View source for Criticism of Mormonism/Books/One Nation Under Gods/Chapter 7

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{{Resource Title|Response to claims made in "Chapter 7: Woe In Ohio"}}
{{FAIRAnalysisHeader
|title=[[../../|One Nation Under Gods]]
|author=Richard Abanes
|noauthor=
|section=[[../../Index|Index of claims]]: Claims made in "Chapter 7: Woe In Ohio"
|previous=[[../Chapter 6|Claims made in "Chapter 6: No rest for the Righteous"]]
|next=[[../Chapter 8|Claims made in "Chapter 8: Big Trouble In Little Missouri"]] 
|notes={{AuthorsDisclaimer}}
}}
	
{{Epigraph|Smith decided to solve his economic dilemma by establishing a bank for the purpose of land speculation.<br>
&mdash;''One Nation Under Gods'', p. 135. (paperback edition) }}
{{parabreak}} 
		
====127 epigraph, 527n1 (PB) - David Whitmer said that Joseph Smith claimed that "[s]ome revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil"====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
David Whitmer said that Joseph Smith claimed that "[s]ome revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil"
|authorsources=<br>
*David Whitmer, ''An Address to All Believers in Christ'', 31.
*{{s||DC|46|7}}
}}
{{:Question: How does David Whitmer's account of the attempt to sell the Book of Mormon copyright compare to those of the eyewitnesses?}}
{{:Question: How did Latter-day Saint scholars respond to the attempt to sell the Book of Mormon copyright prior to Page's letter coming to light?}}

====127-8, 528n5 (PB) - Did Joseph say that "[f]ifty-six years should wind up the scene" before the second coming of Jesus Christ?====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Did Joseph say that "[f]ifty-six years should wind up the scene" before the second coming of Jesus Christ?
|authorsources=<br>
*{{HC1|vol=2|start=182}}
*{{HC1|vol=5|start=336}}
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith prophesy the Jesus Christ would return in 1890?}}

====128-9, 528n10 (PB) - Were the revelations published in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants "amended, added to, excised, and in some cases assigned different historical settings"?====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Were the revelations published in the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants "amended, added to, excised, and in some cases assigned different historical settings"?
|authorsources=
H. Michael Marquardt, ''The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text & Commentary'', xv.
}}
{{:Question: Who made the changes to the Doctrine and Covenants?}}
{{:Question: What changes were made to the Doctrine and Covenants?}}
{{:Question: What are the reasons for the changes to the Doctrine and Covenants?}}

====129, 529n14-15 (PB)====
{{IndexClaim
|claim=
*Did Joseph break Ohio law by marrying Newel Knight to "undivorced Lydia G. Baily," despite having no license to perform marriages in Ohio?
|response=
*{{FalseStatement}}: No law was broken, and marriage certificates were issued by the state of Ohio; no license was required to perform marriages, since any religious leader had a right to perform marriages in Ohio.
*[[Polygamy book/Illegal marriages in Ohio|Ohio marriages illegal?]]
|authorsources=
*{{CriticalWork:Quinn:Mormon Hierarchy|pages=88}}.
}}
====129, 529n17 (PB)====
{{IndexClaim
|claim=
*Did Joseph perform marriages for people who had ''not obtained marriage licenses'' from the State of Ohio? 
*Does ''History of the Church'' claim that instead, they were only married "according to the rules and regulations of the Church of the Latter-day Saints?"
|response=
*{{SourceDistortion}}: [[../../Use of sources/Joseph gave couples marriage certificates|Joseph gave couples marriage certificates?]]
*{{FalseStatement}}: [[Polygamy book/Illegal marriages in Ohio|Ohio marriages illegal?]]
|authorsources=
*{{HC|vol=2|start=377|end=378}}
}}
====129, 529n16 (PB) - Was Kirtland, as Fawn Brodie claimed, "full of converts who had left behind them spouses who could not be persuaded to join the church?"====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Was Kirtland, as Fawn Brodie claimed, "full of converts who had left behind them spouses who could not be persuaded to join the church?"
|authorsources=
{{CriticalWork:Brodie:No Man Knows|pages=183}}
}}
The author includes a direct, attributed quote from Brodie's book, however, this upon examining the source one finds that this is only Brodie's own opinion&mdash;She does not provide a source to back up this claim.

====529n16 (PB) - "LDS leaders/counselors commonly encourage divorce when the spouse of a faithful Mormon forsakes the faith"====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=<br>
*{{AuthorQuote|Disruptions of the family unit and marriage break-ups are often seen among religious groups termed "cults."}}
*{{AuthorQuote|[E]x-Mormons have reported that LDS leaders/counselors commonly encourage divorce when the spouse of a faithful Mormon forsakes the faith."}} 
|authorsources=
No sources provided for this claim.
}}
*{{FalseStatement}}: Church leaders do not advise divorce under these circumstances.
*Note that the author takes the opportunity to classify the Church as a "cult" based upon this supposition.
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language|Loaded and prejudicial language]]

====130, 530n22 (PB)====
{{IndexClaim
|claim=
*Did Levi Lewis claim that Joseph tried to seduce Eliza Winters in 1830?
|response=
*[[Polygamy_book/Early_womanizer#Eliza_Winters|Eliza Winters claims]]
*[[The Hurlbut affidavits#Levi Lewis|The Hurlbut affidavits&mdash;Levi Lewis]]
|authorsources=
*Levi Lewis, ''Susquehanna Register'', May 1, 1834 reprinted in Howe, ''Mormonism Unvailed'', 268.
}}
====131, 530n23-24 (PB) - Were Latter-day Saint men encouraged to take plural wives "of the Lamanites and Nephites" in order to make them "white, delightsome and just?"====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Were Latter-day Saint men encouraged to take plural wives "of the Lamanites and Nephites" in order to make them "white, delightsome and just?"
|authorsources=<br>
*Marquardt, 375.
*{{CriticalWork:Tanner:Changing World|pages=210}}
}}
{{:Mormonism and polygamy/Lamanites to become "white and delightsome" through polygamous marriage}}

====132 (PB)====
{{IndexClaim
|claim=
*{{AuthorQuote|"Although Smith never took any Lamanites as wives, he did begin establishing what would gradually become a fairly large harem of young girls and women taken from his flock of 'white and delightsome' disciples."}}
|response=
*[[Polygamy book/Age of wives|Age of wives]]
*[[../../Sarcasm|Sarcasm]]
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language|Loaded and prejudicial language]]
|authorsources=
*No source provided.
}}
====132, 530-531n29-36 (PB) - Joseph's first polyamous marriage was with Fanny Alger====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Joseph's first polyamous marriage was with Fanny Alger.
|authorsources=<br>
*Andrew Jenson, 233.
*Benjamin F. Johnson, letter to George S. Gibbs, 1903.
*{{CriticalWork:Van Wagoner:Mormon Polygamy|pages=6-7}}
*{{CriticalWork:Compton:Sacred Loneliness|pages=31-34}}
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith marry Fanny Alger as his first plural wife in 1833?}}

====133, 531n37-40 (PB) - Did William McLellin report that Joseph and Fanny were found "in the barn together alone...?====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Did William McLellin report that Joseph and Fanny were found "in the barn together alone...?"
|authorsources=<br>
*{{CriticalWork:Compton:Sacred Loneliness|pages=35}}
*Ann Elza Web Young, ''Wife No. 19'', 66-67.
}}
{{:Question: Did Emma Smith discover her husband Joseph with Fanny Alger in a barn?}}

====133, n42 (PB) - Was the inclusion of the statement on marriage in the 1835 D&C was "an attempt to cover-up the Smith-Alger affair" as the author claims?====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Was the inclusion of the statement on marriage in the 1835 D&C was "an attempt to cover-up the Smith-Alger affair" as the author claims?
|authorsources=
D&C 1835, 251.
}}
*[[Polygamy_book/Introduction_of_the_eternal_marriage|Fanny Alger: affair or marriage?]]
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language|Loaded and prejudicial language]]
*[[../../Mind reading]]
{{:Question: Why did the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants include a statement of marriage that denied the practice of polygamy at a time when some were actually practicing it?}}

====135, 531n45 (PB) - Did land specuation in Kirtland "consume" the "thoughts of nearly every Saint, including [Joseph] Smith?"====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Did land specuation in Kirtland "consume" the "thoughts of nearly every Saint, including [Joseph] Smith?"
|authorsources=
*Heber C. Kimball, "History of Heber Chase Kimball by his own Dictation," 47-48 quote in Jessee, 397-398.
}}
*The citation does not support the author's assertion that this involved "nearly every Saint, including Smith."
*The endnote quotes Kimball as saying, "we were much grieved to see the spirit of speculation prevailing in the church..." Kimball doesn't say anything about Joseph Smith's involvment. He does state that, "all seemed determined to become rich; in my feelings they were artificial or imaginary riches." A more complete quote is included in the endnote.
*[[../../Mind reading|Mind reading]]

====135, 531n46-48 (PB) - Joseph is claimed to have owned one hundred and forty acres of land near the Kirtland temple lot in addition to four acres of business property.====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Joseph is claimed to have owned one hundred and forty acres of land near the Kirtland temple lot in addition to four acres of business property.
|authorsources=<br>
*Robert Kent Fielding, "The Growth of the Mormon Church in Kirtland, Ohio," Unpublished Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1957, typed copy, 202-204. 206-208, 211-212. Quoted in Jerald and Sandra Tanner, ''The Mormon Kingdom'', vol. 1, 9.
*Unfortunately, the primary sources used by Fielding and Tanner are not provided.
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph own 144 acres of land in Kirtland?}}

====531n48 (PB) - Was Isaac McWithy brought before the church's High Council on charges of "insolence" after refusing to sell his land to Joseph Smith for $3000?====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Was Isaac McWithy brought before the church's High Council on charges of "insolence" after refusing to sell his land to Joseph Smith for $3000?
|authorsources=
*{{HC1|vol=2|start=446}}
}}
*[[../../Notable omissions#531|Notable omissions: Isaac McWithy tried for insolence]]
{{:Question: Was Isaac McWithy brought before the High Council on charges of "insolence" because he refused to sell his land to Joseph Smith for $3000?}}

====135 (PB) - "Smith decided to solve his economic dilemma by establishing a bank for the purpose of land speculation"====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
{{AuthorQuote|"Smith decided to solve his economic dilemma by establishing a bank for the purpose of land speculation."}}
|authorsources=
}}
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language|Loaded and prejudicial language]]
There is no evidence to support this statement - this is the author's opinion.

====136, 532n51 (PB) - Did Joseph Smith claim that "God told him" to establish the bank in Kirtland?====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Did Joseph Smith claim that "God told him" to establish the bank in Kirtland?
|authorsources=
{{CriticalWork:Brodie:No Man Knows|pages=195}}, citing Warren Parrish, letter dated March 6, 1838, ''Zion's Watchman'', March 24, 1838
}}
*The author paraphrases Brodie's assertion that "The bank was said to have been established by a revelation from God..."
*Brodie can provide no evidence, save an angry apostate after the fact, who contradicted his own testimony.  Why do contemporary sources say that Joseph did ''not'' tell them what the Lord said?
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith claim that the Kirtland Safety Society was established by a revelation from God?}}

====136, 532n54 (PB) - Was the Kirtland anti-bank backed only by boxes "filled with 'sand,lead, old iron, stone, and combustibles" as claimed by Fawn Brodie?====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Was the Kirtland anti-bank backed only by boxes "filled with 'sand,lead, old iron, stone, and combustibles" as claimed by Fawn Brodie?
|authorsources=
{{CriticalWork:Brodie:No Man Knows|pages=196-197}}
}}
*This quote is from Brodie, who in turn cites three hostile anti-Mormon sources: {{CriticalWork:Wyl:Mormon Portraits Volume First|pages=36}}; {{CriticalWork:Olney:Absurdities of Mormonism|pages=4}}; {{CriticalWork:Lee:Knavery Exposed|pages=14}}.
* Why do none of the contemporary complaints about the bank include these charges?  Why do they only appear years later?
* The bank safe was too small to accommodate the boxes described by the critics.
{{:Mormonism and church finances/Kirtland Safety Society/Boxes filled with sand}}

====136, 532n56 (PB) - Is it true that "everyone's pockets bulged with bills" in Kirtland after the bank was established as asserted by Fawn Brodie?====
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=One Nation Under Gods
|claim=
Is it true that "[e]veryone's pockets bulged with bills" in Kirtland after the bank was established as asserted by Fawn Brodie?
|authorsources=
*{{CriticalWork:Brodie:No Man Knows|pages=196}}
}}
*The author quotes Brodie's opinion. Brodie provides no citation to back up the assertion that "everyone's pockets bulged with bills."
{{endnotes sources}}

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[[fr:Specific works/One Nation Under Gods/Index/Chapter 7]]