The idea that Joseph taught the moon is inhabited comes from the writing of Oliver B. Huntington in 1881 (his journal) and in 1892 (the Young Woman's Journal). Huntington claimed that Joseph Smith's father had given him a patriarchal blessing in 1837 which promised that he would preach the gospel to the moon inhabitants.
Close examination reveals that Huntington was only ten years old when he was given this blessing and that his recollections were made over fifty years later. Also, it turns out that the blessing was given by his own father, not Joseph Smith's father.
According to a copy of the blessing in the Church archives (Blessing Book, vol.9, pp.294-95), it was only one of many given the same day at the same meeting, and none were recorded in detail at the time. Orson Pratt took sketchy notes as the blessings were given, then filled in details later by consulting those who were there. An examination of the blessing shows that the recorded blessing was much more vague than Huntington remembered.
It also appears that Huntington may have picked up on a rumor that Joseph Smith had given a description of the inhabitants of the moon. This description, which Huntington recorded in his journal, is the original source of the anti-Mormon claim that Joseph described the moon inhabitants. Because his journal is also cited in a Young Woman's publication of the Church, it supposedly gives more credibility to the critics. The statement, which appeared in a two-page article by Oliver B. Huntington entitled “The Inhabitants of the Moon” in the Young Woman's Journal, is as follows:
As far back as 1837, I know that he [Joseph SmithJ said the moon was inhabited by men and women the same as this earth, and that they lived to a greater age than we d~that they live generally to near the age of a 1,000 years.
He described the men as averaging nearly six feet in height, and dressing quite uniformly in something near the Quaker style (Young Woman's Journal, Vol.3, p.263).
From what is quoted here, the most we can conclude is that 0. B. Huntington was familiar with rumors of statements that were attributed to Joseph Smith. However, there is nothing in the writings of Joseph Smith or those who recorded his words prior to his death that even hints of any these views about inhabitants on the moon. This earliest recollection was recorded in 1881, 37 years after the prophet's death.
Even if it turned out that the prophet held these views, nowhere does scripture suggest that a prophet is not allowed to speculate about things that haven't been revealed. Many people during the Nineteenth Century, both the learned and not-so-learned, were speculating on this subject. Joseph Smith's personal opinions and what he taught as revealed doctrine, however, are two entirely different things. The idea that he taught it as a revealed doctrine is based upon Oliver B. Huntington's fifty-year-old, correct or incorrect memory of his blessing, and a rumor that was current in 1881.
Another aspect of the matter needs to be considered. At the present time, man has no scientific or revealed knowledge of whether or not there are inhabitants on the earth's moon. The fact that a handful of astronauts didn't see any inhabitants in the tiny area they viewed when they landed on the moon decades ago certainly gives no definitive information, any more than visitors to earth who might land in barren Death Valley would have any idea of the billions of inhabitants elsewhere.
John the Revelator “saw an angel standing in the sun” (Rev. 19:17). Perhaps we have much to learn about inhabitants of other heavenly spheres.
Cheers all, draw as much blood as you want. I'm out.
I can't believe you wrote that!
Congratulations !!.......This statement will become legendary here on FR. You are a perfect spokesman for the mormon church !
You’d have been better off not commenting for the way it makes you look,......
WOW!
Well, you just roundly refuted the words of Oliver Huntington concerning the revelation by Joseph Smith. Now, how about this from BRIGHAM YOUNG?
from Brigham Young:
“I will tell you who the real fanatics are: they are they who adopt false principles and ideas as facts, and try to establish a superstructure upon, a false foundation. They are the fanatics; and however ardent and zealous they may be, they may reason or argue on false premises till doomsday, and the result will be false. If our
religion is of this character we want to know it; we would like to find a philosopher who can prove it to us. We are called ignorant; so we are: but what of it? Are not all ignorant? I rather think so. Who can tell us of the inhabitants of this little planet that shines of an evening,
called the moon?
When we view its face we may see what is termed “the
man in the moon,” and what some philosophers declare are the shadows of mountains. But these sayings are very vague, and amount to nothing; and when you inquire about the inhabitants of that sphere you find that the most learned are as ignorant in regard to them as the most ignorant of
their fellows. So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain. It was made to give light to those who dwell upon it, and to other planets; and so
will this earth when it is celestialized.
Every planet in its first rude, organic state receives not the glory of God upon it, but is opaque; but when celestialized, every planet that God brings into
existence is a body of light, but not till then. Christ is the light of this planet.” - Journal of Discourses Vol. 13, p.271.
Right.
They're all up there hopping around grooving to serial marriages and stuff.
First you try and discredit what Joe Smith may have said, then you support it.
Did you eat “like funny: cereal” today? This has to be one collisional joke on your part because how can anyone really believe this “moon inhabitants”.
Close examination reveals that Huntington was only ten years old when he was given this blessing and that his recollections were made over fifty years later. Also, it turns out that the blessing was given by his own father, not Joseph Smith’s father.
++++++++++++++++
Let me get this straight.
A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH GOT IT WRONG, NOT THR PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH.
Brigham was closer to smith - so may be he was just further promoting a faith increasing rumor.
“Another aspect of the matter needs to be considered. At the present time, man has no scientific or revealed knowledge of whether or not there are inhabitants on the earth’s moon. “
OMG, you have GOT to be kidding. Better check the Earth’s core too, I hear it is really hollow.
Louis Farrakhan claims that the question of whether there are UFO’s is answered, because he claims he has been to the mothership, orbiting the Earth, and the aliens have come to avenge the blacks against the white man. If I said anything that indicated Smith were similar to Farrakhan, people would be screaming that I was hate-mongering... so thank you for pointing it out for us.
The record shows (one of them, anyway) that Joseph Smith was merely a bible ignorant 14 yo, when he was deceived by two PERSONAGES, hovering in the air in a very bright light.
When he 'recalled' this event much later, there were many versions of it.
It appears that JS's followers ARE allowed to SPECULATE about whether certain veiws are held or not.