View source for Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 2

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{{H1
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 2
|H=Response to claims made in "Chapter 2: Change, Censorship and Suppression"
|T=[[../../]]
|A=Jerald and Sandra Tanner
|<=[[../Chapter 1|Chapter 1]]
|>=[[../Chapter 3|Chapter 3]]
}}
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{{H2
|L=Criticism of Mormonism/Books/The Changing World of Mormonism/Chapter 2
|H=Response to claims made in The Changing World of Mormonism, "Chapter 2: Change, Censorship and Suppression"
|S=
|L1=Response to claim: 29 - John Taylor said that we are not ashamed of polygamy
|L2=Response to claim: 29 - Brigham Young said that the only men who become gods are those who enter into polygamy
|L3=Response to claim: 29 - Bruce R. McConkie said that plural marriage is not essential to salvation or exaltation
|L4=Response to claim: 31 - Joseph Smith drank beer despite having received the Word of Wisdom
|L5=Response to claim: 33 - Joseph encouraged others to break the Word of Wisdom by drinking whiskey
|L6=Response to claim: 33 - Joseph asked for a pipe and tobacco to settle Willard Richards' stomach
|L7=Response to claim: 34 - Brigham Young ordered the destruction of Lucy Mack Smith's history Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith published by Orson Pratt in 1853
}}
</onlyinclude>

==Response to claim: 29 - John Taylor said that we are not ashamed of polygamy==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
John Taylor said that we are not ashamed of polygamy.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Life of John Taylor'' p. 255	
}}
{{propaganda|The authors fail to provide Elder Taylor's reasons; they imply that he ''should'' be ashamed:
John Taylor said,
<blockquote>
We are not ashamed to proclaim to this great nation, to rulers and people, to the president, senators, legislators, judges; to high and low, rich and poor, priests and people, that we are firm, conscientious believers in polygamy, and that it is part and parcel of our religious creed. We do this calmly, seriously and understandingly, after due deliberation, careful examination and close investigation of its principles and bearings religiously, socially, morally, physically and politically! We unhesitatingly pronounce our full and implicit faith in the principle as emanating from God, and that under His direction it would be a blessing to the human family.<ref>''Life of John Taylor'' p. 255.</ref>
</blockquote>
}}

==Response to claim: 29 - Brigham Young said that the only men who become gods are those who enter into polygamy==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Brigham Young said that the only men who become gods are those who enter into polygamy.
|note=Not content to let a good quote mine go to waste, the authors repeat this one later on [[../Chapter 9#258|p. 258]].
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|disc=41||vol=11|start=269}}
}}
{{misinformation|If you read the entire passage from which this quote is taken, you will see that Brigham is also acknowledging those who do not actually practice plural marriage. Critics of the Church, however, only extract this single phrase.
}}
{{QuoteMining|Journal of Discourses|11:269}}
{{:Question: Is plural marriage required in order to achieve exaltation?}}
{{:Question: Did Brigham Young believe that one could not enter the Celestial Kingdom unless they were a polygamist?}}

==Response to claim: 29 - Bruce R. McConkie said that plural marriage is not essential to salvation or exaltation==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Bruce R. McConkie said that plural marriage is not essential to salvation or exaltation.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Mormon Doctrine'' (1958) p. 523.	
}}
{{information|McConkie was correct.
}}
{{:Source:Doctrine and Covenants and Church History:Seminary Teacher Resource Manual:Doctrine and Covenants 132:We have no knowledge that plural marriage will be a requirement for exaltation}}

==Response to claim: 31 - Joseph Smith drank beer despite having received the Word of Wisdom==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Joseph Smith drank beer despite having received the Word of Wisdom.
|authorsources=<br>
*''Millennial Star'' 23:720
*{{HoC1|vol=6|start=424}} (Reference to beer mentioned in the ''Millennial Star'' removed from this reference.)
}}
{{propaganda|Beer was not forbidden by the Word of Wisdom in Joseph Smith's day, but the Tanners count on their readers not knowing this. The prohibition against all alcohol came later.
}}

==Response to claim: 33 - Joseph encouraged others to break the Word of Wisdom by drinking whiskey==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Joseph encouraged others to break the Word of Wisdom by drinking whiskey.
|authorsources=<br>
*''Millennial Star'' [http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/ref/collection/MStar/id/23177 21:283]
*{{HoC1|vol=5|start=450}}
}}
{{misinformation|The Tanners here exploit their readers' potential lack of familiarity with how liquor was seen under the Word of Wisdom in Joseph's day. Joseph certainly did not encourage others to break the Word of Wisdom.
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith give some of the brethren money to purchase whiskey in violation of the Word of Wisdom?}}

==Response to claim: 33 - Joseph asked for a pipe and tobacco to settle Willard Richards' stomach==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Joseph asked for a pipe and tobacco to settle Willard Richards' stomach.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Millennial Star'' 24:471
*{{HoC1|vol=6|start=614}}
}}
{{misinformation|Tobacco (and wine) were considered by some to be a medication in Joseph's day. The authors do not provide the entire story. Joseph ''had'' sent Stephen Markham out, as previous text unquoted by the Tanners tells us: "Brother Markham...go get the doctor [i.e., Richards] something to settle his stomach," and Markham went out for medicine.  When he got the remedies desired...[the] Carthage Greys gathered round him, put him on his horse, and forced him out of the town at the point of the bayonet."  So, Markham could not return, and nothing from him reached the jail (p. 616). In addition, Willard Richards was a Thompsonian herbalist physician&mdash;one of the medications advocated by these doctors was ''lobelia'', or wild Indian tobacco.
}}
* See also [[Specific works/The_Changing_World_of_Mormonism/Index/Chapter_18#471|p. 471]] for the Tanner's further exploitation of this presentism.  
{{:Question: Did Willard Richards violate the Word of Wisdom by using tobacco at Carthage Jail?}}

==Response to claim: 34 - Brigham Young ordered the destruction of Lucy Mack Smith's history Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith published by Orson Pratt in 1853==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=The Changing World of Mormonism
|claim=
Brigham Young ordered the destruction of Lucy Mack Smith's history Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith published by Orson Pratt in 1853.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Millennial Star'' 27:657-58	
}}
{{information|The original manuscript was not destroyed. Brigham objected to errors in the book and wanted to destroy all of the printed copies before he had it reprinted.  Most the changes had the effect of reducing the focus on the Smith family, and focusing more on the Church itself.  (Brigham was likely unwilling to let those he regarded as apostates, such as William Smith, get any 'reflected glory' in Lucy's telling.)
}}
{{:Question: Did Brigham Young attempt to suppress and destroy all copies of Lucy Mack Smith's ''Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith''?}}

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