough to enter Jehovah’s true kingdom.
Differences
However, unlike modern Mormonism Oahspe gives VERY specific tests to differentiate between true and false religion, many of which modern Mormonism (but not necessarily original Mormonism) flatly fails. These include 1. Worshipping any God born of a woman. 2. The use of armies and navies and false priests and borders to maintain political systems. (finish…)
Finish this section -> If one were to entirely believe Oahspe (which I don’t), it would suggest that like most sects, modern Mormonism was likely created by the high Gods of Jehovah, but quickly corrupted and taken over by Leeomelang or Piad the false god, who influenced many of Joseph’s later revelations in ways to support the apostate Gentile Christian doctrines of Christ being The ONLY savior and means to heaven instead of one of several, and having the LDS church be the ONLY true church instead of one of several.
Commonalities
-Oahspe teaches that the cause of the Great apostasy was cosmological. (see article on degrees of glory) That our earth and Solar System go through differing regions of the Galaxy with differing levels of light. That the “light” in these regions determines our “glory” (see D&C 88 & 76). That when we pass through dense, or dark nebula regions man and his heavenly rulers loose spiritual contact with the galactic creator and his ruling hosts and fall into apostasy.
-Another parallel is the teaching that the united states was formed to help man escape bondage of the “beast” or great and abominable church… but during the fullness of the gentiles, the beast was allowed to overrun america and even over-power the LDS saints. We as a church have adopted many of their false beliefs and practices, but will be eventually freed.
28/60.31. Behold, they [the four false Gods of Medieval Gentile religion, Gentile Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Hinduism] have appropriated four great divisions of the earth to themselves; and the heavens above them have become their dominions. Let them, therefore, keep what they have taken.
28/60.32. Because they have bound mortals by their religions, and established themselves by mortal laws and by force of their standing armies, you shall give to them all they have bound on earth and in the heavens.
28/60.33. But, behold, I have another continent, lying beyond the ocean, America, where My people know Me, and worship Me.
28/60.34. You shall inspire mortals to go there from the east and find America, and inhabit it.
28/60.35. And there, it shall come to pass, none of the false Gods shall establish their doctrines by mortal laws, and bind My people.
28/60.36. And, as for the spirits of those mortals whom the false Gods caused to be slain in the inquisitions, leave them to those Gods that took them.
28/60.37. And, though such spirits have vengeance in their hearts, and will be the means of ultimately casting the false Gods into hell, yet you shall not go near them.
28/60.38. But you shall look to the mortals, whom you shall take over to inhabit the western continent.
28/60.39. And when they have arrived, you shall send loo’is there, and raise up, by birth, certain mortals, who shall ignore the doctrine of enforced worship for any False God, Lord or Savior.
28/60.40. For the people of that land shall be free, not only in body, but in spirit also.
28/60.41. And it shall be guaranteed to them to worship in My way, so that their conscience may dictate.
28/60.42. And when the dawn of the arc of The millennium (Kosmon) comes, behold, I will open up My heavens to mortals, and prepare the foundation of My kingdom on earth
-Oahspe teaches that group association is the “beginning of the Second Resurrection” (Terrestrial Resurrection of Mormonism). It details how most rise into group association as part of one of the “four beasts” or earthly religions; and that these religions seek to help people grow into unselfishness. When people have reached a sufficient enough grade or level of unselfishness, they are allowed to ascend yet further into the highest “etherean heavens” as brides and bridegrooms of Jehovah. Since the apostasy, the earth’s predominant religions no longer seek to willingly raise adherents to higher these ever higher levels, but make themselves out to be the “all-highest” and thus impede eternal progression.
28/59.10. We admit the declension of our grades, as you have said; but, behold, your emissaries carry off our highest grades.
28/59.11. If you would carry away only our drujas, we would not interdict the travel of your ships in our heavenly dominions. But as soon as your ships come, behold, our highest grades rush for them.
28/59.12. For which reason, we have been obliged to prohibit your laborers within our dominions. (Eskra 59:10-12)
-This seems remarkably similar to the degrees of glory explained in D&C 76. Thus the Telestial Kingdom of Joseph Smith matches the fist Atmosherean resurrection in Oahspe. A location where individuals exist singly and separately and have not learned to “associate in groups”. Most of the world’s religious people end up at the top of this heaven. Oahspe describes this heaven as belonging to those who have started to learn organic association, but have “not learned to put into practice their faith and are still psychologically bound to a self-made God. (The demiurge as other texts put it, or a God who is a projection of one’s own ego.) The second Atmosherean resurrection in Oahspe correlates to Joseph Smith’s Terrestial Kingdom. Joseph Smith described it this way,
98 And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world;
99 For these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas.
100 These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch;
101 But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant. (D&C 76:98–101)
The “Some of Christ” mentioned here is obviously a false Christ. The Jesus who most Christians young in the faith worship, a self righteous Jesus who is a projection of a believers one’s own ego. A religious group who has “a form of godliness but denies the power thereof”. A Jesus who leads churches divided in sectarianism and self-righteousness, who….
-Oahspe teaches a system of spiritual adepthood similar to the law of one. That God came to earth long ago and made a race of men able to perceive Him through clairvoyance and claraudience. That many of a certain race called the I’huans (house of Israel) had this gift. Perhaps this is what Christ is referring to when he says in 3rd Nephi 15:23, ” And they understood me not that I said they shall hear my voice; and they understood me not that the Gentiles should not at any time hear my voice—that I should not manifest myself unto them save it were by the Holy Ghost.” Oahspe calls this “gift of the Spirit” of being able to see, speak to, or hear beings from the higher realms “sargis”. It tells of how Moses, Samuel and Elijah had this power in full, and where “true prophets” in that they used this gift to commune with etherean angels from the etherean (celestial) realms. We could
-The “angel of the Lord” that Joseph and Hiram quote as telling them to start polygamy or he would “cut them down” is the false God “piad” taught of in Oahspe. If these accounts are true, then Joseph really was a “fallen prophet” in that respect at least. But as D&C teaches, those with calling and election sure are “saved” as long as they don’t murder, and if they screw up, they are “destroyed in the flesh” and taken home, since an etherean has covenanted to mentor and father them. Whatever repercussions their ill motivated behavior has, becomes their joy or their bondage and all things end up working for the god’s greater good in the end.
Tell Zina, I put it off and put it off till an angel with a drawn sword stood by me and told me if I did not establish that principle upon the earth I would lose my position and my life.
“An angel came to him [Joseph Smith] and the last time he came with a drawn sword in his hand and told Joseph if he did not go into that principle, he would slay him. Joseph said he talked to him soberly about it, and told him it was an abomination and quoted scripture to him. He said in the Book of Mormon it was an abomination in the eyes of the Lord, and they were to adhere to these things except the Lord speak… [The Prophet reported that] the angel came to me three times between the years of 1834 and 1842 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me.” (1905 BYU Testimony of Mary Elizabeth Lightner)
see http://mormonhistoricsites.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Encouraging-Joseph-Smith-to-Practice-Plural-Marriage-The-Accounts-of-the-Angel-with-a-Drawn-Sword.pdf for a discussion on some 20 accounts of this motivation for introducing plural marriage.
-oahspe teaches against saviors and gods born of woman. (find quotes) I believe the doctrine and covenants is trying to teach the same principle… that christ was a living archetype of Jehovah. This teaching seems anti-christian at first and offended me. but the more I meditate on this, the more I see it is true and is a teaching Joseph Smith, and the Doctrine and Covenants is trying to slowly get gentile christianity to understand. Jesus, was a type of the father. Jehovah, is the name given to the most hight God, etc//
1 Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, and rejoice ye inhabitants thereof, for [Jehovah] is God, and beside him there is no Savior. (D&C 76:1)
-whole thrust of righteousness in oahspe supports Joseph smiths teaching that the Zion community is the hallmark of true religion.
-god requires discipline…
-oahspe’s view of solar system traveling in a circuit and falling under the dominion of god is very similar to Abraham cosmology.
09/1.1. First, the earth travels in a circuit around the sun, which is divided into four arcs called spring, summer, autumn and winter.
09/1.2. Second, the sun, with his family, travels in a large circuit, which is divided into one thousand five hundred arcs, the distance for each arc being about three thousand years, or one cycle.
09/1.3. During a cycle, the earth and her heavens travel through the etherean regions of hundreds of etherean worlds, which are inhabited by Jehovah’s high raised angels, whose Chiefs are involved in the management of worlds.
09/1.4. During the time of a cycle, the earth is therefore under the control and management of such angels of Jehovah for the resurrection of man of the earth.
-etherean worlds (inhabited inside and out) are Joseph Smith’s Celestial Worlds or “like see of glass”.
-Atmospherea is Mormonism’s terestial kingdom.
-Both Oahspe and the Law of One detail how terrestrial beings use technology. They use “fire ships” or spacecraft to travel, and use solar currents, etc.. But that Celestial beings can travel by “thought” using a “line of light”.
-Joseph Smith taught that when the lord comes “many will think it is a star, a commet, etc.. but it will be the lord”. Oahspe details how this comes about, and how celestial words do indeed look like stars.
-Oahspe teaches that North America will be Zion or the land the Millennial Kingdom
-Oahspe teaches of Pan that was destroyed by flood, and details how this occurred, and that is was essentially where the Americas are now, even though Japan is the closest remnant.
-Oahspe teaches much about the Jaredite culture which it calls the “Algonquin” people. It tells of the founder which sounds like the brother of Jared.
-Oahspe’s temple rites are similar to Mormon one.
-Oahspe teaches that the “most high god” is a “great spirit” or a god not born of woman who is a composite of all that is, and that it is lower “Gods” who manage our world who are “born of woman”. The book of Mormon teaches this too…
26 And then Ammon said: Believest thou that there is a Great Spirit?
27 And he said, Yea.
28 And Ammon said: This is God. And Ammon said unto him again: Believest thou that this Great Spirit, who is God, created all things which are in heaven and in the earth?
29 And he said: Yea, I believe that he created all things which are in the earth; but I do not know the heavens.
30 And Ammon said unto him: The heavens is a place where God dwells and all his holy angels.
31 And king Lamoni said: Is it above the earth?
32 And Ammon said: Yea, and he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning.
(Alma 18:26–32)
Those whose faith is in a most high god who loves all his children equally and believe god just wants people to live a good life in peace and harmony to others, need not worry. They will enter Jehovah’s kingdom when they die.
25/42.5. But be attentive to My Chosen, the Believers (Faithists), in all parts of heaven and earth; not letting one of them fall into the hells of My enemies.
Note: This came to me in a dream. For those with whom Oahspe resonates more than Modern Mormonism, you should consider the possibility that Mormonism was begun by the true messengers/angels of Jehovah, but that it was quickly high jacked by angels of the lower heavens. This would include the stealing of the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon and replacing it with a channeled version of the same text which supports the doctrines of Leomalang instead of Jehovah and the Great Spirit. This explaining why parts of the book are wrong, like the date of the final battle, and the coming of Christ. Because the text was channeled by Ixtlilxochitl and other well-meaning angels of the lower heavens under the influence of Leomalang. I personally am not entirely sure what to believe concerning the particulars of which parts are right/wrong of both Oahspe & Mormonism, as I believe they both have truth and error.