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Mormonism and Wikipedia/Joseph Smith, Jr./Legacy/051909
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Succession | A FairMormon Analysis of Wikipedia: Mormonism and Wikipedia/Joseph Smith, Jr./Legacy A work by a collaboration of authors (Link to Wikipedia article here)
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An analysis of Wikipedia article "Joseph Smith, Jr." (Version 19 May 2009)
Succession
- | Wikipedia Main Article: Joseph Smith, Jr.–Succession | Wikipedia Footnotes: Joseph Smith, Jr.–Notes | A FAIR Opinion |
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1A |
After Joseph Smith's death, schisms threatened to rend the early Mormon church. |
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2A |
Smith had not explicitly chosen a successor, although there is evidence that he had blessed his son Joseph III with the understanding that he would eventually succeed him. |
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3A |
But the boy was only eleven when his father was murdered. William Clayton, one of Smith's confidants and secretaries, declared that Smith had recently said that if he and Hyrum were removed, a younger brother, Samuel H. Smith should be his successor. |
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4A |
Samuel died a month later. |
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5A |
The "unstable character" of another brother, William Smith, prevented him from becoming a serious contender. |
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6A |
A fairly recent convert, James J. Strang, produced a counterfeit letter from Smith commissioning him to lead the church. |
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7A |
Although Strang's previous relationship with Smith and the Saints had been minimal, he was able to produce revelations with a seerstone and discovered another set of supernatural writings, the Voree Plates. Strang attracted two thousand followers, including William Smith, Martin Harris, and John C. Bennett; but Strang was assassinated in 1856 after he began to practice polygamy. |
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8A |
As the senior surviving member of the First Presidency, Sidney Rigdon had a strong claim to leadership. Although his relationship with Smith had been uneven since 1839, on hearing of his assassination, Rigdon rushed from Pittsburgh to Nauvoo. |
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9A |
At an August 8 meeting of the Nauvoo congregation, Rigdon claimed he had had a vision in which the Lord had made him the "Guardian" of the late prophet. At the same meeting Brigham Young proposed that the Quorum of the Twelve, of which he was the senior member, should lead the church. |
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10A |
The experienced Young and the Twelve were easily sustained as the Presidency. |
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11A |
Later a legend grew that when Young rose to speak, members of the audience were struck by the similarity between his voice and mannerisms and those of the late prophet. |
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12A |
Young, who lacked the charisma of Smith, was an even greater motivator of men. As Arrington and Bitton have written, he had "a compulsion to organize and do." |
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13A |
In the next eighteen months, the Nauvoo Mormons accomplished as much work on the temple as had occurred in the previous three years under Smith. | ||
14A |
But by that time, persecution of the Saints resumed in earnest. The state legislature revoked the Nauvoo city charter, and there were barn-burning and crop-burning attacks on outlying settlements. |
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15A |
It was clear that Saints would have to leave Illinois. By the fall of 1846, Nauvoo was a virtual ghost town. |
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Legacy
- | Wikipedia Main Article: Joseph Smith, Jr.–Legacy | Wikipedia Footnotes: Joseph Smith, Jr.–Notes | A FAIR Opinion |
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1A |
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, adherents of the denominations originating from Joseph Smith's teachings numbered perhaps as many as thirteen or fourteen million. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the largest with a self-reported membership of over thirteen million. |
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2A |
The second largest is the Community of Christ, formerly known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS), with about 250,000 members. Other groups which follow Smith's teachings have memberships numbering from dozens to tens of thousands. |
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References
Wikipedia references for "Joseph Smith, Jr." |
- Abanes, Richard, (2003), One Nation Under Gods: A History of the Mormon Church Thunder's Mouth Press
- Allen, James B., The Significance of Joseph Smith's "First Vision" in Mormon Thought off-site .
- (1992), The Mormon Experience University of Illinois Press .
- (1980), The Lion and the Lady: Brigham Young and Emma Smith off-site .
- Bergera, Gary James (editor) (1989), Line Upon Line: Essays on Mormon Doctrine Signature Books .
- Bloom, Harold, (1992), The American Religion: The Emergence of the Post-Christian Nation Simon & Schuster .
- Booth, Ezra, Mormonism—Nos. VIII–IX (Letters to the editor) off-site .
- Brodie, Fawn M., (1971), No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith Knopf .
- Brooke, , (1994), The Refiner's Fire: The Making of Mormon Cosmology, 1644–1844 Cambridge University Press .
- Bushman, Richard Lyman, (2005), Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling , New York: Knopf .
- Clark, John A., (1842), Gleanings by the Way , Philadelphia: W.J. & J.K Simmon off-site .
- Compton, Todd, (1997), In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith Signature Books .
- Foster, Lawrence, (1981), Religion and Sexuality: The Shakers, the Mormons, and the Oneida Community , New York: Oxford University Press .
- Harris, Martin, (1859), Mormonism—No. II off-site .
- Hill, Donna, (1977), Joseph Smith: The first Mormon , Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Co. .
- Hill, Marvin S., (1976), Joseph Smith and the 1826 Trial: New Evidence and New Difficulties off-site .
- Hill, Marvin S., (1989), Quest for Refuge: The Mormon Flight from American Pluralism Signature Books off-site .
- Howe, Eber Dudley, (1834), Mormonism Unvailed: Or, A Faithful Account of that Singular Imposition and Delusion, from its Rise to the Present Time , Painesville, Ohio: Telegraph Press off-site .
- Hullinger, Robert N., (1992), Joseph Smith's Response to Skepticism Signature Books off-site .
- Jessee, Dean, (1976), Joseph Knight's Recollection of Early Mormon History off-site .
- Lapham, [La]Fayette, (1870), Interview with the Father of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet, Forty Years Ago. His Account of the Finding of the Sacred Plates off-site .
- Larson, Stan, (1978), The King Follett Discourse: A Newly Amalgamated Text off-site .
- Mormon History off-site .
- Mack, Solomon, (1811), A Narraitve [sic] of the Life of Solomon Mack Windsor: Solomon Mack off-site .
- (1994), Inventing Mormonism Signature Books .
- Marquardt, H. Michael, (1999), The Joseph Smith Revelations: Text and Commentary Signature Books .
- Marquardt, H. Michael, (2005), The Rise of Mormonism: 1816–1844 Xulon Press .
- Matzko, John, (2007), The Encounter of the Young Joseph Smith with Presbyterianism off-site .
- Morgan, Dale, Walker, John Phillip (editor) (1986), Dale Morgan on Early Mormonism: Correspondence and a New History Signature Books off-site .
- (2008), Joseph Smith Jr.: reappraisals after two centuries Oxford University Press .
- Newell, Linda King, (1994), Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith University of Illinois Press .
- (1999), Mormon America: The Power and the Promise HarperSanFrancisco .
- Persuitte, David, (2000), Joseph Smith and the origins of the Book of Mormon McFarland & Co. .
- Phelps, W.W. (editor) (1833), A Book of Commandments, for the Government of the Church of Christ , Zion: William Wines Phelps & Co. off-site .
- Prince, Gregory A, (1995), Power From On High: The Development of Mormon Priesthood Signature Books .
- Quinn, D. Michael, (1994), The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power Signature Books .
- Quinn, D. Michael, (1998), Early Mormonism and the Magic World View Signature Books .
- Remini, , (2002), Joseph Smith: A Penguin Life Penguin Group .
- Roberts, B. H. (editor) (1902), History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Salt Lake City: Deseret News off-site .
- Roberts, B. H. (editor) (1904), History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Salt Lake City: Deseret News off-site .
- Roberts, B. H. (editor) (1905), History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Salt Lake City: Deseret News off-site .
- Roberts, B. H. (editor) (1909), History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , Salt Lake City: Deseret News off-site .
- Shipps, Jan, (1985), Mormonism: The Story of a New Religious Tradition University of Illinois Press .
- Smith, George D., (1994), Nauvoo Roots of Mormon Polygamy, 1841–46: A Preliminary Demographic Report off-site .
- Smith, George D, (2008), Nauvoo Polygamy: "...but we called it celestial marriage" Signature Books .
- Smith, Joseph, Jr., (1830), The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon, Upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi , Palmyra, New York: E. B. Grandin off-site . See Book of Mormon.
- Smith, Joseph, Jr., Jessee, Dean C (editor) (1832), Personal Writings of Joseph Smith , Salt Lake City: Deseret Book .
- Jessee, Dean C (editor) (1839–1843), Personal Writings of Joseph Smith Deseret Book .
- (1835), Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of the Latter Day Saints: Carefully Selected from the Revelations of God , Kirtland, Ohio: F. G. Williams & Co off-site . See Doctrine and Covenants.
- Smith, Joseph, Jr., Church History [Wentworth Letter] off-site . See Wentworth letter.
- Smith, Lucy Mack, (1853), Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet, and His Progenitors for Many Generations , Liverpool: S.W. Richards off-site . See The History of Joseph Smith by His Mother
- Tucker, Pomeroy, (1867), Origin, Rise and Progress of Mormonism , New York: D. Appleton off-site .
- Turner, Orsamus, (1852), History of the Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase, and Morris' Reserve , Rochester, New York: William Alling off-site .
- Joseph Smith: The Gift of Seeing off-site .
- Van Wagoner, Richard S., (1992), Mormon Polygamy: A History Signature Books .
- Vogel, Dan, (1994), The Locations of Joseph Smith's Early Treasure Quests off-site .
- Vogel, Dan, (2004), Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet Signature Books .
- Widmer, Kurt, (2000), Mormonism and the Nature of God: A Theological Evolution, 1830–1915 McFarland .
Further reading
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