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An analysis of Wikipedia article "Joseph Smith"

Reviews of previous revisions of this section

19 May 2009

Section review  Updated 9/3/2011

Impact

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Smith's teachings and practices aroused considerable antagonism. As early as 1829, newspapers dismissed Smith as a fraud.

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , pp. 82–83, 88–89 (describing the editorial reaction to the publication of the Book of Mormon); Brodie (1971) , pp. 16–17.</ref> Disaffected Saints periodically accused him of mishandling money and property^[1] and of practicing polygamy.<ref>Bushman (2005) , pp. 323–25, 660–61; Brodie (1971) , pp. 181–82, 369–71; Hill (1977) , p. 188; Van Wagoner (1992) , p. 39; Ostling (Ostling) , p. 14.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Smith played a role in provoking an 1838 outbreak of violence in Missouri that resulted in the expulsion of the Saints from that state.

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , pp. 345, 357, 365–367; Brodie (1971) , pp. 225–27; Remini (2002) , pp. 133–34; Quinn (1994) , pp. 96–97.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

He was twice imprisoned for alleged treason,

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , pp. 369, 547; Brodie (1971) , pp. 223, 248, 388.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

the second time falling victim to angry militiamen who stormed the jail.

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , p. 550.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Smith continues to be criticized by evangelical Christians who argue that he was either a liar or lunatic.

Author's sources:

1. Richard J. Mouw, The Possibility of Joseph Smith: Some Evangelical Probings in Neilson (Givens) at 189.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Despite the controversy Smith aroused, he attracted thousands of devoted followers before his death in 1844

Author's sources:

1. Brodie (1971) , p. 380.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

and millions within a century.

Author's sources:

1. Brodie (1971) , p. 15.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

He is widely seen as one of the most charismatic and religiously most inventive figures of American history.

Author's sources:

1. Bloom (1992) , pp. 96–99 (Smith "surpassed all Americans, before or since, in the possession and expression of what could be called the religion-making imagination," and had charisma "to a degree unsurpassed in American history".); Abanes (2003) , p. 7 (noting that even Smith's harshest critics acknowledge his inventive genius); Persuitte (2000) , p. 1 (calling Smith "one of the most controversial and enigmatic figures ever to appear in American history").

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

These followers regard Smith as a prophet and apostle of at least the stature of Moses, Elijah, Peter and Paul.

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

•  Correct, per cited sources
  

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Indeed, because of his perceived role in restoring the true faith prior to the Millennium, and because he was the "choice seer" who would bring the lost Israelites to their salvation,

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

•  Correct, per cited sources
  

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

modern Mormons regard Smith as second in importance only to Jesus.

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: Joseph Smith/Status in LDS belief

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

During his lifetime, Smith's role in the Latter Day Saint religion was comparable to that of Muhammad in early Islam.

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: Joseph Smith/Status in LDS belief

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

After his death, the Saints believed he had died to seal the testimony of his faith and considered him a martyr.

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: Joseph Smith/Martyrdom

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

His theological importance within the Latter Day Saint movement then only increased.

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: Joseph Smith/Status in LDS belief

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Mormon leaders began teaching that Smith was already among the gods,

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: Joseph Smith/Status in LDS belief
• For an analysis of Richard Abanes's critical work, see A FAIR Analysis of One Nation Under Gods.

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

and some considered Smith to be an incarnation of the Holy Spirit,

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: Joseph Smith/Office of the Holy Ghost

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

a doctrine now taught by Mormon fundamentalists.

Author's sources:

1. Widmer 2000 98

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Of all Smith's visions, Saints gradually came to regard his First Vision as the most important

Author's sources:

1. Smith (Mulholland) , p. 3. This vision was generally unknown to early Latter Day Saints. See Bushman (2005) , p. 39 (story was unknown to most early converts); Allen (1966) , p. 30 (the first vision received only limited circulation in the 1830s). However, the vision story gained increasing theological importance within the Latter Day Saint movement beginning roughly a half century later. See Shipps (1985) , pp. 30–32; Allen (1966) , pp. 43–69; Quinn (1998) , p. 176 ("Smith's first vision became a missionary tool for his followers only after Americans grew to regard modern visions of God as unusual.").

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

because it inaugurated his prophetic calling and character.

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: Joseph Smith's First Vision

}}

Religious denominations

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Smith's death resulted in further schism.

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , p. 143; Brodie (1971) , p. 398.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Smith had proposed several ways to choose his successor,

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , p. 143 ("He proposed more than one way for a member of the First Presidency to succeed him, left the relative priority of the founding quorums in an ambiguous balance, performed secret ordinations, and suggested more than one method by which a brother or son might succeed him."); Shipps (1985) , pp. 83–84 (discussing several of the succession options).

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

but while a prisoner in Carthage, it was too late to clarify his preference.

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , p. 143.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Smith's brother Hyrum, had he survived, would have had the strongest claim,

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , p. 213 (after Smith was crowned king, Hyrum referred to himself as "President of the Church"), and Brigham Young agreed Hyrum would have been the natural successor.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

followed by Joseph's brother Samuel, who died mysteriously a month after his brothers.

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , pp. 152–54, 213; Bushman (2005) , p. 555.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Another brother, William, was unable to attract a sufficient following.

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , pp. 213–26; Bushman (2005) , p. 555 (William Smith "made a bid for the Church presidency, but his unstable character kept him from being a serious contender".).

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Smith's sons Joseph III and David also had claims, but Joseph III was too young and David was yet unborn.

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• Regarding the possibility of Joseph's sons succeeding him, Brigham said,

What of Joseph Smith's family? What of his boys? I have prayed from the beginning for sister Emma and for the whole family. There is not a man in this Church that has entertained better feelings towards them. Joseph said to me, "God will take care of my children when I am taken." They are in the hands of God, and when they make their appearance before this people, full of his power, there are none but what will say—"Amen! we are ready to receive you."

The brethren testify that brother Brigham is brother Joseph's legal successor. You never heard me say so. I say that I am a good hand to keep the dogs and wolves out of the flock. I do not care a groat who rises up. I do not think anything about being Joseph's successor.Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 8:69.

• Brigham's comment "we are ready to receive you" applied to all of Joseph's children, not just Joseph Smith III.
• Ostlings, Mormon America: The Power and the Promise (p. 42) state: "There is historical evidence that Joseph Smith blessed his son, Joseph III, with the intention that the boy would become his successor, but the boy was only eleven when his father was murdered." The endnotes, however, do not provide any supporting references for this claim.
• Brigham was quite adamant that Joseph Smith III would not lead the church:

Joseph Smith that now is living in the state of Illinois, the son of Joseph the Prophet, will never lead the Latter-day Saints: he may lead apostates.
Brigham Young Addresses, Given in SLC Bowery, 7 October 1863, HDC, Ms d 1234, Box 49 fd 11

• For a detailed response, see: Primary sources/Brigham Young/7 October 1863‎ and Succession in the Presidency of the Church
• For an analysis of Richard N. Ostling and Joan K. Ostling's critical work, see A FAIR Analysis of Mormon America: The Power and the Promise.

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

The Council of Fifty had a theoretical claim to succession, but it was a secret organization.

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: The Council of Fifty

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Some of Smith's ordained successors, such as Oliver Cowdery and David Whitmer, had left the church.

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , pp. 187–91.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

The two strongest succession candidates were Sidney Rigdon, the senior member of the First Presidency, and Brigham Young, senior member of the Quorum of the Twelve. Most of the Saints voted for Young,

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , pp. 556–57.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

who led his faction to the Utah Territory and incorporated The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose membership surpassed 13 million members in 2007.

Author's sources:

1. Desert News "Addressing the New Mission Presidents Seminar on June 24, President Hinckley announced that LDS Church membership had reached 13 million." See also: Watson, F. Michael, (2008), Statistical Report, 2007 http://www.lds.org off-site Total Membership: 13,193,999

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Rigdon's followers are known as Rigdonites.

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , pp. 557. The largest existing Rigdonitechurch is the Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite).

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Most of Smith's family and several Book of Mormon witnesses temporarily followed James J. Strang,

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: James Strang

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

who based his claim on a forged letter of appointment,

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , p. 210; Bushman (2005) , p. 555.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

but Strang's following largely dissipated after his assassination in 1856.

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , p. 211; Bushman (2005) , p. 556 (Strang followed Smith's example of producing revelations with a seer stone, saying an angel had ordained him, translating scripture from buried plates, having himself crowned as theocratic king, and practicing polygamy).

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Other Saints followed Lyman Wight

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , pp. 198–203.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

and Alpheus Cutler.

Author's sources:

1. Quinn (1994) , pp. 203–09.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Many members of these smaller groups, including most of Smith's family, eventually coalesced in 1860 under the leadership of Joseph Smith III and formed what was known for more than a century as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now Community of Christ), which now has about 250,000 members. Template:As of, adherents of the denominations originating from Joseph Smith's teachings number approximately 14 million.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

In addition to churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, Smith is also accepted as a prophet by adherents of the Raëlian Church.

Author's sources:

1. Raël, Intelligent Design, p. 89.

FAIR's Response

Family and descendants

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Smith wed Emma Hale Smith in January 1827. She gave birth to seven children, the first three of whom (a boy Alvin in 1828 and twins Thaddeus and Louisa on 30 April 1831) died shortly after birth. When the twins died, the Smiths adopted twins, Julia and Joseph,

Author's sources:

1. Brodie (1971) , pp. 110–11.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

whose mother had recently died in childbirth. (Joseph died of measles in 1832.)

Author's sources:

1. The adopted twins were born of Julia Clapp Murdock and John Murdock

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Joseph and Emma Smith had four sons who lived to maturity: Joseph Smith III (November 6, 1832), Frederick Granger Williams Smith (June 29, 1836), Alexander Hale Smith (June 2, 1838), and David Hyrum Smith (November 17, 1844, born after Joseph's death). As of 2011, DNA testing had provided no evidence that Smith had fathered any children by women other than Emma.

Author's sources:

FAIR's Response

• For a detailed response, see: Joseph Smith/Polygamy/Children of polygamous marriages

}}

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Throughout her life and on her deathbed, Emma Smith frequently denied that her husband had ever taken additional wives.

Author's sources:

1. Church History, 3: 355–356.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Emma claimed that the very first time she ever became aware of a polygamy revelation being attributed to Joseph by Mormons was when she read about it in Orson Pratt's booklet The Seer in 1853.

Author's sources:

1. Saints' Herald 65:1044–1045

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Emma campaigned publicly against polygamy and also authorized and was the main signatory of a petition in Summer 1842, with a thousand female signatures, denying that Joseph was connected with polygamy,

Author's sources:

1. Times and Seasons 3 [August 1, 1842]: 869

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

and as president of the Ladies' Relief Society, Emma authorized publishing a certificate in October 1842 denouncing polygamy and denying her husband as its creator or participant.

Author's sources:

1. Times and Seasons 3 [October 1, 1842]: 940. In March 1844, Emma said, "we raise our voices and hands against John C. Bennett's 'spiritual wife system', as a scheme of profligates to seduce women; and they that harp upon it, wish to make it popular for the convenience of their own cupidity; wherefore, while the marriage bed, undefiled is honorable, let polygamy, bigamy, fornication, adultery, and prostitution, be frowned out of the hearts of honest men to drop in the gulf of fallen nature". The document The Voice of Innocence from Nauvoo. signed by Emma Smith as President of the Ladies' Relief Society, was published within the article Virtue Will Triumph, Nauvoo Neighbor, March 20, 1844 (LDS History of the Church 6:236, 241) including on her deathbed where she stated "No such thing as polygamy, or spiritual wifery, was taught, publicly or privately, before my husband's death, that I have now, or ever had any knowledge of...He had no other wife but me; nor did he to my knowledge ever have". Church History3: 355–356

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Even when her sons Joseph III and Alexander presented her with specific written questions about polygamy, she continued to deny that their father had been a polygamist.

Author's sources:

1. Van Wagoner (1992) , pp. 113–115 As Fawn Brodie has written, this denial was "her revenge and solace for all her heartache and humiliation." (Brodie, 399) "This was her slap at all the sly young girls in the Mansion House who had looked first so worshipfully and then so knowingly at Joseph. She had given them the lie. Whatever formal ceremony he might have gone through, Joseph had never acknowledged one of them before the world." Newell and Avery wrote of "the paradox of Emma's position," quoting her friend and lawyer Judge George Edmunds who stated "that's just the hell of it! I can't account for it or reconcile her statements." Newell (Avery) , p. 308

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

After Smith's death, Emma Smith quickly became alienated from Brigham Young and the church leadership.

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , p. 554 ("Emma's alienation from the main body of the Church began almost immediately."); Brodie (1971) , p. 399 (Emma Smith "came to fear and despise" Young); Avery (Newell) , p. 82 (noting that Young later stated that "to my certain knowledge Emma Smith is one of the damndest liars I know of on this earth.").

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

Young, whom Emma feared and despised, was suspicious of her desire to preserve the family's assets from inclusion with those of the church,

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , p. 554.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

and thought she would be even more troublesome because she openly opposed plural marriage.

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , p. 554 ("Her known opposition to plural marriage made her doubly troublesome.").

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

When most Latter Day Saints moved west, she stayed in Nauvoo, married a non-Mormon, Major Lewis C. Bidamon,

Author's sources:

1. Bushman (2005) , pp. 554–55. Emma Smith married Major Lewis Bidamon, an "enterprising man who made good use of Emma's property." Although Bidamon sired an illegitimate child when he was 62 (whom Emma reared), "the couple showed genuine affection for each" Bushman (2005) , pp. 554–55.

FAIR's Response

The author(s) of Check link or content make(s) the following claim:

and withdrew from religion until 1860, when she affiliated with what became the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (now the Community of Christ), first headed by her son, Joseph Smith III. Emma never denied Joseph Smith's prophetic gift or repudiated her belief in the authenticity of the Book of Mormon.

FAIR's Response

References

Wikipedia references for "Joseph Smith, Jr."

Further reading

FAIR Answers—back to home page

Mormonism and Wikipedia

FairMormon's approach to Wikipedia articles

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.

Who can edit Wikipedia articles?

Editors who wish to participate in editing LDS-themed Wikipedia articles can access the project page here: Wikipedia:WikiProject Latter Day Saint movement. You are not required to be LDS in order to participate—there are a number of good non-LDS editors who have made valuable contributions to these articles.

Recommendations when editing Wikipedia articles

FAIR does not advocate removing any references from Wikipedia articles. The best approach to editing Wikipedia is to locate solid references to back up your position and add them rather than attempting to remove information. Individuals who intend to edit should be aware that posting information related to the real-world identities of Wikipedia editors will result in their being banned from editing Wikipedia. Attacking editors and attempting to "out" them on Wikipedia is considered very bad form. The best approach is to treat all Wikipedia editors, whether or not you agree or disagree with their approach, with respect and civility. An argumentative approach is not constructive to achieving a positive result, and will simply result in what is called an "edit war." Unfortunately, not all Wikipedia editors exhibit good faith toward other editors (see, for example, the comment above from "Duke53" or comments within these reviews made by John Foxe's sockpuppet "Hi540," both of whom repeatedly mocked LDS beliefs and LDS editors prior to their being banned.)

Do LDS editors control Wikipedia?

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.

Do "anti-Mormons" control Wikipedia?

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.

Why do certain LDS articles seem to be so negative?

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.

FairMormon's analysis of LDS-related Wikipedia articles

We examine selected Wikipedia articles and examine them on a "claim-by-claim" basis, with links to responses in the FairMormon Answers Wiki. Wikipedia articles are constantly evolving. As a result, the analysis of each article will be updated periodically in order to bring it more into line with the current version of the article. The latest revision date may be viewed at the top of each individual section. The process by which Wikipedia articles are reviewed is the following:

1. Update each Wikipedia passage and its associated footnotes.
2. Examine the use of sources and determine whether or not the passage accurately represents the source used.
3. Provide links to response articles within the FairMormon Answers Wiki.
4. If violation of Wikipedia rules is discovered, identify which Wikipedia editor (by pseudonym) made the edit, provide a description of the rule violated and a link to the Wikipedia "diff" showing the actual edit.
5. If a violated rule is later corrected in a subsequent revision, the violation is removed and a notation is added that the passage is correct per cited sources. This doesn't mean that FAIR necessarily agrees with the passage—only that it is correct based upon the source used.

Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship, "Mormonism and Wikipedia: The Church History That “Anyone Can Edit”"

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.

Click here to view the complete article

1. ↑ Bushman (2005) , pp. 178–79, 247, 332, 336–40; Remini (2002) , pp. 109–10; Brodie (1971) , pp. 207, 368–69; Hill (1977) , p. 216; Ostling (Ostling) , p. 14.