I am writing this blog because I believe that the Prophet Joseph Smith was a messenger of Christ and
an honest man. That is to say, I believe that Joseph told the truth about the
First Vision, the Golden Plates, the Ministering of Angels, the Kingdoms of
Glory, and about not being a polygamist.
But people
who hold these beliefs are rare. Even among those who consider themselves
Joseph’s followers, very few are willing to take him at his word about all of these things,
especially polygamy. But in the end, taking the Prophet at his word is the only
way to remain true to the faith that he restored.
I have
learned that it is impossible to believe that Joseph was a prophet of the Lord if
one also believes all the ill that has been spoken of him. You must decide who
deserves your credibility – Joseph, or the men who called him a liar.
This is
only my first post, so I don’t have time to discuss all the evidence for and
against Joseph’s integrity, though in the future I will of course go into
the details regarding Emma Smith and Eliza Snow, John C. Bennett and Brigham Young, Richard
and Pamela Price, Ugo Perego, and so forth.
For now,
suffice it to say that I was raised Brighamite and didn’t question the polygamy
narrative until I was twenty years old. Then, as I went about my study of
church history, I found more and more of Joseph’s clear denials that he had any
wife but Emma. And I was alarmed by these obvious lies – for such they were, from the perspective of someone who took it for
granted that the Prophet had married dozens of women.
But my
firm belief in the Book of Mormon and Joseph’s prophetic call would not allow
me to let go of my faith, as so many others had done at this point. So I just
held on tightly as I delved ever more furiously into the contradictions and
controversies of our history… and eventually found out just how deep the rabbit
hole really goes.
And I
ended up believing that Joseph Smith told the truth – about everything. And I’ve
created this blog to share my belief.
