Methodist Church Membership
The Amboy Journal was a local newspaper in Illinois at the time Joseph and Emma were
having their first son. The son died at child birth and Joseph decided to begin the process of
joining Emma's church which she had belonged to since she was seven years old. The Amboy
Journal reported some of the events of the time that documented the Prophet's attempt to join
the Methodist fellowship; contrary to the "Official Version of the First Vision" which
instructions were received by God, Face to face, to join none of the churches.
Martin Harris: When this child died at birth instead, and his wife's life also hung in danger, Smith may have
considered entirely abandoning his project of writing a book and decided to join the Methodist Church. At least
Martin Harris later told Rev. Ezra Booth that when he went to Pennsylvania to see Joseph about the translation that
"Joseph had given it up on account of the opposition of his wife and others," and Martin "told Joseph, 'I have not
come down here for nothing, we will go on with it.' " (The Story of the Mormons, by William Alexander Linn, New
York: Macmillan Co. 1902, p.36).
The Amboy Journal: He presented himself in a very serious and humble manner, and the minister, not suspecting
evil, put his name on the class book, in the absence of some of the official members. (The Amboy Journal, Amboy,
Illinois, April 30, 1879, p.1).
The Amboy Journal: I, with Joshua McKune, a local preacher at that time, I think in June, 1828, heard on
Saturday, that Joe Smith had joined the church on Wednesday afternoon, (as it was customary in those days to have
circuit preaching at my father's house on week-day). We thought it was a disgrace to the church to have a practicing
necromancer, a dealer in enchantments and bleeding ghosts, in it. So on Sunday we went to father's, the place of
meeting that day, and got there in season to see Smith and talked with him some time in father's shop before the
meeting. Told him that his occupation, habits, and moral character were at variance with the discipline, that his name
would be a disgrace to the church, that there should have been recantation, confession and at least promised
reformation-. That he could that day publicly ask that his name be stricken from the class book, or stand an
investigation. He chose the former, and did that very day make the request that his name be taken off the class book.
(The Amboy Journal, June 11, 1879, p.1).
The local paper in the area reported this and the early church (Methodist) records no longer
exist. There is some who believe that Joseph Smith Jr. was a Methodist for up to six months
but, it could have been as little as three days. The paper also reports that he didn't want to go
under church investigation for his clear violations of Biblical teachings on his activities. If he
was innocent of these Magical arts, he should have not removed himself. It is possible that he
could have removed himself without reason but, it is not probable when considering the
circumstances reported above. There is no reasonable reason to doubt the accuracy of the
report in the paper. The publication had no motivation to report this if it wasn't true. This
evidence alone is not evidence beyond a reasonable doubt but, it gives reasonable suspicion to
doubt the validity of the Prophet as authentically from God in light of the Biblical teachings on
Magical Arts and the "Official Version of the First Vision."
FALSE PROPHESIES
FIRST VISION
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