Criticism of Mormonism/Books/No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith/Index

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Index to claims made in No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith

This is an index of claims made in this work with links to corresponding responses within the FAIRwiki.

Chapter 2: Treasure in the Earth

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
16	Joseph was notorious for telling tall tales, necromantic arts and treasure digging.	Joseph Smith and money digging	"Mormonism", New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, New York, 1883, Vol. II, p. 1576. Obadiah Dogberry (pseudonym for Abner Cole), Palmyra Reflector, Jan. 6 - March 19, 1831. Abner Cole, "The Book of Pukei," Palmyra Reflector June - July 1830. See also Joseph Smith and the occult#The magician Walters as a mentor to Joseph Smith? See also Revised or Unaltered?: Joseph Smith's Foundational Stories, Matthew Brown, 2006 FAIR Conference (Video)
16	Joseph was charged with being "a disorderly person and an impostor" at his 1826 trial.	Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial	"Mormonism", New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, New York, 1883, Vol. II, p. 1576.
17	The Hurlbut affidavits corroborated and supplemented the court record.	The Hurlbut affidavits	Author's opinion Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed
18	Fifty-one of Joseph's neighbors signed affidavits accusing him of being "destitute of moral character" and "addicted to vicious habits."	The Hurlbut affidavits	Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed
18	Joseph dreamed of an "illustrious and affluent" future.	Psychobiographical analysis of Joseph Smith	Author's speculation.
18	Joseph "detested the plow" and despaired about the family's debts.	Psychobiographical analysis of Joseph Smith	Author's speculation.
19	A "vagabond fortune-teller" named Walters became popular in the area. When Walters left the area, "his mantle fell upon" Joseph Smith.	Joseph Smith and the occult#The magician Walters as a mentor to Joseph Smith?	Author's conjecture. See also Revised or Unaltered?: Joseph Smith's Foundational Stories, Matthew Brown, 2006 FAIR Conference (Video)
20	William Stafford told a story about Joseph claimed that he could find money using a bleeding black sheep.	The Hurlbut affidavits—William Stafford	Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed
20	Joseph could see "ghosts, infernal spirits" and "mountains of gold" in his seer stone.	The Hurlbut affidavits	Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed
23	Palmyra newspapers took no notice of Joseph's vision at the time it was supposed to have occurred.	No reference to First Vision in 1830s publications?	Obediah Dogberry (Abner Cole), Palmyra Reflector, Feb. 1, 1831.
24	The story of Joseph first vision evolved greatly between his 1832 and 1838 accounts.	First Vision accounts	Times and Seasons, March 15, 1842 Dean D. Jessee's (Dean C. Jessee) "Early Accounts of Joseph Smith's First Vision," Brigham Young University Studies, Vol. IX, 1969, pp. 275-294.
24	Oliver Cowdery described Joseph's first vision as having occurred in 1823	Oliver Cowdery not aware of First Vision in 1834-35	Latter Day Saints' Messenger and Advocate, Letter IV, Feb. 1835, p. 78.
24	Some of Joseph's close relatives confused the first vision with Moroni's visit.	Prophet's mother said First Vision was of an "angel"	Lucy Smith to Solomon Mack, January 6, 1831 in Ben E. Rich: Scrpabook of Mormon Literature, Vol. I, p. 543.
25	Joseph's own family did not know of his first vision at the time that it happened.	Prophet's mother said First Vision was of an "angel"	Source not provided.
25	Joseph's vision may have been an invention to cancel out stories of his fortune telling and money digging	Psychobiographical analysis of Joseph Smith	Author's speculation.
26	Joseph liked preaching because it gave him an audience, and this was as "essential to Joseph as food."	Psychobiographical analysis of Joseph Smith	Author's conjecture.
27	Joseph stared into his crystal and saw gold in every odd-shaped hill	Joseph Smith and money digging	Author's speculation.
30	In March 1826 Joseph got into serious trouble because of his "magic arts"	Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial	"Mormonism", New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, New York, 1883, Vol. II, p. 1576.
30	The court pronounced Joseph "guilty" at the 1826 trial	Joseph Smith's 1826 glasslooking trial	"Mormonism", New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, New York, 1883, Vol. II, p. 1576.
31	Joseph's mentor was "the conjurer Walters."	Joseph Smith and the occult#The magician Walters as a mentor to Joseph Smith?	Author's conjecture. See also Revised or Unaltered?: Joseph Smith's Foundational Stories, Matthew Brown, 2006 FAIR Conference (Video)

Chapter 3: Red Sons of Israel

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
35	Joseph's mother reported that he was "spinning theories" about the moundbuilders before he was twenty years old	Joseph Smith's "amusing recitals" of ancient American inhabitants	Lucy Smith, Biographical Sketches, p. 85.
35	Between 1820 and 1827 Joseph decided to write a history of the moundbuilders	Book of Mormon and the Mound Builders	Author's conjecture.
37	Peter Ingersoll claimed that Joseph told him that no one could see the golden Bible and live.	Viewing the gold plates would result in death?	Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed See also The Hurlbut affidavits#Peter Ingersoll
39	The "magic" Urim and Thumminn was found with the plates	Joseph Smith and seer stones	The author added the word "magic:" Joseph never claimed that the Urim and Thummin had any "magical" qualities.
40	The four year period during which Joseph waited to get the plates corresponded with his most intensive money-digging activities	Joseph Smith and money digging	No source provided to support the author's allegation of "intensive" money-digging activity.
40	Lucy Smith described the Urim and Thummin as "two smooth three-cornered diamonds set in glass and the glasses set in silver bows."	Joseph Smith and seer stones	Lucy Smith to Solomon Mack, 1831
40	Martin Harris described the Urim and Thummin as "white, like polished marble, with a few grey streaks."	Joseph Smith and seer stones	Tiffany's Monthly, 1859, p. 166.
40	David Whitmer described the Urim and Thummin as "two small stones of a chocolate color, nearly egg shape, and perfectly smooth, but not transparent."	Joseph Smith and seer stones	Kansas City Journal, June 5, 1881.
41	Joseph warned his family that it meant instant death to look at the plates.	Viewing the gold plates would result in death?	No source provided.
43	Joseph was able to translate the plates without unwrapping them by using his stone	Book of Mormon translation method	The author attributes this to Emma Smith, but does not specify the source. Likely source is the interview of Emma Smith by her son Joseph Smith III.
43	Emma said that Joseph used the Urim and Thummin for the first 116 pages and then the seer stone for the remainder of the translation	Joseph Smith and seer stones	The author attributes this to Emma Smith, but does not specify the source. Likely source is the interview of Emma Smith by her son Joseph Smith III.
43	God cursed the Lamanites and all their descendents with a "red skin."	Lamanite curse	No source provided. There is no mention of "red skin" in the Book of Mormon.
43	A neighbor, Lemuel Durfee. Signed an affidavit in 1833 charging Joseph with vicious habits and an immoral character.	The Hurlbut affidavits	Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, pp.l 261-2.
44	After each battle in the Book of Mormon, the dead were "heaped upon the face of the earth, and they were covered with a shallow covering" - a reference to the Indian mounds	Book of Mormon and the Mound Builders	Book of Mormon (1830), pp. 358, 363, 267. O. Turner, Pioneer History of the Holland Purchase, p. 38. Palymra Register, January 28, 1818. Note that the word "mound" never appears in the Book of Mormon.
46	Joseph's familiarity with the idea that the Indians descended from the Hebrews seems to have come primarily from Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews	Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews	Ethan Smith, View of the Hebrews (1825), p. 184.
49	Joseph Smith took the whole Western Hemisphere as the setting for the Book of Mormon	Book of Mormon geography/New World/Hemispheric Geography Theory	Author's opinion. No source provided.

Chapter 4: A Marvelous Work and a Wonder

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
53	Joseph warned Martin Harris that God's wrath would strike him down if he examined the plates or looked at him while he was translating.	Viewing the gold plates would result in death?	No source provided.
53	Harris once tried to trick Joseph by substituting an ordinary stone for the seer stone.	Joseph Smith and seer stones	Summary of Martin Harris' sermon in Salt Lake City, September 4, 1870, Historical Record, Vol. VI, p. 216.
54	Lucy Harris stole the manuscript and "neither pleas nor blows could make her divulge its hiding place."	The Hurlbut affidavits—Lucy Harris	Author's speculation. Lucy states in the Hurlbut affidavits that her husband "has whipped, kicked, and turned me out of the house." Despite the fact that Lucy Harris makes no mention of the lost 116 pages of manuscript from the Book of Mormon, Fawn Brodie actually concludes that Harris beat his wife in order to get her to divulge what she had done with the lost 116 pages of manuscript.
54	Joseph realized that he could not duplicate the 116 pages exactly.	The lost 116 pages of The Book of Lehi	Author's conjecture.
58	The Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon were "chiefly those chapters from Isaiah mentioned in Ethan Smith's View of the Hebrews."	Book of Mormon and View of the Hebrews	This statement by the author is incorrect. View of the Hebrews Chapter 2 quotes Deuteronomy 30; Isaiah 11, 18, 60, 65; Jeremiah 16, 23, 30-31, 35-37; Zephaniah 3; Amos 9; Hosea and Joel. Out of these, only Isaiah 11 appears in the Book of Mormon. See also Jeff Lindsay, Did Joseph Smith plagiarize from View of the Hebrews when writing the Book of Mormon?
58	Joseph was careful to modify primarily the italicized interpolation in the King James text.		Author's conjecture.
58	Joseph incorporated one of his father's dreams into the Book of Mormon	Joseph Smith, Sr.'s dream and Lehi's vision	Lucy Smith, Biographical Sketches, pp. 58-9.
59	Early in the writing Joseph vigorously attacked the Catholic Church as the "great and abominable church" and the "whore of all the earth"	Great and abominable church	Source not provided.
62	Joseph Smith's lack of education is "a favorite thesis designed to prove the authenticity" of the Book of Mormon.	Book of Mormon authorship theories	Author's opinion.
62-63	Joseph Smith borrowed many stories from the Bible.	Book of Mormon plagiarized from the Bible	Author's opinion.
63	Joseph's sentence structure in the Book of Mormon was "loose-jointed, like an earthworm hacked into segments that crawl away alive and whole."	Chiasmus	Author's opinion.
65	The story of the Gadianton band reflects the anti-Masonic feelings in New York at the time that the Book of Mormon was produced	Book of Mormon anachronisms/Gadianton masons	No source given. Author's conjecture.

Chapter 5: Witnesses for God

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
69	The Church has "exaggerated the ignorance" of Joseph Smith in order to bolster the divinity of the Book of Mormon..	Book of Mormon authorship theories	Author's opinion. No source provided.
70	The Book of Mormon claims that Jesus was born in Jerusalem (quoting Alexander Campbell)	Book of Mormon anachronisms—Jerusalem vs Bethlehem	Millennial Harbinger, Vol. II, Feb. 1831, p. 85.
70-71	Joseph added the story of the Jaredites in order to explain how animals had come to America.	Story of Jaredites added to explain presence of animals in New World	Author's opinion.
72	Joseph had the Jaredites bring horses, swine, sheep, cattle, and asses, yet these animals were not found in the Americas at the time of Columbus	Book of Mormon anachronisms—Animals	The author adds in a footnote that Mormons "point to discoveries of small prehistoric horses in the New World as evidence of the truth of the Book of Momron, and ignore the fact that these animals became extinct long before the supposed Jaredite migration."
73	Martin Harris and Oliver Cowdery were caught in Joseph's "spell"	Book of Mormon witnesses—Spiritual or literal	Author's conjecture.
74	Joseph had a talent for making men see visions	Book of Mormon witnesses—Hypnotism	Author's opinion. According to the author, even Joseph didn't know that he had this ability until after the Book of Mormon was completed.
77	The Three Witnesses all told different versions of their experience	Book of Mormon witnesses	Palmyra Reflector, March 19, 1831. History of the Church, Vol. I, pp. 54-5.
77	The Three Witnesses were hypnotized by Joseph Smith	Book of Mormon witnesses—Hypnotism	Author's opinion. According to the author, Joseph didn't realize that he had this ability either (it was supposedly a "unconscious but positive talent.")
78	Martin Harris stated that he viewed the plates through "the eye of faith"	"Eye of Faith"/"Spiritual Eye" statements by Martin Harris	Gleanings by the Way, pp. 256-7.
78	Years after the event, David Whitmer embellished his story of seeing the gold plates.	Book of Mormon witnesses—Character—David Whitmer	Palmyra Reflector, March 19, 1831. David Whitmer's interview with Orson Pratt, Millennial Star, Vol. XL, pp. 771-2.
78	The Three Witnesses never denied their vision even after they all left the Church because Joseph had "conjured up a vision they would never forget"	Book of Mormon witnesses—Spiritual or literal	The author's rather creative explanation for why the witnesses never denied their testimony, despite the fact that they all had disagreements with Joseph Smith.
79	The first edition of the Book of Mormon said that Joseph was "Author and proprietor," which in later editions was changed to "Translator."	Joseph Smith and Book of Mormon copyright	Actually, the 1830 edition also states that Joseph was the translator of the record.
79-80	Joseph convinced the Eight Witnesses by showing them an empty box and claiming that they did not have sufficient faith to see them	Book of Mormon witnesses—Eight witnesses	Thomas Ford, History of Illinois, Chicago, 1854, p. 257.
80	Joseph may have built some kind of "makeshift deception" to account for those witnesses who described the size, weight and metallic texture of the plates	Book of Mormon anachronisms—Gold plates—Descriptions of the plates	William Smith, Saints Herals, Vol. XXXI, p. 644.
81	Hyrum suggested to Joseph that they attempt to sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon in order to obtain enough money to get it published. Joseph "looked int the Urim and Thummin and received a revelation" directing them to go to Toronto.	Did Joseph Smith attempt to sell the Book of Mormon copyright?	Oliver Cowdery, Defense in a Rehearsal of My Gounds for Separating Myself from the Latter-Day Saints. David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, p. 31.
82	Martin Harris sold his farm to pay for the publication of the Book of Mormon only after Joseph frightened him with the revelation found in the Book of Commandments Chapter xvi, pp. 40-41.	Book of Mormon witnesses—Character—Martin Harris	Book of Commandments Chapter xvi, pp. 40-41

Chapter 6: The Prophet of Palmyra

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
83	The Book of Mormon was conceived as a money-making history of the Indians.	Book of Mormon authorship theories
84-85	Joseph began to sincerely believe what he was teaching.	Psychobiographical analysis of Joseph Smith	Author's opinion.
86	Joseph Smith performed "miracles," but was unaware that they were common occurrences	Joseph Smith healings and miracles	No source provided.
89	Joseph detested tedious and solitary field labor.	Psychobiographical analysis of Joseph Smith	Author's opinion.
92	Oliver Cowdery demanded that Joseph amend some of his own revelations.	Doctrine and Covenants textual changes
92	Oliver Cowdery secretly encouraged Hiram Page to receive revelations through his seer stone.	Hiram Page's revelations and seer stone	If Oliver "secretly" encourged this, then how does the author know this?
96	Joseph experimented with the idea of "revealing" lost books of the Bible.	Joseph Smith Translation as a restoration of the original Bible text

Chapter 7: The Perfect Society and the Promised Land

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
101-102	Joseph promised Lyman E. Johnson that he would see the Savior come and stand upon the Earth. William Smith and Orson Hyde were told that they would stand on earth until Christ comes.		Millennial Star, Vol. XV, pp. 206-7. History of the Church, Vol. II, pp. 189-91.
102	Joseph suggested that the Second Coming would occur within fifty-six years.	Joseph Smith prophesied the Second Coming to be in 1890	History of the Church, Vol. II, p. 182.
103	Joseph began "translating" the New Testament at Sidney Rigdon's suggestion		No sources provided.
108	The United Order was Sidney Rigdon's idea.		No sources provided.
111	Ezra Booth claimed that Joseph promised that "not three days should pass away before some should see the Saviour face to face"		Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed.
111	Joseph said that the lost ten tribes were living in a land near the North Pole		History of the Church, Vol. I, p. 176n. John Whitmer, History of the Church, Chapter vii.
112	Joseph attempted to perform miracles and failed during a conference in Kirtland, Ohio		John Whitmer, History of the Church, Chapter viii Newel Knight's journal, published in Scraps of Biography, p. 70.
113	Stories claimed that miracles could not be performed in Ohio because it was not "consecrated ground"		Source not provided.

Chapter 8: Temple Builder

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
116	Joseph inserted into Genesis a prophecy of his own coming
117	Joseph elaborated on Isaiah's prophecy regarding the learned man and the sealed book to match details of Martin Harris' visit to Charles Anthon
117	Joseph modified Isaiah's prophecy to include references to the Book of Mormon witnesses and return of the gold plates to the Lord
118	Joseph's description of the three degrees of glory contrasted Book of Mormon descriptions of a "lake of fire and brimstone"	Will "endless punishment" last forever?
120	The Missouri Mormons never forgave Joseph for returning to Ohio
124	The "Civil War" prophecy was abandoned and excluded from early collections of Joseph's revelations because they thought it had failed.	Joseph Smith prophesies
126	It was noted that "Joseph could build more rods of good fence in one day than most men could in two," and that his "yard was clean and orderly"
127	Joseph couldn't initially called the Kirtland Temple a "temple," since there was already land dedicated for a temple in Missouri

Chapter 9: Expulsion from Eden

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
141	It was easy for Joseph to revise his revelation on the United Order since most copies of the Book of Commandments had been burned.
141	Joseph wanted to "destroy the notion" that the United Order had been similar to communism.

Chapter 10: The Army of the Lord

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
143	Under Hurlbut's "excited prodding," neighbors of Solomon Spalding recalled that the Spalding manuscript that matched "an astonishing number of details" from the Book of Mormon twenty years after they had heard the manuscript read aloud.	Book of Mormon and Spaulding manuscript	Author's opinion See The Hurlbut affidavits—Spalding manuscript claims and reliability
144	The Spalding manuscript bore no resemblance to the Book of Mormon.	Book of Mormon and Spaulding manuscript	Spalding manuscript published by the Reorganized Church in 1885 under the title The Manuscript Found, or the Manuscript Story of the late Rev. Solomon Spaulding.
144	Martin Harris was brought to trial before the High Council because he claimed the Joseph Smith had "drunk too much liquor" while translating the Book of Mormon.		Times and Seasons, Vol. VI, p. 992. The entry from "HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH" states: "The council proceeded to investigate certain charges presented by Elder Rigdon against Martin Harris, one was, that he told A. C. Russell, Esq. that Joseph drank too much liquor when he was translating the Book of Mormon, and that he wrestled with many men and threw them, &c.; and that he (Harris) exalted himself above Joseph, in that he said, "Brother Joseph knew not the contents of the Book of Mormon, until it was translated, but that he, himself knew all about it before it was translated. Brother Harris said he did not tell Esq. Russell that Brother Joseph drank too much liquor while translating the Book of Mormon, but this thing occurred previous to the translating of the book; he confessed that his mind was darkened, and that he had said many things inadvertantly [inadvertently], calculated to wound the feelings of his brethren, and promised to do better. The council forgave him, with much good advice."
145	Hurlbut's affidavits were published by E.D. Howe in Mormonism Unvailed.	The Hurlbut affidavits	Eber D. Howe, Mormonism Unvailed, 1834.
145	Brigham Young stated, before he even met Joseph Smith, that he would follow Joseph even if he were to get "drunk every day of his life, sleep with his neighbor's wife every night," and run horses and gamble.		Journal of Discourses 4:77-8.
147-148	It was Sidney Rigdon's suggestion to change the name of the Church from the Church of Christ to the Church of Latter-day Saints in order to avoid the names "Mormon" and "Mormonite".		Source not provided.
149	Joseph found a skeleton of a Lamanite warrior named "Zelf"	Zelph	History of the Church 2:79-80 "Elder Kimball's Journal," Times and Seasons, Vol. VI, p. 788.

Chapter 11: Patronage and Punishment

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
159	Zion's Camp was a "major failure" for Joseph Smith.
159	Men and women had died in Missouri Joseph Smith's name.
159	Joseph decided that he could no longer give out "incidental" revelations after the Missouri trials.
162	The Kirtland High Council complained that the Apostles had too much power.
162	Henry Green was cut off from the church simply because of a remark made that Joseph was "extorting" the cost of a book.
164	Apostle William Smith called his brother Joseph a "tyrant" and attempted to beat him.
165	Joseph was "vain" regarding his "wrestling prowess."
166	The Word of Wisdom was not given by "commandment or constraint" because Joseph was "too fond of earthly pleasures."	Word of Wisdom
167	Joseph did not take the Word of Wisdom seriously.	Word of Wisdom
167	Joseph replaced wine with water in the Sacrament because Sidney Rigdon forced a vote for total abstinence through the Church.

Chapter 12: Master of Languages

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
170	Joseph did not originally intend to translate the papri "by inspiration as in the past," and instead attempted to formulate an Egyptian alphabet and grammer.	Kirtland Egyptian Papers
171	Joseph picked up the idea that there were plural gods when he learned in Hebrew class that Elohim was plural.
171	Joseph developed the concept in the Book of Abraham that the earth was organized out of existing matter from Thomas Dick's Philosophy of a Future State.	Was Joseph Smith's theology influenced by the writings of Thomas Dick?
171	Joseph developed the idea that matter was "eternal and indestructible" from Thomas Dick's work.	Was Joseph Smith's theology influenced by the writings of Thomas Dick?
172	Joseph's concept of Kolob being "near the throne of God" and its control of the reckoning of time came from Thomas Dick.	Was Joseph Smith's theology influenced by the writings of Thomas Dick?
173	Joseph wrote the Book of Abraham in order to justify denying the priesthood to Blacks.	Blacks and the priesthood—Origin of the priesthood ban
173	Joseph criticized the abolitionist movement.
174	Joseph taught that "one third of the spirits had been neutral" in Heaven.	Blacks and the priesthood/Pre-existence	Orson Hyde, "Speech before the High Priests," Nauvoo, April 27, 1845 printed as a pamphlet by the Millennial Star office, July 1845, p. 27.
174	Joseph taught that his family was directly descended from Ephraim.		History of the Church, Vol. III, p. 380.
175	The Book of Abraham facsimiles are ordinary funeral documents.	Book of Abraham papyri
179	It was reported that some of the men were drunk during the dedication of the Kirtland Temple.	Reports of Drunken Behavior at the Kirtland Temple Dedication

Chapter 13: My Kingdom is of this World

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
181	Joseph Smith was rumored to have "seduced" Fannie Alger.	Joseph Smith's marriages to young women—Fanny Alger
181	It was rumored that Fannie Alger was driven out of the house by Emma.	Joseph Smith's marriages to young women—Fanny Alger
181	Joseph and Fannie were "found together."	Joseph Smith's marriages to young women—Fanny Alger
182	Joseph accused Oliver Cowdery of "perpetuating the scandal."
182	Oliver was excommunicated for "insinuating that the prophet had been guilty of adultery."
182	Fannie Alger did not admit to being the Prophet's plural wife	Joseph Smith's marriages to young women—Fanny Alger
183	Martin Harris was brought to trial for adultery "as early as 1832."
182	Joseph told Ezra Booth to "take a wife from among the Lamanites."	Native Americans to become "white and delightsome" through polygamous marriage?	See The Hurlbut affidavits—Ezra Booth
183	Joseph performed marriages even though it was against Ohio law.	Joseph Smith and polygamy
185	Oliver Cowdery wrote a formal statement that the Church denied polygamy in August 1835	1835 Doctrine and Covenants denies polygamy
187	Joseph realized "that for a prophet it is easier to change marriage laws than to contravene them."	Joseph Smith and polygamy	Author's opinion
187	The Mormons believe that when they become "sufficiently purified" that the treasures in the earth would be "poured into their lap."	The Hurlbut affidavits—Ezra Booth
189	Isaac McWithy was brought to trial before the High Council because he would not sell his farm to Joseph Smith.
192	Joseph's trip to Salem in August 1836 with Oliver Cowdery, Sidney Rigdon and Hyrum was to look for buried gold beneath a house	Joseph Smith's "treasure hunting" trip to Salem

Chapter 14: Disaster in Kirtland

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
195	The Kirtland Safety Society was said to have been established by "a revelation from God."	Kirtland Safety Society
197	The assets backing the Kirtland Safety Society's notes were actually boxes filled with "sand, lead, old iron, stone and combustibles."	Kirtland Safety Society
197	Warren Parrish claimed that the Kirtland "bank" assets were less than Joseph claimed.	Kirtland Safety Society
198	The Kirtland Safety Society "bank" was operating illegally.	Kirtland Safety Society
198	Warren Parrish could not have taken $25,000 because the bank didn't have that much.	Kirtland Safety Society
199	Joseph "prophesied" that the bank notes would be "as good as gold."
199	Brigham Young exchanged his Kirtland bank notes for gold years later in Salt Lake City.
205	The Three Witnesses Whitmer, Harris and Cowdery pledged loyalty to a young girl who claimed to be able to see the future in a black stone.

Chapter 15: The Valley of God

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
208	Oliver Cowdery accused Joseph of trying to "set up a kind of petty government, controlled and dictated by ecclesiastical influence…"		History of the Church 3:18n
211	Joseph proclaimed that an altar found in Missouri was where Adam offered sacrifices.	Garden of Eden in Missouri?—Adam-ondi-Ahman
211	Joseph said that Adam shall come to visit his people at Adam-ondi-Ahman.	Garden of Eden in Missouri?—Adam-ondi-Ahman
211	The Saints believed that Jackson County was the site of the Garden of Eden.	Garden of Eden in Missouri?
211	Far West was the spot where Cain killed Abel.		History of the Church 3:35 D&C 117:8 John Corrill: Brief History of the Church, p. 28.
212	Joseph justified slavery.
213	Sidney Ridgon supported Sampson Avard's formation of a "secret" band.	Danites
214	Joseph and Sidney "were careful not to be associated" with the Danites.	Danites
214	The Danites were a secret society with oaths, passwords and secret signs.	Danites	Correspondence, Orders, etc. in relation to the disturbances with the Mormons;…
215	Joseph "made a confused and damaging admission of his own relationship to the Danite organization" before his death.	Danites	Minutes of a Nauvoo City Council Meeting, Jan. 3, 1844, History of the Church 6:165.
215	Joseph formally sanctioned Sampson Avard and the Danites.	Danites	Correspondence, Orders, etc. in relation to the disturbances with the Mormons;…
217	Sidney Rigdon wanted to have Olivery Cowdery and David Whitmer cut off from the church in order to banish his rivals.
218	Sidney Rigdon's Salt Sermon threatened the dissenters in the Church.
219	The dissenters were ordered to leave Far West.
223	Sidney Rigdon's 4th of July sermon alluded to a "war of extermination" with the mob.

Chapter 16: The Alcoran or the Sword

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
230-231	Joseph Smith claimed to be "a second Mohammed" and that it would eventually be "Joseph Smith or the Sword!"		History of the Church 3;167; 3:162; Correspondence, Orders, etc. pp. 57-9, 97-129; Reed Peck manuscript p. 80.
230	Joseph hinted that stealing the gentiles' supplies was acceptable.		History of the Church 3;167; 3:162; Correspondence, Orders, etc. pp. 57-9, 97-129; Reed Peck manuscript p. 80.
231	David Patten's men looted and set fire to a store and some cabins in Gallatin.		History of the Church 3;167; 3:162; Correspondence, Orders, etc. pp. 57-9, 97-129; Reed Peck manuscript p. 80.
232n	Joseph "virtually admitted" that the Mormons were responsible for the looting and burning.		History of the Church 3:316, 378; John Whitmer, "History of the Church"
232	Sidney Rigdon threatened anyone who was planning to leave Far West.		Correspondence, Orders, etc. pp. 120-5, 134-6, 143.
234	Orson Hyde and Thomas B. Marsh admitted that the Mormons were "burning and pillaging."		Correspondence, Orders, etc. pp. 57-62, 76

Chapter 17: Ordeal in Liberty Jail

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
246	William Smith stated regarding his brother Joseph that he "would have hung him years ago!"		History of the Church 3:226-33
251-252	While in Liberty Jail, Joseph was worried that Sidney Rigdon would revive the United Order and the Danites.	Danites [needs work]	History of the Church 3:295, 301, 303
252	Lucinda Morgan Harris claimed to have been "the prophet's mistress" at one time.

Chapter 18: Nauvoo

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
257	Over the years, the stories of Josephs healings of the sick in Nauvoo multiplied.
269	Nauvoo had a brothel near the temple.		Times and Seasons 2:599 (Aug. 2, 1841) Wasp 1:26 (Oct. 15, 1842)
272	Joseph's bodyguards in Nauvoo were the remnants of the Danite band.	Danites [needs work]

Chapter 19: Mysteries of the Kingdom

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
275	When recounting his history, Joseph's "[d]ream images came easily to him and with such intense color and luxuriant detail that the matter of accuracy or chronology was of no importance."	Psychobiographical analysis of Joseph Smith	Author's conjecture.
275	Everything in Joseph's past was reinterpreted to "enhance the glory of the present."	Psychobiographical analysis of Joseph Smith	Author's conjecture.
276	The Book of Mormon was a "secret source of worry" to Joseph, and in response he published extracts from "View of the Hebrews," "Wonders of Nature," and other books that supported the Book of Mormon's story.	Book of Mormon plagiarism accusations	Author's conjecture.
276	Joseph said regarding the Book of Mormon manuscript that he had "had trouble enough with this thing."		The Return 2:315 (Aug. 1890)
276	Joseph Smith claimed that the word "Mormon" meant "more good."		Times and Seasons 4:194 (May 15, 1843)
279	Much of the endowment ritual was borrowed from the Freemasons.	Temple endowment and Freemasonry	Author's conjecture.
280	Joseph rose to the "sublime degree" of Masonry within one day.	Temple endowment and Freemasonry

Chapter 20: In the Quiver of the Almighty

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
289	Joseph permitted the construction of a brewery in Nauvoo and allowed it to be advertised.	Word of Wisdom [needs work]
289	Joseph gave some of the brethren money to purchase additional whiskey in contradiction to the Word of Wisdom.	Word of Wisdom [needs work]	Millennial Star 21:283.
289	Joseph was presented with a bottle of wine and he "drank it with relish."	Word of Wisdom [needs work]	History of the Church 5:380
289	Joseph told Robert Thompson that he should "get drunk and have a good spree" or that he would die.	Word of Wisdom [needs work]	Diary of Oliver Huntington 3:166
290	Joseph claimed to be able to translate a Greek psalter.	Joseph Smith as a translator [needs work]
291	Joseph claimed that he translated a portion of the Kinderhook plates.	Kinderhook Plates

Chapter 21: If a Man Entice a Maid

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
298	The doctrine of polygamy was secretly taught but publicly denied.	Joseph Smith and polygamy
299	Joseph is claimed to have published a pamplet supporting plural marriage in 1842, but then later denounced it.		Udney Hay Jacob, "An Israelite, and a shepherd of Israel," An Extract from a Manuscript entitled The Peacemaker, or the Doctrines of the Millennium, being a treatise on religion and jurisprudence, or a new system of religion and politicks (Nauvoo, Illinois, 1842)
299	Paul taught that there were be no marriage in heaven, but Joseph taught that this would not apply to the Saints.	Joseph Smith and polygamy
300	Joseph taught that more wives in heaven meant more blessings in heaven.	Joseph Smith and polygamy
302	Joseph was sealed to women who were already married.	Joseph Smith and polygamy
306	Martha Brotherton claimed that Brigham Young wanted her as a plural wife.	Brigham Young and polygamy	St. Louis Bulletin, July 15, 1842, p. 2 Affidavits and Certificates Disproving the Statements and Affidavits Contained in John C. Bennett's Letters, August 31, 1842.

Chapter 22: The Bennett Explosion

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
310	Joseph wrote a letter to Nancy Rigdon in an attempt to persuade her to become his plural wife.	Joseph Smith and polygamy	John C. Bennett, History of the Saints, pp. 243-5.
312	John C. Bennett claimed that Joseph threatened to deliver him to the Danites if he did not sign an affidavit stating that Joseph had not permitted him to participate in "illicit intercourse."		Letter from Bennett to the Sangamo Journal, July 2, 1842, published July 15, 1842 History of the Church 5:13.
314	Bennett claimed that the Danites were present in Nauvoo.	Danites [needs work]
316	Joseph proposed plural marriage to Sarah Pratt while her husband Orson was away on a mission.	Joseph Smith and polygamy

Chapter 23: Into Hiding

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
323	There was a rumor that Joseph had predicted that Governor's Boggs and Carlin would meet a violent death.		History of the Church 5:50.
328	Joseph threatened to have houses burned if tavern owners in the village of Paris did not let them stay for the night.		History of the Church 5:211.
331	Joseph was accused of sending Porter Rockwell to kill Lillburn Boggs.
332-333	Joseph had a bar installed in the Mansion House but removed it at Emma's insistence?		"Memoirs of President Joseph Smith," Saints Herald, Jan. 22, 1935, p. 110. History of the Church 6:111, 429"

Chapter 24: The Wives of the Prophet

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
334	The number of women sealed to Joseph Smith may have exceeded fifty.	Joseph Smith and polygamy
336	At least twelve of the women sealed to Joseph were already married with living husbands.	Joseph Smith and polygamy
338	"Most" of Joseph wives were married to him for time and eternity.	Joseph Smith and polygamy
340	Emma selected the Partridge sisters and the Lawrence sisters are plural wives for Joseph.	Joseph Smith and polygamy
342	Emma burned the revelation on plural marriage.
343	Joseph said that he would have Emma as his wife in the hereafter even if he had to "go to hell" for her.		B. Young, Journal of Discourses 17:159
345	There is "some evidence that Fannie Alger bore Joseph a child in Kirtland."	Joseph Smith and polygamy—Children of polygamous marriages—Alger
345	Prescindia Huntington Buell's son Oliver may have been Joseph's son.	Joseph Smith and polygamy—Children of polygamous marriages—Buell
345	"Legend" says that John Reed Hancock may have been Joseph's son.	Joseph Smith and polygamy—Children of polygamous marriages—Hancock
345	The son of Mary Rollins Lightner "may as easily have been the prophet's son as that of Adam Lightner."	Joseph Smith and polygamy—Children of polygamous marriages—Lightner
345	Mrs. Orson Hyde's sons Orson and Frank "could have been Joseph's sons."	Joseph Smith and polygamy—Children of polygamous marriages—Hyde
345	Mrs. Parley P. Pratt's son Moroni "might also be added to this list."	Joseph Smith and polygamy—Children of polygamous marriages—Pratt
345-346	"According to tradition," Emma beat Eliza Snow with a broomstick and caused her to fall down the stairs, resulting in a miscarrage.	Joseph Smith and polygamy—Children of polygamous marriages—Snow	None specified.
346	"It is astonishing that evidence of other children than these has never come to light."	Joseph Smith and polygamy—Children of polygamous marriages
346	Jedediah Grant "excused" Joseph's marriages to married women by stating that it was a way to "try the people of God to see what was in them."		Journal of Discourses 2:14
346	Perhaps Joseph "learned some primitive method of birth control" or took advantage of items such as "Portuguese Female Pills" to produce miscarriage.	Joseph Smith and polygamy—Children of polygamous marriages	Author's conjecture—Brodie can't adequately explain why a large number of children were not produced from Joseph's other "marriages."

Chapter 25: Candidate for President

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
353	Hyrum Smith claimed to receive a revelation that the Democratic candidate was to receive the Mormon vote.
354	Joseph said that God was his "right hand man."		History of the Church 6:71-78
355-356	Joseph "had become a law unto himself" and totally disregarded Illinois state law.
356	A council of fifty "princes" was formed to be the "highest court on earth."	The Council of Fifty
356	The Council of Fifty ordained and crowned Joseph as "King of the Kingdom of God."	The Council of Fifty	William Marks, Zion's Harbinger and Baneemy's Organ, Vol. 3 (July 1853) p. 52.
364	Joseph's presidential candidacy included a proposal to free the slaves, "in a complete reversal of his earlier stand."
365	The Book of Abraham contained "anti-Negro sentiments."
365	The Negro is denied a place in the Mormon priesthood (as of 1971 printing).	Blacks and the priesthood

Chapter 26: Prelude to Destruction

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
368	Joseph threatened to excommunicate weathy converts who came to Nauvoo and purchased land without his consent.		History of the Church 5:272-273 History of the Church 6:164-165
368	William Law thought that Joseph was diverting funds donated for the Nauvoo House to purchasing land to re-sell to converts.
370	Joseph said that Hell was "an agreeable place."		Nauvoo Expositor, June 7, 1844
370	Joseph threatened to "blow up the steamboats that did not pay" wharfage fees.		History of the Church 6:234, 238
373	All references to plural marriage in Joseph's journals were disguised.		History of the Church 6:409
374	Joseph boasted that he was the only one who had kept a while church together since the days of Adam and that "no man ever did such a work as I."	Did Joseph Smith 'boast' of keeping the Church intact	History of the Church 6:408-412
376	Joseph admitted to William Marks that he had been "deceived" by the "spiritual wife-system," and that he would "rid the church" of the practice.		William Marks, Zion's Harbinger and Baneemy's Organ Vol. 3 (July 1853), pp. 52-53.
377	Joseph claimed that the revelation on polygamy concerned "former days, and had no reference to the present time."		Nauvoo Neighbor, June 19, 1844, Nauvoo City Council minutes; History of the Church 6:441
377	The destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor was a violation of the Constitution.	Nauvoo Expositor

Chapter 27: Carthage

Page	Claim	Response	Use of sources
381	Joseph blessed his son Joseph III to be his successor as president of the Church.	Succession in the Presidency of the Church	Zion's Ensign, Vol. 12, No. 29, p. 5 Temple Lot Case, pp. 28, 180. Lyman Wight, letter to the Northern Islander, Reprinted in Saints Advocate, vol 7 (September 1884). John D. Lee, Mormonism Unveiled, p. 155.
392	Joseph sent for some wine while in Carthage Jail and "all except Hyrum sipped a little."		History of the Church 7:101
394	Joseph may have given the Masonic signal of distress as he leaped to the window.		Zina Huntington Jacobs, Latter Day Saints Biographical Encyclopaedia, Vol. 1, p. 698.

Further reading

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