I have seen a few pages of the layout from the exhibit designers.
I don't know if they had the final wording at that point, but on one wall they had a bunch of text basically saying that pretty much everyone back then did a little treasure seeking, so it's no big deal the Joseph got in trouble for it.
I'm sure this is all part of their big push to say "What?! We never hid anything from you! We always told the story with the rocks and the hat!"
"The church brought in an international firm, Gallagher & Associates, who have consulted on the Reagan Library and the Smithsonian, to help guide the renovation. When the head of the firm, Patrick Gallagher, visited Salt Lake City, Graham told him the story of Smith’s first vision.
"He said, ‘That is a great story.’ And he wasn’t talking about it from a sort of proselytizing or missionary or Mormon kind of perspective, but he was looking at it from the standpoint of, ‘you can use that story to connect to your audience..."
The prophets and seers brought in an international consulting firm to design the new history library.
Umm... please follow with, or better yet, sign-up the entire church for a much needed renovation. I think it might take at least five years for this to be accomplished, hopefully longer.
The Church-Cult can take their sweet time as it should be done correctly.
"Just as Christ [Joseph Smith, Jr. - (Monson) - missionaries - (the faithful followers)] is at the center of the LDS faith, so, too, do Mormon leaders want him at the center of a renovated museum." Weren't we taught to believe that he was at the center of everything Mormon?
"The change is planned to give greater emphasis to Jesus Christ and the so-called first vision of the Lord by Mormon founder Joseph Smith amid more immersive exhibits — including re-creations of the New York cabin where the church was established in 1830 and Missouri’s Liberty Jail, where Smith spent months incarcerated in 1838-39." GREATER EMPHASIS! Good one. This puts JS at the center of the "religious" center... even if it does include a statue [idol] of JC in the mix.
What is there currently? Don't they already have a dumb faux cabin and imitation 'jail' and Jesus statue there already?
"While the current floor plan prominently features artifacts relating to the early days of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Mormon pioneers, the revamped museum will walk visitors through early events in LDS history — with the teenage encounter Smith reported having with God the Father and Jesus Christ at the heart of the display." "It will be much clearer to people that we are a Christian church,". That's a good one. MUCH CLEARER!
Why does it have to be any clearer? Do any other churches have to make it any clearer that they are Christian? Shouldn't the work (spirit) be clear enough?
Ultimately, though, museum planners wanted to "center our historical story all on the gospel of Jesus Christ," exhibit manager Maryanne Andrus said.
Hype on top of hype on top of dung in the sand. They've had over 150 years to 'center the story around Jesus Christ' and they are just now getting a round to-it.
The morg must still be on loads of money. Renovations typically cost lots of money. Isn't the closing after conference suspect? Do people go there after the conference sessions?
I think they should display statues or waxwork figures of all 34 of Joseph Smith's wives.
What about a replica of the tiny bedroom where Joseph Smith was sleeping with his brothers when an angel appeared to him and talked to him without waking anyone else up?
Maybe an interactive display where you carry a heavy replica of the gold plates and run through the forest and jump over logs and knock down bad guys who have guns?
"Besides the historical value of the masks — taken after the brothers were murdered in Illinois in 1844 — the relics carry spiritual significance. Mormons believe, for instance, that the eyes behind Joseph Smith’s plaster mold saw Christ, Graham noted."
Right... the eyes behind the plaster mold saw Christ... Classic-not!
Wouldn't it be fun to have a second close museum full of the hilarious suggestions that have been given on this thread? I do believe the Exmo Museum would show up the Church Museum in visitor enjoyment.