A current thread about Joseph Smith's supposed miracles got me thinking: The Church published newspaper during the times of some of those miracles. I thought of the first miraculous church history story that popped into my head: The pentacost-like experience of the Kirtland temple dedication.

It's covered quite well in the Messenger and Advocate from March 1836. It's clear that the dedication was an exciting day for everyone. But there's no mention in the newspaper regarding anything like the later reports of a pentacostal experience.

The reporter recorded the testimonies of general authorities given after the dedicatory prayer, and Fredrick G Williams stood up and testified that an angel had entered and sat between Mr. Williams and Joseph Smith during the prayer.

That's it. The report gives no other evidence that anyone else experienced this or any other spiritual manifestation other than feelings of euphoria regarding the temple dedication.

It sounds alot like a really long testimony meeting.

It was later that these more amazing stories began cropping up. But fortunately for us, whoever took the minutes and printed them in the Messenger and Advocate gives us a fair description of what happened. I'm thinking most of the amazing stories from Church history have similar beginnings.

I'd have to do a Google search all over again, and I don't have time right now (at work). But those who were present at the dedication of the Kirtland temple tell a much different story of heavy drinking and high spirits.