Myths about Joseph Smith's martyrdom

[falafel]

Here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/c1920-Photo-Jose...item35ac407638

Um... thanks.

[Surfah]

Um... thanks.

Macabre?

[pellegrino]

I loved RSR and think it was is a very important book. I'll bet more than a few of the Q12 were (quietly) cheering its publication.

I sincerely hope they were, but I know a few General Authorities who, when asked their opinion of it, claimed it was no better than Fawn Brodie's book. I also know many TBM who refuse to read it simply because it isn't part of the correlated curriculum or it doesn't have an official endorsement from the church. I realize this is anecdotal, but that's been my experience.

[LA Ute]

I sincerely hope they were, but I know a few General Authorities who, when asked their opinion of it, claimed it was no better than Fawn Brodie's book. I also know many TBM who refuse to read it simply because it isn't part of the correlated curriculum or it doesn't have an official endorsement from the church. I realize this is anecdotal, but that's been my experience.

I read it at the same time I was reading the BofM in 2005 in response to Pres. Hinckley's challenge. That made it all the more enjoyable for me. Maybe that parallel experience was what allowed me to hold on to my testimony.

[pellegrino]

I read it at the same time I was reading the BofM in 2005 in response to Pres. Hinckley's challenge. That made it all the more enjoyable for me. Maybe that parallel experience was what allowed me to hold on to my testimony.

RSR was a huge help to me. It presented difficult historical data in a way that was honest, but allowed enough leeway for a believer to keep believing. I don't see how anyone who believes JS was a prophet could have that perception distorted by reading Bushman.

[LA Ute]

RSR was a huge help to me. It presented difficult historical data in a way that was honest, but allowed enough leeway for a believer to keep believing. I don't see how anyone who believes JS was a prophet could have that perception distorted by reading Bushman.

The chapters about Joseph's polygamy are, I think, jarring to most members (they were to me) so I am careful about recommending the book to others, but I agree that just about any member with a broadly based testimony could handle it.

[CardiacCoug]

Anybody else read this one yet? Was this discussed somewhere here? It's on my list -- looking forward to it.

http://www.amazon.com/American-Cruci.../dp/1610393139

[ewth8tr]

Anybody else read this one yet? Was this discussed somewhere here? It's on my list -- looking forward to it.

http://www.amazon.com/American-Cruci.../dp/1610393139

I liked the review taking about how water dowsing was considered scientific in Palmyra at the time.

[CardiacCoug]

I liked the review taking about how water dowsing was considered scientific in Palmyra at the time.

Yeah the reviews on books like this are always entertaining.

[Pheidippides]

Anybody else read this one yet? Was this discussed somewhere here? It's on my list -- looking forward to it.

http://www.amazon.com/American-Cruci.../dp/1610393139

I'm almost done with it. Some inaccuracies, although I think he did a really good job of painting a complete picture of the environment at the time of the killings, and he also did a good job of flagging stories of suspicious origin. It's probably not going to be popular with the orthodox believing crowd, however, or at least that's my guess. I suspect NOM types won't have much issue with it, and I haven't so far. Interestingly, he names names as the likely people who actually fired the fatal bullets.

[ewth8tr]

I'm almost done with it. Some inaccuracies, although I think he did a really good job of painting a complete picture of the environment at the time of the killings, and he also did a good job of flagging stories of suspicious origin. It's probably not going to be popular with the orthodox believing crowd, however, or at least that's my guess. I suspect NOM types won't have much issue with it, and I haven't so far. Interestingly, he names names as the likely people who actually fired the fatal bullets.

I just finished it, I liked it for the most part. I think he did a good job staying impartial. I did think it was a little odd that when talking about Joseph's final words, he didn't seem to know that it was a Masonic code phrase, instead taking it literally.

[kccougar]

I liked the review taking about how water dowsing was considered scientific in Palmyra at the time.

You know there are people today that use dowsing, right? Every driller I've worked with in my career uses dowsing rods as a last check for utilities before drilling.

[SoonerCoug]

Sometimes I wonder if Joseph Smith was perceived by Americans at that time much the same way as Warren Jeffs is perceived today. It would be very interesting to see how the NY Times characterized him. I was fascinated to read about Brigham Young's divorce in the Times.

[woot]

You know there are people today that use dowsing, right? Every driller I've worked with in my career uses dowsing rods as a last check for utilities before drilling.

And you didn't inform them it's a waste of time because magic isn't real? Surely drillers have actually functional instruments of some kind rather than divining rods?

[kccougar]

And you didn't inform them it's a waste of time because magic isn't real? Surely drillers have actually functional instruments of some kind rather than divining rods?

Nope. You could roll an entire site with ground penetrating radar first, and you couldn't convince a driller not to walk the site with his divining rods (they call them witching rods) before he stuck his auger in the ground. It's just what they do (and it actually seems to work for them).