Joseph Fielding Smith - wasmormon.org

Gender in Terrestrial & Telestial Kingdoms or The TK Smoothie

“Procreation limited to celestial bodies... Some of the functions in the celestial body will not appear in the terrestrial body, neither in the telestial body, and the power of procreation will be removed.” - Joseph Fielding Smith, LDS Church President, Doctrines of Salvation | Those in the Telestial and Terrestrial Kingdoms will lack genitalia, while those in the Celestial Kingdom will retain theirs for eternal procreation. Leading to the term “TK Smoothie,” which alludes to the smooth, featureless region of those in the lesser Telestial and Terrestrial Kingdoms, likened to a Barbie or Ken doll. | wasmormon.org

Joseph Fielding Smith taught in his definitive Doctrines of Salvation that only celestial resurrected individuals will be able to procreate. He clarifies that individuals in the Telestial Kingdom would lack male or female genitalia, contrasting with those in the Celestial Kingdom, who would retain their reproductive organs for eternal procreation. This doctrine of salvation led …

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Joseph Smith’s Rock in Hat Translation of the Book of Mormon

“Joseph placed either the interpreters or the seer stone in a hat, pressed his face into the hat to block out extraneous light, and read aloud the English words that appeared on the instrument.” - Book of Mormon Translation, Gospel Topic Essay, LDS Church, 2015 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/book-of-mormon-translation vs South Park | wasmormon.org

Traditionally, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon or LDS Church) depicts Joseph Smith translating the Book of Mormon in a manner that implies a reverent, direct reading of ancient golden plates. Today, church leaders are shifting this narrative to reflect the more historically accurate manner of translation. In reality, Joseph Smith barely …

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Why Worry about Different Versions of the First Vision

“To me the gospel is not a great mass of theological jargon. It is a simple and beautiful and logical thing, with one quiet truth following another in orderly sequence. I do not fret over the mysteries... I am not worried that the Prophet Joseph Smith gave a number of versions of the first vision” - President Gordon B. Hinckley, as Second Counselor in the First Presidency, November 1983 | First Presidency Message, October 1984 Ensign | wasmormon.org

In 1983, Gordon B. Hinckley, then Second Counselor in the First Presidency, but later President of the Church spoke to students at the Salt Lake Institute of Religion. An edited version of this address was then given as the First Presidency Message in the October 1984 Ensign. The message, God Hath Not Given Us the …

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Joseph Smith was a Glass Looking Treasure Digger

“The treasure-seeking stories of Joseph Smith’s youth have done more than cast a shadow on his character. They supply a secular explanation for his extraordinary religious claims... The response of Mormon historians in the 1970s was to deny almost everything... Not only the Smiths but also many of their neighbors were looking for treasure in Palmyra in the 1820s. It may not have been the most uplifting activity, and some scoffed, but it was something like reading astrological charts today—a little goofy but harmless. The only harm came when someone tried to deceive others to get gain. That was why Joseph Smith was put on trial.” - Richard Bushman, LDS Historian | wasmormon.org

Today, the fact that Joseph Smith was involved in treasure digging is undisputed, yet still hardly common knowledge among members of the church. This is likely due to the historic denials from church leadership on Joseph and any such occult practices. The church has sought to distance itself from the strange magic practices of the …

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Nothing to Hide?

Some scholars say historical records point to discrepancies with the official church history. How do you reconcile the differences? And what is the church's position on historical scholarship? "Well, we have nothing to hide. Our history is an open book. They may find what they are looking for, but the fact is the history of the church is clear and open and leads to faith and strength and virtues." - Gordon B. Hinckley, LDS Church President Answering Associated Press questions about the LDS Church, Dec 25, 2005 | wasmormon.org

President Gordon B. Hinckley, top leader of the Church (1995-2008) addresses several issues related to the church’s history and practices in an interview on Christmas Day in 2005. The interview covered many topics but here we’ll look closely at what he said about polygamy and fundamentalist Mormons and church history and transparency. Polygamy and Fundamentalist …

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Book of Mormon Anachronisms – Slippery Treasures and Treasure Digging Concepts

“Was not Joseph Smith a money digger? Yes, but it was never a very profitable job for him, as he only got fourteen dollars a month for it.” - Joseph Smith Jr, Elders Journal. Far West, Missouri. July 1838 The following answers to questions, which were asked in the last number of the Journal | wasmormon.org

Joseph Smith was brought up being praised for a “gift.” What gift is that? The gift his father practiced and saw in him. The practice was condemned by Benjamin Franklin 100 years earlier. The practice appears in church history, in the doctrine and covenants, and even the Book of Mormon. This practice is easily ridiculed …

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Benjamin Franklin on Treasure Seeking Seers

“This odd humour of digging for money ... has for several years been mighty prevalent among us. Men, otherwise of very good sense, have been drawn into this practice through an over weening desire of sudden wealth, and an easy credulity of what they so earnestly wished might be true. While the rational and almost certain methods of acquiring riches by industry and frugality are neglected or forgotten. There is certainly something very bewitching in the pursuit after mines of gold and silver, and other valuable metals; and many have been ruined by it. Surely, this is nothing less than the most egregious folly and madness.” - Benjamin Franklin, The Busy-Body, No. 8, March 27, 1729 | wasmormon.org

Founding Father, Benjamin Franklin, didn’t know Joseph Smith since they lived in different times, but Joseph certainly knew of Ben Franklin. Ben Franklin did know however about many of the folk magic practices that Joseph’s family still practiced a hundred years later. Franklin saw the folly and called it out as nonsense. He described the …

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LDS Church On Same-Sex Marriages

“We exchanged expressions of joy, and I walked back to the hillside. I sat down on the pile of dirt we had been moving and beckoned to my sons. As I told them that all worthy male members of the Church could now be ordained to the priesthood, I wept for joy. That is the scene etched in my memory of this unforgettable announcement 40 years ago — sitting on a pile of dirt and weeping as I told my sons of this divine revelation.” - President Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle On The Lifting of the Priesthood Ban at 'Be One' Celebration, June 1, 2018 | wasmormon.org/same-sex/

The Mormon church is famously (or infamously) known for not allowing or supporting same-sex relationships or marriages. There is a trail of history showing the church to be opposed to honoring same-sex couples in society. They vehemently opposed Prop 8, and mobilized membership to work on continuing to outlaw same-sex marriages in the state of …

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Special Witnesses – Have Mormon Apostles Seen Jesus?

“I've never had an experience like that [a miraculous experience with an angel], and I don't know anyone among the First Presidency or Quorum of the Twelve who had that kind of experience.” - Dallin H. Oaks, LDS Apostle Bellevue South Stake Fireside January 23rd, 2016 | wasmormon.org

One of the foundational pillars of the church is the First Vision, in which Joseph Smith claims to have seen the Lord (or both God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ – depending on which of his accounts you read) while praying in the woods. There is an assumption in the church that …

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Mormon Truth Claims Crumble With Changing Church History Narrative

“I've felt for a long time that the church has made a very serious error in tying itself to all kinds of historical claims instead of focusing its claims on the quality of life it can engender, the happiness it can bring to people, and the spiritual and moral strength it can build in its members. It has always insisted that if X, Y, and Z historical events did not occur, then the church is not true. That's a lot of nonsense. No church looks very good under a close inspection of its own history. The Catholics don't, the Protestants don't, and the Mormons don't. There's no need to pretend that our history is free of unsavory episodes--Joseph Smith's involvement in magic and all that damned nonsense--to say nothing of polygamy. There's no point in trying to cover them up. It makes more sense to focus the case for the church on something other than its historical origins. But it's not an easy thing to do. We are so steeped in historical consciousness--often historical error.” - Sterling M. McMurrin, Mormon theologian and Philosophy professor | wasmormon.org

The Church is built on specific claims. The church claims that Joseph Smith met God and Jesus, received ancient plates from an angel, translated them, and had priesthood authority restored by heavenly messengers. Church leaders even state that if the events didn’t occur, the church would fall apart. This is the danger in the church …

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Mormons Call the Church President the Prophet But Haven’t Always

"Mormons have not always seen their president as a prophet. Before 1955, every mention of the church's leader in Deseret News articles referred to him as "President." The honorific "Prophet" was reserved only for Joseph Smith, the church's founder, and prophets from the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Yet during David O. McKays popular presidency from 1951 to 1970, church publications began occasionally referring to him as "Prophet." By the late 1960s, "President" had become interchangeable, if not synonymous, with "Prophet," thanks to routine references to the latter in church publications and at General Conferences." - D. Michael Quinn, Historian on Mormonism - The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power | wasmromon.org

There has been a significant cultural change within the Mormon Church, shifting from church leaders predominantly being referred to as “President,” to being esteemed as “Prophet.” This change evolved gradually over several decades. Initially, references to the church leader as “Prophet” were reserved exclusively for Joseph Smith, the church’s founder, and prophets from biblical and …

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If The First Vision Did Not Occur, This Work Is A Fraud – Hinckley

"Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud." Gordon B Hinckley | wasmormon.org

Gordon B. Hinckley’s quote underscores the foundational importance of the First Vision in Mormon theology. Our whole strength rests on the validity of that vision. It either occurred or it did not occur. If it did not, then this work is a fraud. …Upon that unique and wonderful experience stands the validity of this Church. …

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President Oaks Fibbing For The Lord Again – Prompt and Public Disavowal of Racism?

“Institutionally, the Church reacted swiftly to the revelation on the priesthood. Ordinations and temple recommends came immediately. The reasons that had been given to try to explain the prior restrictions on members of African ancestry — even those previously voiced by revered Church leaders — were promptly and publicly disavowed.” - President Dallin H. Oaks, 2018 'Be One' Celebration, 40 Years Since Priesthood Ban | wasmormon.org

The church celebrates its own decision to stop the racially discriminatory practice of banning the priesthood from anyone of African descent in 1978. To show that they are not racist, they wanted to point out that it has now been 40 years since they stopped being racist. There was a big self-congratulatory spectacle planned for …

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What is ‘Letter For My Wife’

"My Love, I am writing this letter to explain in detail how I came to the conclusion that the Church is not all it claims to be. I long for your understanding and support. You are my whole world." - Letter for my wife | wasmormon.org

Letter For My Wife is a document aggregating questions and doubts about the Mormon church written by a questioning Mormon to his wife. The letter is meant to discuss the questions and concerns with the church’s truth claims or truth crisis and this man’s testimony. The letter was started as a document in 2009, when …

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Do LDS Mission Presidents Get Paid?

"While you are serving as mission president, the Church reimburses the necessary living expenses for you, your wife, and your dependent children... Living expenses include food, clothing, household supplies, family activities, dry cleaning, personal long-distance calls to family, and modest gifts. (Also medical expenses, dental, vision, children serving missions, children's school expenses: elementary and secondary tuition, college tuition, fees, books, materials, and extracurricular activities.)" - Leaked 2006 Mission President's Handbook, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints | wasmormon.org

General Authorities and top leaders of the church are compensated or paid for their work, though technically they claim they are not on salary. The church claims over and over that there is no paid clergy and that the church runs on volunteers. But we can see that they are choosing their words carefully at …

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Cherish Your Doubts

This reading for worship, from the Unitarian Universalize Association, emphasizes the value of doubt as an essential and positive element in the pursuit of truth and knowledge. It contrasts doubt with unquestioning belief, arguing that beliefs immune to questioning can lead to error and incompleteness. Doubt, in this context, is portrayed as the key to …

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Mother Knows Best – Joseph Smith’s Mother on The First Vision

"One evening we were sitting till quite late conversing upon the subject of the diversity of churches that had risen up in the world and the many thousand opinions in existence as to the truths contained in scripture. Joseph never said many words upon any subject but always seemed to reflect more deeply than common persons of his age upon everything of a religious nature. After we ceased conversation, he went to bed and was pondering in his mind which of the churches was the true one. But he had not lain there long till he saw a bright light enter the room where he lay. He looked up and saw an angel of the Lord standing by him. The angel spoke: ‘I perceive that you are inquiring in your mind which is the true church. There is not a true church on earth-no, not one-and has not been since Peter took the keys of the Melchizedek Priesthood after the order of God into the kingdom of heaven. The churches that are now upon the earth are all man-made churches. There is a record for you, Joseph, but you cannot get it until you learn to keep the commandments of God, for it is not to get gain, but it is to bring forth that light and intelligence which has been long lost in the earth. Now, Joseph, beware or when you go to get the plates, your mind will be filled with darkness and all manner of evil will rush into your mind to prevent you from keeping the commandments of God. You must tell your father of this, for he will believe every word you say. The record is on a side of the hill of Cumorah, three miles from this place. Remove the grass and moss, and you will find the record under it, lying on four pillars of cement." - Lucy Mack Smith, Preliminary Manuscript, Biographical sketches of Joseph Smith the prophet, and his progenitors for many generations, by Lucy Smith, Mother of the Prophet | wasmormon.org

Today’s church narrative tells the story of a young rambunctious yet spiritual lad of 14 who is stressed about which church to join and is absorbed in the words of the Bible. He finds the passage that if he lacks wisdom, he should pray (James 1:5). He resolves to pray and the heavens are opened. …

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As Man Now Is, God Once Was; As Now God Is, Man May Be – Lorenzo Snow

“As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.” - Lorenzo Snow, LDS Church President | wasmormon.org

Lorenzo Snow coined a couplet that famously explains a complex doctrine of Mormon theology which is closely tied to the idea of eternal progression. It also gets Mormon theology in deep water with most other Christian denominations. It challenges (or changes) the nature of God and our relationship with him as mankind. It proclaims that …

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Dealing with Doubts and Controversial Opinions

“We never got into arguments about who was right or wrong... It was easy for us to know when their questions were sincere” - Rosana Soares, wife of Elder Ulisses Soares, 2023 | wasmormon.org

How does the church instruct the members to deal with their doubts? First, we do have an admission that we have legitimate reason to doubt. But First Doubt Your Doubts Even if there are legitimate things that may cause us to doubt, doubt these legitimate reasons before giving into any actual doubting. It’s natural to …

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If Joseph Smith was a Deceiver He Should be Exposed

"If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who wilfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be exposed; his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false, for the doctrines of an impostor cannot be made to harmonize in all particulars with divine truth." - LDS Church President, Elder Joseph Fielding Smith - Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. I | wasmormon.org

Joseph Fielding Smith reasons that if it’s not true, the claims of the church should be exposed! Church Stands or Falls with Joseph Smith Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was …

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Church Leaders and Initials

The Church has given no public, official guidelines on the use of middle initials in the names of general leaders, so it appears that this is a more informal tradition. Why, then, do we have this tradition? Perhaps it’s simply a way to show esteem for our leaders. | wasmormon.org

When referring to church leaders, the church is sure to always use an initial to ensure the leader’s full name is used. For example, the church will never refer to Gordon Hinckley, but always Gordon B. Hinckley. They will never reference Russell Nelson, but Russell M. Nelson. This presumably is in order to give the …

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Can Mormons Drink Caffeine?

"For your information please be advised that the drinking of a beverage made from the coffee bean, from which the caffeine and deleterious drugs have been removed, is not a violation of the Word of Wisdom, and the drinking of Sanka is not a justifiable reason for denying a temple recommend to one who is otherwise worthy. We shall be pleased to have you convey this information to the presidency of the elders quorum." - David O McKay deems decaf coffee not to be against the Word of Wisdom or bar members from the temple | wasmormon.org

Mormons and those interested in joining the church are instructed that members of God’s church don’t drink coffee or tea. It comes from the Word of Wisdom and has been interpreted differently over the years, but it has always included “hot drinks”. The Word of Wisdom states that hot drinks are not for the belly. …

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Elijah Able, Early Black Mormon Received Priesthood via Joseph Smith

Elijah Abel was the first black person to be baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was also the first black man to receive the priesthood, ordained an elder in 1836 under the hands of the prophet Joseph Smith. Abel's journey was one of pain, suffering, liberation and spiritual redemption. A few years after receiving the priesthood, Abel was ordained as a seventy-a high position of leadership in the LDS faith. Abel served missions for the LDS Church in Ohio, New York and Canada. | wasmormon.org

Elijah Abel was an early African American member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. He is notable for being one of the few black individuals ordained to the priesthood before the church implemented a policy that restricted black men of African descent from receiving the priesthood. …

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Richard Packham Was a Mormon, an Ex-Mormon Profile Spotlight

Richard Packham is a founding father of the ex-mormon internet. He tells his story of diving deep into church history in order to spread the gospel. He found troubling issues and even wrote to Joseph Fielding Smith to make sense of it all. Everything clicked one moment when he realized all his questions and problems …

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Mormon Church Whitewashes Racist History in Essay

"In two speeches delivered before the Utah territorial legislature in January and February 1852, Brigham Young announced a policy restricting men of black African descent from priesthood ordination. At the same time, President Young said that at some future day, black Church members would “have [all] the privilege and more” enjoyed by other members." - Race and the Priesthood, LDS Church Gospel Topic Essay | wasmormon.org

The LDS Church had a longstanding policy that restricted men of African descent from holding the priesthood, which is the authority to act in God’s name, and even entering the temple, where members make holy covenants with God. This policy was based on teachings and interpretations that linked African lineage to the biblical story of …

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Defiant Apologists Challenge the New Seer Stone Narrative

"If we accept that Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon using a dark occultic seer stone he presumably found from an alleged career in treasure digging, scrying, and magic, this means the Book of Mormon was revealed through an occultic instrument and not by revelation and instruments provided by God." – Seer Stone v. Urim & Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial by L Hanna Stoddard & The Joseph Smith Foundation | wasmormon.org

The Mormon church is shifting the narrative surrounding the Book of Mormon translation lately by admitting that Joseph used a rock in his hat as a main translation method. This narrative shift has put some apologists in an awkward position. The Joseph Smith Foundation apologist group has published a book discussing Joseph Smith’s use of …

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Timeline of the First Vision Story and Development

The second argument frequently made regarding the accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision is that he embellished his story over time. - First Vision Accounts, Gospel Topic Essay | wasmormon.org

The First Vision is a foundational event in the history and theology of the Church. It refers to an experience Joseph Smith claimed to have had as a young man. In the spring of 1820, he seeks guidance and religious truth. In later accounts, he described going into a grove of trees and praying to …

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More Momon Thoughts on Evolution

"Our families may be corrupted by worldly trends and teachings unless we know how to use the book to expose and combat the falsehoods in socialism, organic evolution, rationalism, humanism, etc. Our missionaries are not as effective unless they are “hissing forth” with it." - Ezra Taft Benson, Church President | wasmormon.org

Alongside statements from previous church president Joseph Fielding Smith that if evolution is true, the church is false and current church president Russell M Nelson that he finds evolution unbelievable because “Man has always been Man,” “it’s just the way genetics works,” we have other leaders offering their “inspired” views on evolution. Can we dismiss …

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Tag Archives: Joseph Fielding Smith

LDS prophet (1970-1972). Known for conservative doctrinal positions and opposition to evolution.