An anniversary not to be forgotten

Last updated on: June 27, 2019 at 1:02 pm by Dan Peterson

An anniversary not to be forgotten 2019-06-27T13:02:51-06:00 Dan Peterson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

“The Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith,” by our friend Gary E. Smith
(LDS Media Library)

I would feel terrible if I let this day pass without noting that it’s the anniversary of the assassination of the Prophet Joseph Smith in Carthage, Illinois, by an anti-Mormon mob. He was murdered on 27 June 1844.

I’ve never believed it necessary or advisable to treat him as some kind of flawless, superhuman demigod. But I’ve been bothered recently by an opposite and equally false tendency — which I find not only among critics of the Church but among some active Latter-day Saints — to overemphasize his flaws, both real and (mostly) perceived.

I would absolutely hate it were my life to be pawed over the way the lives of many public figures are. Fortunately, I’m sufficiently obscure and insignificant that it will never happen. While I’m not guilty of most of the things that certain of my more implacable critics allege — cold-hearted viciousness and even sadism, for instance, and cynical mendacity — I have my share of flaws of which I’m very aware, and I hope that most people will exercise the charity toward me that I try to exercise toward other people. Regardless of how good he or she may be, nobody’s character can withstand hostile scrutiny from a person who is absolutely determined to blacken it.

So, too, with Joseph. He was, I’m convinced, a good, decent, kind, and honest man. (For years, I’ve recommended Mark McConkie’s excellent book Remembering Joseph: Personal Recollections of Those Who Know the Prophet Joseph Smith. And now I’m recommending it again.) I want to speak up against the tendency to find fault with him.

And, for this entry, I want to stand with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

Not everything in life is so black and white, but the authenticity of the Book of Mormon and its keystone role in our religion seem to be exactly that. Either Joseph Smith was the prophet he said he was, a prophet who, after seeing the Father and the Son, later beheld the angel Moroni, repeatedly heard counsel from Moroni’s lips, and eventually received at his hands a set of ancient gold plates that he then translated by the gift and power of God, or else he did not. And if he did not, he would not be entitled to the reputation of New England folk hero or well-meaning young man or writer of remarkable fiction. No, nor would he be entitled to be considered a great teacher, a quintessential American religious leader, or the creator of great devotional literature. If he had lied about the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, he would certainly be none of these. . . . If Joseph Smith did not translate the Book of Mormon as a work of ancient origin, then I would move heaven and earth to meet the “real” nineteenth-century author. After one hundred and fifty years, no one can come up with a credible alternative candidate, but if the book were false, surely there must be someone willing to step forward — if no one else, at least the descendants of the “real” author — claiming credit for such a remarkable document and all that has transpired in its wake. After all, a writer that can move millions can make millions. Shouldn’t someone have come forth then or now to cashier the whole phenomenon?

Posted from Atlanta, Georgia

Uncategorized

Previous Post

June 27, 2019

How sweet the sound!

Next Post

June 28, 2019 "A Nourishing and Accessible Read"

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 March 2014 August 2013 February 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Whose bones were to be carried from Egypt back to Canaan?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jacob Joseph Benjamin Levi