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Difference between revisions of "Joseph Smith's prophecy of the Civil War"
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Joseph Smith made an 1832 prophecy of the Civil War. Critics scramble to dismiss this prophetic "hit" by various tactics, including: | Joseph Smith made an 1832 prophecy of the Civil War. Critics scramble to dismiss this prophetic "hit" by various tactics, including: | ||
# claiming a rebellion was already going on in South Carolina in 1832 | # claiming a rebellion was already going on in South Carolina in 1832 | ||
| + | # claiming the Church did not publicize the prophecy until after the Civil War started | ||
# claiming a civil war was "inevitable," and "anyone" could have predicted it | # claiming a civil war was "inevitable," and "anyone" could have predicted it | ||
| − | |||
# claiming "war was not brought to all nations" by the Civil War and/or claiming there is "no link" between the Civil War and later conflicts | # claiming "war was not brought to all nations" by the Civil War and/or claiming there is "no link" between the Civil War and later conflicts | ||
# claiming slaves did not rise up against their masters in the Civil War | # claiming slaves did not rise up against their masters in the Civil War | ||
| Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
==Response== | ==Response== | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | The prophecy given 25 December 1832 reads: | ||
| + | |||
| + | :1 VERILY, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls; | ||
| + | :2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place. | ||
| + | :3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations. | ||
| + | :4 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war. | ||
| + | :5 And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation. | ||
| + | :6 And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations; | ||
| + | :7 That the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies. | ||
| + | :8 Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen. ({{s||DC|87|1-8}}) | ||
==Rebellion on-going in South Carolina?== | ==Rebellion on-going in South Carolina?== | ||
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Does this mean that the Church quietly shelved the prophecy for several years? | Does this mean that the Church quietly shelved the prophecy for several years? | ||
| − | == | + | ==Spreading the prophecy== |
| + | |||
| + | Joseph Smith reiterated the prophecy in 1842, and added more detail: | ||
| + | |||
| + | :12 I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the difficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will be in South Carolina. | ||
| + | :13 It may probably arise through the slave question. This a voice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832. ({{s||DC|130|12-13}}) | ||
| + | |||
| + | Orson Pratt testified that he began preaching the prophecy soon after it was given. In 1870, he said: | ||
| + | |||
| + | :I went forth before my beard was gray, before my hair began to turn white, '''when I was a youth of nineteen''', now I am fifty-eight, and from that time on I published these tidings among the inhabitants of the earth. '''I carried forth the written revelation, foretelling this great contest, some twenty-eight years before the war commenced. This prophecy has been printed and circulated extensively in this and other nations and languages.''' It pointed out the place where it should commence in South Carolina. That which I declared over the New England States, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and many other parts in the East, when but a boy, came to pass twenty-eight years after the revelation was given. | ||
| + | |||
| + | :When they were talking about a war commencing down here in Kansas, I told them that was not the place; I also told them that the revelation had designated South Carolina, "and," said I, "you have no need to think that the Kansas war is going to be the war that is to be so terribly destructive in its character and nature. No, it must commence at the place the Lord has designated by revelation." | ||
| + | |||
| + | :What did they have to say to me? They thought it was a Mormon humbug, and laughed me to scorn, and they looked upon that revelation as they do upon all others that God has given in these latter days—as without divine authority. But behold and lo! in process of time it came to pass, again establishing the divinity of this work, and giving another proof that God is in this work, and is performing that which He spoke by the mouths of the ancient prophets, as recorded in the Book of Mormon before any Church of Latter-day Saints was in existence.{{ref|pratt.1870}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | Thus, Orson Pratt indicates that not only did he preach regarding Joseph's prophesy in 1832, but that he was ridiculed for it. | ||
| + | |||
| + | The Church also printed the prophecy in 1851, and continued to publicize it until the Civil War. Clearly, they did not keep it "under wraps" until the Civil War became inevitable.{{ref|eom.1}} | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Anyone could have predicted it?== | ||
| + | |||
| + | The authors must prove this contention. Where is the evidence that most Americans were predicting a Civil War between 1832-1851? Why was Orson Pratt ridiculed if this was obvious to everyone? This seems a desperate attempt by the critics to dismiss a "hit" by Joseph. Everything can look obvious in retrospect if one doesn't know history. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==War was not brought to all nations== | ||
| + | |||
| + | World history since 1861 demonstrates that armed conflict widened and persisted since the American Civil War. There is nothing in the prophecy that claims that the Civil War must be the direct ''cause'' of on-going war, merely that on-going war will happen: | ||
| + | |||
| + | :2 And ''the time will come'' that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place. | ||
| + | :3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and ''then war shall be poured out upon all nations.'' ({{s||DC|87|2-3}}) | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Slaves did not rebel== | ||
| + | |||
| + | Nearly 200,000 blacks fought for the North, and most of these were former slaves.{{ref|slaves}} However, the prophecy does not tie slave rebellions directly to the Civil War. After discussing the call on other nations for assistance, the prophecy reads: | ||
| + | |||
| + | :4 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.({{s||DC|87|4}}) | ||
| + | |||
| + | The phrase "it came to pass," and related forms generally indicates a transition in subject or time. The prophecy is clear that the revolt of slaves will come "after many days," which in scriptural language (which sees Jesus' second coming as "near," and "even at the door") generally suggests a fairly long period of time. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Conclusion== | ||
| + | The critics' desperate scramble to explain away this prophecy fails on multiple grounds. It is no surprise that nineteenth-century members of the Church | ||
| + | consistently saw the Civil War as a fulfillment of prophecy, and evidence of Joseph Smith's prophetic gifts. | ||
==Endnotes== | ==Endnotes== | ||
#{{note|decker.1}} ''The God Makers'', 224, lines 21-24; cited by {{TruthGodmakers1|start=Chapter 15}} {{link1|url=http://www.fairlds.org/The_God_Makers/tagm31.html}} | #{{note|decker.1}} ''The God Makers'', 224, lines 21-24; cited by {{TruthGodmakers1|start=Chapter 15}} {{link1|url=http://www.fairlds.org/The_God_Makers/tagm31.html}} | ||
| + | #{{note|scharffs.1}} {{TruthGodmakers1|start=Chapter 15}} {{link1|url=http://www.fairlds.org/The_God_Makers/tagm31.html}} | ||
| + | #{{note|pratt.1870}} {{JD13_1|author=Orson Pratt|article=The Latter-day Kingdom of God, etc.start=135|date= 10 April 1870}} | ||
| + | #{{note|eom.1}} {{EoM1|author=Paul H. Peterson|article=Civil War Prophecy|vol=1|start=288}} {{link1|url=http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm4/document.php?CISOROOT=/EoM&CISOPTR=4391&CISOSHOW=3509}} | ||
| + | #{{note|slaves}} "American Civil War: Slavery during the war," ''wikipedia.org'' (accessed 15 Jan 2009) {{link|url=American_Civil_War#Slavery_during_the_war}} | ||
==Further reading== | ==Further reading== | ||
Revision as of 15:39, 17 January 2009
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Contents
Criticism
Joseph Smith made an 1832 prophecy of the Civil War. Critics scramble to dismiss this prophetic "hit" by various tactics, including:
- claiming a rebellion was already going on in South Carolina in 1832
- claiming the Church did not publicize the prophecy until after the Civil War started
- claiming a civil war was "inevitable," and "anyone" could have predicted it
- claiming "war was not brought to all nations" by the Civil War and/or claiming there is "no link" between the Civil War and later conflicts
- claiming slaves did not rise up against their masters in the Civil War
Source(s) of the Criticism
- Richard Abanes, One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church (New York: Four Walls Eight Windows, 2003), 267-276 ( Index of claims )
- Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1945), 124. ( Index of claims )
- Marvin Cowan, Mormon Claims Answered [citation needed]
- Ed Decker and Dave Hunt, The God Makers (Eugene, OR: Harvest House, 1984),, 244. (Detailed review)
- John Farkas, "False Prophecies Of Joseph Smith." [citation needed]
- Bill McKeever and Eric Johnson, Mormonism 101. Examining the Religion of the Latter-day Saints (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Books, 2000), Chapter 9. ( Index of claims )
Response
The prophecy given 25 December 1832 reads:
- 1 VERILY, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls;
- 2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.
- 3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.
- 4 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.
- 5 And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation.
- 6 And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations;
- 7 That the cry of the saints, and of the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies.
- 8 Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen. (DC 87꞉1-8)
Rebellion on-going in South Carolina?
Ed Decker and Dave Hunt claim that Mormons "cover up the fact that the 'prophecy' was made in the midst of an earlier rebellion in December 1832. That rebellion ended quietly a few months later."[1]
This claim, however, is false. As Gil Scharffs noted:
- The authors are correct when they say Joseph Smith announced the Civil War prophecy when rebellion in South Carolina was threatening. A large 1832 rebellion never materialized and the threat ended a few months later.[2]
Does this mean that the Church quietly shelved the prophecy for several years?
Spreading the prophecy
Joseph Smith reiterated the prophecy in 1842, and added more detail:
- 12 I prophesy, in the name of the Lord God, that the commencement of the difficulties which will cause much bloodshed previous to the coming of the Son of Man will be in South Carolina.
- 13 It may probably arise through the slave question. This a voice declared to me, while I was praying earnestly on the subject, December 25th, 1832. (DC 130꞉12-13)
Orson Pratt testified that he began preaching the prophecy soon after it was given. In 1870, he said:
- I went forth before my beard was gray, before my hair began to turn white, when I was a youth of nineteen, now I am fifty-eight, and from that time on I published these tidings among the inhabitants of the earth. I carried forth the written revelation, foretelling this great contest, some twenty-eight years before the war commenced. This prophecy has been printed and circulated extensively in this and other nations and languages. It pointed out the place where it should commence in South Carolina. That which I declared over the New England States, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and many other parts in the East, when but a boy, came to pass twenty-eight years after the revelation was given.
- When they were talking about a war commencing down here in Kansas, I told them that was not the place; I also told them that the revelation had designated South Carolina, "and," said I, "you have no need to think that the Kansas war is going to be the war that is to be so terribly destructive in its character and nature. No, it must commence at the place the Lord has designated by revelation."
- What did they have to say to me? They thought it was a Mormon humbug, and laughed me to scorn, and they looked upon that revelation as they do upon all others that God has given in these latter days—as without divine authority. But behold and lo! in process of time it came to pass, again establishing the divinity of this work, and giving another proof that God is in this work, and is performing that which He spoke by the mouths of the ancient prophets, as recorded in the Book of Mormon before any Church of Latter-day Saints was in existence.[3]
Thus, Orson Pratt indicates that not only did he preach regarding Joseph's prophesy in 1832, but that he was ridiculed for it.
The Church also printed the prophecy in 1851, and continued to publicize it until the Civil War. Clearly, they did not keep it "under wraps" until the Civil War became inevitable.[4]
Anyone could have predicted it?
The authors must prove this contention. Where is the evidence that most Americans were predicting a Civil War between 1832-1851? Why was Orson Pratt ridiculed if this was obvious to everyone? This seems a desperate attempt by the critics to dismiss a "hit" by Joseph. Everything can look obvious in retrospect if one doesn't know history.
War was not brought to all nations
World history since 1861 demonstrates that armed conflict widened and persisted since the American Civil War. There is nothing in the prophecy that claims that the Civil War must be the direct cause of on-going war, merely that on-going war will happen:
- 2 And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place.
- 3 For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations. (DC 87꞉2-3)
Slaves did not rebel
Nearly 200,000 blacks fought for the North, and most of these were former slaves.[5] However, the prophecy does not tie slave rebellions directly to the Civil War. After discussing the call on other nations for assistance, the prophecy reads:
- 4 And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.(DC 87꞉4)
The phrase "it came to pass," and related forms generally indicates a transition in subject or time. The prophecy is clear that the revolt of slaves will come "after many days," which in scriptural language (which sees Jesus' second coming as "near," and "even at the door") generally suggests a fairly long period of time.
Conclusion
The critics' desperate scramble to explain away this prophecy fails on multiple grounds. It is no surprise that nineteenth-century members of the Church consistently saw the Civil War as a fulfillment of prophecy, and evidence of Joseph Smith's prophetic gifts.
Endnotes
- [note] The God Makers, 224, lines 21-24; cited by Gilbert W. Scharffs, The Truth about ‘The God Makers’ (Salt Lake City, Utah: Publishers Press, 1989; republished by Bookcraft, 1994), Chapter 15. Full text FAIR link ISBN 088494963X. direct off-site
- [note] Gilbert W. Scharffs, The Truth about ‘The God Makers’ (Salt Lake City, Utah: Publishers Press, 1989; republished by Bookcraft, 1994), Chapter 15. Full text FAIR link ISBN 088494963X. direct off-site
- [note] Template:JD13 1
- [note] Paul H. Peterson, "Civil War Prophecy," in Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 4 vols., edited by Daniel H. Ludlow, (New York, Macmillan Publishing, 1992), 1:288. direct off-site
- [note] "American Civil War: Slavery during the war," wikipedia.org (accessed 15 Jan 2009) [American_Civil_War#Slavery_during_the_war off-site]