Did the mormon "religion" really start because a guy saw/heard GOD in his hat?

Question

I've heard this several places and also on an episode of the simpsons. I'm really curious as to how people could possibly believe a guy who says he found god in his hat?? (if it's true)

Answer 1

For even more interesting information about the LDS church, read "Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith" by Jon Krakauer. Yes, it really is a weird and violent religion started by a scam artist.

Answer 2

It didn't really happen exactly the way you saw it on South Park, but it was close enough to see how silly it is.
Add to the fact that this was not the first time that plates were pulled from hills around the USA. One source I read that predates the Mormon church by a number of years lists about 35 known to that point and the author says that it is "getting old" by now (ie 1790's)

Answer 3

Partly true, that's not how it started, but the founder, his name was Joseph Smith, did look at a "seer stone" in a hat to help with finding things out.
It gets a whole lot more bizzarre than that. Angels figure quite a lot. Google it.
It seems a normal part of a religion to me. How could people believe? You'll have to hear from Mormans ( Church of latter day saints) to get some clues.
There are a lot of apparently sane people who belong to this church.

Answer 4

hmmm.... I've never heard that before. And yes, I'm a Mormon. So the answer to your question is 'no'. If Mormons really believed that some guy started this religion because he saw God in a hat, I would have heard about it in church sometime during my 26 years of life.

Here is a link that tells how the Mormon religion started (much better than I feel I can explain here). Check it out if you're interested.

http://mormon.org/mormonorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=b4f4055b23710110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=31936db0580a1110VgnVCM100000176f620a____

Answer 5

Yes and no. Joseph Smith (the "founder" of the LDS/Mormon church) claims that he saw God and Jesus who instructed him that none of the current churches were the "true" church. They told Joseph Smith of some golden plates buried in the Hill Cumorah that Joseph Smith was to translate. These plates were written in a language that a bunch of native american indians spoke. These people were descendents of a "prophet" named Lehi who god told to build a boat and come to this part of the earth. These records were the basis for what is now called the Book of Mormon, which is supposed to be another testament of Jesus Christ. To translate the language written on the plates, Joseph Smith used two "seer" stones. As far as LDS/Mormons are concerned, they don't know how he used these two stones to translate the plates. According to anti/exmormon tradition, Joseph Smith claimed to have stuck his face in a hat to translate. Hope that helps.

Answer 6

Normally, I don't like the whole cut and paste thing, but, here it is from our point of view.

In the spring of 1820, after much scripture reading and contemplation, 14-year-old Joseph Smith followed the counsel in James 1:5 to "ask of God." He entered a grove of trees near his home and prayed to know which church was right. In response, God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, appeared to him in what is now known as the First Vision. This sacred experience began the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and is one of the cornerstones of Latter-day Saint faith.

Joseph Smith did not prepare a single, comprehensive account describing everything he experienced and learned from his initial vision but, rather, he presented several accounts at different times. In the 1838 account—which he prepared as the official version for the Church—he wrote, "Many other things did [the Lord] say unto me, which I cannot write at this time" (Joseph Smith—History 1:20).

Like the vision of the Apostle Paul of the New Testament, Joseph Smith's vision was a profound experience. The New Testament gives three accounts of Paul's vision on the road to Damascus, each with a different emphasis and different details. Likewise, Joseph Smith emphasized different aspects of his vision according to the audience he was addressing and his understanding of the event.

Answer 7

Mormons do not believe that Joseph Smith saw God in his hat.

You can read about Joseph Smith's experience in his own words below.

Answer 8

It's not true. I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and I can tell you our religion didn't "start" with Joseph Smith. It started with Jesus. And as for the question about the hat - don't believe everything you see on the Simpsons.

Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and so is Gordon B. Hinckley.

Answer 9

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was formed after Joseph Smith was visited by God and His Son, Jesus Christ, and was told to reestablish His church in these days. In addition, Joseph was given a record, another testament of Jesus Christ, to translate, which he translated, in part, by looking at a stone in a hat.

Below is an article in the Ensign that talks about the stone:

http://www.lds.org/portal/site/LDSOrg/menuitem.b12f9d18fae655bb69095bd3e44916a0/?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=05169209df38b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

Answer 10

The answer is no.

I think this question, and a lot of the answers given by people who are not members of the Church, illustrates how quick people are to believe something ridiculous if it discredits something they don't want to believe.

It is said that if something sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. A corollary might be, if it sounds too ridiculous to be true, then it probably isn't true.

Answer 11

Joseph Smith supposedly had his 1st vision at 14, 16, or 18, depending on which one you read first. Later, an angel appeared at his bed at night and 'shown brightly', yet didn;t awaken his siblings in the same room, who told him where to find the Gold (or special alloy) Plates.

The peep stone in his hat gimmick began about the same time he had his 'vision', where he claimed he could find 'buried Spanish treasure' in the farms of New York and Pennsylvania. He also 'translated the gold (or special alloy) plates by peering into his hat looking at his peep stone. He didn't actually need the plates, so the issue is why the hell did he need them in the first place?

Because they were non-existent?