Benjamin F. Johnson, letter to Elder George S. Gibbs, 1903, as printed in The “Testimony of Joseph Smith’s Best Friend,” pp. 4-5; “And yet, although so social and even convivial at times, he would allow no arrogance or undue liberties. Criticisms, even by his associates, were rarely acceptable. Contradictions would arouse in him the lion at once. By no one of his fellows would he be superseded…. one or another of his associates were more than once, for their impudence, helped from the congregation by his foot. . . . He soundly thrashed his brother William . . . While with him in such fraternal, social and sometimes convivial moods, we could not then so fully realize the greatness and majesty of his calling.”
Isaiah 53:7; “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”
Smith’s temperament got him into a fair amount of trouble wherever he went and for whatever reasons people never called him on it. Apparently he had to prove he was smarter and stronger than everyone else in the world and if you disagreed with him you’d be picking yourself up off the floor. I can see how this could happen with young men who’ve not been counseled by a wise father to cool his jets, but this obviously never happened with ol’ Joe.
Furthermore, Joe didn’t have any set rules of who not to beat up. From the town tax collector (HC 5:316) to pastors (Conflict in Kirtland, p 268, Journal of Discourses 3:66-67) and even his own brother (HC 2:334-335); none were shown mercy. If you crossed his imaginary line you better be prepared.
In light of that, we ask: would God condone such behavior? If we’re to be Christ-like what happened with Joseph?
Joseph Smith, just a man like any other, had sins and hatreds as those in biblical history. Those people in the Bible did not follow God and went further and further away from hearing and reading God’s laws.
Like many cult leaders, Smith may have started to read the Bible, then added his own ideas and interpretations, resulting in a completely different religion. Going further away in Smith’s own little world, he was more intolerant of criticism and became authoritarian.
Those who sought to challenge him as time went on, found him changing the ‘rules of the game’ as Smith went on. More violent reactions came forth from Smith.
Conversely, those in the Bible who ‘remained steadfast’ to God, were richly rewarded. (Read the book of Job in the OT.) When Jesus came to earth, it was to show us how to live, obey God’s commandments, and pay the price of death in our stead.
We can’t possibly obey God’s commandments and should die. God knows this and He, Himself came to us as Jesus. God died for us. Realizing this awesome fact, we, as Christians, repent of our sins, and ask forgiveness. We strive, then, to follow God more closely, watching our behavior, and reading His Word. The Holy Spirit, helps us to see who we are and that we are sinners, and that we are forgiven. The only way to follow Him is to hear and read the Bible.
Since Smith went on a completely different path, away from the Bible, away from God, the “spirit” leading him was from Satan. The words may sound the same in Mormonism, but they mean completely different things. By his actions, we know he could not have possibly been a Christian or following the Bible.