Joseph Smith/Character

FAIR Answers—back to home page

V

Articles about Joseph Smith

Life and Character	Status in Latter-day Saint belief Joseph Smith's family as trustworthy and hard-working Education Trustworthiness The Hurlbut affidavits Alleged narcissism Money digging Folk magic or the occult The Word of Wisdom
Revelations and the Church	Witness of Jesus Christ First Vision Book of Mormon Joseph Smith's inspired revision of the Bible The restoration of the priesthood Personages who appeared to Joseph Smith Use of seer stones as a youth Book of Abraham Kinderhook Plates
Prophetic Statements	The U.S. Civil War Rocky Mountain prophecy The White Horse prophecy Alleged false prophecies of Joseph Smith
Society	Legal issues 1826 trial Creation of the Kirtland Safety Society Failure of the Kirtland Safety Society Campaign for President of the United States
Plural marriage (polygamy)	Plural marriage or polygamy Polygamy navigator
Death	The Nauvoo Expositor Events surrounding the death of Joseph Smith Firing a gun at Carthage Jail Qualification as a martyr 1844 Succession to Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith's character

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

Audio/video published by Brigham Young University.

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 trustworthiness

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: Was the young Joseph Smith a teller of "tall tales"
• Question: Was Joseph Smith, Jr. known as a "disreputable person"
• Question: Do Joseph Smith's personality and temperament indicate that he was not a true prophet of God
• Question: Did Joseph Smith engage in "land speculation" in Nauvoo
• Question: Did Joseph Smith really tell Orrin Porter Rockwell 'it was right to steal'
• Question: Did B.H. Roberts state that it was possible for Joseph Smith to have come up with the Book of Mormon on his own
• Stephen H. Webb: "Evidence That Demands Our Amazement... Joseph Smith was a remarkable person"
• Brigham Young (1855): "he was an honorable man and dealt justly, we know his true character. But let his enemies give his character, and they will make him out one of the basest men that ever lived."
• B.H. Roberts: "Joseph Smith was a man of like passions with other men; struggling with the same weaknesses; subjected to the same temptations"
• Joseph Smith: "I frequently fell into many foolish errors, and displayed the weakness of youth, and the foibles of human nature"
• Joseph Smith (1834): "during this time, as is common to most, or all youths, I fell into many vices and follies"
• Walker: In 1819 "Under New York law, being just thirteen, Joseph's testimony about the work he had performed was admissible only after the court found him competent"

The Hurlbut affidavits

Jump to Subtopic:

• Question: What are the Hurlbut affidavits?
• Question: What do the Hurlbut affidavits claim about the Smith family's character and reliability?
• Question: What did Parley Chase claim about Joseph Smith in the Hurlbut affidavits?
• Question: What did Henry Harris claim about Joseph Smith in the Hurlbut affidavits?
• Question: What did Barton Stafford claim about Joseph Smith in the Hurlbut affidavits?
• Question: What did David Stafford claim about Joseph Smith in the Hurlbut affidavits?
• Question: What did Willard Chase claim about Joseph Smith in the Hurlbut affidavits?
• Question: What did Peter Ingersoll claim about Joseph Smith in the Hurlbut affidavits?
• Question: What did William Stafford claim about Joseph Smith in the Hurlbut affidavits?
• Question: What did the Hurlbut affidavits say about Martin Harris?
• Question: What do the Hurlbut affidavits say about Joseph Smith claiming that he was "as good as Jesus Christ"?
• Question: What do the Hurlbut affidavits say about the Spalding manuscript and the Book of Mormon?

Question: Was the young Joseph Smith a teller of "tall tales"?

Jump to details:

• Question: Was the young Joseph Smith a teller of "tall tales"?
• The Prophet's mother's account of her son telling "amusing recitals" about the ancient inhabitants of the American continent occurred during the years that Joseph was being prepared to receive the plates
• Lucy Mack Smith: "From this time forth Joseph continued to receive instructions from time to time and every evening we gathered our children"

Joseph Smith's alleged narcissism

Jump to details:

• Was Joseph Smith ego-maniacal, proud, and narcissistic?
• Was Joseph Smith prone to boasting?
• Did Joseph Smith believe that he was better than Jesus Christ?
• Question: Did Joseph Smith say that he would be a "second Muhammad," threatening to spread his beliefs with the sword?