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|L=Mormonism and Wikipedia/Joseph Smith, Jr./1838 to 1839 | |L=Mormonism and Wikipedia/Joseph Smith, Jr./1838 to 1839 |
1831 to 1838 | A FairMormon Analysis of Wikipedia: "Joseph Smith" A work by a collaboration of authors (Link to Wikipedia article here)
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1838 - 1844 |
The name Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.. Wikipedia content is copied and made available under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
After leaving Jackson County, the Saints in Missouri established the town of Far West. Smith's plans to redeem Zion in Jackson County had lapsed by 1838,Author's sources:
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and after Smith and Rigdon arrived in Missouri, Far West became the new Mormon "Zion."Author's sources:
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In Missouri, the church also received a new name: the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,"Author's sources:
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and construction began on a new temple.Author's sources:
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Soon after Smith and Rigdon arrived at Far West, hundreds of disaffected Saints in Kirtland, suddenly realizing "the enormity of their loss," followed them to Missouri.Author's sources:
- Remini (2002) , p. 125; Brodie (1971) , p. 210 ("Joseph's going had left a void that they had found intolerable. With each passing week they remembered less of their prophet's financial ineptitude and more of his genial warmth and his magnetic presence in the pulpit.")
But Smith was unable to reconcile with many of the oldest and most prominent leaders of the church, and he purged those critics who had not yet resigned.Author's sources:
- Marquardt (2005) , p. 463 (listing Oliver Cowdery (Assistant President of the Church), Frederick G. Williams (First Presidency), David and John Whitmer (Book of Mormon witnesses and presidency of Missouri), William Phelps (presidency of Missouri), Martin Harris, Hiram Page, and Jacob Whitmer (Book of Mormon witnesses), and Lyman E. Johnson, John F. Boynton, Luke S. Johnson, and William E. McLellin (Quorum of the Twelve)); Remini (2002) , p. 128; Quinn (1994) , p. 93.
Though Smith hated violence, his experiences led him to believe that his faith's survival required greater militancy against anti-Mormons and Mormon traitors.Author's sources:
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With his knowledge and at least partial approval,Author's sources:
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recent convert Sampson Avard formed a covert organization called the DanitesAuthor's sources:
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to intimidate Mormon dissenters and oppose anti-Mormon militia units.Author's sources:
- Quinn (1994) , p. 93; Brodie (1971) , p. 213 ("They would not only defend the Saints against aggression from the old settlers, but also act as a bodyguard for the presidency and as a secret police for ferreting out dissenters."); Remini (2002) , p. 129.
Sidney Rigdon was working to restore the United Order, but lawsuits by Oliver Cowdery and other dissenters threatened that plan.Author's sources:
- Brodie (1971) , p. 217.
After Rigdon issued a thinly veiled threat in a sermon,Author's sources:
- Rigdon said that "if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."
the Danites expelled the dissenters from the countyAuthor's sources:
- Brodie (1971) , pp. 218–19 (Danites issued a written death threat, and when that didn't work they surrounded the dissenters' homes and "ordered their wives to pack their blankets and leave the county immediately"); Quinn (1994) , pp. 94–95.
with Smith's approval.Author's sources:
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In a keynote speech at the town's Fourth of July celebration, Rigdon issued similar threats against non-Mormons, promising a "war of extermination" should Mormons be attacked.Author's sources:
- Brodie (1971) , pp. 222–23; Remini (2002) , pp. 131–33.
After Rigdon's oration, Smith shouted "Hosannah!"Author's sources:
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and allowed the speech to be published as a pamphlet.Author's sources:
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Rigdon's July 4 oration produced a flood of anti-Mormon rhetoric in Missouri newspapers and stump speeches during the political campaign leading up to the August 6, 1838 Missouri elections.Author's sources:
- Remini (2002) , p. 133.
- Remini notes that Mormons were "denounced as murderers, thieves, idolaters, blasphemers, and liars," and that they needed to be "driven from the state."
In Daviess County, where Mormon influence was increasing because of their new settlement of Adam-ondi-Ahman,Author's sources:
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this election descended into violence when non-Mormons sought to prevent Mormons from voting. Although there were no immediate deaths,Author's sources:
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the election scuffles initiated the 1838 Mormon War,Author's sources:
- Remini (2002) , p. 134; Quinn (1994) , p. 96.
which quickly escalated as non-Mormon vigilantes raided and burned Mormon farms.Author's sources:
- Brodie (1971) , p. 227
Meanwhile, under Smith's general oversight and command,Author's sources:
- Quinn (1994) , pp. 98–99, 101.
the Danites and other Mormon forces pillaged non-Mormon towns.Author's sources:
[Joseph] certainly wanted Mormon enemies removed, but would he have fought to remove them or burned their houses? He believed his people could rightfully confiscate property in compensation for their own losses to the Missourians but o more. He is not known to have ordered any greater violence. As the December letter said, he believed the Missourians burned their own houses and blamed it on the Mormons. His military instincts were defensive. When it was time to attack, he pulled back...Any Mormon aggression beyond these limits probably occurred without his authorization. (emphasis added)
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During this time, Smith and other Mormon leaders helped inflame Mormon sentiment with militant rhetoric including a promise to "establish our religion with the sword" if molested.Author's sources:
Corrill remembered strong talk. Joseph said that "if they came on us to molest us, we would establish our religion by the sword; and that he would become to this generation a second Mahomet."
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His rhetoric perhaps produced greater militancy among Mormons than he had intended.Author's sources:
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When Mormons attacked the Missouri state militia at the Battle of Crooked River in an attempt to rescue some captured Mormons,Author's sources:
[T]he Mormons learned of a group of armed men approaching in a threatening posture. They actually were a contingent of the Richmond County militia under Samuel Bogard, but they looked like a mob on the prowl. The misapprehension proved to be a serious mistake.
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Governor Boggs ordered that the Mormons be "exterminated or driven from the state."Author's sources:
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Before word of this order got out, non-Mormon vigilantes surprised and killed about 18 Mormons, including children, in the Haun's Mill massacre, effectively ending the war.Author's sources:
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On November 1, 1838, the Saints surrendered to 2,500 state troops, and agreed to forfeit their property and leave the state.Author's sources:
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Smith was court-martialed and nearly executed for treason, but militiaman Alexander Doniphan, who was also the Saints' attorney, probably saved Smith's life by insisting that he was a civilian.Author's sources:
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Smith was then sent to a state court for a preliminary hearing,Author's sources:
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where several of his former allies, including Danite commander Sampson Avard, turned state's evidence.Author's sources:
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Smith and five others, including Rigdon, were charged with "overt acts of treason,"Author's sources:
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and transferred to the jail at Liberty, Missouri to await trial.Author's sources:
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Smith's months in prison with Rigdon strained their relationship,Author's sources:
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and Brigham Young rose in prominence as Smith's defender.Author's sources:
- Brodie (1971) , pp. 245–46.
Under Young's leadership, about 14,000 SaintsAuthor's sources:
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made their way to Illinois and searched for land to purchase.Author's sources:
- Brodie (1971) , pp. 248–50.
Smith bade his time writing contemplative statements directed mainly to Mormons.Author's sources:
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He did not deny responsibility for the Danites, but he said he had been ignorant of Avard's extreme militancy.Author's sources:
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Though it had not been an issue in his preliminary hearing, he denied rumors of polygamy,Author's sources:
- Brodie (1971) , p. 246.
as he quietly planned how to reveal the principle to his followers.Author's sources:
- Brodie (1971) , pp. 252–53.
Many Saints now considered Smith a fallen prophet, but he assured them he still had the heavenly keys.Author's sources:
- Brodie (1971) , pp. 245–46.
He directed the Saints to collect and publish all their stories of persecution, and to moderate their antagonism to non-Mormons.Author's sources:
- Bushman (2005) , pp. 377–78.
Smith and his companions tried to escape at least twice during their four-month imprisonment,Author's sources:
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and on April 6, 1839, on their way to a different jail after their grand jury hearing, they succeeded by bribing the sheriff.Author's sources:
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Wikipedia references for "Joseph Smith, Jr." |
FairMormon regularly receives queries about specific LDS-themed Wikipedia articles with requests that we somehow "fix" them. Although some individual members of FAIR may choose to edit Wikipedia articles, FairMormon as an organization does not. Controversial Wikipedia articles require constant maintenance and a significant amount of time. We prefer instead to respond to claims in the FAIR Wiki rather than fight the ongoing battle that LDS Wikipedia articles sometimes invite. From FAIR’s perspective, assertions made in LDS-themed Wikipedia articles are therefore treated just like any other critical (or, if one prefers, "anti-Mormon") work. As those articles are revised and updated, we will periodically update our reviews to match.
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Although there exist editors on Wikipedia who openly declare their affiliation with the Church, they do not control Wikipedia. Ironically, some critics of the Church periodically falsely accuse Wikipedia editors of being LDS simply because they do not accept the critics' desired spin on a particular article.
Again, the answer is no. The truth is that Wikipedia is generally self-policing. Highly contentious articles do tend to draw the most passionate supporters and critics.
Although some LDS-related Wikipedia articles may appear to have a negative tone, they are in reality quite a bit more balanced than certain critical works such as One Nation Under Gods. Although many critical editors often accuse LDS-related Wikipedia articles of being "faith promoting" or claim that they are just an extension of the Sunday School manual, this is rarely the case. Few, if any, Latter-day Saints would find Wikipedia articles to be "faith promoting." Generally, the believers think that the articles are too negative and the critics believe that the articles are too positive. LDS Wikipedia articles should be informative without being overtly faith promoting. However, most of the primary sources, including the words of Joseph Smith himself, are "faith promoting." This presents a dilemma for Wikipedia editors who want to remain neutral. The unfortunate consequence is that Joseph's words are rewritten and intermixed with contradictory sources, resulting in boring and confusing prose.
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The ability to quickly and easily access literature critical of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been made significantly easier through the advent of the Internet. One of the primary sites that dominates search engine results is Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia that “anyone can edit.” Wikipedia contains a large number of articles related to Mormonism that are edited by believers, critics, and neutral parties. The reliability of information regarding the Church and its history is subject to the biases of the editors who choose to modify those articles. Even if a wiki article is thoroughly sourced, editors sometimes employ source material in a manner that supports their bias. This essay explores the dynamics behind the creation of Wikipedia articles about the Church, the role that believers and critics play in that process, and the reliability of the information produced in the resulting wiki articles.
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