Haunted Ground: Journeys through a Paranormal America [Joseph Smith's magic dowser worldviews]

Quinn, who has since been excommunicated from the LDS, argued that the legend of the discovery of the golden plates reflected the practices and lore of early American dowsers. Had he, rather than Elder Mitchell, escorted me through the visitors' center this afternoon, the golden plates would have been likened to buried treasure, with Moroni as their spiritual guardian. Smith's visions would have been seen as standard episode in any dowser's magical hunt for lost or hidden objects. As for the seer stones, these would have been explained as typical tools of the dowsing trade in the early nineteenth century, magical devices through which the seeker received ongoing visionary information about the object of his quest.

As for Smith's particular vision of the Apocalypse, this too bears for Quinn a striking resemblance to the teachings of an obscure band of religious dowsers from Middletown, Vermont, whom local newspapers dubbed the Fraternity of Rodsmen. The Rodsmen believed that ancient Israelites had settled in America and that members of the fraternity were their true spiritual heirs...Rumors in fact circulated in Vermont at the time that Joseph Smith, Sr., father of the prophet, was a member of the fraternity...

From page 127:

...Former LDS historian D. Michael Quinn...Quinn's meticulous research, enriched by his access to LDS historical archives, paints a very different picture of Joseph Smith than that recounted by church elders. According to Quinn, Smith was a man deeply influenced by the Renaissance "magic worldview" imported from Europe and kept alive in America through the folkways of British and German immigrants. Quinn, who has since been excommunicated from the LDS, argued that the legend of the discovery of the golden plates reflected the practices and lore of early American dowsers. Had he, rather than Elder Mitchell, escorted me through the visitors' center this afternoon, the golden plates would have been likened to buried treasure, with Moroni as their spiritual guardian. Smith's visions would have been seen as standard episode in any dowser's magical hunt for lost or hidden objects. As for the seer stones, these would have been explained as typical tools of the dowsing trade in the early nineteenth century, magical devices through which the seeker received ongoing visionary information about the object of his quest. As for Smith's particular vision of the Apocalypse, this too bears for Quinn a striking resemblance to the teachings of an obscure band of religious dowsers from Middletown, Vermont, whom local newspapers dubbed the Fraternity of Rodsmen. The Rodsmen believed that ancient Israelites had settled in America and that members of the fraternity were their true spiritual heirs...Rumors in fact circulated in Vermont at the time that Joseph Smith, Sr., father of the prophet, was a member of the fraternity...

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

This week's The OTHER World Series threads: