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The real Joseph Smith
Joseph Smith said his name would be “had for good and evil.” That was true in his day and ours.
Perhaps to help counter any criticisms, the church has released a Q&A about the church founder’s character in its latest additions to its Topics and Questions webpages.
Here are five takeaways from this new resource:
• If you’re looking for flaws in Joseph Smith, you’ll find them:
“Prophets are servants of God who testify of Jesus Christ. They are also human beings who are subject to mortal weaknesses and shortcomings,” it states. “Joseph Smith is no exception.”
• He often was dragged into court.
“Joseph Smith was the defendant in 21 known criminal cases. Many of these cases resulted from prejudice against the Latter-day Saints or false allegations against [him],” the page says. “Almost all of them were dismissed due to lack of evidence or did not progress to trial.”
• He had a criminal conviction over property seized by a tax collector in Nauvoo, Illinois.
“The discussion between Joseph and the tax official escalated from verbal argument to a physical confrontation,” the page explains. “Immediately afterward, Joseph Smith voluntarily submitted to a local justice of the peace, confessed his guilt, and paid a fine.”
• Debt dogged Smith to the end of his life to the point he even sought relief under federal bankruptcy law.
“But accusations by his critics and disputes with his creditors delayed bankruptcy proceedings,” the page adds, “and many of Joseph’s debts remained unsettled until after his death.”
(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) A statue of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum outside Carthage Jail, where both were gunned down.
• Smith, as mayor, and his City Council colleagues may have gone too far in smashing up the press that published the anti-Latter-day Saint Nauvoo Expositor, a potential mistake that led to his 1844 slaying.
“They believed they were acting legally to suppress what they felt was a public nuisance,” the page says, “though they may have exceeded their authority in destroying the press.”
The latest ‘Mormon Land’ podcast: Tattoo [r]evolution
(Keith Johnson | The Salt Lake Tribune) "One-eyed" Jack Armstrong sits in his Las Vegas home in November 2006. Armstrong, a tattoo artist and a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, had a friend ink portraits of every church president with Jesus Christ on his back after joining the religion.
With the changes in the latest “For the Strength of Youth” guidelines, the taboo against tattoos is, unlike that indelible ink, fading in Latter-day Saint culture, and body art is becoming less and less a mark of religious rebellion.
Listen to the podcast and read the story.
Abuse case is back in Arizona
An Arizona appellate court has reinstated a lawsuit against the church that challenges clergy-penitent privilege and alleges a lay bishop was legally required to report a father’s confession to sexually abusing his daughter, The Arizona Republic reports.
The judges pointed, in part, to the church’s own handbook, which says “the duty to protect others is more important than the duty of confidentiality” and advises that “leaders should contact civil authorities immediately.”
Relisten to this previous “Mormon Land” podcast to learn more about this headline-grabbing abuse case from the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who reported it.
And another in Oregon
The church also finds itself embroiled in a lawsuit against an Oregon doctor, who lost his medical license after allegations of sexual misconduct surfaced from scores of patients.
Parties are seeking to subpoena records from the faith, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports, that “could shed light on what church leaders knew, or should have known, about the alleged abuse.”
The former physician, who relocated to Idaho and then Utah, had served as a stake (regional) leader and in a bishopric in Lake Oswego.
Eureka — Mormon gold
Turns out, a $5 Mormon coin is worth more than its weight in gold.
The 1860 gold piece — mined in Colorado and minted in Utah — fetched $144,000 at a recent auction, CoinNews.net reports. Fewer than 600 of these coins were produced.
From The Tribune
(Mark Eddington | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' first meetinghouse in Colorado City, Arizona, is poised to open soon.
• Poised to open near Utah’s border, this Latter-day Saint chapel will be the first in a former polygamous stronghold.
• The church does indeed pay influencers as content creators, but they get money for their work, not their witness.
• While Jana Riess, a mainstay Latter-day Saint columnist, has been outspoken with her views for years, a rare medical condition now has left her, at times, speechless. But don’t think for a second that she is going to be silent.