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Criticism of Mormonism/Books/No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith/Chapter 11
Response to claims made in "Chapter 11: Patronage and Punishment"
| Claims made in "Chapter 10: The Army of the Lord" | A FAIR Analysis of: No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith A work by author: Fawn Brodie
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Claims made in "Chapter 12: Master of Languages" |
159 - Zion's Camp was a "major failure" for Joseph Smith
The author(s) of No Man Knows My History make(s) the following claim:
Zion's Camp was a "major failure" for Joseph Smith.
Author's sources: Author's opinion.
FAIR's Response
159 - Men and women had died in Missouri Joseph Smith's name
The author(s) of No Man Knows My History make(s) the following claim:
Men and women had died in Missouri Joseph Smith's name.
Author's sources: Author's opinion.
FAIR's Response
159 - Joseph decided that he could no longer give out "incidental" revelations after the Missouri trials
The author(s) of No Man Knows My History make(s) the following claim:
Joseph decided that he could no longer give out "incidental" revelations after the Missouri trials.
Author's sources: Author's opinion.
FAIR's Response
162 - The Kirtland High Council complained that the Apostles had too much power
The author(s) of No Man Knows My History make(s) the following claim:
The Kirtland High Council complained that the Apostles had too much power.
Author's sources: History of the Church 2:240
FAIR's Response
See Quote mining—History of the Church 2:240 to see how this quote was mined. History of the Church 2:240 states,
The time has come when we are about to separate, and when we shall meet again, God only knows. We therefore feel to ask him whom we have acknowledged to be our Prophet and Seer that he enquire of God for us and obtain a written revelation (if consistent) that we may look upon it when we are separated, that our hearts may be comforted. Our worthiness has not inspired us to make this request but our unworthiness.
How did the author interpret this to mean that the High Council complained that the Apostles had too much power?
Quote mining analysis
The quote and its use by the critic(s):
| List | Actual quote | Critical use |
|---|---|---|
* |
The time has come when we are about to separate, and when we shall meet again, God only knows. We therefore feel to ask him whom we have acknowledged to be our Prophet and Seer that he enquire of God for us and obtain a written revelation (if consistent) that we may look upon it when we are separated, that our hearts may be comforted. Our worthiness has not inspired us to make this request but our unworthiness. |
The Kirtland High Council complained that the Apostles had too much power. |
Analysis
- The complaint is not that the Twelve have too much power, but that they are not conducting themselves as they ought to, and that the wrong impression is being given to the scattered branches of the church through with whom the Twelve are working.
162
Claim
- Henry Green was cut off from the church simply because of a remark made that Joseph was "extorting" the cost of a book.
Author's source(s) - History of the Church 2:275
FAIR WIKI EDITORS: Check sources
164
Claim
- Apostle William Smith called his brother Joseph a "tyrant" and attempted to beat him.
Author's source(s) - Court of Common Pleas, County of Geauga, Ohio, June 16, 1835.
- Painesville Telegraph, June 26, 1835.
FAIR WIKI EDITORS: Check sources
165 - Joseph was "vain" regarding his "wrestling prowess"
The author(s) of No Man Knows My History make(s) the following claim:
Joseph was "vain" regarding his "wrestling prowess."
Author's sources: Author's opinion.
FAIR's Response
166 - The Word of Wisdom was not given by "commandment or constraint" because Joseph was "too fond of earthly pleasures"
The author(s) of No Man Knows My History make(s) the following claim:
The Word of Wisdom was not given by "commandment or constraint" because Joseph was "too fond of earthly pleasures."
Author's sources: Author's opinion.
FAIR's Response
167
Claim
- Joseph did not take the Word of Wisdom seriously.
Author's source(s) - Author's opinion.
167
Claim
- Joseph replaced wine with water in the Sacrament because Sidney Rigdon forced a vote for total abstinence through the Church.
Author's source(s) - Wilford Woodruff's journal, quoted by Matthias F. Cowley in Wilford Woodruff (Salt Lake, 1909), p. 65.
FAIR WIKI EDITORS: Check sources