Biography of Joseph Smith by Fawn Brodie

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Chapter 25--Epilogue
Interesting that many viewed him not as a false, but as a fallen prophet, believing his earlier prophecies even if they rejected things like his eventual views of marriage.

His death is a very sad chapter in American history, and that violence bore bad fruit in that it brought forth even more fanaticism. It is probably of note that not many other cult founders ended up as a "martyr", and this may be one reason for the strength of the Mormons.

Who but God knows what happened between Smith and all his "wives" which some say he never had physical relations with, and many who were sealed to him after his death and others who clearly had no consummation. His wife Emma says there were no other wives, but his guards and others bore testimony to his midnight trysts. Just don't know and would be careful of slandering unduly (there are plenty of other areas for criticism).

One of the lasting legacies for Smith was his emphasis on education: "The glory of God is intelligence" and that legacy has proven very advantageous for the cult.

In the supplement it was fascinating to see that many of the characters and events in his book of Mormon parallel his own life and familial relations. One wonders if this was some cathartic way of dealing with it and finding a purpose for himself. Also fascinating was the history of his family and how they seemed to have a culture of seeing visions and mysticism. Them believing him seems to bear testimony to their credulity.

Overall a great book. Very informative and gives a pretty solid explanation for Smith, his background, and motivations, and how something like Mormonism could have grown.
 
Finished it last weekend! Agreed an excellent book. I would say the amount of speculation- which I think has been a big criticism either of this book or of Brodie's writing in general- certainly in this case was quite warranted by the extensive research she did. I think any biography is allowed to speculate on psychological motivation where there is no account given by the subject himself, so long as it is grounded in what we do objectively know. But I would also say that there wasn't nearly as much speculation as I thought there might have been. So for anyone who might think that this book is just Brodie's own invention of Smith I would just say that she gives a mountain of references to what happened, to the views of those around Smith and there isn't a whole lot of trying to read Smith's mind at any rate.

After reading it I find it hard to view Smith as a villain. I think he was a man who invented some myths as a money making scheme and the whole thing just grew and grew. (As noted Smith's family was already disposed to visions and believing visions, as were many on the frontier.) I think he ended up believeing, if not the actual supernatural claims of the cult, then in the cultus around the beliefs. I think he came to see the system he had created as a positive force: the rituals, the community, the teachings (from a moral point of view). I think he saw himself particularly, and Mormonism in general, as a manifestation of human progress. He was quite willing to put himself into dangerous situations for the cause. To see him as a mere charlatan would be wrong and doesn't explain the resilience of the cult.

Mormonism- as ably shown by Brodie- was very much a product of the place and time. To me the most extraordinary thing about Mormonism is that it is still around and has continued to grow. In almost every other respect Smith was just another frontier prophet of the 19th century. Yes there were peculiarities to Mormon doctrine which set it apart from other contemporaneous groups (though the most unusual doctrines developed over time and plural wives wasn't even officially taught until a good few years after Smith's death) but it was the discipline and orderliness of Mormonism which seems to have set it apart. On the one hand I was very impressed when reading about the development of Nauvoo and yet on the other hand that such determinaton and endeavour was being exerted on behalf of an heretical cult was very sad. But they certainly put contemporary cults to shame in their industry!

The tragedy, of course, is so many souls deceived into a lost eternity. And that tragedy continues to this day. Whatever other outrages one might level against Mormonism (and whatever accomplishments, humanly speaking) it is a soul-ruining lie. We must pray for a continued blessing on evangelistic efforts with these people and that, as the veil which the church leaders have managed to pull across the reality of their cult's history continues to be pulled away by modern day resources and the internet particularly, the system will come crashing down.
 
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