Gospel Library First Vision Accounts – NOT!

[Anonymous]

I mentioned in another thread that rather than derail that one I’d post about this. As usual I don’t know which section fits it best but this seems like a good place. Fair warning that this post is partly rant and partly venting.

My son pointed this out to me in asking a question. The First Vision accounts were put in the Gospel Library app several months ago, or so I thought. I have read the accounts several times and I particularly gravitate toward the 1832 account (IOW it’s my favorite for several reasons) – but I had not read them on the Gospel Library app and usually go to the Joseph Smith Papers site to read them. My son was asking which account had certain things that he had read before because he couldn’t find those things in the app versions. Turns out that’s because even though the app says they are the FV accounts they are not – they are at best edited summaries that leave out most differences (number of visitors, etc.). I’m actually outraged! 😡 Not only are they not actually there, I couldn’t find anywhere that links to the actual accounts or even states they are not the actual accounts. And I’m partly mad at myself for believing the church was trying to do good by putting the accounts in the app when in reality they didn’t, at least not in their entirety.

After that I went on a quest to see if they were indeed on LDS.org. They are, but not under “First Vision Accounts” (or Gospel Topics essays which takes you to the same page) unless you go looking deeper. You actually have to click “read more” after the first paragraph and scroll down to the accounts and click the link at the end of each account (individually) which then takes you to the Joseph Smith Papers site.

Full vent: I think the church has actually taken a step backward in doing it this, continuing to whitewash and hide history.

[End rant/vent]

[Anonymous]

I understand that frustration. I just quickly looked at the 1832 account that’s on the app and compared it to the full account. All I could find that was missing is the introductory paragraph:

Quote:

A History of the life of Joseph Smith Jr. an account of his marvilous experience…

and also the very end of the account the following is missing:

Quote:

but after many days I fell into transgression and sinned in many things which brought a wound upon my soul and there were many things which transpired that cannot be writen

Did you find other omissions that I missed? Once they started the 1832 account in the app version, I didn’t find anything else missing other than those parts at the beginning and end.

I’ll take a look at the other accounts later.

[Anonymous]

You know those times, where you’ve got two kids in the back seat of the car, and one as their finger literally 1mm away from the other’s face. “I’m not touching you!!!” One of the biggest problems I have with people is when they “technically” sort-of tell the truth, but in such a way that’ll cause you to believe something which is different from the truth. Then when you’ve found out you’ve been deceived, they claim, “So what I told you was true, from a certain point of view.”

On the other hand, with multiple differing accounts (was Joseph 16 or 14?), I understand the necessity to stick with a specific narrative; and I understand why they chose the specific narrative they did. Under the assumption that the first vision happened, it is clear that the experience was so beyond Joseph’s comprehension, that not even he knew exactly what had transpired. But uncertainty doesn’t make a good religion.

[Anonymous]

Quote:

But uncertainty doesn’t make a good religion.

Especially when you hang everything on that. Everything.

[Anonymous]

DoubtingTom wrote:

Quote:

but after many days I fell into transgression and sinned in many things which brought a wound upon my soul and there were many things which transpired that cannot be writen

Seems like they’re putting Joseph Smith on a pedestal again if they’re taking that out. That sort of disappoints me. I love seeing his human side.

[Author]

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