In August of 1844 the Church was reeling. Joseph Smith had been murdered at the Carthage jail months before and there was a serious power vacuum in Nauvoo. To make matters worse, Anti-Mormon sentiment in Illinois had not died down and seemed to be continuing to rise. The Church needed direction and leadership, but Joseph had not instructed the general membership of the Church as to what would happen to the Church after his death and had only privately left instructions for some people (like the Twelve). Joseph’s death had been sudden and unexpected and questions abounded: What of the Nauvoo Temple, still to be completed? What to do to lessen the lingering anti-Mormon feelings in Illinois? Should Nauvoo be fortified against attack or should they prepare to leave? Where would they go? If they left how would they sell their homes and their land; what would their creditors think? How should the Church deal with the massive debt it was in?
All of those questions centered, however, upon one all-encompassing question: Who’s in charge?
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Kirtland, Ohio
To be sung either to the tune of “Follow the Prophet”, or mixed in with it – not sure if this is parody or some silly extraneous lyrics.