View source for Question: Did Joseph Smith join the Methodist, Presbyterian, or Baptist churches between 1820 and 1830 despite the claim made in his 1838 history that he was forbidden by Deity from joining any denomination?

{{FairMormon}}
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==Question: Did Joseph Smith join the Methodist, Presbyterian, or Baptist churches between 1820 and 1830 despite the claim made in his 1838 history that he was forbidden by Deity from joining any denomination?==

===Nobody who has charged Joseph Smith with joining a church between 1820 and 1830 has ever produced any authentic denominational membership record that would substantiate such a claim===

Three of the primary sources that charge Joseph Smith with joining sectarian churches between 1820 and 1830 were produced in the latter part of the nineteenth century, over a half-century after the First Vision. None of the three are contemporary records; the earliest one was written 50 years after the First Vision took place.

*Fayette Lapham claimed that Joseph had joined the Baptist Church.
*Joseph and Hiel Lewis claimed that Joseph Smith joined the Methodist Church.
*S.F. Anderick claimed that Joseph Smith joined the Presbyterian Church.

We must note too that none of these sources confirms the others&mdash;they all discuss different denominations and different time frames.  Thus, the stories are not mutually reinforcing.

Eyewitness reminiscences and contemporary records provide strong evidence that these claims are not valid and, therefore, do not reflect historical reality. The three sources are all late, and all from hostile voices.
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[[es:Pregunta: ¿Se unió José Smith a las iglesias metodistas, presbiterianas o bautistas entre 1820 y 1830 a pesar del reclamo hecho en su historia de 1838 de que la Deidad le prohibió unirse a cualquier denominación?]]
[[pt:Pergunta: Será que Joseph Smith se juntar as igrejas Metodista, Presbiteriana, Batista ou entre 1820 e 1830, apesar da afirmação feita no seu palmarés 1838 que ele foi proibido pela Divindade de se juntar a nenhuma denominação?]]

[[Category:An Insider's View of Mormon Origins]]
[[Category:Becoming Gods]]
[[Category:Mormonism Unmasked]]
[[Category:One Nation Under Gods]]