Joseph Smith

Table of Contents

Joseph Smith, Jr.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Early Smith family history
• Joseph Smith's character
• Joseph Smith's alleged narcissism
• Treasure seeking, money digging and Joseph Smith, Jr.
• The relationship between Joseph Smith's seer stone and the Urim and Thummim
• Joseph Smith's First Vision
• Joseph Smith and the "occult" or "magick"
• Joseph Smith as a translator
• The "Joseph Smith Translation" of the Bible
• Joseph Smith and miracles
• Joseph Smith and the priesthood
• Joseph Smith as a prophet
• Joseph Smith and legal issues
• Kirtland Safety Society
• Joseph Smith, politics and government
• Joseph Smith and polygamy
• Death of Joseph Smith
• Joseph Smith's status in Latter-day Saint belief

Early Smith family history

Jump to Subtopic:

• Contemporary witnesses regarded Joseph Smith's family as trustworthy and hard-working
• Joseph Smith's education

Joseph Smith's character

Summary: It is claimed that Joseph Smith was a disreputable person.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Was Joseph Smith, Jr. a "disreputable person?"
• The Hurlbut affidavits
• Was Joseph Smith simply telling "amusing recitals" and "tall tales"?
• Joseph Smith's personality and temperament

Joseph Smith's alleged narcissism

Jump to Subtopic:

• Accusations that Joseph Smith was ego-maniacal, proud, and narcissistic
• Accusations that Joseph Smith was prone to boasting

Treasure seeking, money digging and Joseph Smith, Jr.

Summary: Was Joseph Smith's engagement in "money digging" or looking for buried treasure a blot on his character?

Jump to Subtopic:

• Joseph Smith's money digging activities and how it relates to his character
• Joseph Smith's family and "folk magic"

The relationship between Joseph Smith's seer stone and the Urim and Thummim

Summary: Joseph Smith used the Nephite Interpreters as well as his own seer stone (both of which were later referred to as "Urim and Thummim") to translate the Book of Mormon.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Joseph Smith's use of seer stones as a youth
• The "Urim and Thummim" used by Joseph Smith to translate the "gold plates"
• Joseph Smith used the same "rock in hat" seer stone for translating that he used for "money digging"
• Statements regarding instruments used by Joseph Smith to translate or receive revelation

Joseph Smith's First Vision

Summary: Joseph Smith's claim that he saw the Father and the Son in 1820 has produced a wide variety of criticism. This set of articles addresses the various critical claims related to the First Vision. The linked articles below are designed to help readers to see some of the weaknesses that are found in arguments that are made against Joseph Smith's First Vision accounts. Some of these arguments are currently being advocated in anti-Mormon literature that is handed out near the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Criticisms of the First Vision accounts
• Criticisms of events leading up to the First Vision
• Criticisms of events occurring after the First Vision
• Doctrinal issues related to the First Vision
• Primary sources related to Joseph Smith's First Vision

Joseph Smith and the "occult" or "magick"

Summary: Citing Joseph Smith's experiences with folk magic, treasure seeking and seer stones, it is claimed that Joseph Smith's spiritual experiences were originally products of magic and the occult. Some charge that only much later did Joseph retrofit his experiences in Christian, religious terms: speaking of God, angels, and prophethood rather than in terms of magic, treasure guardians and scrying. It is also claimed that a "vagabond fortune-teller" named Walters became popular in the Palmyra area, and that when Walters left the area, "his mantle fell upon" Joseph Smith.

Jump to Subtopic:

• The origin of Joseph Smith's spiritual experiences
• Joseph Smith's family and "folk magic"

Joseph Smith as a translator

Summary: It is claimed that Joseph Smith claimed to translate other texts or items, which can be checked against modern academic translations. They claim that this "cross-checking" proves that Joseph could not have translated the Book of Mormon or other ancient texts.

Jump to Subtopic:

• The "Urim and Thummim" used by Joseph Smith to translate the "gold plates"
• Joseph Smith and the Kinderhook plates
• Other translation claims

The "Joseph Smith Translation" of the Bible

Jump to Subtopic:

• Joseph Smith's corrections to the Bible do not match known Biblical manuscripts
• Use of the Joseph Smith translation of the Bible
• Relationship of the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible to the Book of Mormon
• Relationship of the Joseph Smith Translation to the Book of Abraham

Joseph Smith and miracles

Jump to Subtopic:

• Healings and miracles

Joseph Smith and the priesthood

Jump to Subtopic:

• Date of the restoration of the Melchizedek priesthood

Joseph Smith as a prophet

Jump to Subtopic:

• Joseph Smith's 1832 prophecy of the Civil War
• Joseph Smith's Rocky Mountain prophecy
• Mormon belief that the original Garden of Eden was located in Missouri
• The Mormon temple to be built in Independence, Missouri
• Joseph Smith: Alleged false prophecies
• Biblical Keys for Discerning True and False Prophets
• The White Horse Prophecy
• Response to claims made in One Nation Under Gods, "Appendix B: Failed Joseph Smith Prophecies"

Joseph Smith and legal issues

Jump to Subtopic:

• Joseph Smith was accused and brought to courts of law on a variety of charges
• Joseph Smith appeared in court in 1826 for "glasslooking"

Kirtland Safety Society

Jump to Subtopic:

• What was the purpose of the Kirtland Safety Society?
• The failure of the Kirtland Safety Society

Joseph Smith, politics and government

Jump to Subtopic:

• Joseph Smith's run for President of the United States

Joseph Smith and polygamy

Summary: Joseph Smith is frequently criticized for his introduction and practice of polygamy. From a Christian perspective, these attacks usually focus on arguing that polygamy is unchristian or unbiblical, and that Joseph hid the truth from the world. From a secular perspective, it is asserted that the practice of polygamy sprung from Joseph's carnal desires to marry young women. Of particular interest is the fact that Joseph was sealed to women who were already married to other men (polyandry).

Jump to Subtopic:

• Plural wives of Joseph Smith, Jr.
• Implementation of plural marriage
• Doctrinal issues related to plural marriage
• Critics' claimed motivations for Joseph's implementation of plural marriage
• Keeping plural marriage a secret
• Entering into plural marriage
• Joseph Smith and polyandry
• Emma Smith and polygamy
• Children of Joseph Smith by polygamous marriages
• Mormonism and divorce in the nineteenth century

Death of Joseph Smith

Jump to Subtopic:

• Events surrounding the death of Joseph Smith, Jr.
• Joseph Smith's qualification as a martyr
• The Nauvoo Expositor
• Joseph Smith drank wine in Carthage Jail
• Joseph Smith fired a gun at Carthage Jail
• Brigham Young University-Idaho Devotional, "The Prophet Joseph Smith"

Joseph Smith's status in Latter-day Saint belief

Summary: Do members worship Joseph Smith or treat him as more than a man? Critics charge that since Joseph claimed (or it was claimed in his behalf) the right to "approve whether or not someone gets into heaven," this arrogates to a mortal a right properly reserved for God and Jesus Christ. Some critics have even charged that "Mormons worship Joseph Smith."

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Do Mormons believe that Joseph Smith must approve whether or not they get into heaven?
• Question: What is the origin of the idea that Joseph Smith will participate in the final judgement?
• Question: Did Bruce R. McConkie state that we must turn to Joseph Smith to gain salvation?