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Wikipedia Main Article: Vision Joseph Smith, Jr.–First Vision
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Wikipedia Footnotes: Joseph Smith, Jr.–Notes
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A FAIR Opinion
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2A
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As he later recorded the experience, Smith said that as a fourteen-year-old in 1820 he had received a theophany, an appearance of God to man, an event that Latter Day Saints commonly call the First Vision.
Smith said that he had been concerned about what religious denomination to join and prayed in a nearby woods (now called the Sacred Grove). There he had a vision in which he saw God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, as two separate, glorious, resurrected beings of flesh and bone. They told him that no contemporary church was correct in its teachings and that he should join none of them.
Smith recorded several different accounts of this experience,
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- Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1984), 39-40. Early accounts of the First Vision, including one handwritten by Joseph Smith himself, do not mention the appearance of the Father and the Son but refer to an angel, a spirit, many angels, or the Son. The account identifying the angelic visitors as the Father and the Son did not appear until 1838.
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2B
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and the version of the First Vision later canonized by the LDS Church was not publicly revealed until 1842.
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- March 1, 1842, Times and Seasons, in the Wentworth Letter. The story of the vision was incorporated with some changes into Joseph Smith's History of the Church, 1:15-20 Joseph Smith—History
- According to Smith he reported his vision to a local minister, who he said pronounced it "of the devil" because "there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and there would never be any more of them." Joseph Smith - History 1:20-25.
- Although Smith said he was persecuted by his neighbors for claiming that he had had this vision, there is no surviving documentation of the persecution. Fawn Brodie scoffed that "the Palmyra newspapers, which in later years gave him plenty of unpleasant publicity, took no notice of Joseph's vision at the time it was supposed to have occurred." Brodie, 23.
- Richard Bushman says that Smith "probably exaggerated the reaction." Bushman (2005) , p. 43.
- David Persuitte noted that, though Smith said later that he had told his family of the vision shortly after it occurred, there is evidence that the family was not told about the vision until much later. He also noted that there was no published evidence nor "mention of it in any of the writings of any of the church members of the time." David Persuitte, Joseph Smith and the Origins of the Book of Mormon , 2nd ed. (Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2000), 20-32.
- Even Richard Bushman says that "most early converts probably never heard about the 1820 vision." Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 39.
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- The wiki editors are trying to include much of the "First Vision" article in the footnotes of this article.
- See: First Vision
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Wikipedia Main Article: plates Joseph Smith, Jr.–Golden plates
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Wikipedia Footnotes: Joseph Smith, Jr.–Notes
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A FAIR Opinion
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3A
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Meanwhile Smith participated in a "craze for treasure hunting."
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- The treasure-seeking culture in early 19th century New England is described in Quinn (1998) , pp. 25–26.
- As Richard Bushman writes, "The Smiths were as susceptible as their neighbors to treasure-seeking folklore. In addition to rod and stone divining, the Smiths probably believed in the rudimentary astrology found in the ubiquitous almanacs. Magical parchments handed down in the Hyrum Smith family may have originally belonged to Joseph Sr. The visit of the angel and the discovery of the gold plates would have confirmed the belief in supernatural power. For people in a magical frame of mind, Moroni sounded like one of the the spirits who stood guard over treasure in the tales of treasure-seeking." Bushman, Rough Stone Rolling, 50.
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3B
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Beginning as a youth in the early 1820s, Smith was paid to act as a "seer," using seer stones in mostly unsuccessful attempts to locate lost items and buried treasure.
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- For a detailed look at Smith's money digging activities, see Persuitte: 33-53. In May 1838, Smith admitted that he was what was called a "money digger", but said that it "was never a very profitable job to him, as he only got fourteen dollars a month for it". Joseph Smith, "Answers to Questions," Elders Journal (Kirtland, Ohio) 1 (July 1838): 42-43 in EMD, 1: 52-53.
- Erie Canal workers made eight to twelve dollars a month. EMD, 1: 53, n. 2.
- The use of such stones for treasure hunting was common in Joseph Smith's New York. In 1825, the Palmyra newspaper reprinted a story about the discovery of a treasure in Orleans County "by the help of a mineral stone, which becomes transparent when placed in a hat and the light excluded by the face of him who looks into it." "Wonderful Discovery," Wayne Sentinel, December 27, 1825, in Quinn, 173
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3C
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Smith's contemporaries describe Smith's procedure for using seer stones to hunt for treasure as placing the stone in a white stovepipe hat, putting his face over the hat to block the light, and then "seeing" the information in the reflections of the stone.
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- Harris (1833) , pp. 253-54;
- Hale (1834) , p. 265;
- Clark (1842) , p. 225;
- Turner (1851) , p. 216;
- Harris (1859) , p. 164;
- Tucker (1867) , pp. 20–21;
- Lapham (1870) , p. 305;
- Lewis (Lewis) , p. 1;
- Mather (1880) , p. 199.
- Martin Harris said that Smith had found a lost pin by putting his seer stone in his hat, "the old white hat—and placed his face in his hat....I know he did not look out of the hat until after he had picked up the pin." Harris interview with Joel Tiffany, 1859 in EMD, 2:303.
- A skeptical contemporary, Pomeroy Tucker, recalled Smith searching for gold and silver buried in the earth: "These discoveries finally became too dazzling for his eyes in daylight, and he had to shade his vision by looking at the stone in his hat!" Pomeroy Tucker, Origin, Rise, and Progress of Mormonism (New York: D. Appleton and Co. 1867), 19-20, in EMD, 3:96.
- Michael Morse, Smith's brother-in-law, stated that he had watched Smith translate the Book of Mormon on several occasions: "The mode of procedure consisted in Joseph's placing the Seer Stone in the crown of a hat, then putting his face into the hat, so as to entirely cover his face." Richard S. Van Wagoner and Steven C. Walker, "Joseph Smith: 'The Gift of Seeing,'" Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 15 (Summer 1982): 50-53.
- Smith's wife Emma stated that she took dictation from her husband as she sat next to him, and that he would put his face into a hat with the stone in it, dictating for hours at a time.Smith (1879) , pp. 536-40.
- Peterson (2005, FARMS review, 17:2, accessed online Feb 21, 2009, [1]) argues that having his face buried in a hat, as witnesses attest, "would also have made it effectively impossible for him to read from a manuscript placed somehow at the bottom of the darkened hat."
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3D
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His preferred stone, which some said he also used later to translate the golden plates, was chocolate-colored and about the size of an egg, found in a deep well he helped dig for one of his neighbors.
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- Harris (1859) , p. 163;
- Lapham (1870) , pp. 305–306.
- The stone was found in either 1819 (Tucker (1867) , pp. 19–20 Bennett (1893) ) or 1822 Chase (1833) , p. 240.
- Assistant church historian B. H. Roberts referred to this stone as "a chocolate-colored, somewhat egg-shaped stone which the Prophet found while digging a well in company with his brother Hyrum, for a Mr. Clark Chase, near Palmyra, N. Y. It possessed the qualities of Urim and Thummim, since by means of it—as described above,—as well as by means of the Interpreters found with the Nephite record, Joseph was able to translate the characters engraven on the plates." B. H. Roberts, A Comprehensive History of the Church (Salt Lake City: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1930), 1:129.
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3E
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During this period Smith said he experienced a visitation from an angel named Moroni
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- Joseph Smith - History 1:50
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- Correct, per cited sources
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3F
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who directed him to a long-buried book, inscribed on golden plates, which contained a record of God's dealings with ancient Israelite inhabitants of the Americas. This record, along with other artifacts (including a breastplate and what Smith referred to as the Urim and Thummim), was buried in a hill near his home. On September 22, 1827, Smith said that after four years of waiting and preparation, the angel allowed him to take possession of the plates and other artifacts. Almost immediately thereafter local people tried to discover where the plates were hidden.
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- Joseph Smith - History 1:59-60
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- Correct, per cited sources
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3G
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Smith left his family farm in October 1825 and was hired by Josiah Stowel, of nearby Chenango county, to search for a Spanish silver mine by gazing at his seer stone.
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- Joseph Smith—History 1; Bushman, 48. According to Lucy Mack Smith, Stowel enlisted Joseph "on account of having heard that he possessed certain keys by which he could discern things invisible to the natural eye."
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3H
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In March 1826, as a result of his using his seer stone to search for the silver mine, Smith was charged with being a "disorderly person and an impostor" by a court in nearby Bainbridge.
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- Hitchens (2007) , pp. 161; Morgan, D: "Dale Morgan on Early Mormonism: Correspondence and a New History", Appendix A. Signature Books, 1986; Bushman (2005) , p. 70;
- Hill (1976) , pp. 223-233; Roberts, A. Comprehensive History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Vol. 1, 211.
- The following writers cited differing charges against Smith in Bainbridge: Benton (1831): 'a disorderly person'; Cowdery (1835): 'a disorderly person'; Noble (1842): 'under the Vagrant act'; Marshall (1873): 'a disorderly person and an imposter'; Purple (1877): 'a vagrant, without visible means of livelihood'; Tuttle (1882): 'a disorderly person and an imposter'; Judge Neely: 'a misdemeanor'. 2. list of writers' citing differing verdict against Smith in Bainbridge: Benton: 'tried and condemned'...'designedly allowed to escape'; Cowdery: 'honorably acquitted'; Noble: 'was condemned, took leg bail'; Marshall: 'guilty?'; Tuttle: 'guilty?'; Purple: 'discharged'; Constable De Zeng: 'not a trial'.
- Persuitte, 40-53, provides a detailed look at the court proceedings and provides evidence that it was actually "a pre-trial "examination" to determine if a trial should take place. He also concludes that Smith was "designedly allowed to escape," with the understanding that he leave the county and not come back.
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3I
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Smith also met Emma Hale during this period and married her on January 18, 1827. Emma eventually gave birth to seven children, three of whom died shortly after birth. The Smiths also adopted twins.
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- The children who died were Alvin, who lived only a few hours (June 15, 1828), and twins, Thaddeus and Louisa,(April 30, 1831). The Smiths adopted twins, Joseph and Julia, the children of Julia Clapp Murdock and John Murdock after Julia Clapp Murdock died in childbirth shortly after Emma lost her own twins. Joseph and Emma Smith had four sons who lived to maturity: Joseph Smith III (November 6, 1832), Frederick Granger Williams Smith (June 29, 1836), Alexander Hale Smith (June 2, 1838), and David Hyrum Smith November 17, 1844, born after Joseph's death.
- Although it seems unlikely that Joseph Smith would not have any children by his polygamous wives, DNA testing has so far not proved a relationship to likely candidates. Research focuses on Smith family, Deseret News (2005-05-28);
- DNA tests rule out 2 as Smith descendants: Scientific advances prove no genetic link, Deseret News (2007-11-10);
- Perego, Ugo A. , "Reconstructing the Y-Chromosome of Joseph Smith, Jr.: Genealogical Applications", Journal of Mormon History (See Children of Joseph Smith, Jr.)
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- Violates Wikipedia: Citing sources off-site— There is either no citation to support the statement or the citation given is incorrect.
The weasel phrase "DNA testing so far has not proven" leads the reader to believe that nothing has yet been proven. In fact, reading just the titles of the cited sources shows that research has disproven some of the likely candidates.
- See: Joseph Smith and polygamy/Children of polygamous marriages
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<onlyinclude>
FairMormon's approach to Wikipedia articles
FairMormon regularly receives queries about specific LDS-themed Wikipedia articles with requests that we somehow "fix" them. Although some individual members of FAIR may choose to edit Wikipedia articles, FairMormon as an organization does not. Controversial Wikipedia articles require constant maintenance and a significant amount of time. We prefer instead to respond to claims in the FAIR Wiki rather than fight the ongoing battle that LDS Wikipedia articles sometimes invite. From FAIR’s perspective, assertions made in LDS-themed Wikipedia articles are therefore treated just like any other critical (or, if one prefers, "anti-Mormon") work. As those articles are revised and updated, we will periodically update our reviews to match.
Who can edit Wikipedia articles?
Editors who wish to participate in editing LDS-themed Wikipedia articles can access the project page here: Wikipedia:WikiProject Latter Day Saint movement. You are not required to be LDS in order to participate—there are a number of good non-LDS editors who have made valuable contributions to these articles.
Recommendations when editing Wikipedia articles
FAIR does not advocate removing any references from Wikipedia articles. The best approach to editing Wikipedia is to locate solid references to back up your position and add them rather than attempting to remove information. Individuals who intend to edit should be aware that posting information related to the real-world identities of Wikipedia editors will result in their being banned from editing Wikipedia. Attacking editors and attempting to "out" them on Wikipedia is considered very bad form. The best approach is to treat all Wikipedia editors, whether or not you agree or disagree with their approach, with respect and civility. An argumentative approach is not constructive to achieving a positive result, and will simply result in what is called an "edit war." Unfortunately, not all Wikipedia editors exhibit good faith toward other editors (see, for example, the comment above from "Duke53" or comments within these reviews made by John Foxe's sockpuppet "Hi540," both of whom repeatedly mocked LDS beliefs and LDS editors prior to their being banned.)
Do LDS editors control Wikipedia?
Although there exist editors on Wikipedia who openly declare their affiliation with the Church, they do not control Wikipedia. Ironically, some critics of the Church periodically falsely accuse Wikipedia editors of being LDS simply because they do not accept the critics' desired spin on a particular article.
Do "anti-Mormons" control Wikipedia?
Again, the answer is no. The truth is that Wikipedia is generally self-policing. Highly contentious articles do tend to draw the most passionate supporters and critics.
Why do certain LDS articles seem to be so negative?
Although some LDS-related Wikipedia articles may appear to have a negative tone, they are in reality quite a bit more balanced than certain critical works such as One Nation Under Gods. Although many critical editors often accuse LDS-related Wikipedia articles of being "faith promoting" or claim that they are just an extension of the Sunday School manual, this is rarely the case. Few, if any, Latter-day Saints would find Wikipedia articles to be "faith promoting." Generally, the believers think that the articles are too negative and the critics believe that the articles are too positive. LDS Wikipedia articles should be informative without being overtly faith promoting. However, most of the primary sources, including the words of Joseph Smith himself, are "faith promoting." This presents a dilemma for Wikipedia editors who want to remain neutral. The unfortunate consequence is that Joseph's words are rewritten and intermixed with contradictory sources, resulting in boring and confusing prose.
FairMormon's analysis of LDS-related Wikipedia articles
We examine selected Wikipedia articles and examine them on a "claim-by-claim" basis, with links to responses in the FairMormon Answers Wiki. Wikipedia articles are constantly evolving. As a result, the analysis of each article will be updated periodically in order to bring it more into line with the current version of the article. The latest revision date may be viewed at the top of each individual section. The process by which Wikipedia articles are reviewed is the following:
- Update each Wikipedia passage and its associated footnotes.
- Examine the use of sources and determine whether or not the passage accurately represents the source used.
- Provide links to response articles within the FairMormon Answers Wiki.
- If violation of Wikipedia rules is discovered, identify which Wikipedia editor (by pseudonym) made the edit, provide a description of the rule violated and a link to the Wikipedia "diff" showing the actual edit.
- If a violated rule is later corrected in a subsequent revision, the violation is removed and a notation is added that the passage is correct per cited sources. This doesn't mean that FAIR necessarily agrees with the passage—only that it is correct based upon the source used.
Roger Nicholson,
Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, (2012)
The ability to quickly and easily access literature critical of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been made significantly easier through the advent of the Internet. One of the primary sites that dominates search engine results is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that “anyone can edit.” Wikipedia contains a large number of articles related to Mormonism that are edited by believers, critics, and neutral parties. The reliability of information regarding the Church and its history is subject to the biases of the editors who choose to modify those articles. Even if a wiki article is thoroughly sourced, editors sometimes employ source material in a manner that supports their bias. This essay explores the dynamics behind the creation of Wikipedia articles about the Church, the role that believers and critics play in that process, and the reliability of the information produced in the resulting wiki articles.
Wikipedia and anti-Mormon literature
Key sources |
- Roger Nicholson, "Mormonism and Wikipedia: The Church History That 'Anyone Can Edit'," Interpreter: A Journal of Mormon Scripture 1/8 (14 September 2012). [151–190] link
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Wiki links |
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Online |
- "Wiki Wars: In battle to define beliefs, Mormons and foes wage battle on Wikipedia", Michael De Groote, Deseret News, January 30, 2011.
- "Wiki Wars: In battle to define beliefs, Mormons and foes wage battle on Wikipedia", Michael De Groote, Mormon Times, January 31, 2011.
- "Something Wiki This Way Comes: How collaborative editing is changing the face of online LDS apologetics", R. Scott Lloyd, Church News, August 8, 2011.
- Something Wiki This Way Comes: How Collaborative Editing is Changing the Face of Online LDS Apologetics. A close look at the challenges and history of editing LDS topics in a Wikipedia. This is a 2011 FAIR conference presentation by Roger Nicholson, in PDF format.
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