What do you think about Joseph Smith? Mormons talk about him like he's a saint and was so progressive and ahead of his time. Ex/Non-Mormons talk about him like he was a fraud who was good and duping people and spent a lot of time chasing skirts and digging for treasure.
Ahhhhhh this is a difficult question!! I have a lot of torn thoughts, but Iâll say:Â
I think heâs an incredibly interesting historical figure. I recommend reading Rough Stone Rolling for a detailed and decently balanced account of his life.Â
I think reducing him to just a con-artist ignores the fact that he was imprisoned many times and lost children as a result of his work. I feel like he must have really believed that what he was doing was important, otherwise he would have given up a lot earlier.Â
That being said I think it should also be acknowledged that he had some incredibly serious moral failings as a person and did things that are unforgivable
I think he had some of the most profound and interesting ideas about theology and cosmologyÂ
I think he really wanted to make the world better, even if he often failed at holding himself to the same standards he held others.Â
It is difficult for me to let go of him as an influence on my life. When I was Mormon (I think I solidly consider myself ex-mormon now), my belief in Joseph was stronger than my faith in Christ. This might sound strange, but it was. Letting go of the myth of Joseph Smith and accepting that he was, actually, very likely a predator has been something psychologically difficult for me, but I feel like Iâve gotten there. He was not a good person. But I still think he wanted something better for the world, and I think most of all he wanted to bring his family peace and happiness.
I think in building the Mormon church, he was more motivated by transforming the world than he was in self-gratification. That being said, Joseph Smith had a big ego problem, and he easily let power get to his head, and took advantage of his positions of power in horrible ways.Â
He has written stories and scriptures that have shaped the way I look at the world. Stories that are part of the culture I grew up in. No matter how much I acknowledge his failings as a person, his influence will always be in my blood, because the scriptures that he dictated molded me from very early childhood. I love a lot of Book of Mormon stories and verses. I love the Pearl of Great Price. Those came from the heart of Joseph Smith.Â
Finally: I think if we had more exact historical records of major religious figures from any of the oldest religions, that we would probably find plenty of morally deplorable or sketchy things about them as well. The LDS church doesnât function like other religions, but it is still a culture, and for many it is a heritage or almost like an ethnicity. Mormons have a lot of unfortunate circumstances. One of them is that they are young enough to be easily historically discredited .The other is that the LDS church is essentially a corporation, which can make it difficult for the members of the church to live in significant variance to each other. It is a very tight and intimate community that also happens to be under very unilateral and unmoving (or rarely moving) authority. It is difficult both to leave and to stay in. There is a reason so many people stay in the church despite the church doing a lot to make them feel unwelcome. Itâs because there are beautiful and exciting things about the theology, and itâs because the church stirs up strong emotions of elation and devotion, and itâs because the sense of community and extended-family is strong in most wards. It vicegrips you from the inside, grasping every vein.Â