Luke Hanson

“Daddy, what are Arminians?” “They are the people who believe God wants to save everyone but fails.”

Was Joseph Smith's claimed visionary experience unique? It was not unusual for the time, nor for the place, the Northeast. Elias Smith, 1816 ". . . I went into the woods...after a stick of timber; after taking it on my shoulder . . . as I walked along on a large log . . . my foot slipped . . . the timber fell one end on the log and the other on the snow, and held me, . . . While in this situation, a light appeared from heaven, . . . My mind seemed to rise in that light to the throne of God and the Lamb, . . . The Lamb once slain appeared to my understanding, and while viewing him, I felt such love to him as I never felt to any thing earthly. . . . It is not possible for me to tell how long I remained in that situation, . . ." (The Life, Conversion, Preaching, Travels, and Sufferings of Elias Smith, Portsmouth, N.H., 1816, pp. 58-59) Norris Stearns, published 1815 Greenfield/Leyden, Massachusetts “At length, as I lay apparently upon the brink of eternal woe, seeing nothing but death before me, suddenly there came a sweet flow of the love of God to my soul, which gradually increased. At the same time, there appeared a small gleam of light in the room, above the brightness of the sun, then at his meridian, which grew brighter and brighter: As this light and love increased, my sins began to separate, and the Mountain [of sin] removed towards the east. At length, being in an ecstasy of joy, I turned to the other side of the bed, (whether in the body or out I cannot tell, God knoweth) there I saw two spirits, which I knew at the first sight. But if I had the tongue of an Angel I could not describe their glory, for they brought the joys of heaven with them. One was God, my Maker, almost in bodily shape like a man. His face was, as it were a flame of Fire, and his body, as it had been a Pillar and a Cloud. In looking steadfastly to discern features, I could see none, but a small glimpse would appear in some other place. Below him stood Jesus Christ my Redeemer, in perfect shape like a man-His face was not ablaze, but had the countenance of fire, being bright and shining. (The Religious Experience of Norris Stearns, Written by Divine Command, 1815) Billy Hibbard, published 1825 New York "When I came to the place of prayer, had kneeled down and closed my eyes, with my hands uplifted toward the heavens, I saw Jesus Christ at the right hand of God looking down upon me, and God the Father looking upon him. The look of Jesus on me removed the burden of my sins, while he spoke these words, 'Be faithful unto death and this shall be thy place of rest.'" (Memoirs of the Life and Travels of B. Hibbard: Minister of the Gospel, 1825) John S. Thompson, 1826 New York "I dreamed Christ descended from the firmament, in a glare of brightness, exceeding tenfold the brilliancy of the meridian Sun, and he came to me saying, 'I commission you to go and tell mankind that I am come; and bid every man to shout victory.'" (The Christian Guide to a Right Understanding of the Sacred Scriptures, 1826) Among others. LDS historian Richard Bushman identified over 33 visionary tales published between 1783 and 1815 alone. Joseph either experienced something similar, or wanted to claim divine authority and patterned his later account (1842) after these visions in order to convince people of his prophetic mantle.