Question for LDS about Joseph Smith?

Question

When they made the movies about the life of Joseph Smith. Why didnt they mention the way he looked into a hat with a stone to write the book of Mormon? And how come they never mention his arrest for Glass looking?Or his money digging?

cadisney... your the one who sounds bitter, Im asking a serious question. If your going to do a biography about someone shouldnt you tell the whole story? Why dont you just answer the question?

I like how you like to talk away the question without an answer. Who taught you that?

cman... do you mean sacred or secret?

cadisney... I would like an answer, an honest answer, I would really like to know why they dont talk about these things.

cman... I guess I dont understand sacred. So his visit from the Lord is open to conversation, but his arrest record and his behavior is sacred?

For those of you who claim that I am making this up. Here is a page decribing the avents, and how the Mormon church tried to hide or denie that these things took place. Please show me where any of this is untrue. And your source please.
http://209.85.173.104/u/utlm?q=cache:5ndsqYcdD2AJ:www.utlm.org/newsletters/no68.htm+glass+looking+arrest&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us&ie=UTF-8

Answer 1

I have yet to see the movie you are talking about. But from studying the History of the church, my guess those things weren't mentioned because they didn't happen. If you really untwisted it, you might be able to make sense of it, but like i said, haven't seen the movie.
The stone on hat you are talking may have been the Urim & Thubmin (sp?) two stones fastened to a breasplate, like some humongous pair of glasses. Eventually he didn't need them anymore.
I have no idea what Glass looking is, he was arrested various times, all false charges.
Money digging is either the rumor that he was a gold digger because of the gold plates the Book of Mormon was translated from (he never did profit from them) or a trip he once took to pick up some inheritence or something, vaugely remember hearing something about it, but it was out of desperation, the church had no money, far different than today.
PS I didn't read any other answers, didn't want to feel influenced by them. Hope I answered your questions. Where did you see the movie, I'd like to see it.

Answer 2

Because when you do a movie about someone you only put in the most important parts. I've never heard of this arrest or his money digging. He was arrested plenty of times but....Glass looking? What's that? The fact that he placed the plates in a hat (never heard this before either) is completely insignificant. Money diggin? Do you mean when he found the plates. Nevertheless if these things are true (which I have my doubts) they aren't what make Joseph Smith who he was. He was a Prophet of God who did extraordinary things. He was human, made mistakes like us all.

Besides, the people who make the movies about Joseph Smith's life usually aren't anti mormons ready to point out every weird and crazy thing in the Mormon history.

Answer 3

certain things are sacred and not for the general public to view.
I don't believe that other religions that hold certain things sacred would necessarily put sacred material of theirs into a Hollywood movie. Also if you are talking about the work and the glory series, those movies are not sponsored or put forth by the Mormon church. they are a private company

thank you for the question however :)

Response: i mean sacred just as i said it. I know that you may want to think of it as secret because you don't understand it completely. that is why you are asking the question i presume.

And rather than arguing or debating as do some other people. I just want to say that i truly believe in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have read the Book of Mormon for my self and through prayer have gained a testimony that this church is true. I dont believe that without taking the time to properly* find out for yourself, that anything about the church can be fully understood.

no one can defile my testimony because i know that it is true :)

actually i think you have a pretty good idea what sacred means. you are very right. When Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph smith, that was a very sacred occasion. As for the things that you are trying find out, i would suggest actually looking it up on a Moromon sponsored website. I have watched South Park myself and read others things that people say about Mormons. But wouldnt it make sense to look to the actual source to find something out? If you wanted to find out more information about space, where would you go? NASA Mabey? or mabey a south park episode about it?

You seem like a very intelligent person. I feel that you would most likely be mature enough to understand so i would recommend going to www.lds.org. Look up these search terms: seer stone, urim and thumim, translation of the book of Mormon, even try seer stone and hat or something like that. See what you can find.

after that its up to you to believe it or not cause i have a feeling you dont

Answer 4

There was no hat that he looked through with a stone. It's called an urim and thummim. It's described as a breastplate, with bows attached that held seer tones to the eyes. Maybe the director didn't want to show that in a film for whatever reason, you should go ask them. I've never heard of being arrested for the 2 things you described. Tell me what kind of a crime is Glass looking anyway? Haters of Joseph Smith called him a money digger because he was hired by Josiah Stowell to dig in a silver mine that Mr. Stowell believed had been abandoned by Spanish adventurers. To tarnish his name, and reputation they came up with calling him a money digger.

Answer 5

Here is an quote from Joseph Smith's history regarding the money digging:

"In the year 1823 my father's family met with a great affliction by the death of my eldest brother, Alvin. In the month of October, 1825, I hired with an old gentleman by the name of Josiah Stoal, who lived in Chenango county, State of New York. He had heard something of a silver mine having been opened by the Spaniards in Harmony, Susquehanna county, State of Pennsylvania; and had, previous to my hiring to him, been digging, in order, if possible, to discover the mine. After I went to live with him, he took me, with the rest of his hands, to dig for the silver mine, at which I continued to work for nearly a month, without success in our undertaking, and finally I prevailed with the old gentleman to cease digging after it. Hence arose the very prevalent story of my having been a money-digger."

As far as the hat, the only references that I can find are on anti-mormon web-sites.

Joseph smith was falsely accused and falsely imprisoned many times. He was eventually murdered in cold blood, along with his brother. Why aren't you concerned about that?

What exactly is your purpose in asking this question? Are we to assume that, in your opinion, a prophet can never make an error or do something wrong?

The bible has many acounts of prophets and apostles who demonstrated short comings: Paul (Saul) imprisoned christians, Peter denied Christ three times, Aaron built and worshipped a golden calf, Jonah refused to go to Ninevah, etc, etc, etc.

If you are going to criticize Joseph Smith based on anti-mormon rhetoric, then do not use a double standard. Criticize all of the prophets who made mistakes in their lives.

Answer 6

Why dont you do your own smear movie and get all this hatred and bitterness finally off your chest.


I have answered several of your questions claiming to want to actually know what mormons think or believe. What you do is ask questions in a way to bash and belittle. It is really sad that you spend soooo much time of your life wasted on researching and trying to tear down something you claim you really dont want to be a part of.


I learned it from you. It is kind of like pretending to ask a question you really dont want an answer to.

Answer 7

No one knows for sure if he looked into a hat or not. I don't beleive anyone knows how he did the translation.

He was arrested many times for all sorts of stupid reasons, but never convicted of any crime.

Answer 8

Probably because that wasn't the major way he translated the golden plates.
There were probably hundreds of anecdotes they could have used which were more notable.
Have a gummy bear and sweeten up.

Answer 9

because in a movie, there is a limited amount of time to relay a message --
stick around, maybe someone will do a miniseries or something that will cover more of the life of Joseph...

Answer 10

To make the cult look good. Shh.