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Spring 1820: Smith claims to have seen deity
The official account adopted by the LDS Church is that he prayed to know which church, if any, was true, despite the sermon that raised the question in his mind not having been given until 4 years later. -
Smith claims to have seen the Angel Moroni
He meets a white native American prophet, who tells him where to find golden plates, but he is also instructed not to take them yet. -
1824: Religious Excitement
George Lane Gives the talk, that supposedly inspired Smith to question which religion was true. -
November 1825: Joseph Smith, Jr., gains a reputation in the area as a diviner.
He begins in the employment of Josiah Stowell and moves to the vicinity of Harmony, Pennsylvania to look for a rumored silver mine. The "money diggers" board with Isaac Hale's family. Hale states that the boarders left with their bill unpaid. -
Smith is put on trial for Glass-Looking
The Trial Bill
He later "Translates" the golden plates by looking at this same rock in a hat. -
Smith and Emma Hale are married
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Gold Plates Acquired
Smith finally acquires the plates. No one else see's them. He hauls the tremendously heavy object for several miles, while running from treasure hunters. -
1828: Charles Anthon declares the characters to be fake
Martin Harris claims he is lying, and that he only changed his mind when he heard that it was a religious account. -
Summer 1828: 116 pages lost
Martin Harris loses the pages. Smith Claims that the plates were taken from him by God for having let such a thing happen. -
Plates returned
Translating resumes, but from a different book that accounts the exact same events... -
Smith claims the aaronic priesthood was restored
he appends at a later date, when his authority is called into question, that the melchizedek priesthood was also restored. -
Three Witnesses
Their accounts differed rather wildly unfortunately...
This document was not signed by them, rather their names were all appended by one individual... -
Winter 1829: Smith tries to sell the Copyright of the Book of Mormon, unsuccessfully
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Book of Mormon printed
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Church of Christ founded
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Smith Tarred and Feathered, threatened with Castration
Apparently word of his sexual indiscretions leaked out... -
Summer 1832: First Account of First Vision published
Clearly written from a trinitarian perspective
In this account, Smith meets God, who tells him his sins are forgiven, because he was crucified for them. -
Early 1833: Sealed to Fanny Alger
This is odd... Considering that the sealing power wasn't restored until 1836 -
July 1835: Papyri are bought
"Translated" into scripture. The translation done by Smith does not bear any relation to the actual document, which was a pagan burial rite. It was, however, considered translation by Smith, rather than revelation, as is evidenced by the fact that his notes showed translations of individual characters on the papyri. One character apparently equaled as much as a paragraph of english text. -
Second Account of First Vision
This time there are two personages. Neither claims to be god, but they testify of Christ. -
3rd Account of the First Vision (Visitation of Angels)
He recounts the experience again, referring to it as a "Visitation of Angels", rather than from God.
His Diary -
Sealing Restored
Woohoo, we can seal now! If only Smith hadn't already been sealed to other wives before this date... I wish this was an april fools joke, but it isn't... -
August 1837: Smith Charged with Riot, Escapes Jail
'nuff said -
January 1838: Warrant for Smiths Arrest
For illegal Banking -
March 1838: None of the witnesses actually saw or handled the plates
as admitted by Martin Harris -
4th Account of First Vision (The version taught today)
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1838: First Polyandrist Wife
Lucinda Pendleton Morgan Harris -
April 1838: Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer excommunicated
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Early 1838: Parrish, Johnson, Harris form their own church
They try to decide the status of the book of mormon in their new religion, considering none of the witnesses actually saw it. -
5th Account of the First Vision
This time, he claims to have been visited by an angel only, in the year 1823
source -
Marries former sister-in-law
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6th Account
Once again, He refers to two unidentified personages
Wentworth Letter -
Spring 1842: Proposes to Rigdon's Daughter
"That which is wrong under one circumstance, may be, and often is, right under another." -
February 1843: Runs for President
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May 1843: Attempts to translate Kinderhook Plates
Which were later revealed to be a forgery -
7th Account
No mention of visitation at all this time
Source -
Council of Fifty is Established
I'd look this up if I were you...
It was basically high treason against the United States... -
Smith establishes himself as Temporal King of the Earth, and God of the Spirit World
Treason and Blasphemy...
Good Combination -
Smith Denies Polygamy
"What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one." -
The Nauvoo Expositor Reveals Smith's Polygamy
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Smith orders Militia to Destroy the Nauvoo Expositor
For which he was arrested and placed in Carthage -
Smith is Killed
He had been drinking, had removed his garments(though he did continue wearing a pendant of the Roman God Jupiter), shot one of the assailants, and made masonic symbols through the window to try and garner sympathy. He was shot while doing so and fell out of the window. -
Fun Facts:
-By the end of this Smith had nearly 40 wives, including girls as young as 14, women married to other men, a former sister in-law, and multiple sets of sisters -He altered the images on the Papyri to better match his "translation" -Mormonism had a sect of people who carried out violence to accomplish the churches ends, known as the danites -The Book of Mormon has been altered multiple times to fix mistakes -Visit mormonthink.org for more info