Joseph Smith/Status in LDS belief/Further Reading

Table of Contents <onlyinclude>

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
• Accusations of Plagiarism Leveled Against the Joseph Smith Translation of the Bible

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?

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"

Joseph Smith: Alleged false prophecies

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Does Joseph Smith fail the "prophetic test" found in Deuteronomy 18?
• Question: Are there not supposed to be any more prophets after Christ's day?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith prophesy that he couldn't be killed within 5 years of August 1843?
• Question: Why did Joseph Smith say that David Patten would serve a mission when he was killed only six months later?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith state that the moon was inhabited, and that it's inhabitants were dressed like Quakers?
• Question: Did Joseph utter a false prophecy and show disregard for the Word of Wisdom in telling Orson Hyde that he would drink wine with him in Palestine?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith claim at one time that Kirtland Safety Society notes would be "as good as gold"?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith give a false prophecy by claiming that queens would pay respect to the Relief Society within ten years?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith prophesy that Jesus Christ would return in 1890?
• Question: Was a "forged" prophecy about Stephen A. Douglas added to the History of the Church?
• Question: Why did Joseph prophesy that the wicked "of this generation" would be swept from the face of the land and the Lost Ten tribes would be gathered?
• Question: Why did Joseph Smith claim that Thomas B. Marsh, who later apostatized, would be "exalted," and that he would preach "unto the ends of the earth"?
• Question: Why did Joseph describe the United Order in revelation as "everlasting" and "immutable and unchangeable" until Jesus comes?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith prophesy that Zion, in Jackson County, Missouri, would be redeemed by September 1836?
• Question: Was Joseph Smith's prophecy that the Independence, Missouri temple "shall be reared in this generation" a failed prophecy?

Mormonism and prophets

Jump to Subtopic:

• Joseph Smith as a prophet
• The characteristics of Latter-day Saint ("Mormon") prophets
• Revelation after Joseph Smith
• Mormonism and The Family: A Proclamation to the World
• Criticisms related to 19th-century Latter-day Saint ("Mormon") prophets
• Criticisms related to modern Latter-day Saint ("Mormon") prophets

Mormonism and doctrine

Jump to Subtopic:

• Official or "core" Mormon doctrine
• Establishing new Mormon doctrine
• Mormon doctrine of the past
• Repudiated concepts
• Mormon views of various beliefs

Official or "core" Mormon doctrine

Jump to Subtopic:

• "Official" Mormon doctrine

Establishing new Mormon doctrine

Jump to Subtopic:

• Procedures to establish or modify Mormon doctrine
• Church publications as doctrine

Mormon doctrine of the past

Jump to Subtopic:

• Statements made by past prophets as "scripture"
• The Law of Adoption: The sealing of men and women as children to prominent Latter-day Saint leaders

Statements made by past prophets as "scripture"

Summary: Are statements of past prophets considered doctrine? It is claimed that anything that is, or ever was, officially published by the Church ought to represent doctrine.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Did Brigham Young state that everything he said could be considered "scripture"?
• Question: When are the writings or sermons of Church leaders entitled to the claim of scripture?

The Law of Adoption: The sealing of men and women as children to prominent Latter-day Saint leaders

Summary: Critics point to the early practice of sealing men and women as children to prominent LDS leaders as an example of changes in LDS belief.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What is the "Law of Adoption" practiced among 19-century Mormons and why has it changed?
• Question: What is the history behind the Mormon practice called the "Law of Adoption"?
• Question: Why were men sealed to other men during the early days of the Church?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith perform marriages between brothers and sisters?

Repudiated concepts in Mormonism

Summary: Some teachings previously considered doctrinal have since been repudiated by the Church.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Why would a current prophet repudiate the teachings of an earlier prophet?
• "Blood atonement"
• Mormonism and the concept that some were "neutral" in the "war in heaven"
• Mormonism and the "curse of Cain"
• Brigham Young's Adam-God theory

Why would a current prophet repudiate the teachings of an earlier prophet?

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: If a doctrine is repudiated, does that mean that it was false when it was being taught?
• Neil L. Andersen: "The doctrine...is not hidden in an obscure paragraph of one talk...The leaders of the Church are honest but imperfect men"
• Question: Does the repudiation of a doctrine that was once taught by a prophet mean that that prophet is now considered a "heretic"?

"Blood atonement"

Summary: It is claimed that during the administration of Brigham Young apostates were secretly put to death, and that the teachings of LDS leaders at the time were that apostasy was the unforgivable sin, and that the only thing an apostate could do to redeem himself was to give his own life, willingly or unwillingly.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What is "blood atonement"?
• Charles Penrose (1912): "Do you believe in "blood-atonement"?
• Question: Did early Mormon leaders teach that apostasy was the unforgivable sin, and that the only thing an apostate could do to redeem himself was to give his own life, willingly or unwillingly?
• Question: Were apostates secretly put to death by "blood atonement" during the administration of Brigham Young?
• Question: Was Thomas Coleman (or Colbourn) "blood atoned"?
• Question: Did Brigham Young's preaching style induce people to perform "blood atonement"?
• Utah crime and violence

Mormonism and the concept that some were "neutral" in the "war in heaven"

Summary: Is it true that LDS scripture states that those with lighter skin color "are favored because of what they did as spirits in a pre-earth life?" Is it true that some Church leaders taught that people who were born with dark skin were "neutral" in the pre-existence?

Jump to Subtopic:

• Gospel Topics: "Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects actions in a premortal life; that mixed-race marriages are a sin; or that blacks or people of any other race or ethnicity are inferior in any way to anyone else"
• Joseph Fielding Smith: "We know of no scripture, ancient or modern, that declares that at the time of the rebellion in heaven that one-third of the hosts of heaven remained neutral"
• Question: Was the idea that Blacks were neutral in the "war in heaven" ever official doctrine?
• Question: Did Church leaders ever teach that Blacks were neutral in the "war in heaven?"
• Question: Did the Church repudiate the idea of neutrality in the "war in heaven?"

Mormonism and the "curse of Cain"

Jump to Subtopic:

• Gospel Topics: "Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor or curse, or that it reflects actions in a premortal life"
• Gospel Topics: "Even after 1852, at least two black Mormons continued to hold the priesthood"
• Question: What are the "curse of Cain" and the "curse of Ham"?
• Question: When did a biblical curse become associated with the "Hamites?"
• Question: When did the "mark of Cain" become associated with black skin?
• Question: How did the "curse of Ham" or "curse of Cain" become associated with Mormonism?
• Question: Is interracial marriage prohibited or condemned within the Church?
• Question: Do the Book of Abraham and the Book of Mormon link a person's skin color to their behavior in the pre-existence?

Brigham Young's Adam-God theory

Summary: Brigham Young taught that Adam, the first man, was God the Father. Since this teaching runs counter to the story told in Genesis and commonly accepted by Christians, critics accuse Brigham of being a false prophet. Also, because modern Latter-day Saints do not believe Brigham's "Adam-God" teachings, critics accuse Mormons of either changing their teachings or rejecting teachings of prophets they find uncomfortable or unsupportable.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What is the Adam-God Theory?
• Question: What is the history of Brigham Young's Adam-God Theory and why was it rejected by the Church?
• Stephen E. Robinson: "Yet another way in which anti-Mormon critics often misrepresent LDS doctrine is in the presentation of anomalies as though they were the doctrine of the Church"
• Matthew Brown (2009): "Brigham Young repeated these ideas and expounded upon them during the next 25 years. His viewpoints have been variously classified as doctrine, theory, paradox, heresy, speculation, and some of the mysteries"
• Question: If the Adam-God doctrine isn't true, how come D&C 27:11 calls Adam the Ancient of Days which is clearly a title for God in Daniel 7?
• Question: What attempts have been made to reconcile the Adam-God Theory with the doctrines of the Church?
• Question: Was the "Adam-God" theory ever taught as part of the temple endowment ceremony as something called "the lecture at the veil"?

Mormon views of various beliefs

Rapture and LDS theology

Summary: What is the "Rapture"? Do Latter-day Saints believe in this or a similar doctrine?

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Do Mormons believe in the "rapture"?

The Law of Adoption: The sealing of men and women as children to prominent Latter-day Saint leaders

Summary: Critics point to the early practice of sealing men and women as children to prominent LDS leaders as an example of changes in LDS belief.

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What is the "Law of Adoption" practiced among 19-century Mormons and why has it changed?
• Question: What is the history behind the Mormon practice called the "Law of Adoption"?
• Question: Why were men sealed to other men during the early days of the Church?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith perform marriages between brothers and sisters?

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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

FairMormon web site

Joseph Smith FairMormon articles on-line

• Ron Barney, "Joseph Smith’s Visions: His Style and his Record" FairMormon link

Joseph Smith other visionary issues FairMormon links

• Craig Ray, "Joseph Smith's History Confirmed," (Mesa, Arizona: FAIR, August 2002) FairMormon link

External links

• Stephen R. Gibson, "Can People Go To Heaven Without Joseph Smith's Consent?," in One-Minute Answers to Anti-Mormon Questions (Bountiful, Utah: Horizon Publishers, 2005) ISBN 0882907840. off-site

Printed material

Joseph Smith, Jr. printed materials

• Richard L. Bushman, "Joseph Smith's Family Background," in The Prophet Joseph: Essays on the Life and Mission of Joseph Smith, ed. Larry C. Porter and Susan Easton Black (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1988), 1–18. ISBN 0875791778. GL direct link
• Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Knopf, 2005), 1.
• Mark L. McConkie, Remembering Joseph: Personal Recollections of Those Who Knew the Prophet Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book Company, 2003).(print version) ISBN 978-1570089633 GL direct link (Key source)