Tom Hobson - The Historical Jesus and the Historical Joseph Smith

2020 George Thomas Hobson

The Historical Jesus and the Historical Joseph Smith

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Biblical quotes, when they are not the authors own translation (which are marked with a *), are from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Sometimes, the authors translation coincides with that of the NRSV, and possibly others.

Quotes from the Book of Mormon are from the 1976 edition, copyright 1963 by David O. McKay, Trustee-in-Trust for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All rights reserved. Quotes from the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price are from the 1973 edition, copyright 1949 by George Albert Smith, Trustee-in-Trust for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All rights reserved.

Except for introductory materials found only in the print edition (copyright 1971 by Deseret Book Company), quotes from Joseph Smiths History of the Church are in the public domain and may be found in their original handwritten manuscripts at https://www.josephsmithpapers.org/the-papers/histories/jspph3, accessed 6/20/2019.

Quotes from the Journal of Discourses are in the public domain.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019914710

ISBN 978-1-400329014 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-400329021 (eBook)

Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

This book is dedicated to my family: my wife Catherine, and our children Karen and Peter. I met Catherine in Oregon on the same 1977 youth group trip from St. Louis on which I met the Latter-day Saints in Utah. Our children grew up learning all they knew about the LDS people through cartoon books by Calvin Grondahl and Pat Bagley. The encouragement of my family makes this book their contribution to the spread of the Good News of Gods grace as much as it is mine.

I have had a heart for the Latter-day Saints for more than forty years. This book is the conversation I would love to have with any Latter-day Saint, or with any person who is thinking of becoming one. It contains all the reasons why I believe in Jesus, and why I do not trust Joseph. I have taken great care not to trash Joseph Smith, and I have tried my best to treat his claims with fairness. The way I conduct this conversation may lead some readers to mistakenly believe that I support the LDS faith, or that I believe the LDS faith to be an equally valid option alongside historic Christianity. Neither of these beliefs could be further from the truth! Ultimately, the undeniable facts about Joseph lead me to believe that he cannot be trusted to tell us the truth about God, while the undeniable facts about Jesus Christ lead me to believe that Jesus truly is who he claims to be, and that he is the only One who can put us right with God forever. Lets begin the conversation!

P recisely who Jesus is, is absolutely central to the faith of the universal Church that believes in the God described in the Nicene Creed (Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox). Were not just talking about his divine credentials. Were talking about exactly what he really said and did. If Jesus is not who the Gospels say he was, if they lied or made it up, we need not follow him. Examining and weighing the evidence we have is crucial. We must be sure that we know the facts about Jesus. Our eternity hangs in the balance.

Joseph Smith occupies a similarly pivotal place in the faith of the Latter-day Saints. He is not quite so central; no one believes Joseph to be God, or believes him to have died the atoning death that takes away our sins. But in LDS belief, following Joseph is central to whether a person joins the true Church of Jesus Christ.

In the LDS scripture Doctrine and Covenants 135:3, we read, Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man who ever lived in it. Thats pretty central!

Brigham Young announced on October 9, 1859, Joseph Smith holds the keys of this last dispensation no man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding-up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, Junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent. He holds the keys of that kingdom for the last dispensation the keys to rule in the spirit-world; and he rules there triumphantly He reigns there as supreme a being in his sphere, capacity, and calling, as God does in heaven.(Journal of Discourses 7:289 emphasis added)

While todays Latter-day Saints may not agree exactly with every word that Brigham Young says in the preceding sound bite, confirming ones belief that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God is an important part of any worthiness interview done to receive a temple recommend (permit to enter an LDS temple). I testify that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God is also a standard part of any testimony given from a pulpit in an LDS sacrament meeting. The question Who is Joseph Smith? must also be answered by any Christian or seeker who is sorting out the truth claims of both faith traditions. So it becomes just as important to know the facts about Joseph as it does for us to know the facts about Jesus.

Before I speak any further, I want to stop and make sure that our LDS friends are on board with Jesus, regardless of where the facts may lead about Joseph. If we can agree that Jesus Christ is the Savior and the One we must follow above all others, we can continue the conversation. If we do not agree that Jesus is more important than whatever we may conclude about Joseph, there is no need to continue the conversation. I am determined not to say or prove anything that would cause a Latter-day Saint to lose their faith in Jesus.

I want to be right about Jesus and about Joseph. If Jesus is not who I think he was, or if Joseph Smith is who his followers think he is, I am in big trouble. What I think about both leaders matters tremendously. I do not want to be caught dead believing a lie. While I do not follow Joseph, I take Josephs claim to be a prophet with the utmost seriousness. Both the Latter-day Saint and I want to know the truth on these questions that determine our eternal destiny.