Joseph
Smith, Jr. was born in Sharon, Windsor County, Vermont, on December 23, 1805.
Joseph was the third son and one of ten children born to Joseph and Lucy Mack
Smith. Both parents were poorly educated, very superstitious, and deeply involved
in the occult (magic). The destitute Smith family moved frequently, with the
mystical Joseph Sr. etching out a meager existence by farming, digging for buried
treasure, and "water witching." When all else failed, he even attempted to mint
his own money (a practice that was disliked by the local constabulary).The Smith family had a reputation for low moral character. According to more than sixty affidavits signed by members of the community, "...we have no hesitation in saying, that we consider them destitute of moral character, which ought to entitle them to the confidence of the community. They were particularly famous for visionary projects, spent much of their time in digging for money which they pretended was hid in the earth;...Joseph Smith, Senior, and his son Joseph, were in particular, considered entirely destitute of moral character, and addicted to vicious habits." 1
Joseph, Jr. learned well from the poor examples shown by his parents. According to one acquaintance, "...his habits of exaggeration and untruthfulness...and by reason of the extravagances of his statement, his word was received with the least confidence by those who knew him best. He would utter the most palpable exaggeration or marvelous absurdity with the utmost apparent gravity." 2
Joseph Smith, Jr. spent his youth practicing what we know today to be witchcraft and occultism--drawing magic circles, crystal gazing (with his famous "peep stone"), water-witching, sacrificing animals to manipulate the spirits, enchantments, communication with familiar spirits (necromancy), and astrological magic talismans and swords.
At the age of 14, Joseph Smith, Jr. claimed to have been visited by God the Father and Jesus, both in the flesh. He was told by them that ALL present-day churches were wrong, that ALL the clergy were corrupt, and that ALL creeds were an abomination in God's eyes! In a later vision with the Angel Moroni, Joseph was given directions to a stash of buried golden plates in the Hill Cumorah and told that they contained "reformed Egyptian" characters from which he would translate into the "restored gospel," later known as the Book of Mormon.
From that translation (with the infamous peep-stone), the Book of Mormon was published in 1830. Shortly thereafter, the Book of Commandments (which later became the Doctrine and Covenants), and the Pearl of Great Price (a mistranslation of the Egyptian Book of the Dead papyri) came into being.
Joseph Smith, Jr. introduced into the church (and a very naïve world) many concepts of the Godhead, salvation, and man's destiny that are considered heretical in Christianity. In Mormonism, God is just a man and man is just a God. Jesus is the spirit brother of the devil. Plurality of wives is a requirement for entrance into heaven (which Joseph described as "everlasting burnings"). However, if you don't make it there, according to Smith, "Hell is by no means the place this world of fools suppose it to be, but on the contrary, it is quite an agreeable place ." 3
Joseph, Jr. was once called the "greatest egotist and boaster." He was obsessed with power, fame, and as many wives as he could gather. He was proud of his physical strength and would regularly show-off. He was known for his short temper and physical violence when aggravated.
In 1838, a very prideful Joseph Smith appointed himself Lieutenant General of the Nauvoo Legion. Lyman L. Woods recalls, "I have seen him on a white horse wearing the uniform of a general. He was leading a parade of the Legion and looked like a god." 4 Later, Joseph had himself ordained "King on earth!" Toward the end of his life, Joseph had himself nominated for President of the United States. 5
Joseph's power over his minions was great. Brigham Young once proclaimed, "...no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom without the consent of Joseph Smith. Every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, Junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are...I cannot go there without his consent. He reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven." 6
Humility and meekness never played a very important part in Joseph's life. Prior to being killed in a gunfight at the Carthage, Illinois, jail in 1844, Joseph had left us with these profound statements:
