Joseph Smith Most Arrogant Boast

In the History of the Church, Vol. 6, Joseph Smith made an arrogant claim:

I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.

Joseph Smith, Sunday, May 26, 1844
History of the Church, Vol 6:408-409

This quote is often glossed over in Sunday School manuals and rarely read aloud in full at the pulpit. And for good reason—it’s a glaring example of historical revisionism, spiritual arrogance, and prophetic hubris.

Able to keep a church together?

“I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together…” This is demonstrably false.

The early Latter-day Saint movement was plagued with internal dissent, factionalism, and leadership crises. Many of the original founding members left or were excommunicated:

• Oliver Cowdery – Co-founder, Second Elder, and Book of Mormon witness, excommunicated in 1838.
• David Whitmer – Book of Mormon witness and early church leader, excommunicated and later denounced Smith’s teachings.
• Martin Harris – Lost his place in church leadership and spent years estranged from the church.
• William Law – Once a member of the First Presidency, excommunicated for opposing polygamy, and later co-publisher of the Nauvoo Expositor, which led directly to Smith’s arrest and death.

Far from keeping the church “together,” Smith alienated or exiled many of its earliest and most devoted members. The church fractured multiple times during his lifetime, not just after his death.

Since the days of Adam?

This claim is breathtaking in scope. Joseph places himself above every religious leader in history—including Moses, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and countless others who led large, enduring faith movements.

• Moses led Israel for decades through the exodus.
• Jesus’ teachings spread globally, launched a movement that has lasted over two millennia, and today counts over two billion adherents.
• Muhammad united the Arabian Peninsula under Islam and left behind a religious community that thrives today.

Joseph Smith’s church, by contrast, was only 14 years old when he died. At which point it had already splintered into multiple rival camps.

Paul, John, Peter, and even Jesus?

This is an especially shocking assertion for someone claiming to restore the Church of Jesus Christ.

Jesus deliberately chose a path that led to betrayal and crucifixion. He didn’t try to keep his followers physically “together” in an institutional sense. He sent them into the world to preach and serve.

Peter, Paul, and John helped establish Christian churches across the Roman Empire, enduring persecution, imprisonment, and martyrdom. Their efforts laid the foundation for the global spread of Christianity.

Joseph Smith, by contrast, led a small, unstable group that had to flee from city to city to escape mounting opposition. The difference isn’t one of success—it’s of scale, purpose, and endurance.

Followers of Jesus ran away from Him; While Joseph’s never did?

This is simply not true, even on its face.

Followers of Jesus did scatter at His death, yes—but they regrouped, witnessed the Resurrection, and went on to form the earliest Christian communities.

Followers of Joseph Smith absolutely did run away. There was the Kirtland banking disaster, the period in Nauvoo when polygamy was exposed, and in response to Smith’s increasingly autocratic rule. By the time of his death, hundreds, if not thousands, had already left “the fold” or been cast out. Still today, many LDS church members break off from the church over concerns about Joseph Smith’s teachings and/or his behavior. His legacy continues to be divisive, not unifying, at least when told in full, and the only way the church can talk about founder Joseph Smith is in whitewashed narratives that leave out much of his history.

Irony: Boasting in a Church That Splintered at His Death

One of the most ironic aspects of this quote is that the church Joseph Smith started splintered almost immediately upon his death. The lack of a clear succession plan led to complete chaos:

• Brigham Young led the largest surviving faction westward, which became the modern Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Sidney Rigdon, James Strang, and others all claimed leadership and led their own splinter groups.
• The Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized LDS Church) emerged under Joseph Smith III and Joseph’s first wife, Emma Smith.
• Many independent branches of Mormonism—some still practicing polygamy—trace their lineage to Smith and splintered off in various ways and times.

Rather than preserving unity, Joseph left a vacuum that fractured the movement permanently. Today, Mormonism exists as a patchwork of splinters—most of which don’t even recognize each other’s authority. The largest and most successful splinter group at the time was simply called the Brighamite church, alongside the Strangites and Rigdonites.

A Boastful Prophet

Joseph Smith’s quote is not just historically inaccurate—it’s a striking example of prophetic ego. He places himself above Jesus, the apostles, and every religious leader in history, claiming superiority on the flimsiest of grounds. The evidence shows the opposite: he created deep divisions, burned through relationships, mismanaged money, and left behind an explosive succession crisis.

The only reason the church still exists today is not because Joseph held it together, but because his death allowed others, like Brigham Young, to clean up the mess and build something durable from the wreckage.

Smith may have been a charismatic founder, but even if the church today sings his praises, he was no Christ—and history proves it.

• https://byustudies.byu.edu/online-book/history-of-the-church-volume-6/volume-6-chapter-19
• https://mrm.org/boast-of-joseph
• https://saintsunscripted.com/faith-and-beliefs/the-restoration-of-christs-church/did-joseph-smith-think-he-was-better-than-jesus/
• https://godlovesmormons.com/joseph-smiths-boast-better-than-jesus/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/mormonscholar/comments/c8pqbc/source_of_josephs_boast_that_he_was_better_than/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/13vy75u/joseph_smith_was_not_a_humble_simple_farm_boy/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/exmormon/comments/14rgr3i/joseph_smiths_boast_declaring_he_is_greater_than/