Why record criticisms about himself in D&C?

[_Dwight Frye]

I thought the South Park people handled this in a fairly insightful and humorous way.

Do you have a link?

South Park - All About the Mormons?

[_Trevor]

South Park - All About the Mormons?

That would be the one!

[_Gadianton]

I agree with Tarski and Trevor. This is all part of a calculated gamble: false humility, misdirection, and currency to buy mistakes or changes in plan. Further, it conveniently plays into the story arch of prophets exhibiting the "mistakes of men", neither Paul nor Moses were revered as sinless, I'm sure there were opportunities for redaction if the measure of a prophet were perfection. In addition to the South Park explanation of the 116 pages, watch ABC's "Lost" and follow Sawyer's character development. I wonder if JJ Abrams studied Joseph Smith to come up with Sawyer, personally.

But most interestingly of all is the false standard the apologists gave you to measure Joseph Smith -- a cunning misdirection that can easily be seen through for those whose sympathies haven't been played...

[_Nimrod]

I thought the South Park people handled this in a fairly insightful and humorous way.

IAWTrevor. That episode, and the ones about Bono of U2 and Tom Cruise, are my favorite South Park episodes.

[_CaliforniaKid]

Hi Zeezrom,

This sort of self-criticism-via-revelation fits into a popular nineteenth century genre of literature called the "jeremiad". Historians have shown how jeremiads are used to explain failures, while simultaneously reaffirming the sense of chosenness on the part of the person or nation being divinely chastised. A good example of this is found during the Civil War. During the War, sermons preached by Northern and Southern ministers used divine chastisement to explain "defeats," but still identified God as being on their "side". Defeats were evidence that God was purging the cause of sin and corruption so that it would be righteous and chaste when the final victory was delivered. It was precisely because they were the chosen people that they were being punished and held to such a high moral standard.

In the case of D&C 3, the 116 pages had recently been lost. How to explain such a failure? It is not that God has abandoned Joseph. No, he is still chosen. It's just that he had a temporary lapse in judgment and had to be chastised.

Ultimately, the effect is actually to reinforce Smith's authority.

Peace,

-Chris

[_CaliforniaKid]

3) It actually boosts people's perception of you if you confess to small indiscretions. People tend to think, "Wow, look how honest and spiritual he is, he is confessing such as small problem. He must never be guilty of large sins to have confessed something so small."

4) It throws people off the trail of bigger problems. Joseph did things much worse than he was criticized for in the D&C, and rumors were circulating. If you throw out some small transgressions it throws people off the trail. When you are accused of the big transgression you simply admit to the small transgression and say that the accusation simply blew that all out of proportion. People are more likely to believe that than if you simply deny everything, especially if there is some evidence against you.

These are excellent insights, as well. About the worst that Joseph Smith is accused of in the scriptures is a tendency to light-mindedness and too much joking. This is hardly damning criticism.

[_truth dancer]

I'm left wondering...

What sort of God has the inclination to speak with Joseph Smith about these issues when the world is struggling with sorrow, pain, war, starvation, abuse, etc. etc.

If Joseph Smith and God were on speaking terms, why not a little hint about germ theory? Maybe God could have shared a little trick about boiling water? Oh, I don't know, maybe there could have been some help to end slavery or treat women as something other than cattle. But no, God was silent on all of this.. what was really important to the God of the Universe was to document in sacred scripture, a little slap on the hand to Joseph Smith while confirming to the world that he is the one and only chosen man to speak in behalf of Jesus Christ. OK. :-(

Doesn't it just seem weird that all the men who claim they are the chosen of God, are the ones proclaiming they are the chosen one?

If I were the Goddess of the Universe, (the one who could make stars and galaxies), I'm thinking I would create a big constellation in the sky that demonstrates to the whole world who would be my spokesperson. That is, if I needed a human to speak for me, and if I couldn't actually just demonstrate truth, and if I didn't want to make life very confusing for everyone, and if I didn't want people to look to a human for guidance rather than the divine, and if I really had a bunch of rituals that each person needed to know to get into heaven, and if....

OK, I'm getting off topic here... sorry! :-)

It just seems crazy to discuss these sorts of things without actually looking at the fundamental issue of God.

~td~