Who was Joseph Smith to you?

[Bishka]

I noticed there were quite varied answers on the "Religious Survey" Thread to who Joseph Smith was to the responder to the survey.

Some of them included:

• "A man whose spirit interacted with the spirit of God."
• " The founder of the LDS church."
• " No one"
• "The Prophet of the Restoration"
• "The first prophet of this last and final dispensation and the translator of the Book of Mormon and the founder of my Church."
• "The founder of the Latter Day Saints, personally ithink he was a kook."
• "Nothing much. Founder of LDS"
• " I dunno him."
• "There's really no way I can answer that question honestly without offending someone, sorry."
• "No one special. He may have been a seer, but was definitely not a prophet or a Divine Messenger."
• "you don't want to know. "
• "A Mormon"
• "The founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints."
• "An inspired man"
• An important figure to followers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who believe he was a prophet of God"
• "A criminal"
• "The founder of Mormonism."
• " Someone who was tuned into something at the time, though I personally would think of him more as a "seer" than a prophet."
• " A person who tells fairy tales."
• "The founder of Mormonism. Possibly a prophet."
• " I know of a religious character Joseph, I think, but not a Joseph Smith, so, I guess Joseph Smith is no one to me."
• " An enfluencial religious leader."
• " Who???"
• Just another wannabe prophet of Christian mythology.
• A rather bright young man with a remarkable vision of reality. A bona fide prophet, in my books and I am not interested in defending my position. Take it or leave it.

This is mean to be a discussion, not a debate!

Why do you think some of the people posted the way they did (i.e. "I personally think he was a kook.")? Do you think they have misunderstood his message or just think it is pure farce? What are you views on Joseph Smith (The founder of the LDS Church)? Why do you respond the way you do? Is it because of a past experience, research you have done, or other? Have you done any research on Joseph Smith?

 

[feed_my_lambs]

you say the joseph smith was a prophet, do you mean he is equal to the prophets of the old testement? a prophet to me is someone who brings Gods message to mankind
(which is always repent of your sins, stop being wicked and return to your creater) apart from moses i can think of anyone that has been given aproval by God to bring commandments and revelations. i have read alot of the book mormon and was surprised to see huge chunks taken strait from isaiah. i beleive that if a prophet claims he is from Almighty God you should be able to see it in what the prophet says. Hosea 11:9 "i am God not man the holy one among you" the whole idea of the lds churchs revelations that we could become a God is so far removed from the Godly teachings of the bible. this is just the start of who joseph smith is to me

 

[Katzpur]

you say the joseph smith was a prophet, do you mean he is equal to the prophets of the old testement? a prophet to me is someone who brings Gods message to mankind
(which is always repent of your sins, stop being wicked and return to your creater) apart from moses i can think of anyone that has been given aproval by God to bring commandments and revelations. i have read alot of the book mormon and was surprised to see huge chunks taken strait from isaiah. i beleive that if a prophet claims he is from Almighty God you should be able to see it in what the prophet says. Hosea 11:9 "i am God not man the holy one among you" the whole idea of the lds churchs revelations that we could become a God is so far removed from the Godly teachings of the bible. this is just the start of who joseph smith is to me

Welcome, feed_my_lambs! I'm glad to see you here! You came just in time. The forum was starting to get kind of boring.

 

[Bishka]

you say the joseph smith was a prophet, do you mean he is equal to the prophets of the old testement?

In my personal belief, yes.

a prophet to me is someone who brings Gods message to mankind
(which is always repent of your sins, stop being wicked and return to your creater)

That was the message that Joseph Smith preached as well. Why does nobody see that when they think he is not a prophet? He preached repetenance, salavation, and returning to our Father in Heaven (to name a few things that he talked about).

apart from moses i can think of anyone that has been given aproval by God to bring commandments and revelations.

So Noah was the only one? Not even Jesus Christ brought forth any commandments or revelations? What about Paul, John the Revelator?

i have read alot of the book mormon and was surprised to see huge chunks taken strait from isaiah.

That was because the people who came to the Americas had Isaiah as part of their scriptures and their Holy Words; and if you have read the Book of Mormon, you would see that Nephi (Book of Mormon prophet) mentions that "...great are the words of Isaiah." It's not that they were just 'copied', it's that they felt that they were of great worth to people.

i beleive that if a prophet claims he is from Almighty God you should be able to see it in what the prophet says. Hosea 11:9 "i am God not man the holy one among you"

What is wrong about Joseph Smith? What makes any of his 'sayings' unprophetical like?

the whole idea of the lds churchs revelations that we could become a God is so far removed from the Godly teachings of the bible.

Would you like to point out where that is actually one of our teachings? Thanks.

this is just the start of who joseph smith is to me

The start? How about you show us the ending. I'm quite curious on where you've gotten much of your information and why you think it is dead-right?!?

 

[Zephyr]

Personally, I consider him to be a human who had some pretty neat ideas. After all, if LDS is based off his teachings, then that's gotta say something. Haven't found many other forms of Christianity so forgiving.

I don't think of him as anything divine, or even divinely inspired, but he had some good ideas and they aren't any crazier than other religions really.

 

[Scuba Pete]

I have nothing but respect for Mormons, aka Latter Day Saints, but I cannot believe Smith's Golden Plate story. It appears to be delusional in nature. That he was complicit in the Mountain Meadow Massacre leads me to believe he was not founded in Jesus' teachings about love.

 

[Wandered Off]

Do you think they have misunderstood his message or just think it is pure farce?

The church in which I was raised had the stated belief that God stopped using prophets after a certain point. Apparently, this is a widely held belief, and that may be behind some of the responses.

To echo Pete, I have respect for all the Mormons I have met. Without exception, they have been hard working, values-driven people, the kind I would count as reliable friends.

My current beliefs reject the idea of prophets. Anytime someone says, "God told me to tell you...", I immediately wonder why God didn't just tell me. Going through an agent adds no value - especially when God doesn't need to - and it adds all sorts of downside risk.

In that context, to me Joseph Smith is someone who most likely truly believed he was a prophet, and, as Zephyr pointed out, had a lot of positive influence as a result.

 

[Ðanisty]

I think he was an inspired man.

 

[Katzpur]

I have nothing but respect for Mormons, aka Latter Day Saints, but I cannot believe Smith's Golden Plate story. It appears to be delusional in nature. That he was complicit in the Mountain Meadow Massacre leads me to believe he was not founded in Jesus' teachings about love.

That's one of the funniest things I've ever read on RF. Joseph Smith was dead for years before the Mountain Meadows Massacre ever took place! :biglaugh:

 

[Quiddity]

A man who struggled with how to answer the question of why so many paths. I do believe God's grace was trying to get his attention, but I do not believe he responded properly.

 

[lilithu]

In all honesty, I don't spend much time thinking of Joseph Smith. Sorry. To me, he was the founder of the LDS. I believe he was inspired by God, judging by the conduct of his followers.

As for whether he was a prophet, I do not know enough about him or his teachings to be able to say either way. To me a prophet has a very specific meaning that may be a little different from what Christians take it to mean. For me, a prophet isn't someone who is chosen by God to speak for God so much as someone who is "chosen by circumstance" to speak on behalf of the oppressed. Someone who holds society accountable to how it treats the poor and the weak. In my view, the Jewish prophets were clearly prophets, and so is Gandhi and Dr. King. I don't know enough about Joseph Smith's teachings to judge his prophetic voice.

 

[dawny0826]

As a Christian who embraces the Trinity, naturally, I'm a bit cautious of Joseph Smith's teachings as his views on the Godhead are not trinitarian. This is why the LDS church isn't for me.

I'm not convinced that Joseph Smith wasn't a good man, though. I've read bits of the Book of Mormon and have felt the Holy Spirit. His message, for the most part, is clearly similar to the core of many Christian beliefs...salvation is found in Christ.

I simply don't find his revelations to be necessary for my walk with Christ. I'm also a bit cautious of Smith because because I believe there is quite a bit of mystery to the very nature of God. Joseph Smith answers a lot of questions and in truth, I'm not really comfortable with that. "Great is the mystery of Godliness." I don't believe that humans were meant to have all the answers to God and His nature, while here in the flesh.

Clearly though, Joseph Smith has had a positive effect on many lives. There are many beautiful people who are an active part of the church he founded. And these people have found Christ and are sharing God's message of love.

So, in this light...maybe Smith was a prophet to those who needed his messages to find their way to Christ.

 

[Quiddity]

In all honesty, I don't spend much time thinking of Joseph Smith. Sorry. To me, he was the founder of the LDS. I believe he was inspired by God, judging by the conduct of his followers.

As for whether he was a prophet, I do not know enough about him or his teachings to be able to say either way. To me a prophet has a very specific meaning that may be a little different from what Christians take it to mean. For me, a prophet isn't someone who is chosen by God to speak for God so much as someone who is "chosen by circumstance" to speak on behalf of the oppressed. Someone who holds society accountable to how it treats the poor and the weak. In my view, the Jewish prophets were clearly prophets, and so is Gandhi and Dr. King. I don't know enough about Joseph Smith's teachings to judge his prophetic voice.

I don't get when people say Joseph Smith was inspired and yet aren't LDS.

I'm guessing that inspiration is being used much more loosely then I imagine here.

 

[yuvgotmel]

Well...since you asked....

I hope that I'm able to say this without getting in trouble...

Why do you think some of the people posted the way they did (i.e. "I personally think he was a kook.")? Do you think they have misunderstood his message or just think it is pure farce?

I cannot speak for the intentions and thoughts of other people. However, there are surely people, myself included, that do believe that his message is pure farce.

What are you views on Joseph Smith (The founder of the LDS Church)?

I personally feel he was a man who wanted power, much like many other religious "leaders." I personally feel as if he was not enlightened nor inspired by "god." And I find many of his ideas preposterous.

Why do you respond the way you do? Is it because of a past experience, research you have done, or other? Have you done any research on Joseph Smith?

I have spent a great deal of time, energy, devotion, study, and so on for many years, and even my entire life, to come the point of a particular level of clarity on such matters. I have done a great deal of research in many religious texts and have given a lot of thought to much more than just Christianity in any form.

And, since coming to this forum and being introduced to Mormons for the first time in my life, I have also followed links provided by FFH and Jonny and read about Joseph Smith and Mormonism. What I have read from those links and many others has shown me all that I need to know about Mormonism. And that is why I, wholeheartedly and with a sound and clear mind, reject both Joseph Smith's message and the current doctrines of the LDS.

 

[Bishka]

And, since coming to this forum and being introduced to Mormons for the first time in my life, I have also followed links provided by FFH and Jonny and read about Joseph Smith and Mormonism. What I have read from those links and many others has shown me all that I need to know about Mormonism. And that is why I, wholeheartedly and with a sound and clear mind, reject both Joseph Smith's message and the current doctrines of the LDS.

Which links are being referred to and just by those links you have outrigthly turned down the entire basis of the LDS faith?

Have you even read the Book of Mormon? Could you try that before automatically rejecting Joseph Smith and our doctrines? Links are nice, but they aren't doctrine per se.

 

[Bishka]

• " No one"
• ""The founder of the Latter Day Saints, personally ithink he was a kook."
• "There's really no way I can answer that question honestly without offending someone, sorry."
• "you don't want to know. "

I never had realized so many people had such feelings about Joseph Smith! I'm curious to those who answered similar to the above, do you feel that way about Muhammad or any of the Popes, or is it just Joseph Smith? And, if it's just Joseph Smith, why just him? Thanks for putting up with my questions everyone!

 

[nutshell]

Well...since you asked....

I hope that I'm able to say this without getting in trouble...



I cannot speak for the intentions and thoughts of other people. However, there are surely people, myself included, that do believe that his message is pure farce.




I personally feel he was a man who wanted power, much like many other religious "leaders." I personally feel as if he was not enlightened nor inspired by "god." And I find many of his ideas preposterous.




I have spent a great deal of time, energy, devotion, study, and so on for many years, and even my entire life, to come the point of a particular level of clarity on such matters. I have done a great deal of research in many religious texts and have given a lot of thought to much more than just Christianity in any form.

And, since coming to this forum and being introduced to Mormons for the first time in my life, I have also followed links provided by FFH and Jonny and read about Joseph Smith and Mormonism. What I have read from those links and many others has shown me all that I need to know about Mormonism. And that is why I, wholeheartedly and with a sound and clear mind, reject both Joseph Smith's message and the current doctrines of the LDS.

I'm surprised you're so quick to reject Joseph Smith and LDS doctrine. I think they line up nicely with Kabbalah.

 

[yuvgotmel]

I'm surprised you're so quick to reject Joseph Smith and LDS doctrine. I think they line up nicely with Kabbalah.

Faaaarrrr from it.

 

[Bishka]

A criminal

This isn't one I've heard for a bit, but could someone explain why they think he is a criminal? Is it from research you have done? Or is it from actually court documents that you have read? Or is it just rumor that you've heard?

 

[nutshell]

Faaaarrrr from it.

Can you explain?