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Brigham Young never mentioned First Vision: Difference between revisions
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'''1864''' | '''1864''' | ||
:On 1 September | :On 1 September 1864 Brigham Young signed and dated a copy of the Pearl of Great Price and donated it to Harvard university. This volume contains Joseph Smith’s 1838 First Vision account (Rodney Turner, “Franklin D. Richards and the Pearl of Great Price,” in Donald Q. Cannon, ed., ''Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint History: British Isles'' [Provo, UT: BYU Department of Church History and Doctrine, 1990], 184). | ||
'''1867''' | '''1867''' | ||
:In the Bowery in Salt Lake City on 23 June 1867 Brigham Young said: “When the Lord called upon Joseph he was but a boy—a child, only about fourteen years of age. He was not filled with traditions; his mind was not made up to this, that, or the other. I very well recollect the reformation which took place in the country among the various denominations of Christians—the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others—when Joseph was a boy. Joseph’s mother, one of his brothers, and one, if not two, of his sisters were members of the Presbyterian Church, and on this account the Presbyterians hung to the family with great tenacity. And in the midst of these revivals among the religious bodies, the invitation, ‘Come and join our church,’ was often extended to Joseph, but more particularly from the Presbyterians. Joseph was naturally inclined to be religious, and being young, and surrounded with this excitement, no wonder that he became seriously impressed with the necessity of serving the Lord. But as the cry on every hand was, ‘Lo, here is Christ,’ and ‘Lo, there!’ Said he, ‘Lord, teach me, that I may know for myself, who among these are right.’ And what was the answer? ‘They are all out of the way; they have gone astray, and there is none that doeth good, no not one’” (''Journal of Discourses'', 12:68–69). | :In the Bowery in Salt Lake City on 23 June 1867 Brigham Young said: “When the Lord called upon Joseph he was but a boy—a child, only about fourteen years of age. He was not filled with traditions; his mind was not made up to this, that, or the other. I very well recollect the reformation which took place in the country among the various denominations of Christians—the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others—when Joseph was a boy. Joseph’s mother, one of his brothers, and one, if not two, of his sisters were members of the Presbyterian Church, and on this account the Presbyterians hung to the family with great tenacity. And in the midst of these revivals among the religious bodies, the invitation, ‘Come and join our church,’ was often extended to Joseph, but more particularly from the Presbyterians. Joseph was naturally inclined to be religious, and being young, and surrounded with this excitement, no wonder that he became seriously impressed with the necessity of serving the Lord. But as the cry on every hand was, ‘Lo, here is Christ,’ and ‘Lo, there!’ Said he, ‘Lord, teach me, that I may know for myself, who among these are right.’ And what was the answer? ‘They are all out of the way; they have gone astray, and there is none that doeth good, no not one’” (''Journal of Discourses'', 12:68–69). | ||
==Conclusion== | ==Conclusion== | ||
Revision as of 18:18, 2 January 2007
This article is a draft. FairMormon editors are currently editing it. We welcome your suggestions on improving the content.
Criticism
"Brigham Young never once mentioned the First Vision of God the Father and his Son in his 30 years of preaching as President of the Church."
Source(s) of the criticism
Christian Research and Counsel, "Documented History of Joseph Smith's First Vision," full-color pamphlet, 10 pages. [There is a notation within this pamphlet indicating that research and portions of text were garnered from Utah Lighthouse Ministry]
Response
This charge is not historically accurate and cannot be taken seriously. It can be plainly seen in the information provided below that Brigham Young was aware of the First Vision story during his tenure as President of the Church and not only shared it with non-Mormons in written form but also spoke to the Saints about it over the pulpit.
1835–36
- Around 9 August 1835 Joseph Young (Brigham Young’s brother) was serving as a missionary with Burr Riggs and they were teaching the First Vision story (See Young Woman’s Journal, vol. 18, no. 12, December 1907, 537–39; Samuel W. Richards, Journal Book 2 of Travels To Nauvoo, BYU Special Collections, Writings of Early Latter-day Saints, 26; Andrew Jenson, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:187). In the Summer of 1836 Joseph Young and Brigham Young were together serving as missionaries (See Andrew Jenson, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia, 1:115).
1850
- On 1 November 1850 Lorenzo Snow wrote a letter to Brigham Young and informed him that he had produced a tract called The Voice of Joseph which included information on “visions of Joseph Smith.” This tract talks about the Prophet’s First Vision experience. (Eliza R. Snow, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow [Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1884], 127–28).
1854
- The Lucy Mack Smith autobiography called Biographical Sketches became available in Utah. Since Brigham Young protested vigorously against some of this book’s content he was more than likely aware of the 1838 Church history First Vision material printed within it (Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet and His Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool, England: S. W. Richards, 1853]; Scot F. Proctor and Maurine J. Proctor, eds., History of Joseph Smith, Revised and Enhanced [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996], editor’s introduction).
1857
- On 13 August 1857 Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, Daniel H. Wells, John Taylor, Willard Richards, and Wilford Woodruff placed a copy of the Pearl of Great Price in the southeast cornerstone of the Salt Lake Temple. This volume contains the 1838 Church history First Vision account. (Brigham Young Journal, 13 August 1857, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah).
1858
- On 20 January 1858 apostles Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith appended a statement to the published Church history stating that “since the death of the Prophet Joseph, the history has been carefully revised under the strict inspection of President Brigham Young, and approved of by him.” This history contains the 1838 First Vision account (Deseret News, vol. 7, 20 January 1858, 363).
1859
- In the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City on 1 September 1859 Brigham Young referred to Joseph Smith’s published 1838 First Vision account. He asked, “[H]ave I yet lived to the state of perfection that I can commune in person with the Father and the Son at my will and pleasure? No . . . . [three sentences later] Joseph Smith in his youth had revelations from God. He saw and understood for himself. Are you acquainted with his life? You can read the history of it. I was acquainted with him during many years. He had heavenly visions; angels administered to him” (Journal of Discourses, 7:243-44; emphasis added).
1861
- In the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City on 3 March 1861 Brigham Young said: “The Lord chose Joseph Smith, called upon him at fourteen years of age, gave him visions, and led him along, guided and directed him in his obscurity until he brought forth the plates and translated them” (Journal of Discourses, 8:354).
1864
- On 1 September 1864 Brigham Young signed and dated a copy of the Pearl of Great Price and donated it to Harvard university. This volume contains Joseph Smith’s 1838 First Vision account (Rodney Turner, “Franklin D. Richards and the Pearl of Great Price,” in Donald Q. Cannon, ed., Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint History: British Isles [Provo, UT: BYU Department of Church History and Doctrine, 1990], 184).
1867
- In the Bowery in Salt Lake City on 23 June 1867 Brigham Young said: “When the Lord called upon Joseph he was but a boy—a child, only about fourteen years of age. He was not filled with traditions; his mind was not made up to this, that, or the other. I very well recollect the reformation which took place in the country among the various denominations of Christians—the Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, and others—when Joseph was a boy. Joseph’s mother, one of his brothers, and one, if not two, of his sisters were members of the Presbyterian Church, and on this account the Presbyterians hung to the family with great tenacity. And in the midst of these revivals among the religious bodies, the invitation, ‘Come and join our church,’ was often extended to Joseph, but more particularly from the Presbyterians. Joseph was naturally inclined to be religious, and being young, and surrounded with this excitement, no wonder that he became seriously impressed with the necessity of serving the Lord. But as the cry on every hand was, ‘Lo, here is Christ,’ and ‘Lo, there!’ Said he, ‘Lord, teach me, that I may know for myself, who among these are right.’ And what was the answer? ‘They are all out of the way; they have gone astray, and there is none that doeth good, no not one’” (Journal of Discourses, 12:68–69).
Conclusion
It cannot be denied that Brigham Young was aware of the official version of the First Vision as published by Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, Illinois. And it is almost beyond comprehension to believe that President Young was not aware of numerous First Vision story recitals (both in print and over the pulpit) by high Church authorities such as Orson Pratt, Lorenzo Snow, George Q. Cannon, Orson Hyde, John Taylor, Franklin D. Richards, and George A. Smith.
Endnotes
None
Further reading
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