Another account written long after the fact. And apparently of such momentous importance, that it deserved barely a mention between two much longer paragraphs about other subjects.
Can you tell when it was written? From the dates at the end I wasn't sure, but it definitely seems like someone writing a lot of it after the fact as opposed to a live and ongoing journal.
Hard to say, but his voice in the text seems to carry at least into the Utah period.
I found this part interesting:
I think about the seventh day as I was thrashing in my barn with doors shut, all at once there seemed to be a ray of light from heaven which caused me to stop work for a short time, but soon began it again. Then in a few minutes another light came over my head which caused me to look up.
I thought I saw the Angels with the Book of Mormon in their hands in the attitude of showing it to me and saying, "This is the Great Revelation of the Last Days in which all things spoken of by the Prophets must be fulfilled."
The vision was so open and plain that I began to rejoice exceedlingly so that I walked the length of my barn crying, "Glory Hal-La-Lu-Ya to the God and the Lamb forever."
Interesting first because apparently visions like Smith had were a dime-a-dozen at that time period. And second because he says "I thought I saw the Angels" Interesting that he qualifies his vision with "I thought"...
Another account written long after the fact. And apparently of such momentous importance, that it deserved barely a mention between two much longer paragraphs about other subjects.
Can you tell when it was written? From the dates at the end I wasn't sure, but it definitely seems like someone writing a lot of it after the fact as opposed to a live and ongoing journal.
Based on the date of the will at the end that appears to have been written at the same time as the rest of the notebook, I'd guess mid/late 1871.
Who cares when the mantle of Joseph was said to have rested upon Brigham? It didn’t make him Joseph’s successor regardless.
The entire point! But since they first claimed miracles, they gotta manufacture as many as possible to get away with them, and continue impressing a rational world. They continually fail, so they continually try to make up more miracles. It's rather a silly circle when one ponderizes it for a moment. I'm far too busy with my own projects to worry about ponderizing it more than a few moments however.
I'm 60 years old. I've heard a lot of stupendous claims in my sordid and silly life. One thing I've learned is, don't believe any extrodinary claims unless they can be emprirically proven. It really is that simple.
By the way, the Salt Lake temple elevator myth is B.S. too. For all you postMo brethren and sistren out there, remember back when you believed those stories? Good to be released from the delusions.
And it turns out elevators were already invented when the SLC temple was built.
Seagulls and locusts and stuff.
--Bill
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The entire point! But since they first claimed miracles, they gotta manufacture as many as possible to get away with them, and continue impressing a rational world. They continually fail, so they continually try to make up more miracles. It's rather a silly circle when one ponderizes it for a moment. I'm far too busy with my own projects to worry about ponderizing it more than a few moments however.
Yes, you do have better things to do than waste your time on this stuff.
And . . .
The miracle story is beside the point. All it shows us is that there was no actual succession. So people point to this extremely intangible “mantle” in stories. It sadly highlights the lack of prophetic succession.
Anyone who received the second anointing received all of the priesthood they would need anyway, and so the prophetic succession was unnecessary. That is one of the neglected facts about priesthood in Mormonism. The entire question about who would lead the Church is kinda irrelevant. People had the priesthood from Joseph Smith, and that is what was needed to govern a church according to Joseph’s system.
The people with the strongest claim to lead the LDS Church were always the Smiths themselves. When Eldred G. Smith was still alive, he was the highest ranking person in the LDS Church, in fact. But he was shunted aside as part of the ongoing apostolic coup. Now the LDS Church is left without Smith authority, and the sad results speak for themselves.
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”~Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
Now the LDS Church is left without Smith authority, and the sad results speak for themselves.
So, you believe Smith had "authority" at one point? From where? For me, it looks pretty clear that he made up the Peter, James and John and the John The Baptist stories. And that is just a bit of what he made up over the years. I'd be interested in reading your thoughts on what gave him "authority" to do anything.
Also, how would having this supposed Smith "authority" have made any difference in today's Fund worshipers?
Myth is misused by the powerful to subjugate the masses all too often.
So, you believe Smith had "authority" at one point? From where? For me, it looks pretty clear that he made up the Peter, James and John and the John The Baptist stories. And that is just a bit of what he made up over the years. I'd be interested in reading your thoughts on what gave him "authority" to do anything.
Also, how would having this supposed Smith "authority" have made any difference in today's Fund worshipers?
Gee, Dr Exiled, you write like someone who has left the LDS Church and no longer has a testimony. Thank you for the reminder.
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.”~Thomas Pynchon, Gravity’s Rainbow
So, you believe Smith had "authority" at one point? From where? For me, it looks pretty clear that he made up the Peter, James and John and the John The Baptist stories. And that is just a bit of what he made up over the years. I'd be interested in reading your thoughts on what gave him "authority" to do anything.
Also, how would having this supposed Smith "authority" have made any difference in today's Fund worshipers?
Gee, Dr Exiled, you write like someone who has left the LDS Church and no longer has a testimony. Thank you for the reminder.
Too bad you don't want to share. I wanted to see why you tried to poison this thread with your "who cares" comment. You obviously believe that Smith had authority at some time that was stolen by BY, or at least that is what I surmise from your comments. That took me by surprise as I have read comments by you where you believe that the Book of Mormon is of the 19th century. So, I assumed you didn't buy into the Joseph Smith as prophet story. My mistake.
Myth is misused by the powerful to subjugate the masses all too often.
