Joseph Smith History

After much waiting, here is the next installment of my Mormon book, which everyone can now see on the Introduction page.  Plus, I've used my html skills to add a table of contents at the top of that page to help guide the reader to quickly go to the section he/she wants to read next.  (Napoleon Dynamite would be so jealous!)

Here is the new excerpt for all to enjoy.  This is still a first draft, so I'd appreciate any comments/suggestions.  Also, keep in mind that this is all exposition, so I don't show or analyze any possible negative aspects of Joseph Smith's life.  I'm reserving that for a later chapter on apologetics.


The Story of Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith was born December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont.  By 1820, he had moved to Manchester, New York (near Palmyra).  Around that time, the city was taken up in a religious upheaval.  Only 14 years old, Joseph Smith didn’t know which church to join.  His parents joined with the Presbyterians, and Joseph wished to join with the Methodists at first, but he became a little put off at the perceived dissensions between the denominations.

One night as he was reading the Bible, he came across James 1:5, which says: “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.”  He decided to ask God which church to join.

Then on a cool spring morning, he went out to the woods, where he figured he could pray vocally without being heard or interrupted.  He started his prayer and continued on until his prayer was answered.  God (the Father) and Jesus Christ (his son) appeared and told him not to join any church, for they were all wrong.

Joseph Smith's First Vision

This forever changed Joseph Smith’s life and is the one defining moment that began what we Mormons call the Restoration of the Gospel.  The belief is that Christ’s full original Church had died out with persecution in its earlier years.  The Christians who remained preserved many of the tenets, but without guidance from living, appointed apostles, there was confusion and apostasy.  The authority God had given to act in his name was lost, and Man was left alone to figure out doctrine on their own.

What transpired next was a series of stepping stones where Joseph Smith received pieces of the “Restoration” until the end of his life in 1844. I’ll briefly list these events in chronological order.

Springtime 1820: The First Vision (as described above).

September 1823: Joseph Smith was visited by an angel, Moroni, who described a buried record.  The angel told Joseph he needed to get his life in order and that in four years he’d receive this record and would begin to translate them.

January 1827: Joseph Smith married Emma Smith, someone who becomes very important in later Church history.

Emma Smith

September 1827: Joseph Smith acquired the buried record—golden plates—and began translating the writings into English.  Several people, including Emma, and friends Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery, helped in transcribing the words.

March 1830: Joseph Smith had this work published under the name The Book of Mormon.

April 1830: Joseph Smith officially organized what would eventually become known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  

The church quickly gained followers and kindled persecutions from those who opposed the movement.  Joseph Smith left New York and went to Kirtland, Ohio in 1831.  Several followers, endearingly named “Mormons,” also settled in Kirtland.  Later that year, Joseph Smith went to Jackson County, Missouri to begin another settlement.  Thus, over the next few years Mormons gathered in both Ohio and Missouri.

Kirtland Temple

December 1832: Joseph Smith began construction of the first temple in Kirtland, Ohio.  It was finished in April 1836.

Persecutions continued.  As early as 1833, the Saints (as we like to call ourselves) were driven out of Jackson County, Missouri into Clay County.  Then in 1836, they were further driven to Caldwell County.

The Saints in Ohio lasted a little longer, being driven out in 1838.  This group came to join the others in Caldwell County.

Toward the end of 1838, Joseph Smith and several of his friends were arrested, tried, and imprisoned, ultimately ending up in Liberty Jail in December.  After months of living under subhuman conditions, a few benevolent guards allowed Smith and his friends to escape in April 1839.

During this same time, one church leader who was not imprisoned, Brigham Young, remained with the Saints.  To flee persecutions, he helped lead the group to Illinois.  After regaining his freedom, Joseph Smith reunited with the group, and then named their new city, Nauvoo.

Over the next few years, the Mormons took swamp land, overcame disease, and built a thriving small city.  In 1840, they began working on their second temple.

Nauvoo Temple

In 1844, Joseph Smith was arrested one last time along with his brother Hyrum Smith, and friends Willard Richards and John Taylor.  They were held in the Carthage Jail for their “safety” as the trials proceeded.  However, an angry mob stormed the jailhouse, and killed Joseph Smith and his brother.

The Death of Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith’s live ended, but the church grew stronger in his absence.  Brigham Young became the new leader in his stead—directing the completion of the Nauvoo Temple—guiding the Saints away from persecution around 1846—and eventually leading them to arrive in Salt Lake City in 1847.  There, after traveling a couple of decades in their own Trail of Tears, the Saints were finally safe from persecutions.  In a few years, they took a desert and turned it into a thriving, and eventually large city.

Today, the church that Joseph Smith had started, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has become a large church with millions of followers from all around the world.

Sources on Joseph Smith:

“The Life and Ministry of Joseph Smith” from Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, 2011: a good summary of the life of Joseph Smith.

“Joseph Smith—History” from the Pearl of Great Price: the writings of Joseph Smith giving his account of the First Vision and obtaining/translating the Book of Mormon.

“The First Vision: Searching for the Truth” by Ronald O. Barney.  Published in the Ensign, Jan. 2005: a brief account of the First Vision and several artist’s depictions.

“Joseph and Emma: Moments in Their Lives.”  Published in the Ensign, Jul. 2012: a brief and interesting summary of the interactions between Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma.