Oliver Cowdery’s Divining Rod

Like the Smith family, Oliver Cowdery was involved with local superstitions and folk magic. Both Oliver’s father, William Cowdery Jr., and Joseph’s father, Joseph Smith Sr., were rumored to have belonged to a group called the “Fraternity of the Rodsmen” around 1801 in Vermont. In the 1820s, Oliver believed in and used a divining rod. A divining rod was a magical instrument used to located buried treasure, water, metals, and other hidden objects under the ground. A rod also could be used like a Ouija board: the user would hold the rod outward and ask a question, and then the rod would move or dip in response.

Oliver’s gift with the rod was mentioned specifically by God in Doctrine and Covenants Section 8 as a true spiritual gift. Oliver attempted to receive scripture through his rod as described in D&C 8 but he ultimately failed. This scripture was later changed to make it appear less magical and more in line with later teachings. Specifically, the wording “gift of working with the rod” was changed to “gift of Aaron.” Rather than learning about Oliver’s divining rod, today LDS faithful are taught that God intended the scripture to mean that “Like Aaron with his rod in his hand going before Moses as a spokesman, so Oliver Cowdery was to go before Joseph Smith. . . Oliver was blessed with the great honor of holding the keys of this dispensation with Joseph Smith, and, like Aaron, did become a spokesman on numerous occasions.”