Character Determines Ones Action And Decisions
The previous blog demonstrated that Joseph Smith, Jr.,
had a character built upon his family and their character: i.e., vision, not
belonging to anyone of the Orthodox faith, in fact not only did not give their
religious nature to them, they had resentment towards them. A life filled with
those closest to him, his father, mother, uncles, and others would lead him to
also be led to such as visions, secret knowledge, and could be seen in his use
of seer stones. Money, or the lack of money, living in a time when work was not
as available is it is today, no government handouts, no Medicare, also played
an important part in developing his character. Looking for treasure was a way to
find valuables to sell. I find it interesting that Joseph Smith, Jr., would be
selected by God to be visited by and angel named Moroni and seems interesting
as well as Mohammed of the Islam faith also was visited by an Angel, Michael
and as with Joseph Smith, Jr., Mohammed was given a religious book the Koran as
also Joseph Smith, Jr., was given “Golden Plates,” by which the Book of Mormon
was translated into the Book of Mormon. This visit to Joseph Smith, Jr., was
when he was 14 and this visit was by God the Father and Jesus Christ and then
in 1823 according to his account, he was visited by an angel who told him of
thin golden plates. These plates were said to have an ancient record of God
dealings with the early American inhabitants. During this time Joseph Smith,
Jr., had gained some small reputation as a clairvoyant and was able o locate
lost objects.
Joseph Smith, Jr., began translating the Golden Plates by
using as he claimed a “gift of God.” In 1830 The Book of Mormon published, and
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formed and Joseph Smith,
Jr., became its first president. Joseph Smith, Jr., headed the Mormons for the
next 14 years until he was arrested in 1844 for treason and murdered by a mob. Joseph
Smith, Jr., was considered to be a “Prophet,” and his writings are the
foundation of Mormonism. As previously discussed character develops by means of
several influences and an important influence, especially in the day when
religion was foremost in people’s minds by such as the occult, Shakers,
Quakers, Seekers, all who taught special revelations from God sought visions,
etc., as by the teachings of William Miller who taught much about eschatology
his way giving dates for the coming of Jesus Christ, and other such teachings,
those teachings that form the basis of the Seventh Day Adventist Church, and
even Charles Taze Russell of the Jehovah Witnesses had involvement with the
Millerites, and those who later formed the Seventh Day Adventist movement.
Joseph Smith, Jr., was influenced by Jewish cabalistic traditions, traditions
that a system of esoteric (that is to understood by or meant for only the
select few who have special knowledge or interest or for the initiates of a
group. Cabalism is to be secret, or private), that is based on mystical method
of interpreting the Scriptures, and is concerned with the occult doctrine or
science. Also to be found in the writings and teaching of Joseph Smith, Jr., is
throughout his writings the Masonic order is present in those writings. It is
interesting that in the 19th century and it religious environment of
western New York, where Joseph Smith, Jr., lived this esoteric, and Mormonism
had its beginning and influence on Mormonism.
Looking back for the moment we must remember that 10
years by affidavit the family men of Joseph Smith, Jr., three years after the
publication of the Book of Mormon, these men, and signed, testified by
prominent citizens of Manchester, New York, were described as “lazy, indolent,
intemperate, destitute of moral character and addicted to vicious habits.” It
is clear and plain; unless Joseph Smith, Jr., was not be influenced by such
family members, and by his own documented life he was the same as them so he
too must be considered to be of the same character. To aid in our investigation
we must look into the practice of Joseph Smith, Jr., and his treasure hunting,
and his, by him, to be a seer using “seer” stones to aid him in his search for
treasure.
Doubt about Joseph Smith, Jr., and him being a treasure
hunter must be removed for he formed a money-digging company with a contract
outlining the terms how the treasure would be divided among the interested
parties.[1] Joseph Smith, Jr. was paid fourteen dollars a month
for his services.[2] Joseph Smith, Jr., after a discouraging month of
digging a small group of speculators disbanded but Joseph Smith, Jr., continued
on for about four more months he was employed by Stowell. The men were who were
digging did not give up easily even though they could not unearth treasure and
followed the instructions of Joseph Smith, Jr., in his attempt to break the
spirit’s enchantment. Joseph Smith, Jr., used several devices to break this
discouraging spirit by using various magic devices, animal sacrifice, magic
circles, zodiac signs, and other such means to be able to reach the treasure he
sought from the guardian spirits.[3] The religious climate that many held and the practice
of folk religion did not give apprehension to such practices of men like Joseph
Smith, Jr., although it is clear by what occurred later that the Orthodox
religious people were appalled as such occult and folk religion. Lucy Smith
would speak freely about her family’s involvement in such as the “faculty of
Abrac,” a term formed from abracadabra and abraxis. The Masons thought this
word could be used as magic or formula and worn on amulets or magic charms and
if the term was repeated in a particular manner they thought that this would
cure certain diseases and ailment, and other Masonic diseases. Lucy Smith in
her writing spoke of “magic circles,” and “sooth saying,” and their pursuits of
these did not cause them to neglect other work.[4] Lucy Smith, mother of Joseph Smith, Jr., spoke about
these things and wrote:
“Let not the
reader suppose that because I shall pursue another topic for a season that we
stopt (sic) our labor and went at trying to win the faculty of Abrac drawing
Magic circles or sooth saying to the neglect
of all kinds of business.” (Biographical Sketches… Smith, Lucy Mack, Liverpool,
England: S. W. Richards. 1853).
It is interesting that those words were in the preliminary
draft of her early history and later when this draft was published they did not
appear and were omitted. What we know is that Lucy Smith admitted that her
family was involved in the faculty of Abrac, magic circles, and sooth saying
and that they were “important interest.”
[i] "He [Joseph Smith Sr.] also revived,
or in other words, propagated the vulgar, yet popular belief that these
treasures were held in charge by some evil spirit...” (THE REFLECTOR February
1, 1831). I include these reports for further review on this subject:
"Mr. Thompson, an employee of Mr. Stowell, was the
next witness. He and another man were employed in digging for treasure, and
always attended the Deacon and Smith in their nocturnal labors. He could not
assert that anything of value was ever obtained by them. The following scene
was described by this witness, and carefully noted: Smith had told the Deacon
that very many years before a band of robbers had buried on his flat a box of
treasure, and as it was very valuable they had by a sacrifice placed a charm
over it to protect it, so that it could not be obtained except by faith,
accompanied by certain talismanic influences [something believed to have
magical powers]. So, after arming themselves with fasting and prayer, they
sallied forth to the spot designated by Smith. Digging was commenced with fear
and trembling, in the presence of this imaginary charm." (1826 Trial,
Purple account, Jonathan Thompson Testimony)
“Thompson says that he believes in
the prisoner's professed skill; that the board which he struck his spade upon
was probably the chest, but, on account of an enchantment, the trunk kept
settling away from under them while digging; that, not withstanding they
continued constantly removing the dirt, yet the trunk kept about the same distance
from them.” (1826 Trial, Tuttle account)
“The utmost silence was necessary to success. More than once,
when the digging proved a failure, Joe explained to his associates that, just
as the deposit was about to be reached, some one, tempted by the devil, spoke,
causing the wished-for riches to disappear.” (Lippincott's Magazine, August,
1880 / narrative from the book: Mormon Origin, William Alexander Linn,
Hackensack, N. J., 1901)
“For the most part, the quest for buried
wealth and its associated belief system have slipped away into a forgotten
world. Though strange to us today, treasure-seeking beliefs probably influenced
hundreds of thousands of Europeans and thousands of early European Americans.
Many early Americans believed that treasures had been secreted in the earth by
ancient inhabitants of the continent, by Spanish explorers, by pirates, or even
by the dwarves of European mythology. Treasure hunters usually looked for caves
and lost mines or dug into hills and Native American mounds to find these
hidden deposits. A legend, a treasure map, or a dream of buried wealth
initiated the hunt. Local specialists were enlisted to use their divining rods
or seer stones to locate the treasure. To hide from the scrutiny of skeptics
and the notice of other treasure seekers, they worked under the cover of
darkness. Gathering at the designated spot, the treasure seekers staked out
magical circles around the treasure. They used Bible passages and hymns, prayers
and incantations, ritual swords and other magical items, or even propitiatory
animal sacrifices to appease or fend off preternatural guardians of the
treasure. Excavation
usually commenced under a rule of silence. Should someone carelessly mutter or
curse, the treasure guardian could penetrate the circle or carry the treasure
away through the earth.” (Moroni as Angel and as Treasure Guardian, Mark
Ashurst-McGee, FARMS Review Vol. 18 - 1 p.p. 34-100, Provo, Utah: Maxwell
Institute, 2006)
It
is no wonder that Joseph Smith, Jr. would be and was involved in occult
treasure hunting practices.
[1]
"Articles of Agreement" [dated 1 November 1825], Daily [Salt Lake
City] Tribune, 23 April 1880, in Francis W. Kirkham, A New Witness for
Christ in America: The Book of Mormon, 2 vols. (enl. ed.; Salt Lake City:
Utah Printing Co., 1947-59), 1:492-94.
[2] Joseph
Smith, "Answers to Questions," Elders' Journal, 1 (July
1838): 43; Vogel, Early Mormon Documents 1:53.
[3]
Emily M. Austin, for example,
testified that Joseph Smith told the money diggers to sacrifice a dog (Emily M.
Austin, Mormonism; or, Life Among the Mormons [Madison, Wisconsin,
1882], 32-33). This incident was apparently discussed at Smith's 1830 trial in
Colesville; Judge Joel K. Noble remembered testimony to that effect (see Wesley
P. Walters, "From Occult to Cult with Joseph Smith, Jr.," Journal
of Pastoral Practice 1/2 [1977]: 125, 135). Another example of the Smith
family's use of magic devices is given by neighbor William Stafford who
described Joseph Smith, Sr., drawing a magic circle and placing stakes around
the supposed treasure (E. D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed [Painesville,
Ohio: E. D. Howe, 1834], 238-39; also published in Vogel, Early Mormon
Documents 2:60-61). See Andrew Barton [Thomas Forrest], The
Disappointment; or, the Force of Credulity, ed. David Mays (Gainesville:
University Press of Florida, 1976), esp. 89, for a satire on money digging
originally published in New York in 1767 which contains an interesting parallel
to the placing of stakes in a circle around the treasure. On the reliability of
Stafford's and others' testimony regarding Joseph Smith's early magic and
money-digging practices, see Rodger I. Anderson, "Joseph Smith's Early
Reputation Revisited," Journal of Pastoral Practice 4/3 (1980):
71-108, and 4/4 (1980): 72-105; reprinted as Joseph Smith's New York
Reputation Reexamined (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1990).
[4]
Lucy Smith, Preliminary Manuscript (ca. 1845), 40, LDS Church Archives, Salt
Lake City, conveniently found in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents 1:285.
On the blend of folk magic and popular religion, see Jon Butler, "Magic,
Astrology, and the Early American Religious Heritage, 1600-1760," American
Historical Review 84 (April 1979): 317-46. See also Keith Thomas, Religion
and the Decline of Magic (New York: Scribners, 1971), for a general
treatment of folk magic and its suppression by the religiously orthodox.
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