Difference between revisions of "Criticism of Mormonism/Websites/MormonThink/Moroni's Visitation"

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{{MormonThinkIndexClaim
 
|claim=Critic's response
 
There has never been anything recorded by Joseph Smith that the all-powerful creator used his powers to keep ten people from waking up during the night of September 21, 1823.  Most Latter-day Saints have not even thought about this problem and its significance.  There is no precedent for our Heavenly Father using his divine powers to keep people from waking up during spectacular events.
 
|think=
 
*Well, no precedent in the Bible except...
 
**that thing with Adam and the rib...
 
**the Lord calling to Samuel and Eli sleeping through it...
 
**Stephen's vision while being stoned...
 
*Why should Joseph Smith have recorded this mundane fact? Even the writer of the paragraph acknowledges that most people don't even think about it. Why should Joseph Smith have thought to mention it? Joseph didn't mention if he had short or long hair in his account, but we do not assume his head was shaved bald.
 
|quote=
 
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{{MormonThinkIndexClaim
 
|claim=Critic's response: [T]he 'vision' must have been entirely contained in Joseph's young mind.  If this is the case, how is this really different than a dream or a hallucination?  To the believers that say the Angel Moroni's visit was entirely in Joseph's mind and that is the reason none of his family could see the angel that night, we agree - it was in his mind as an intense dream, hallucination or inspired fantasy or what some call 'a vision'.
 
|think=
 
*{{Antispeak|caricature}}
 
*Joseph said that he saw an angel, and described him. If you don't want to believe that, then calling it a dream or hallucination should settle your mind on the matter.
 
*Few believers say the vision was "entirely in Joseph's mind."  This is a straw-man.
 
*Joseph would have to dream or hallucinate the exact same thing three times in one night, and then in the full light of day the next morning.  And, he would report repeated conversations with Moroni over the next few years.
 
|quote=
 
}}
 
 
 
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{{MormonThinkIndexClaim
 
|claim=Critic's response
 
The Church is well aware that Joseph's brothers all slept in the same room as he did.  The LDS tour guides at the restored Smith home confirm this.  The Church purposely omits this part of the story in its publications, paintings and illustrations as it would sound very unbelievable to show the entire Smith family sleeping during Moroni's visit, even though this is what happened.  For a church that preaches such honesty, they can be very deceptive.  To approve of less-than-accurate paintings, sugarcoated stories and depictions of historical events is deceptive and totally out-of-line with a church that espouses the virtues of total honesty.
 
|think=
 
*{{Antispeak|liars}}
 
*{{Antispeak|repeat}}
 
*{{Antispeak|mutually exclusive}}
 
* So, wait a minute--the Church's ''tour guides'', who speak to thousands of visitors a year, confirm that Joseph was in a bed with his siblings, and yet MormonThink claims there's a conspiracy to cover up this fact?
 
*''Some'' Church artwork does indeed portray Joseph as being alone—this is simply an artistic interpretation.
 
*The August 2009 ''Ensign'', page 54, however, shows a painting of Joseph sitting up in his bed looking at Moroni. Next to Joseph one can clearly see three of his siblings in the same bed...sound asleep. (May be viewed here: [http://www.ldscompanion.org/index.php?op=art&page=author&artist=50&off=18&id=304 Artwork by Liz Lemon Swindle])
 
*''Even the official LDS web site'' has a painting that shows one of Joseph's siblings asleep in bed during Moroni's visit. See: [http://www.josephsmith.net/josephsmith/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c08679179acbff00VgnVCM1000001f5e340aRCRD The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ].
 
|quote=
 
|link=Moroni's_visit/Siblings_remained_asleep#Church_artwork_portrays_Joseph_as_being_alone
 
|subject=Does the Church hide the presence of Joseph's siblings in bed during Moroni's appearance?
 
|summary=It is claimed that no Church artwork shows Joseph's siblings asleep.  The claim is false.
 
}}
 
 
 
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{{MormonThinkIndexClaim
 
|claim=Update: Perhaps web sites like [MormonThink] are inspiring the church to be more accurate in its depictions of historical events. We support the effort. Perhaps next month they will have a depiction of Joseph translating the Book of Mormon by putting his face in a hat?
 
|think=
 
*Actually, MormonThink added this "Update" after ''FAIR'' pointed out the two paintings that refuted their claim.
 
*We seriously doubt that artist Liz Lemon Swindle painted three of Joseph's siblings asleep in bed during Moroni's visit because of MormonThink.
 
*We seriously doubt that lds.org added a painting showing Joseph's siblings asleep because of anything found on the web.
 
|quote=
 
|link=Moroni's_visit/Siblings_remained_asleep#Church_artwork_portrays_Joseph_as_being_alone
 
|subject=Does the Church hide the presence of Joseph's siblings in bed during Moroni's appearance?
 
|summary=It is claimed that no Church artwork shows Joseph's siblings asleep.  The claim is false.
 
}}
 
 
 
==== ====
 
{{MormonThinkIndexClaim
 
|claim=Update
 
In the October 2011 Ensign, page 8, the church did not use the more accurate image of Joseph with his brothers in the room when Moroni appeared. Instead the church reverted to using the same old painting of Joseph alone in the bed with Moroni appearing over him. So it appears that the church is not becoming more open and forthright about this issue as we had hoped.
 
 
 
|think=
 
*{{Antispeak|liars}}
 
*Or, more likely, that the Church and most members simply don't care about this silly argument. They are illustrating the visit of Moroni, not attempting to justify every physical and spiritual aspect of the visit.
 
* After all, isn't the fact that an angel has shown up to visit a farmboy really by far the most extraordinary and difficult-to-believe part of the story?
 
|quote=
 
|link=Moroni's_visit/Siblings_remained_asleep#Church_artwork_portrays_Joseph_as_being_alone
 
|subject=Does the Church hide the presence of Joseph's siblings in bed during Moroni's appearance?
 
|summary=It is claimed that no Church artwork shows Joseph's siblings asleep.  The claim is false.
 
}}
 
 
 
=={{Endnotes label}}==
 
#{{note|ashurst.293}}Mark Ashurst-McGee, "A Pathway to Prophethood: Joseph Smith Junior as Rodsman, Village Seer, and Judeo-Christian Prophet," (Master's Thesis, University of Utah, Logan, Utah, 2000), 293.
 

Revision as of 08:55, 15 May 2014

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Contents

Response to MormonThink page "Moroni's Visitation"


A FAIR Analysis of:
MormonThink
A work by author: Anonymous

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"why didn't this wake up Joseph's brothers who were sleeping in the same room with him?"

MormonThink states...

"When Moroni came and spoke with Joseph on the night of September 21, 1823, why didn't this wake up Joseph's brothers who were sleeping in the same room with him? It seems that the appearance of an angelic being with a "countenance truly like lightning" would have awoken the entire Smith family: his five brothers in the same room, his two sisters in the adjoining room, and possibly even his parents and sister sleeping below.

There were only two beds in the small room that Joseph and his brothers occupied. With six brothers all sharing one room, Joseph would have had two brothers sleeping in the very same bed as he slept in. It is simply inconceivable that his brothers sleeping in the same room, let alone the same bed, would not have been woken up by the magnificent appearance of the Angel Moroni.
....

It is also perhaps somewhat deceptive of the LDS Church to show the illustrations of Joseph with Moroni all by themselves. See update below. Before 2009, the Church never showed any illustrations with Joseph's five brothers in the room sleeping with him. Showing Joseph in bed by himself gazing at Moroni is not accurate as he would have had two brothers sleeping in the bed with him. In the August, 2009 Ensign, the church did show an image of Joseph with his brothers in bed with him. However, two years later, the October, 2011 Ensign resorted to the old image with Joseph by himself."

FairMormon Response


Why didn't Joseph Smith's siblings wake up during Moroni's visit?

Summary: It is claimed that when Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith in his room on September 21, 1823, his siblings who were sleeping in the same room should have woken up. They claim that this is evidence that Joseph's story is false. It is claimed that no Church artwork shows Joseph's siblings asleep. The claim is false.


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