Joseph Smith, Jr.
Joseph Smith, Jr. (
December 23,
1805 –
June 27,
1844) was an
American religious leader who founded the
Latter Day Saint movement,
a
restorationist ideology that gave rise to
Mormonism.
Smith's followers
revere him as the first
latter-day prophet, the "Prophet of the Restoration", called by
God to restore the pure Gospel of
Jesus Christ, including new scriptures,
priesthood authority, build
temples, build the
Kingdom of God on earth (
Zion). Smith was (and remains) a very controversial figure; he was known to inspire deep devotion in his followers, yet deep hostility and even hatred from his detractors. Smith was also a political and military leader of the
American West.
In many cases, Smith taught the Christian
restorationist doctrines that were circulating in his time, such as the idea that
Christianity had been in a state of
Great Apostasy, which could be restored by modern
prophecy and
revelation from
God. In other cases, the doctrines were unique to
Mormonism.
Adherents to
denominations originating from Joseph Smith's teachings number approximately thirteen million. The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest denomination with over 12.2 million members; the second largest is the
Community of Christ with about 250,000 members. Most other, smaller denominations, of which there are tens to hundreds, have their origins as offshoots of one of these two.
Joseph Smith was born in
Sharon, Vermont (what is today
South Royalton), the fourth surviving child of
Joseph Smith, Sr. and
Lucy Mack Smith. After attempting to establish roots in various towns in
Vermont, but being forced out by three successive years of crop failures , the Smith family settled in western
New York, and began working a farm just outside the border of the
town of Palmyra . In town, the family opened a "cake and beer shop", where the adolescent Joseph sometimes worked selling concessions at local Palymra events .
Palmyra, during the
Second Great Awakening, was located in an area that had so frequently "caught fire" with
revivalism that one revivalist named it the "
Burned-over District". Smith's parents, like many locals at the time, attended the local revivals with their family, and as part of their religious worldview, they claimed to experience visions and prophecy . Smith's involvement in organized religion included a brief interest in
Methodism, and he was described as a "very passable exhorter" at the local Methodist camp meetings .
In conjunction with the Smith family's sectarian religious experiences, contemporary reports portray the family, like most Christian families at the time, as practitioners of
folk religion . Smith later recalled that, at around the same time, he experienced a
theophany, which his followers later called the
First Vision. In the late 1830's, while writing a formal history of Mormonism he wrote his
final and most familiar account. Confused over which church was right, he went to a grove and prayed for guidance. After wrestling with a dark Satanic power that fell over him, he saw a very bright pillar of light, in which he saw two beings, one of the beings pointed to the other and said, "This is my beloved
son, hear him."
This event in Smith's life took on ever-greater importance to him and to his followers, and the story was widely given as proof that Smith had been singled out by God for a divine purpose. The extent of that purpose, Smith apparently did not fully understand until years later.
In 1823, when Smith was seventeen, his family reported that he described being visited by a heavenly messenger named
Moroni. According to Smith, Moroni reported that "there was a book deposited, written upon
gold plates, giving an account of the former inhabitants of this continent, and the source from whence they sprang. He [Moroni] also said that the fulness of the everlasting Gospel was contained in it, as delivered by the Savior to the ancient inhabitants;
"Also, that there were two stones in silver bowsâ€"and these stones, fastened to a breastplate, constituted what is called the
Urim and Thummimâ€"deposited with the plates..." in
a nearby hill.
The angel, Smith said, had buried the artifacts in about
400 AD, and had been charged with their protection. By carefully following the messenger's instructions, Smith claimed he would eventually be able to retrieve the gold plates.
Smith reported that he was not allowed to receive the plates until
1827. In the meantime, with his father and brothers, he was said to participate in a number of mining and treasure-seeking endeavors. On March 20,
1826 court records from Bainbridge, in
Chenango County,
New York, show that Joseph Smith, Jr. was tried and convicted of disorderly conduct and of being an imposter in relation to an event where he pretended to be able to find buried gold and treasure through the use of a magic stone or by looking into a hat. Court records show that in that same year Joseph Smith Jr. was tried in Norwich, NY for the misdemeanor crime of "glass looking" (treasure-hunting). It's unclear whether Smith was convicted and set free, or merely acquitted of the latter charge. While engaged in these mostly gold- and silver-pursuing activities in
New York and
Pennsylvania, he met and became engaged to his future wife,
Emma Hale. Emma's father, a participant in one mining venture, disapproved of Smith. However, the couple eloped in early
1827.
After their marriage, the couple returned to
Palmyra and moved in with Smith's parents. It had been four years since Smith's account of the first visit from the angel Moroni and his message concerning the gold plates. During these years, Smith described additional, periodic visits with the angel until finally, in September 1827, Smith indicated that Moroni allowed him to take the gold plates but strictly forbade him from initially showing them to any person without authorization.
Three of Smith's associates,
Oliver Cowdery,
David Whitmer, and
Martin Harris (referred to as the "
Three Witnesses" in the preface of the
Book of Mormon) certified in writing that they, with Joseph Smith, had met an
angel (
Moroni), and they had seen the plates in a vision. Later eight others (the "
Eight Witnesses") certified in writing that they had seen the plates, though they did not meet the
angel. Later all of the
Three Witnesses became estranged with Joseph Smith and hostile to the church, though none of them recanted their witness. David Whitmer had his witness engraved on his tombstone.
Soon after Smith indicated that he had obtained the
Golden Plates, his focus turned to providing a claimed translation of them. With the financial and moral support of a wealthy
Palmyra landowner named
Martin Harris, Smith set off with Emma to
Harmony, Pennsylvania in order to live near Emma's family. Once in Harmony, he began transcribing characters engraved on the plates, and attempted to translate some of them by looking into the
Urim and Thummim (according to his wife's account).
Harris came to Harmony in February 1828 in order to serve as Smith's scribe (Roberts 1902, p. 19). By the middle of June 1828, Smith had dictated about
116 manuscript pages of text (Roberts 1902, p. 20), (Smith et al. 1835, sec. 36, v. 41). A short time later, Harris obtained permission from Smith to allow him to take the manuscript pages home to Palmyra, in order to show them to his skeptical wife.
After about three weeks, having not heard from Harris, Smith traveled in July 1828 to Palmyra and met with Harris, whereupon Harris informed Smith that they had been lost. Some assert that Harris's wife hid or destroyed the manuscript in order to test the veracity of Smith's claims
[A Theory of Evolutionary Development for the Structure of the Book of Mormon], while others believe that the manuscript was obtained and altered by a group conspiring to disprove Smith.
Still others believe it was all a hoax and that the pages never existed. The ultimate fate of the pages is not known.
Smith returned to
Harmony[After returning to Harmony, Smith received a supposed revelation, in which Smith was rebuked for allowing the manuscript pages to be lost, but was assured that all was not lost. Smith stated that As a penalty, the angel Moroni took away the plates and the Urim and Thummim, but returned them later that year on September 22, 1828.]. When he later continued dictation to a new scribe in the fall of that year, he continued where he left off, without retranslating the pages that were lost; Smith's critics regard this as a ruse to hide the fact that Smith
authored the Book of Mormon, rather than translated it from ancient records.
On
April 7,
1829, Smith was joined in Harmony by a new scribe,
Oliver Cowdery (Cowdery 1834, p. 14), who acted as Smith's scribe for the majority of Smith's dictation. According to Cowdery and Smith, on
May 15,
1829,
John the Baptist appeared and ordained them to the
Aaronic Priesthood. Upon receiving this priesthood, they
baptized each other immediately thereafter, in accordance with their understanding of this priesthood authority. Cowdery and Smith also claim that
Peter,
James, and
John came to them during either May or June 1829 and
ordained them to the
Melchizedek Priesthood.
(Also see below: Joseph Smith, Jr.#Priesthood).
After the dictation was thus completed, Smith published the work as the
Book of Mormon, on
March 26,
1830. The first edition consisted of 5,000 copies, and was printed by
E.B. Grandin's printing shop. In 1982, the subtitle
Another Testament of Jesus Christ was added by the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
On
April 6,
1830, Smith founded the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints church, and soon organized three branches in the surrounding area of
New York. His mother, father, brothers and sisters were early converts to the new religion, and staunch believers in Smith as a modern day prophet. The early church experienced rapid growth, due to vigorous proselyting efforts by early missionaries.
Life in Kirtland, Ohio
|
Illustration of a mob tarring and feathering Joseph Smith. |
To avoid conflict and persecution encountered in
New York and
Pennsylvania, Smith and Emma moved to
Kirtland, Ohio early in 1831. However, due to the controversy which followed him, he was not to escape persecution for long.
According to recorded accounts of the event, the mob broke down the door in the home took Smith's oldest surviving adopted child from his arms , dragged Smith from the room, leaving his exposed child on a trundle bed and forcing Emma and the others from the house, the mob threatening her with rape and murder . The child was knocked off the bed onto the floor in the doorway of the home as Smith was forcibly removed from his home . The child died from exposure (many accounts say
pneumonia) five days after the event from the condition that doctors said he developed the night of the mob violence. .
[The critical historian Fawn Brodie (No Man Knows, 119) speculated that one of John Johnson's sons, Eli, meant to punish Joseph by having him castrated for an intimacy with his sister, Nancy Marinda Johnson, but author Bushman states that hypothesis failed. He feels a more probable motivation is recorded by Symonds Ryder, a participant in the event, who felt Smith was plotting to take property from members of the community and a company of citizens violently warned Smith that they would not accept those actions.]In Kirtland the church's first
temple was constructed. The work of building the
Kirtland Temple was begun in 1833, and was completed and dedicated by 1836. Quinn alleges that it was during the building of the Kirtland temple that Joseph Smith first practiced polygamy (see
polygamy discussion below.).
["LDS Church Authority and New Plural Marriages, 1890 - 1904", D. Michael Quinn, Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Spring 1985, pp 9-105. To view full pages select page & text in the view dropdown box in the left pane, then select the individual pages to see an image of that page.] Many extraordinary events were reported by both Mormons and non-Mormons alike: appearances by
Jesus,
Moses,
Elijah,
Elias, and numerous
angels;
speaking and singing in tongues, often with translations;
prophesying; and other
spiritual experiences. Some Mormons believed erroneously that Jesus'
Millennial reign had begun.
By mid to late 1837, many Latter Day Saints (including some prominent leaders) became disaffected in the wake of the
Kirtland Safety Society banking debacle, in which Smith and several of Smith's associates were accused of various illegal or unethical
banking actions when the bank, with the charter held by Smith, collapsed just prior to a nation-wide banking crisis. Many critics leveled accusations that Smith was actively misleading KSS members from the beginning of the financial enterprise as it was operating without an official Ohio bank charter and required species reserves. Supporters of Smith, on the other hand, hold that the financial institution's collapse was more than partially due to state and federal financial regulations and that the charges against Smith and his associates are at best inflated.
In the meantime, opposition and harassment grew against Smith and those of his associates who supported him. On
January 12,
1838 Smith and Rigdon left Kirtland for
Far West in
Caldwell County, Missouri, in Smith's words, "to escape mob violence, which was about to burst upon us under the color of legal process to cover the hellish designs of our enemies." At the time there were at least $6100 in civil suits outstanding against him in
Chardon, Ohio courts, and an arrest warrant had been issued for Smith on a charge of bank fraud.
Most of the remaining church members who continued to support Smith left Kirtland for
Missouri shortly thereafter.
Life in Missouri
Smith reported early revelations that identified western
Missouri as
Zion, the place for Mormons to gather in preparation for the
second coming of Jesus Christ.
Independence, Missouri, was identified as "the center place"
[The Doctrine and Covenants, ] and the spot for building a
temple. Smith first visited Independence in the summer of 1831, and a site was dedicated for the construction of the temple. Soon afterward, Mormon converts—most of them from the
New England area—began immigrating in large numbers to Independence and the surrounding area.
The Missouri period was marked by many instances of violent conflict and legal difficulties for Smith and his followers. The Mormons and Non-Mormons in Missouri were, in general, fundamentally very different people:
*Latter Day Saints tended to vote in blocks, giving them a degree of political influence wherever they settled.
*Latter Day Saints purchased vast amounts of land in which to establish settlements which threatened the previous residents of the community.
*Latter Day Saints were also culturally very different from the previous residents of Missouri, having generally come from New England or Britian, and holding abolitionist viewpoints, etc.
All of these things caused many local leaders and residents to see the Latter Day Saint community as a threat to their safety, and contributed to deep harassment, resentment, and eventually mob violence. The tension was further fueled by the Mormon belief that
Jackson County, Missouri, and the surrounding lands were promised to the Church by God and that the Latter Day Saints would soon dominate the area.
The Latter Day Saints had been migrating to Missouri ever since Smith had claimed the area to be Zion. They simultaneously occupied the Kirtland area, as well as the Independence area for around seven years. After Smith had been forced out of Kirtland in 1838, he, and the rest of the remaining Latter Day Saints from Kirtland, came to Missouri.
Mormon War and expulsion from Missouri
Later in 1838, many non-Mormon residents of Missouri, and the LDS settlers began and engaged in an ongoing conflict often referred to as the
Mormon War. After several skirmishes, the
Battle of Crooked River (which involved Missouri state militia troops and a group of Latter Day Saints) occurred.
[There is some debate as to whether the Mormons knew their opponents were government officials.] Many exaggerated reports of this battle (some claimed that half of the militia's men had been lost, when in fact they had suffered only one casualty), as well as
affadavits by ex-Mormons that Mormons were planning to burn both
Liberty and
Richmond, Missouri, made their way to Missouri Governor
Lilburn Boggs.
Boggs issued an executive order in response on
27 October 1838, known as the "
Extermination Order". It stated that the Mormon community had "made war upon the people of this State" and that "the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace"
[Boggs, Extermination Order] The Extermination Order was not officially rescinded until
1976 by Governor
Christopher S. Bond.
Soon afterward, the 2,500 troops from the state
militia converged on the Mormon headquarters at
Far West. Smith and several other Church leaders surrendered to state authorities on charges of treason and murder. They were held at
Liberty Jail, and spent several months in captivity. They were eventually able to escape custody and flee to Illinois, where they rejoined the main body of Latter Day Saints.
The legality of Boggs' "Extermination Order" was debated in the
legislature, but its objectives were achieved. Most of the Mormon community in Missouri had either left or been forced out by the spring of
1839.
Life in Nauvoo, Illinois
After leaving Missouri in 1839, Smith and his followers made headquarters in a town called
Commerce, in
Hancock County,
Illinois on the banks of the
Mississippi River, which they renamed
Nauvoo. They were granted a charter by the state of
Illinois, and Nauvoo was quickly built up by the faithful, including many new arrivals.
In October 1839, Smith and others left for
Washington, D.C. to meet with
Martin Van Buren, then the
President of the United States. Smith and his delegation sought redress for the persecution and loss of property suffered by the Latter Day Saints in Missouri. Van Buren told Smith, "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you."
Work on a
temple in Nauvoo began in the autumn of 1840. The cornerstones were laid during a conference on
April 6,
1841. Construction took five years and the edifice was dedicated on
May 1,
1846; about four months after Nauvoo was abandoned by the majority of its citizens under threats of mob action.
In March
1842, Smith was initiated as a
Freemason (as an
Entered Apprentice Mason on
March 15, and
Master Mason the next day—the usual month wait between degrees was waived by the Illinois Lodge Grandmaster,
Abraham Jonas) at the Nauvoo Lodge, one of less than a half-dozen Masonic meetings he attended. He was introduced to Masonry by
John C. Bennett. (See below, at
Temples section for the significance.)
Nauvoo's population peaked in 1845 when it may have had as many as 12,000 inhabitants (and several nearly as large suburbs) â€" rivaling
Chicago, Illinois, whose 1845 population was about 15,000, and its suburbs.
Due to
increasing tensions, critics suggested that Nauvoo's charter should be revoked, and the Illinois legislature considered the notion. In response, Smith petitioned the
U.S. Congress to make Nauvoo a territory. His petition was declined.
In February, 1844, Smith announced his candidacy for
President of the United States, with
Sidney Rigdon as his
vice-presidential running mate.
Death
Several of Smith's disaffected associates in Nauvoo joined together to publish a newspaper called the
Nauvoo Expositor. Its first and only issue was published
7 June 1844.The paper was highly antagonistic towards Smith, expounding many beliefs critical of him, and outlining several
grievances against him.
The publication of this material disturbed many of Nauvoo's citizens, and the
city council, headed by Joseph Smith as a
mayor, responded by passing an ordinance declaring the newspaper a public nuisance designed to promote violence against Smith and his followers
[[1]]. Under the council's new ordinance, Smith, as Nauvoo's mayor, in conjunction with the city council, ordered the city marshal to destroy the paper and the press on
June 10,
1844.
Because this action was seen by many non-Mormons as illegal, many enemies of the religion accused Smith of violating
freedom of the press. Violent threats were made against Smith and the Mormon community.Charges were brought against Smith and he submitted to incarceration in
Carthage, the county seat. Smith's brother, Hyrum, and eight of his associates including
John Taylor and
Willard Richards, accompanied him to the jail.
[The six other associates that accompanied them were: John P. Greene, Stephen Markham, Dan Jones, John S. Fullmer, Dr. Southwick, and Lorenzo D. Wasson[2]] The Governor of the state, Thomas Ford, had promised protection and a fair trial.
[[3]] All of Smith's associates left the jail, except Richards and Taylor.
Shortly after 5:00 p.m. on
27 June 1844, a mob of about 200 men stormed the jail, and went to where Joseph and his associates were staying. Although they attempted to hold the doorway against the mob, the mobbers opened fire through the still-closed door.
Hyrum Smith died immediately, shot in the face. Joseph had a small
pepper-box pistol (which his associates brought into jail for him), with which he fired at the mob several times through the closed door. Taylor was shot several times, but survived. Richards was unharmed. Smith ran to the open window, where he was shot multiple times simultaneously, and fell from the window, dead.
Immediate reaction
Smith's death created a crisis for the Latter Day Saints. Their charismatic founder was dead and their hierarchy was scattered on missionary efforts and in support of Smith's presidential campaign.
Brigham Young recorded in his journal his initial concern after Smith's murder: "The first thing which I thought of was, whether Joseph had taken the keys of the kingdom with him from the earth." Without "the keys of the kingdom", that is, the appropriate Priesthood authority, Young recognized the possibility that, according to the church's doctrine and Smith's own teachings, the church lacked a divinely-sanctioned leader.
Because of ongoing tensions, the state legislature revoked Nauvoo's city charter and it was disincorporated. All protection, public services, self-government and other public benefits were revoked. Those who lived in the former City of Nauvoo referred to it as the City of Josephafter this time, until the city was again granted a charter. Without official defenses, city residents continued to be persecuted by opponents, leading Young to consider other areas for settlement, including
Texas,
California,
Iowa, and the
Great Basin region.
Succession
Smith left ambiguous or contradictory succession instructions that led to arguments and disagreements among the church's members and leadership, several of whom claimed rights to leadership.
An
August 8 1844 conference which established Young's leadership is the source of an oft-repeated legend. Multiple journal and eyewitness accounts from those who followed Young state that when Young spoke regarding the claims of succession by the
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he appeared to look or sound like the late Smith. Although many of these accounts were written years after the event, there were contemporary records. Historian D. Michael Quinn wrote:
|D. Michael Quinn|The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power, p. 166}}
Most
Latter Day Saints followed Young, but some aligned with other various people claiming to be Smith's successor. For instance, Smith's son,
Joseph Smith III, established the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now called the
Community of Christ church) as an adult in 1860. Many of these smaller groups were spread throughout the
midwestern United States, especially in
Independence, Missouri, and several remain viable as religious groups. Issues relating to the
succession crisis are still the subject of discussion and debate.
Mob violence and conflict continued to grow and threaten the Mormon establishment at Nauvoo. By the end of 1845 it became clear that no peace was possible, and most of the Latter Day Saints prepared to abandon the city. The winter of 1845-46 saw the enormous preparations for the Mormon Exodus across the Great Plains; in early 1846, the majority of the Latter Day Saints emptied the city.
The leadership of the Church, headed by Young, led the Latter Day Saints out of the
United States, across the
Great Plains and into
Utah, which was then
Mexican territory.
In the modern media
The story of Smith and the founding of the Latter-day Saint movement has proven an interesting topic for films, books, and music through the years.
In film, he has been portrayed by actors such as
Vincent Price (
Brigham Young),
Jonathan Scarfe (
The Work and The Glory),
Nathan Mitchell (
Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration) and
Richard Moll (
Brigham).
The animated television show
South Park has also satirically portrayed Smith in two episodes:
Super Best Friends and
All About Mormons.
Smith was the subject of the cover of
Newsweek Magazine, dated October 17, 2005 (but actually appearing one week earlier). The cover was a reproduction of a stained-glass window portraying the First Vision. Many opinions on Joseph Smith are quoted, ranging from the glowing tribute by LDS Church President
Gordon B. Hinckley to very negative remarks by Mark Scherer, official historian of the
Community of Christ, formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
During his adult life - from the time he established the Church of Christ (the church's first name) in 1830 until his death in 1844 - Smith introduced a large amount of new religious teachings, including efforts to clarify many teachings found in the
Bible.
Many of these doctirnes (or aspects of them) have been considered heretical by mainstream Christians (see
Mormonism and Christianity). Smith and his followers maintain that these doctrines are truth given to them through divine revelation and/or inspiration.
In 1842, Joseph summarized many of the basic beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the
Wentworth letter, which contained a series of short doctrinal statements that later became known as the
Articles of Faith.
[[4]]Christianity
Joseph Smith taught that
Jesus was the
Christ and the promised
Messiah. He also taught that we must follow the example of Christ, and that mankind should pray and worship in his name.
[[5]]He taught that Christ performed the
Atonement to save all of humanity from
damnation. He began the Atonement in
Gethsemane, and went through agony so great that he bled from every pore.
[The Doctrine and Covenants, ]Nature Of God
Joseph Smith taught that
Heavenly Father,
Jesus Christ, and the
Holy Ghost are all three separate personages, with Heavenly Father and Jesus having physical bodies
[[6]] of "flesh and bone", while the Holy Ghost has only a spiritual body. God is the
Heavenly Father of all mankind and that mankind is made in His express image (simply put, that humans look like Heavenly Father).
Smith taught that Jesus, God's only begotten son in the flesh, is our example to follow. God loves us and wants mankind to progress to become like him.
''(See also Smith's teachings on the nature of God
[[7]] as well as the
King Follett Discourse, delivered two months before his death.)''
Priesthood
Smith taught that Priesthood was the eternal power of God. Worthy male members of the Church may gain the authority of this power, by laying on of hands by those who hold the Priesthood which is being given.
Joseph Smith taught that the authority found in the Aaronic and Melchezidek priesthoods was necessary for the work of the Lord in preparing a people to receive Him at the Second Coming and that this authority could only be received by the "laying on of hands" by someone who held that authority. Since this authority had been taken from the earth after the murder and persecution of the early apostles these same men returned as glorified, resurrected beings or angels and restored this priesthood authority to the earth.
Smith's own prophetic calling
Smith taught that he was the
prophet,
seer, and
revelator of the restored Church, and was given all the
Priesthood keys necessary for the governance of the Church by various angelic messengers in the
Kirtland Temple. He taught that he received revelations for the Church from God, and was visited occasionally by
angelic messengers.
Life beyond death
Smith taught that all of mankind lived before they were born, and that men live after their physical bodies die. He taught that the reason that mankind is on earth is to progress, and that this life is but a single step in our eternal progression, and part of the
Plan of Salvation.
Smith taught that all mankind, good and bad alike, will be resurrected and become immortal, receiving back their bodies whole. It is a gift from God provided by Jesus'
Atonement. He taught that after the resurrection, "all men will come from the grave as they lie down; whether old or young, there will not be added unto their stature one cubit, neither taken from it."
[[8]]However, those who repent and are worthy will receive greater blessings, the greatest of which is Eternal Life, which is to live with God in the
Celestial Kingdom. Those who were not as valiant, or did not receive ordinances necessary for entrance into the Celestial Kingdom, would enter the
Terrestrial Kingdom. Those who were disobedient and unrepentant would enter the
Telestial Kingdom.
(See also Degrees of Glory)Many of those who enter the Celestial Kingdom may be worthy for
Deification (
Exaltation), where mankind, as children of God, can eventually become co-inheritors with Christ and inherit all that the Father has â€" in simple terms, to become like God.
Families
Joseph taught that families are a central part of God's plan for mankind, and an important part of growth and progression. He taught that if people live worthily, that their family relationships can last beyond death so that families can be together forever. See also his teachings on
family.Because Smith taught the
temple ordinance of
sealing,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (beginning with
Wilford Woodruff) teaches that it is the divine responsibility of every person to search out their ancestors and do their
family history, so that parents can be sealed to children, and families united eternally. This is why the LDS church operates the largest
genealogical library in the world.
The Book of Mormon
|
Reprint of the 1830 edition of The Book of Mormon |
Smith taught that that "the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion
Mormonism, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." According to the title page of the
Book of Mormon, it has a purpose, "Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off foreverâ€" And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations." (See also Smith's teachings on
The Book of Mormon.)
The Book of Mormon claims to be a record of former inhabitants of the American continent. It said that these people had a knowledge of Jesus Christ, that they had prophets that recorded their own scriptures that testified of Jesus Christ, that they built temples on the American continent similar to the temple in Jerusalem, that they practiced ordinances such as baptism, sacrament, and the laying on of hands for the conferring of the gift of the Holy Ghost (confirmation).
The Word Of Wisdom
Joseph taught that the Lord revealed to him an adaptable code of health designed for Latter-day Saints, in which members of the Church were asked to abstain from tobacco, coffee, tea (except herbal tea), alcoholic beverages, and to eat meat, fruits and grains within moderation. In exchange for doing this, members were promised that the Lord would bless them that they "shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones; … [they] shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint." In addition, people were promised that they "shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures." Compliance with this policy was not immediately considered mandatory though now it is a requirement for entering temples of the LDS Church. See the
history of the word of wisdom.The Law of Consecration
Joseph taught a doctrine of voluntary religious egalitarianism known as the
Law of Consecration designed to achieve income equality, eliminate poverty, increase group self-sufficiency, and create the ideal
utopian society Mormons referred to as
Zion. Members of the Church could deed their real estate to a Church body called the
United Order, this property would be divided and allocated to incoming Saints as a "stewardship" or "inheritance". This doctrine was an attempt to recreate the
religious communism/
communalism practiced by
1st century Christians (Acts 2:44, 4:32). This practice developed after the influence of
Sidney Rigdon, a
Regular Baptist and
Restorationist clergyman who converted, along with most of his congregation, to Mormonism.
Temples
In 1832, Smith claimed to receive a revelation to build a building that could serve as a "house of God" - namely, a temple. He taught that within LDS temples,
ordinances would be performed necessary for the
exaltation of mankind. Further, performing these ordinances by proxy for every person that has ever lived ensures that exaltatoin will be obtainable to everyone. For those who are living, it is highly important to receive these ordinances, which facilitate entering the
Celestial Kingdom. Ordinances are be performed for both the living and the dead (for example, see
Baptism for the dead.
The ordinances performed in temples today are as follows:
*
Baptism and confirmation for the dead*
Washing and anointing.
*
Endowment.
(See also Endowment (Mormonism))*
Sealing, Sealings are performed between husband and wife, as well as between parents and child(ren).
Major prophecies
Smith's claim to be a prophet of God has led to much controversy. Smith was a polarizing figure in his time, and he continues to be a focus of controversy between his millions of followers, most of whom revere him as a
prophet with the same authority as prophets in the standard Christian canon, and opponents of
Mormonism, who believe he was either
delusional or
fraudulent.
Many of Smith's prophecies have apparently come true (those on the
American Civil War, his own death, and the reaction to his teachings are often cited examples.). Smith's supporters see this as evidence of his divine calling and prophetic ability. However, many also appear not to have come true, and his critics use it as justification that he was a charlatan and a fraud. Many also present possibilities that some, if not all, of Smith's prophecies that have been fufilled, were forged after they were fufilled, in order to boost Smith's reputation.
Polygamy
:
See also: Life of Joseph Smith, Jr. from 1831 to 1844
There is wide evidence that Smith probably practiced polygamy (referred to by Latter Day Saints as plural marriage), and may have begun to do so as early as 1833.[The 1835 Kirtland Edition of the Doctrine and Covenants, Section 101:4 read: "Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband." (see also CIX in the 1844 Nauvoo Edition or Section 111 in the 1950 Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints version. This section was removed from the LDS Church's publication of the Doctrine and Covenants in 1850, along with the insertion of Section 132 (describing the new and everlasting covenant, including the plurality of wives(D&C 132 Intro).] Many of those that practiced polygamy pointed to the patriarchs of the Bible who also had multiple wives, including Abraham and Jacob.
Although it has been alleged that Joseph Smith may have had children by his wives other than Emma, DNA investigations in three cases have established that their biological father is in fact Smith's wives' other husbands. Additionally, the DNA research, so far, has failed to confirm Smith's paternity for any children other than those borne by his first wife, Emma.[ See also Molecular Genealogy Research Project.]
Most historians accept "sealing" records (in many cases notarized) as evidence that Joseph Smith taught and practiced a form of polygamy later called "plural marriage." The records are supported by personal journals and diaries maintained by Smith's followers. These sources indicate that, though the doctrine was not widely taught during Smith's life, marriages of this type were performed for select members of the Church in the early 1830s. Joseph was married (sealed) to several dozen women[Wives of Joseph Smith- Biographies with references], both during his life and by proxy after his death, though the records are incomplete. Evidence suggests that he may have co-habitated only with his first wife, Emma, and she was the only one known with certainty to have borne his children. Historian Todd Compton notes that Smith's practices included elements of both polygyny and polyandry.In Sacred Loneliness
, pp. 15-16. In time, polygyny came to predominate. However, a small minority of his followers believe the evidence is not legitimate, and that Joseph Smith did not advocate or practice plural marriage.
Despite this evidence to the contrary, Smith is on record as having spoken against polygamy and claiming his innocence of these charges. Smith continued to deny practicing polygamy until his death. Joseph Smith Fought Polygamy'' Critics cite this as a deliberate deception by Joseph Smith. However, many followers of Joseph Smith insist that his denial of practicing polygamy was an attempt to protect the church from any further persecution from its enemies.
Though not widespread, the practice of plural marriage continued in early Mormon communities, primarily in
Utah, until the late 1880s. In 1890, plural marriage was officially terminated
by the church. Within the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints today, those who practice any form of polygamy are excommunicated. There are several small splinter groups who still maintain the practice.
Great Apostasy
Smith taught that after Jesus died, the Apostles were killed, and eventually all authority from God (see Priesthood section above) to perform necessary ordinances, such as baptism, was taken from the Earth.
Further, Smith asserted, much of the pure doctrine of Christianity was lost and the simplicity of the ordinances was lost over the course of several centuries.
Important, plain and precious parts of the Bible were deliberately or unintentionally left out, skewed, changed, or lost in translation, over the centuries, and thus the Bible is not a highly reliable source as it stands.
Smith taught that the Church which he founded, known first as the
Church of Christ, and later as the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, was the literal restoration of the doctrines and teachings of Jesus Christ as he walked upon the Earth.
#.#.#
Bidamon, Emma Smith (
March 27,
1876), letter to Emma S. Pilgrim, published in .#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.# .# , republished in .# .#.# .# Norwich, Vermont (
March 15,
1816),
A Record of Strangers Who are Warned Out of Town, 1813–1818 (Norwich Clerk's Office), p. 53, published in , page 666.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#Smith, Joseph, Jr. (1832)
History of the Life of Joseph Smith, in Joseph Smith Letterbook 1, pp. 1–6, Joseph Smith Collection, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, published in .#.#Smith, Joseph, Jr. et al. (1838–1842)
History of the Church Ms., vol. A–1, pp. 1–10, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, published in .#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.#.
There are hundreds if not thousands of works relating to the life, legacy, or teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr.. Smith is considered by followers the translator of several works of scripture and the author of several personal histories, letters, and other writings. There have also been several biographies, many of which are highly polemical. Smith is also the main subject of virtually all works dealing with the early
Latter Day Saint movement.
*
Smith Political Family*
History of the Latter Day Saint movement*
Controversies regarding Mormonism*
Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration (film)*
Joseph Smith, Jr. and Polygamy*
Religious Texts Index: Joseph Smith*
Free ebook of Joseph Smith, Jr. at
Project Gutenberg*
"Who was Joseph Smith?" - At Mormon.org
*
JosephSmith.net - The official web site on Joseph Smith by the LDS Church.
*
JosephSmith.com*
Joseph Smith Daguerreotype - The only known photograph of Joseph Smith
