Mormonism- a brief history -Pt.2

Joseph Smith Jr

(One of the few know photographs of Joseph Smith taken shortly before his death)

Joseph Smith Jr was born in Sharon, Vermont Dec.23 1805 4th child born to Joseph Sr. and Lucy Smith. Much of what follows with Joseph Smith Jr finds its roots in what can only be described as his 'bizzare' upbringing under the influences of his highly eccentric parents. His Father Joe senior was a man with a reputation for being a highly dubious mystic. He blew his $1000 dowry on trying to sell wild Vermont Ginseng to the Chinese (a case of 'trying to sell coal to Newcastle'). The failure of this crazy venture meant having to move to Palmyra New York State, where he spent his time in digging for treasure, convinced that by the power of 'Peep Stones' (Hollowed out stones that were supposed to have magic properties when placed inside a hat and then looked into.) he would be able to locate the fabulous pirate treasure horde of Captain Kidd! When he wasn't indulging himself in this fantasy he turned to a spot of coin forgery which very nearly landed him in jail. Lucy Smith was a woman given to extreme religious views and also obsessed with superstition, in later years she authored (with the help of a ghost writer) a biography of Joseph Smith Jr, this proved to be a huge embarrassment to the Mormon Church of the day and led to Brigham Young the successor of Joseph Smith in taking action to have the book banned. It would seem that Mummy Smith was giving away information that was perhaps less than flattering!

(Smith home in Palmyra)

Joseph Smith Jr's Vision

In 1820 the 14 year old Joseph Jr claimed that while walking in woodland near his home in Palmyra he saw a vision of God the Son and God the Father both in bodily form. Joseph claimed that he was at the time in turmoil as to which church or denomination to throw in his lot with, (he was raised with a Methodist background). The divine beings told him that all the Christian denominations were apostate and accursed and that he was to be anointed as the Lord's anointed prophet and bring in the restoration of the true gospel.

Despite this supposedly profound and apparently life changing event, it didn't stop Smith from developing a similar obsession as his father's, using peep stones in an attempt to locate buried treasure, and indulging in the illegal practice of 'money digging'. Smith in later years claimed that he had been duped by others into assisting them in searches for a long lost silver mine, and that he had been unfairly tarred with the same brush by malicious and slanderous individuals. History however is quite clear that Smith had acquired a reputation for all sorts of mystical hocus-pocus. Later in March 1826 he was found guilty in a court of law of money digging and of having duped others into assisting him in this activity.


The Angel Moroni or was that Nephi?
Back to his visions. In 1823 Smith claims to have had a vision of the Angel Moroni by his bedside, the first of a series. (later on the story gets changed to another angel the Angel Nephi- the inconsistency in the story is still an embarrassment to Mormons today) Moroni leads Smith to the Hill Cumorah where he reveals to him buried the golden plates upon which are written the forgotten history of the ancient people of God in America (more later on this subject).
He is told initially to leave the plates where they are but a few years later in a further revelation he is given a pair of special spectacles 'The Urim and the Thumim! Putting these on he begins to translate the 'Reformed Egyptian' hieroglyphics which make up the Book of Mormon (there is no such Egyptian language known to scholars)

Others also become involved in this great translation work one such prominent name in Mormon circles is Oliver Cowdery.

Heaven is so excited at this great work that the Apostles Peter, James and John send John the Baptist back to earth to personally baptize Smith and Cowdery and to confer upon them the restored Aaronic Priesthood!

Monument erected at the Hill Cumorah celebrating Smith's discovery of the plates.
Smith attracts the help of a Martin Harris to publish the translation of the plates, Harris re-mortgages his house to raise funds and sends copied samples of the plates to a Professor Charles Anthon of Columbia University, New York, a leading specialist of the time in Egyptology, Harris claims that the Professor vouched for the authenticity of the work however there is a published letter on record from Professor Anthon where he states most emphatically that he never made any such claim and that in his opinion the whole thing was a wretched hoax played on Harris by Smith.

As well as the visions of Moroni to Smith it is later claimed that Moroni appeared to a select group of three: Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer. (all three would later leave the LDS and denounce Smith) These three men would give their personal backing to the genuineness of the plates and the vision this became known in Mormon history as 'The witness of the Three' later they would be joined by a further 8 individuals, strangely enough these 8 all seem to be related to or connected to Smith in some way, amongst the 8 was Joe Smith Sr. these bacame known as 'The witness of the eight' something which you will still find find in the introduction of the Book of Mormon today.

In 1830 The Book of Mormon is published and copyrighted and in April of that year 'The Church of Christ' later to become The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints comes into being. Mormonism is born.