Joseph Smith makes me angry

Fwiw, I have come to accept him as a very human, very complicated person – as a quite typical “visionary” and charismatic man. There are things about him I find distasteful, but there are other things about him I find incredibly admirable. I think he truly was a serious saint – and a serious sinner. He seemed to be and do most things to excess.

Ironically, that fits almost all famous “prophets” throughout history. They tend to be our best and worst characteristics on steroids. Judged objectively, without the lens of believing faith, even Jesus, of Nazareth, legitimately could be described that way.

I think the anger isn’t always just his behavior, but the frustration of the totally whitewashed version presented by the church. When you realize the real man – it can make you very angry. I look at John C. Bennett in Nauvoo. That guy seemed like a scoundrel – but I can look back on him without getting all angry. At least for me it isn’t just the history of the man, but anger over being intentionally mislead.

I had some bad timing today. I had a long business trip drive to and from a client in the car. So I borrowed an audiobook from the city library. It was a novel called, “the chosen one” and modeled around the FLDS a few years ago. I got home after sitting in a ton of traffic and was also furious at how the leaders abused their power and abused those around them in most every way they could to keep power. I walked in to the house and wasn’t in a good mood. Then I saw the latest Mormon Leaks where they showed a 1 week status of K&M law firm and what was being done. Once again, the church seemed to be doing very little for the victims, never involving the police, and actually making decisions around not releasing a missionary back to his home as the SP would be required to report him as he knows the missionary was accused of sexually assaulting a young girl. “Luckily” my wife had a really bad day and I was able to focus on her issue. Not a good day.

Shawn – Do take care of yourself. Do something that helps with the anger. I plan on doing that today.

Hi, Shawn,

it’s good to hear from you again. Thank you for stopping by.

In all fairness, we do judge him heavily by today’s standards. He lived in a time that was VERY superstitious, and ultimately he was very superstitious himself. He didn’t know any better, and clinged to what “certainty” he felt he could. The religion of the time, that Joseph Smith was raised with, was very vindictive and confrontational. You were forced to double down, because the cost of folding was too high. I keep hearing “It must be true, because there were so many opportunities to walk away, and he suffered so much!” I disagree. Do you know what would’ve happened had he walked back on a word he said?

Maybe that was the best God had to work with. Maybe Joseph Smith was just a complicated mix of superstition, certainty, and charisma. Maybe sometimes he lied. But maybe he fully believed every lie he told. I can’t bring myself to stick him in the dichotomy of good and evil. A tree can produce both good and bad fruit, and JS was as “fruitful” as any. Humans are a complicated mess. I leave it to God to judge.

I’m angry at the situation. But I feel too human to be angry at any particular person.

All of these contradictions are true:

* Plagiarist vs original thinker.

* Poor leader vs great leader.

* Unfairly treated vs treating others unfairly.

* His legacy stands vs his legacy is divided.

* A builder of cities vs a breaker of homes.

* A family man vs an adulterer.

I guess if he didn’t claim that God’s priesthood authority had been restored through him and that all saving ordinances by any other denomination were not recognized and that the church he organized under the direction of Jesus Christ was the only true and living church, I could go along with the idea that he was just a flawed human being and I need to cut him some slack

Fwiw, I have come to accept him as a very human, very complicated person – as a quite typical “visionary” and charismatic man. There are things about him I find distasteful, but there are other things about him I find incredibly admirable. I think he truly was a serious saint – and a serious sinner. He seemed to be and do most things to excess.

Ironically, that fits almost all famous “prophets” throughout history. They tend to be our best and worst characteristics on steroids. Judged objectively, without the lens of believing faith, even Jesus, of Nazareth, legitimately could be described that way.

I’m not sure comparing JS to Jesus is a step up for him or a step down for the Savior, but I think it’s a step too far.

I actually think the whitewashed version makes Joseph Smith leas relatable.

Stalin yes – one of the biggest mass murderers in history. Possibly killed more than Hitler.

I think that proves my point. I am not angry at Stalin. I barely think about him at all. When I do I most often think about him in the context as a ally in WW2. Even if I remember his atrocities, I do not think that it makes me angry. What can make me personally angry at any historical figure … long since dead?

We may be using angry differently. I am using it as an emotional response of rage. I am not angry at the boston massacre or the surprise attack at Pearl Harbor. What about JS brings him out of the relatively detached history books and makes him into a personal affront?