| Revision as of 18:38, 22 April 2004 editHawstom (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users4,830 edits =Background= Smith's tesitmony says four of the family had joined Presbyterian church, not Methodist.← Previous edit | Revision as of 01:21, 2 May 2004 edit undo128.187.0.167 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
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| The '''First Vision''' is a vital part of ] (or ]) belief. | |||
| ==Background== | ==Background== | ||
| An area of upstate and western ] frequently experienced religious revivals, which would later lead to its being termed the ]. One such religious movement that originated in the Burned-over district was ]. As a boy living in Palmyra, New York, ], who would later |
An area of upstate and western ] frequently experienced religious revivals, which would later lead to its being termed the ]. One such religious movement that originated in the Burned-over district was ]. | ||
| As a boy living in Palmyra, New York, ], who would later found the ] movement, reported he was considering which of the various religious ] he should join. His father's family had converted to the ] faith, and four had joined the local church. He considering joining the ] church when he claims the following events happened. | |||
| ==Summary of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s Official Account of The First Vision== | ==Summary of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s Official Account of The First Vision== | ||
| In the spring of 1820, at the age of fourteen years old, Smith |
In the spring of 1820, at the age of fourteen years old, Smith reported he was reading the Bible when he came across the following verse in the first chapter of the ]: | ||
| :''James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.'' | :''James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.'' | ||
| Smith felt deeply impressed by this particular ], believing he needed guiadance in choosing the proper church to join. | |||
| Smith felt deeply impressed by this particular ], believing that he was in desperate need of wisdom in ascertaining which church he should join. One morning, he went into a grove of trees (now known by Latter-day Saint members as the ]) behind the family farm, knelt down, and began his first vocal ]. Almost immediately after starting his prayer, Joseph was confronted by some power, which completely overcame him and kept him from being able to continue speaking. He felt darkness gather about him, and believed that he would soon be totally destroyed, but he prayed non-verbally that ] would deliver him from whatever power was holding him. | |||
| One morning, he went into a grove of trees (now known by Latter-day Saint members as the ]) behind the family's farm, knelt down, and began his first vocal ]. | |||
| At the moment Smith thought his strength was completely spent and was resigned to his destruction, an extremely bright light, described as being brighter than the ], descended towards him. With the coming of the light, Smith was delivered from the power that had held him. | |||
| Almost immediately after starting his prayer, Smith reported a confrontation with a power he regarded as evil or malign. He reported the force completely inhibited his speech. He felt darkness gather about him, and believed that he would soon be totally destroyed. He continued his prayer non-verbally, asking for ]'s aid. Smith claimed he felt hopeless and resigned to destruction. At this moment, he reported a light brighter than the ] descended towards him. With the arrival of the light, Smith reported the malign power vanished. | |||
| ⚫ | In the light, Smith saw two beings standing in the air in front of him |
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| ⚫ | In the light, Smith saw two beings standing in the air in front of him. One being pointed to the other and stated that this was his "Beloved Son." (Smith reported that the two beings were ] and ].) As Smith again could speak, he asked to know which religious ] he should join. Smith claimed he was told that all existing religions had been corrupted from ]'s teachings in a ]. | ||
| ⚫ | In the years following |
||
| ⚫ | In the years following this First Vision, Smith claims to have received more instructions from ], some of which were given through messengers such as ]. Eventually, Smith and five others incorporated what would become known as ]. | ||
| ==Criticisms of the First Vision== | ==Criticisms of the First Vision== | ||
| There are a number of sometimes |
There are a number of sometimes conflicting records depicting Smith's claims, some of which were made second-hand. Smith did not record any details of the First Vision until 1831 or 1832--shortly after the Church of Christ was officially incorporated. A detailed account was not published until the ], ] issue of ], the church's offical paper. | ||
| Critics claim that the various records are inconsistent. They argue that Smith's earliest versions of his experience claim only that an ] visited him, rather than ] and ], and that Smith changed his story over time. | |||
| Some ]s suggest these inconsistencies may be accounted for by Smith emphasising various parts of the vision in retelling his account. | |||
Revision as of 01:21, 2 May 2004
The First Vision is a vital part of Latter Day Saint (or Mormon) belief.
Background
An area of upstate and western New York frequently experienced religious revivals, which would later lead to its being termed the Burned-over district. One such religious movement that originated in the Burned-over district was The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
As a boy living in Palmyra, New York, Joseph Smith, Jr., who would later found the Latter-day Saints movement, reported he was considering which of the various religious sects he should join. His father's family had converted to the Presbyterian faith, and four had joined the local church. He considering joining the Methodist church when he claims the following events happened.
Summary of Joseph Smith, Jr.'s Official Account of The First Vision
In the spring of 1820, at the age of fourteen years old, Smith reported he was reading the Bible when he came across the following verse in the first chapter of the Epistle of James:
- James 1:5 - If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
Smith felt deeply impressed by this particular scripture, believing he needed guiadance in choosing the proper church to join.
One morning, he went into a grove of trees (now known by Latter-day Saint members as the sacred grove) behind the family's farm, knelt down, and began his first vocal prayer.
Almost immediately after starting his prayer, Smith reported a confrontation with a power he regarded as evil or malign. He reported the force completely inhibited his speech. He felt darkness gather about him, and believed that he would soon be totally destroyed. He continued his prayer non-verbally, asking for God's aid. Smith claimed he felt hopeless and resigned to destruction. At this moment, he reported a light brighter than the sun descended towards him. With the arrival of the light, Smith reported the malign power vanished.
In the light, Smith saw two beings standing in the air in front of him. One being pointed to the other and stated that this was his "Beloved Son." (Smith reported that the two beings were God the Father and Jesus Christ.) As Smith again could speak, he asked to know which religious sect he should join. Smith claimed he was told that all existing religions had been corrupted from Jesus Christ's teachings in a great apostacy.
In the years following this First Vision, Smith claims to have received more instructions from God, some of which were given through messengers such as angels. Eventually, Smith and five others incorporated what would become known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Criticisms of the First Vision
There are a number of sometimes conflicting records depicting Smith's claims, some of which were made second-hand. Smith did not record any details of the First Vision until 1831 or 1832--shortly after the Church of Christ was officially incorporated. A detailed account was not published until the April 1, 1841 issue of The Times and Seasons, the church's offical paper.
Critics claim that the various records are inconsistent. They argue that Smith's earliest versions of his experience claim only that an angel visited him, rather than God the Father and Jesus Christ, and that Smith changed his story over time.
Some Apologists suggest these inconsistencies may be accounted for by Smith emphasising various parts of the vision in retelling his account.