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FIRST VISION
Total Articles:
19
The Mormon Church relies and heavily uses what is referred to as the “First Vision.” The First Vision is an account of Joseph Smith, a 14 year old boy, who puzzled over which church to join, knelt in a grove of trees in 1820 and prayed for an answer. According to the Mormon Church First Vision, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and told him that all churches were corrupt and that Joseph would be called to bring forth the “True Church Of God.” The Mormon Church continues to publish and preach this version of the First Vision to current membership and to potential converts.
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The Mormon Church relies and heavily uses what is referred to as the "First Vision." The First Vision is an account of Joseph Smith, a 14 year old boy, who puzzled over which church to join, knelt in a grove of trees in 1820 and prayed for an answer. According to the Mormon Church First Vision, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith and told him that all churches were corrupt and that Joseph would be called to bring forth the "True Church Of God." The Mormon Church continues to publish and preach this version of the First Vision to current membership and to potential converts.
Gordon B. Hinckley - the current Prophet of the Mormon Church stated the following: "We declare without equivocation that God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared in person to the boy Joseph Smith. When I was interviewed by Mike Wallace on the 60 Minutes program, he asked me if I actually believed that. I replied, "Yes, sir. That's the miracle of it." That is the way I feel about it. Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. If it did, then it is the most important and wonderful work under the heavens." (General Conference Oct. 2002)
There are many problems associated with the First Vision. While Joseph Smith had his First Vision in 1820, there is no documented proof of the First Vision until 1835. This includes newspaper accounts, journals, diaries, affidavits, letters or any other account of record prior to 1835. It was not until 1842 that the account of the First Vision was actually published. For fifteen years not a single document contains anything concerning the First Vision. According to Mormon Church History, Joseph Smith repeatedly told his story of the First Vision, first to his parents, and then to clergy in "apostate" churches. As detailed in Mormon Church History, Joseph Smith received severe persecution from these clergy for his "outlandish" story. Regardless, not a single piece of evidence exists concerning Joseph's First Vision prior to 1835, fifteen years after receiving it.
In the Mormon book, "The Pear Of Great Price", Joseph Smith writes "I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution;" proving that he indeed told many people about his First Vision.
In 1835, Joseph Smith wrote the History of the Church yet he failed to make any mention of the First Vision.
Joseph Smith's mother Lucy Mack Smith carefully documented Joseph Smith's early visions as well as Joseph Smith Sr.'s dreams and visions. In all of the documents prior to 1835, Lucy Mack Smith makes no mention at all of the first Vision. In a book published by Lucky Mack Smith an account is given of the First Vision, however, this was added in later by Orson Pratt and the original manuscript of the book does not contain it.
In the Journal of Discourses - a group of heavy sermons by Brigham Young - Brigham was very aware of the official version of the First Vision, however, Brigham never mentions that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and Jesus Christ in a grove in 1820. The closest that Brigham Young comes to even mentioning the First Vision is here: "The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven, in power and great glory, nor send His messengers panoplied with aught else than the truth of heaven, to communicate to the meek, the lowly, the youth of humble origin, the sincere enquirer after the knowlege of God. But He did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith jun., who afterwards became a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong; that they were following the precepts of men instead of the Lord Jesus; that He had a work for him to perform, inasmuch as he should prove faithful before Him" (Journal of Discourses, Volume 2, Page 171)
| The Mormon Church claims the First Vision event is "unique, singular, and remarkable event is the pivotal substance of our faith" as quoted by the Mormon
Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley. The First Vision told to modern day Mormons is that Joseph Smith, as a boy, knelt in a sacred grove of trees in
upstate New-York to pray concerning the validity of the churches of his time. During his prayer the heavens opened and God and Jesus Christ
appeared to him. This is the story that is told to all new converts or prospective converts of the church. What church members don't know, and what the
church won't tell, is that there were multiple versions of the first vision. The first vision continued to change again and again through the 1800's until
the version told today.
"A testimony begins with the acceptance by faith of the divine mission of Jesus Christ, the head of this Church; and the prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith. The gospel as restored by Joseph Smith is either true or it is not."
"No one was with the boy Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York, when God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared. Yet even those who do not believe it happened may find it difficult to explain away. Too much has happened since it occurred to deny that it ever took place." - Elder James E. Faust, General Conference, October 2003 Saturday Morning Session
Has the church ever denied the "First Vision" story that modern church members know today?
In 1834
"You will recollect that I mentioned the time of a religious excitement, in Palmyra and vicinity to have been in the 15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr.'s age - that was an error in the type - it should have been in the 17th. - You will please remember this correction, as it will be necessary for the full understanding of what will follow in time. This would bring the date down to the year 1823... while this (religious) excitement continued, he continued to call upon the Lord in secret for a full manifestation of divine approbation, and for, to him, the all important information, if a Supreme being did exist, to have an assurance that he was accepted of him."
"On the evening of the 21st of September, 1823, previous to retiring to rest, our brother's mind was unusually wrought up on the subject which had so long agitated his mind, all he desired was to be prepared in heart to commune with some kind of messenger who could communicate to him the desired information of his acceptance with God. While continuing in prayer for a manifestation in some way that his sins were forgiven; endeavoring to exercise faith in the scriptures, on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a purer and far more glorious appearance and brightness burst into the room. It is no easy task to describe the appearance of a messenger from the skies. But it may be well to relate the particulars as far as given - The stature of this personage was a little above the common size of men in this age; his garment was perfectly white, and had the appearance of being without seam. Though fear was banished from his heart, yet his surprise was no less when he heard him declare himself to be a messenger sent by commandment of the Lord, to deliver a special message, and to witness to him that his sins were forgiven, and that his prayers were heard;"
- Oliver Cowdery with Joseph Smith's help, Messenger and Advocate, Kirtland, Ohio, Dec. 1834, vol.1, no.3
In 1854
"Some one may say, 'If this work of the last days be true, why did not the Saviour come himself to communicate this intelligence to the world?' Because to the angels was committed the power of reaping the earth, and it was committed to none else."
- Apostle Orson Hyde, General Conference Address, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p.335
In 1855
Church President and Prophet Brigham Young taught on Feb. 18, 1855: "...so it was in the advent of this new dispensation... The messenger did not come to an eminent divine...The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven,...But He did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith jun., who afterwards became a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day,..." ( Journal of Discourses, vol.2, p.171)
(It is certain Young is speaking of the First Vision for he says the angel told Smith to join no church for they were all wrong. This is the very question the official version of the story states Smith asked of the Father and the Son in the Sacred Grove.)
A few days later Apostle Wilford Woodruff declared: "That same organization and Gospel that Christ died for, and the Apostles spilled their blood to vindicate, is again established in this generation. How did it come? By the ministering of an holy angel from God,... The angel taught Joseph Smith those principles which are necessary for the salvation of the world;... He told him the Gospel was not among men, and that there was not a true organization of His kingdom in the world,... This man to whom the angel appeared obeyed the Gospel;..." (Journal of Discourses, Vol.2, pp.196-197)
In 1857
Church Apostle Heber C. Kimball, speaking Nov. 8th, 1857, seemed to be oblivious to any vision where Smith saw God and Christ: "Do you suppose that God in person called upon Joseph Smith, our Prophet? God called upon him; but God did not come himself and call, but he sent Peter to do it. Do you not see? He sent Peter and sent Moroni to Joseph, and told him that he had got the plates." (Journal of Discourses, vol.6, p.29)
In 1863
Church Apostle John Taylor explained in a sermon March 1, 1863: "How did this state of things called Mormonism originate? We read that an angel came down and revealed himself to Joseph Smith and manifested unto him in vision the true position of the world in a religious point of view." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p.127)
Church Apostle George A. Smith, Nov. 15th, 1863, preached: "When Joseph Smith was about fourteen or fifteen years old,...he went humbly before the Lord and inquired of Him, and the Lord answered his prayer, and revealed to Joseph, by the ministration of angels, the true condition of the religious world. When the holy angel appeared, Joseph inquired which of all these denominations was right and which he should join, and was told they were all wrong,..." (Journal of Discourses, Vol.12, pp.333-334)
In 1869
Five years later Apostle Smith again referred to Smith's first vision: "He sought the Lord by day and by night, and was enlightened by the vision of an holy angel. When this personage appeared to him, of his first inquiries was, 'Which of the denominations of Christians in the vicinity was right?' " (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p.77-78 June 20, 1869 )
Nowdays the church insists that the validity of the church rests on the latest First Vision story being literally true
"Our entire case as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rests on the validity of this glorious First Vision. ... Nothing on which we base our doctrine, nothing we teach, nothing we live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration. I submit that if Joseph Smith talked with God the Father and His Beloved Son, then all else of which he spoke is true. This is the hinge on which turns the gate that leads to the path of salvation and eternal life."
- Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign Mag., Nov. 1998, pp.70-71
"As I see it, there are four great foundation stones on which this Church stands, irremovable. The first, the great First Vision, the visit of the Father and the Son to the boy Joseph Smith, the opening of the heavens in this the dispensation of the fulness of times, the great bringing together of all of the work of God in all the past dispensations throughout the history of the world. The curtain was parted with that First Vision, and it stands as an absolute fundamental in the Church and its history and its well-being.
- Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Aug. 1998, 72
- "A believing boy took one small step and prayed. A loving Father in Heaven listened and responded. What has resulted could rightfully be referred to as one giant leap for mankind. All the towers ever built and all the spaceships ever launched pale in comparison to Joseph Smith's first vision. Though men fly higher and higher into the heavens, they will not find God or see his face unless they humble themselves, pray, and heed the truths revealed through the Prophet of the Restoration (Joseph Smith)."
"Some have foolishly said, 'Take away Joseph Smith and his prayer in the grove and the First Vision, and we can accept your message.' Such people would have us bury the treasure of saving truths already cited, and many more, and turn our backs on the most important event that has taken place in all world history from the day of Christ's ministry to the glorious hour when the First Vision occurred."
- Elder Carlos E. Asay, "One Small Step for a Man; One Giant Leap for Mankind," Ensign, May 1990, page 62
"We declare without equivocation that God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared in person to the boy Joseph Smith. When I was interviewed by Mike Wallace on the 60 Minutes program, he asked me if I actually believed that. I replied, "Yes, sir. That's the miracle of it." That is the way I feel about it. Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. If it did, then it is the most important and wonderful work under the heavens."
"Good men and women, not a few-really great and wonderful people-tried to correct, strengthen, and improve their systems of worship and their body of doctrine. To them I pay honor and respect. How much better the world is because of their bold action. While I believe their work was inspired, it was not favored with the opening of the heavens, with the appearance of Deity."
"Then in 1820 came that glorious manifestation in answer to the prayer of a boy who had read in his family Bible the words of James: "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him" (James 1:5)."
"Upon that unique and wonderful experience stands the validity of this Church."
In all of recorded religious history there is nothing to compare with it. The New Testament recounts the baptism of Jesus when the voice of God was heard and the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove. At the Mount of Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John saw the Lord transfigured before them. They heard the voice of the Father, but they did not see Him.
"Why did both the Father and the Son come to a boy, a mere lad? For one thing, they came to usher in the greatest gospel dispensation of all time, when all of previous dispensations should be gathered and brought together in one."
It is easy to see why people do not accept this account. It is almost beyond comprehension. And yet it is so reasonable... Can they legitimately deny the need for an appearance of the God of heaven and His resurrected Son in this very complex period of the world's history?"
"That They came, both of Them, that Joseph saw Them in Their resplendent glory, that They spoke to him and that he heard and recorded Their
words-of these remarkable things we testify. I knew a so-called intellectual who said the Church was trapped by its history. My response was
that without that history we have nothing. The truth of that unique, singular, and remarkable event is the pivotal substance of our faith."
- Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith," October 2002 General Conference
| Church Leader Makes Another Do-or-die First Vision Declaration
Article Archived: Friday, Apr 8, 2005, at 08:58 AM
Stored Under Topic: FIRST VISION
Outside Link To Article: RIGHT CLICK - COPY LINK LOCATION
Original Author Of Article: Deconstructor | TOP | |
Here we go again.
Church leader and Prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, has said the same thing several times before. Now he
said it again in the latest General Conference:
"Permit me to name a few of many doctrines and practices which
distinguish us from all other churches, and all of which have come of revelation to the youthful Prophet. They are familiar
to you, but they are worth repeating and reflecting on. The first of these, of course, is the manifestation of God Himself and
His Beloved Son, the risen Lord Jesus Christ. This grand theophany is, in my judgment, the greatest such event since the
birth, life, death, and Resurrection of our Lord in the meridian of time. We have no record of any other event to equal
it."
"And upon the reality and truth of this vision rests the validity of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints."
- Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Great Things Which God Has Revealed" Spring Conference 2005
In response, I would ask the church and anyone with a sane mind, these simple questions:
If the official First
Vision story was so important, why did it go unpublished until 1842?
Smith supposedly had his vision in 1820. Yet
it took over seven private revisions and another 22 years to have it first published.
Why didn't Joseph Smith
write the "official" version of the First Vision?
In fact, the Joseph Smith History in the Pearl of Great Price
was written by a scribe, James Mulholland, and went unpublished for years. There are earlier versions of the First Vision story
in Joseph Smith's own handwriting, but they are not considered "official" and are relatively ignored by the church.
If Joseph Smith saw and heard God in 1820, why did he pray in his room in 1823 to find out "if a Supreme being did
exist?"
In the first history of Mormonism in the LDS periodical Messenger and Advocate, Kirtland, Ohio, Feb. 1835,
Joseph Smith says that in September 1823 he began praying in his bed to learn "the all important information, if a Supreme being
did exist." How could that possibly make sense if Smith had already seen God face-to-face some three years earlier in 1820?
See: http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1834-35.html
Why does the "official"
First Vision story contradict Joseph Smith's own handwritten testimony?
In Joseph Smith's first handwritten
testimony of the first vision in 1832, he says he already knew all other churches were false before he prayed. Smith testified:
"by searching the scriptures I found that mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatised from the true and
living faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ."
See: http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1832.html
Yet in the "official" story
written years later by a scribe has Joseph Smith saying: "I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all
the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong) and which I should join."
In fact, looking at all the versions of the first vision story, you see a pattern of contradictions and evolution, not a
pattern of mere elaboration on a single original experience.
If Jesus Christ and God the Father really told Joseph
Smith in 1820 that all churches were an abomination, then why did he try joining the Methodist church in June of 1828?
Records show that in June of 1828, Joseph Smith applied for membership in his wife's Methodist Church. He also joined
Methodist classes taught there. (The Amboy Journal, Amboy, IL, details Smith's activity in the Methodist Church in 1828. April
30, 1879 p. 1; May 21, 1879 p.1; June 11, 1879, p.1; July 2, 1879 p.1.)
If Joseph Smith could not deny that he saw
God, then why did his own handwritten accounts deny it?
In the other First Vision accounts, including one
handwritten by Joseph Smith himself, he does not say that he saw God the Father. Instead, his earlier accounts refer to an angel,
a spirit, many angels, or the Son. Yet in the "official" account, it says Joseph Smith saw God and knew God knew it, and
therefore despite persecution, he dared not deny or change his story.
See: http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1832.html
Why did Joseph Smith fail to
mention his First Vision when he first wrote a church history in 1835?
Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery wrote and
published a history of the church that supposedly covered all of the important points related to its beginnings. However, Joseph
Smith records a different story than the "official" one later published in 1842. In Joseph Smith's own 1835 published history of
the church, he says that his first spiritual experience was in 1823 after a religious revival in Palmyra that same year. Smith
testified that he prayed while in bed in order to discover if God existed, when he was visited by an angelic messenger
(Nephi/Moroni) that forgave him his sins. Elements of this narrative are similar to the later "official" version except the
"official" version has different dates, locations, visitors and purposes for Smith's first spiritual experience.
See: http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1834-35.html
If Joseph Smith's First
Vision was the most important historical event since the atonement, then why didn't early church members know about it?
The early church all but ignored this "greatestest event since the birth, life, death, and Resurrectionon" of Jesus
Christ:
"As far as Mormon literature is concerned, there was apparently no reference to Joseph Smith's first vision in
any published material in the 1830's. Joseph Smith's history, which was begun in 1838, was not published until it ran serially in
the Times and Seasons in 1842. The famous "Wentworth Letter," which contained a much less detailed account of the vision,
appeared March 1, 1842, in the same periodical. Introductory material to the Book of Mormon, as well as publicity about it, told
of Joseph Smith's obtaining the gold plates and of angelic visitations, but nothing was printed that remotely suggested earlier
visitations."
"In 1833 the Church published the Book of Commandments, forerunner to the present Doctrine and
Covenants, and again no reference was made to Joseph's first vision, although several references were made to the Book of Mormon
and the circumstances of its origin."
"The first regular periodical to be published by the Church was The Evening and
Morning Star, but its pages reveal no effort to tell the story of the first vision to its readers. Nor do the pages of the
Latter-day Saints Messenger and Advocate, printed in Kirtland, Ohio, from October, 1834, to September, 1836. In this newspaper
Oliver Cowdery, who was second only to Joseph Smith in the early organization of the Church, published a series of letters
dealing with the origin of the Church. These letters were written with the approval of Joseph Smith, but they contained no
mention of any vision prior to those connected with the Book of Mormon."
"In 1835 the Doctrine and Covenants was
printed at Kirtland, Ohio, and its preface declared that it contained "the leading items of religion which we have professed to
believe." Included in the book were the "Lectures on Faith," a series of seven lectures which had been prepared for the School of
the Prophets in Kirtland in 1834-35. It is interesting to note that, in demonstrating the doctrine that the Godhead consists of
two separate personages, no mention was made of Joseph Smith having seen them, nor was any reference made to the first vision in
any part of the publication."
"The first important missionary pamphlet of the Church was the Voice of Warning,
published in 1837 by Parley P. Pratt. The book contains long sections on items important to missionaries of the 1830's, such as
fulfillment of prophecy, the Book of Mormon, external evidence of the book's authenticity, the resurrection, and the nature of
revelation, but nothing, again, on the first vision."
"The Times and Seasons began publication in 1839, but, as
indicated above, the story of the vision was not told in its pages until 1842. From all this it would appear that the general
church membership did not receive information about the first vision until the 1840's and that the story certainly did not hold
the prominent place in Mormon thought that it does today."
- Dialogue, Vol.1, No.3, p.31 - p.32
If it
really happened, why couldn't Joseph Smith tell a consistent story about such a powerful experience as meeting with God and Jesus
Christ face-to-face?
How many people forget their first sexual experience, even decades after the event? How many
forget who they were with and what happened? If teenagers can remember details such as year, circumstance and partners involved
in their first sexual experience, why couldn't Joseph Smith consistently recall his incredible First Vision?
Why
did Joseph Smith's own mother, in the extensive history of her son's life, not mention Joseph ever having a vision from God and
Jesus Christ, or that he was persecuted for it?
According to the official story, Joseph Smith told his mother
about his first vision story. Although Lucy Mack Smith, the mother of Joseph Smith Jr., wrote a lot of details about her son
during the early 1820s, in her history of Joseph's life she did not mention Joseph ever having a visitation from God and Jesus
Christ. Nor does she mention any persecution.
You would think that Lucy would mention such an astounding event in her
son's life. This was a bigger event than a big foot sighting; this was a visit from God and Jesus Christ! But apparently despite
Joseph telling his mother, it was not significant enough for her to mention it in the extensive biography she wrote about her
son.
The only element of the first vision story that Lucy mentions is religious revivals around Palmyra, yet she dates
them to 1823, not 1820. Historical records of the time corroborate Lucky Mack Smith's dating of revivals in 1823 and none in
Palmyra during 1820. See: http://www.irr.org/mit/fvision.html
Here's a list of repeated church declarations that the
entire validty of the church rests on the Pearl of Great Price version of the First Vision story:
http://www.i4m.com/think/intro/must_believe_vision.htm
| The $1000 Challenge:
(A) Find ANY mention of the current official version of the First Vision in any document written or published before 1835. This could include newspaper accounts, journals, diaries, affidavits by Joseph's neighbore (there were many) Church proselyting material, sermons etc. Remember, it has to mention both God the Father and Jesus Christ appearing to JS and telling him to join no other churches. Remind your TBM brother that JS said that he kept telling this story and that it cause a lot of commotion and persecution towards him but he kept telling it anyway. Surely someone must have mentioned it somewhere in print before 1835.
(B) Find any indication that Brigham Young knew of the current version of the first vision. They can use the Journal of Discourses, Newspaper accounts, journals, church magazines, proselyting materials etc. Since BY preached many sermons on the nature of the Godhead this should be a piece of cake. After all the First Vision shows that God the Father and Jesus Christ were separate, distinct personages. Surely Brigham Young would mention this. To win the money they must show directly that BY knew of the details of the first vision. No fair saying "well, BY was a big mucky-muck in the church and knew JS personally so OF COURSE he knew about the first vision." They have to actually show that BY knew about it directly.
The $100 Challenge:
Tell your bishop that you will give him $100 if he can give you any evidence of the "official version" of the first vision. To count it must mention both God the Father and Jesus Christ appearing to JS and telling him to join none of the sects in answer to his question of which sect to join.
Now here's the kicker, they are limited to material that was in existence on or before 1835. That's 15 years AFTER the supposed event. There were diaries kept by many Church members. There were articles about Joseph Smith and the Mormons in various newspapers. There were affidavits sworn to by his neighbors who told what they knew about the Smith family and about Joseph in particular. The Mormons were publishing newspapers and various books and tracts then too. In NONE of these was the first vision (in anything close to the current "official" version) mentioned. In the PoGP JS says he kept telling about the first vision and was persecuted by the powers that be for saying it:
"22 I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects?all united to persecute me....
"24 However, it was nevertheless a fact that I had beheld a vision. I have thought since, that I felt much like Paul, when he made his defense before King Agrippa, and related the account of the vision he had when he saw a light, and heard a voice; but still there were but few who believed him; some said he was dishonest, others said he was mad; and he was ridiculed and reviled. But all this did not destroy the reality of his vision. He had seen a vision, he knew he had, and all the persecution under heaven could not make it otherwise; and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice speaking unto him, and all the world could not make him think or believe otherwise.
"25 So it was with me. I had actually seen a light, and in the midst of that light I saw two Personages, and they did in reality speak to me; and though I was hated and persecuted for saying that I had seen a vision, yet it was true; and while they were persecuting me, reviling me, and speaking all manner of evil against me falsely for so saying, I was led to say in my heart: Why persecute me for telling the truth? I have actually seen a vision; and who am I that I can withstand God, or why does the world think to make me deny what I have actually seen? For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it, neither dared I do it; at least I knew that by so doing I would offend God, and come under condemnation." (History of Joseph Smith, Pearl of Great Price)
Point out that in 1820 The historical record shows that there was no revival in Palmyra and that the revival that is described in the PoGP best fits the revival of 1824.
Point out that all evidence available is completely consistent with Joseph making up the whole story at least a decade after it supposedly happened and the evidence is NOT consistent with it having happened the way that JS claimed it did in the "official" version.
Don't argue with him, just give the $100 challenge. But point out that to win he must show ANY evidence that existed before 1835 that
- Joseph saw God the Father and Jesus Christ as separate personages.
- He asked which church to join.
- They instructed him to join none of them.
If he can show that these three aspects of the first vision were ever mentioned by anyone before 1835 then he gets $100 free and clear.
Oh, and point out that Joseph Smith's own Mother who carefully documented all of Joseph Smith's early visions as well as Joseph Smith Sr's dreams and visions makes no mention at all of the supposed first vision. If and when your bishop notes that Lucy Mack Smith's book has the first vision in Joseph's own words you can point out that the original manuscript that Mother Smith dictated had NO mention of the first vision at all but the book that was published by Orson Pratt added it in.
Second $100 challenge. Offer him a second $100 if he can show any direct evidence that Brigham Young was aware of the official version of the first vision. BY gave a gazillion sermons, the JoD is full of them. In none of them does he mention God the Father and Jesus Christ appearing to Joseph Smith in the grove in 1820. In fact, the closest BY comes to even mentioning any such thing is:
"The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven, in power and great glory, nor send His messengers panoplied with aught else than the truth of heaven, to communicate to the meek, the lowly, the youth of humble origin, the sincere enquirer after the knowlege of God. But He did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith jun., who afterwards became a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong; that they were following the precepts of men instead of the Lord Jesus; that He had a work for him to perform, inasmuch as he should prove faithful before Him.<.i>" (Journal of Discourses, vol 2, p 171)
Note that this is talking about the "first vision" and not Moroni's (Nephi's?) visit as he was "informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong"
You can see the actual page from the JoD at:
http://www.irr.org/mit/WDIST/wdist-fv-jdv2p171.html
If that's not enough you can show him the various times JS forcefully declared that he wasn't practicing polygamy and that no such practice was happening in Nauvoo. This was done while JS had multiple wives and well after D&C 132.
So (1) we KNOW that JS had no problem lying publically about polygamy. (2) We have NO evidence that he even claimed the first vision happened until at least a decade after 1820. (3) Even the members of his own family had no recollection of him even claiming to have had the first vision. (4) The historical record of revivals in the area is not consistent with the claims of the first vision. (5) Even Brigham Young was not aware of the details of the first vision.
Given all this one can conclude "beyond reasonable doubt and to a moral certainty" that the first vision never happened and JS was just lying about it. Point out that many people have been sentenced to death on less conclusive evidence.
He gets $100 if he can prove you wrong.
Oh and one final thing. After you point out that the First Vision has been proven bogus quote Gordon B. Hinckley to him:
"We declare without equivocation that God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared in person to the boy Joseph Smith. When I was interviewed by Mike Wallace on the 60 Minutes program, he asked me if I actually believed that. I replied, "Yes, sir. That's the miracle of it." That is the way I feel about it. Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. If it did, then it is the most important and wonderful work under the heavens." --GBH in October 2002 General Conference.
| Lucy Mack Smith's Book Is Strong Evidence Against The First Vision
Article Archived: Monday, Jul 11, 2005, at 09:37 AM
Stored Under Topic: FIRST VISION
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Original Author Of Article: Anonymous | TOP | |
Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smith's mother, dictated her memories to a scribe. That resulted in a hand-written manuscript which was eventually massaged into a book by others, most notably Orson Pratt.
In Lucy's original manuscript she carefully documents her husband's dreams and visions (one of which is a dead ringer for the "Lehi Tree-Of-Life" dream in the Book of Mormon). She carefully describes Joseph's story of encountering Moroni and the whole story of the plates etc.
However in her original manuscript there is not even a hint of the First Vision. There is no mention of a revival in 1820, no talk of Joseph seeing the two Gods--nothing.
By the time the book made it to a publisher (with the help of Orson Pratt--who himself had recently published a book containing the "official account" of the First Vision) Joseph's word-for-word version (in Joseph's previously published words--not Lucy Mack Smith's words) was inserted into the text.
Given the amount of detail Lucy Mack Smith spends on all the other visions, dreams etc. in her book it is unthinkable that she would have overlooked the First Vision if it had actually been part of the family lore.
And remember, Joseph's story in the Pearl of Great Price talks of how he told the story and aroused great persecution against himself but he still could not deny it. If it had actually happened that way it would have been a red-letter, brass-plated, standout event in the Smith household. It would have been given a special place in Lucy's dictated memories. But in the original manuscript that she dictated there is nothing, zip, nada. Not even a hint.
Tell your FIL about my $1000 challenge. I will pay $1000 for proof of the existence of any document that mentions the first vision. The document can be a newspaper article, letter to the editor, diary or journal entry, published pamphlet, recorded sermon, affidavit from a neighbor--anything. It can be written by a Mormon, an anti-Mormon or a disinterested reporter. There are only two criteria it must meet to get the money:
(1) It must mention Joseph praying around 1820 to find which church is true and both God the Father and Jesus Christ appear and tell him none are true.
(2) The document must be in existence before 1835. This gives over 14 years since the supposed event. A time during which the church published newspapers, books and many pamphlets. A time when letters were written and diary entries made. A time when sermons were recorded and affidavits taken of testimony of Joseph's neighbors. A time when court cases were heard and testimony taken. In none of these that has ever been found to date is the First Vision mentioned with the details in criterion (1).
Furthermore I will also give $1000 for any proof that Brigham Young knew of the First Vision. Hundreds of letters, sermons, etc. of Youngs have been preserved. He often spoke on the character of God and how God and Jesus were separate beings. Of how God the Father had a body of flesh and bone. The evidence of Joseph actually seeing the bodies of the Father and the Son as separate beings would be the perfect "proof text" for Brigham Young to use on such an occasion.
The closest thing that exists is a passage in a sermon by Brigham Young in which Joseph wants to know which church is true and, according to Brigham Young, God did NOT appear to Joseph but sent his angel instead:
"The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven, in power and great glory, nor send His messengers panoplied with aught else than the truth of heaven, to communicate to the meek, the lowly, the youth of humble origin, the sincere enquirer after the knowlege of God. But He did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith jun., who afterwards became a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong; that they were following the precepts of men instead of the Lord Jesus; that He had a work for him to perform, inasmuch as he should prove faithful before Him."
(Brigham Young, Feb. 18, 1855, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p.171)
Notice that Brigham is talking about the "angel" telling Joseph to join none of the sects and not of the angel telling Joseph about the plates.
Joseph's brother William Smith, an apostle, said basically the same thing in an interview.
Joseph's cousin, Apostle George Albert Smith, also gave the angel story about how Joseph found out all the churches were wrong. Those who knew Joseph the longest and best seemed to not know of the First Vision story even though it was published in a church periodical April 1, 1842. (a fitting date, don'tcha think?)
The historical and documentary record (including Lucy Mack Smith's book) is not consistent with Joseph's story of the First Vision, in the Pearl of Great Price, being true. The historical and documentary record is very consistant with Joseph making up the whole story at a later date.
| Most people reading this page will be familiar with Joseph Smith’s account of the First Vision, in which God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared and told him not to join any churches, that they were all corrupt. I thought I would spend some time discussing my thoughts on this account.
I thought I’d start with this interesting statement from Joseph Smith’s official history:
“Some few days after I had this vision, I happened to be in company with one of the Methodist preachers, who was very active in the before mentioned religious excitement; and, conversing with him on the subject of religion, I took occasion to give him an account of the vision which I had had. I was greatly surprised at his behavior; he treated my communication not only lightly, but with great contempt, saying it was all of the devil, that there were no such things as visions or revelations in these days; that all such things had ceased with the apostles, and that there would never be any more of them.
“I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age, and my circumstances in life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me.
“It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling. But strange or not, so it was, and it was often the cause of great sorrow to myself” (Joseph Smith—History 1:21-23).
That should be easy to verify, one would think. If this vision had so excited his neighbors against him, surely one of his neighbors, either friendly or antagonistic, would have mentioned the vision and its attendant persecution. But no mention is made, for example, in the much-maligned Hurlbut affidavits, which were recorded in 1833. Rather, the first vision mentioned in any of the affidavits is the purported appearance of Moroni in 1823. Here are a few excerpts:
“I, William Stafford, … first became acquainted with Joseph, Sen., and his family in the year 1820. They lived, at that time, in Palmyra, about one mile and a half from my residence. A great part of their time was devoted to digging for money: especially in the night time, when they said the money could be most easily obtained. I have heard them tell marvelous tales, respecting the discoveries they had made in their peculiar occupation of money digging. …When they found that the people of this vicinity would no longer put any faith in their schemes for digging money, they then pretended to find a gold bible, of which, they said, the book of Mormon was only an introduction.”
“I [Willard Chase] became acquainted with the Smith family, known as the authors
of the Mormon Bible, in the year 1820. … In the month of June, 1827, Joseph Smith, Sen., related to me the following story: That some years ago, a spirit had appeared to Joseph his son, in a vision, and informed him that in a certain place there was a record on plates of gold, and that he was the person that must obtain them.”
The rest of the affidavits are similar in that no one mentions anything about a First Vision. These affidavits, however, have been dismissed as biased and polemical, and they may well be tainted evidence. But even friendly accounts make no mention of the First Vision. Lucy Mack Smith wrote a history of her son’s life and for some reason neglected to mention the First Vision, even though she discussed his fourteenth year as a matter of course. The later published version, however, contained an account of the First Vision, not surprisingly the official version published in LDS scriptures.
In 1893, William Smith gave an account of his brother’s First Vision as following a Methodist revival in 1822 and 1823, which “stirred up the neighborhood”:
“At length he determined to call upon the Lord until he should get a manifestation from him. He accordingly went out into the woods and falling upon his knees called for a long time upon the Lord for wisdom and knowledge. While engaged in prayer a light appeared in the heavens, and descended until it rested upon the trees where he was. It appeared like fire. But to his great astonishment, did not burn the trees. An angel then appeared to him and conversed with him upon many things. He told him that none of the sects were right; but that if he was faithful in keeping the commandments he should receive, the true way should be made known to him; that his sins were forgiven, etc. A more elaborate and accurate description of his vision, however, will be found in his own history” (William Smith on Mormonism, 8-9).
At first glance, this account seems to corroborate Joseph’s account, but let’s read on:
“The next day I was at work in the field together with Joseph and my eldest brother Alvin. Joseph looked pale and unwell, so that Alvin told him if he was sick he need not work; he then went and sat down by the fence, when the angel again appeared to him, and told him to call his father's house together and communicate to them the visions he had received, which he had not yet told to any one; and promised him that if he would do so, they would believe it. He accordingly asked us to come to the house, as he had something to tell us. After we were all gathered, he arose and told us how the angel appeared to him; what he had told them as written above; and that the angel had also given him a short account of the inhabitants who formerly resided upon this continent, a full history of whom he said was engraved on some plates which were hidden, and which the angel promised to show him” (Ibid. 9-10).
Joseph speaks of this event as having occurred the morning after the appearance of Moroni, and William seems to be confirming this. The dates and details are consistent with Moroni’s appearance, and the accounts seem heavily influenced by Joseph’s published accounts.
To sum up, we have this pithy statement from Fawn Brodie: “If something happened that spring morning in 1820, it passed totally unnoticed in Joseph's home town, and apparently did not even fix itself in the minds of members of his own family” (No Man Knows My History, New York, 1957, pp. 24).
James B. Allen, former Assistant Church Historian, agrees with Brodie:
“According to Joseph Smith, he told the story of the vision immediately after it happened the early spring of 1820. As a result, he said, he received immediate criticism in the community. There is little if any evidence, however, that by the early 1830's Joseph Smith was telling the story in public. At least if he were telling it, no one seemed to consider it important enough to have recorded it at the time, and no one was criticizing him for it . . . The fact that none of the available contemporary writings about Joseph Smith in the 1830's, none of the publications of the Church in that decade, and no contemporary journal or correspondence yet discovered mentions the story of the first vision is convincing evidence that at best it received only limited circulation in those early days . . . as far as non-Mormons were concerned there was little, if any, awareness of it in the 1830's . . ."As far as Mormon literature is concerned, there was apparently no reference to Joseph Smith's first vision in any publishedmaterial in the 1830's . . . From all this it would appear that the general church membership did not receive information about the first vision until the 1840's and that the story certainly did not hold the prominent place in Mormon thought that it does today” (Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Autumn 1966, pages 30-34).
Why didn’t he tell anyone? Here’s Hugh Nibley’s attempt at an explanation: “But, one may ask, why should Joseph Smith have waited so long to tell his story officially? From his own explanation it is apparent that he would not have told it publicly at all had he not been 'induced' to do so by all the scandal stories that were circulating” (Improvement Era, July 1961, 522).
Again, according to Joseph, he told the story immediately, and he was roundly criticized and even persecuted for telling the tale. But no one seems to remember being told the story or the subsequent persecution.
Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but an account at odds with the facts is certainly interesting.
| No Joke: TBMS Use Maple Sugar Production To Prove Date Of First Vision
Article Archived: Monday, Feb 13, 2006, at 07:31 AM
Stored Under Topic: FIRST VISION
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Original Author Of Article: Deconstructor | TOP | |
I know it sounds ridiculous, but LDS periodical Meridian Magazine cites maple sugar production cycles as "evidence pointing toward a date for the First Vision."
See:
http://www.meridianmagazine.com/sci_rel/021009maple.html
Here are the REAL facts regarding a "date" for the First Vision:
Official Joseph Smith History, 1832, Joseph Smith Letterbook 1, pp.2,3, in the handwriting of Joseph Smith:
"I cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go and to obtain mercy and the Lord heard my cry in the wilderness and while in (the) attitude of calling upon the Lord (in the 16th year of my age) a piller of fire light above the brightness of the sun at noon day come down from above and rested upon me and I was filled with the spirit of god and the (Lord) opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord and he spake unto me saying Joseph (my son) thy sins are forgiven thee." See: http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1832.html
Joseph Smith was "in his 16th year" (age 15) in the spring of 1821, not 1820.
Official History of Mormonism written by Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, published in the Messenger and Advocate, Kirtland, Ohio, Dec. 1834, vol.1, no.3:
“You will recollect that I mentioned the time of a religious excitement, in Palmyra and vicinity to have been in the 15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr.’s age — that was an error in the type — it should have been in the 17th. — You will please remember this correction, as it will be necessary for the full understanding of what will follow in time. This would bring the date down to the year 1823. “I do not deem it necessary to write further on the subject of this excitement. … “And it is only necessary for me to say, that while this excitement continued, he continued to call upon the Lord in secret for a full manifestation of divine approbation, and for, to him, the all important information, if a Supreme being did exist, to have an assurance that he was accepted of him." See: http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1834-35.html
Joseph Smith was "in his 17th year" (age 16) in the spring of 1822, not 1820.
Joseph Smith's Diary, Nov. 9, 1835:
"I called on the Lord in mightly prayer, a pillar of fire appeared above my head, it presently rested down upon me, and filled me with Joy unspeakable, a personage appeard in the midst of this pillar of flame which was spread all around, and yet nothing consumed, another personage soon appeard like unto the first, he said unto me thy sins are forgiven thee, he testified unto me that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and I saw many angels in this vision. I was about 14 years old when I received this first communication." See: http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1835A.html
Saying "about 14 years old" is the same as saying "about 1820" which does not fix the date by any means.
Another account written by Joseph Smith found in History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 312:
"I gave him a brief relation of my experience while in my juvenile years, say from six years old up to the time I received the first visitation of angels, which was when I was about fourteen years old." See: http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1835B.html
Again, Smith says "about fourteen years old" but also says the experience was a "visitation of angels," not the lone visit of God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Official version, written by a scribe (not Smith) in 1838 but not published until 1842:
"So, in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. It was the first time in my life that I had made such an attempt, for amidst all my anxieties I had never as yet made the attempt to pray vocally." See: http://www.irr.org/mit/First-Vision-Scans/first-vision-1838.html
This scribe made the story sound more real by adding clear descriptions of the time. But was this really the first time Joseph Smith had ever prayed outloud, as the story asserts?
Joseph Smith's own mother dated the first vision story to revivals that occurred after the death of Alvin Smith in late 1823.
There was no revival in or around Palmyra in 1820. Even the Church came close to admitting this fact in the Ensign Magazine. From "Joseph Smith’s Testimony of the First Vision," Ensign, Apr. 1996, page 10:
"Contemporary newspapers completely support Lucy Smith’s history here, recording a community revival around Palmyra, New York, that centered in late 1824 and early 1825. ... Some discredit the 1820 visitation by claiming that Joseph was unreliable in memory, loosely recalling the 1824–1825 revivals that are so easily documented. ... Were there local revivals in the early spring of 1820? This is a loaded question because it narrows geography as well as the Prophet’s own time limits. ... He turned twelve on 23 December 1817, and that year a major revival was reported in Palmyra, with 150 people displaying “the triumphs of grace.” So religious awakenings in the vicinity reached scores in 1817 and hundreds in 1824, as indicated above."
The official church publication does not provide any evidence of any revival in 1820, but suggests that because there were documented revivals in 1817 and 1824, that maybe there was a revival in 1820. But there is absolutely no evidence of it! See: http://www.irr.org/mit/fvision.html
Instead of looking at weather reports and maple sugar production, Mormons should be looking at the hard facts available in the historical record.
And what is the most reasonable conclusion based on the real facts?
| The Power Of Narration: Joseph Smith Didn't Write The First Vision Story
Article Archived: Monday, Feb 13, 2006, at 07:32 AM
Stored Under Topic: FIRST VISION
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Original Author Of Article: Deconstructor | TOP | |
In an earlier thread, I pointed out that the official version of the "First Vision" story was not written by Joseph Smith, but by a scribe. See that original post here: http://www.i4m.com/think/history/first_vision.htm
Some have asked why it matters that Joseph Smith didn't write it.
It's important because the church has a history of denying things because they were not written by Joseph Smith. For example, in the case of the Kinderhook Plates fraud, the church completely absolves Smith of any wrongdoing because his scribes wrote in the first-person to pretend Joseph Smith translated the plates.
As far as the church is concerned, the fact that Joseph Smith's scribes wrote that he translated the Kinderhook plates and pretended Smith wrote it, completely discredits the claim.
In the official History of the Church, Joseph Smith is recorded as saying he translated the Kinderhook Plates, along with this description:
“May 1, 1843: I insert facsimiles of the six brass plates found near Kinderhook, in Pike county, Illinois, on April 23, by Mr. R. Wiley and others, while excavating a large mound. They found a skeleton about six feet from the surface of the earth, which must have stood nine feet high. The plates were found on the breast of the skeleton, and were covered on both sides with ancient characters. I [Joseph Smith] have translated a portion of them, and find they contain the history of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven and earth.”
- Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol. 5, p.372, also published as Joseph Smith's writing in Millenial Star, Vol. XXI., p. 40.
Yet despite this first-person account attributed to Joseph Smith, the church now absolves Smith of any involvement with the Kinderhook plates because this journal entry was not really written by Joseph Smith, but his faithful personal secretary William Clayton.
In the Church's official publication, Ensign Magazine, the church explains:
"Although this [first-person] account appears to be the writing of Joseph Smith, it is actually an excerpt from a journal of William Clayton. It has been well known that the serialized “History of Joseph Smith” consists largely of items from other persons’ personal journals and other sources, collected during Joseph Smith’s lifetime and continued after the Saints were in Utah, then edited and pieced together to form a history of the Prophet’s life “in his own words.” It was not uncommon in the nineteenth century for biographers to put the narrative in the first person when compiling a biographical work, even though the subject of the biography did not actually say or write all the words attributed to him; thus the narrative would represent a faithful report of what others felt would be helpful to print. The Clayton journal excerpt was one item used in this way. For example, the words “I have translated a portion” originally read “President J. has translated a portion."
"Where the ideas written by William Clayton originated is unknown. However, as will be pointed out later, speculation about the plates and their possible content was apparently quite unrestrained in Nauvoo when the plates first appeared. In any case, this altered version of the extract from William Clayton’s journal was reprinted in the Millennial Star of 15 January 1859, and, unfortunately, was finally carried over into official Church history when the “History of Joseph Smith” was edited into book form as the History of the Church in 1909."
"That other members may have been less judicious and not guided in the same way cannot be laid at the Prophet’s feet. Many people, now as well as then, have an appetite for hearsay and a hope for “easy evidence” to bolster or even substitute for personal spirituality and hard-won faith that comes from close familiarity with truth and communion with God."
- Excerpts from Stanley B. Kimball, “Kinderhook Plates Brought to Joseph Smith Appear to Be a Nineteenth-Century Hoax,” Ensign, Aug. 1981, page 66
What the church now says about these fake Joseph Smith journal entries should be equally applied to the official First Vision story, which also pretends to be written by Joseph Smith but was written by a scribe.
Applying the church's standard, here's how the official First Vision story should accurately read:
"But, exerting all his powers to call upon God to deliver him out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon him, and at the very moment when he was ready to sink into despair and abandon himself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as he had never before felt in any being—just at this moment of great alarm, he saw a pillar of light exactly over his head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon him."
"It no sooner appeared than he found himself delivered from the enemy which held him bound. When the light rested upon him he saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above him in the air. One of them spake unto him, calling him by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"
Reading this story in its true third-person form reveals that it is not an eye-witness account or a personal testimony, but an embellished story written by someone else nearly twenty years after the alleged occurrence.
The scribe who wrote the First vision story was not there, but was writing a story to "represent a faithful report of what others felt would be helpful to print" as the church describes other things it has falsely attributed to Joseph Smith.
If the church is willing to come clean on Smith's Kinderhook plates translation journal entries, why not the First Vision narrative?
| History Of Denial: LDS Prophets And The First Vision
Article Archived: Monday, Feb 13, 2006, at 07:35 AM
Stored Under Topic: FIRST VISION
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Original Author Of Article: Deconstructor | TOP | |
"A testimony begins with the acceptance by faith of the divine mission of Jesus Christ, the head of this Church; and the prophet of the Restoration, Joseph Smith. The gospel as restored by Joseph Smith is either true or it is not."
"No one was with the boy Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove in Palmyra, New York, when God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared. Yet even those who do not believe it happened may find it difficult to explain away. Too much has happened since it occurred to deny that it ever took place."
- Elder James E. Faust, General Conference, October 2003 Saturday Morning Session
Has the church ever denied the "First Vision" story that modern church members know today?
In 1834
"You will recollect that I mentioned the time of a religious excitement, in Palmyra and vicinity to have been in the 15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr.’s age — that was an error in the type — it should have been in the 17th. — You will please remember this correction, as it will be necessary for the full understanding of what will follow in time. This would bring the date down to the year 1823... while this (religious) excitement continued, he continued to call upon the Lord in secret for a full manifestation of divine approbation, and for, to him, the all important information, if a Supreme being did exist, to have an assurance that he was accepted of him."
"On the evening of the 21st of September, 1823, previous to retiring to rest, our brother’s mind was unusually wrought up on the subject which had so long agitated his mind, all he desired was to be prepared in heart to commune with some kind of messenger who could communicate to him the desired information of his acceptance with God. While continuing in prayer for a manifestation in some way that his sins were forgiven; endeavoring to exercise faith in the scriptures, on a sudden a light like that of day, only of a purer and far more glorious appearance and brightness burst into the room. It is no easy task to describe the appearance of a messenger from the skies. But it may be well to relate the particulars as far as given — The stature of this personage was a little above the common size of men in this age; his garment was perfectly white, and had the appearance of being without seam. Though fear was banished from his heart, yet his surprise was no less when he heard him declare himself to be a messenger sent by commandment of the Lord, to deliver a special message, and to witness to him that his sins were forgiven, and that his prayers were heard;"
- Oliver Cowdery with Joseph Smith's help, Messenger and Advocate, Kirtland, Ohio, Dec. 1834, vol.1, no.3
In 1854
"Some one may say, 'If this work of the last days be true, why did not the Saviour come himself to communicate this intelligence to the world?' Because to the angels was committed the power of reaping the earth, and it was committed to none else."
- Apostle Orson Hyde, General Conference Address, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p.335
In 1855
Church President and Prophet Brigham Young taught on Feb. 18, 1855: "...so it was in the advent of thi new dispensation....The messenger did not come to an eminent divine...The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven,...But He did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith jun., who afterwards became a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day,..." ( Journal of Discourses, vol.2, p.171)
(It is certain Young is speaking of the First Vision for he says the angel told Smith to join no church for they were all wrong. This is the very question the official version of the story states Smith asked of the Father and the Son in the Sacred Grove.)
A few days later Apostle Wilford Woodruff declared: "That same organization and Gospel that Christ died for, and the Apostles spilled their blood to vindicate, is again established in this generation. How did it come? By the ministering of an holy angel from God,... The angel taught Joseph Smith those principles which are necessary for the salvation of the world;... He told him the Gospel was not among men, and that there was not a true organization of His kingdom in the world,... This man to whom the angel appeared obeyed the Gospel;..." (Journal of Discourses, Vol.2, pp.196-197)
In 1857
Church Apostle Heber C. Kimball, speaking Nov. 8th, 1857, seemed to be oblivious to any vision where Smith saw God and Christ: "Do you suppose that God in person called upon Joseph Smith, our Prophet? God called upon him; but God did not come himself and call, but he sent Peter to do it. Do you not see? He sent Peter and sent Moroni to Joseph, and told him that he had got the plates." (Journal of Discourses, vol.6, p.29)
In 1863
Church Apostle John Taylor explained in a sermon March 1, 1863: "How did this state of things called Mormonism originate? We read that an angel came down and revealed himself to Joseph Smith and manifested unto him in vision the true position of the world in a religious point of view." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p.127)
Church Apostle George A. Smith, Nov. 15th, 1863, preached: "When Joseph Smith was about fourteen or fifteen years old,...he went humbly before the Lord and inquired of Him, and the Lord answered his prayer, and revealed to Joseph, by the ministration of angels, the true condition of the religious world. When the holy angel appeared, Joseph inquired which of all these denominations was right and which he should join, and was told they were all wrong,..." (Journal of Discourses, Vol.12, pp.333-334)
In 1869
Five years later Apostle Smith again referred to Smith's first vision: "He sought the Lord by day and by night, and was enlightened by the vision of an holy angel. When this personage appeared to him, of his first inquiries was, 'Which of the denominations of Christians in the vicinity was right?' " (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p.77-78 June 20, 1869 )
Nowdays the church insists that the validity of the church rests on the latest First Vision story being literally true
"Our entire case as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rests on the validity of this glorious First Vision. ... Nothing on which we base our doctrine, nothing we teach, nothing we live by is of greater importance than this initial declaration. I submit that if Joseph Smith talked with God the Father and His Beloved Son, then all else of which he spoke is true. This is the hinge on which turns the gate that leads to the path of salvation and eternal life."
- Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign Mag., Nov. 1998, pp.70-71
“As I see it, there are four great foundation stones on which this Church stands, irremovable. The first, the great First Vision, the visit of the Father and the Son to the boy Joseph Smith, the opening of the heavens in this the dispensation of the fulness of times, the great bringing together of all of the work of God in all the past dispensations throughout the history of the world. The curtain was parted with that First Vision, and it stands as an absolute fundamental in the Church and its history and its well-being.
- Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, Aug. 1998, 72
"Some have foolishly said, 'Take away Joseph Smith and his prayer in the grove and the First Vision, and we can accept your message.' Such people would have us bury the treasure of saving truths already cited, and many more, and turn our backs on the most important event that has taken place in all world history from the day of Christ’s ministry to the glorious hour when the First Vision occurred.”
- Elder Carlos E. Asay, “One Small Step for a Man; One Giant Leap for Mankind,” Ensign, May 1990, page 62
"We declare without equivocation that God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, appeared in person to the boy Joseph Smith. When I was interviewed by Mike Wallace on the 60 Minutes program, he asked me if I actually believed that. I replied, "Yes, sir. That's the miracle of it." That is the way I feel about it. Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. If it did, then it is the most important and wonderful work under the heavens."
"Upon that unique and wonderful experience stands the validity of this Church."
"That They came, both of Them, that Joseph saw Them in Their resplendent glory, that They spoke to him and that he heard and recorded Their words—of these remarkable things we testify. I knew a so-called intellectual who said the Church was trapped by its history. My response was that without that history we have nothing. The truth of that unique, singular, and remarkable event is the pivotal substance of our faith."
- Mormon Church President Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith," October 2002 General Conference Address
More holes in the First Vision story:
http://www.i4m.com/think/lists/mormon_questions.htm
| Anybody's Guess: Just Who Was It That Snuck Up On A Jittery Joseph Smith While He Was Trying To Get The Divine Goods In The Woods?
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