What do you mean by "religious" Bond? Do you think J. Smith believed in an interfering sort of God?
Yes, I believe Joseph Smith believed in an interfering God. This revelation strongly indicates that:
Let's look at this Section for the D&C:
THE
DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS
OF THE CHURCH OF Jesus Christ OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS
SECTION 3
Revelation given to Joseph Smith the Prophet, at Harmony, Pennsylvania, July 1828, relating to the loss of 116 pages of manuscript translated from the first part of the Book of Mormon, which was called the “Book of Lehi.” The Prophet had reluctantly allowed these pages to pass from his custody to that of Martin Harris, who had served for a brief period as scribe in the translation of the Book of Mormon. The revelation was given through the Urim and Thummim. HC 1: 21–23. See also Section 10.
1–4, The Lord’s course is one eternal round; 5–15, Joseph Smith must repent or lose the gift to translate; 16–20, The Book of Mormon comes forth to save the seed of Lehi.
1 The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.
2 For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round.
3 Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men;
4 For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him.
5 Behold, you have been entrusted with these things, but how strict were your commandments; and remember also the promises which were made to you, if you did not transgress them.
6 And behold, how oft you have transgressed the commandments and the laws of God, and have gone on in the persuasions of men.
7 For, behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words—
8 Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.
9 Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou west chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt fall.
10 But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work;
11 Except thou do this, thou shalt be delivered up and become as other men, and have no more gift.
12 And when thou delivered up that which God had given thee sight and power to translate, thou deliveredst up that which was sacred into the hands of a wicked man,
13 Who has set at naught the counsels of God, and has broken the most sacred promises which were made before God, and has depended upon his own judgment and boasted in his own wisdom.
14 And this is the reason that thou hast lost thy privileges for a season—
15 For thou hast suffered the counsel of thy director to be trampled upon from the beginning.
16 Nevertheless, my work shall go forth, for inasmuch as the knowledge of a Savior has come unto the world, through the testimony of the Jews, even so shall the knowledge of a savior come unto my people—
17 And to the aNephites, and the Jacobites, and the Josephites, and the Zoramites, through the testimony of their fathers—
18 And this testimony shall come to the knowledge of the Lamanites, and the Lemuelites, and the Ishmaelites, who dwindled in unbelief because of the iniquity of their fathers, whom the Lord has suffered to destroy their brethren the Nephites, because of their iniquities and their abominations.
19 And for this very purpose are these plates preserved, which contain these records—that the promises of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he made to his people;
20 And that the Lamanites might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel and rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ, and be glorified through faith in his name, and that through their repentance they might be saved. Amen.
The reason I think he didn't is because he knew darn well, it was all a hoax, just like his treasure seeking hoaxes.
I am not certain he viewed it as a hoax. As noted in another post he seemed to believe in his ability and also acted based on great pressure from his father. The one place where he seems to have confessed it as a hoax was to his Father in Law who he was trying to win over. But he did not admit that anything about his religious career at that time was a hoax.
His institution of polygamy was another tip off, being so convenient following his being caught by his wife with Fanny.
Again I think that the first affair with Fanny was just that. An affair. I think later, as polygamy was instituted it was applied to that affair retroactively. However, I think polygamy was an experiment that Smith applied that failed. Whether he did it for sexual reasons or whether her really believed it was an ancient practice that was part of the restoration I do not know.
If his father was a deist, what gives you the impression he wasn't?
Joseph Smith Senior gave up deism as part of his son's new religion. Joseph just did not operate like a deist. I recall one of his last sermons where he said something like this-No Man knows my history. I shall not attempt to write it. I don't blame anyone for not believing my story. If I had not lived it I would not believe it myself.
The tone and context of this statement and hundreds of others just do not have the flavor of a deist or atheist. Plus those closest to him did not perceive such an attitude.