The Veneration & Character of Joseph Smith

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ. I Tim. 2:5
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. John 10:9
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts. 4:12
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I John 5:12
Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. John 1:3

The preceding verses of the Bible clearly set forth the Christian belief that it is Jesus Christ and only Jesus Christ who holds the key to salvation for mankind. Without a doubt though the following statements made by Mormon leaders (including two by Joseph Smith himself) clearly indicate that within the Mormon church Joseph Smith is given what can only be termed equal standing.

1) "If Joseph Smith was verily a prophet, and if he told the truth... No man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful consequences, for he cannot enter the kingdom of God ."
( Doctrine of Salvation, Vol. 1. p.190, made by Joseph Fielding Smith)

2) "They may say that they acknowledge him (Jesus) until doomsday, and He (Jesus) will never own them, nor bestow the Holy Spirit upon them ... unless they acknowledge Joseph Smith is sent of God." (parenthesis added)
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. p.176-177, made by Brigham Young)

3) "...no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith... every man woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith... as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are..."
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 7, p.289, Gospel Truth' Vol. 255 in "He That Receiveth My Servants, Receiveth Me" p. 54, see also 'Search These Commandments' 1984, emphasis added )

4) "It is because the Lord called Joseph Smith that salvation is again available to mortal men."
(Mormon Doctrine, p.396, "A Witness For The Articles of Faith" p. 1)

5) "You call us fools; but the day will be ... when you will prize brother Joseph Smith ... and look upon him as a God"
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5 p. 88, made by Herber Kimball) emphasis added

6) "Joseph Smith, ... played a part in the great creative enterprise."
(Mormon Doctrine, p. 169, made by Bruce R. McConkie)

7) "God made Aaron to be the mouthpiece for the children of Israel, and he will make me to be god to you in his stead, and the elders to be mouth for me; and if you don't like it, you can lump it!"
(Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 363, made by Joseph Smith)

8) The Mormon hymn "Praise To The Man" speaks of Joseph Smith's shed blood 'pleading unto heaven'. Another hymn "The Seer, Joseph, The Seer" speaks of Joseph dying at the hands of the mob in Carthage, IL with a love for his followers which was a "Savior's love."

THE CHARACTER OF JOSEPH SMITH "Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen." (Joseph Fielding Smith 1959, as reported in Denver Post, Empire Magazine, 11/21/82, p.61) emphasis added

Let us therefore examine some of the facts concerning Joseph Smith which the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not want either the general public or it's own members to know.

Joseph Smith was born on December 23rd, 1805 in Sharon Vermont. He was the third son of a family of nine children. As to his early years, his neighbors had this to say:

1) "At this period in the life of Joseph Smith, or 'Joe Smith,' as he was universally named ... he is distinctly remembered as a ... prevaricating boy ... by reason of the extravagances of his statements, his word was received with the least confidence by those who knew him best. He could utter the utmost palpable exaggeration or marvelous absurdity with theutmost apparent gravity." (Pomeroy Tucker, 'Origin, Rise and Progress of Mormonism', p. 16 New York 1867)

Sixty two residents of Palmayra, New York, the town where the Smith's lived from 1815 to 1819 each signed the following statement:

2) "We, the undersigned, have been acquainted with the Smith family for a number of years, while they resided near this place. We have no hesitation in saying that we consider them destitute of that moral character which ought to entitle them to the confidence of any community. They were particularly famous for visionary projects; spent much of their time in digging for money which they pretended was hid in the earth, and a large excavation may be seen in the earth not far from their residence where they used to spend their time in digging for hidden treasure. Joseph Smith Sr. and his son Joseph, were in particular considered entirely destitute of moral character and addicted to vicious habits."
(E.D. Howe, 'Mormonism Unveiled', p. 261, Zanesville OH 1834; see also The Maze of Mormonism, Vision House Publishers)

According to even his own mother, Joseph could be very convincing in the manner in which he told tall tales. She said that:

3) "During our evening conversations, Joseph would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of traveling, and their animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly as if he had spend his whole life with them." (History of Joseph Smith by his Mother, p. 83, 1954 edition). Note, Joseph's mother said that he could describe the inhabitants of ancient America BEFORE he supposedly received the revelation of the golden plates !!!

Even Mormon Historian B.H. Roberts admitted that Joseph Smith possessed what can only be described as a "...vivid and creative imagination". One which was fully capable of producing the Book of Mormon merely by consulting already existing literature. (B. H. Roberts, Studies of the Book of Mormon, pp. 243 and 250)

The problem with Joseph's ability to spin tall tales is that many of them have been taught as part of Mormon doctrine!!! Remember, Mormon doctrine states that it's prophets cannot be wrong, nor would God allow them to mislead the faithful.

4) Joseph Smith taught that the throne of god is located near a planet he called 'Kolob' (Pearl of Great Price, Abraham 3:3,4,9,16 and 5:13)

5) Joseph Smith not only taught that the Moon was inhabited by a race of people who live to be 1,000 years old, were all 6' tall, and dress like Quakers, but in bestowning a patriarchal blessing upon O. B. Huntington, Smith stated that Huntington would preach the gospel to the inhabitants of the moon. (The Young Woman's Journal, published by the Young Ladies Mutual Improvement Association of Zion, 1892, Vol 3. pp. 263-264.) editor's note: Brigham Young, Smith's successor within the LDS church, taught that the sun was inhabited as well as the moon (July 24, 1870, Journal of Discourses, Vol 13, p. 271

6) Joseph Smith also taught that the Gulf of Mexico was formed when god removed a chunk of the earth in order to form the celestial city of Enoch. This heavenly body is the home of Enoch and the members of the lost 10 tribes of Israel. He also taught that the reason the earth does not rotate on its true axis is beause it was thrown off center when this occured. (see Elisa Snow's hymn, published in 1891 edition of Sacred Hymns and Songs of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints {she was one of Joseph's wives}, see also LDS publication - San Diego State News Digest, Vol 5, #7, August, 1959 and 'Waiting For World's End, The Diaries of Wilford Woodruff', edited by Susan Staker - p. 298, 1993.

7) Joseph Smith taught that Adam lived out his last days 80 miles north of Independence, MO (Waiting for World's End, ibid p. 305).

8) Joseph Smith also taught that Noah's Ark was built in the Carolinas. Smith's integrity, or at the very least his ability to keep his stories straight, is called into question when his own accounts of the beginnings of the Mormon church are carefully examined. (editor's note: Smith's first vision supposedly occurred in 1820) The canonized account of Smith's first vision states that when Joseph and his family moved from Palmyra, NY to Lanchester in 1819, his sister Lucy was with them (Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith History, 1:3-5). However, Lucy was not born until July 18, 1821 (Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations, p. 41) Therefore, in one place Joseph claims that Lucy was born before the first vision, but states in another place that she was born afterwards.

However, this is not the only problem found in his various accounts of the first vision. There are 9 recorded accounts of Smith's first vision including the official one contained in the Pearl of Great Price. These accounts are as follows:

Account # 1 1831-1832 version found in 'BYU Studies', Spring 1969, p. 277-278, see also Dean Jesse 'The Personal Writing of Joseph Smith', p.3-6.

Account # 2 1835 version told to Oliver Cowdery recorded in 'Messenger & Advocate', Feb. 1835 p. 78-79.

Account # 3 another 1835 version found in 'Diary of Joseph', see Dialogue VI #1, p. 87.Account # 4 1837 version told to Orson Pratt recorded in 'William Appleby's Diary', p. 30-31.

Account # 5 1838 version, official LDS version found in Pearl of Great Price, originally found in 'Times & Seasons', April 1, 1842, p. 748-749.

Account # 6 1841 version told by Joseph's brother William to James Murdock of the Hartford Observer, reprinted in F. Kirkham's 'A New Witness For Christ.'
Account # 7 1842 version found in letter from Joseph Smith to John Wentworth recorded in 'Times & Seasons', March 1, 1842, p. 706-707.

Account # 8 1843 version taken from an interview with Joseph Smith by reporter from Pittsburgh Gazette, reprinted in NY Observer, Sept. 23, 1843, partially reprinted in 'Dialogue' Autumn 1966, #3, p. 43.

Account # 9 1844 version found in the Niebaur Journal account of Joseph Smith telling the story of his first vision. Reprinted in part in 'Dialogue' idid.

PROBLEM = Smith's age at the time of first vision varies considerably.
Account # 3,5 & 8 say 14 Account #1 says 16, Accounts #2 & 6 say 17,

PROBLEM = Who or what did Smith see during first vision?. Account #1 says it was Jesus, and he was alone. Account #2 says not Jesus, but a messenger from god. Account #6 says it was an angel (singular). Account #4 says it was angels (plural). Account #3 & #7 say it was 2 beings but does not say who they were. Account #5 says it was Father & Son. Account #9 says that one person was blue eyed and one identifies the other as his beloved son.

PROBLEM = What new information about existing Churches did Smith obtain? Account #1 says Smith already knew from his reading of the Bible that all existing Churches were wrong. Account #5 says he had to be told all were wrong. Account #9 says that Smith was told that the Methodists were not God's people.

PROBLEM = According to historical records the revival which is referred to in the first vision actually took place in 1824. Account #2 says it was 1823. Account #4 says 1822. Account #5 says 1820

These four additional problems alone would be enough to cast a shadow of doubt over the truth and accuracy of Smith's vision, but there are other areas of Smith's life which are highly questionable.

As to the charge that Joseph would tell people he could find buried treasure for a fee, even Joseph himself had to admit the truth of this allegation.

9) When asked directly if he had been a money digger Joseph said "Yes" (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 120)

The method which he used in these fortune hunting ventures points toward Joseph's dabbling in the occult. According to a letter which the LDS has in it's possession, Joseph suggested the use of a glasslooking stone in order to find hidden treasure. (AP story, `Mormons Admit Having Joseph Smith Letter' Albuquerque Journal, Monday, May 6, 1985)

In fact, on March 20 1826 in the case of People v. Joseph Smith, Brainbridge New York, Joseph Smith plead guilty to a criminal charge of being a "Glass Looker". This was just four years prior to his supposed translation of the Book of Mormon. On that occasion he was accused of peering into a glassy "seerstone" in order to pinpoint the location of buried treasure. (Frazer's Magazine, February 1873 pp. 229-230, this account has been verified by the discovery of additional court documents in the County Jail in Norwich, New York in 1971.) Please note the similarity between this event and the method Smith supposedly used in translating the Book of Mormon wherein he used seer stones (see citations under quotation # 11 in the section of this study entitled 'The Book of Mormon').

Shortly before his death on June 27, 1844 Smith uttered the following blasphemous statement:

10) "I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I." (History of the Church, Vol 6, p 408-409).

Despite the foregoing, as was seen in the previous section of this study, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds Smith in what can only be described as the highest esteem. They even refer to him as a martyr in that he was killed by a mob of angry citizens after his arrest in Carthage, IL in 1844. LDS Church history speaks of the

11) "...martyrdom of Joseph Smith the prophet" (Doctrine & Covenants 135:1, see also Doctrine & Covenants Commentary p. 855 and Doctrine & Covenants 135:7 and A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, p. 7)

Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary and the Random House Dictionary of the English Language define 'martyr' as: "One who voluntarily suffered death for refusing to renounce his religion" and "one who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his religion." (emphasis added) Jesus specifically fits this description, for Acts 8:32 describes Him as being like "...a sheep to the slaughter... he did not open his mouth." However, the facts surrounding Joseph's death definitely do not qualify him as a martyr. When the mob attacked the Carthage jail where Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and several others were being held under suspension of inciting the destruction of an anti-Mormon newspaper in Nauvoo, IL, Joseph was anything but silent. As reported by John Taylor...

12) "I shall never forget the deep feeling of sympathy and regard manifested ... in Brother Joseph as he drew nigh to Hyrum, and, leaning over him, exclaimed, 'Oh, my dear brother Hyrum!' (Hyrum had just been mortally wounded) He however, instantly arose and with a firm, quick step, and a determined expression of countenance, approached the door, and pulling the six shooter left by Brother Wheelock from his pocket, opened the door slightly, and snapped the pistol six successive times... I afterwards understood that two or three were wounded by these discharges, two of whom, I am informed died." (History of the Church, Vol 7, p. 102- 103, parenthesis and emphasis added)

13) "Joseph Smith died bravely ... (he made) a handsome fight in the jail." (History of the Church, Vol 6 p. XI parenthesis and emphasis added)
Now, while I am not blaming Smith for defending himself while he was being attacked by a lynch mob, how can his deadly counterattack be viewed as the actions of a martyr?

THE VENERATION OF JOSEPH SMITH Biblical Perspective

4) "It is because the Lord called Joseph Smith that salvation is again available to mortal men."
(Mormon Doctrine, p.396, "A Witness For The Articles of Faith" p. 1)

5) "You call us fools; but the day will be ... when you will prize brother Joseph Smith ... and look upon him as a God"
(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5 p. 88, made by Herber Kimball) emphasis added

6) "Joseph Smith, ... played a part in the great creative enterprise."
(Mormon Doctrine, p. 169, made by Bruce R. McConkie)

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