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Joseph Smith's First Vision/Association with the Methodists
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Contents
Criticism
- Critics claim that while Joseph "almost certainly never formally joined the Methodist church, he did associate himself with the Methodists eight years after he said he had been instructed by God not to join any established denomination."
- It is claimed that the Methodists did not acquire property on Vienna Road near Palmyra until July 1821, and that is therefore "likely that Smith's first dabble with Methodism occurred during the 1824-25 revival in Palmyra."
Source(s) of the criticism
- Wikipedia article "First Vision"–Primary editors: COgden and John Foxe, with additional contributions by multiple editors. ( FAIR's Analysis of this Wikipedia article)
- John A. Matzko, "The Encounter of Young Joseph Smith with Presbyterianism," Dialogue 40/3 (2007): 78.
Response
Critics wish to discount the story of the First Vision by asserting that Joseph's claim that the "unusual excitement" about religion "commenced with the Methodists" could not have occurred. Specifically, it is claimed that Methodist camp meetings would not have occurred until after July 1821, since the Methodists did not acquire property in the area until that time.
The Wikipedia article "First Vision" contains the unsupported assertion in a footnote:
Bushman, 69-70. The Methodists did not acquire property on the Vienna Road until July 1821, so it is likely that Smith's first dabble with Methodism occurred during the 1824-25 revival in Palmyra.
The Bushman reference (Rough Stone Rolling) states nothing about the Methodists acquisition of property, nor does it claim that Joseph's "first dabble" with Methodism occurred during the 1824 revival.
Dr. Matzko makes the same assertion, however, he backs up it with a citation. According to Matzko:
Since the Methodists did not acquire property on the Vienna Road until July 1821, the camp meetings were almost certainly held after that date.Wesley Walters, "A Reply to Dr. Bushman," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 4, no. 1 (Spring 1969): 99. D. Michael
In contrast to the Wikipedia article, however, Matzko does provide a reference to the 1820 Methodist camp meeting:
Quinn argues that, on the contrary, a Methodist camp meeting of 1820 can be fairly interpreted as the religious revival to which Joseph Smith refers and that Methodists typically only asked permission to use property for camp meetings rather than purchase the land. D. Michael Quinn, "Joseph Smith's Experience of a Methodist "Camp Meeting" in 1820,” Dialogue Paperless, E-Paper
- 3, expanded version (“definitive”), December 20, 2006, http://www.dialoguejournal.com/excerpts/e4.pdf (accessed March 6, 2007).
Conclusion
Endnotes
None
Further reading
FAIR wiki articles
FAIR web site
- FAIR Topical Guide:
External links
===Printed material===