The Prophet Puzzle: Interpretive Essays on Joseph Smith

by Bryan Waterman (Editor)

 Unraveling the complexities of Joseph Smith’s character and motives is difficult, but before the puzzle can be solved, all the pieces must be gathered and correctly interpreted. Parts of the picture are still missing only because they have been overlooked, ignored, or mishandled—pieces which reveal previously hidden features of Smith’s complex, conflicted, and gifted personality. Some of the contributors to this anthology look at the religious side of the prophet and explore his inner, spiritual world. Others look at secular issues. Some view the relevance of his activity as a treasure seer since this is one part of the puzzle that has not been fully investigated by Mormons generally. In pursuing the prophet puzzle, contributors seek to understand Joseph Smith, not to judge him, knowing that he is an enigma for believer and skeptic alike. As non-Mormon historian Jan Shipps, a contributor to this collection, observes, “The mystery of Mormonism cannot be solved until we solve the mystery of Joseph Smith.” Contributors include Thomas G. Alexander, Robert D. Anderson, Gary James Bergera, Newell G. Bringhurst, Richard L. Bushman, Eugene England, Lawrence Foster, Ronald V. Huggins, Lance S. Owens, Karl C. Sandberg, Jan Shipps, Joseph Smith, Susan Staker, Alan Taylor, Richard S. Van Wagoner, Dan Vogel, and Steven C. Walker.

300 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

ESSAYS SEEKING TO EXPLAIN JOSEPH SMITH IN NON-TRADITIONAL WAYS

Editor Bryan Waterman wrote in his Introduction to this 1999 book, “‘No man knows my history,’ Smith told his followers in 1844… To some degree, Joseph Smith used ambiguity---especially regarding his own life… Indeed, Smith at some points knowingly fostered an ‘aura of ambiguity’ around himself: such a cloak of secrecy made possible the institution in Illinois of rituals designed to protect the political and sexual peculiarities being introduced by Smith and others…” (Pg. vii-viii)

“The essays in this volume take up Smith’s legacy of enigma. Using tools from disciplines as diverse as history, psychology, literary studies, sociology, and theology, the selections here represent thirty years of writing about Joseph Smith. Many of the contributions contain arguments that have become familiar to those working in Mormon studies; others point to new directions, such as exercises in textual criticism and gender studies. The collection’s purpose is to make a variety of interpretations of Joseph Smith, both previously published and new, accessible to a larger audience. They serve as reminders that the interpretive process, like Smith’s own retelling of his life story, is always ongoing, always incomplete, always historically bound.” (Pg. ix)

Thomas G. Alexander observes, “[Fawn] Brodie’s principal drawback [in her biography, 'No Man Knows My History’] is that while she recognizes Joseph Smith’s tremendous creativity, her views require ambivalence about the religion he created. Her narrative makes it plain that Mormonism was attractive and religiously satisfying to thousands of people during Smith’s lifetime and afterward, but in the end … she argues, ‘Joseph in his own person provided a symbol of nearness to God and a finality of interpretation that made the ordinary frontier evangelist seem by comparison all sound and fury.” (Pg. 10)

Dan Vogel explains, “In pursuing the prophet puzzle, I have sought to understand Joseph Smith, not condemn him. Smith, to be sure, presents historians with a formidable puzzle…. The paradigm explored in this essay attempts not only to bring … ‘two Josephs’ together but to search out his motives, inner conflicts, and rationalizations… Because this model has the advantage of explaining the historical record more fully than previous attempts, either pro or con, I believe it may be destined to replace Brodie’s, at least as far as non-Mormon historians are concerned…

“I suggest that Smith really believed he was called of God to preach repentance to a sinful world but that he felt justified in using deception to accomplish his mission more fully. Like the faith healer who uses confederates to create a faith-promoting atmosphere in which true miracles can occur, Smith assumed the role of prophet, produced the Book of Mormon, and issued revelations to create a setting in which true conversion experiences could take place. It is the true healings and conversions that not only justify deception but convince the pious frauds that they are perhaps after all real healers or real prophets. What did Smith hope to accomplish by his pious deception? One goal… was to bring humankind to repentance and therefore help them avoid the torments of even a temporary hell. Later he used the incentive of higher rewards. Meanwhile, if humankind were saved by incorrectly believing in an eternal hell, to that end Smith believed his method was justified. Whatever the means, he believed his followers would be saved as long as their repentance and faith in Christ were sincere.” (Pg. 61-62)

Richard L. Bushman reports, “As time went by, Joseph played down the place of magic and seerstones in his early life. After publication of the damning affidavits about money-digging in Eber Howe’s ‘Mormonism Unvailed’ (1834), he knew that involvement with magic would discredit the church. Even before that time, in 1830 he gave up using the seerstones and spoke no more about them.” (Pg. 79)

Newell G. Bringhurst observes, “A significant amount of Missouri/anti-Mormon hostility stemmed from ancestry concerning Latter-day Saint views on the issue of black slavery---rapidly emerging as the most critical issue among antebellum reformers. Joseph Smith and his followers assume a basic anti-slavery position. The expression of Mormon anti-slavery attitudes is not surprising given that Smith along with the vast majority of his Latter-day Saint followers were from nonslave-holding regions of the northeast. Reflecting this attitude, the Book of Mormon condemned human bondage in general, despite its concurrent and seemingly contradictory racist concepts, that is, a belief that the Indians’ dark skin was related to their degraded condition and the product of unrighteous behavior.” (Pg. 123-124)

Alan Tayor explains, “Sure that they dwelled in a magical landscape alive with both evil (demons) and good spirits (angels), treasure-seekers believed that Christ would reward those who battled evil, certainly in the next life, and perhaps with a treasure in this one. They proceeded with a sort of empirical spirituality, testing their faith against guardian spirits and using prayers, Bibles, and religious pamphlets in their digging rituals. They insisted that the presence of anyone of dubious morality or incomplete faith doomed the attempt to recover a treasure. It was no accident that Smith’s leading collaborator in their Palmyra treasure-seeking was Willard Chase, a Methodist preacher. Because of this intersection with religious seeking I prefer to call them ‘treasure-seekers’ rather than the more sordid-sounding ‘money-diggers.’ And if we recognize the intersection, then they do not appear such a bad lot for the Smiths to have associated with.” (Pg. 146-147)

Robert D. Anderson (who is a psychiatrist) asks, “How does any form of Bipolar Affective Disorder explain the Book of Mormon, Smith’s revelations, or the Book of Abraham? At best, it only provides Smith with thoughtful introspection when depressed and energy when hypomanic. It contributes little to the explanation for these ‘miracles.’ Non-Mormon proponents of manic-depressive diagnosis must provide further naturalistic----psychological--explanations for these texts. Mormon proponents, on the other hand, escape this problem. But with no objective evidence for the Book of Mormon as actual history, all thoughtful outsiders (as well as some insiders) see it as a product of early 19th century America.” (Pg. 229)

This book may appeal to some readers seeking ‘non-traditional’ interpretations of Joseph Smith.