Everyone Already Believes A Woman Should Have The Right To Choose

As a strong advocate of the pro-life position, I am taken back when it is implied that I would restrict a woman her right to make choices. I grant that there may be exceptions to the rule, individuals who are truly sexist in their outlook on life (however, this is irrelevant because there are sexists on both sides of this debate, perhaps more so in the pro-abortion camp due to their neglect for the man’s right to choose). Pro-lifers arrive at the pro-life position because of their view on the value of life, not because of their view on gender. Women should have (and, in fact, DO have) the right to choose who they will date, marry, and have as their friends. Women should have (and, in fact, DO have) the right to choose what they will wear, what they will eat, how they will spend their free time, what kind of education they wish to pursue… I could list more, but the point should be clear: Women, as a gender, should have the same rights that men have.

Advocates of abortion already know this about us, yet they ignore it and assert that they are truly “pro-choice” because of their stance on the issue of abortion. They realize that by calling themselves “pro-choice” they are saying that their opponents are against a woman’s right to make a “choice.” Is that fair?

So-Called “Pro-Choice” Advocates Neglect Equal Attention To The Father’s Choice

When a woman gets pregnant the child in her womb is the son/daughter of BOTH the father and the mother. This is not an opinion, it is science. The child in the womb is the result of a sexual encounter between a man and a woman. This is true 100% of the time.

Now consider the logic of saying that out of the three people (the father, the mother, and the son/daughter) the mother’s choice is most important. If the pro-choice position was truly about choice then why not campaign for the father to have an equal say in the matter? What about the son/daughter? Does their desire to live or die (regardless of their capability to communicate it) factor in? It seems to me that the label “pro-choice” is far to vague to be accurate or useful in everyday discussion. The so-called “pro-choice” advocates give far more preference to the woman while disregarding the preference of the father as well as that of the fetus.

Might I suggest that an outlook which disregards one person’s choice while elevating another person’s choice is just as much “anti-choice” as it is “pro-choice”?

Abortion Is The Choice To Murder

What if, for the sake of argument, we grant the term “pro-choice” to the abortion advocates. It seems that having a choice is better than not having a choice. So what kind of choice is it that they are in favor of? In one word: Murder. In ten words: The legal and ethical assassination of a helpless, innocent fetus. Imagine coming into this debate for the first time, asking questions to better understand the issues. “Ok, so you are ‘pro-choice,’ what choice are you in favor of?” An honest answer would be along the lines of “we are in favor of a woman’s right to have her unborn (or in some cases, recently born) fetus executed if she so chooses.” However, accuracy does not often characterize the “pro-choice” presentation. This newcomer is much more likely to hear “we are in favor of a woman’s right to do what she wants with her body” or something similar.

The abortion argument is about the legality and the morality of murder, not the legality or morality of choice.

So Why Keep Calling Abortion Advocates “Pro-choice”?

In many cases, an argument is won or lost before it begins. When one side frames the argument in an inaccurate way that seems to make them correct, they have already gained a serious advantage over their opponent. Spectators to the argument (or discussion, or whatever you want to call it) may not be aware of this, and as a result, end up siding with the side that rigged the debate in their favor.

This is EXACTLY what is happening when someone totes out the label “pro-choice” in the abortion discussion. They are framing the debate around the legality/morality of choice rather than murder. While claiming to be in favor of “choice” they disregard the father’s choice and the fetus’ choice. And to add insult to injury, they also cast their opponent as begin against choice, rather than against murder.

So is “pro-choice” an accurate label in the abortion debate? I don’t see how it could be. It could be applied to any other issue of legality or morality and be just as accurate (or, more precisely, inaccurate). Why not make illegal immigration about the immigrant’s right to choose, rather than about citizenship? Why not make traffic violations about a driver’s right to choose, rather than about safety? Why not make the decision to go to war about the president’s right to choose, rather than about the actual issues he is basing his decision on? As absurd as these examples are, they use the exact same reasoning which abortion advocates do when calling themselves “pro-choice.”

I would suggest that pro-life proponents take the lead on calling out those who attempt to cast us as sexist villains who desire to strip women of their right to chose. Early on in the discussion, when the issue of choice is brought up, point out that you are not against choice, you are against murder. Remind them it is unfair to alter the topic of the debate and make it about a non-issue. Help others who are listening in (or reading your online discussion) understand that abortion advocates must stoop to cheap debate tactics in order to survive an intellectual encounter. That they must defend their position by essentially attacking a pro-life strawman, who is a sexist, chauvinist, bigot.

Were abortion proponents to honestly label their position, they would be “pro-murder” or “pro-abortion,” not “pro-choice.”

Personally, I don’t prefer to use my name on the Google+ profile for the website. It is supposed to be about apologetics, not me. But at this time it seems to be the only way to maintain a Google+ profile for this website. I apologize if this has caused any confusion.

Please visit eyeonapologetics.com for more information

Author: Moses
Original audience: Israelites who came out of Egypt under Moses
Date written: 1300s or 1500s
Genre(s): Historical narrative, legal code
Theme(s): Fulfillment of God’s promises to the patriarchs
Chapters: 36
Verses: 1288

Outline of Numbers

1. Law giving at Sinai (1:1-10:10)
   1. Census (1:1-1:54)
      1. The first eleven tribes (1:1-1:46)
      2. Levities not counted in census (1:47-1:54)
   2. Camp arranged by tribe (2:1-2:34)
   3. Levitical census (3:1-4:49)
      1. Aaron’s sons (3:1-3:4)
      2. Duties of the Levites (3:5-3:39)
      3. Redemption of the first born (3:40-3:51)
      4. The Kohathites (4:1-4:20)
      5. The Gershonites (4:21-4:28)
      6. The Merarites (4:29-4:33)
      7. The Levitical census finished (4:34-4:49)
   4. Laws (5:1-5:31)
      1. Clean and unclean laws (5:1-5:4)
      2. Perjury and restitution laws (5:5-5:10)
      3. Adultery laws (5:11-5:31)
   5. Nazirite Vow (6:1-6:21)
   6. Aaron’s priestly blessing (6:22-6:27)
   7. Consecration of (and offerings at) the tabernacle (7:1-7:89)
   8. The lampstand (8:1-8:4)
   9. Cleansing of the Levites (8:5-8:22)
   10. Retirement for Levites (8:23-8:26)
   11. Passover celebrated (9:1-9:14)
   12. Cloud covered the tabernacle (9:15-9:23)
   13. Silver trumpets (10:1-10:10)
2. JOURNEY: Sinai to Kadesh (10:11-12:16)
   1. Departure from Sinai (10:11-36)
   2. Israel complains (11:1-12:16)
      1. Complaint of misfortune (11:1-11:3)
      2. Complaint about food (11:4-11:35)
         1. The people complain (11:4-11:15)
         2. 70 elders appointed (11:16-11:30)
         3. Quail come (11:31-32)
         4. A great plague (11:33-11:35)
      3. Opposition to Moses (12:1-12:16)
3. Law giving at Kadesh (13:1-19:22)
   1. Spies sent into Canaan (13:1-13:33)
      1. Moses sends spies (13:1-13:24)
      2. Spies return (13:25-13:29)
      3. Caleb’s assessment meets opposition (13:30-13:33)
   2. Israel rebels (14:1-14:45)
      1. Israel rebels (14:1-14:12)
      2. Moses prays (14:13-14:19)
      3. God answers and judges (14:20-14:38)
      4. Israel defeated in battle (14:39-14:45)
   3. Laws about sacrifice (15:1-15:21)
   4. Laws about unintentional sins (15:22-15:31)
   5. Death of a Sabbath breaker (15:32-15:36)
   6. Laws about tassels (15:37-15:41)
   7. Korah’s Rebellion (16:1-16:50)
   8. Aaron’s staff (17:1-17:13)
   9. Levitical income (18:1-18:32)
   10. Purification (19:1-19:22)
4. JOURNEY: Kadesh to the Plains of Moab (20:1-22:1)
   1. Miriam’s death (20:1)
   2. Israel at the waters of Meribah (20:2-20:13)
      1. Israel thirsts & complains (20:2-20:5)
      2. God speaks to Moses (20:6-20:9)
      3. Moses disobeys (20:10-20:13)
   3. Edom does not let Israel pass through their territory (20:14-20:21)
   4. Aaron’s death (20:22-20:29)
   5. Arad is destroyed (21:1-21:3)
   6. Moses’ bronze serpent (21:4-21:9)
   7. Israel camps and sings (21:10-21:20)
   8. Sihon defeate3d in battle (21:21-21:30)
   9. Og defeated (21:31-21:35)
   10. Israel camps in the plains of Moab (22:1)
5. Law giving on the Plains of Moab(22:2-36:13)
   1. Story of Balaam (22:2-24:25)
      1. Balak tells Balaam to curse Israel (22:2-22:6)
      2. Balaam speaks to God (22:7-22:14)
      3. Balak speaks again to Balaam (22:15-22:21)
      4. Balaam’s donkey speaks (22:22-22:30)
      5. The Lord speaks to Balaam (22:31-22:41)
      6. Oracle #1 (23:1-23:12)
      7. Oracle #2 (23:13-23:30)
      8. Oracle #3 (24:1-24:14)
      9. Oracle #4 (24:15-24:25)
   2. Israel worships Baal (25:1-25:9)
   3. Phinehas (25:10-25:18)
   4. Census of Israel (26:1-26:65)
   5. Daughters of Zelophehad (27:1-27:11)
   6. Joshua will succeed Moses (27:12-27:23)
   7. Various offerings (28:1-29:40)
      1. Daily offerings (28:1-28:8)
      2. Sabbath offerings (28:9-28:10)
      3. Monthly offerings (28:11-28:15)
      4. Passover offerings (28:16-28:25)
      5. Feast of Weeks offerings (28:26-28:31)
      6. Feast of Trumpets offerings (29:1-29:6)
      7. Day of Atonement offerings (29:7-29:11)
      8. Feast of Booths offerings (29:12-29:40)
   8. Vows (30:1-30:16)
   9. War with Midianites (31:1-31:54)
      1. Israel defeats Midian army (31:1-31:24)
      2. Spoils of war (31:25-31:54)
   10. Reuben and Gad settle east of the Jordan (32:1-32:42)
   11. Summary of the Israelites’ journey to Moab (33:1-33:49)
   12. God tells Moses to drive out the inhabitants of the land (33:50-33:56)
   13. Land boundaries (34:1-34:15)
   14. Chiefs from each tribe (34:16-34:29)
   15. Cities for special purposes (35:1-35:34)
       1. Cities for Levites (35:1-35:8)
       2. The cities of refuge (35:9-35:34)
   16. Zelophehad’s daughters marry (36:1-36:13)

Author: Moses
Original audience: Israelites who came out of Egypt under Moses
Date written: 1300s or 1500s
Genre(s): Legal code, Religious code, historical narrative
Theme(s): God’s Law
Chapters: 27
Verses: 859

Outline of Leviticus

1. Offerings (1:1-7:38)
   1. The burnt offering (1:1-1:17)
   2. The grain offering (2:1-2:16)
   3. The peace offering (3:1-3:17)
   4. The sin offering (4:1-5:13)
   5. The guilt offering (5:14-6:7)
   6. Law of the burnt offering (6:8-6:13)
   7. Law of the grain offering (6:14-6:23)
   8. Law of the sin offering (6:24-6:30)
   9. Law of the guilt offering(7:1-7:10)
   10. Law of the peace offering (7:11-7:36)
   11. List of the five offerings (7:37-7:38)
2. The first priests: Aaron and his sons (8:1-10:20)
   1. Moses consecrates Aaron and his sons (8:1-8:36)
   2. Aaron’s offering (9:1-9:24)
   3. Nadab and Abihu offer unauthorized fire (10:1-10:20)
3. Laws relating to ceremonial cleanness and uncleanness (11:1-15:33)
   1. Animals (11:1-11:47)
   2. New mothers (12:1-12:8)
   3. Leprosy (13:1-14:32)
   4. Houses (14:33-14:57)
   5. Bodily discharges (15:1-15:33)
4. The Day of Atonement (16:1-16:34)
5. Laws on sacrifices (17:1-17:9)
6. Law against eating blood (17:10-17:16)
7. More Laws (18:1-22:33)
   1. Sexual behavior (18:1-18:30)
      1. Sexual prohibitions (18:1-18:23)
      2. Warning against violations (18:24-18:30)
   2. Holiness (19:1-27:34)
      1. The Lord is Holy (19:1-19:8)
      2. How to treat your neighbor (19:9-19:18)
      3. Various laws (19:19-19:37)
      4. Punishments (20:1-20:21)
         1. Punishment for child sacrifice (20:1-20:9)
         2. Punishment for Sexual immorality (20:10-21)
      5. Be holy (20:22-20:27)
      6. Laws for priests (21:1-22:33)
         1. Priestly holiness (21:1-21:24)
         2. Leprosy, eating, etc (22:1-22:16)
         3. Offerings (22:17-22:33)
   3. Various feasts (23:1-23:44)
      1. Sabbath (23:1-23:3)
      2. Passover (23:4-23:8)
      3. Firstfruits (23:9-23:22)
      4. Trumpets (23:23-23:25)
      5. Atonement (23:26-23:32)
      6. Booths (23:33-23:44)
   4. Laws regarding the lamps (24:1-24:4)
   5. Laws regarding bread for the tabernacle (24:5-24:9)
   6. Blasphemy laws (24:10-24:16)
   7. Lex Talionis (24:17-24:23)
   8. The Sabbath year (25:1-25:7)
   9. The year of Jubilee (25:8-25:55)
   10. Blessings and punishment (26:1-26:46)
   11. Laws regarding vows (27:1-27:34)

Author: Moses
Original audience: Israelites who came out of Egypt under Moses
Date written: 1300s or 1500s
Genre(s): Historical narrative
Theme(s): Freedom from slavery, God is true to His covenant
Chapters: 40
Verses: 1213

Outline of Exodus

1. Israelites in Egypt (1:1-15:21)
   1. Setting the stage: the time before Moses (1:1-1:22)
      1. Jacob’s descendants prosper in Egypt (1:1-1:7)
      2. Pharaoh oppresses the Hebrews (1:8-1:14)
      3. Hebrew midwives save lives (1:15-1:22)
   2. Moses’ birth (2:1-2:10)
   3. Moses murders an Egyptian (2:11-2:14)
   4. Moses in Midian (2:15-4:17)
      1. Moses flees to Midian (2:15)
      2. Moses marries Jethro’s daughter, Zipporah (2:16-2:22)
      3. INTERLUDE: God knows of Israel’s oppression (2:23-2:25)
      4. Moses at the burning bush (3:1-3:22)
      5. God gives Moses 2 miraculous signs (4:1-4:9)
      6. Moses cowers, Aaron will speak for him (4:10-4:17)
   5. Moses moves his family back to Egypt (4:18-4:31)
      1. Moses prepares to travel (4:18-4:20)
      2. God speaks to Moses about his mission (4:21-4:23)
      3. Zipporah circumcises Gershom (4:24-4:26)
      4. Moses meets Aaron in the wilderness (4:27-4:31)
   6. Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh (5:1-5:9)
   7. Conditions worsen for the Israelites (5:10-5:23)
   8. God tells Moses he has not forgotten the covenant he made in Genesis (6:1-6:13)
   9. GEANEAOLOGY: Moses and Aaron (6:14-6:30)
   10. 10 Plagues (7:1-12:32)
       1. Pharaoh warned (7:1-7:13)
       2. PLAGUE #1: Water turned into blood (7:14-7:25)
       3. PLAGUE #2: Frogs (8:1-8:7)
       4. Pharaoh promises release, then hardens his heart (8:8-8:14)
       5. PLAGUE #3: Gnats (8:16-8:19)
       6. PLAGUE #4:Flies (8:20-8:24)
       7. Pharaoh promises release, then hardens his heart (8:25-8:32)
       8. PLAGUE #5: Death of livestock (9:1-9:7)
       9. PLAGUE #6: Boils (9:8-9:12)
       10. PLAGUE #7: Hail (9:13-9:26)
       11. Pharaoh promises release, then hardens his heart (9:27-9:35)
       12. PLAGUE #8: Locusts (10:1-10:6)
       13. Pharaoh promises release, the Lord hardens his heart (10:7-10:20)
       14. PLAGUE #9: Darkness (10:21-10:29)
       15. God tells Moses about the 10^th plague (11:1-1:10)
       16. The first Passover (12:1-12:28)
       17. PLAGUE #10 (12:29-12:32)
   11. The exodus from Egypt (12:33-12:51)
   12. The feast of unleavened bread (13:1-13:16)
   13. God guides Israel by a pillar of clouds and of fire (13:17-13:22)
   14. Moses leads the Israelites through the Red Sea (14:1-14:31)
   15. Two songs (15:1-15:21)
       1. The song of Moses (15:1-15:18)
       2. The song of Miriam (15:19-15:21)
2. Traveling to Sinai (15:22-18:27)
   1. Bitter water turned sweet (15:22-15:27)
   2. God provides manna (16:1-36)
   3. Water comes from the rock (17:1-17:7)
   4. Battle at Rephidim (17:8-17:16)
   5. Jethro advises Moses (18:1-18:27)
3. Israel at Mt. Sinai (19:1-40:38)
   1. Israel arrives in Sinai wilderness: Moses speaks with God (19:1-19:25)
   2. God issues laws through Moses (20:1-23:33)
      1. The Ten Commandments (20:1-20:21)
      2. How to build an alter (20:22-20:26)
      3. How to treat slaves (21:1-21:32)
      4. How and when to pay restitution (21:33-22:15)
      5. How to treat family, citizens, and sojourners (22:16-23:9)
      6. How to observe the Sabbath and certain festivals (23:10-23:19)
      7. Do not make any covenant with the nations around you (23:20-23:33)
   3. Moses approaches Mt. Sinai (24:1-24:18)
   4. Instructions regarding the tabernacle(25:1-31:17)
      1. Collect a contribution from Israel (25:1-25:9)
      2. The ark of the covenant (25:10-25:22)
      3. The table for the bread (25:23-25:30)
      4. The golden lampstand (25:31-25:40)
      5. The curtains (26:1-26:37)
      6. The alter (27:1-27:8)
      7. The court (27:9-27:19)
      8. The lamp (27:20-27:21)
      9. The priests (28:1-29:46)
         1. The priest’s garments (28:1-28:43)
         2. Consecration of the priests (29:1-29:46
      10. The alter of incense (30:1-30:10)
      11. Taxation (30:11-30:16)
      12. The bronze basin (30:17-30:21)
      13. The anointing oil (30:22-30:33)
      14. The Incense (30:34-30:38)
      15. Skilled workmen: Bezalel and Oholiab (31:1-31:11)
      16. The Sabbath (31:12-31:17)
   5. Israel rebels and worships a golden calf (32:1-32:35)
   6. God commands Israel to leave Sinai (33:1-33:6)
   7. Moses speaks with God (33:7-33:23)
   8. The covenant is renewed (34:1-34:35)
      1. New copy of Ten Commandments (34:1-34:9)
      2. God speaks about the covenant (34:10-34:28)
      3. Moses returns from Mt. Sinai (34:29-34:35)
   9. More instructions regarding the tabernacle (35:1-40:38)
      1. Observe the Sabbath (35:1-35:3)
      2. Contributions (35:4-35:29)
      3. Bezalel and Oholiab work on the tabernacle (35:30-38:31)
         1. Construction commences (35:30-35:38)
         2. The ark (37:1-37:9)
         3. The table (37:10-37:16)
         4. The lampstand (37:17-37:24)
         5. The altar of incense (37:25-37:29)
         6. The altar of burnt offering (38:1-38:7)
         7. The bronze basin (38:8)
         8. The court (38:9-38:20)
         9. Materials and workers (38:21-38:31)
      4. The priest’s garments (39:1-39:43)
      5. The tabernacle completed and erected (40:1-40:33)
      6. The Lord’s glory (40:34-40:38)

Author: Moses
Original audience: Israelites who came out of Egypt under Moses
Date written: 1300s or 1500s
Genre: Historical narrative
Theme(s): Creation-fall-redemption
Chapters: 50
Verses: 1533

Outline of Genesis

1. Primeval History (1:1-11:26)
   1. Creation (1:1-2:24)
      1. Creation of universe and Earth (1:1-1:25)
      2. Creation of humans (1:26-31)
      3. INTERLUDE: God rests (2:1-2:3)
      4. Creation of Adam and Eve (2:4-2:25)
   2. The Fall (3:1-3:24)
      1. Serpent tempts Eve (3:1-3:7)
      2. God punishes sin (3:8-24)
   3. Cain (4:1-4:26)
      1. Cain and Abel (4:1-4:16)
      2. Cain’s descendents (4:17-4:26)
   4. GENEALOGY: Adam to Noah (5:1-5:32)
   5. Noah (6:1-9-29)
      1. Corrupt humanity (6:1-6:8)
      2. The flood (6:9-8:19)
         1. Noah’s ark (6:9-6:22)
         2. The Lord floods the earth (7:1-7:24)
         3. The water subsides (8:1-8:12)
         4. People and animals exit the ark (8:13-8:19)
         5. Noahic covenant (8:20-9:17)
         6. Noah gets drunk (9:18-9:27)
         7. Noah dies (9:29-9:29)
   6. Noah’s descendents inhabit the earth (10:1-11:9)
      1. The table of nations (10:1-10:32)
      2. The tower of Babel (11:1-11:9)
   7. GENEALOGY: Shem to Abram (11:10-11:26)
2. Patriarchal History (11:27-50:26)
   1. Abram(Abraham)/Isaac/Jacob(Israel) (11:27-36:43)
      1. Terah’s family (11:27-11:32)
      2. Abrahamic covenant (12:1-12:9)
      3. Abram and Sarai in Egypt (12:10-12:20)
      4. Abram and Lot (13:1-14:16)
         1. Abram and Lot separate (13:1-13:13)
         2. INTERLUDE: Abrahamic covenant (13:14-13:18)
         3. Lot kidnapped (14:1-14:12)
         4. Abram rescues Lot (14:13-14:16)
      5. Abram meets Melchizedek (14:17-14:24)
      6. INTERLUDE: Abrahamic covenant (15:1-15:20)
      7. Birth of Ishmael (16:1-16:16)
         1. Sarai and Hagar (16:1-16:6)
         2. The Lord speaks with Hagar (16:7-16:16)
      8. INTERLUDE: Abrahamic covenant (17:1-27)
         1. Covenant of circumcision (17:1-17:14)
         2. Isaac’s birth promised (17:15-17:21)
         3. Abraham and family circumcised (17:22-17:27)
      9. Sodom and Gomorrah (18:1-19:38)
         1. The Lord comes to Abraham and Sarah (18:1-21)
         2. Abraham talks to God about Sodom (18:22-18:33)
         3. Lot in Sodom (19:1-19:38)
            1. Angels come to Sodom (19:1-19:3)
            2. Angels strike men of Sodom with blindness (19-4-19:11)
            3. Lot and family escape Sodom (19:12-19:22)
            4. Destruction of Sodom (19:23-19:29)
            5. Lot’s deceptive daughters (19:30-19:38)
      10. Abraham meets Abimelech (20:1-20:18)
      11. Isaac (21:1-22:24)
          1. Isaac’s birth (21:1-21:7)
          2. Hagar and Ishmael (21:8-21:21)
          3. Covenant between Abraham and Abimelech (21:22-21:34)
          4. The near sacrifice of Isaac (22:1-21:24)
      12. Sarah dies and is buried (23:1-23:20)
      13. Isaac meets Rebekah (24:1-24:67)
      14. Abraham dies and is buried (25:1-25:18)
      15. Esau and Jacob (25:19-26:5)
          1. Born to Rebekah (25:19-25:28)
          2. Esau sells his birthright to Jacob (25:29-25-34)
          3. God promises descendants to Isaac (26:1-26:5)
      16. Isaac and Abimelech (26:6-26:34)
      17. Isaac blesses Jacob (27:1-27:45)
          1. Rebekah’s plot (27:1-27:13)
          2. Jacob deceives Isaac (27:1-27:25)
          3. Isaac’s blessing (27:26-27:29)
          4. Esau discovers the deception (27:30-27:45)
      18. Jacob in search of a wife (27:46-29:30)
          1. Jacob told to go to Laban’s house (27:46-28:5)
          2. Esau’s marriage (28:6-28:9)
          3. Jacob dreams about a ladder (28:10-28:17)
          4. Jacob builds an alter (28:18-28:22)
          5. Jacob marries Leah and Rachel (29:1-29:30)
      19. Jacob has 12 children, 11 boys and 1 girl (29:31-30:24)
      20. Jacob prospers, prepares to return home (30:25-30:43)
      21. Jacob flees from Laban (31:1-31:55)
      22. Jacob reunites with Esau (32:1-33:20)
          1. Jacob fears Esau’s wrath (32:1-32:21)
          2. Jacob wrestles with God (32:22-32:32)
          3. Jacob and Esau reunite peacefully (33:1-33:20)
      23. Dinah’s rape (34:1-34:31)
          1. Shechem rapes Dinah (34:1-34:4)
          2. Hamor negotiates with Jacob (34:5-34:17)
          3. Dinah’s rape is avenged (34:18-34:31)
      24. God renames Jacob, Israel (35:1-35:15)
      25. Rachel and Isaac die (35:16-35:29)
      26. Esau’s descendants (36:1-36:43)
   2. Joseph’s life
      1. The many-colored robe (37:1-37:4)
      2. Joseph’s prophetic dreams (37:5-37:11)
         1. Joseph’s first dream (37:5-37:8)
         2. Joseph’s second dream (37:9-11)
      3. Joseph sold into slavery (37:12-37:36)
      4. INTERLUDE: Judah and Tamar (38:1-38:30)
      5. Joseph and Potiphar’s wife (39:1-39:23)
         1. Joseph purchased by Potiphar, gains respect (39:1-39:6)
         2. Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce Joseph and fails (39:7-39:18)
         3. Joseph thrown in prison (39:19-39:23)
      6. Joseph interprets two dreams (40:1-40:23)
         1. Joseph meets the cupbearer and the baker(40:1-40:8)
         2. The cupbearer’s dream (40:9-40:15)
         3. The baker’s dream (40:16-40:19)
         4. Joseph’s interpretations come true (40:20-22)
      7. Joseph interprets Pharoah’s two dreams (41:1-41:36)
         1. Pharoah’s magicians fail to interpret (41:1-41:8)
         2. The cupbearer tells Pharoah of Joseph (41:9-41:13)
         3. Joseph interprets Pharoah’s dreams (41:14-41:36)
      8. Joseph rises in power and marries Asenath (41:37-45)
      9. Joseph’s interpretation of Pharoah’s dream comes true (41:46-41:57)
      10. Joseph’s and his brothers (42:1-45:28)
          1. Jacob’s sons come to Egypt (42:1-42:11)
          2. Joseph accuses his brothers (42:12-42:17)
          3. Joseph’s brothers return home (42:18-42:38)
          4. Jacob’s sons return to Egypt (43:1-43:15)
          5. Joseph has a meal with his brothers (43:16-43:34)
          6. Joseph accuses Benjamin (44:1-44:34)
          7. Joseph reveals his true identity (45:1-45:15)
          8. Pharoah is kind to Jacob’s family (45:16-45:28)
      11. Jacob’s family comes to Egypt (46:1-46:27)
      12. Joseph reunited with his father (46:28-46:34)
      13. Jacob’s family settles in Goshen (47:1-47:12)
      14. The famine runs its course (47:13-47:31)
      15. Jacob’s final days (48:1-50:14)
          1. Jacob becomes sick (48:1-48:7)
          2. Jacob blesses Joseph (48:8-48:22)
          3. Jacob blesses his children (49:1-49:27)
          4. Jacob’s death (49:28-49:33)
          5. Jacob’s burial (50:1-50:14)
      16. God’s purpose in Joseph’s trials (50:15-50:21)
      17. Joseph’s death (50:22-50:26)

Comparison Between The Book of Commandments (1833) and the Doctrine and Covenants (1835)

There is a notable size difference between these two editions. Below are photos of the reprinted editions.

Book of Commandments (1833) on left, Doctrine and Covenants (1835) on right

The Binding

The Doctrine and Covenants 1835 printing is approximately 4″ wide and 6″ tall. It is comprised of 257 pages plus 25 additional pages of index and a note to the reader.

Content

The content of the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants is illustrated in this chart (included with the Herald House reprint):

BC = Book of Commandments, KE = Doctrine and Covenants 1835 ("Kirtland Edition")

The change in order of some of the Chapters (or Sections) is not so much a concern as the change in the actual content of the wording. A comparison of the 1833 with its 1835 printing will reveal numerous changes, sometimes to the effect of entire verses being added or deleted. There are changes in wording, spelling changes, grammatical changes, punctuation changes, and more. In the history of the Doctrine and Covenants, the most editing took place between the 1833 Book of Commandments and the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants.

The Lectures on Faith

One major change was the addition of Joseph Smith’s Lectures on Faith. It is placed before the first Section and is comprised of seven lectures given by Smith in 1834-1835. It was reprinted in every publicatoin of the Doctrine and Covenants from 1835 until it was removed in the 1921 printing with the following comments:

When reading this I must take pause and ask myself why this distinction was not made in any previous printing. 1835, 1866, 1876, 1879, 1884, 1891, 1898, 1918, and no word that this work of non-scripture stood right along side of legitimate scripture (Forgive me if I missed a revision)! On the 1835 title page we are told the contents of this book were “carefully selected from the revelations of God.” And again on the 1866 title page to the D&C “Selected from the Revelations of God.” If you were handed a copy of the D&C in 1866 and started reading what conclusion would you come to? How would you feel if you read this book and studied this book for years and years and then were told it was just a theological lecture, a lesson which could easily be removed from the volume of scripture it has been printed in for 86 years. The fact is this, faithful Mormons lived their entire lives with the Lectures on Faith as a part of their canon.