Joseph Smith, Jr. (1805-1830)

Joseph Smith, Jr. was the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was born in Sharon, VT and later moved to New York. He claimed that God the Father and Jesus Christ came to him as a 14-year-old boy in 1820, telling him how all the churches were wrong and their teachers corrupt. This is called the First Vision. In 1824, Smith claimed that the angel Moroni visited him and led him to gold plates that described an ancient Jewish civilization in the Americas. He claimed that he translated these and today it’s a Mormon scripture called the Book of Mormon. Smith’s first wife was Emma, though he ended up marrying more than 30 additional women, including teenagers and other men’s wives. (See information below.) Smith died in a gun battle at the Carthage Jail in June 1844. Joseph Smith said he translated a number of ancient writings besides the Book of Momron, including the Bible (Inspired Version), the Doctrine and Covenants, and books in the Pearl of Great Price. While he is not worshipped by Latter-day Saints, Mormons revere his legacy, even memorizing the words he wrote as scripture and studying his history. Smith is buried in Nauvoo, Illinois with his wife Emma and his brother Hyrum.

• The Salvific Role of Joseph Smith
• Joseph Smith’s First Vision: Fact or Fiction?
• The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith
• Aliens? LDS leaders insist we’re not alone
• Praise to the man
• President of the resurrection
• Joseph Smith: The Second Muhammed?
• No salvation without Joseph Smith
• Comparison with Jonah
• Fooling the Prophet with the Kinderhook Plates
• A greater prophet than Isaiah?
• Folk magic
• Should Joseph Smith appear today
• Guess who? — See how you do on the quiz 
• Final Moments at Carthage Jail
• History of Wayne County: How the Locals Viewed Joseph Smith

Joseph’s Polygamy

• Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo (Gospel Topics Essay)
• Joseph Smith and Polygamy
• Joseph Smith’s aberrational marriage habits
• Amorous advances by the Mormon prophet

Podcasts

• First Vision Accounts (Gospel Topics Essay)  Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7 Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  June 2-13, 2014   
• The First Vision and the Resurrection (Rob Bowman)  April 22, 2014   
• Journal of Discourses: Joseph Smith Part 1  Part 2  October 24-25, 2012 
• First Vision November 23, 2011  
• What if Thomas S. Monson were more like Joseph Smith? December 9, 2011 
• The 1820 Revival November 22, 2011 

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• Jesus Christ / Joseph Smith (1:20.17): A comparison documentary between Jesus Christ and Joseph Smith.
• Joseph Smith vs. Muhammad (1:00): Doris Hanson (What Love is This?) interviews Eric Johnson on similarities between the Mormon founder and Islam’s Muhammad. Aired on January 9th, 2014 on Channel 20-Utah.
• Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates (1:00): Doris Hanson (What Love is This?) interviews Bill McKeever about the weight of the gold plates. Aired on February 14, 2013 on Channel 20-Utah.
• The Untold Story of Joseph Smith’s Death (1:00): Doris Hanson (What Love is This?) interviews Bill McKeever about the “marytrdom” of the LDS Church founder. Aired on February 2, 2012 on Channel 20-Utah.
• Joseph Smith’s Vision Accounts (1:00): Doris Hanson (What Love is This?) interviews Bill McKeever about the different versions that are given regarding the LDS founder’s vision of God the Father and Jesus. Aired on May 12 and 19, 2011.  Part 1    Part 2
• Joseph Smith as a Passport into God’s Presence (0:52): Bill McKeever explains how Joseph Smith is vital for Latter-day Saints.
• Joseph Smith as a Sexual Predator (5:41): Sandra Tanner talks frankly about Joseph Smith’s escapades.
•  The Stories of the Wives of Joseph Smith (41:09): Many people may be surprised to learn that Joseph Smith had 33 wives, including 10 (or 11) who were married to other men and 11 who were teenagers.
• The Thirty Plus Wives of Joseph Smith (4:11): A list of the women whom Joseph Smith married.
• The Thirty Four Wives of Joseph Smith (56:54): Chip Thompson (Tri-Grace Ministries) talks about the many wives of Joseph Smith at the 2011 Capstone Conference.
• The Untold Story of the Death of Joseph Smith (25:54): Bill McKeever talks about the true events surrounding the death (what Mormons call the “martyrdom”) of Joseph Smith.

         Stories of Joseph Smith’s Wives (actresses playing wives of Joseph Smith)_____________

• Story of Louisa Beamon, Joseph Smith’s 4th Wife (1:22)
• Story of Sylvia Sessions Lyon, Joseph Smith’s 8th Wife (1:12)
• Story of Mary Rollins Lightner, Joseph Smith’s 9th Wife (0:51)
• Story of Patty Bartlett Sessions, Joseph Smith’s 10th Wife (1:13)
• Story of Marinda Johnson Hyde, Joseph Smith’s 11th Wife (1:03)
• Story of Elizabeth Davis Durfee, Joseph Smith’s 12th Wife (2:12)
• Story of Sarah Kingsley Cleveland, Joseph Smith’s 13th Wife (1:35)
• Story of Eliza R. Snow, Joseph Smith’s 15th Wife (1:34)
• Story of Sarah Ann Whitney, Joseph Smith’s 16th Wife (0:59)
• Story of Martha McBride Knight, Joseph Smith;s 17th Wife (0:51)
• Story of the Partridge sisters, Joseph’s Smith 20th and 21st Wives (1:49)
• Story of Lucy Walker, Joseph Smith’s 23rd Wife (1:54)