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| − | {{Articles FAIR copyright}} {{Articles Header 1}} {{Articles Header 2}} {{Articles Header 3}} {{Articles Header 4}} {{Articles Header 5}} {{Articles Header 6}} {{Articles Header 7}} {{Articles Header 8}} {{Articles Header 9}} {{Articles Header 10}} | + | {{Main Page}} |
| − | {{Resource Title|Joseph Smith's First Vision}}
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| − | {{summary}}
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| − | {{FirstVisionPortal}}
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| − | {{Epigraph|God touched his eyes with his finger and said “[Joseph] this is my beloved Son hear him.” As soon as the Lord had touched his eyes with his finger he immediately saw the Savior. After meeting, a few of us questioned him about the matter and he told us at the bottom of the meeting house steps that he was in the House of Father Smith in Kirtland when Joseph made this declaration, and that Joseph while speaking of it put his finger to his right eye, suiting the action with the words so as to illustrate and at the same time impress the [occurrence] on the minds of those unto whom He was speaking.<br>''Diary of Charles Lowell Walker'' (Logan, UT: Utah State University Press, 1980), 2:755–56 [recorded 2 February 1893]}}
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| − | == ==
| + | {{Header}} |
| − | {{Criticism label}} | |
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| − | Joseph Smith's claim that he saw the Father and the Son in 1820 has produced a wide variety of criticism. This set of articles addresses the various critical claims related to the First Vision. The linked articles below are designed to help readers to see some of the weaknesses that are found in arguments that are made against Joseph Smith's First Vision accounts. Some of these arguments are currently being advocated in anti-Mormon literature that is handed out near the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York. | + | Joseph Smith's announcement that he saw the Father and the Son in 1820 has produced a broad response, from faithful to critical. This set of articles addresses the multiple accounts of the First Vision, the events leading to and occurring after the vision, and a review of the doctrinal developments from the vision. |
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| − | == ==
| + | '''To view articles about the First Vision, click "Expand" in the blue bar:''' |
| − | {{ChurchResponseBar
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| − | |link=http://www.lds.org/topics/first-vision-accounts?lang=eng
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| − | |title=First Vision Accounts
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| − | |publication=Gospel Topics, located on lds.org.
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| − | |summary=The various accounts of the First Vision tell a consistent story, though naturally they differ in emphasis and detail. Historians expect that when an individual retells an experience in multiple settings to different audiences over many years, each account will emphasize various aspects of the experience and contain unique details. Indeed, differences similar to those in the First Vision accounts exist in the multiple scriptural accounts of Paul’s vision on the road to Damascus and the Apostles’ experience on the Mount of Transfiguration.3 Yet despite the differences, a basic consistency remains across all the accounts of the First Vision. Some have mistakenly argued that any variation in the retelling of the story is evidence of fabrication. To the contrary, the rich historical record enables us to learn more about this remarkable event than we could if it were less well documented.
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| − | }}
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| − | == ==
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| − | {{ChurchResponseBar
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| − | |link=http://www.lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/language-materials/10590_eng.pdf?lang=eng
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| − | |author=The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
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| − | |publication=Doctrine and Covenants and Church History Seminary Teacher Manual
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| − | |title=LESSON 6: Joseph Smith—History 1:1–20
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| − | |date=2013
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| − | |start=20
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| − | |summary=
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| − | Just as Joseph Smith emphasized different aspects of his vision in his multiple accounts, the Apostle Paul emphasized different aspects of his vision of the Savior to different audiences (see Acts 9:1–9; Acts 22:5–11; Acts 26:12–20). Why do you think Joseph Smith and Paul emphasized different things each time they related the accounts of their visions?
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| − | }}
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| − | == ==
| + | {{Navigation:First Vision}}{{blankline}} |
| − | {{Topics label}} | |
| − | <onlyinclude>
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| − | ==Primary sources==
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| − | {{:Primary sources/Joseph Smith, Jr./First Vision accounts}} | |
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| − | ==Wikipedia treatment of Joseph Smith's First Vision==
| + | <small>Video published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.</small> |
| − | {{SummaryItem
| + | <embedvideo service="youtube">lBvxbVs7Kgc</embedvideo>{{blankline}} |
| − | |link=Mormonism and Wikipedia/First Vision
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| − | |subject=A FairMormon Analysis of Wikipedia article "First Vision"
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| − | |summary=FairMormon analyzes the Wikipedia treatment of the First Vision.
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| − | }} | |
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| − | ==Did the Church hide accounts of the First Vision?== | + | <small>Video published by BYU Religious Education.</small> |
| | + | <embedvideo service="youtube">xvOr8-mo04g</embedvideo>{{blankline}} |
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| − | The claim is sometimes made by critics that the LDS Church hides the various accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision that are not in its official canon. The following chronological database (compiled by FAIR volunteer Edward Jones) demonstrates conclusively that this is simply not the case. The various accounts of the First Vision have been widely acknowledged in LDS-authored sources throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
| + | {{To learn more box:First Vision}}{{blankline}} |
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| − | {{SummaryItem | + | {{Endnotes sources}} |
| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Church Hides Accounts (1910-1968)
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| − | |subject=LDS-Authored Publications (1910-1968)
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| − | |summary=Mentions of the various accounts of the First Vision in LDS publications (1910-1968)
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Church Hides Accounts (1969-1978)
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| − | |subject=LDS-Authored Publications (1969-1978)
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| − | |summary=Mentions of the various accounts of the First Vision in LDS publications (1969-1978)
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Church Hides Accounts (1979-1983)
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| − | |subject=LDS-Authored Publications (1979-1983)
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| − | |summary=Mentions of the various accounts of the First Vision in LDS publications (1979-1983)
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Church Hides Accounts (1984-1989)
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| − | |subject=LDS-Authored Publications (1984-1989)
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| − | |summary=Mentions of the various accounts of the First Vision in LDS publications (1984-1989)
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Church Hides Accounts (1990-1997)
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| − | |subject=LDS-Authored Publications (1990-1997)
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| − | |summary=Mentions of the various accounts of the First Vision in LDS publications (1990-1997)
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Church Hides Accounts (1998-2003)
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| − | |subject=LDS-Authored Publications (1998-2003)
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| − | |summary=Mentions of the various accounts of the First Vision in LDS publications (1998-2003)
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| − | }} | |
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| − | ==Events leading up to the First Vision==
| + | <!-- PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE ANYTHING BELOW THIS LINE --> |
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| − | {{SummaryItem
| + | [[de:Joseph Smiths Erste Vision]] |
| − | |link=Joseph Smith/Early Smith family history
| + | [[es:La Primera Visión de José Smith]] |
| − | |subject=Early Smith family history
| + | [[fi:Joseph Smithin ensimmäinen näky]] |
| − | |summary=
| + | [[pt:A Primeira Visão]] |
| − | }}<noinclude>
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| − | {{SummaryItem2
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith/Early Smith family history/No positive witnesses
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| − | |subject=No positive witnesses
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that there are "no contemporary pro-Mormon statements from reliable and informed sources who knew the Smith family and Joseph intimately."
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| − | }}</noinclude>
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Methodist camp meetings
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| − | |subject=Methodist camp meetings in the Palmyra area
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that any association Joseph had with Methodism did not occur until the 1824-25 revival in Palmyra, and that his claim that the "unusual excitement" started with the Methodists in 1820 is therefore incorrect.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Joseph became "partial to the Methodist sect" in 1820
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| − | |subject=Joseph became "partial to the Methodist sect" in 1820
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that Joseph didn't become "partial to the Methodist sect" until at least 1823, after Alvin's death, or as late as 1838, rather than in 1820 as he claimed in his 1838 First Vision account.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Religious revivals in 1820
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| − | |subject=Were there revivals in 1820?
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that there were no religious revivals in the Palmyra, New York area in 1820, contrary to Joseph Smith's claims that during that year there was "an unusual excitement on the subject of religion...indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it"
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| − | }}<noinclude>
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| − | {{SummaryItem2
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Religious revivals in 1820/Gordon B. Hinckley cited false information
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| − | |subject=Gordon B. Hinckley cited false information?
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that there were no religious revivals in the Palmyra, New York area in 1820, and that Gordon B. Hinckley cited false information in a book called Truth Restored.
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| − | }}</noinclude>
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Smith family place of residence in 1820
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| − | |subject=Smith family place of residence in 1820
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that there are discrepancies in Joseph's account of his family's early history, which make his 1820 and subsequent revelations impossible, and that there is no evidence that the Smith family was in the Palmyra area in 1820 for the religious excitement and First Vision which Joseph reported.
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| − | }}
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| − | | |
| − | ==The Vision==
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| − | | |
| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Accounts
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| − | |subject=Joseph's accounts of the First Vision
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| − | |summary=Joseph Smith gave several accounts of the First Vision. Critics charge that differences in the accounts show that he changed and embellished his story over time, and that he therefore had no such vision.
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| − | }}<noinclude>
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| − | {{SummaryItem2
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| − | |link=Primary sources/First Vision accounts
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| − | |subject=Primary sources: First Vision accounts
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| − | }}</noinclude>
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Paul's accounts
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| − | |subject=Discrepancies in Paul's account of his vision
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| − | |summary=Paul the apostle gave more than one account of his vision of the resurrected Lord while on the road to Damascus. Like Joseph Smith's account of the First Vision, Paul's accounts differ in some details but agree in the overall message.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First_Vision/Do Greek scholars solve the discrepancies in Paul's vision accounts
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| − | |subject=Do Greek scholars solve the discrepancies in Paul's vision accounts?
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| − | |summary=The Church's sectarian critics accept Paul's account as true despite the Bible containing apparently frank contradictions in its accounts, while refusing to give Joseph Smith the same latitude. Members of the Church have long pointed out that this is a clear double standard, designed to bias the audience against Joseph from the beginning. Perhaps because of the force of this argument, some critics have begun to argue that no contradiction exists between the versions of Paul's vision.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Doctrine and Covenants 84 says God not seen without priesthood
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| − | |subject=D&C:84 says God cannot be seen without priesthood
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| − | |summary=Critics argue that Joseph Smith claimed that he saw God in 1820 and also claimed that he received the priesthood in 1829. But in a text which he produced in 1832 ({{S||DC|84|21-22}}) it is said that a person cannot see God without holding the priesthood. Therefore, it is claimed that Joseph Smith contradicted himself and this counts as evidence against his calling as an authentic prophet of God.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Were all the churches of the day claimed to be "an abomination"
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| − | |subject=Was Joseph Smith told that "all the churches of the day were an abomination?"
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that Joseph Smith stated that during the First Vision that he was told that "all the churches of the day were an abomination."
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| − | }}
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| − | | |
| − | ==Events occurring after the First Vision==
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| − | | |
| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Joseph Smith's early conception of God
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| − | |subject=Joseph Smith's early conception of God
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that Joseph began his prophetic career with a "trinitarian" idea of God, and only later developed his theology of the Godhead. What do we know about Joseph and the early Saints' views on God?
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/No reference to First Vision in 1830s publications
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| − | |subject=No reference to First Vision in 1830s publications
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that there is no reference to the 1838 canonical First Vision story in any published material from the 1830s, and that nothing published in this period mentions that Joseph saw the Father and Son. They also assume that it would have been mentioned in the local newspapers at the time.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Seldom mentioned in LDS publications before 1877
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| − | |subject=Seldom mentioned in LDS publications before 1877 (short version)
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that, “Before the death of Brigham Young in 1877 the first vision was seldom mentioned in Mormon publications.” This evidence implies that the general membership of the LDS Church was not familiar with the First Vision story until late in the nineteenth century.
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| − | }}<noinclude>
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| − | {{SummaryItem2
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Seldom mentioned in LDS publications before 1877 (long)
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| − | |subject=Seldom mentioned in LDS publications before 1877 (long version)
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| − | }}</noinclude>
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/No mention in non-LDS literature before 1843
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| − | |subject=It is claimed that there is no mention of the First Vision in non-Mormon literature before 1843, and that if the First Vision story had been known by the public before 1840 (when Orson Pratt published it in his pamphlet) that the anti-Mormons “surely” would have seized upon it as an evidence of Joseph Smith’s imposture.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/1830 statement about seeing "God"
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| − | |subject=Missionaries 1830 statement about Joseph seeing "God"
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| − | |summary=Critics have claimed that just because LDS missionaries were teaching around 1 November 1830 that Joseph Smith had previously seen “God” personally it cannot be assumed that this was a reference to God the Father since the Book of Mormon (completed ca. 11 June 1829) refers to Jesus Christ as “the eternal God” (title page; 2 Nephi 26:12). The argument is made that since this evidence indicates that Joseph Smith understood Jesus Christ to be “God” the statement by the missionaries may have simply meant that Joseph Smith had seen the Savior; not necessarily the Father.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Lack of contemporary Father and Son vision until 1838
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| − | |subject=No published reference to Father and Son vision until 1838?
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that there is no mention of Joseph Smith seeing the Father and Son in any “contemporary” newspaper, diary, LDS publication, or writing of any kind until the year 1838.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Joseph Smith did not know if God existed in 1823
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| − | |subject=Joseph Smith did not know if God existed in 1823?
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that according to a historical document published in Kirtland, Ohio in 1835 the Prophet Joseph Smith did not know if God existed in the year 1823. This text, therefore, provides evidence that Joseph Smith simply made up the story about the First Vision happening in the year 1820.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Lucy Mack Smith and the Presbyterians
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| − | |subject=Lucy Mack Smith and the Presbyterians
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that since there was a religious revival in Palmyra, New York in 1824-25 which appears to match details of Joseph Smith's official Church history, he must have mistakenly mixed this event in with his narrative about what happened in 1820, and that the Prophet's mother joined the Presbyterian church after Alvin Smith died in late 1823. This contradicts Joseph's statement that she joined in 1820, thereby dating Joseph's First Vision to no earlier than 1823.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Joseph Smith joined other churches
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| − | |subject=Did Joseph join other churches contrary to commandment in vision?
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| − | |summary=Critics charge that Joseph Smith joined the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist churches between 1820 and 1830—despite the claim made in his 1838 history that he was forbidden by Deity (during the 1820 First Vision experience) from joining any denomination.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Contradiction about knowing all churches were wrong
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| − | |subject=Contradiction about knowing all churches were wrong
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| − | |summary=In his 1832 account of the First Vision, Joseph Smith said, “I found [by searching the scriptures] that mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatized from the true and living faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament.” But in the 1835 account he said, “I knew not who [of the denominations] was right or who was wrong.” It is claimed that thus counts as evidence that the First Vision story evolved over time.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Fabricated to give "Godly authority"
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| − | |subject=First Vision fabricated to give "Godly authority?"
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that Joseph Smith decided after he released the Book of Mormon to the public that he needed 'authority from God' to justify his claims as a religious minister. Therefore, it is claimed that he fabricated the First Vision story in order to provide himself with a more prestigious line of authority than that of the "angel" who revealed the golden plates.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Story became more detailed and colorful after 1832
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| − | |subject=First Vision story became more detailed and colorful after 1832?
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| − | |summary=Some claim that Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision grew more detailed and more colorful after he first recorded it in 1832.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Accounts/1838/Account modified to offset leadership crisis
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| − | |subject=1838 account modified to offset leadership crisis?
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| − | |summary=It is claimed that in 1838 Joseph Smith revised his personal history to say that his original call came from God the Father and Jesus Christ rather than an angel. His motive for doing this was to give himself a stronger leadership role because an authority crisis had recently taken place and large-scale apostasy was the result.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Persecution after the vision
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| − | |subject=Persecution after the vision?
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| − | |summary=Some claim that there is no evidence that Joseph or his family were persecuted because of the First Vision. They argue that this means that Joseph invented the story later.
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| − | }}
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| − | | |
| − | ==Additional First Vision issues==
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| − | | |
| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Doctrine and Covenants 121:28 contradicts vision
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| − | |subject=D&C 121:28 contradicts vision?
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| − | |summary=In 1839 Joseph Smith received a revelation from God in which it was stated that the time would come "in the which nothing shall be withheld, whether there be one God or many gods they shall be manifest" (D&C 121:28). This was an "unnecessary revelation," since according to the official LDS Church First Vision account Joseph Smith supposedly knew that there was more than one God since 1820. This information counts as evidence that the Prophet's story was fraudulent.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/The Father as Spirit vs. Embodied
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| − | |subject=Father: Spirit vs. Embodied
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| − | |summary=When the first edition of the Doctrine and Covenants was published in 1835 it portrayed God the Father as a personage of spirit whereas Jesus Christ was portrayed as a personage of tabernacle, or one having a physical body. Yet the official LDS First Vision story portrays the Father as a physical Being.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith/Personages who appeared to him
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| − | |subject=Personages seen by Joseph
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| − | |summary=A list of known personages who appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith or who were seen by him in vision.
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| − | }}
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| − | {{SummaryItem
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| − | |link=Joseph Smith's First Vision/Brigham Young
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| − | |subject=Brigham Young and the First Vision
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| − | |summary=It is claimed either that Brigham never taught about the First Vision, or that he taught that the Lord did not appear to Joseph. Both claims are false.
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| − | }}
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| − | </onlyinclude>
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| − | =={{Endnotes label}}==
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| − | #{{note|And1}} {{Ensign1|author=Richard L. Anderson|article=Parallel Prophets: Paul and Joseph Smith|date=April 1985|start=12}}{{link|url=http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Magazines/Ensign/1985.htm/ensign%20april%201985%20.htm/parallel%20prophets%20paul%20and%20joseph%20smith.htm?f=templates$fn=document-frame.htm$3.0$q=$x=$nc=6170}}
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| − | [[fr:First Vision]] | |
