The martyrdom of Joseph Smith
74
I recently read an excerpt from the autobiography of Parley P. Pratt. In it Brother Pratt gives a lesser known version of the death of the Prophet Joseph. I first heard this account read aloud in my gospel doctrines class the other day, but the teacher was unfortunately cut off by the the objection of a distressed member of the congregation. I found it interesting to see the story told from a man who had deep insight as to the events which occurred before and after this tragic ordeal befell the Prophet Joseph and his family.
In his book brother Pratt describes every musket shot into the jail at Carthage, from the various shots through the floor, one rickocheting off the nose of one of the brethren.
Now Joseph acquired a six shooter at some point before the mob approached the jailhouse, and would use it to defend himself when they made their way up the stairs. with a hailstorm of bullets fired at them from every direction, Joseph fired his weapon through the door into the crowd of people and as prophesied the mob members were painted black. None of the men he shot died right away but what would happen to them later on, I can only describe as "the vengeance of the Lord" was carried out to the prophets persicutioners.
One man who received a bullet to the arm died weeks afterwards, after the flesh began to rot away from his body until his arm was completely deteriorated away. Later they found that maggots had entered his body and began to devour him from the inside out.
A similar report was given to Brother Pratt of two of the men who were laid up in a hospital in Sacramento, California. Though still boastful of their victory against the Church, the two were eaten alive by a type of black headed maggot that worked it's way through the vital system and completely destroyed the internals. Such was the grotesque manner of these two men's condition that leading up to the hours of their deaths they were isolated from the rest of the hospital due to the intense odor that permeated from their bodies as they were eaten alive.
One of the men became deteriorated to the point that while struggling for life his jawbone literally became detached from his face.
The hospital staff were in such a rush to dispose of the two decayed bodies that they did not wait for coffins to be constructed. They quickly gathered their flesh up into blankets and buried them outside of the hospital.
back to carthage
From the second story window of the jail house Joseph was shot from inside while attempting to escape. And after he layed on the ground, one of the mob members took a sword and grabbed him by the head in an attempt to decapitate the prophet. As the man raised his sword, a BOLT OF LIGHTNING CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN striking directly on the man's weapon as if it were a lightning rod! This event struck such fear into the hearts of the Mob that they quickly grabbed the paralyzed man who stood helplessly over the assassinated body of Joseph and they fled the scene.
Now I suppose you are wondering why Brother Pratt gave such explicite details of this event, and why I chose to share it with you.
First I would like to say that this is a sealed testimony that Joseph was a true prophet of god, and the Lord dealt out a true punishment to those who spilt innocent blood.
Next, I will refer you to the events which occured in concentration camps in Germany. When President Eisenhower saw the scene of putrid death and human misery. He ordered his troops to take as much photo evidence as possible. When asked why, he replied;
"Because some day some son of a bitch will say that this never happened."
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No false prophet would go through what he went through, he was hated and persicuted his entire life, and even through death, to this very day. Truely Jesus anointed that prophet and seer!
This is a fascinating account of this time in history. Thanks for publishing this. I enjoyed learning more about this tragedy.
Thanks for commenting James.
Sorry to tell you but if you were to read the above account, you will see that the aledged weapon was clearly and concisely mentioned, and elaborated upon with much detail, including even more detail of their miserable deaths, with results in context as vindicated by the Lord against the persicutioners of his prophet.
I find it interesting that the whole "Untold stroy" was not mentioned by the critics. Only that which was pathetically presented by conspiring minds.
Joseph Smith was a false prophet with a wild imagination, he plagiarized the bible and many other works to compile his unholy books. He was a freemason and was more than likely killed because he revealed freemasonic secrets and included them in the LDS religion. What did he gain? Power, respect, many, many wives and a cult following. He is a martyr because he died for his own selfish beliefs along with many other repulsive acts. NOT because he died for the cause of Christ. He said all Christian churches were evil, and he didn't want to associate with us. So why do you all want to be called Christians? You're not. Repent and trust in Jesus Christ.
Ok then let me ask you one thing; Would these men blaspheme before God by continuing their lives, their honor, and their own search for salvation with a book that they had fictitiously created out of whole cloth. And never mind that their wives and their children were about to become fatherless and widows never mind that Their little band of followers would be homeless and be forced across frozen rivers marked with a trial of blood across an untamed frontier. Never mind that legions will die and other legions will live declaring to the four corners of this Earth that the Book of Mormon and the church that espouses it, to be true. Disregard all of that and tell me whether in this hour of death, these two men would enter the presence their eternal judge, quoting from, and finding solace in a book which if not the very word of God would brand them as impostors and charlatans until the end of time.
They would not do that! They were willing to die rather than deny the divine origin and the truthfulness of the book of Mormon. For 179 years this book has been examined denied, attacked, and deconstructed, targeted and torn apart possibly more that any other book in religious history, and yet it still stands. Failed theories about its origins have been born paraded and died, from Ethan Smith to Solomon Spalding to deranged paranoid, to cunning genius. None of these frankly pathetic answers for this book has ever withstood examination. Because there is no other answer than the one that Joseph gave as its young unlearned translator.
Mormon martyrs 50-75 (still wrong) including Smith who killed two men before he was killed
Christian martyrs millions and growing
The book of Mormon is an apostate and it does NOT stand anywhere but in the minds of brainwashed Mormons. The bible has been through every thing you can imagine. What book does every communist leader try to rid the world of ? Not the book of Mormon, Not the pearl of great price , not doctrines and covenants, None of the above, only the Bible, Why? because it’s the true word of God. THE END.
How many of Joseph Smith “prophecies failed? Many. Proof he was a false prophet.
And what happened to those two me who he shot? (Defending his own life against mob justice, by the way.) One man who received a bullet to the arm died weeks afterwards, after the flesh began to rot away from his body until his arm was completely deteriorated away. Later they found that maggots had entered his body and began to devour him from the inside out.
A similar report was given to Brother Pratt of two of the men who were laid up in a hospital in Sacramento, California. Though still boastful of their victory against the Church, the two were eaten alive by a type of black headed maggot that worked it's way through the vital system and completely destroyed the internals. Such was the grotesque manner of these two men's condition that leading up to the hours of their deaths they were isolated from the rest of the hospital due to the intense odor that permeated from their bodies as they were eaten alive.
One of the men became deteriorated to the point that while struggling for life his jawbone literally became detached from his face.
The hospital staff were in such a rush to dispose of the two decayed bodies that they did not wait for coffins to be constructed. They quickly gathered their flesh up into blankets and buried them outside of the hospital.
Hundreds upon hundreds died as they were forced out of their homes and out of three states. I don't know why the number of fatalities should matter, perhaps you believe that a religion must be false because not enough people have died for it.
I would like to see which of Joseph's prophecies you believe have failed, or would you just prefer to throw out random, baseless accusations without any refrences?
Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God, The truth hurts.
"And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously..." Deut 18:21-22
D&C 114:1 April 17 1838 Smith said Patton would go on a mission and spread his(Joseph) name on his mission not Jesus' name but Patton died Oct 1838 and Never went on a mission. Check the context Smith as a prophet FAIL.
Sept 21, 1823. Joseph Smith says in the Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith 2:40, that Moroni told him that Isaiah 11 was "about to be fulfilled." Isaiah 11:6-11 prophesies that the wolf and the lamb, the calf and the lion, etc. shall dwell in peace together, and that nothing will "hurt or destroy," and that the earth shall be "full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." FAIL
In total over 66 FAILED PROPHECIES
www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gaFFMKQYRc
www.exmormon.org/prophet.htm
Joseph Smith was a true profit of Satan! THAT TRUTH HURTS
D & C 114 was not a prophecy, it was a mission call. Joseph Smith, under the inspiration of the Lord, issued a call for David Patten to go on a mission the following spring. This call by revelation is not a prophecy that David would serve a mission, but an admonition to set all his affairs in order so that he may perform a mission. Although Patten was killed, his affairs were in order when he died so that his family could endure his absence. This alone indicates the Lord's foreknowledge of Patten's death. And who knows but that Patten served that mission call on the other side of the veil?
In any event, Patten's death would not change the instructional nature of that call. Joseph Smith declared that: To the "great Jehovah . . . the past, present, and future were and are, with Him, one eternal 'now'."[2] The Savior does know all that will happen to us individually, but he still gives agency to us and to others who impact on our lives, which usage often precludes what would have happened if the Lord's will were done on earth as it is in heaven.
There are several Biblical parallels to David Patten's mission call, such as the calling of Judas as an Apostle. As one of the Twelve Apostles, Judas was promised by the Lord that he would sit on twelve thrones with the others and judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28). Judas, of his own choice (unlike David Patten) never fulfilled this promise of the Lord. This doesn't make the Lord a false prophet in the case of Judas. Nor were the Lord and His prophet, Joseph Smith, mistaken in the case of David Patten.
The Lord knocks at the door and gives the promise or opportunity. Whether we open the door and respond in a way to reap the potential blessing is up to us, and in many cases, up to the righteousness of others. In David Pallen's case, extenuating circumstances prevented him from serving an earthly mission: a mob killed him. To understand the case of David Patten, one might study D&C 124:49, which states if "their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept of their offerings."
Joseph Smith actuallymade some amazingly correct prophecies.
The specific prophecies that are said to be false or incorrect by critics are typically based on hearsay or unreliable sources or are based on incorrect interpretations of what is said. There is no reliable evidence to say that Joseph Smith fails any sound test based on Deut. 18:22.
Many LDS critics attempt to condemn Joseph Smith using a standard that would, if applied to Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Nathan, an angel of God, and Jonah, also condemn the Old Testament as a fraud.
I could provide several "False prophecies" by old testament prophets if Deuteronomy were held to the same standard.
Joseph as a Prophet of God=FAIL. As for Patten Joseph mentioned a city in America where he would serve. NOT on the other side. Pleeeze! You cannot explain away all 66 of Joseph failed prophecies Patten is just one of the most famed failed prophecies of Smith and your spin can't fix that. As for the old testament go ahead and try you will fail much like Joseph Smith. Smith plagiarized the bible and many other works to compile his unholy books. He was a freemason and was more than likely killed because he revealed freemasonic secrets and included them in the LDS religion. You forgot to refute this in your earlier spin class. Joseph Smith was a liar and will lead you to HELL.
Why did the Nauvoo House not stand forever and ever? (Doc. & Cov. 124:56-60). FAILED PROPHECY
Why did the angel take Nephi Plates back to heaven? Do they not belong with man? Would not their existence prove once for all that Mormonism is truth? God allowed the Jews to carry the 10 commandments for several centuries in their original physical form, written by the finger of God Himself!
Why is about 1/8th of the B of M copied directly from the KJV (1611AD) when it was alleged to have been written some 1200-2000 years before the KJV existed?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gL7w2coR3g
The truth hurts,
There is nothing in D&C 114 about a city in America. Which city do you think he was talking about? I thought you said there were more than 66 failed prophecies. None the less you.
I still don't see why you feel the need to say he was a freemason, as I have said before, being a member of the free masons was like being a member of the PTA, alot of people were members, including several of the founding fathers of this country. This countrie's sentiment towards freedom of religion stems from the masons ideology.
You want biblical examples of failed prophecies? Here you go.
Jonah
Be careful in how you apply Deut. 18:22, for you threaten to reject some true prophets in the Bible! There are examples where a true prophet prophesied something which did not happen as he stated, to the best of our knowledge. An example is found in the story of Jonah, who was told by God to prophecy to the people of Nineveh. Jonah prophesied that the people would be destroyed in 40 days (Jonah 3:4)—no loopholes were offered, just imminent doom. God changed things, however, when the people repented and He chose to spare them—much to the chagrin of that imperfect (yet still divinely called) prophet, Jonah.
Jonah, in fact, was "displeased ... exceedingly" and "very angry" (Jonah 4:1) about this change from God, perhaps because it made Jonah look bad. In spite of an "incorrect" prophecy and in spite of the obvious shortcomings of Jonah, he was a prophet of God and the Book of Jonah in the Bible is part of the Word of God. Yet if that sacred text had been lost, only to be restored by Joseph Smith, perhaps as part of the Book of Mormon, it would be assaulted as the most damning evidence against Joseph Smith. Just imagine how the critics would dismiss the Book of Jonah as being evil, contradictory, ludicrous, anti-Biblical, unscientific, and unchristian (of course, there are plenty already who reject it as it is, unable to believe major parts of the story).
Ezekiel
The prophet Ezekiel provides another example of how true prophets may err or give prophecies of uncertain accuracy. In Ezekiel chapters 26, 27, and 28, we read that Tyre (a fortified island city) would be conquered, destroyed, and plundered by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The riches of Tyre would go to Babylon (Ezekiel 26:12). Nebuchadnezzar's army did lay siege to Tyre, and its inhabitants were afflicted, apparently so much that they shaved their heads bald, as prophesied in (Ezekiel 27:31). However, the 13-year Babylonian siege apparently was not quite as successful as Ezekiel had predicted, perhaps because the land-based tactics of Babylonian sieges were less effective against a fortified island city with significant maritime power. The result of the siege may have been a compromise or treaty rather than total destruction and plunder, for (Ezekiel 29:17-20) reports that the predicted plundering did not take place. Almost as if in compensation, the Lord now announces that He will give Egypt to the Babylonians, which is the theme of chapter 29. Here are verses (Ezekiel 29:17-20):
17 And it came to pass in the seven and twentieth year, in the first month, in the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
18 Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it:
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will give the land of Egypt unto Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall take her multitude, and take her spoil, and take her prey; and it shall be the wages for his army.
20 I have given him the land of Egypt for his labour wherewith he served against it, because they wrought for me, saith the Lord GOD. (emphasis added)
Yes, Tyre is no more, but its complete destruction apparently did not occur during the Babylonian siege, and certainly the Babylonian army did not get the riches of Tyre as has been prophesied. It is Ezekiel himself who reports this "prophetic failure."[5]
The purpose in raising this issue is not to question the wisdom of the Lord, nor the truthfulness of the Bible, but to point out that an overly critical attitude and a strict application of Deut. 18:22 may reject even true, Biblical prophets. If we try hard enough to find reasons to reject a prophet, we will surely succeed—but beware lest we judge unwisely and reject those whom God has sent and anointed, even though they be mortal and fallible.
Jeremiah
Another example to consider is the prophet Jeremiah—a great and inspired prophet—who prophesied that king Zedekiah would "die in peace" (Jer. 34:4-5). Critics could argue that this prophecy did not prove to be true, for Zedekiah saw his sons killed by the conquering Babylonians and was himself blinded and put in prison, where he died in captivity—not in peace (Jer. 52:10-11). Of course, the point is that he would not be killed by the sword, but die of natural causes—albeit in prison—yet to the critics, it may look like a case of a false prophecy. This case is certainly less clear-cut than the prophecy of Ezekiel discussed above, yet also serves to warn us against harsh judgments.
Nathan
Other examples include Nathan:
In 2 Samuel 7:5-17, we read that the prophet Nathan unequivocally prophesied to David that through his son Solomon the Davidic empire would be established "forever," that the children of Israel would dwell in the promised land "and move no more," and that the "children of wickedness" would no longer afflict them. These things are quite clearly stated. No conditions are attached to these promises, none whatsoever.[6]
Yet this prophecy clearly did not prove successful if it is interpreted literally.
Samson
And the angel who spoke to Samson's mother:
[In] Jud. 13:5, where it is recounted that an angel promised Samson's mother that Samson would "begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines." No matter how liberal or expansive one wants to be with the facts of Israelite history (as recorded in the Bible or elsewhere), there is no way it can reasonably be concluded that Samson fulfilled this prophecy.
Not only did Samson fail to even "begin" to free Israel from the Philistines, but (1) there were times when he consorted with Philistine women, (2) he married a Philistine, (3) he himself never even led any Israelite troops against the Philistines, and (4) the Philistines eventually humiliated him.
Moreover, and most importantly, Israel actually lost ground to the Philistines during Samson's tenure. Judges 13-16 illustrates Philistine encroachment into Hebrew territory. The Samson narrative documents the eastward expansion of the Philistines by mentioning the Philistine presence in Timnah and Lehi, both in the strategic valley of Sorek (Achtemeier 1985:787-791). This Philistine expansion worsened the land shortage that eventually forced the Danites to migrate northward.
Of course, the nonfulfillment of Judges 13:5 can be attributed to Samson's failure to live according to his Nazarite calling. In addition to his sexual liaisons, he married a Philistine, ate unclean food, drank wine, and allowed his hair to be cut. Therefore, it could be said that the angel's prophecy was nullified by Samson's behavior. However, the angel placed absolutely no conditions on his promise that Samson would begin to deliver Israel from the Philistines. He simply declared that Samson would do so.
is not a prophecy that the Nauvoo House would stand "forever and ever." It is a command to build the Nauvoo house, and to permit Joseph and his family to "have place therein" "forever and ever."
Leaders of the Church constantly encouraged members in Nauvoo to live up to this commandment. Due to a lack of funds, workmen, and materials, the Saints eventually focused on the command to build the Nauvoo Temple (see D&C 124:55.)
God may issue commands, but such commands are not always obeyed. And, God may alter commands if the free agent choices of enemies alter the situation, as the same se
Also, the argument aunthenticicating the origins of the book of Mormon based on how long the golden plates stayed on Earth is irrelevent, you said it your self, can you show me the ark of the covenant, or the holy grail? or even the origional cross that Jesus was crucified on? Or how about the ark that Noah built?
It doesn't matter why they are gone, otherwise there would be no need for that timeless factor of faith in things which are not seen but are true.
any biblical scholar knows that it would be extremely suspicious if a book purporting to be the product of a society of pious emigrants from Jerusalem in ancient times did not quote the Bible. No lengthy religious writing of the Hebrews could conceivably be genuine if it was not full of scriptural quotations.
...to quote another writer of Christianity Today [magazine],[2] "passages lifted bodily from the King James Version," and that it quotes, not only from the Old Testament, but also the New Testament as well.
As to the "passages lifted bodily from the King James Version," we first ask, "How else does one quote scripture if not bodily?" And why should anyone quoting the Bible to American readers of 1830 not follow the only version of the Bible known to them?
Actually the Bible passages quoted in the Book of Mormon often differ from the King James Version, but where the latter is correct there is every reason why it should be followed. When Jesus and the Apostles and, for that matter, the Angel Gabriel quote the scriptures in the New Testament, do they recite from some mysterious Urtext? Do they quote the prophets of old in the ultimate original? Do they give their own inspired translations? No, they do not. They quote the Septuagint, a Greek version of the Old Testament prepared in the third century B.C. Why so? Because that happened to be the received standard version of the Bible accepted by the readers of the Greek New Testament. When "holy men of God" quote the scriptures it is always in the received standard version of the people they are addressing.
We do not claim the King James Version of the Septuagint to be the original scriptures—in fact, nobody on earth today knows where the original scriptures are or what they say. Inspired men have in every age have been content to accept the received version of the people among whom they labored, with the Spirit giving correction where correction was necessary.
Since the Book of Mormon is a translation, "with all its faults," into English for English-speaking people whose fathers for generations had known no other scriptures but the standard English Bible, it would be both pointless and confusing to present the scriptures to them in any other form, so far as their teachings were correct.
What is thought to be a very serious charge against the Book of Mormon today is that it, a book written down long before New Testament times and on the other side of the world, actually quotes the New Testament! True, it is the same Savior speaking in both, and the same Holy Ghost, and so we can expect the same doctrines in the same language.
But what about the "Faith, Hope and Charity" passage in Moroni 7:45? Its resemblance to 1 Corinthians 13 is undeniable. This particular passage, recently singled out for attack in Christianity Today, is actually one of those things that turn out to be a striking vindication of the Book of Mormon. For the whole passage, which scholars have labeled "the Hymn to Charity," was shown early in this century by a number of first-rate investigators working independently (A. Harnack, J. Weiss, R. Reizenstein) to have originated not with Paul at all, but to go back to some older but unknown source: Paul is merely quoting from the record.
Now it so happens that other Book of Mormon writers were also peculiarly fond of quoting from the record. Captain Moroni, for example, reminds his people of an old tradition about the two garments of Joseph, telling them a detailed story which I have found only in [th' Alabi of Persia,] a thousand-year-old commentary on the Old Testament, a work still untranslated and quite unknown to the world of Joseph Smith. So I find it not a refutation but a confirmation of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon when Paul and Moroni both quote from a once well-known but now lost Hebrew writing.
Now as to [the] question, "Why did Joseph Smith, a nineteenth century American farm boy, translate the Book of Mormon into seventeenth century King James English instead of into contemporary language?"
The first thing to note is that the "contemporary language" of the country-people of New England 130 years ago was not so far from King James English. Even the New England writers of later generations, like Webster, Melville, and Emerson, lapse into its stately periods and "thees and thous" in their loftier passages.
? ? ?
Furthermore, the Book of Mormon is full of scripture, and for the world of Joseph Smith's day, the King James Version was the Scripture, as we have noted; large sections of the Book of Mormon, therefore, had to be in the language of the King James Version—and what of the rest of it? That is scripture, too.
One can think of lots of arguments for using King James English in the Book of Mormon, but the clearest comes out of very recent experience. In the past decade, as you know, certain ancient nonbiblical texts, discovered near the Dead Sea, have been translated by modern, up-to-date American readers. I open at random a contemporary Protestant scholar's modern translation of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and what do I read? "For thine is the battle, and by the strength of thy hand their corpses were scattered without burial. Goliath the Hittite, a mighty man of valor, thou didst deliver into the hand of thy servant David."[3]
Obviously the man who wrote this knew the Bible, and we must not forget that ancient scribes were consciously archaic in their writing, so that most of the scriptures were probably in old-fashioned language the day they were written down. To efface that solemn antique style by the latest up-to-date usage is to translate falsely.
At any rate, Professor Burrows, in 1955 (not 1835!), falls naturally and without apology into the language of the King James Bible. Or take a modern Jewish scholar who purposely avoids archaisms in his translation of the Scrolls for modern American readers: "All things are inscribed before Thee in a recording script, for every moment of time, for the infinite cycles of years, in their several appointed times. No single thing is hidden, naught missing from Thy presence."[4] Professor Gaster, too, falls under the spell of our religious idiom.
By frankly using that idiom, the Book of Mormon avoids the necessity of having to be redone into "modern English" every thirty or forty years. If the plates were being translated for the first time today, it would still be King James English
eovery says:
3 months ago
Thanks for the hub. This was such a special and sad occasion.
Keep on Hubbing!