Joseph Smith: Mormon Prophet

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet. That is, they see him filling the same role as Moses or Isaiah. He was called of God to teach and lead people, and to be a witness of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice.

In discussing this, sometimes we are tempted to say, “Well, that is just a matter of faith,” and then change the subject. The implication being that talking about God is like talking about breeds of unicorns—both God and unicorns are just fantastic creatures, so any discussion of either is merely academic. Or worse—nonsensical.

I disagree. I think these types of discussions about God can have merit, especially if done between close friends and in a relaxed setting.

Near the beginning of World War Two, Hugh B. Brown, a member of the Church who later became an apostle, had a theological discussion with a friend of his in England. They began by talking about the looming war-clouds, and then his friend, who happened to be a Member of Parliament and a lawyer, asked Hugh B. Brown to prepare a brief on his faith.

Following the advice of Peter (“Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you.”), Brown said that he could give him the information right then and there

The discussion (which Brown said was like the process of discovery in legal proceedings) was an intellectual rough-and-tumble. They began with discussing the MP’s personal beliefs, and then they debated a version of the Epicurean Paradox. Next they established God’s modus operandi, which led to a discussion of prophets. The two men finally formulated what Brown later called a profile of a prophet.

Here is what they came up with:

1. He will boldly claim that God had spoken to him.

2. Any man so claiming would be a dignified man with a dignified message—no table jumping, no whisperings from the dead, no clairvoyance, but an intelligent statement of truth.

3. Any man claiming to be a prophet of God would declare his message without any fear and without making any weak concessions to public opinion.

4. If he were speaking for God he could not make concessions, although what he taught would be new and contrary to the accepted teachings of the day. A prophet bears witness to what he has seen and heard and seldom tries to make a case by argument. His message and not himself is important.

5. Such a man would speak in the name of the Lord, saying, “Thus said the Lord,” as did Moses, Joshua, and others.

6. Such a man would predict future events in the name of the Lord, and they would come to pass, as did those predicted by Isaiah and Ezekiel.

7. He would have not only an important message for his time but often a message for all future time, such as Daniel, Jeremiah, and others had.

8. He would have courage and faith enough to endure persecution and to give his life, if need be, for the cause he espoused, such as Peter, James, Paul, and others did.

9. Such a man would denounce wickedness fearlessly. He would generally be rejected or persecuted by the people of his time, but later generations and descendants of his persecutors would build monuments in his honor.

10. He would be able to do superhuman things—things that no man could do without God’s help. The consequence or result of his message and work would be convincing evidence of his prophetic calling: “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).

11. His teachings would be in strict conformity with scripture, and his words and his writings would become scripture. “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21).

That is an impressive list, to which many other things could be added. But the point stands that Joseph Smith meets every one of these criteria. He is on equal footing with any other biblical prophets. And that is one of the reasons why I am so attracted to him.

And it goes beyond simple attraction. It is a burning and abiding faith in his mission as prophet.

On the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s birth, Thomas S. Monson, now the sixteenth president of the Church, said:

“I know he was God’s prophet, chosen to restore the gospel of Jesus Christ in these latter days. I pray that as we celebrate the 200th anniversary of his birth, we may learn from his life. May we incorporate into our own lives the divine principles which he so beautifully taught—by example—that we, ourselves, might live more completely the gospel of Jesus Christ. May our lives reflect the knowledge we have that God lives, that Jesus Christ is His Son, that Joseph Smith was a prophet. (Thomas S. Monson, “The Prophet Joseph Smith: Teacher by Example,” Ensign, Nov 2005, 67)

I add my faith to his. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. The things that he said happened to him really did happen to him. I have come to this conclusion because I have read his words, his teachings, and his journals many times over. Moreover, I have also felt God whispering to my heart, affirming what I have studied and read.

Of course this is in the realm of faith, but we can all make that leap of faith and know that Joseph Smith was a prophet. That is what motivates me and that is why I blog.

Recently TCM (Turner Classic Movies) rebroadcast Ben-Hur. It was part of a retrospective on the career of Charlton Heston, who died April 5, 2008. As I watched this Oscar-winning epic, I was reminded that the film, in addition to being “A Tale of The Christ,” is about the relationship between the Roman Messala and the Jew Ben-Hur. Both are fictitious characters.

In the story they were childhood friends. Politics, however, drove a wedge between them. This rift was further aggravated by an accident, when Ben-Hur accidentally knocked roofing-tile on the Roman governor. It seemed to be an assassination attempt. Out of spite and political calculation, Messala sent Ben-Hur to the galleys and his sister and mother to prison.

Returning spite for spite, Ben-Hur swore a vengeance-oath. The remainder of the film follows his quest for revenge against Messala, and his attempts to free his mother and sister from prison.

ESTRANGEMENT

In a way, we are all like Ben-Hur. If we haven’t been wronged or burnt by friends and associates, we at least have had our toes stepped on. For example, Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (known as the Mormons), was betrayed many times by his close associates.

Take the case of W. W. Phelps. He was one of Joseph Smith’s close associates and leader of the Church in Missouri. He was an active member, and generous contributor. He oversaw many of the printing concerns, edited a newspaper, wrote the lyrics to many hymns, and even had a revelation (Section 55) given to him.

However, in 1838 things changed. He fell out of favor with the members of the Church living in Missouri. Later, he spoke out against Joseph Smith and signed a petition that led to Joseph Smith’s arrest. Finally, on March 17, 1839, he was excommunicated.

W. W. PHELPS LETTER

But after two years of estrangement, he had a change of heart. Phelps had an impressive dream, and then wrote this following letter:

BROTHER JOSEPH—I am alive, and with the help of God I mean to live still. I am as the prodigal son, though I never doubt or disbelieve the fulness of the Gospel. I have been greatly abused and humbled, and I blessed the God of Israel when I lately read your prophetic blessing on my head, as follows:

"The Lord will chasten him because he taketh honor to himself, and when his soul is greatly humbled he will forsake the evil. Then shall the light of the Lord break upon him as at noonday and in him shall be no darkness," etc.

I have seen the folly of my way, and I tremble at the gulf I have passed. So it is, and why I know not. I prayed and God answered, but what could I do? Says I, "I will repent and live, and ask my old brethren to forgive me, and though they chasten me to death, yet I will die with them, for their God is my God. The least place with them is enough for me, yea, it is bigger and better than all Babylon." Then I dreamed that I was in a large house with many mansions, with you and Hyrum and Sidney, and when it was said, "Supper must be made ready," by one of the cooks, I saw no meat, but you said there was plenty, and you showed me much, and as good as I ever saw; and while cutting to cook, your heart and mine beat within us, and we took each other's hand and cried for joy, and I awoke and took courage.

I know my situation, you know it, and God knows it, and I want to be saved if my friends will help me. Like the captain that was cast away on a desert island; when he got off he went to sea again, and made his fortune the next time, so let my lot be. I have done wrong and I am sorry. The beam is in my own eye. I have not walked along with my friends according to my holy anointing. I ask forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ of all the Saints, for I will do right, God helping me. I want your fellowship; if you cannot grant that, grant me your peace and friendship, for we are brethren, and our communion used to be sweet, and whenever the Lord brings us together again, I will make ail the satisfaction on every point that Saints or God can require. Amen. W. W. PHELPS. (History of the Church, 4:141-142)

This letter speaks for itself. There was no guile, or self-serving explanations. Phelps stood up, confessed his wrongs (“The beam is in my own eye.”), and was willing to make amends.

JOSEPH SMITH’S REPLY

In response, Joseph Smith wrote:

DEAR BROTHER PHELPS:—I must say that it is with no ordinary feelings I endeavor to write a few lines to you in answer to yours of the 29th ultimo; at the same time I am rejoiced at the privilege granted me.

You may in some measure realize what my feelings, as well as Elder Rigdon's and Brother Hyrum's were, when we read your letter—truly our hearts were melted into tenderness and compassion when we ascertained your resolves, etc. I can assure you I feel a disposition to act on your case in a manner that will meet the approbation of Jehovah (whose servant I am), and agreeable to the principles of truth and righteousness which have been revealed; and inasmuch as long-suffering, patience, and mercy have ever characterized the dealings of our heavenly Father towards the humble and penitent, I feel disposed to copy the example, cherish the same principles, and by so doing be a Savior of my fellow men.

It is true, that we have suffered much in consequence of your behavior—the cup of gall, already full enough for mortals to drink, was indeed filled to overflowing when you turned against us. One with whom we had oft taken sweet counsel together, and enjoyed many refreshing seasons from the Lord—"had it been an enemy, we could have borne it." "In the day that thou stoodest on the other side, in the day when strangers carried away captive his forces, and foreigners entered into his gates, and cast lots upon [Far West], even thou wast as one of them; that thou shouldest not have looked on the day of thy brother, in the day that he became a stranger, neither shouldst thou have spoken proudly in the day of distress."

However, the cup has been drunk, the will of our Father has been done, and we are yet alive, for which we thank the Lord. And having been delivered from the hands of wicked men by the mercy of our God, we say it is your privilege to be delivered from the powers of the adversary, be brought into the liberty of God's dear children, and again take your stand among the Saints of the Most High, and by diligence, humility, and love unfeigned, commend yourself to our God, and your God, and to the Church of Jesus Christ.

Believing your confession to be real, and your repentance genuine, I shall be happy once again to give you the right hand of fellowship, and rejoice over the returning prodigal.

Your letter was read to the Saints last Sunday, and an expression of their feeling was taken, when it was unanimously

Resolved, That W. W. Phelps should be received into fellowship.

"Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, For friends at first, are friends again at last."

Yours as ever, JOSEPH SMITH, JUN. (History of the Church, 4:162-164. To read the original in Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, click here.)

Unlike Ben-Hur, Joseph Smith did not want revenge. When Phelps confessed and apologized, Joseph Smith welcomed him back with open arms.

AN OBSERVATION

B. H. Roberts, a church leader and historian, made this observation:

“When the great offense of Elder William W. Phelps is taken into account—amounting as it did to a betrayal of the Prophet and the Church in Missouri, during the troubles of the saints in that state—this letter is remarkable.”

“The Prophet's frank forgiveness of his erring brother, gently chiding his wrong-doing, but at the same time remembering in a large way that brother's former devotion and labors; the Prophet's willingness to have the prodigal return and occupy his former high standing among the Saints—all this exhibits a broad-mindedness and generosity that can come only from a great soul, influenced by the spirit of charity enjoined upon his disciples by the teachings of the Son of God.”

“One of the surest evidences of Joseph Smith's greatness of mind and of the inspiration of God upon him is to be seen in his treatment of those who had fallen but were willing to and did repent of their sins. His capacity to forgive under these circumstances seemed boundless.” (History of the Church, 4:162n)

Broad-mindedness, generosity, boundless forgiveness—these are good watchwords for anyone.

RECONCILIATION

I am grateful to belong to a church that teaches the importance of reconciliation. President Thomas S. Monson, current world leader of the Church, recently said:

“Throughout the journey along the pathway of life, there are casualties. Some depart from the road markers which point toward life eternal, only to discover the detour chosen ultimately leads to a dead end. Indifference, carelessness, selfishness, and sin all take their costly toll in human lives.”

“Change for the better can come to all. Over the years we have issued appeals to the less active, the offended, the critical, the transgressor—to come back. ‘Come back and feast at the table of the Lord, and taste again the sweet and satisfying fruits of fellowship with the Saints.’”

“In the private sanctuary of one’s own conscience lies that spirit, that determination to cast off the old person and to measure up to the stature of true potential. In this spirit, we again issue that heartfelt invitation: Come back. We reach out to you in the pure love of Christ and express our desire to assist you and to welcome you into full fellowship.”

“To those who are wounded in spirit or who are struggling and fearful, we say, Let us lift you and cheer you and calm your fears. Take literally the Lord’s invitation, ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’” (Looking Back and Moving Forward)

CONCLUSION

This conciliatory attitude means everything to me. It creates an atmosphere of warmth and human concern. This, I believe, is how Jesus Christ would do things. For W. W. Phelps, Joseph Smith, and even the fictitious Ben-Hur, the road to reconciliation is found in Jesus Christ. We can repair hurts, forgive, and come home again.

In addition to being a prophet, Joseph Smith, the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (known as the Mormons), was also a small businessman. He oversaw the general store in Nauvoo, Illinois. This was more of a side occupation than a career choice, since Joseph Smith was told in a revelation, “And in temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling” (D&C 24:9).

On January 5, 1842, he wrote a letter to Edward Hunter, a collateral ancestor of mine. Part of it reads:

"Our assortment [at the Red Brick Store] is tolerably good—very good, considering the different purchases made by different individuals at different times, and under circumstances which controlled their choice to some extent; but I rejoice that we have been enabled to do as well as we have, for the hearts of many of the poor brethren and sisters will be made glad with those comforts which are now within their reach.”

"The store has been filled to overflowing, and I have stood behind the counter all day, dealing out goods as steady as any clerk you ever saw, to oblige those who were compelled to go without their usual Christmas and New Year's dinners, for the want of a little sugar, molasses, raisins, etc., etc.; and to please myself also, for I love to wait upon the Saints, and be a servant to all, hoping that I may be exalted in the due time of the Lord."

(“Chapter 37: Charity, the Pure Love of Christ,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 423–34. To read the full letter in Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, click here.)

Joseph Smith enjoyed being a businessman. He would have serious issues with the melodramatic depiction of capitalists as oppressors, swindlers, cheats, and so forth. Joseph Smith loved “to wait upon the Saints, and be a servant to all.”

This is more than a heartwarming cliché about enjoying a career choice. It also shows Joseph Smith’s approach to life. The Servant-Leadership movement began in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf. But Joseph Smith pioneered the same concept one hundred and thirty-five years earlier.

Servant-Leadership is based on humility: Joseph Smith understood that he had to be a servant to everyone. Of course this idea of servanthood goes back to Christ. The moral of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Joseph Smith exemplified this in his business dealings. He was not in it for profit, but to help people:

“I have stood behind the counter all day, dealing out goods as steady as any clerk you ever saw, to oblige those who were compelled to go without their usual Christmas and New Year's dinners, for the want of a little sugar, molasses, raisins, etc.”

So what would it be like to walk into a store and have a prophet (or the president or the pope) clerking for you? Or to go into in a restaurant and see him busing tables? Something like this happened to me a few years ago. My stake president (the leader of a group of congregations, akin to a diocese) owned a hardware store. I walked in, he got me the broomstick I needed, we chatted a bit, and then I left.

But you see the humility of my church leader. Even though he was higher up than I was in the Church hierarchy, he still served me. We were on equal footing, not only as customer and businessman, but also as children of God.

The examples of Joseph Smith and my stake president Michael Ahlander reflect the example of Jesus Christ. His Atonement was the greatest act of Servant-Leadership in the history of the world.

Bruce R. McConkie, an apostle and leader in the Church, taught:

“His atonement is the most transcendent event that ever has or ever will occur from Creation’s dawn through all the ages of a never-ending eternity.”

“It is the supreme act of goodness and grace that only a god could perform. Through it, all of the terms and conditions of the Father’s eternal plan of salvation became operative.”

“Through it are brought to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Through it, all men are saved from death, hell, the devil, and endless torment.”

“And through it, all who believe and obey the glorious gospel of God, all who are true and faithful and overcome the world, all who suffer for Christ and his word, all who are chastened and scourged in the Cause of him whose we are—all shall become as their Maker and sit with him on his throne and reign with him forever in everlasting glory.” (Bruce R. McConkie, “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” Ensign, May 1985, 9.)

Christ is the great example, not only for Christians, but also for businessmen. One leader of our Church called Him “the Inconvenient Messiah.” Losing potential business is inconvenient. But in some cases, it is the right thing to do.

Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, told this story about a small businessman who closed shop on Sunday:

In a stake recently I interviewed a man for an important position in the stake reorganization. And I said to him, "What is your occupation?" And he said, "I operate a service station." And I asked, "Do you operate on the Sabbath?" His answer was, "No, I do not." "Well, how can you get along? Most service station operators seem to think they must open on the Sabbath." "I get along well," he said. "The Lord is good to me." "Do you not have stiff competition?" I asked. "Yes, indeed," he replied. "Across the street is a man who keeps open all day Sunday." "And you never open?" I asked. "No, sir," he said, "and I am grateful, and the Lord is kind, and I have sufficient for my needs." (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 227.)

Gospel principles are compatible with business principles, and when push comes to shove, they are the commanding principles.

For example, Christ’s Third Temptation involved money. Howard W. Hunter, the fourteenth president of the Church, explained:

In his third temptation, the devil casts away all subtlety and scripture and all deviousness and disguise. Now he staked everything on a blunt, bold proposition. From a high mountain he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them—the cities, the fields, the flocks, the herds, and everything nature could offer. Though they were not his to give, Satan offered them all to Jesus—to him who had lived as a modest village carpenter.

With wealth, splendor, and earthly glory spread before them, Satan said unto him, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.” (Matt. 4:9) In a final ploy Satan was falling back on one of his false but fundamental propositions, one which resulted in his leading one-third of the hosts from heaven and continues to direct his miserable efforts against the children of men here on earth. It is the proposition that everyone has a price, that material things finally matter most, that ultimately you can buy anything in this world for money. …

In power and dignity, Jesus commanded, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” (Matt. 4:10) Anguished and defeated Satan turned and went away. “And when the devil had ended all the temptation,” Luke adds, “he departed from him for a season.” (Luke 4:13) Matthew tells us that “angels came and ministered unto him.” (Matt. 4:11) (“The Temptations of Christ,” Ensign, Nov 1976, 17ff)

I am grateful for Christ’s example. He put obedience over money, setting the pattern for both laymen and businessmen. Once we put Christ in His proper place as Lord, thorny business decisions will take care of themselves.

In reflecting how many would come and go in the kingdom of God, Joseph would often say, "Brethren I have not apostatized yet, and don’t feel like doing so." He called on the Lord, night and day, so that he could remain steadfast in his calling as the prophet of the restoration and accomplish the purposes for which he'd been born.

The thing about Joseph Smith, Jr. that continually amazes me to this day, is a basic character trait that is invaluable and yet found in so few people. For two years of my life, six days a week, 12 to 15 hours a day I studied the life, times and teachings of the prophet, Joseph Smith. I studied his life, from birth to death. I studied the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon Church. I studied the history of the day: political, historical, socio-economic, arts and literature, religious, social . . . all of it. I carefully plotted each event of the prophet's life and looked at the history surrounding him and through this intensive study I came to understand more fully what drove him and why. And in the process of that extensive study, I also gained a strong and unassailable testimony of him as a prophet of God. He never gave up. He never stopped. He never retreated. He stood strong in his testimony of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and all that was revealed to him. No person, no matter how cruel or traitorous, was able to stay him from his course.

He was a prophet of God, so called by our Lord God Jesus Christ. On that spring morning, he entered a quiet grove and prayed with a pure and simple heart and from that day forward, no matter what was done to him: tarred and feathered, trumped up charges and court hearings, unlawful imprisonment, the persecution and outright lawlessness in the conduct toward the Saints and never, no matter what was done to him, would he deny, could he deny, what he'd seen and what calling had been extended to him by God.

One night, when his twin son and daughter were ill with the measles, he was up walking with his infant son trying to soothe him. The door burst open and vicious, heartless men tumbled inside, each trying to get to the prophet first. Wrenching the child from his arms, they threw the baby at Emma and dragged Joseph, fighting every inch of the way, from the house and out into a pasture. There they poured boiling hot tar over him, searing him straight through to the bone. Drunken and laughing, they then poured feathers over him. They tried to force poison down his throat, chipping a tooth in the process. Joseph was a big, strong, athletic man, but even he could not withstand a mob. Yet, they were not able to force the poison down his throat and this saved his life. They finally left him, nearly unconscious and writhing in agony, and stumbled to their homes and tucked themselves into bed, never stopping to consider the consequences of their actions, both mortal and eternal.

Hours later, searchers found Joseph and carried him home. Through the night they painstakingly peeled the tar from his body, taking layer upon painful layer of skin with every strip. By morning, having survived an excruciatingly painful and exhausting night, Joseph arose and went into town to preach. It was Sunday morning and he had a message to share. A message of repentance, strength, hope and eternal love. And preach he did, strengthened by the Lord that he might do so.

One might think, after a night such as this when he was tortured, his wife and children terrified beyond belief, that he would walk away and say, "Enough is enough." But he did not. He continued to preach of Jesus Christ. He continued to preach of Heavenly Father. And in the congregation that day were some of the members of the mob whose hearts were softened, pierced with shame and sorrow. This man they had treated so viciously and inhumanely the night before, now stood in all humility testifying of forgiveness and the healing power it holds.

One might think as he buried his infant son, dead because of the exposure to the chill midnight air in his weakened condition and the cruel actions of a merciless mob, that Joseph would walk away and say, "I cannot do this anymore." He did.

One might say, as he was hauled into court after court, suffering an extended unlawful imprisonment in the Richmond and Liberty Jails, he might do more than petition God, rather that he might say, "I will deny I saw and spoke to God." He did not deny, he stayed the course.

The moment when he finally broke down and cried to God, was when the saints (Mormons) were being raped, murdered and driven from their homes and across the frozen Mississippi with scarcely more than the clothes on their backs. When cruel and careless men slaughtered the Mormons at Hauns Mill, even the children, saying coldly, "Nit make lice," before fighting the bullets in everyone around, young and old. When lawlessness ruled the land, mercy's hand was stand and justice stood mute . . . that is when Joseph finally cried to God.

O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?

How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries?

Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them?

O Lord God Almighty, maker of heaven, earth, and seas, and of all things that in them are, and who controllest and subjectest the devil, and the dark and benighted dominion of Sheol—stretch forth thy hand; let thine eye pierce; let thy pavilion be taken up; let thy hiding place no longer be covered; let thine ear be inclined; let thine heart be softened, and thy bowels moved with compassion toward us. (D&C 121:1-4)

Through all of this and more, for the remainder of his life, Joseph would not deny the First Vision. He would not deny he was called by Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father to restore the gospel to the face of the earth. He would not walk away from his prophetic calling, no matter the cost.

And now, his name is bandied about, both for good and evil, in this day. And still, he would stand and shout to the world. Jesus Christ lives. Heavenly Father lives. They love us and Christ's gospel, with all its promise, hope and reward is fully restored on the earth today. Come home . . . come be at peace . . . come and remember who you are.

I will close this post with the words of Joseph Smith, Jr. himself:

The Prophet’s journal for November 6, 1835, records:

“I was this morning introduced to a man from the east. After hearing my name, he remarked that I was nothing but a man, indicating by this expression, that he had supposed that a person to whom the Lord should see fit to reveal His will, must be something more than a man. He seemed to have forgotten the saying that fell from the lips of St. James, that [Elijah] was a man subject to like passions as we are, yet he had such power with God, that He, in answer to his prayers, shut the heavens that they gave no rain for the space of three years and six months; and again, in answer to his prayer, the heavens gave forth rain, and the earth gave forth fruit [see James 5:17–18]. Indeed, such is the darkness and ignorance of this generation, that they look upon it as incredible that a man should have any [dealings] with his Maker.” (History of the Church, 2:302; from a Joseph Smith journal entry, Nov. 6, 1835, Kirtland, Ohio.)

“When did I ever teach anything wrong from this stand? When was I ever confounded? I want to triumph in Israel before I depart hence and am no more seen. I never told you I was perfect; but there is no error in the revelations which I have taught. Must I, then, be thrown away as a thing of naught?” (History of the Church, 6:366; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on May 12, 1844, in Nauvoo, Illinois; reported by Thomas Bullock.)

“Although I do wrong, I do not the wrongs that I am charged with doing: the wrong that I do is through the frailty of human nature, like other men. No man lives without fault. Do you think that even Jesus, if He were here, would be without fault in your eyes? His enemies said all manner of evil against Him—they all watched for iniquity in Him.”(History of the Church, 5:140; from a discourse given by Joseph Smith on Aug. 31, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois; reported by Eliza R. Snow.)

Joseph Smith’s journal for October 29, 1842, records: “I … went over to the store [in Nauvoo, Illinois], where a number of brethren and sisters were assembled, who had arrived this morning from the neighborhood of New York. … I told them I was but a man, and they must not expect me to be perfect; if they expected perfection from me, I should expect it from them; but if they would bear with my infirmities and the infirmities of the brethren, I would likewise bear with their infirmities.” (History of the Church, 5:181; paragraph divisions altered; from a Joseph Smith journal entry, Oct. 29, 1842, Nauvoo, Illinois.)