For starters, from smith himself, his accounts of his first encounter widely vary, either having him being 14, 15 or 17; in the grove or in the bedroom; numbers of contradictory reasons for seeking 'god' or why 'god' revealed himself to smith, among many others. There are at least 9 different accounts including the 'official' one (which wasn't supervises by smith).
However, more to the point as well, other Christian revivalists of the era wrote/spoke about their experiences that are similar. Charles Finney spoke of an experience with God in a "Grove of Woods" ( Richard A. G. Dupuis and Garth M. Russell, eds., The Memoirs of Charles G. Finney (Grand Rapids: Acadamie Books, 1989), p. 18.) which he said occurred in October of 1821. Parallels include
1. Time frame - 1820 (smith) 1821 Finney
2. Occured in a grove of woods/trees
3. Prayers became 'paralyzed'
4. Being(s) in light appeared
5. Rejection of story by others.
Others reporting similar experiences in that time range include Norris Stearns (1815), Elias Smith (1816), Asa Wild (1823), Solomon Chamberlain (1816), and James G. Marsh (1828). These were in circulation with more than enough time for an imaginative smith to cull ideas and form his own story.
Fact is the 1st vision story wasn't promulgated until 22 years after the official date. Smith made no mention of it when he wrote the history of the church in 1835. More than ample time for the myth to be formed - and if you review the various and changing accounts, you can see that indeed it was sculpted and changed with time.
There is a monument near Hickory Grove/Harmony that commemorates the baptism of J. Smith and Oliver Cowdry in the Susquehanna River.
Nearby Smith met Emma Hale, married and began his writings.
There is a monument near Hickory Grove/Harmony that commemorates the baptism of J. Smith and Oliver Cowdry in the Susquehanna River.
Nearby Smith met Emma Hale, married and began his writings.
In June 1828, TEN years after he claimed God told him not too, Joey Smith joined aq Chrsitn Chruch in Harmony PA..
The pastor of the methodist Church was Emma Hale Smith’s uncle and the Hale family and cousins knew that Joey Smith was not there as a good Chrsitian man but to do evil...
They knew that Joey Smith was a “peeper” (someone who claimed they could see money and treasure underground and “ a practicing necromancer, a dealer in enchantments and bleeding ghosts” so they asked him if he would stop doing those unChristian and occultic blasphemies..
Joey Smith refused to quit his lifestyle and chose to leave the Church instead...
This and the ex-communication of the Smith family from the Presbyterian Church in Palmyra NY in March, 1830 were probably some the excuse he used to denounce all Christianity and the Christian Churches...
He was not allowed to get his own pagan way and so he caused no end of trouble and strife for those his ego told him had “dissed” him...
Bleeding ghosts ???