Mormonism and history/"Magic" in Mormon history

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Joseph Smith and legal trials

Summary: Concluded one author at a FAIR conference: "Joseph Smith was persecuted in courts of law as much as anyone I know. But he was never found guilty of any crime, and his name cannot be tarnished in that way."

• • 1826 trial—
    Brief Summary: Joseph Smith was brought to trial in 1826 for "glasslooking." What is the background to the trial? Why is the 1971 discovery of the Neely and De Zeng bills significant? Didn't Hugh Nibley claim that if this trial record existed that it would be "the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith?" (Click here for full article)
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Joseph Smith and money digging

Summary: Critics insist that Joseph Smith's engagement in "money digging" or looking for buried treasure shows itself as a blot on his character. Furthermore, critics argue that Joseph's initial religious experiences were related to "treasure seeking," and only later did he "retrofit" a religious explanation. (Critics argue, for example, that Moroni was originally conceived of as a treasure guardian by Joseph, and only later came to be seen as a divine messenger, an angel.)

Joseph Smith and the "occult" or "magick"

Summary: Citing Joseph Smith's experiences with folk magic, treasure seeking and seer stones, critics claim that Joseph Smith's spiritual experiences were originally products of magic and the occult. Critics charge that only much later did Joseph retrofit his experiences in Christian, religious terms: speaking of God, angels, and prophethood rather than in terms of magic, treasure guardians and scrying. Critics also claim that a "vagabond fortune-teller" named Walters became popular in the Palmyra area, and that when Walters left the area, "his mantle fell upon" Joseph Smith.

• • Early members believed in "witchcraft"—
    Brief Summary: Critics claim that early members of the Church believed in witchcraft. They use this to imply or argue that this supports their view of Joseph Smith as involved in "the occult." (Click here for full article)
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  • Book of Mormon recovered on autumnal equinox—
    Brief Summary: Critics claim that Joseph Smith's preoccupation with "magick" is supported by the fact that meetings with Moroni and the recovery of the Book of Mormon occurred on the autumnal equinox, a date with astrological and magical significance. (Click here for full article)
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  • Joseph influenced by Kabbalah?—
    Brief Summary: Critics claim that Joseph Smith's religious ideas derived in part from Kabbalah, a type of (usually Jewish) mysticism. (Click here for full article)
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  • Lucy Mack Smith on "faculty of Abrac" and "magic circles"—
    Brief Summary: Critics claim that Lucy Mack Smith's discussion of the "faculty of Abrac" and "magic circles" is evidence for the strong role which "magick" played in the Smith family's early life. (Click here for full article)
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  • Jupiter talisman—
    Brief Summary: Critics claim that Joseph Smith had a Jupiter Talisman on his person when he was martyred and cite this as proof of his fascination with the occult. (Click here for full article)
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  • Magician Walters as a mentor?—
    Brief Summary: Critics claim that a "vagabond fortune-teller" named Walters became popular in the Palmyra area, and that when Walters left the area, "his mantle fell upon" Joseph Smith. (Click here for full article)
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  • Magick parchments—
    Brief Summary: Critics claim that the Smith family owned "magic parchments," suggesting their involvement in the "occult." (Click here for full article)
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  • Mars dagger—
    Brief Summary: Critics claim that the Smith's owned a magic dagger that was among Hyrum Smith's heirlooms. They cite this as proof of the Smith family's deep involvement in ritual magick. (Click here for full article)
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Seer stones, use of

Summary: What can you tell me about Joseph's seer stone? What is its relation to the "Urim and Thummim"? Did Joseph place his seer stone in his hat while he was translating the Book of Mormon?