I.  THE STORY AS TOLD BY MORMONS

This section I will simply give a summery so we can get to the misrepresentations and lies. Mr. Cowan covers the Joseph Smith First vision story when Joseph Smith went to God to ask him what church to join. God the Father and Jesus appeared to Joseph Smith and told him to not join any. Joseph Smith was called to restore Jesus Christ true church back to the earth. Mr. Cowan mentions the angel Moroni coming to Joseph Smith several times over a period of a few years and ultimately Joseph Smith was able to receive the plates that Joseph Smith translated into the Book of Mormon. He mentions Peter James and John giving Joseph Smith the Melchizedek Priesthood and the church restored on April 6, 1830. He does a good enough job in this section and he should have stopped here but he does not and the proceeds to make major errors and give false information on the LDS church and related issues. Hence this secton does not require a response.

II. THE EVIDENCE AGAINST THE JOSEPH SMITH STORY [or so Mr Cowan thinks]

"Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground. If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be exposed; his claims should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false, for the doctrines of an impostor cannot be made to harmonize in all particulars with divine truth. If his claims and declarations were built upon fraud and deceit, there would appear many errors and contradictions, which would be easy to detect " (Joseph Fielding Smith Doctrines of Salvation Vol. 1, p. 188).

Since Pres. Joseph Fielding Smith declared that the story of Joseph Smith is so important that Mormonism "must stand or fall" with it, it needs to be examined carefully. He also said if Joseph Smith's claims were built upon fraud, it would be easy to find errors and contradictions. The following is an examination of Joseph Smith's claims.

I believe the statements of Joseph Fielding Smith would be the case given the fact that Joseph was not an educated man in terms of schooling. He was lived in a "hick" town and his family was very poor. Since Joseph's education level would almost be the exact opposite of what we would call a "scholar" errors should come up that are so apparent that they would be opposite and he would rarely if ever get facts right. Hence we need to look at the totality of Joseph Smith and his teachings and not nit pick as some trival thing here or there.

The 1820 Revival and Joseph's First Vision

"Joseph Smith's story claims that in 1820 there was a religious excitement in Palmyra in which "great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties."

"He said that revival caused him to ask God which church was right and that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared and told him they were all wrong. If a 14-year-old boy who had no witnesses claimed that God told him the LDS Church was apostate, would Mormons believe his story? Yet, Mormons want the Christian world to believe Smith's story when he had no witnesses!"  Is there any way to check Smith's story? He did mention specific historical facts that ought to be able to be substantiated by other historical records. For example, he mentioned his age, where he was living, when his brother Alvin died and the churches involved in the Palmyra revival in 1820. All of these things are linked to the time of Smith's first vision.

Mr Cowan also refuses to apply is comains to himself and other christians like him in regards to issues in the Bible. There were no witnesses with Moses when he got the Ten Commandments. How do we know that Moses was not making these commandments up and just claimed that God gave it to him? Mr Cowan seems to have no problems in the Bible where a single person with no witnesses is told something or happens to someone yet expects the world to believe its true because its stated in the Bible. How do we know that Jonah was in a fish for 3 days. Where are the witnesses who saw the fish swallow Jonah and followed the fish for 3 days and then regurgitated him?   Yet Mr Cowan and christians like him believe the world should believe many of the Bible stories when there were no witnesses there to validate the claims.

Smith said in the Pearl of Great Price J.S. History 1:3-5, that his family moved to Palmyra, New York, when he was about ten (or in 1816 since he was born December 23, 1805). About four years later (1816+4=1820) the family moved to a farm in Manchester township. Then, he said in the second year after their move to Manchester (1820+2=1822), there was an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. Thus, Smith's chronology indicates the revival and first vision took place in 1822. But, his official story says his vision came in the spring of 1820 after the revival (Ibid., v. 22).

Since Smith said the revival and first vision happened in 1820 during their second year in Manchester, Mormon writers date Smith's move there in 1818. But in 1970, Brigham Young University microfilmed the road tax lists of Palmyra township for Smith's era (Microfilm 900, reel #60 at Harold B. Lee Library, BYU, Provo, UT; or Microfilm #812869 in the LDS Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT). Joseph Smith, Sr., was listed among the property owners and other males over 21 who were required to keep the roads in Road District No. 26 repaired from April, 1817, through April, 1822. Thus, any move to Manchester had to be after April, 1822.

Joseph's mother, Lucy, said that they contracted to purchase 100 acres of Lot #1 from the Everson estate in Manchester (Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith, p. 70; CHC, Vol. I, p. 31). Wesley Walters, a Presbyterian minister known for his research on Mormonism, found the Manchester property assessment records for the Smith's era in the Ontario County Records Center and Archives in Canandaigua, NY. They show that the heirs of Nicholas Everson owned and paid property taxes on all 300 acres of Lot #1 in July 1820. But in the summer of 1821, 100 acres of Lot #1 were taxed to Joseph Smith, Sr., at the raw land rate of $7.00 per acre or $700.00. They paid the same amount in 1822. But in 1823, that assessment went up to $1000.00 which indicates that a cabin was built between the summers of 1822 and 1823. That supports the information in the Palmyra road tax records which showed that the Smiths lived in Palmyra at least until April of 1822. If the revival happened two years after the Smiths moved to Manchester, it had to have been in 1824 or 1825.

1.   From the Joseph Smith History we know that he was born in  December 23, 1805.

2.  He estimates moving to Palmyra in his “tenth year,or thereabouts." Putting Joseph about 9 to 10 years old around 1815 or 1816. Joseph mother Lucy Mack Smith states the family did not move to Palymra until after March 1816.

3.  Then “in about four years after my father’s arrival at Palmyra, he moved with his family into Manchester" which is right south of Palmyra which would be around 1819. (1816 would be the first, 1817 would be the second ect.) Notice these are is just estimates.  Joseph Smith is giving this account in 1838 and is relying on his memory about 20 years earlier so we should expect some minor factual errors or some level of imprecision on dates and so forth.

4.  "Some time in the second year after our removal to Manchester, there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country." (Joseph Smith-History 1:5). 1819 would be the first year and "sometime in the second year" would be in 1820 to 1821 range.

5. Joseph  declares in the Joseph Smith History 1:7 "It was at this time in my fifteenth year..." This reference is a more definite.  Joseph is clearly saying the first vision occurred in 1820.  Now lets tie all the loose ends together from other facts.

A.   Joseph Smith father moved to Palmyra between  April 1816 and April of 1817.   We know this is the case because he is listed for the first time on the Palmyra road taxes from starting in April 1817 and it continues throught to April 1822.  Anyone who owned land or anyone over age 21 was required to to be on a list so that they could put one day's work a year to do community service like clear roads and repair buildings. They had to be submitted by April and since he does not show up on the 1816 road tax, he did not move there before April 1816.  Pomeroy Tucker said the  Smiths came to Palmyra in the summer of 1816 and settled on a undeveloped part of land 2 miles south of Palmyra on the north border of Manchester in 1818. (Tucker, Origin, Rise and Progress of Mormonism, 12) A man named Thomas Cook also agrees with this but says they arrived in Palmyra in 1816. (Thomas L. Cook, “Palmyra and Vicinity” Palmyra Courier Journal, (1930), p. 219)   Joseph Smith's older brother Alvin first appears on the road tax of April 1820. He turned 21 on Feb 11, 1819 so he should have been on the road tax in 1819 but according to Lucy Mack Smith, he left home prior to his birthday to find work so he was not listed on the road tax that year.

B.  The Smith's entered into a contract to purchase about 100 acres of land around 1818 from the heir of Nicholas Evertson.  Their contract held several payments where payment was due annually on the date of the contract.  These contracts were common in those days and the seller held the title of the land while the buyer would sometimes agree to pay the taxes, clear land and put a building on it.

C.  The Smiths cleared land and built a cabin around 1819.  However this cabin was not on the property they were aquiring.  It was on the property of Sameul Jennings. This cabin was located about 60 feet from the southern border of the  Palmyra / Farmington/Manchester line.   Why the cabin was not exactly on the property is not known.   It might have been simply due the difficulty in knowing exactly were the property lines were.  It might have also been due to an agreement made by the Smith's and Jennings.  Jennings gets a cabin and cleared land at no expence to him while the Smith's could work on clearing the land they were going to purchase and be ready for the harvest of 1820.  The Evertsons would have their land cleared at no cost to them.  Hence all three parties would benefit with the Smiths doing all the hard work.

D.  Although they were on the Palymra road tax through 1822, they were counted on the  US Census as being in Farmington/Manchester in 1820. Hence they lived in one town but their property was in another.

E.  The land value was given at 700 dollars and the Smiths made payments of 100 dollars a year from 1818 to 1821. In that year they had covered over half the cost and the land was put in the Joseph Smith Sr name for the first time in 1821. The Smiths did not finally live on the land they aquired (actually in Manchester) until after November 1822 when they began build a new framed house. When they moved into their home, the value of the land increased by 300 dollars to 1000 dollars.

F.  Though some have suggested that the Smiths built another log cabin on the Manchester land they aquired before the frame house was built, there is no evidence to it all. The tax assessments show that in July1821 and June1822 to be the same for both years (700 dollars) but by July 1823 it increased to 1000 dollars which was due to the house being built. Thus the frame house was the first building put on the property. Since the Smiths were on the Palmyra road tax in April 1822 and the frame house began to be built in November 1822, it would make no sense for them to build another cabin between that time period. That would be a waste of time and money. They had made it that far in the cabin they were living in already so their is no reason to suggest they could not live there a little longer.

1.  Joseph made a simple error by saying Manchester rather than Palymra as they were living right on the boarder at that time.  After all the only difference between Joseph Smith saying "sometime in the second year after our removal to Palmyra" and "...to Manchester" really is only 60 FEET!!!!.   This would agree with Joseph's 1832 account where he says he began to be "seriously imprest" in regards to religion when he was around 12 so that would be around the year 1817-18 time frame which is about 2 years after his removal to Palmyra.

2.  Joseph simply considered the building of the cabin and the contract for the land adjacent to it as a move to Manchester. Only 60 feet or so separated the cabin from the Manchester line. Other contemporaries of Joseph Smith like Pomeroy Tucker and George Cowles considered the move to log house as the move to Manchester. (Tucker, Origin, Rise and Progress of Mormonism p.11 and Cowles, Landmarks of Wayne County p. 182)

So Mr Cowan attempts to draw a conclusion to the unsuspecting reader that Joseph Smith was nowhere near where he claims to have been for him to have been influenced by religious excitement and to have had the First Vision occur in the time frame when Joseph Smith says.  When in reality the Smiths were in both Palmya and Manchester in 1819.   I think all the issues resolve themselves when one looks at all the facts and use common sense.

"Joseph's brother, William, was one of the original Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church. He said Reverend Lane, a Methodist elder, led the revival in 1822 and 1823 when Joseph was 17 (William Smith on Mormonism, pp. 6-7; CHC, Vol. I, pp. 51-53). William also said another leader of this revival was Reverend Stockton, a Presbyterian who had previously preached Alvin Smith's funeral indicating Alvin went to hell (Deseret News, January 20, 1894). Alvin was the brother of William and Joseph. Because of this Joseph Smith, Sr., refused to join the Presbyterian church with others in his family during the revival. If the revival was after Alvin's death, it could not have been in 1820 since Alvin's tombstone shows that he died on November 19, 1823."

A. "The 3[rd] harvest time [1821, 1822, 1823] had now arrived since we opened our new farm [in the summer of 1820]. . . . After we [the Smith family] ceased conversation he [Joseph] went to bed. . . . He had not laid there long till a bright light entered the room where he lay he looked up and saw an angel of the Lord standing by him. . . . The next day he and his father and Alvin were reaping in the field together suddenly Joseph stopped and seemed to be in a deep study for sometime Alvin hurried him saying Joseph we must keep to work or we shall not get our task done. . . . His father saw that he was very pale and urged him to go to the house and tell his mother he was sick. . . . [Joseph went a short distance when] the personage whom he saw the night before came to him again and said why did you not tell your father what I told you. . . . [Joseph told his father, then went to the hill Cumorah as directed.] When Joseph came in the evening he told the whole family all that he had made known to his father in the field we sat up very late and listened attentively to all that he had to say." (Lucy [Mack] Smith, Preliminary Manuscript, 1844-45, LDS Archives, 46-48

B. Alvin said before he died to Joseph "I want you to be a good boy & do everything that lays in your power to obtain the records be faithful in receiving instruction and keeping every commandment that is given you." (Lucy [Mack] Smith, Preliminary Manuscript, 1844-45, LDS Archives, 51-52)

Until 1981 Alvin's death was printed erroneously as November 19, 1824, in the Pearl of Great Price, J.S. History 1:4 and in all other LDS histories. Since Joseph Smith, Sr., placed an ad in the Wayne Sentinel newspaper in Palmyra, New York, dated September 25, 1824, stating that he had dug Alvin's body up, in order to put to rest rumors that it had been removed and "dissected," Alvin could not have died November 19, 1824!

"The Methodist and Presbyterian church records also show that neither Reverend Stockton nor Reverend Lane were assigned to Palmyra until 1824. Reverend Lane came in July, 1824, and left in January, 1825, because of health problems. Reverend Stockton pastored the Presbyterian church in Skaneateles, New York, until June 30, 1822. He was visiting Palmyra when he preached Alvin's funeral, but he did not become the pastor there until February 18, 1824. Thus, the revival in Palmyra led by both of these men could only have taken place in the latter part of 1824, not 1820! Smith claimed that in 1820 in the Palmyra area "great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties" including the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Baptists (Pearl of Great Price Joseph's History 1:5).  But the records kept by those churches in Palmyra show the Presbyterians had revivals in 1817, 1824, and 1829; the Baptists gained only six by baptism in 1820; and the Methodist circuit which included Palmyra lost 23 members in 1819, six in 1820 and 40 in 1821. That is not the picture of a great revival in 1820!  But, those same records show a revival led by Reverend Lane and Reverend Stockton in the fall of 1824. By the time it ended in September of 1825, the Presbyterians had increased by 99, the Baptists by 94, and the Methodist circuit by 208! The Wayne Sentinel reported the 1824-1825 revival in Palmyra, but none in 1820."

Lets use some common sense.  If Jane lives in Pasadena California and there was a huge riot that occurred in San Gabriel California, it would not be out of place for Jane to declare years later "Some time in the second year after our removal to Pasadena, there was in the place where we lived a riot." San Gabriel is not too many miles from Pasadena.  Would anyone call Jane a liar years later by claiming to find a riot in Pasadena fail to find evidence of one? Practically speaking, Jane is correct if Jane considers the surrounding areas also as part of the place she lives.   Personally I consider everywhere I go normally as the place where I live.  I live in Lehi Utah but I consider Provo which is about 15 miles south and Salt Lake which is about 25 miles north as all being part of the "place where I live".  I do so because I frequently go to those places in my day to day life.

Notice the phrases "place where we lived" "region of the country" and "district of the country". They clearly refer to more than just Palmyra but the area around it as well. Since Joseph was not exactly specific in his placement of this "religious excitement" and did not intend to be specific on every exact detail, we should give Joseph the same slack that we would give anyone else in such a usage of terms. Now the questions is did any unusual religious excitement occur in nearby areas that Joseph Smith would have heard about and even had personal experience with. The answer is a absolute yes. Lets look at some facts that there were revivals before 1820 and that the revivals spoken of by Joseph are not ones that occurred in 1824.

1. There was a revival in Palmyra in 1816-17. The 1816-17 revival could have had some lasting effects after they ended. I am sure people still talked about it after. Joseph must have heard people talking about it. In Joseph's 1832 account of the first vision, Joseph says he started getting interested in religion at about age 12 which would be in 1817. The year the revival was in Palmyra.

2. From July 1 to the 8th of 1819, the Methodists held a large conference in Vienna (now called Phelps) which is just a few miles from the place that Joseph Smith lived. 110 ministers of the Methodist faith, including the Reverend George Lane participated in the event. Who is he? Oliver Cowdery recounted some of Joseph's experiences in an 1834 publication (Messenger and Advocate, Dec. 1834, p. 13), explaining that around the time of Joseph's fifteenth year (1819-20), a "Mr. Lane, a presiding Elder of the Methodist church, visited Palmyra and vicinity," and that Joseph's mind "became awakened."

Though the records (Journal of the Genesse Conference) kept at that conference to do not show Lane preaching at the conference, the records do not show the names of any ministers who spoke at the conference. It only shows business issues. Hence there is a good chance that Lane did preach or spoke there. It was common for ministers to preach at such gatherings.

"These annual assemblies became imposing occasions. A bishop presided; the preachers from many miles around, usually including several states, were present; hosts of laymen were spectators. There was preaching in the early morning, in the afternoon, and at night. The daily proceedings were introduced with religious services, and were characterized by an impressive religious spirit. They continued usually a week, and it was a festal season, gathering the war-worn heroes of many distant and hard-fought fields, renewing the intimacies of preachers and people, and crowned alike by social hospitalities and joyous devotions." (Abel Stevens, The Centenary of American Methodism (New York: Carlton and Porter, 1865), p. 112 cited by Larry Porter in his Farms article "H. Michael Marquardt and Wesley P. Walters. Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record.")

If one insists on 1819-20 as the time of the pre-vision revivals Joseph Smith described (instead of a very likely 1817 revival that did occur in Palmyra and which is supported by the 1832 account), then within a thirty-mile radius of the Smith farm a dozen communities were experiencing religious revivals in the 1819-20 period. This is very important as once again Joseph did not say that that revivals were happening in Palmyra or Manchester in 1820. He said "in the place where we lived." Place can include the surrounding area.

4.  Donna Hill book "Joseph Smith: The First Mormon, (Doubleday and Company, Garden City, NY, 1977, pp. 49-50) "discusses other revivals in the area. She states that there were so many of them in during that time that western New York was called the "Burned-over District." In 1820, the Palmyra Register, reported revivals in the eastern part of the state in spring and summer, and other parts later in the year. Joseph must have heard of the revivals going on by people talking about it.

5.  "The Palmyra Register recorded that the Methodists had a religious camp meeting in 1820. (Palmyra Register--July 28, 1820)  Since they did not have a chapel yet, they would meet in the woods on Vienna Road. (History of the Pioneer Settlement, 212-213)

6.  These revivials in the area in 1820 must have helped the Methodists as they built their first building in Palmyra in 1822.

7.  In 1817, the Presbyterians were able to split into an eastern group and a western group. The eastern group used the only actual church building that was in Palmyra in 1820, while the western group assembled in the town hall. (Cowles, Landmarks of Wayne County, 191-194)

So there is ample evidence that Joseph Smith was exposed to much religious excitement "in the place and region of the country " where he lived. Cowan does not account for this of course as if he did, he would not have a claim to make.

Nor did any newspaper report Smith's vision or the persecution from the churches which he claimed to suffer when he told others about it. If the churches were contending with each other as Smith said (Pearl of Great Price History 1:5-6, 9-10),  would they all unite that same year to persecute 14-year-old Joseph (Ibid., 1:22)?

Similar ideas could be stated why the papers did not talk about Joseph persecution.  First if the newspaper editors and writers were part of the persecutors, they might not want to admit to it or they might not want to give Joseph any more exposure than necessary.  Second and more importantly persecution comes in many forms from physical, to financial, to mental, and so forth and every person reacts to it differently.  Joseph Smith obviously felt he was experiencing a lot of persecution but since none of us where there to witness it at this point in his life, we can't really say what it really was all completely about.  The fact is people are persecuted every day throughout the world yet its rarely ever reported by the papers.  Unless the persecution was unusual or caused a big problem in the community, there would probably be no need for any paper to discuss it.

In regards to the churches, this issue still occurs today.  Christians from different denominations are constantly arguing with each other.  Just go into a christian chat room on the internet and you will see it going on all day long.  However these same people who fight against each other will often unite and fight against a particular group they don't agree with like the LDS or JW.  So just because many groups spoke against Joseph Smith and his experiences does not mean they were all friendly to each other.  I find it amazing that Mr Cowan can't seem to grasp such a concept like that.

Since Smith said his "first vision" was "early in the spring" (Ibid ., 1:14), after the revival, the evidence shows it could not have been before the spring of 1825.  But, Smith also said that the angel Moroni visited him on September 21, 1823. In the light of the evidence just given, that would make Moroni's visit be Smith's "first vision." But, Mormon leaders have taught that Smith's first vision was of God the Father and Jesus for so long that to teach that Moroni came to Smith first would not be acceptable. Moroni's visit would need to be moved up to at least September, 1825, to be in September after the official first vision. Smith said Moroni told him about the gold plates and visited him for four consecutive years before allowing him to begin translating them (Pearl of Great Price J.S. History 1:29, 53, 59).  Four years after September, 1825, would be September, 1829, before Smith could begin to translate the plates. But, the first edition of the B. of M. has a copyright date of June 11, 1829 (D.H.C. Vol. 1, p. 58 or page prior to the preface in the original 1830 B. of M.).  If Smith did not even get the "gold plates" until September, 1829, how could the B. of M. have a copyright date of June 11, 1829? These facts show that the date of the revival is critical in evaluating the Joseph Smith story.  If there was no revival in 1820, the first vision story is very questionable, and Mormon history and scripture are untrustworthy!"

"The importance of Joseph Smith's story was emphasized by Joseph Fielding Smith, the tenth LDS prophet, when he said, "Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith... He was either a prophet of God divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground" (D. of S., Vol. I, p. 188).

Therefore, Mormons should seriously consider the evidence of Joseph Smith's first vision because their eternal destiny will be adversely affected if it is not true. But, if it is true, it has nothing to fear from investigation!"

A Biblical Response

"Smith's first vision in which he claims to have seen God, also conflicts with the Bible, which says, "No man hath seen God at any time" (John 1:18, I John 4:12). In Exodus 33:20, God also says, "There shall no man see me and live." Men cannot see God because He is Spirit (John 4:24), and spirit is invisible (Col. 1:15, I Tim. 1:17). Invisible means it cannot be seen. Therefore, anyone who claims to see the invisible, claims to see that which cannot be seen, which is a contradiction! I Tim. 6:16 also says He "dwells in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen nor can see." Since Joseph Smith was a man, did he see God?"

As to the scriptures that state God is invisible in (Col. 1:15, I Tim. 1:17), the Greek word used in those passages for invisible is aoratos {ah-or'-at-os} which simply means "unseen". When two people talk on the phone, neither one of them actually see each other. Both parties are unseen or "invisible" to the other. I am unseen to you who read this. You don't know the color or type of clothes that I wear as I sit and write this sentence. This is a fact but I can assure you, I do have a body and many people have seen when I chose to reveal myself to them which happens often. Sometimes people see me when I don't chose that. God is unseen to us because He is outside our visual range and can only be seen if he choses to reveal himself to us. He can only been seen by us if we are prepared or sanctified by the Holy Ghost so that we can endure his presence. The natural man with his natural eyes can't see God but God can change our condition so that we could endure and live to see him.  Cowen's is simply wrong using these passages to mean that its utterly impossible for Joseph Smith to have seen God. The contradiction he claims is not one due to his faulty logic he requires to attach to his statements.  Now there are many examples in the scriptures where men did see God so if what Cowan interpretation of John 1:18 saying is correct, there is one big contradiction in the Bible. Here are some examples of men have, can, or will see God.

Exodus 19:11 "And be ready against the third day: for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai."

Exodus 19:21 "Moses, Go down, charge the people, lest they break through unto the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish."

Exodus 24:9-10 " Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel: And they saw the God of Israel: and [there was] under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in [his] clearness."

Exodus 33:11 "And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend..."

Exodus 33:18-23 "And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the LORD said, Behold, [there is] a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Numbers 12:8 "With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

Job 19:26-27 "And [though] after my skin [worms] destroy this [body], yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; [though] my reins be consumed within me."

Matthew 5:8 "Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God."

Acts 7:55-56 "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."

Revelations 1:14 "His head and [his] hairs [were] white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes [were] as a flame of fire; "

Revelations 22:4 "And they shall see his face; and his name [shall be] in their foreheads."

First Vision Versions

The official version of Smith's first vision was first published in the Times and Seasons in 1842, which was 22 years after Smith said it happened (Improvement Era, July, 1961, p. 490).

Smith successor, Brigham Young and other early Mormons either do not mention it or they tell it very differently from the official version.

But, its usage has grown until it is now the basis for teaching that: 1) God the Father and Jesus Christ are two separate gods, 2) both the Father and Son have bodies of flesh and bone, and 3) Joseph Smith was a prophet because he saw the Father and Son.

In 1965, Paul R. Cheesman, a graduate student at BYU, published an account of the first vision recorded in Smith's own 1832-1834 diary. In that diary, Smith said he was in his 16th year when he saw the Lord, who said, "Joseph my son thy sins are forgiven thee." Smith did not mention God the Father, which is quite an oversight if he actually saw Him! Nor did he mention that he was told that all the churches were wrong. Copies of this diary are available at Utah Lighthouse Ministry. Several different accounts of Smith's first vision are published in Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Vol. I, Autumn, 1966, p. 29ff.

"In the official "first vision" story, Smith said he was visited by God the Father and Jesus Christ. But, Brigham Young said when Mormonism began, "The Lord did not come - but He did send His angel" (Journal of Discourses, Vol. II, p. 171)."

"The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven, in power and great glory, nor send His messengers panoplied with aught else than the truth of heaven, to communicate to the meek the lowly, the youth of humble origin, the sincere enquirer after the knowledge of God. But He did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith Jun., who afterwards became a Prophet, Seer, and Revelator, and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong; that they were following the precepts of men instead of the Lord Jesus; that He had a work for him to perform, inasmuch as he should prove faithful before Him." (Journal of Discourses 2:170-171--underlined portion omitted by Mr Cowan)

Wilford Woodruff, the fourth LDS prophet, also said that Mormonism "commenced by an angel of God flying through the midst of heaven and visiting a young man named Joseph Smith, in the year 1827." He said that Smith was confused by sectarian claims, so he read James 1:5 and then prayed and asked God which church to join. He then said, "The Lord heard his prayer and sent his angel to him, who informed him that all the sects were wrong, and that the God of heaven was about to establish His work upon the earth" (Journal of Discourses, Vol XIII, p. 324). If the Lord Himself gave that message to Smith in 1820, why did an angel give it to him in 1827?

The following references in the Journal of Discourses  also conflict with the official "first vision" story: 2:196-197; 6:29, 355; 10:127; 12:333-334; 13:65-66, 77-78, 294; 18:239; 20:167; 14:261-262.

"By and by an obscure individual, a young man, rose up, and, in the midst of all Christendom, proclaimed the startling news that God had sent an angel to him; that through his faith, prayers, and sincere repentance he had beheld a supernatural vision, that he had seen a pillar of fire descend from Heaven, and saw two glorious personages clothed upon with this pillar of fire, whose countenance shone like the sun at noonday; that he heard one of these personages say, pointing to the other, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him." This occurred before this young man was fifteen years of age; and it was a startling announcement to make in the midst of a generation so completely given up to the traditions of their fathers; and when this was proclaimed by this young, unlettered boy to the priests and the religious societies in the State of New York, they laughed him to scorn. "What!" said they, "visions and revelations in our day! God speaking to men in our day!" They looked upon him as deluded; they pointed the finger of scorn at him and warned their congregations against him. "The canon of Scripture is closed up; no more communications are to be expected from Heaven. The ancients saw heavenly visions and personages; they heard the voice of the Lord; they were inspired by the Holy Ghost to receive revelations, but behold no such thing is to be given to man in our day, neither has there been for many generations past." This was the style of the remarks made by religionists forty years ago. This young man, some four years afterwards, was visited again by a holy angel." (Journal of Discourses, Vol.13, p.65-66)

The Journal of Discourses contains "the discourses of the First Presidency and Twelve Apostles of this (LDS) Church. To the Saints their words are as the words of God" (Ibid., Vol. 4, Preface). "The Journal of Discourses deservedly ranks as one of the standard works of the Church" (Ibid., Vol. 8, Preface).

"The term standard work has several meanings. One of the meanings is "a work of recognized excellence." Another is "a work that serves as a basis of weight, measure, value, comparison, or judgment." A third meaning, closely related to the second, is "a work that is officially approved."(Random House Webster’s College Dictionary, 1991 ed., s.v. "standard works," especially definitions 21, 22, and 26.) The Journal of Discourses was considered a standard work by some in the sense that it was of recognized excellence-it contained the words of God to mankind and to his servants, as well as commentary on the meaning of the scriptures. At no time, however, was the series considered the same as the official standard works, nor was it ever presented to the general Church body for its acceptance as Church doctrine. Joseph Smith even said, "the hymn book, as a new edition, containing a greater variety of hymns, will be shortly published or printed in this place, which I think will be a standard work." (TPJS, 164) Yet at no time did he ever regard the hymn book as a fundamental source of truth nor as having equal value to the scriptures."

'In trying all matters of doctrine, to make a decision valid, it is necessary to obtain a unanimous voice, faith, and decision. In the capacity of a Quorum, the three First Presidents must be one in their voice"the Twelve Apostles must be unanimous in their voice, to obtain a righteous decision upon any matter that may come before them, as you may read in the Doctrine and Covenants...Whenever you see these Quorums unanimous in their declaration, you may set it down as true.' (JD 9:91-92)"

"Mormons cannot reject the messages of earlier LDS apostles and prophets without affecting the validity of their current prophet and apostles. Mormons often quote Amos 3:7 to teach that we need prophets today. It says, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets." But, LDS Prophets Brigham Young and Wilford Woodruff told the first vision story incorrectly, if the official version is correct. If LDS leaders told the first vision story wrong, could they also be wrong about other LDS doctrines? Mormons claim their apostles and prophets clarify God's message, but instead they have taught contradictory things about the first vision. "Is God the author of confusion? (I Cor. 14:33.)"

Moroni or Nephi

"The angel Moroni story has also been changed since the first edition of the P.of G.P. was published in 1851. That edition said that the angel "Nephi" revealed the gold plates to Smith (p. 41). Other early Mormon sources which mention the angel Nephi are: The Millennial Star Vol III, pp. 53, 71 and Times and Seasons Vol. III pp. 749, 753. In the latter volume on page 710, Joseph Smith said, "This paper commences my editorial career. I alone stand responsible for it." Thus, if the angel's name is wrong, Smith is at fault. In 1853, Joseph's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, also said the angel's name was Nephi (Biographical Sketches, p. 79)."

1.  D&C 27:5 (1830) "Behold, this is wisdom in me; wherefore, marvel not, for the hour cometh that I will drink of the fruit of the vine with you on the earth, and with Moroni, whom I have sent unto you to reveal the Book of Mormon, containing the fullness of my everlasting gospel, to whom I have committed the keys of the record of the stick of Ephriam."

2.  Messenger and Advocate (1835) "And I believe that the angel Moroni, whose words I have been rehearsing, who communicated the knowledge of the record of the Nephites, in this age, saw also, before he hid up the same unto the Lord, great and marvellous things which were to transpire when the same should come forth." (Messenger and Advocate, 1:112.)

3a.  Elder's Journal (1838) "They who sin against the authority given to him -(the before mentioned man of God)- sins nott against him only, but against Moroni, who holds the keys of the Stick of Ephraim." [EJ 1:42, also quoted in MS 1:126]

3b.  Elder's Journal (1838) -"Question 4th. How, and where did you obtain the book of Mormon? Answer. Moroni, the person who deposited the plates, from whence the Book of Mormon was translated, in a hill in Manchester, Ontario County, New York, being dead, andraised again therefrom, appeared unto me, and told me where they were; and gave me directions how to obtain them; I obtained them, and the Urim and Thummim with them; by the means of which, I translated the plates and thus came the Book of Mormon. [EJ 1:42-43]" (The Elder's Journal was edited directly by Joseph Smith and was made at the same time as the 1838 Manuscript that says it was Nephi which was not edited directly by Joseph.)

4.  Anti-Mormon book "History of Mormonism" (1840) states "After he had finished translating the Book of Mormon, he again buried up the plates in the side of a mountain, by command of the Lord; some time after this, he was going through a piece of woods, on a by-path, when he discovered an old man dressed in ordinary grey apparel, sitting on a log, having in his hand or near by, a small box. On approaching him, he asked him what he had in his box. To which the old man replied, that he had a monkey, and for five coppers he might see it. Joseph answered, that he would not give a cent to see a monkey, for he had seen a hundred of them. He then asked the old man where he was going, who said he was going to Chargel. Joseph then passed on, and not recollecting any such place in that part of the country, began to ponder over the strange interview, and finally asked the Lord the meaning of it. The Lord told him that the man he saw was Moroni, with the plates, and if he had given him the five coppers, he might have got his plates again." [History of Mormonism p 277]

5. D&C 128:20 (1844) "And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from Cumorah! Moroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets - the book to be revealed....">
So how did the Manuscript History of the Church get this error? Can't be totally sure but it could be that Joseph Smith made a simple mistake. Joseph Smith did have visitations from other messengers including Nephi so he could have accidently said Nephi

"Afterwards the Angel Moroni came to him and revealed to him the Book of Mormon, with the history of which you are generally familiar, and also with the statements that I am now making pertaining to these things. And then came Nephi, one of the ancient prophets, that had lived upon this continent, who had an interest in the welfare of the people that he had lived amongst in those days." (John Taylor Journal of Discourses 21:161).”

"The angel appeared to me three times the same night and unfolded the same things. After having received many visits from the angels of God unfolding the majesty and glory of the events that should transpire in the last days, on the morning of the 22nd of September, A.D. 1827, the angel of the Lord delivered the records into my hands." (History of the Church  4:537)

"Most Mormons today have never heard that the angel Nephi revealed the gold plates to Joseph Smith."

"But, Mormons assume the B. of M. must have come from God if an angel revealed it to Joseph Smith. However, the Bible warns that even "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light" (II Cor. 11:14)."

"The apostle Paul also said in Gal. 1:8, "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." Did Moroni (or Nephi) preach the same gospel that Paul did in Galatians and the other epistles? If Moroni did preach the same message as Paul did, we already had the message and therefore we do not need the Book of Mormon. But, if Moroni preached a different gospel than Paul did, he is under the curse of Gal. 1:8-9."

1. All of Paul's teachings are found in the New Testament?
2. Every Gospel doctrine that Paul was aware of are found in his few writings found in the New Testament.
3. The writings of Paul are complete, sufficient, and all we need.

Yes Paul preached the Gospel but what Mr. Cowan can't prove is the few writings we have from Paul and all the other Apostles are sufficient are are the entire message. What Moroni did do was lead and prepared Joseph Smith in bringing forth the Book of Mormon. That record is rich in doctrinal content and contains the Gospel of Jesus Christ and presents it in a manner that is pure and plain.  One final note, is that this passage does not refer to Paul only but the apostles as a whole.  It uses the word "we" not me.  I make that not as Mr Cowan makes this mistake again later on in his book.  He apparently can't even read the text accurately by thinking its referring only to what Paul said.

Inconsistency about Church Membership

In the official first vision story Smith questioned, "Who of all these parties are right; or are they all wrong together?" (Pearl of Great Price,  J.S. History 1:10).  Later he said, "I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that they were all wrong) - and which I should join" (Ibid., vs. 18). The words in parentheses were in the original and then deleted until 1981, but now that they have been put back in the text, they contradict verse 10!"

In response to his question concerning which church was the right one to join, Smith said, "I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong... He again forbade me to join any of them" (Ibid., vs. 19-20). But, Fayette Lapham said that about 1830 Smith's father told him that Joseph had joined the Baptist church in about 1824 (Historical Magazine, Vol. 8, No. 5, May 1870, pp. 305-306) The Pearl of Great Price J.S. History 1:7 says that Joseph's mother and sister Sophronia as well as his two brothers, Hyrum and Samuel, joined the Presbyterian church when the revival came. They remained members until September, 1828. Wesley Walters found this information in the Sessions Records, Vol. II, for the Western Presbyterian Church of Palmyra, New York. He also found that in 1822 Joseph Smith "caught a spark of Methodism and became a very passible exhorter in the evening meetings" (History of the Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase, 1851, p. 214). In order to be teaching in a Methodist church, Joseph must have been accepted rather than persecuted as he claimed in the Pearl of Great Price, J.S. History 1:21-22. In 1828, Joseph sought membership in the Methodist church where his wife, Emma, had belonged since she was seven years old. The death of their firstborn son on June 15, 1828, may have motivated him to do that.

Emma Smith's cousins, Joseph and Heil Lewis, were members of the Methodist church which Joseph tried to join in Harmony, Pennsylvania. They said, "Joseph presented himself in a very serious and humble manner, and the minister, not suspecting evil, put his name on the class book, in the absence of some of the official members" (The Amboy Journal, April 30, 1879).

Joseph Lewis later added,

I with Joshua McKune, a local preacher at the time, I think in June, 1828, heard on Saturday that Joe Smith had joined the church on Wednesday afternoon (as it was customary in those days to have circuit preaching at my father's house on week day). We thought it was a disgrace to the church to have a practicing necromancer, a dealer in enchantments and bleeding ghosts, in it. So on Sunday, we went to father's, the place of meeting that day, and got there in season to see Smith and talked to him some time in father's shop before meeting. Told him that his occupation, habits, and moral character were at variance with the discipline, that his name would be a disgrace to the church, and there should have been recantation, confession and at least promised reformation - that he could that day publicly ask that his name be stricken from the class book, or stand investigation. He chose the former, and did that very day make request that his name be taken off the class book (The Amboy Journal, June 11, 1879).

Joseph Smith's brother-in-law, Michael Morse, said that Smith's name remained on the class book for about six months (Ibid., May 21, 1879). Since Morse was the class leader who enrolled Smith, he may be right. But why did Joseph Smith seek to join the Methodist church in 1828 if Jesus Christ told him not to join any church in 1820? (See Mormonism - Shadow or Reality?, pp. 161-162).

"Apparently there is a publication (a newspaper, I believe) called the Amboy Journal in which a minister, Joshua McKune, claimed that Joseph Smith sought membership in the Methodist church at Harmony, Pennsylvania, in 1828. That issue is dated April 30, 1879 (according to Marvin Hill in Dialogue, Vol. 15, No.2, pp. 37-41, 1982). A later issue of the same publication dated June 11, 1879, cited Michael Morse, a brother-in-law to Joseph Smith, in support of that claim. This evidence has been used by the Tanners and other anti-Mormons as proof that Joseph cannot be trusted about the First Vision, otherwise why would he join another church 8 years after being told that they were all wrong and that he should join none of them?

How seriously must we take the claims of two critics of Joseph Smith coming forward 35 years after his death, during a time of intense anti-Mormon sentiment? 1879 was near the peak of anti-Mormon hostility over the polygamy issue, a time when the newspapers and politicians were calling for the destruction of the Church. Is there any contemporary, credible evidence that Joseph became a Methodist? I'm not aware of any.

It is possible, of course, that Joseph attended other churches after the First Vision. I would not expect Joseph to simply attend no church at all until the Restoration had taken place. I don't mind attending other churches when time permits or when there is no LDS church around or when I am with others of another faith. And even if someone signed him up for the membership roles of another church - a well-meaning family member, perhaps, who did not yet understand the full implications of what Joseph had shared with them of the First Vision - it's no reason to think that Joseph was not sincere about his experience."

The 1826 Trial

In this issue, Mr Cowan attempts to make the case against Joseph Smith by claiming that Joseph Smith was brought to trial for deceiving people by claiming he could find buried treasure by looking through a stone.   The bottom line is Joseph Smith was not found guilty of anything.  What he did was not against the law and many people did the same thing he did in the 1820s and 30's.  There is nothing in this issue that disproves Joseph of who he was.  The whole issue is simply a smokescreen.  Good links to get all the info one could possibly want are found at the following:

http://www.shields-research.org/General/LDS_Leaders/Joseph_Smith/1826_Trial_Walters.htm
http://www.lightplanet.com/response/1826Trial/facts.html
http://www.lightplanet.com/response/1826Trial/1826Trial_Hill.html
http://www.anti-mormonism-revealed.com/trial.html--Gordon Madsen 's article Joseph Smith's 1826 Trial The Legal Setting BYU Studies 30/2 (Spring 1990): 91-108
 

Joseph Smith's Death

This book is too brief to discuss many of the historical details of Mormonism, but Joseph Smith's death deserves some comment. At the time of his death, Smith was living in Nauvoo, Illinois, the second largest city in the state. Smith taught that the Latter Day Saints should be gathered to one place (D. & C. 29:7-8). Therefore, Nauvoo was a Mormon town and Smith dominated its government as well as its religion. In Nauvoo, Smith began to privately teach Mormon leaders the doctrine of polygamy. When some Mormons heard what their leaders were doing, they vigorously opposed it. But, they did not get much attention until June 7, 1844, when they published the first and only edition of the Nauvoo Expositor newspaper. In it, they exposed Smith's lifestyle and that made him angry. He, along with the Nauvoo City Council, declared that the Nauvoo Expositor was a nuisance and had the marshal of the city destroy the press (D.H.C. Vol. 6, pp. 448-454). Those who opposed Smith filed a complaint with the courts in Hancock County, Illinois, saying that Smith had infringed on the freedom of the press. Smith was arrested for riot, but appealed for a writ of Habeas Corpous. He was tried in Nauvoo where he was quickly released. That upset the opposition, who claimed Smith had manipulated the law. The opposition grew until Smith was afraid Nauvoo would be attacked, so he declared martial law. Illinois had granted Nauvoo governmental power like a city-state. They had their own army, the Nauvoo Legion, and Smith was Lieutenant-General of that army. The opposition saw the declaration of martial law as an act of treason against the state of Illinois, so Smith was again arrested and taken to Carthage, Illinois, where he could not influence the court like he did in Nauvoo. It was while Smith was in jail at Carthage that he was killed by a mob.

"The Nauvoo Expositor was the newspaper voice of apostates determined to destroy the Prophet Joseph Smith and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the spring of 1844. During the last few months of Joseph Smith's life, an opposition party of disgruntled members, apostates, and excommunicants coalesced into a dissenting church. The principals claimed to believe in the Book of Mormon and the restoration of the gospel, but rejected what they termed Nauvoo innovations, notably plural marriage. Claiming that Joseph was a fallen prophet, the dissenters set out, through the Expositor, to expose the Prophet's supposed false teachings and abominations. They held secret meetings, made plans, and took oaths to topple the Church and kill Joseph Smith. The publication of the newspaper was crucial to their stratagem.

When the press for the Expositor arrived in Nauvoo on May 7, 1844, it stirred great excitement among Mormons and non-Mormons alike, but there was no immediate interference. Within three days the owners, all leaders of the opposition movement, issued a broadside prospectus for their newspaper. One month later, on June 7, the first and only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor appeared and caused an immediate furor in the community. Nauvoo residents were incensed at what they saw as its sensational, yellow-journalistic claims about Nauvoo religion, politics, and morality. They were also struck with sharp foreboding. Francis Higbee, one of the proprietors of the newspaper, set an ominous tone when he described Joseph Smith as "the biggest villain that goes unhung."

The literary quality of the paper was inferior. A contemporary non-Mormon critic described it as "dull or laughable," with "lame grammar and turgid rhetoric" (Oaks, p. 868). But the Expositor's polemics against the Church and Joseph Smith were threatening and polarizing. The anti-Mormons were exultant about the Expositor, but Church members demanded that something be done.

As mayor of Nauvoo, Joseph Smith summoned the city council. Following fourteen hours of deliberation in three different sessions, the council resolved on Monday, June 10, about 6:30 p.m., that the newspaper and its printing office were "a public nuisance" and instructed the mayor "to remove it…without delay." Joseph Smith promptly ordered the city marshal to destroy the press and burn all copies of the paper. At 8:00 p.m. the marshal carried out the mayor's orders (HC 6:432-49). That action, justified or not, played into the hands of the opposition. It riled anti-Mormon sentiment throughout Hancock County and provided substance for the charges used by the opposition to hold Joseph Smith in Carthage Jail, where he was murdered on June 27, 1844.

Godfrey, Kenneth W. "Causes of Mormon/Non-Mormon Conflict in Hancock County, Illinois, 1839-1846." Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, 1967.
Oaks, Dallin H. "The Suppression of the Nauvoo Expositor." Utah Law Review 9 (Winter 1965):862-903.
Oaks, Dallin H., and Marvin S. Hill. Carthage Conspiracy: The Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith. Urbana, Ill., 1979.
REED C. DURHAM, JR."

Mormons often call Smith the "Martyred Prophet" and speak of his death much like Christ's death. Shortly before he died, Smith reportedly said, "I am going like a lamb to the slaughter" (Doctrine and Covenants 135:4). Christ died without a fight (Luke 23:24; I Peter 2:23), but did Joseph Smith? On June 27, 1844, a mob came to the Carthage jail, where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were prisoners. Some of the mob entered the jail while others remained outside. As the mob started shooting,
Joseph sprang to his coat for his six-shooter, Hyrum for his single barrel, Taylor for Markham's large hickory cane, and Dr. Richards for Taylor's cane. All sprang against the door, the balls whistled up the stairway, and in an instant one came through the door...Hyrum was retreating back in front of the door and snapped his pistol when a ball struck him in the left side of the nose, and he fell on his back on the floor saying, 'I am a dead man'...Joseph reached round the door casing, and discharged his six-shooter into the passage, some barrels missing fire (D.H.C., Vol. VI, pp. 617-618).

The introduction of the same volume says on page XLI, "the Prophet turned from the prostrate form of his murdered brother to face death-dealing guns and bravely returned the fire of his assailants, 'bringing his man down every time,' and compelling John Hay (former Secretary of State) who but reluctantly accords the Prophet any quality of virtue to confess that he 'made a handsome fight' in the jail."

John Taylor, who was in the jail with Smith and who later became the third LDS Prophet, said Joseph "opened the door slightly, and snapped the pistol six successive times. Only three of the barrels, however, were discharged. I afterwards understood that two or three were wounded by these discharges, two of whom, I am informed, died" (The Gospel Kingdom, p. 360; D.H.C., Vol. VII, pp. 100-103).

While we do not condone the action of the mob in killing Joseph and Hyrum Smith, we cannot agree with the LDS that Joseph was a martyr who went "as a lamb to the slaughter."

Definition 1 says that one who willing suffers death RATHER than renounce his religion. Joseph Smith was murdered, after suffering severe and constant afflictions, because he would not renounce his religious beliefs or prophetic claims. He meets the definition of a martyr. The fact that Joseph died with a pistol is meaningless. Joseph mets each definition of the word found above. There is nothing wrong with one defending themselves. Many early Christian martyrs probably also resisted their enemies attempts to kill them. Resistence is not a disqualifier for a martyr. Paul for example used his Roman citizenship to protect himself from his enemies.

The term "as a lamb to the slaughter" does not necessarily mean a willingness to die. After all do lamb really consent and willfully allow themselves to be slaughtered at a slaugher house? I have not had any personal experience at seeing what lambs do but I have read from those who have that they don't willfully give their lives up. They fight as much as possible and if they could would run and save themselves.

This  term deals with the certainty of death. When a lamb is taken to the slaughter, the lamb is going to die unless somebody decides to spare the lamb. Joseph Smith had been arrested many times but never gave an indication that he was going to die in jail. The only time that Joseph Smith said that he was going to jail as a "lamb to the slaughter" was this time and he was proved right. He died in jail. Hence Joseph Smith went to this jail and he was certain his death would occur just as a lamb who goes to the slaugherhouse's death is assured.
Mr Cown cites John Taylor to give the impression that Joseph Smith shot and killed two of the armed men. If that is not the impression Mr Cowan wanted then he would have cited this statement from John Taylor or at least clarified his position when he stated it. He does not do this. This is another error by Cowan.

1.  John Taylor does not actually claim that two people were killed by simply says "two of whom, I am informed, died" This is not a statement of fact by Taylor but a hearsay statement where someone told him 2 people died by he has not first hand knowledge that such actually happened.

2.  If two men had actually died, the first question is "What where their names?" Surely local papers and others would have mentioned their names and their would be some record of their death. There is no record. Who are these phantom dead men?

Actually what we have is a case of "dead men walking" Dallin Oaks and Marvin Hill: "Carthage Conspiracy, the Trial of the Accused Assassins of Joseph Smith.," 132. University of Illinois Press, 1975 mention a couple of other witnesses to the event.

LDS member William Daniels stated: “One man, named John Wills, was shot in the arm, another named William Voras or Vorhees had blood on his shoulder, and a third was wounded in the face.”

Benjamin Brackenbury stated: “He saw Wills, Voras, and a man named Gallaher, all wounded on the road between Carthage and Warsaw. The wounds he described matched those mentioned by Daniels - Gallaher was wounded in the cheek. All three men were indicted for the murders of Joseph and Hyrum, but they were never arrested, nor did they appear at the trial.”

According to Dallin Oaks and Marvin Hill: "Wills, Voras, and Gallaher were probably named in the indictment because their wounds, which testimony showed were received at the jail, were irrefutable evidence that they had participated in the mob. They undoubtedly recognized their vulnerability and fled the country. A contemporary witness [Jeremiah Willey, Aug 13, 1844] reported these three as saying that they were the first men at the jail, that one of them shot through the door killing Hyrum, that Joseph wounded all three with his pistol, and that Gallaher shot Joseph as he ran to the window...The citizens of Green Plains were said to have given Gallaher and Voras new suits of clothes for their parts in the killing".

Non-LDS historian Colonel John Hay stated:  "Joe Smith died bravely. He stood by the jamb of the door and fired four shots, bringing his man down every time. He shot an Irishman named Wills, who was in the affair from his congenital love of a brawl, in the arm; Gallagher, a Southerner from the Mississippi Bottom, in the face; Voorhees, a half-grown hobbledehoy from Bear Creek, in the shoulder; and another gentleman, whose name I will not mention, as he is prepared to prove an alibi, and besides stands six feet two in his moccasins.” (Orson F. Whitney, The Mormon Prophet's Tragedy: A Review [Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1905], 75; Taken from the original, John Hay, "The Mormon Prophet's Tragedy," Atlantic Monthly 24, no. 146 [December 1869]: 675 cited in Samuel Katich article in Mormonism 201 "Joseph Smith" at www.angelfire.com/sk2/ldsdefense/m201.html)

“Bills of indictment were found at the October term of court against Levi Williams, Mark Aldrich, Jacob C. Davis, William N. Grover, Thomas C. Sharp, John Wills, William Voorhees, William Gallagher and one Allen. They were based on the testimony of two idle youths, named Brackenbury and Daniels, who had accompanied the expedition from Warsaw to Carthage on the 27th of June, and had seen the whole affair." (Whitney, p. 87; Hay, p. 677)

So the story that Joseph Smith killed two people is more myth than actual reality. So until Mr Cowan can prove 2 people actually died like giving us their names so we can check it out we came say clearly that the person whotold John Taylor was in error and nobody died.

When Joseph Smith was killed, Brigham Young assumed the leadership of most of the Mormons. But many other factions joined together in 1860 under the leadership of Smith's son, Joseph Smith III, to form the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are the second largest "Mormon" group, but dozens of other factions still exist. Each one claims it is the only true church and all others are apostate. For a description of some of those sects, see Little Known Schisms of the Restoration by Russell R. Rich, published by Brigham Young University. Kate Carter, past president of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers said, "off-shoots from the original church are nearing the one hundred mark" (Denominations That Base Their Beliefs On The Teachings Of Joseph Smith, The Mormon Prophet, p. 1). Since that book was written, over 100 more Mormon schisms have been identified. Divergent Paths of the Restoration by Steven Shields, Published by Restoration Research, P.O. Box 547, Bountiful, UT 84010, identifies many of these schisms. By their existence, those schisms refute the LDS claim that a prophet will keep the church united and avoid factions and divisions.

Can Marvin Cowan cite one quote from scripture or any LDS leader that ever said that the prophet would prevent individual people from leaving the church and starting their own church? The church collectively is united under the prophet but there is always a few black sheep or bad apples that have their right to leave and do whatever they want. The are excommunicated and they are no more a part of the church. The fact is its not an LDS claim that a prophet will prevent divisions or factions from occuring on occasion but it is an LDS claim that if a division or faction does occur and they go contrary to the teachings of the church or go against the prophet and will not repent that the church will excommunicate that group or remove the cancer that exists in the body of Christ.

I would have to give this chapter a D grade. Cowan avoids an F for this chapter since the first portion was correct but that really did not take much talent.  Every section except the first had errors, misrepresentations and omitted facts that would be helpful for people to arrive at a good, reasonable conclusion.  This is because Mr Cowan like many Anti-Mormons don't really care about giving all the information for their readers to be fully informed on the issues so they can make an educated conclusion but only give the information that would lead to one basic conclusion against the LDS faith--that being a negative conclusion.