Joseph Smith stated in his testimony he was on the receiving end of malicious rumors, and great persecution beginning in 1820 because of the vision had.
Let’s look at the evidence –
PoGP JS-Hist 1:22-23; “I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase…and this was common among all the sects—all united to persecute me. 23 It caused me serious reflection then, and often has since, how very strange it was that an obscure boy, of a little over fourteen years of age, and one, too, who was doomed to the necessity of obtaining a scanty maintenance by his daily labor, should be thought a character of sufficient importance to attract the attention of the great ones of the most popular sects of the day, and in a manner to create in them a spirit of the most bitter persecution and reviling…”
However, we read a different view of history from a couple of Smith’s early followers, negating Smith’s claims.
Sidney Rigdon (a practicing minister at the time), and Edward Partridge visited Manchester and Palmyra in December 1830 to investigate the stories they heard about Joe Smith’s golden plates that supposedly contained a new gospel. Upon their arrival, they found out Smith’s reputation was squeaky clean from 1820 to the time he publicly announced his discovery in 1823.
Church History In The Fulness of Times, 2000 edition, p 82; “Upon inquiring among the neighbors concerning the Smith family, they found their reputation had been impeccable until Joseph had made known his discovery of the Book of Mormon.”
Even though Smith came up against a lot of opposition in the beginning of his venture, there’s absolutely no evidence to be found anyone knew of his vision in 1820. There’s a plethora of articles, pamphlets, and even books written about Joe Smith’s new religion, but not one of them mentions his first vision in 1820.
Given the fact Smith’s testimony has been written, and rewritten numerous times, it’s curious no extraneous accounts of his experience in 1820 are in existence. It’s also noteworthy the testimonies of Rigdon and Partridge tell a very different story than what we’ve heard from Mr. Smith.
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