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Difference between revisions of "Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Nauvoo Polygamy/Chapter 1"
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=Claims made in "Chapter 1" (pp. 1-25)= | =Claims made in "Chapter 1" (pp. 1-25)= | ||
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====1==== | ====1==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author claims that Louisa Beaman "was about to become the first plural wife of Joseph Smith." | *The author claims that Louisa Beaman "was about to become the first plural wife of Joseph Smith." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author ignores the Hancock testimony of a marriage ceremony with Fanny Alger. | *The author ignores the Hancock testimony of a marriage ceremony with Fanny Alger. | ||
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Initiation of the practice]] |
*{{AuthorPublisherResponse}} The publisher responded by claiming that the reviewer of ''Nauvoo Polygamy'' offers no documentation for evidence of a marriage between Joseph and Fanny Alger in Kirtland. See: [http://www.signaturebooks.com/pluralmarriage.htm?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234200952&sr=1-1 Joseph Smith Had "Conjugal Relations" with Eight Plural Wives, Says FARMS], ''Signature Books'' web site, March 25, 2009. | *{{AuthorPublisherResponse}} The publisher responded by claiming that the reviewer of ''Nauvoo Polygamy'' offers no documentation for evidence of a marriage between Joseph and Fanny Alger in Kirtland. See: [http://www.signaturebooks.com/pluralmarriage.htm?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234200952&sr=1-1 Joseph Smith Had "Conjugal Relations" with Eight Plural Wives, Says FARMS], ''Signature Books'' web site, March 25, 2009. | ||
*The publisher's response continues to ignore the Hancock testimony. The review states that the book's author "virtually ignores, however, the data that [Todd] Compton clearly considers the most important—the Mosiah Hancock autobiography, in which Hancock reports that "Father gave her [Fanny] to Joseph repeating the Ceremony as Joseph repeated to him." {{ref|hancock1}} | *The publisher's response continues to ignore the Hancock testimony. The review states that the book's author "virtually ignores, however, the data that [Todd] Compton clearly considers the most important—the Mosiah Hancock autobiography, in which Hancock reports that "Father gave her [Fanny] to Joseph repeating the Ceremony as Joseph repeated to him." {{ref|hancock1}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*{{HistoricalError}} | *{{HistoricalError}} | ||
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Hancock_ignored}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Hancock_ignored}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====1n1==== | ====1n1==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author dismisses a marriage with Fanny Alder by simply stating that "[t]here is some evidence that Smith might have engaged in the practice prior to this, but this is the first documented marriage." | *The author dismisses a marriage with Fanny Alder by simply stating that "[t]here is some evidence that Smith might have engaged in the practice prior to this, but this is the first documented marriage." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author ignores the Hancock testimony of a marriage ceremony with Fanny Alger. | *The author ignores the Hancock testimony of a marriage ceremony with Fanny Alger. | ||
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Initiation of the practice]] |
*[[Polygamy_book/Introduction_of_the_eternal_marriage|Fanny Alger—affair or marriage?]] | *[[Polygamy_book/Introduction_of_the_eternal_marriage|Fanny Alger—affair or marriage?]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
*{{HistoricalError}} | *{{HistoricalError}} | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Hancock_ignored}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Hancock_ignored}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====1==== | ====1==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"Had romance blossomed between her and the charismatic...prophet"?}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"Had romance blossomed between her and the charismatic...prophet"?}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* The author implies that romance was a commonly expressed reason for women practicing plural marriage with Joseph. | * The author implies that romance was a commonly expressed reason for women practicing plural marriage with Joseph. | ||
*[[../../Mind reading]] | *[[../../Mind reading]] | ||
*[[../../Romance]] | *[[../../Romance]] | ||
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Lustful motives]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Womanizing and romance}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Womanizing and romance}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====1==== | ====1==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is noted that Joseph is age 35, while Louisa was 26. | *It is noted that Joseph is age 35, while Louisa was 26. | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author commonly exploits the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presentism_(literary_and_historical_analysis) presentist fallacy] in the matter of Joseph's wives' ages. | *The author commonly exploits the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presentism_(literary_and_historical_analysis) presentist fallacy] in the matter of Joseph's wives' ages. | ||
*[[Polygamy book/Age of wives|Age of wives]] | *[[Polygamy book/Age of wives|Age of wives]] | ||
*[[../../Presentism]] | *[[../../Presentism]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Age_wives}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Age_wives}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
====2==== | ====2==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author claims that Nauvoo was "a bustling Mississippi River town with several thousand inhabitants." | *The author claims that Nauvoo was "a bustling Mississippi River town with several thousand inhabitants." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*{{InternalContradiction|p. xv: Nauvoo was "a more or less insignificant river town". Yet, Nauvoo was ultimately largest city in the entire state except for Chicago.{{ref|p2fn2}}}} | *{{InternalContradiction|p. xv: Nauvoo was "a more or less insignificant river town". Yet, Nauvoo was ultimately largest city in the entire state except for Chicago.{{ref|p2fn2}}}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
<!--====2==== | <!--====2==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| − | | | + | |claim= |
| + | *The Mormons' Prophet had told them about the kingdom they would be called to administer when Jesus returned to rule." | ||
| + | |response= | ||
NOTE | NOTE | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*Dan Erickson, ''"As a Thief in the Night": The Mormon Quest for Millennial Deliverance'' (SLC: Signature Books, 1998)< 6, 46, 59, 121, 123-48. | *Dan Erickson, ''"As a Thief in the Night": The Mormon Quest for Millennial Deliverance'' (SLC: Signature Books, 1998)< 6, 46, 59, 121, 123-48. | ||
| − | + | }}--> | |
| − | |||
====2==== | ====2==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
It is claimed that "[n]o one knew precisely when the final end would come, but they knew it was imminent." | It is claimed that "[n]o one knew precisely when the final end would come, but they knew it was imminent." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* The author leaves unmentioned that many Christians have always seen the end as imminent, and that Joseph's view was more restrained and pragmatic than most of the sects of the day. See: {{BYUS | author=Richard Lloyd Anderson | article=Joseph Smith and the Millenarian Time Table|vol=3|num=3|date=1961|start=55|end=66 }} {{link|url=http://byustudies.byu.edu/Shop/PDFSRC/3.3-4Anderson.pdf}} | * The author leaves unmentioned that many Christians have always seen the end as imminent, and that Joseph's view was more restrained and pragmatic than most of the sects of the day. See: {{BYUS | author=Richard Lloyd Anderson | article=Joseph Smith and the Millenarian Time Table|vol=3|num=3|date=1961|start=55|end=66 }} {{link|url=http://byustudies.byu.edu/Shop/PDFSRC/3.3-4Anderson.pdf}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====2==== | ====2==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"With an acquisitive eye on neighboring lands and the will to triumph over older settlers through political bloc voting, Joseph's behavior concerned some of the longtime Illinoisans who lived around the Saints."}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"With an acquisitive eye on neighboring lands and the will to triumph over older settlers through political bloc voting, Joseph's behavior concerned some of the longtime Illinoisans who lived around the Saints."}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | * [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Bloc voting}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Bloc voting}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
<!--====2==== | <!--====2==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| − | | | + | |claim= |
| + | *"A few years earlier, the people in Missouri had gone to war to expel Mormons from their state." | ||
| + | |response= | ||
NOTE | NOTE | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }}--> | |
| − | |||
====2==== | ====2==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*"Now fear of [the Mormons'] city-wide militia, use of local petitions of habeas corpus to dismiss state warrants, and rumors of a 'plurality of wives' had put citizens on edge." | *"Now fear of [the Mormons'] city-wide militia, use of local petitions of habeas corpus to dismiss state warrants, and rumors of a 'plurality of wives' had put citizens on edge." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* The author fails to tell us that | * The author fails to tell us that | ||
#the Mormons were equally (or more) afraid, having been driven by state militias from two states; | #the Mormons were equally (or more) afraid, having been driven by state militias from two states; | ||
#their use of ''habeas corpus'' had contemporary case law and legal theory on their side; | #their use of ''habeas corpus'' had contemporary case law and legal theory on their side; | ||
#dislike for the Mormons was also a strong political motivation in their enemies. | #dislike for the Mormons was also a strong political motivation in their enemies. | ||
| − | *[[Nauvoo | + | *[[City of Nauvoo/City charter]] |
*[[../../Presentism]] | *[[../../Presentism]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Nauvoo city charter}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Nauvoo city charter}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====2==== | ====2==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author implies that Latter-day Saints had left their homes in New York "under uneasy circumstances." | *The author implies that Latter-day Saints had left their homes in New York "under uneasy circumstances." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*{{HistoricalError}}It is not clear what "uneasy circumstances" the author refers to. The Mormons were not driven from New York, but immigrated to Kirtland, Ohio at Joseph's direction. | *{{HistoricalError}}It is not clear what "uneasy circumstances" the author refers to. The Mormons were not driven from New York, but immigrated to Kirtland, Ohio at Joseph's direction. | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====3==== | ====3==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author suggests that plural marriage "was central to the broad sweep of LDS experience..." | *The author suggests that plural marriage "was central to the broad sweep of LDS experience..." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*{{HistoricalError}}Polygamy was unpracticed by anyone but Joseph Smith prior to Nauvoo. Polygamy had nothing to do with Mormons moving from New York. The need to flee Missouri likewise had little to do with plural marriage. Joseph's marriage to Fanny Alger was one factor among many causing problems in Ohio (though the financial problems and collapse of the [[Kirtland Safety Society]] were probably more significant). | *{{HistoricalError}}Polygamy was unpracticed by anyone but Joseph Smith prior to Nauvoo. Polygamy had nothing to do with Mormons moving from New York. The need to flee Missouri likewise had little to do with plural marriage. Joseph's marriage to Fanny Alger was one factor among many causing problems in Ohio (though the financial problems and collapse of the [[Kirtland Safety Society]] were probably more significant). | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====3==== | ====3==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is claimed that plural marriage was illegal in 1841 when Joseph married Louisa Beaman. | *It is claimed that plural marriage was illegal in 1841 when Joseph married Louisa Beaman. | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Polygamy#Illegal?|Joseph Smith and polygamy—Illegal?]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*''Revised Laws of Illinois, 1833; Revised States of the State of Illinois, 1845,'' secs 121, 122. | *''Revised Laws of Illinois, 1833; Revised States of the State of Illinois, 1845,'' secs 121, 122. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====3-4==== | ====3-4==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author claims that Joseph "chose some thirty three men...who would join him in denying its practice." | *The author claims that Joseph "chose some thirty three men...who would join him in denying its practice." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Polygamy#Hiding the Truth?|Joseph Smith and polygamy—Hiding the truth?]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Lying}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Lying}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====4==== | ====4==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The inner circle of plural marriage "would lose one of its key members in 1842 when John C. Bennett quarreled with Smith and then left." | *The inner circle of plural marriage "would lose one of its key members in 1842 when John C. Bennett quarreled with Smith and then left." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*There is no evidence that Bennett was ever sanctioned to practice plural marriage. He was never part of the Quorum of the Anointed who received the full temple endowment. | *There is no evidence that Bennett was ever sanctioned to practice plural marriage. He was never part of the Quorum of the Anointed who received the full temple endowment. | ||
*[[John C. Bennett]] | *[[John C. Bennett]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:John_C._Bennett}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:John_C._Bennett}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====5==== | ====5==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author considers it remarkable that Joseph's involvement in polygamy was "largely excised from the official telling of LDS history." | *The author considers it remarkable that Joseph's involvement in polygamy was "largely excised from the official telling of LDS history." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
| − | *[[Censorship and revision | + | *[[Church history/Censorship and revision]] |
*[[../../Censorship]] | *[[../../Censorship]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Censorship}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Censorship}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====5==== | ====5==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author claims that Danel Bachman and Ron Esplin's Encyclopedia of Mormonism entry on plural marriage only "briefly mention[s] the 'rumors' of plural marriage in the 1830s and 1840s but only obliquely refer[s] to the teaching [of] new marriage and family arrangements." | *The author claims that Danel Bachman and Ron Esplin's Encyclopedia of Mormonism entry on plural marriage only "briefly mention[s] the 'rumors' of plural marriage in the 1830s and 1840s but only obliquely refer[s] to the teaching [of] new marriage and family arrangements." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*[[../../Use of sources#Items "briefly" and "obliquely" mentioned?|Items "briefly" and "obliquely" mentioned?]] | *[[../../Use of sources#Items "briefly" and "obliquely" mentioned?|Items "briefly" and "obliquely" mentioned?]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*[http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4391&CISOSHOW=4055&REC=1 "Plural Marriage"], ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'' | *[http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4391&CISOSHOW=4055&REC=1 "Plural Marriage"], ''Encyclopedia of Mormonism'' | ||
*Text: "Rumors of plural marriage among the members of the Church in the 1830's and 1840's led to persecution, and the public announcement of the practice after August 29, 1852, in Utah gave enemies a potent weapon to fan public hostility against the Church. | *Text: "Rumors of plural marriage among the members of the Church in the 1830's and 1840's led to persecution, and the public announcement of the practice after August 29, 1852, in Utah gave enemies a potent weapon to fan public hostility against the Church. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
<!--====5==== | <!--====5==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"Such revisionism continues today. When asked about polygamy on national television in 1998 LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley dismissed its historical importance, positing that 'when our people came west [in 1846-47], they permitted [polygamy] on a restricted scale.' He failed to acknowledge how important the 'law of celestial marriage' had been for the church's founder and his followers. Particularly revealing was how the church president phrased his answer to exclude the entire pre-Utah period of church history. He made it clear he would not welcome any probing into the life of Joseph Smith and his wives or of Smith's requirement that others embrace the practice."}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"Such revisionism continues today. When asked about polygamy on national television in 1998 LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley dismissed its historical importance, positing that 'when our people came west [in 1846-47], they permitted [polygamy] on a restricted scale.' He failed to acknowledge how important the 'law of celestial marriage' had been for the church's founder and his followers. Particularly revealing was how the church president phrased his answer to exclude the entire pre-Utah period of church history. He made it clear he would not welcome any probing into the life of Joseph Smith and his wives or of Smith's requirement that others embrace the practice."}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author does not explain why what President Hinckley would "not welcome" had any influence on a non-LDS journalist. Does Smith think that such an interview is the time for an accurate, in-depth discussion of a subject as complex as LDS plural marriage?{{nw}} | *The author does not explain why what President Hinckley would "not welcome" had any influence on a non-LDS journalist. Does Smith think that such an interview is the time for an accurate, in-depth discussion of a subject as complex as LDS plural marriage?{{nw}} | ||
| − | * [[Censorship and revision | + | * [[Church history/Censorship and revision]] |
* [[../../Censorship]] | * [[../../Censorship]] | ||
* [[../../Use of sources]] | * [[../../Use of sources]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*Gordon B. Hinckley, interviewed by Larry King, CNN broadcast, Sept 8, 1998. [Cited from secondary sources] | *Gordon B. Hinckley, interviewed by Larry King, CNN broadcast, Sept 8, 1998. [Cited from secondary sources] | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Censorship}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Censorship}} | ||
| − | + | }}--> | |
| − | |||
====6==== | ====6==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is claimed that Joseph revealed "God's rule" that "no one can reject [polygamy] and enter into my glory" (D&C 132, 51, 52, 54). | *It is claimed that Joseph revealed "God's rule" that "no one can reject [polygamy] and enter into my glory" (D&C 132, 51, 52, 54). | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The actual text reads: "I reveal unto you a <u>'''new and an everlasting covenant'''</u>; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory." Plural marriage was at times a manifestation of the new and everlasting covenant, but even during the polygamous era leaders were clear that one did not necessarily have to practice polygamy to be saved. | *The actual text reads: "I reveal unto you a <u>'''new and an everlasting covenant'''</u>; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory." Plural marriage was at times a manifestation of the new and everlasting covenant, but even during the polygamous era leaders were clear that one did not necessarily have to practice polygamy to be saved. | ||
| − | * [[Polygamy | + | * [[Polygamy/Requirement for exaltation]] |
| − | * [[The only men who become gods are those that practice polygamy | + | * [[Polygamy/The only men who become gods are those that practice polygamy]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*{{s||DC|132|52-53,54}} | *{{s||DC|132|52-53,54}} | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Necessary_for_salvation}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Necessary_for_salvation}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====6==== | ====6==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is claimed that Joseph predicted that the Second Coming would occur in 1890. | *It is claimed that Joseph predicted that the Second Coming would occur in 1890. | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* The author does not provide Joseph's careful caveats about his prediction, and his admitted uncertainties surrounding this issue. | * The author does not provide Joseph's careful caveats about his prediction, and his admitted uncertainties surrounding this issue. | ||
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Prophecies/Second Coming to be in 1890]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Prophecies/Independence temple to be built "in this generation"#Meaning_of_.22generation.22|"This generation"]] |
* {{BYUS | author=Richard Lloyd Anderson | article=Joseph Smith and the Millenarian Time Table|vol=3|num=3|date=1961|start=55|end=66 }} {{link|url=http://byustudies.byu.edu/Shop/PDFSRC/3.3-4Anderson.pdf}} | * {{BYUS | author=Richard Lloyd Anderson | article=Joseph Smith and the Millenarian Time Table|vol=3|num=3|date=1961|start=55|end=66 }} {{link|url=http://byustudies.byu.edu/Shop/PDFSRC/3.3-4Anderson.pdf}} | ||
*[[../../Use of sources]] | *[[../../Use of sources]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided | *No source provided | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo Polygamy:See also:Second coming}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo Polygamy:See also:Second coming}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====7==== | ====7==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is claimed that Joseph "was familiar with nineteenth century writer Thomas Dick..." | *It is claimed that Joseph "was familiar with nineteenth century writer Thomas Dick..." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Book of Abraham/Plagiarism accusations/Thomas Dick]] |
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*Thomas Dick, ''The Philosophy of a Future State'', 2d. American ed. (Brookfield, Mass: n.p., 1830); quoted in ''LDS Messenger and Advocate'' 3 (Dec 1836): 423-25. | *Thomas Dick, ''The Philosophy of a Future State'', 2d. American ed. (Brookfield, Mass: n.p., 1830); quoted in ''LDS Messenger and Advocate'' 3 (Dec 1836): 423-25. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo Polygamy:See also:Environmentalism}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo Polygamy:See also:Environmentalism}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====7==== | ====7==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author states that Joseph "had already proven his own mettle among God's elect when he mastered the use of magic stones and 'translated' the Book of Mormon." | *The author states that Joseph "had already proven his own mettle among God's elect when he mastered the use of magic stones and 'translated' the Book of Mormon." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Seer stones]] |
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic|Joseph Smith and "magick"]] |
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
*[[../../"Magick"]] | *[[../../"Magick"]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====8==== | ====8==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is claimed that Joseph's "dispensationalism had many past antecedents." | *It is claimed that Joseph's "dispensationalism had many past antecedents." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author here presumes that past dispensationalism had an influence on Joseph. This must be proved, not assumed. | *The author here presumes that past dispensationalism had an influence on Joseph. This must be proved, not assumed. | ||
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo Polygamy:See also:Environmentalism}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo Polygamy:See also:Environmentalism}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====9==== | ====9==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*"Joseph preached [apocalyptically] as regularly as any other apocalyptic preacher of his day…." | *"Joseph preached [apocalyptically] as regularly as any other apocalyptic preacher of his day…." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*How does The author know this? How frequently did other preachers use apocalyptic imagery and themes? Was their percentage of such uses equal to or greater than Joseph's usage? | *How does The author know this? How frequently did other preachers use apocalyptic imagery and themes? Was their percentage of such uses equal to or greater than Joseph's usage? | ||
* {{BYUS | author=Richard Lloyd Anderson | article=Joseph Smith and the Millenarian Time Table|vol=3|num=3|date=1961|start=55|end=66 }} {{link|url=http://byustudies.byu.edu/Shop/PDFSRC/3.3-4Anderson.pdf}} (Discusses many contrasts between Joseph and the millenialist sects of his day, from both LDS and non-LDS historians of religion.) | * {{BYUS | author=Richard Lloyd Anderson | article=Joseph Smith and the Millenarian Time Table|vol=3|num=3|date=1961|start=55|end=66 }} {{link|url=http://byustudies.byu.edu/Shop/PDFSRC/3.3-4Anderson.pdf}} (Discusses many contrasts between Joseph and the millenialist sects of his day, from both LDS and non-LDS historians of religion.) | ||
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====9==== | ====9==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author speculates that Joseph was "understandably hesitant to specify a precise date for the end of the world," but that he knew that "our redemption draweth near." | *The author speculates that Joseph was "understandably hesitant to specify a precise date for the end of the world," but that he knew that "our redemption draweth near." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The source is referring to the redemption of the Saints in Missouri and their deliverance from persecution. The quote has nothing to do with the "end of the world." | *The source is referring to the redemption of the Saints in Missouri and their deliverance from persecution. The quote has nothing to do with the "end of the world." | ||
*[[../../Use of sources#Missouri Saints' "redemption draweth near" reinterpreted to refer to refer to the "end of the world?"|Missouri Saints' "redemption draweth near" reinterpreted to refer to refer to the "end of the world?"]] | *[[../../Use of sources#Missouri Saints' "redemption draweth near" reinterpreted to refer to refer to the "end of the world?"|Missouri Saints' "redemption draweth near" reinterpreted to refer to refer to the "end of the world?"]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*Jesse, 306 | *Jesse, 306 | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo Polygamy:See also:Second coming}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo Polygamy:See also:Second coming}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====10==== | ====10==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*On Joshua the Jewish minister [Robert Matthews]: "Smith found him credible enough to converse with from 11:00 a.m. until evening when Smith invited him to stay for dinner." "Without objection from Smith, Matthias asserted: 'The silence spoken of by John the Revelator…is between 1830 & 1851…." | *On Joshua the Jewish minister [Robert Matthews]: "Smith found him credible enough to converse with from 11:00 a.m. until evening when Smith invited him to stay for dinner." "Without objection from Smith, Matthias asserted: 'The silence spoken of by John the Revelator…is between 1830 & 1851…." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*[[../../Use of sources#"Without objection from Smith...?|"Without objection from Smith...?]] | *[[../../Use of sources#"Without objection from Smith...?|"Without objection from Smith...?]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*Jesse, ''Papers of Joseph Smith'', 2:68–73, 568–69. | *Jesse, ''Papers of Joseph Smith'', 2:68–73, 568–69. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====11==== | ====11==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*Robert Matthews (see above) "advocated what he called a 'community of property and of wives,' in a more 'spiritual generation.' Mormons avoided the idiom but not the practice." "…Mormon communal practices extended to property as well as to marriage." | *Robert Matthews (see above) "advocated what he called a 'community of property and of wives,' in a more 'spiritual generation.' Mormons avoided the idiom but not the practice." "…Mormon communal practices extended to property as well as to marriage." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*[[../../Use of sources#Latter-day Saint plural wives were "communal property?"|Latter-day Saint plural wives were "communal property?"]] | *[[../../Use of sources#Latter-day Saint plural wives were "communal property?"|Latter-day Saint plural wives were "communal property?"]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*{{CriticalWork:Van Wagoner:Mormon Polygamy|pages=8}} | *{{CriticalWork:Van Wagoner:Mormon Polygamy|pages=8}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====11==== | ====11==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"Across the Atlantic, the communal experiment advocated by Marx and Engels appeared in London only a few years later in 1848."}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"Across the Atlantic, the communal experiment advocated by Marx and Engels appeared in London only a few years later in 1848."}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*Marx and Engels have no relevance for LDS practice, and are unlikely to have been influenced by Joseph Smith. Invoking Communists may unnecessarily prejudice the modern reader. | *Marx and Engels have no relevance for LDS practice, and are unlikely to have been influenced by Joseph Smith. Invoking Communists may unnecessarily prejudice the modern reader. | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*''Communist Manifesto'' (1848; New York: Bantam, 1992). | *''Communist Manifesto'' (1848; New York: Bantam, 1992). | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====12==== | ====12==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|Polygamy was evidently on Smith's mind even before founding the Mormon Church, if that can be deduced from the marriage formula inscribed in the Book of Mormon.}} | *{{AuthorQuote|Polygamy was evidently on Smith's mind even before founding the Mormon Church, if that can be deduced from the marriage formula inscribed in the Book of Mormon.}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author assumes that the Book of Mormon reflects Joseph's mind and preoccupations. If Joseph was the translator, it may not. | *The author assumes that the Book of Mormon reflects Joseph's mind and preoccupations. If Joseph was the translator, it may not. | ||
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
*[[../../Mind reading]] | *[[../../Mind reading]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* No source provided | * No source provided | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Early knowledge}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Early knowledge}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====12==== | ====12==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*Yet again the author mentions "elopement," when he notes that the Book of Mormon was "…begun shortly after he eloped with Emma Hale in January 1827." | *Yet again the author mentions "elopement," when he notes that the Book of Mormon was "…begun shortly after he eloped with Emma Hale in January 1827." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*''Nauvoo Polygamy'' reminds us that Joseph and Emma eloped ''whenever'' their marriage is discussed. Perhaps this is intended to demonstrate Joseph's disregard for authority or propriety in all romantic matters. | *''Nauvoo Polygamy'' reminds us that Joseph and Emma eloped ''whenever'' their marriage is discussed. Perhaps this is intended to demonstrate Joseph's disregard for authority or propriety in all romantic matters. | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* No source provided. | * No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Eloped}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Eloped}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====12==== | ====12==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*Joseph is claimed to have performed a "ritualized five-year search for the gold plates…" | *Joseph is claimed to have performed a "ritualized five-year search for the gold plates…" | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author assumes that Joseph's acquisition was ritualized, and he presumes that the "magick" thesis is correct in this instance. | *The author assumes that Joseph's acquisition was ritualized, and he presumes that the "magick" thesis is correct in this instance. | ||
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic|Joseph Smith and "magick"]] |
*[[../../"Magick"]] | *[[../../"Magick"]] | ||
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* No source provided | * No source provided | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
====12==== | ====12==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is noted that "[e]ach year at the autumnal equinox, which according to rodsmen and seers was a favourable time to approach the spirits guarding buried treasures, Smith had gone to the hill where he sought after the plates. | *It is noted that "[e]ach year at the autumnal equinox, which according to rodsmen and seers was a favourable time to approach the spirits guarding buried treasures, Smith had gone to the hill where he sought after the plates. | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* The author presumes that the "magick" thesis is correct in this instance. He ignores the ''religious'' significance of this date: | * The author presumes that the "magick" thesis is correct in this instance. He ignores the ''religious'' significance of this date: | ||
| − | *[[Joseph Smith and | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic/Book of Mormon recovered on autumnal equinox|Book of Mormon recovered on autumnal equinox]] |
*[[../../"Magick"]] | *[[../../"Magick"]] | ||
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* No source provided | * No source provided | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====12n29==== | ====12n29==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*Quoting D. Micheal Quin, it is noted that "that day in September 1823 was ruled by Jupiter, Smith's ruling planet…" | *Quoting D. Micheal Quin, it is noted that "that day in September 1823 was ruled by Jupiter, Smith's ruling planet…" | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author ignores the many problems which have been pointed out with Quinn's "magick" argument. Chief among these is that (as even Quinn admits), "according to the standard contemporary interpretations of astrology, Joseph was born under Saturn, not Jupiter." Quinn's only source for this claim is an 1870 book which used an alternative means of performing such calculation. Joseph can hardly have been aware of a method outlined nearly 50 years later.{{ref|hamblin1}} The present author acknowledges or treats none of these issues. | *The author ignores the many problems which have been pointed out with Quinn's "magick" argument. Chief among these is that (as even Quinn admits), "according to the standard contemporary interpretations of astrology, Joseph was born under Saturn, not Jupiter." Quinn's only source for this claim is an 1870 book which used an alternative means of performing such calculation. Joseph can hardly have been aware of a method outlined nearly 50 years later.{{ref|hamblin1}} The present author acknowledges or treats none of these issues. | ||
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic|Joseph Smith and "magick"]] |
*[[../../"Magick"]] | *[[../../"Magick"]] | ||
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*{{CriticalWork:Quinn:Magic World View|pages=120–121}} | *{{CriticalWork:Quinn:Magic World View|pages=120–121}} | ||
*{{HistoricalError}}. | *{{HistoricalError}}. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====13==== | ====13==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*Oliver Cowdery is claimed to have said that Joseph wanted to "commune with some kind of messenger." | *Oliver Cowdery is claimed to have said that Joseph wanted to "commune with some kind of messenger." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The quote is incorrect. The correct phrase is "some kind messenger." | *The quote is incorrect. The correct phrase is "some kind messenger." | ||
*[[../../Use of sources#"Some kind of messenger..."|"Some kind [of] messenger..."]] | *[[../../Use of sources#"Some kind of messenger..."|"Some kind [of] messenger..."]] | ||
| Line 410: | Line 410: | ||
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saints%27_Messenger_and_Advocate/Volume_1/Number_5/Letter_to_W._W._Phelps_from_Oliver_Cowdery_(Feb._27,1835) Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps], ''LDS Messenger and Advocate'' 1 [No. 5] (Feb 1835): 79. | *[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saints%27_Messenger_and_Advocate/Volume_1/Number_5/Letter_to_W._W._Phelps_from_Oliver_Cowdery_(Feb._27,1835) Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps], ''LDS Messenger and Advocate'' 1 [No. 5] (Feb 1835): 79. | ||
*The quote is incorrect in Quinn, ''Early Mormonism and the Magic World View'', 125, 134, which the author appears to be quoting without checking Quinn's primary source for accuracy. | *The quote is incorrect in Quinn, ''Early Mormonism and the Magic World View'', 125, 134, which the author appears to be quoting without checking Quinn's primary source for accuracy. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====13==== | ====13==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*Oliver Cowdery said Joseph "had heard of the power of enchantment, and a thousand like stories, which held the hidden treasures of the earth." | *Oliver Cowdery said Joseph "had heard of the power of enchantment, and a thousand like stories, which held the hidden treasures of the earth." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The phrase is removed from context to emphasize the words "enchantment" and "treasures of the earth." | *The phrase is removed from context to emphasize the words "enchantment" and "treasures of the earth." | ||
*[[../../Use of sources#The "power of enchantment" and "hidden treasures of the earth"|The "power of enchantment" and "hidden treasures of the earth"]] | *[[../../Use of sources#The "power of enchantment" and "hidden treasures of the earth"|The "power of enchantment" and "hidden treasures of the earth"]] | ||
| Line 425: | Line 425: | ||
*[[../../"Magick"]] | *[[../../"Magick"]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saints%27_Messenger_and_Advocate/Volume_1/Number_5/Letter_to_W._W._Phelps_from_Oliver_Cowdery_(Feb._27,1835) Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps], ''LDS Messenger and Advocate'' 1 (Feb 1835): 79. | *[http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saints%27_Messenger_and_Advocate/Volume_1/Number_5/Letter_to_W._W._Phelps_from_Oliver_Cowdery_(Feb._27,1835) Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps], ''LDS Messenger and Advocate'' 1 (Feb 1835): 79. | ||
*CITATION is in ERROR. He is quoting from Quinn, ''Early Mormonism'', 125, 134 & Vogel, ''Indian Origins'', 14–15. | *CITATION is in ERROR. He is quoting from Quinn, ''Early Mormonism'', 125, 134 & Vogel, ''Indian Origins'', 14–15. | ||
*Actual quote is found in: [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saints%27_Messenger_and_Advocate/Volume_2/Number_1/Letter_VIII Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps], ''LDS Messenger and Advocate'' 2/1 (October 1835): 197. | *Actual quote is found in: [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Latter_Day_Saints%27_Messenger_and_Advocate/Volume_2/Number_1/Letter_VIII Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps], ''LDS Messenger and Advocate'' 2/1 (October 1835): 197. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====13-14==== | ====13-14==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"Smith elaborated this idea to 'raise up seed' [in Jacob 2:30] with the signal might [sic] be given again and polygamy would be re-introduced….}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"Smith elaborated this idea to 'raise up seed' [in Jacob 2:30] with the signal might [sic] be given again and polygamy would be re-introduced….}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author again presumes that Joseph is the author of the Book of Mormon. | *The author again presumes that Joseph is the author of the Book of Mormon. | ||
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* No source provided | * No source provided | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Early knowledge}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Early knowledge}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====14==== | ====14==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author states that in 1831 Joseph Smith "sanctioned the first breach in marriage mores. It occurred in Smith's charge to missionaries to the Indians when he told single and married men alike that they should marry native women. Polygamy may have been on his mind…." | *The author states that in 1831 Joseph Smith "sanctioned the first breach in marriage mores. It occurred in Smith's charge to missionaries to the Indians when he told single and married men alike that they should marry native women. Polygamy may have been on his mind…." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* There is no evidence that married men understood that Joseph was discussing polygamy until at least three years later.{{ref|wwphelps.1}} | * There is no evidence that married men understood that Joseph was discussing polygamy until at least three years later.{{ref|wwphelps.1}} | ||
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Polygamy/Lamanites to become "white and delightsome" through polygamous marriage]] |
*[[../../Mind reading]] | *[[../../Mind reading]] | ||
*[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | *[[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====14==== | ====14==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|…W.W. Phelps reported on the prophet's instructions in all their antebellum racism. Through intermarriage, Smith said, the Indians would become white, delightsome, and just" and fulfill the Book of Mormon prophecy that 'the scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white [pure] and delightsome people."}} | *{{AuthorQuote|…W.W. Phelps reported on the prophet's instructions in all their antebellum racism. Through intermarriage, Smith said, the Indians would become white, delightsome, and just" and fulfill the Book of Mormon prophecy that 'the scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white [pure] and delightsome people."}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author presumes that Joseph's expression was about race, rather than behavior. (The expression is the Book of Mormon's, but for The author its views are always the same as Joseph Smith's because he is presumed to be the author.) | *The author presumes that Joseph's expression was about race, rather than behavior. (The expression is the Book of Mormon's, but for The author its views are always the same as Joseph Smith's because he is presumed to be the author.) | ||
*[[../../Use_of_sources#.22Skin_color_imporant_in_other_LDS_scriptures.22.3F|Skin color important in LDS scriptures?]] | *[[../../Use_of_sources#.22Skin_color_imporant_in_other_LDS_scriptures.22.3F|Skin color important in LDS scriptures?]] | ||
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Polygamy/Lamanites to become "white and delightsome" through polygamous marriage]] |
* [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | * [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
* [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | * [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*W.W. Phelps to Brigham Young, Aug. 12, 1861, LDS Archives. | *W.W. Phelps to Brigham Young, Aug. 12, 1861, LDS Archives. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====14n34==== | ====14n34==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is noted that the 1840 Book of Mormon substituted the word 'pure' for 'white,' and that the wording "reverted back to "white" again in the English 1841 and later foreign editions, then became 'pure' again in 1981." | *It is noted that the 1840 Book of Mormon substituted the word 'pure' for 'white,' and that the wording "reverted back to "white" again in the English 1841 and later foreign editions, then became 'pure' again in 1981." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* The author doesn't tell us dropping Joseph's change from "white" to "pure" was an accident, and intended to be permanent from 1837 onward. | * The author doesn't tell us dropping Joseph's change from "white" to "pure" was an accident, and intended to be permanent from 1837 onward. | ||
| − | *[[Book of Mormon | + | *[[Book of Mormon/Textual changes/"white" changed to "pure"]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* No source provided. | * No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====14n34==== | ====14n34==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author states that "other passages in the Book of Mormon still refer to 'white' as 'delightsome' and a 'skin of blackness' as a 'curse' (2 Ne. 5; Jacob 3:5, 8-10; Alma 3-6-9; 3 Ne. 2:14-15; Morm. 5:15)." | *The author states that "other passages in the Book of Mormon still refer to 'white' as 'delightsome' and a 'skin of blackness' as a 'curse' (2 Ne. 5; Jacob 3:5, 8-10; Alma 3-6-9; 3 Ne. 2:14-15; Morm. 5:15)." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author ignores that many (if not most/all) of these scriptures have a symbolic role, as illustrated in Joseph's change discussed above (though the author apparently tries to undercut that impression). Richard L. Bushman, LDS author of a recent biography of Joseph Smith, writes: | *The author ignores that many (if not most/all) of these scriptures have a symbolic role, as illustrated in Joseph's change discussed above (though the author apparently tries to undercut that impression). Richard L. Bushman, LDS author of a recent biography of Joseph Smith, writes: | ||
| Line 490: | Line 490: | ||
*[[Lamanite curse]] | *[[Lamanite curse]] | ||
*{{FR-15-2-10}} | *{{FR-15-2-10}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* N/A | * N/A | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====14n34==== | ====14n34==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author claims that skin color was important in LDS scriptures, and notes that "blacks of African ancestry were denied full participation in the church until 1978." | *The author claims that skin color was important in LDS scriptures, and notes that "blacks of African ancestry were denied full participation in the church until 1978." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author ignores that issues of race and skin color may well have been read into these scriptures in a ''post hoc'' manner. His brief treatment of these volatile issues is inadequate, and serves only to prejudice the reader against the early Saints and their later religious heirs. (See next entry below.) | *The author ignores that issues of race and skin color may well have been read into these scriptures in a ''post hoc'' manner. His brief treatment of these volatile issues is inadequate, and serves only to prejudice the reader against the early Saints and their later religious heirs. (See next entry below.) | ||
*[[../../Use_of_sources#.22Skin_color_imporant_in_other_LDS_scriptures.22.3F|Skin color important in LDS scriptures?]] | *[[../../Use_of_sources#.22Skin_color_imporant_in_other_LDS_scriptures.22.3F|Skin color important in LDS scriptures?]] | ||
| Line 505: | Line 505: | ||
*[[../../Presentism]] | *[[../../Presentism]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* N/A | * N/A | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====14n34==== | ====14n34==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"Interestingly, the rhetoric underlying the theology may have resulted from 1830s Mormons trying to convince their neighbors in the slave state of Missouri that they were not abolitionists."}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"Interestingly, the rhetoric underlying the theology may have resulted from 1830s Mormons trying to convince their neighbors in the slave state of Missouri that they were not abolitionists."}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author avoids drawing the obvious conclusion—the "importance" of skin color "in other LDS scriptures" as it applied to race may have been read in as justification for the rhetoric. Thus, the scripture reading followed the rhetoric; the theology did not derive from the scriptures. | *The author avoids drawing the obvious conclusion—the "importance" of skin color "in other LDS scriptures" as it applied to race may have been read in as justification for the rhetoric. Thus, the scripture reading followed the rhetoric; the theology did not derive from the scriptures. | ||
*[[../../Use_of_sources#.22Skin_color_important_in_other_LDS_scriptures.22.3F|Skin color important in LDS scriptures?]] (note that The author completely inverts his cited source's intent). | *[[../../Use_of_sources#.22Skin_color_important_in_other_LDS_scriptures.22.3F|Skin color important in LDS scriptures?]] (note that The author completely inverts his cited source's intent). | ||
| Line 521: | Line 521: | ||
*[[../../Presentism]] | *[[../../Presentism]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* Campbell, "[http://www.geocities.com/marcschindler1/vignette.htm 'White' or 'Pure': Five Vignettes]," ''Dialogue'' 29 (Winter 1996) 119-120 | * Campbell, "[http://www.geocities.com/marcschindler1/vignette.htm 'White' or 'Pure': Five Vignettes]," ''Dialogue'' 29 (Winter 1996) 119-120 | ||
*Lester E. Bush Jr. and Armand L. Mauss, ''Neither White nor Black'' (SLC, Signature Books, 1994). | *Lester E. Bush Jr. and Armand L. Mauss, ''Neither White nor Black'' (SLC, Signature Books, 1994). | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====15==== | ====15==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*Ezra Booth claimed that the mission to the Lamanites was to secure a "matrimonial alliance with the natives." The author notes that the missionaries "did not seem successful in this area." | *Ezra Booth claimed that the mission to the Lamanites was to secure a "matrimonial alliance with the natives." The author notes that the missionaries "did not seem successful in this area." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*Booth is probably wrong; the accounts say Joseph didn't explain the plural marriage issue until 3 years later, so married men could hardly be out looking for Indian wives in 1831. | *Booth is probably wrong; the accounts say Joseph didn't explain the plural marriage issue until 3 years later, so married men could hardly be out looking for Indian wives in 1831. | ||
| − | *[[ | + | *[[Polygamy/Lamanites to become "white and delightsome" through polygamous marriage]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*''Deseret News'' (20 May 1886); Ezra Booth letter, ''Ohio Star'', (8 Dec 1831). | *''Deseret News'' (20 May 1886); Ezra Booth letter, ''Ohio Star'', (8 Dec 1831). | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====15==== | ====15==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author speculates that "One wonders when Emma Smith might have first suspected that her husband was contemplating plural marriage…As Emma regarded her handsome spouse, what in Joseph's youthful experiences may have suggested the unusual family arrangements that were to follow?" | *The author speculates that "One wonders when Emma Smith might have first suspected that her husband was contemplating plural marriage…As Emma regarded her handsome spouse, what in Joseph's youthful experiences may have suggested the unusual family arrangements that were to follow?" | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* The author again presumes that Joseph's "youthful experiences" presaged plural marriage. He has not demonstrated this. | * The author again presumes that Joseph's "youthful experiences" presaged plural marriage. He has not demonstrated this. | ||
* [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | * [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
* [[../../Mind reading]] | * [[../../Mind reading]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* No source provided. | * No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====15==== | ====15==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"We know Joseph often stayed overnight on visits with other families. Was Emma aware that later marriages would develop out of these family visits among their close friends? Could she have seen this coming—the injunction to enter into 'celestial marriage'?"}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"We know Joseph often stayed overnight on visits with other families. Was Emma aware that later marriages would develop out of these family visits among their close friends? Could she have seen this coming—the injunction to enter into 'celestial marriage'?"}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*Of course, everyone ''else'' at the time probably stayed overnight on visits with families too, especially if poor and on the frontier. | *Of course, everyone ''else'' at the time probably stayed overnight on visits with families too, especially if poor and on the frontier. | ||
*[[../../Presentism]] | *[[../../Presentism]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
* [[../../Mind reading]] | * [[../../Mind reading]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====15-16==== | ====15-16==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"An examination of Smith's adolescence from his personal writings reveals some patterns and events that might be significant in understanding what precipitated his polygamous inclination."}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"An examination of Smith's adolescence from his personal writings reveals some patterns and events that might be significant in understanding what precipitated his polygamous inclination."}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
Or, it might not. As it turns out, it isn't. | Or, it might not. As it turns out, it isn't. | ||
| − | *[[Psychobiographical analysis of | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Psychobiographical analysis of]] |
*[[Polygamy book/Early womanizer]] | *[[Polygamy book/Early womanizer]] | ||
*[[../../Mind reading]] | *[[../../Mind reading]] | ||
*[[../../Use of sources]] | *[[../../Use of sources]] | ||
* {{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | * {{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Early knowledge}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Early knowledge}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====16-20==== | ====16-20==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author refers to the "vices and follies of youth…." | *The author refers to the "vices and follies of youth…." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* [[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | * [[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | ||
* {{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | * {{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Early knowledge}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Early knowledge}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====19-20==== | ====19-20==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*William Stafford is quoted as remembering "Joseph…looking in his glass" and seeing "spirits…clothed in ancient dress" standing guard over treasures." | *William Stafford is quoted as remembering "Joseph…looking in his glass" and seeing "spirits…clothed in ancient dress" standing guard over treasures." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
The author is here using the Hurlbut-Howe affidavits uncritically, without addressing their numerous problems. | The author is here using the Hurlbut-Howe affidavits uncritically, without addressing their numerous problems. | ||
| − | *[[The Hurlbut affidavits#William Stafford|The Hurlbut affidavits—Williams Stafford]] | + | *[[Specific works/The Hurlbut affidavits#William Stafford|The Hurlbut affidavits—Williams Stafford]] |
*{{FR-18-1-5}} | *{{FR-18-1-5}} | ||
*{{FR-17-1-4}} | *{{FR-17-1-4}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*{{CriticalWork:Howe:Mormonism Unvailed|pages=234–35}} | *{{CriticalWork:Howe:Mormonism Unvailed|pages=234–35}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====20==== | ====20==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*Joseph is claimed to have cut "a sheep's throat [and] led [it] around a circle while bleeding," in order to "appease the evil spirit." | *Joseph is claimed to have cut "a sheep's throat [and] led [it] around a circle while bleeding," in order to "appease the evil spirit." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author is here using the Hurlbut-Howe affidavits uncritically, without addressing their numerous problems. | *The author is here using the Hurlbut-Howe affidavits uncritically, without addressing their numerous problems. | ||
| − | *[[The Hurlbut affidavits#William Stafford|The Hurlbut affidavits—Williams Stafford]] | + | *[[Specific works/The Hurlbut affidavits#William Stafford|The Hurlbut affidavits—Williams Stafford]] |
| − | *[[The_Hurlbut_affidavits#C.R._Stafford|The Hurlbut affidavits—C.R. Stafford]] | + | *[[Specific works/The_Hurlbut_affidavits#C.R._Stafford|The Hurlbut affidavits—C.R. Stafford]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided, but is from William Stafford affidavit in Howe. | *No source provided, but is from William Stafford affidavit in Howe. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====20==== | ====20==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is claimed that Joseph "'professed to tell people's fortunes' by gazing at a 'stone which he used to put in his hat,'…." | *It is claimed that Joseph "'professed to tell people's fortunes' by gazing at a 'stone which he used to put in his hat,'…." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author is here using the Hurlbut-Howe affidavits uncritically, without addressing their numerous problems. | *The author is here using the Hurlbut-Howe affidavits uncritically, without addressing their numerous problems. | ||
| − | *[[Joseph Smith and | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic]] |
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Seer stones]] |
| − | *[[The_Hurlbut_affidavits#Henry_Harris|The Hurlbut affidavits—Henry Harris]] | + | *[[Specific works/The_Hurlbut_affidavits#Henry_Harris|The Hurlbut affidavits—Henry Harris]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided, but is from Henry Harris affidavit in Howe. | *No source provided, but is from Henry Harris affidavit in Howe. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====21==== | ====21==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author states that Joseph's 1842 letter to John Wentworth "left out any reference to the sinful thoughts he had previously mentioned. He had come effectively to de-emphasize the feelings of sin and guilt he had once experienced." | *The author states that Joseph's 1842 letter to John Wentworth "left out any reference to the sinful thoughts he had previously mentioned. He had come effectively to de-emphasize the feelings of sin and guilt he had once experienced." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
The author again presumes that Joseph's works referred to "sinful thoughts," which he has tried to tie to chastity. | The author again presumes that Joseph's works referred to "sinful thoughts," which he has tried to tie to chastity. | ||
* [[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | * [[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | ||
*[[../../Mind reading]] | *[[../../Mind reading]] | ||
* {{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | * {{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*''History of the Church'' 4:535–41 | *''History of the Church'' 4:535–41 | ||
*Jesse, ''Writings of Joseph Smith'', 241–248. | *Jesse, ''Writings of Joseph Smith'', 241–248. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Womanizing and romance}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Womanizing and romance}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====21==== | ====21==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author implies that Joseph "took an interest in polygamy at an early period, beyond what we read in his autobiographies or in the Book of Mormon." | *The author implies that Joseph "took an interest in polygamy at an early period, beyond what we read in his autobiographies or in the Book of Mormon." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* There is ''no indication'' that Joseph took this early interest in polygamy, unless one presumes Joseph wrote the Book of Mormon ''and'' follows the author's sexualized misreading of Joseph's early histories. | * There is ''no indication'' that Joseph took this early interest in polygamy, unless one presumes Joseph wrote the Book of Mormon ''and'' follows the author's sexualized misreading of Joseph's early histories. | ||
* [[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | * [[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | ||
*[[../../Mind reading]] | *[[../../Mind reading]] | ||
* {{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | * {{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Womanizing and romance}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Womanizing and romance}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====21==== | ====21==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"What was new about this [1838] account [of Moroni's visit] was that this time the 1823 angelic announcement was preceded by an 1820 'First Vision,' which included not just 'personages' or 'angels' but a visitation by the God of heaven—'The Father and The Son.'"}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"What was new about this [1838] account [of Moroni's visit] was that this time the 1823 angelic announcement was preceded by an 1820 'First Vision,' which included not just 'personages' or 'angels' but a visitation by the God of heaven—'The Father and The Son.'"}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
| − | *[[First Vision | + | *[[First Vision/Accounts]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No sources provided. | *No sources provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====22==== | ====22==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*Lucy Mack Smith said in her history that "in the course of our evening conversation[,] Joseph would give us some of the most ammusing [sic in Smith] recitals…[and] describe the ancient inhabitants of this [American] continent their dress their manner of traveling the animals which they rode." | *Lucy Mack Smith said in her history that "in the course of our evening conversation[,] Joseph would give us some of the most ammusing [sic in Smith] recitals…[and] describe the ancient inhabitants of this [American] continent their dress their manner of traveling the animals which they rode." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/"Amusing recitals" of ancient American inhabitants]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*Anderson, ''Lucy's Book'', 329, 345. | *Anderson, ''Lucy's Book'', 329, 345. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====22==== | ====22==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*It is noted that there is nothing in Lucy Mack Smith's history about "women, wives, or early struggles with chastity…." | *It is noted that there is nothing in Lucy Mack Smith's history about "women, wives, or early struggles with chastity…." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The author is again presuming that he has demonstrated his claims about early struggles with chastity. He has not, but takes it as a given here. | *The author is again presuming that he has demonstrated his claims about early struggles with chastity. He has not, but takes it as a given here. | ||
* [[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | * [[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | ||
*[[../../Mind reading]] | *[[../../Mind reading]] | ||
*{{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | *{{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Womanizing and romance}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Womanizing and romance}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====22==== | ====22==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The book notes that in 1832 Joseph had become involved with Fanny Alger. | *The book notes that in 1832 Joseph had become involved with Fanny Alger. | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*The date is not at all sure. The evidence dates it to either 1833 or 1835; others have not argued for 1832 specifically, and the author provides no evidence or argument for this early date. | *The date is not at all sure. The evidence dates it to either 1833 or 1835; others have not argued for 1832 specifically, and the author provides no evidence or argument for this early date. | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Fanny Alger}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Fanny Alger}} | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Age_wives}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Age_wives}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====22==== | ====22==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author states that "Emma never indicated that her husband had told her anything specifically about his experiences prior to their marriage or the details of his involvement with other women, although she did know about Fanny Alger." | *The author states that "Emma never indicated that her husband had told her anything specifically about his experiences prior to their marriage or the details of his involvement with other women, although she did know about Fanny Alger." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*Despite the author's efforts, there is no good evidence of Joseph's involvement with any other women besides Emma before his plural marriage to Fanny Alger. | *Despite the author's efforts, there is no good evidence of Joseph's involvement with any other women besides Emma before his plural marriage to Fanny Alger. | ||
*[[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | *[[Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?]] | ||
*{{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | *{{GLS-Nauvoo Polygamy-FARMS}} | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
{{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Fanny Alger}} | {{CriticalWorks:Smith:Nauvoo_Polygamy:See_also:Fanny Alger}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====22==== | ====22==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"…it must have been a fascinating courtship, conducted as it was among unseen spirits and Joseph's unsettling conversations with angels."}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"…it must have been a fascinating courtship, conducted as it was among unseen spirits and Joseph's unsettling conversations with angels."}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*This claim (besides mind reading) also distorts the textual record, since Cowdery's account ([[../Chapter_1#13|cited above]]) made it clear that there was nothing unsettling at all about it. | *This claim (besides mind reading) also distorts the textual record, since Cowdery's account ([[../Chapter_1#13|cited above]]) made it clear that there was nothing unsettling at all about it. | ||
| − | *[[Psychobiographical analysis of | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Psychobiographical analysis of]] |
*[[../../Mind reading]] | *[[../../Mind reading]] | ||
*[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | *[[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
====22==== | ====22==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author speculates that "Joseph and Emma had been bound by treasure magic from their first meeting in 1825, because Joseph…[came] to help Josiah Stowell located buried treasure [and] boarded with Emma's father." | *The author speculates that "Joseph and Emma had been bound by treasure magic from their first meeting in 1825, because Joseph…[came] to help Josiah Stowell located buried treasure [and] boarded with Emma's father." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* There is no evidence they felt "bound" by "treasure magic." | * There is no evidence they felt "bound" by "treasure magic." | ||
* [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | * [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
| Line 730: | Line 729: | ||
* [[../../Mind reading]] | * [[../../Mind reading]] | ||
* [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | * [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* No source provided | * No source provided | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
====22==== | ====22==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author speculates that "[i]t was in a mysterious atmosphere of imaginative lore and a mix of theology and magic that Joseph and Emma eloped." | *The author speculates that "[i]t was in a mysterious atmosphere of imaginative lore and a mix of theology and magic that Joseph and Emma eloped." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*How does he know? A page earlier we are told, "Emma did not leave a diary, and her letters do not mention anything about Joseph's adolescence or later experiences with women." (p. 22) This is all supposition—invented out of thin air. | *How does he know? A page earlier we are told, "Emma did not leave a diary, and her letters do not mention anything about Joseph's adolescence or later experiences with women." (p. 22) This is all supposition—invented out of thin air. | ||
*[[../../Use of sources#Joseph and Emma eloped in an atmosphere of "imaginative lore and mix of theology and magic?"|Joseph and Emma eloped in an atmosphere of "imaginative lore and mix of theology and magic?"]] | *[[../../Use of sources#Joseph and Emma eloped in an atmosphere of "imaginative lore and mix of theology and magic?"|Joseph and Emma eloped in an atmosphere of "imaginative lore and mix of theology and magic?"]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====23==== | ====23==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The author speculates that "[t]he treasure seeker presented himself as someone who had special knowledge that was beyond the woman's ken." | *The author speculates that "[t]he treasure seeker presented himself as someone who had special knowledge that was beyond the woman's ken." | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*How does he know? Again, there is no evidence presented. | *How does he know? Again, there is no evidence presented. | ||
* [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | * [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
| Line 754: | Line 752: | ||
* [[../../Mind reading]] | * [[../../Mind reading]] | ||
* [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | * [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
====25==== | ====25==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"What Joseph failed to explain in this [1838] version [of his history of money digging] was the apparent continuum from treasure seeking to finding gold plates or the similar modus operandi in placing a 'seer stone' in a hat…"}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"What Joseph failed to explain in this [1838] version [of his history of money digging] was the apparent continuum from treasure seeking to finding gold plates or the similar modus operandi in placing a 'seer stone' in a hat…"}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* Joseph may not have seen it as a continuum, since he always insisted that the Book of Mormon was both revealed and translated "by the gift and power of God." God made him capable of things he was not otherwise able to do. The author is again presuming and assuming that Quinn's magic thesis is correct and applicable in this case. | * Joseph may not have seen it as a continuum, since he always insisted that the Book of Mormon was both revealed and translated "by the gift and power of God." God made him capable of things he was not otherwise able to do. The author is again presuming and assuming that Quinn's magic thesis is correct and applicable in this case. | ||
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Seer stones]] |
* [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | * [[../../Assumptions and presumptions]] | ||
* [[../../"Magick"]] | * [[../../"Magick"]] | ||
* [[../../Mind reading]] | * [[../../Mind reading]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*Van Wagoner and Walker, "Joseph Smith: 'The Gift of Seeing,' ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'' 15 (Summer 1982): 2:50 [sic]; | *Van Wagoner and Walker, "Joseph Smith: 'The Gift of Seeing,' ''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'' 15 (Summer 1982): 2:50 [sic]; | ||
*George D. Smith, "Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon," ''Free Inquiry'' 4 (Winter 1983-84): 27n2. | *George D. Smith, "Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon," ''Free Inquiry'' 4 (Winter 1983-84): 27n2. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
====25==== | ====25==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*{{AuthorQuote|"It is also true that Joseph's career in money digging was much more extensive than he intimated in his 1838 narrative."}} | *{{AuthorQuote|"It is also true that Joseph's career in money digging was much more extensive than he intimated in his 1838 narrative."}} | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
* The point of Joseph's 1838 account was not to give extensive details on his youth or past, but to provide the key events of the restoration as he understood them. | * The point of Joseph's 1838 account was not to give extensive details on his youth or past, but to provide the key events of the restoration as he understood them. | ||
| − | * [[ | + | * [[Joseph Smith/Money digging]] |
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
* No source provided. | * No source provided. | ||
| − | + | }} | |
| − | |||
| − | |||
====25==== | ====25==== | ||
| − | | | + | {{IndexClaim |
| + | |claim= | ||
*The Bainbridge "glass-looking" appearance is called "a trial" | *The Bainbridge "glass-looking" appearance is called "a trial" | ||
| − | | | + | |response= |
*This event was not a trial—current scholarship suggests that it was a hearing only. | *This event was not a trial—current scholarship suggests that it was a hearing only. | ||
| − | *[[Joseph Smith | + | *[[Joseph Smith/Legal trials/1826 glasslooking trial]] |
* [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | * [[../../Loaded and prejudicial language]] | ||
| − | | | + | |authorsources= |
*No source provided. | *No source provided. | ||
*{{HistoricalError}} | *{{HistoricalError}} | ||
| − | + | }} | |
==Endnotes== | ==Endnotes== | ||
Revision as of 23:02, 4 February 2010
| Preface | A FAIR Analysis of: Criticism of Mormonism/Books A work by author: George D. Smith
|
Chapter 1 (pp. 26-51) |
Claims made in "Chapter 1" (pp. 1-25)
1
Claim
- The author claims that Louisa Beaman "was about to become the first plural wife of Joseph Smith."
Author's source(s) - History unclear or in error
- No source provided.
- The author ignores the Hancock testimony of a marriage ceremony with Fanny Alger.
- Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Initiation of the practice
- The author or publisher responds: The publisher responded by claiming that the reviewer of Nauvoo Polygamy offers no documentation for evidence of a marriage between Joseph and Fanny Alger in Kirtland. See: Joseph Smith Had "Conjugal Relations" with Eight Plural Wives, Says FARMS, Signature Books web site, March 25, 2009.
- The publisher's response continues to ignore the Hancock testimony. The review states that the book's author "virtually ignores, however, the data that [Todd] Compton clearly considers the most important—the Mosiah Hancock autobiography, in which Hancock reports that "Father gave her [Fanny] to Joseph repeating the Ceremony as Joseph repeated to him." [1]
1n1
Claim
- The author dismisses a marriage with Fanny Alder by simply stating that "[t]here is some evidence that Smith might have engaged in the practice prior to this, but this is the first documented marriage."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- History unclear or in error
- The author ignores the Hancock testimony of a marriage ceremony with Fanny Alger.
- Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Initiation of the practice
- Fanny Alger—affair or marriage?
1
Claim
- Author's quote: "Had romance blossomed between her and the charismatic...prophet"?
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- The author implies that romance was a commonly expressed reason for women practicing plural marriage with Joseph.
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Romance
- Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Lustful motives
1
Claim
- It is noted that Joseph is age 35, while Louisa was 26.
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- The author commonly exploits the presentist fallacy in the matter of Joseph's wives' ages.
- Age of wives
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Presentism
2
Claim
- The author claims that Nauvoo was "a bustling Mississippi River town with several thousand inhabitants."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- Internal contradiction: p. xv: Nauvoo was "a more or less insignificant river town". Yet, Nauvoo was ultimately largest city in the entire state except for Chicago.[2]
2
Claim
It is claimed that "[n]o one knew precisely when the final end would come, but they knew it was imminent."
Author's source(s)
- No source provided.
Response
- The author leaves unmentioned that many Christians have always seen the end as imminent, and that Joseph's view was more restrained and pragmatic than most of the sects of the day. See: Richard Lloyd Anderson, "Joseph Smith and the Millenarian Time Table," Brigham Young University Studies 3 no. 3 (1961), 55–66. off-site
2
Claim
- Author's quote: "With an acquisitive eye on neighboring lands and the will to triumph over older settlers through political bloc voting, Joseph's behavior concerned some of the longtime Illinoisans who lived around the Saints."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
2
Claim
- "Now fear of [the Mormons'] city-wide militia, use of local petitions of habeas corpus to dismiss state warrants, and rumors of a 'plurality of wives' had put citizens on edge."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- The author fails to tell us that
- the Mormons were equally (or more) afraid, having been driven by state militias from two states;
- their use of habeas corpus had contemporary case law and legal theory on their side;
- dislike for the Mormons was also a strong political motivation in their enemies.
- City of Nauvoo/City charter
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Presentism
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
2
Claim
- The author implies that Latter-day Saints had left their homes in New York "under uneasy circumstances."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- History unclear or in errorIt is not clear what "uneasy circumstances" the author refers to. The Mormons were not driven from New York, but immigrated to Kirtland, Ohio at Joseph's direction.
3
Claim
- The author suggests that plural marriage "was central to the broad sweep of LDS experience..."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- History unclear or in errorPolygamy was unpracticed by anyone but Joseph Smith prior to Nauvoo. Polygamy had nothing to do with Mormons moving from New York. The need to flee Missouri likewise had little to do with plural marriage. Joseph's marriage to Fanny Alger was one factor among many causing problems in Ohio (though the financial problems and collapse of the Kirtland Safety Society were probably more significant).
3
Claim
- It is claimed that plural marriage was illegal in 1841 when Joseph married Louisa Beaman.
Author's source(s) - Revised Laws of Illinois, 1833; Revised States of the State of Illinois, 1845, secs 121, 122.
3-4
Claim
- The author claims that Joseph "chose some thirty three men...who would join him in denying its practice."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
4
Claim
- The inner circle of plural marriage "would lose one of its key members in 1842 when John C. Bennett quarreled with Smith and then left."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- There is no evidence that Bennett was ever sanctioned to practice plural marriage. He was never part of the Quorum of the Anointed who received the full temple endowment.
- John C. Bennett
5
Claim
- The author considers it remarkable that Joseph's involvement in polygamy was "largely excised from the official telling of LDS history."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
5
Claim
- The author claims that Danel Bachman and Ron Esplin's Encyclopedia of Mormonism entry on plural marriage only "briefly mention[s] the 'rumors' of plural marriage in the 1830s and 1840s but only obliquely refer[s] to the teaching [of] new marriage and family arrangements."
Author's source(s) - "Plural Marriage", Encyclopedia of Mormonism
- Text: "Rumors of plural marriage among the members of the Church in the 1830's and 1840's led to persecution, and the public announcement of the practice after August 29, 1852, in Utah gave enemies a potent weapon to fan public hostility against the Church.
6
Claim
- It is claimed that Joseph revealed "God's rule" that "no one can reject [polygamy] and enter into my glory" (D&C 132, 51, 52, 54).
Author's source(s) Necessary for salvation? (edit)
- The actual text reads: "I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory." Plural marriage was at times a manifestation of the new and everlasting covenant, but even during the polygamous era leaders were clear that one did not necessarily have to practice polygamy to be saved.
- Polygamy/Requirement for exaltation
- Polygamy/The only men who become gods are those that practice polygamy
6
Claim
- It is claimed that Joseph predicted that the Second Coming would occur in 1890.
Author's source(s) - No source provided
- The author does not provide Joseph's careful caveats about his prediction, and his admitted uncertainties surrounding this issue.
- Joseph Smith/Prophecies/Second Coming to be in 1890
- "This generation"
- Richard Lloyd Anderson, "Joseph Smith and the Millenarian Time Table," Brigham Young University Studies 3 no. 3 (1961), 55–66. off-site
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Use of sources
7
Claim
- It is claimed that Joseph "was familiar with nineteenth century writer Thomas Dick..."
Author's source(s) - Thomas Dick, The Philosophy of a Future State, 2d. American ed. (Brookfield, Mass: n.p., 1830); quoted in LDS Messenger and Advocate 3 (Dec 1836): 423-25.
- Book of Abraham/Plagiarism accusations/Thomas Dick
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
7
Claim
- The author states that Joseph "had already proven his own mettle among God's elect when he mastered the use of magic stones and 'translated' the Book of Mormon."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- Joseph Smith/Seer stones
- Joseph Smith and "magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/"Magick"
8
Claim
- It is claimed that Joseph's "dispensationalism had many past antecedents."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- The author here presumes that past dispensationalism had an influence on Joseph. This must be proved, not assumed.
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
9
Claim
- "Joseph preached [apocalyptically] as regularly as any other apocalyptic preacher of his day…."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- How does The author know this? How frequently did other preachers use apocalyptic imagery and themes? Was their percentage of such uses equal to or greater than Joseph's usage?
- Richard Lloyd Anderson, "Joseph Smith and the Millenarian Time Table," Brigham Young University Studies 3 no. 3 (1961), 55–66. off-site (Discusses many contrasts between Joseph and the millenialist sects of his day, from both LDS and non-LDS historians of religion.)
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
9
Claim
- The author speculates that Joseph was "understandably hesitant to specify a precise date for the end of the world," but that he knew that "our redemption draweth near."
Author's source(s) - Jesse, 306
- The source is referring to the redemption of the Saints in Missouri and their deliverance from persecution. The quote has nothing to do with the "end of the world."
- Missouri Saints' "redemption draweth near" reinterpreted to refer to refer to the "end of the world?"
10
Claim
- On Joshua the Jewish minister [Robert Matthews]: "Smith found him credible enough to converse with from 11:00 a.m. until evening when Smith invited him to stay for dinner." "Without objection from Smith, Matthias asserted: 'The silence spoken of by John the Revelator…is between 1830 & 1851…."
Author's source(s) - Jesse, Papers of Joseph Smith, 2:68–73, 568–69.
11
Claim
- Robert Matthews (see above) "advocated what he called a 'community of property and of wives,' in a more 'spiritual generation.' Mormons avoided the idiom but not the practice." "…Mormon communal practices extended to property as well as to marriage."
Author's source(s) - Richard S. Van Wagoner, Mormon Polygamy: A History (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1989), 8.
11
Claim
- Author's quote: "Across the Atlantic, the communal experiment advocated by Marx and Engels appeared in London only a few years later in 1848."
Author's source(s) - Communist Manifesto (1848; New York: Bantam, 1992).
- Marx and Engels have no relevance for LDS practice, and are unlikely to have been influenced by Joseph Smith. Invoking Communists may unnecessarily prejudice the modern reader.
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
12
Claim
- Author's quote: Polygamy was evidently on Smith's mind even before founding the Mormon Church, if that can be deduced from the marriage formula inscribed in the Book of Mormon.
Author's source(s) - No source provided
- The author assumes that the Book of Mormon reflects Joseph's mind and preoccupations. If Joseph was the translator, it may not.
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
12
Claim
- Yet again the author mentions "elopement," when he notes that the Book of Mormon was "…begun shortly after he eloped with Emma Hale in January 1827."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- Nauvoo Polygamy reminds us that Joseph and Emma eloped whenever their marriage is discussed. Perhaps this is intended to demonstrate Joseph's disregard for authority or propriety in all romantic matters.
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
12
Claim
- Joseph is claimed to have performed a "ritualized five-year search for the gold plates…"
Author's source(s) - No source provided
- The author assumes that Joseph's acquisition was ritualized, and he presumes that the "magick" thesis is correct in this instance.
- Joseph Smith and "magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/"Magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
12
Claim
- It is noted that "[e]ach year at the autumnal equinox, which according to rodsmen and seers was a favourable time to approach the spirits guarding buried treasures, Smith had gone to the hill where he sought after the plates.
Author's source(s) - No source provided
- The author presumes that the "magick" thesis is correct in this instance. He ignores the religious significance of this date:
- Book of Mormon recovered on autumnal equinox
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/"Magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
12n29
Claim
- Quoting D. Micheal Quin, it is noted that "that day in September 1823 was ruled by Jupiter, Smith's ruling planet…"
Author's source(s) - D. Michael Quinn, Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, revised and enlarged edition, (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1998), 120–121 ( Index of claims )
- History unclear or in error.
- The author ignores the many problems which have been pointed out with Quinn's "magick" argument. Chief among these is that (as even Quinn admits), "according to the standard contemporary interpretations of astrology, Joseph was born under Saturn, not Jupiter." Quinn's only source for this claim is an 1870 book which used an alternative means of performing such calculation. Joseph can hardly have been aware of a method outlined nearly 50 years later.[3] The present author acknowledges or treats none of these issues.
- Joseph Smith and "magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/"Magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
13
Claim
- Oliver Cowdery is claimed to have said that Joseph wanted to "commune with some kind of messenger."
Author's source(s) - Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps, LDS Messenger and Advocate 1 [No. 5] (Feb 1835): 79.
- The quote is incorrect in Quinn, Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, 125, 134, which the author appears to be quoting without checking Quinn's primary source for accuracy.
- The quote is incorrect. The correct phrase is "some kind messenger."
- "Some kind [of] messenger..."
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/"Magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
13
Author's source(s)
- Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps, LDS Messenger and Advocate 1 (Feb 1835): 79.
- CITATION is in ERROR. He is quoting from Quinn, Early Mormonism, 125, 134 & Vogel, Indian Origins, 14–15.
- Actual quote is found in: Oliver Cowdery to W.W. Phelps, LDS Messenger and Advocate 2/1 (October 1835): 197.
- The phrase is removed from context to emphasize the words "enchantment" and "treasures of the earth."
- The "power of enchantment" and "hidden treasures of the earth"
- Joseph_Smith_and_money_digging
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/"Magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
13-14
Claim
- Author's quote: "Smith elaborated this idea to 'raise up seed' [in Jacob 2:30] with the signal might [sic] be given again and polygamy would be re-introduced….
Author's source(s) - No source provided
- The author again presumes that Joseph is the author of the Book of Mormon.
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
14
Claim
- The author states that in 1831 Joseph Smith "sanctioned the first breach in marriage mores. It occurred in Smith's charge to missionaries to the Indians when he told single and married men alike that they should marry native women. Polygamy may have been on his mind…."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- There is no evidence that married men understood that Joseph was discussing polygamy until at least three years later.[4]
- Polygamy/Lamanites to become "white and delightsome" through polygamous marriage
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
14
Claim
- Author's quote: …W.W. Phelps reported on the prophet's instructions in all their antebellum racism. Through intermarriage, Smith said, the Indians would become white, delightsome, and just" and fulfill the Book of Mormon prophecy that 'the scales of darkness shall begin to fall from their eyes; and many generations shall not pass away among them, save they shall be a white [pure] and delightsome people."
Author's source(s) - W.W. Phelps to Brigham Young, Aug. 12, 1861, LDS Archives.
- The author presumes that Joseph's expression was about race, rather than behavior. (The expression is the Book of Mormon's, but for The author its views are always the same as Joseph Smith's because he is presumed to be the author.)
- Skin color important in LDS scriptures?
- Polygamy/Lamanites to become "white and delightsome" through polygamous marriage
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
14n34
Claim
- It is noted that the 1840 Book of Mormon substituted the word 'pure' for 'white,' and that the wording "reverted back to "white" again in the English 1841 and later foreign editions, then became 'pure' again in 1981."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- The author doesn't tell us dropping Joseph's change from "white" to "pure" was an accident, and intended to be permanent from 1837 onward.
- Book of Mormon/Textual changes/"white" changed to "pure"
14n34
Claim
- The author states that "other passages in the Book of Mormon still refer to 'white' as 'delightsome' and a 'skin of blackness' as a 'curse' (2 Ne. 5; Jacob 3:5, 8-10; Alma 3-6-9; 3 Ne. 2:14-15; Morm. 5:15)."
Author's source(s) - N/A
- The author ignores that many (if not most/all) of these scriptures have a symbolic role, as illustrated in Joseph's change discussed above (though the author apparently tries to undercut that impression). Richard L. Bushman, LDS author of a recent biography of Joseph Smith, writes:
- ...[T]he fact that [the Lamanites] are Israel, the chosen of God, adds a level of complexity to the Book of Mormon that simple racism does not explain. Incongruously, the book champions the Indians' place in world history, assigning them to a more glorious future than modern American whites.... Lamanite degradation is not ingrained in their natures, ineluctably bonded to their dark skins. Their wickedness is wholly cultural and frequently reversed. During one period, "they began to be a very industrious people; yea, and they were friendly with the Nephites; therefore, they did open a correspondence with them, and the curse of God did no more follow them." (Alma 23꞉18) In the end, the Lamanites triumph. The white Nephites perish, and the dark Lamanites remain. [5]
- Skin color important in LDS scriptures?
- Lamanite curse
- John A. Tvedtnes, "The Charge of 'Racism' in the Book of Mormon," FARMS Review 15/2 (2003): 183–198. off-site
14n34
Claim
- The author claims that skin color was important in LDS scriptures, and notes that "blacks of African ancestry were denied full participation in the church until 1978."
Author's source(s) - N/A
- The author ignores that issues of race and skin color may well have been read into these scriptures in a post hoc manner. His brief treatment of these volatile issues is inadequate, and serves only to prejudice the reader against the early Saints and their later religious heirs. (See next entry below.)
- Skin color important in LDS scriptures?
- Scripture and race in LDS tradition
- Blacks and the priesthood
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Presentism
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
14n34
Claim
- Author's quote: "Interestingly, the rhetoric underlying the theology may have resulted from 1830s Mormons trying to convince their neighbors in the slave state of Missouri that they were not abolitionists."
Author's source(s) - Campbell, "'White' or 'Pure': Five Vignettes," Dialogue 29 (Winter 1996) 119-120
- Lester E. Bush Jr. and Armand L. Mauss, Neither White nor Black (SLC, Signature Books, 1994).
- The author avoids drawing the obvious conclusion—the "importance" of skin color "in other LDS scriptures" as it applied to race may have been read in as justification for the rhetoric. Thus, the scripture reading followed the rhetoric; the theology did not derive from the scriptures.
- Skin color important in LDS scriptures? (note that The author completely inverts his cited source's intent).
- Blacks and the priesthood/The "curse of Cain" and "curse of Ham"
- Scripture and race in LDS tradition
- Blacks and the priesthood
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Presentism
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
15
Claim
- Ezra Booth claimed that the mission to the Lamanites was to secure a "matrimonial alliance with the natives." The author notes that the missionaries "did not seem successful in this area."
Author's source(s) - Deseret News (20 May 1886); Ezra Booth letter, Ohio Star, (8 Dec 1831).
- Booth is probably wrong; the accounts say Joseph didn't explain the plural marriage issue until 3 years later, so married men could hardly be out looking for Indian wives in 1831.
- Polygamy/Lamanites to become "white and delightsome" through polygamous marriage
15
Claim
- The author speculates that "One wonders when Emma Smith might have first suspected that her husband was contemplating plural marriage…As Emma regarded her handsome spouse, what in Joseph's youthful experiences may have suggested the unusual family arrangements that were to follow?"
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- The author again presumes that Joseph's "youthful experiences" presaged plural marriage. He has not demonstrated this.
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
15
Claim
- Author's quote: "We know Joseph often stayed overnight on visits with other families. Was Emma aware that later marriages would develop out of these family visits among their close friends? Could she have seen this coming—the injunction to enter into 'celestial marriage'?"
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- Of course, everyone else at the time probably stayed overnight on visits with families too, especially if poor and on the frontier.
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Presentism
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
15-16
Claim
- Author's quote: "An examination of Smith's adolescence from his personal writings reveals some patterns and events that might be significant in understanding what precipitated his polygamous inclination."
Author's source(s) Early preoccupation with polygamy (edit)
Or, it might not. As it turns out, it isn't.
- Joseph Smith/Psychobiographical analysis of
- Polygamy book/Early womanizer
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Use of sources
- Gregory L. Smith, A review of Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage by George D. Smith. FARMS Review, Vol. 20, Issue 2. (Detailed book review)
16-20
Claim
- The author refers to the "vices and follies of youth…."
Author's source(s) Early preoccupation with polygamy (edit)
- Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?
- Gregory L. Smith, A review of Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage by George D. Smith. FARMS Review, Vol. 20, Issue 2. (Detailed book review)
19-20
Claim
- William Stafford is quoted as remembering "Joseph…looking in his glass" and seeing "spirits…clothed in ancient dress" standing guard over treasures."
Author's source(s) - Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed (Painesville, OH, 1834), 234–35. (Affidavits examined)
The author is here using the Hurlbut-Howe affidavits uncritically, without addressing their numerous problems.
- The Hurlbut affidavits—Williams Stafford
- Mark Ashurst-McGee, "Moroni as Angel and as Treasure Guardian," FARMS Review 18/1 (2006): 34–100. [{{{url}}} off-site] wiki
- Larry E. Morris, "'I Should Have an Eye Single to the Glory of God’: Joseph Smith’s Account of the Angel and the Plates (Review of: "From Captain Kidd’s Treasure Ghost to the Angel Moroni: Changing Dramatis Personae in Early Mormonism")," FARMS Review 17/1 (2005): 11–82. off-site
20
Claim
- Joseph is claimed to have cut "a sheep's throat [and] led [it] around a circle while bleeding," in order to "appease the evil spirit."
Author's source(s) - No source provided, but is from William Stafford affidavit in Howe.
- The author is here using the Hurlbut-Howe affidavits uncritically, without addressing their numerous problems.
- The Hurlbut affidavits—Williams Stafford
- The Hurlbut affidavits—C.R. Stafford
20
Claim
- It is claimed that Joseph "'professed to tell people's fortunes' by gazing at a 'stone which he used to put in his hat,'…."
Author's source(s) - No source provided, but is from Henry Harris affidavit in Howe.
- The author is here using the Hurlbut-Howe affidavits uncritically, without addressing their numerous problems.
- Joseph Smith/Occultism and magic
- Joseph Smith/Seer stones
- The Hurlbut affidavits—Henry Harris
21
Claim
- The author states that Joseph's 1842 letter to John Wentworth "left out any reference to the sinful thoughts he had previously mentioned. He had come effectively to de-emphasize the feelings of sin and guilt he had once experienced."
Author's source(s) - History of the Church 4:535–41
- Jesse, Writings of Joseph Smith, 241–248.
The author again presumes that Joseph's works referred to "sinful thoughts," which he has tried to tie to chastity.
- Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
- Gregory L. Smith, A review of Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage by George D. Smith. FARMS Review, Vol. 20, Issue 2. (Detailed book review)
21
Claim
- The author implies that Joseph "took an interest in polygamy at an early period, beyond what we read in his autobiographies or in the Book of Mormon."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- There is no indication that Joseph took this early interest in polygamy, unless one presumes Joseph wrote the Book of Mormon and follows the author's sexualized misreading of Joseph's early histories.
- Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
- Gregory L. Smith, A review of Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage by George D. Smith. FARMS Review, Vol. 20, Issue 2. (Detailed book review)
21
Claim
- Author's quote: "What was new about this [1838] account [of Moroni's visit] was that this time the 1823 angelic announcement was preceded by an 1820 'First Vision,' which included not just 'personages' or 'angels' but a visitation by the God of heaven—'The Father and The Son.'"
Author's source(s) - No sources provided.
22
Claim
- Lucy Mack Smith said in her history that "in the course of our evening conversation[,] Joseph would give us some of the most ammusing [sic in Smith] recitals…[and] describe the ancient inhabitants of this [American] continent their dress their manner of traveling the animals which they rode."
Author's source(s) - Anderson, Lucy's Book, 329, 345.
22
Claim
- It is noted that there is nothing in Lucy Mack Smith's history about "women, wives, or early struggles with chastity…."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- The author is again presuming that he has demonstrated his claims about early struggles with chastity. He has not, but takes it as a given here.
- Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
- Gregory L. Smith, A review of Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage by George D. Smith. FARMS Review, Vol. 20, Issue 2. (Detailed book review)
22
Claim
- The book notes that in 1832 Joseph had become involved with Fanny Alger.
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- The date is not at all sure. The evidence dates it to either 1833 or 1835; others have not argued for 1832 specifically, and the author provides no evidence or argument for this early date.
22
Claim
- The author states that "Emma never indicated that her husband had told her anything specifically about his experiences prior to their marriage or the details of his involvement with other women, although she did know about Fanny Alger."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- Despite the author's efforts, there is no good evidence of Joseph's involvement with any other women besides Emma before his plural marriage to Fanny Alger.
- Polygamy book/Early womanizer#Early struggles with chastity?
- Gregory L. Smith, A review of Nauvoo Polygamy:...but we called it celestial marriage by George D. Smith. FARMS Review, Vol. 20, Issue 2. (Detailed book review)
22
Claim
- Author's quote: "…it must have been a fascinating courtship, conducted as it was among unseen spirits and Joseph's unsettling conversations with angels."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- This claim (besides mind reading) also distorts the textual record, since Cowdery's account (cited above) made it clear that there was nothing unsettling at all about it.
- Joseph Smith/Psychobiographical analysis of
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
22
Claim
- The author speculates that "Joseph and Emma had been bound by treasure magic from their first meeting in 1825, because Joseph…[came] to help Josiah Stowell located buried treasure [and] boarded with Emma's father."
Author's source(s) - No source provided
- There is no evidence they felt "bound" by "treasure magic."
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/"Magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
22
Claim
- The author speculates that "[i]t was in a mysterious atmosphere of imaginative lore and a mix of theology and magic that Joseph and Emma eloped."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- How does he know? A page earlier we are told, "Emma did not leave a diary, and her letters do not mention anything about Joseph's adolescence or later experiences with women." (p. 22) This is all supposition—invented out of thin air.
- Joseph and Emma eloped in an atmosphere of "imaginative lore and mix of theology and magic?"
23
Claim
- The author speculates that "[t]he treasure seeker presented himself as someone who had special knowledge that was beyond the woman's ken."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- How does he know? Again, there is no evidence presented.
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/"Magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
25
Claim
- Author's quote: "What Joseph failed to explain in this [1838] version [of his history of money digging] was the apparent continuum from treasure seeking to finding gold plates or the similar modus operandi in placing a 'seer stone' in a hat…"
Author's source(s) - Van Wagoner and Walker, "Joseph Smith: 'The Gift of Seeing,' Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 15 (Summer 1982): 2:50 [sic];
- George D. Smith, "Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon," Free Inquiry 4 (Winter 1983-84): 27n2.
- Joseph may not have seen it as a continuum, since he always insisted that the Book of Mormon was both revealed and translated "by the gift and power of God." God made him capable of things he was not otherwise able to do. The author is again presuming and assuming that Quinn's magic thesis is correct and applicable in this case.
- Joseph Smith/Seer stones
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Assumptions and presumptions
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/"Magick"
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Mind reading
25
Claim
- Author's quote: "It is also true that Joseph's career in money digging was much more extensive than he intimated in his 1838 narrative."
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- The point of Joseph's 1838 account was not to give extensive details on his youth or past, but to provide the key events of the restoration as he understood them.
- Joseph Smith/Money digging
25
Claim
- The Bainbridge "glass-looking" appearance is called "a trial"
Author's source(s) - No source provided.
- History unclear or in error
- This event was not a trial—current scholarship suggests that it was a hearing only.
- Joseph Smith/Legal trials/1826 glasslooking trial
- Criticism of Mormonism/Books/Loaded and prejudicial language
Endnotes
- [note] Mosiah F. Hancock, Autobiography, MS 570, LDS Church Archives, 61–62; Todd Compton, "Fanny Alger Smith Custer: Mormonism's First Plural Wife?" Journal of Mormon History 22/1 (Spring 1996): 189–90. The author of Nauvoo Polygamy says only (in a footnote) that "Compton, Sacred Loneliness, 33, 646, draws from a late reminiscence by Mosiah Hancock to suggest that Smith married Alger in early 1833" (p. 41 n. 90).
- [note] Leonard J. Arrington and Davis Bitton, The Mormon Experience: A History of the Latter-Day Saints, 2nd ed. (New York: Knopf : distributed by Random House/University of Illinois Press, [1979] 1992), 69. ISBN 0252062361. off-site
- [note] William J. Hamblin, "That Old Black Magic (Review of Early Mormonism and the Magic World View, revised and enlarged edition, by D. Michael Quinn)," FARMS Review of Books 12/2 (2000): 225–394. [{{{url}}} off-site]
- [note] W.W. Phelps, Letter to Brigham Young, 1861, original in Church Archives, emphasis in original; cited by B. Carmon Hardy, Doing the Works of Abraham: Mormon Polygamy: Its Origin, Practice, and Demise, Kingdom in the West: The Mormons and the American Frontier (Norman, Okla.: Arthur H. Clark Co., 2007), 36–37.
- [note] Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Knopf, 2005), 99.
Further reading
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