Tag Archives: Media

Addendum #50- Full-Length Film: Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration (11:05-11:55)

joseph smith profile 1.8

ADDENDUM:  The film’s juxtaposition of depictions of the gold plates, followed by the story of Jesus’ visit to the Nephites in 3 Nephi 11, followed by Joseph telling his family stories of ancient American civilization conveys a false understanding through an inaccurate sequence of events.  The depiction may easily be understood by viewers that Joseph translated the plates, learned the story of Jesus coming to America during translation, and then related it to his family, a sequence of events that did not occur.

As FAIR openly admits and even argues, Joseph told stories about ancient America to his family prior to his receiving the plates, as documented by his mother.  These stories were “information that he was receiving from the angel Moroni” (FAIR) and not from the text of the Book of Mormon, which had not yet been unearthed, let alone translated through the peep stone and urim and thummim.  While the film doesn’t assert that Joseph’s stories were actually from the Book of Mormon, the sequencing suggests it.  This could be remedied by simply adding the words, “Before obtaining the plates, Joseph was given knowledge by Moroni or another angel of an appearance Christ himself made… (etc.)”  Addition of this qualifying detail will prevent viewers from incorrectly understanding that Joseph told the Book of Mormon story found in 3 Nephi 11 to his family at age 17.

However, this may be problematic, given that there is no documentation that Joseph ever told the 3 Nephi 11 story to anyone in the years before obtaining the plates.  While it could be true that the information contained in 3 Nephi 11 was simply related to Joseph verbally by an angel prior to his obtaining the plates, this is not suggested by the historical text, which only documents that Joseph, “would occasionally give us some of the most amusing recitals that could be imagined. He would describe the ancient inhabitants of this continent, their dress, mode of travelings, and the animals upon which they rode; their cities, their buildings, with every particular; their mode of warfare; and also their religious worship. This he would do with as much ease, seemingly, as if he had spent his whole life among them.”

Since there is no documentation that Joseph related the story of 3 Nephi 11 to anyone at age 17, the film could more correctly state that Joseph related certain cultural aspects of ancient America to his family in story and not extrapolate further, unknowingly.  More concerning, though, the film actually mislead viewers in this regard, for it specifically extols the details of 3 Nephi 11 (relating the account of Jesus’ visit to the Americas with such details as the calling of apostles, invitation to the crowd to touch the marks of the nails, and the miracles Jesus’ performed among them — JOINTLY told with visual material from film “The Testaments,” which depicts the event exclusively as it is told in 3 Nephi) and immediately thereafter using the pronoun “this” to allude precisely to what Joseph allegedly told his eagerly-listening family: “Joseph could describe this as if he had spent his whole life with them.”  The pronoun in the sentence directly modifies the story of Jesus’ visit to America.

This exaggeration and misrepresentation of the documented record takes literary license and tells a history that is not documented,  This can be easily corrected by full disclosure of what is actually documented:  Joseph told stories about ancient American war, religion, animal travel, etc. to his family during the years prior to his obtaining the plates presumably from angel Moroni (the historical accuracy of certain aspects of these stories lack substantive evidence by modern investigation [FAIR]).   Further information than this, stated or implied, is admittedly unsubstantiated and should be addended for historical accuracy.

Joseph’s story need not be embellished for millions to cultivate faith in it, but such embellishment will certainly prevent many members from sustaining their faith.

The current depiction incorrectly leads viewers to the understanding that the Book of Mormon story found in 3 Nephi 11 was told to Joseph’s family directly 3 years before Joseph ever received the plates.  Furthermore, the telling of these stories confirms that many of the descriptions of ancient America later found in the text of the Book of Mormon were known to Joseph years prior to the book’s translation and publication, which is said to have occurred in a short span of a “three-month period between April and June of [1829],” (LDS.ORG) demonstrating that the cumulative understanding communicated in the book evolved or was acquired over a much longer period of time.

en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/”Amusing_recitals”_of_ancient_American_inhabitants

http://en.fairmormon.org/Book_of_Mormon/Anachronisms

https://www.lds.org/topics/book-of-mormon-translation?lang=eng

Addendum #49- Full-Length Film: Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration (10:13-10:43)

joseph smith profile 1.7ADDENDUM:  Although the film dramatizes the visit of the angel Moroni as an unprovoked and surprising event to Joseph, historical context adds substantially to one’s understanding of the event and must no longer be omitted in correlated church materials and film depictions.  FAIR acknolwedges that Joseph was not at all unfamiliar with messages of valuable relics buried in the ground and the pursuit to unearth them.  In fact, he was intimately familiar with seeking for buried treasures and had not only been minimally involved with J. Stowell in treasure seeking, but had been seeking for buried treasure with a seer stone for years, often as his principle employment.  A subset of the general population at the time believed firmly in the reality of divination, seer stones, and magical thinking, etc., so it is appropriately argued that the mindset was a not-unheard-of component of early New England history.  Often stories of such fabled treasures included treasure guardians, in the form of ghosts, devilish minions, animals, etc.  FAIR acknowledges this as foundational history and affirms that, given Joseph’s involvement with treasure seeking, that there is no way to know whether Joseph first considered Moroni (whom he initially described as being the spirit of the Almighty) as one of these treasure guardians, as a divine messenger, or both.  Regardless, as modern members of the church consider the story of Moroni’s visitation and the discovery of the golden plates, each has a right to be presented the full contextual history, without having to wade through an occult historical record alone, and to be given such context by the same trusted church organization that first introduced the story to them and sanctified it in their hearts.  Members and investigators can still choose to believe that God used Joseph as an instrument to obtain and translate the plates, but such belief should be coupled by understanding of the historical truth.  This will likely modify the current pervasive characterization of Joseph and may require mental rationalizations of history, including, for example, that his treasure digging was divine preparation for unearthing the plates, that prior encounters with fictitious treasure guardians was a heralding of the actual divine encounter with Moroni, or that those he led to believe in his magical-world capabilities of divination and seer stone use were correct to believe him and that he alone among 19th century treasure seekers actually held divine seer powers which were later necessary for translation , etc.  Omission of such detail has created generations of believers whose faith is mal-contextualized.  Modern church members have a right to inform their individual, collective, and generational decisions of faith and orthodoxy with history that is fully disclosed.

http://publications.maxwellinstitute.byu.edu/fullscreen/?pub=1446&index=5

Addendum #48- Full-Length Film: Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration (09:03-10:10)

joseph smith profile 1.6

ADDENDUM:  Although the film dramatizes the impact that Joseph’s telling of the first vision had both personally on his relationship with one particular minister, as well as on his family with the greater community surrounding their family, as FAIR acknowledges, there is no documentation that the first vision was related to anyone until 1827, 7 years after it was said to have occurred.  While the account that Joseph related years later can be taken at face value as historical, full disclosure of this lack of parallel evidence is needed.  Additionally, numerous accounts demonstrate that Joseph’s initial treasure-seeking endeavors focused on the finding of the gold plates without any telling of the first vision and that his efforts were initially devoid of any religious intent, which later increasingly grew with time.  Members of the church can choose to have faith in the first vision and its impact on the community as related by Joseph, but the telling of the story should include the full historical record, to contextualize the account and facilitate the  choice to exercise faith and believe that the vision occurred as is claimed.

http://en.fairmormon.org/Criticism_of_Mormonism/Online_documents/Letter_to_a_CES_Director/First_Vision_Concerns_%26_Questions

Addendum #47- Full-Length Film: Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration (06:18-08:00)

The first vision 1.2

ADDENDUM:  The different accounts of the first vision are of equal historical legitimacy.  The church should teach the details of each account even if they favor one over the others.  In film, it would be reasonable to create film depictions of each account.  Even if they weren’t as widely dispersed as the others, the effort to create a media library that actually reflect the other accounts would legitimate them to all members, allowing the church and its members to better know and accept its true history.  such a film wouldn’t necessarily be shown in the Legacy Theater of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building with as much fanfare, but currently no film depictions of the other accounts even exist.

https://www.lds.org/topics/first-vision-accounts?lang=eng

Addendum #46- Full-Length Film: Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration (03:50-04:08)

joseph smith profile 1.5

ADDEDNUM:  The film mentions Joseph’s uncle Jesse Smith of Salem, MA, affectionately by deriving a story of a retained seashell, alluding to a time that Joseph spent with him at the seaside, years previously, after his leg operation.  The film paints Jesse as an affectionate uncle without mentioning how potently he opposed what Joseph later did.  A letter written from Jesse to Hyrum in response to a letter from Joseph Smith, Sr. is included above, demonstrating his disdain.  The film should not make reference to Jesse Smith in such an affectionate and affirming way without providing further information of his opposition to Joseph’s behavior.  The film omits at least the following details demonstrated by the letter:  Jesse’s opinion was that Joseph pretended his discoveries, that he was involved in clear foolish deception, that Joseph’s paternal grandfather was greatly afflicted by his behavior, and that he mocked the alleged use of spectacles to decipher hieroglyphics.  The church can ignore Jesse’s criticisms but should not unilaterally allude to only favorable aspects of his relationship with Joseph and his family.
http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/letterbook-2?dm=image-and-text&zm=zoom-inner&tm=expanded&p=64&s=undefined&sm=none#!/paperSummary/letterbook-2&p=65

Addendum #45- Full-Length Film: Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration (02:32)

joseph smith profile 1.4 http://en.fairmormon.org/Burned-over_district (accessed 13 AUG 2014)

Addendum #44- Full-Length Film: Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration (01:51-01:59)

joseph smith profile 1.3

http://en.fairmormon.org/The_Hurlbut_affidavits (accessed 13 AUG 2014)

Addendum #43- Full-Length Film: Joseph Smith, The Prophet of the Restoration (01:12-01:48)

joseph smith profile 1.2https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-03-01-joseph-smith-the-prophet-of-the-restoration?lang=eng

FAIR references (all accessed 13 AUG 2014):

Smith family money digging 

1826 court

First vision 1827

Joseph Sr’s dream

Addendum #38- Children’s Songbook, Page 88, On A Golden Springtime

children's songbook 1.1https://www.lds.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/on-a-golden-springtime?lang=eng

For the different accounts of the first vision, see Addendum #11

Addendum #10- Artwork: Joseph Translating the Book of Mormon, Number 2

Book of Mormon Translation 1.2

(http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/gospel-art/church-history/translating-plates-82841-wallpaper.jpg)

 

Addendum #9- Artwork: Joseph Translating the Book of Mormon, Number 1

Book of Mormon Translation 1.1http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/gospel-art/church-history/joseph-translating-gold-plates-329346-print.jpg