Conclusion
© 1994 by H. Michael Marquardt. All rights Reserved.
This study might be called the
search for the historical Joseph. Although it has become fashionable to quote Martin Heidegger's
axiom that "there are no facts, only interpretation," we believe that facts exist and that an array of
different interpretations is possible. We trust most readers will agree.
One feels considerable empathy
for Joseph Smith as his life unfolds from court records and other scraps of history. When the
Smiths default on their mortgage, when a young women dies and friends grapple with the meaning
of death, when money diggers demand their share of the treasure, when Joseph is jeered at in
open court for crystal-gazing, when a potential convert is abducted by her Presbyterian minister --
these are not stories of public relations invention. What we encounter is an understanding of the
complexity of the times and that these issues were an important part of everyday life.
As the documents reveal, some
of the events differed from what has been traditionally taught. Was Smith less than forthcoming in
later years about his evolution from Manchester farmboy to a new prophet? Did he or others alter
the record intentionally? Having been involved in our own quest for the past thirty years searching
archives for clues to this and other mysteries, we have long since abandoned the simple
prophet-fraud dichotomy that others find so compelling. Our intent is to understand, not to
debunk.
The question of volition is
open-ended. Smith believed that he spoke with supernatural beings, and he produced impressive
transcripts of interview with them. Whether he actually did is ultimately left to each as a matter of
faith.
Those interested in the origin of
Mormonism will soon discover that to have only Joseph Smith's recollections of his early years
misses the richness of the times. When Smith told his life's history, his understanding at that later
time shaped the story of his extraordinary visions. Magical incantations, guardian spirits, treasure
in hills, use of a special stone for secular and religious purposes -- these were all de-emphasized
while the story became conflated and simplified. Supernatural encounters were amplified and
polished to accommodate more orthodox views. To us, the original accounts ring more authentic.
Whether readers peruse our
book in search of their own spiritual moorings or out of historical inquisitiveness, it should
assist them in clarifying some of the issues surrounding the beginnings of this new religious
movement. Predominantly a summary of primary documents and recollections, our book allows
room for people of all perspectives to expand rather than confine their previous perceptions.
Joseph Smith is an important
figure in western religious development, and he deserves a preeminent place among other
millennialists of his time. Much of the subsequent history and world view of the United States was
influenced by such reformers whose social experiments, redaction of religious tradition, and
consideration of alternative futures brought us to where we are today.