Joseph Smith. “I was called of my Heavenly Father to lay the foundation of this great work and kingdom in this dispensation, and testify of His revealed will to scattered Israel.” They are very clear as to what does and what doesn't constitute pedophilia. . Question-What would church leaders/members main attempt at defense against this be? "In the United States the average age of menarche (first menstruation) dropped from 16.5 in 1840 to 12.9 in 1950. W hen Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, received a revelation in about 1831 in which he was commanded by God to break the law and take multiple wives, he … ", (“Joseph Smith, Jr., to Newell K. Whitney, Elizabeth Ann Whitney, etc.,” 18 August 1842, George Albert Smith Family Papers, Special Collections, Marriott Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, text and signature of this document in the handwriting of Joseph Smith, Jr.; this document has been reproduced in Dean C. Jessee's “The Personal Writings of Joseph Smith” [Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co., 1984], pp. On 19 August 1842, he wrote the following love letter to Sarah, laying out his plans to meet up with her: “To arrange [a] night liason with [his] plural wife--Newell K. Whitney's daughter Sarah Ann--Smith writes: ' . In our efforts to sort through the wasteland that is Mormon history (fact vs. fiction), it's worthwhile . Joseph said the whiteness of his robe “was beyond anything earthly I had ever seen; nor do I believe that any earthly thing could be made to appear so exceedingly white and brilliant…His whole person was glorious beyond description, and his countenance truly like lightening” (Joseph Smith—History 1: 31,32). 6, p. 223; Lucy Walker Smith Kimball, in “Temple Lot” case, full transcript, p. 461, LDS archives; Helen Kimball Whitney, “Woman\'s Exponent,” 15 February 1886, p. 138; cited in ibid)
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*Smith and 17-year-old Sarah Lawrence
\nSmith married Sarah the same day he married Sarah Lawrence\'s sister Maria, 11 May 1843.
\n(FamilySearch.com record for Joseph Smith Jr., “Historical Record,” vol. "The case is even true in pioneer Utah among first marriages. Take a look at and pay attention to the age at marriage. Sure, a very few did but it was far from the norm. . The statistics are very clear [on] the notion that the age of sexual maturity among women has changed or is still changing. . Joseph Smith was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont. Webb, Smith\'s grammar teacher . Joseph Smith also produced an erroneous translation of several Egyptian papyrus scrolls to produce the "Book of Abraham". All of the research I've been able to find . McLellin, in a letter to one of Smith's sons, added that the ensuing confrontation between Emma and her husband grew so heated that Rigdon, Frederick G. Williams, and Oliver Cowdery had to mediate the situation. . . Joseph Smith: Nineteenth Century Con Man? . "Jack Larkin, 'The Reshaping of Everyday Life,' 1790-1840 (New York: Harper & Row, 1988), 63; Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, 'Good Wives: Image and Reality in the Lives of Women in Northern New England, 1650-1750' [NY: Oxford University Press, 1980], 6; Nancy F. Cott, 'Young Women in the Second Great Awakening in New England,' 'Feminist Studies' 3 [1975] 16; Dr. Dorothy V. Whipple, 'Dynamics of Development: Euthenic Pediatrics' [New York: McGraw-Hill, 1966]", ("Was It Normal to Marry 14 year-old Girls in Joseph Smith's Time?," by "Deconstructor," at: http://www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/teen_polygamy.htm What Is Joseph Smith—History? But the first wives were the age of the husband and married over the age of 20. After swearing her to secrecy, wrote George W. Robinson, Smith announced his \'affection for her for several years, and wished that she should be his . [T]he only thing to be careful of is to find out when Emma comes, then you cannot be safe but when she is not here, there is the most perfect safety. Helen\'s father, Heber C. Kimball, officiated the wedding of his underage daughter to Smith.
\nHelen was the youngest of Smith\'s brides--and according to Helen, he had sex with her.
\nHelen wrote about how her marriage to Smith was orchestrated by her father:
\n\"Having a great desire to be connected with the Prophet, Joseph, he (my father) offered me to him; this I afterwards learned from the Prophet\'s own mouth. Now, for the evidence that Smith, like Jeffs, had sex with his own underage child victims: "Many LDS Church leaders and historians suggest that sexual relations and the marriage of Joseph Smith and his youngest wife, Helen Mar Kimball, 14 at the time, was 'approaching eligibility.'. but if she had any scruples of conscience about the matter, he would marry her privately.'. I thought of the love and tenderness that he felt for his only daughter and I knew that he would not cast me off, and this was the only convincing proof that I had of its being right.”
\nThe next day, Smith came by to explain to Helen the “Law of Celestial Marriage,” and, having done that, to take her as his latest bride.
\nHelen described Smith\'s pitch:
\n“After which he said to me, \'If you take this step, it will ensure your eternal salvation and exaltation and that of your father\'s household and all of your kindred.\' This promise was so great that I willingly gave myself to purchase so glorious a reward.\"
\nHelen\'s mother was none too pleased with the marriage, as Helen explains:
\n\"None but God and his angels could see my mother\'s bleeding heart. 1, p. 697; S. Easton, “Marriages in Nauvoo Region 1839-45;” “Civil Marriages in Nauvoo 1839-45.” Lyndon Cook, “Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register 1845-46; Mormon Manuscripts to 1846;” cited in ibid).
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*Smith and 16-year-old Flora Ann Woodworth
\nSmith married Flora in April 1843 (exact date unknown).
\n(Elder William Clayton affidavit, in “Historical Record,” vol. . Joseph Smith-History, as we now have it in the Pearl of Great Price, was part of this 1839 version of the History of the Church. . Smith informed her (using a line he also employed with Emma and others) that he was ordered to do so by a sword-wielding angel who was threatening to kill him if he disobeyed:
\n“Already married, 19 year-old Zina remained conflicted with Smith\'s polygamy proposal \'until a day in October, apparently, when Joseph sent [her older brother] Dimick to her with a message: an angel with a drawn sword had stood over Smith and told him that if he did not establish polygamy, he would lose “his position and his life.” Zina, faced with the responsibility for his position as prophet, and even perhaps his life, finally acquiesced.\' They were secretly married within days “
\n(Todd Compton, “In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith,” pp. "This would suggest that Joseph Smith had sexual relations and married several women before the age of eligibility, and some very close to the age of eligibility including: "'Joseph was very free in his talk about his women. .
\n“I close my letter, I think Emma won\'t come tonight. But in aiming for accuracy in trying to describe Joseph Smith, there are a lot of words other than 'pedophile' that do the job more saliently and succinctly. . But when no treasure had been found and no one was any longer willing to pay for his services, he moved on. Founded in 1830 by the then twenty-four year old Joseph Smith, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (as it is formally named) has emerged from relative insularity during the mid-twentieth century to become a world-wide movement now numbering nine million members. (Joseph Smith's close confidant and LDS Church First Councilor, William Law, interview in 'Salt Lake Tribune,' 31 July 1887), "'When Heber C. Kimball asked Sister Eliza R. Snow the question if she was not a virgin although married to Joseph Smith, she replied, "I thought you knew Joseph Smith better than that."' . Mormon Polygamy Timeline; The 1830s; The Prophet Secretly Teaches Polygamy; Other Mormon Leaders Practice Polygamy; John C. Bennett’s Spiritual Wifery; Emma Smith Struggles; Polygamy and the Martyrdom; Nauvoo Polygamists. . "[A] claim being disputed is that Joseph Smith was a pedophile. (Elder William Clayton affidavit, in “Historical Record,” vol. [2]. According to McLellin, Emma was searching for her husband and Alger one evening, when through a crack in the barn door she saw \'him and Fanny in the barn together alone\' on the hay mow. . [It] doesn't mean however, that he wasn't a lecherous scumbag who would stop at nothing to bed any young woman who captured his fancy. Whatever biology might have to say, according to the morals of his time, several of Joseph Smith's wives were still inappropriately young for him. . Smith married Flora in April 1843 (exact date unknown). Caught with his hand in Fanny's cookie jar, Smith confessed. Joseph Smith (1832): "we were deprived of the bennifit of an education suffice it to say I was mearly instructtid in reading and writing and the ground steve benson Mar 2012 Like Warren Jeffs, Joseph Smith engaged in sex with underage girls (despite what robo-Mos dependent on FAIR propaganda peddling may wish to believe--and as proven by Mormon history itself). *Smith\'s Well-Earned Reputation for Being a Sex-Obsessed, Self-Possessed Philanderer As a baseline (and as known in Mormon circles of his day), Smith was legendary for his sexual attraction to women. In fact, the official LDS publication, “History of the Church” (vol. In some developing countries age at menarche appears to be decreasing even faster. Well known to biological anthropologists as the "secular trend," this crash in the age of sexual maturity has proceeded at the rate of four months per decade and, in most populations, continues. . In 1829 and 1830, Joseph Smith’s understanding of the priesthood as shown in the Doctrine and Covenants was about Church administration and priesthood authority and offices, McBride continued. Caught with his hand in Fanny\'s cookie jar, Smith confessed. . Therein lies the true pathology of Mormonism.\" (\"Joseph Smith, Menses, Pedophilia, Etc.,\" by \"TLC,\" on \"Recovery from Mormonism\" bulletin board, 9 August 2003, at: http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon253.htm) Deconstructor concurs with the above assessment, declaring its findings to be \"absolutely correct.\" (\"TLC Is Absolutely Correct; Here\'s a Repost on This Subject,\" by \"Deconstructor,\" on \"Recovery from Mormonism\" bulletin board, 9 August 2003, at: http://www.exmormon.org/mormon/mormon253.htm) Don Bagley \"[A] claim being disputed is that Joseph Smith was a pedophile. Like many of Smith's publications, it was dictated to a scribe. In general, girls enter puberty between ages 8 and 13 and reach menarche (first menstruation) several years later, while boys enter puberty between ages 9 and 14 . These two witnesses, taken together, make a good case for Nancy as a plural spouse of Joseph. it helps to understand the context from within which we assess the lecherous scumbag known as Joseph Smith. However, he admitted to perpetrating various gold digging, divining and necromancy activities. All of the research I\'ve been able to find . . Smith's moves to seduce other men's wives were so brazen and notorious that they led one distraught husband--Orson Pratt--to attempt suicide in Nauvoo on 15 July 1842: “Thousands of Nauvoo Mormons search[ed] for Orson Pratt after discovering a suicide note. American women began to marry in their late teens; around different parts of the United States the average age of marriage varied from 19 to 23. \"In the United States the average age of menarche (first menstruation) dropped from 16.5 in 1840 to 12.9 in 1950. . . _____, RfM contributor "Deconstructor" on his own website asks---then answers--the question: "Was it normal to marry 14 year-old girls in Joseph Smith's time?". Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire. Whatever biology might have to say, according to the morals of his time, several of Joseph Smith\'s wives were still inappropriately young for him. \"It is a pure myth that 19th-century American girls married at age 12-14. \"For example, Laura Ingalls Wilder, from \'Little House on the Prairie\' fame, was born in 1867, which puts her later than Joseph Smith but still in the 1800s. Well known to biological anthropologists as the \"secular trend,\" this crash in the age of sexual maturity has proceeded at the rate of four months per decade and, in most populations, continues. Joseph Smith boasted he did more than Jesus to keep a church together. To set the stage, he first quotes from Smith's Mormon scriptural justification for polygamous sex as a general principle required for Mormon exaltation (the same scriptures, by the way, faithfully cited and espoused by Warren Jeffs, as well): "And I will bless Joseph Smith and multiply him and give unto him an hundredfold in this world, of fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters, houses and lands, wives and children, and crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds. The Massachusetts family reconstitutions revealed somewhat higher mean ages. . ] \"And then we have these testimonies: \"\'Joseph was very free in his talk about his women. The vast majority of women married after the age of 20. . “\'Only be careful to escape observation, as much as possible. . ", (original manuscript of “Kirtland Revelation Book,” Church Historical Department, Ms f 490 # 2; “The Historical Record,” vol. The James Randi Educational Foundation would be happy to help them organize a suitable demonstration (and pay a large prize if they are successful). Joseph Smith Jr. was born 23 December 1805 in Sharon, Vermont, to Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith. . We don't know if he had sex with pre-pubescent children, therefore we don't know if he was truly a pedophile. Described as 'a very nice and comly young woman,' according to Benjamin Johnson, Fanny lived with the Smith family from 1833 to 1836.”. 'Fertility Transition in the Connecticut Valley:1740-1850m' 'Population Studies' 32, March 1978, 27-41.: Table 6, p. 34. American women began to marry in their late teens; around different parts of the United States the average age of marriage varied from 19 to 23. I know that my response would be visceral and swift. \"Makes you wonder what kind of men Smith had around him that they would so willingly hand over their young daughters to him. Not only did Smith have a reputation as a ladies' man, he also had a record of defending friends of his who were sleeping around. Joseph Smith, originally Joseph Smith, Jr., (born December 23, 1805, Sharon, Vermont, U.S.—died June 27, 1844, Carthage, Illinois), American prophet and founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. . 5, p. 53), acknowledged the lore of Smith's attraction to females, as described in 'The Wasp,” a … . [T]he only thing to be careful of is to find out when Emma comes, then you cannot be safe but when she is not here, there is the most perfect safety. . Though she married non-Mormon Solomon Custer on 16 November 183614 and was living in Dublin City, Indiana, far from Kirtland, her name still raised eyebrows. Since the key religious text of Mormonism is a forgery, the entire belief system disintegrates. Fanny stayed with relatives in nearby Mayfield until about the time Joseph fled Kirtland for Missouri. Smith invited Nancy Rigdon, 19-year-old daughter of his close friend and counselor, Sidney Rigdon, to meet him at the home of Orson Hyde. . . . History. On 23 March 1844, William Law filed suit against Smith for committing adultery with Smith\'s foster daughter and plural wife: “William Law file[d] a formal complaint with the Hancock County [Illinois] circuit court charging Smith was living \'in an open state of adultery\' with Maria Lawrence, Smith\'s foster daughter and polygamous wife.
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\nRe: History, not Mystery: Joseph Smith was a Pedophile
\nThat\'s a lot of light on the subject, Steve. “'Only be careful to escape observation, as much as possible. _____, *Smith and 19-year-old Emily Dow Partridge. Let immortality and eternal life henceforth be sealed upon your heads forever and ever. As part of Smith's brimming quiver of teenager brides, in May 1843, in Smith's Nauvoo store, he married an underage 14-year-old female named Helen Mar Kimball. Her psychological sexual maturity was not competent for procreation. even things which might be considered abominable to all who understand the order of heaven only in part, but which in reality were right because God gave and sanctioned by special revelation.' Mormon men in their 20s started out marrying someone their own age. More recent figures indicate that it now occurs on average at 12.8 years of age. “'If you both agree to covenant and do this, then I give you Sarah Ann Whitney, my daughter, to Joseph Smith to be his wife, to observe all the rights between you both that belong to that condition. More on that below.