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< Multiple accounts of the First Vision
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On several occasions, George Q. Cannnon identified First Vision story themes with the visit of an "angel" instead of Deity. "George Q. Cannon seemed to start Joseph’s call with the vision of Moroni. He did mention that Joseph saw Jesus and God but did not put those experiences in the framework of the first vision." [1]
The text used to justify criticism #1 reads as follows:
29 October 1882 - "[Joseph Smith] was visited constantly by angels; and the Son of God Himself condescended to come and minister unto him, the Father having also shown Himself unto him; and these various angels, the heads of dispensations, having also ministered unto him. Moroni, in the beginning, as you know, to prepare him for his mission, came and ministered and talked to him from time to time"[2]
The text used to justify criticism #2 reads as follows:
27 May 1883 - "But suppose that the statement that Joseph Smith says the angel made to him should be true - that there was no church upon the face of the earth whom God recognized as His, and whose acts He acknowledged - suppose this were true" [3]
However, Cannon clearly was aware of the details of the First Vision for years prior to making these statements. Furthermore, Cannon's 1882 and 1883 statements are in perfect harmony with the canonized story of Joseph Smith's First Vision experience. They do not lend any weight to the charge that late nineteenth century General Authorities were in a state of confusion over what happened in 1820 to the founding Prophet of the dispensation of the fulness of times. The critics' use of this material demonstrates that they suffer from a fundamental misunderstanding of LDS history and the documents that record it.
The best way to deal with the two George Q. Cannon quotations that are being used by critics is to show that Brother Cannnon was well aware of the orthodox First Vision account long before the time when the disputed quotes were made.
Cannon wrote two articles:
These two articles contain a detailed account of the First Vision. An analysis of these articles demonstrate that George Q. Cannon was gathering his First Vision material from the following published sources.
This documentary evidence all sustains the idea that long before George Q. Cannon made the 1882 and 1883 remarks that are being utilized by anti-Mormon critics he was perfectly familiar with the orthodox version of the First Vision story. Having this knowledge (and being a member of the First Presidency of the Church) it is unlikely that he would not accurately understand the foundational stories of the Restoration.
It is claimed that in 1882 George Q. Cannon "seemed to start Joseph’s call with the vision of Moroni." This, despite the fact that they admit Brother Cannon's statement refers to the appearance of the Father and Son to the Prophet! This is a prime example of anti-Mormon desperation. A fuller examination of the content of Brother Cannon's sermon reveals that his focus in the material right before the contested quote is on "the ministration of divers angels—heads of dispensations . . . all declaring their dispensation, their rights, their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power of their Priesthood. So that Joseph, the head of this dispensation . . . received from all these different sources . . . all the power and all the authority and all keys that were necessary for the building up of the work of God in the last days."
Then, Brother Cannon says in the contested paragraph, "when Joseph died he had embodied in him all the keys and all the authority, all the powers and all the qualifications necessary for the head of a dispensation, to stand at the head of this great last dispensation. They had been bestowed upon him through the providences of God, and through the command of God to His faithful servants who lived in ancient days. There was no end scarcely, in many respects, to the knowledge that [Joseph] received. He was visited constantly by angels; and the Son of God Himself condescended to come and minister unto him, the Father having also shown Himself unto him; and these various angels, the heads of dispensations, having also ministered unto him. Moroni, in the beginning, as you know, to prepare him for his mission, came and ministered and talked to him from time to time, and he had vision after vision in order that his mind might be fully saturated with a knowledge of the things of God."
The sentence that is emphasized above by bold lettering highlights an important passage tha critics of Mormonism have conveniently skipped over. It provides the proper sequence of the giving of "keys," "powers," "authority," and "qualifications." First came bestowals through God Himself (i.e., the First Vision) and then came similar things through ancient, faithful messengers who were commanded by God to visit Joseph Smith (i.e., angelic visitations). In Oliver Cowdery's published Church history he even makes note of the fact that "[Joseph Smith] heard [the angel Moroni] declare himself to be a messenger sent by commandment of the Lord"[7]
Anti-Mormons are taking Brother Cannon's phraseology - "there was no church upon the face of the earth whom God recognized as His, and whose acts He acknowledged" - and claiming that it belongs exclusively to the First Vision story. They claim that there must be a confusion of storylines because this phrase appears to be attributed by Brother Cannon to the angel Moroni.
A check of the sermon where Brother Cannnon makes this remark shows that two paragraphs prior to where this statement is made there is a very similar one which says -
The question to ask, then, is - Did the angel Moroni make these things known to Joseph Smith or are they themes that belong exclusively to the First Vision narrative?
The answer to this question is found in the published accounts of the angel Moroni visitations. In them it can be seen that Joseph Smith was told by the angel Moroni in 1823 that -
The angel Moroni definitely told Joseph Smith that the Lord was going to establish a "church" in his day because the plan of salvation, legitimate priesthood authority, the fulness of the gospel, and authorized ordinances were not available on the earth at that time. In other words, the Lord clearly did not recognize the ecclesiastical organizations that were then in existence. George Q. Cannon's 1883 statement is, therefore, completely vindicated.
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