I'm not sure if it could be called "possession", but he was definitely influenced by one or more evil or deceptive spirits.
One of the theories about the origin of the BOM is that it is a "channeled" book. The "head-in-the-hat" trick is an occult method of "scrying". Similar to gazing into a crystal ball, it's a method of communicating with the dead.
Remember, the Smith's were into the occult from the beginning of Joseph's story.
My ex could see spirits. Possessed people have bad ones, usually several. Good spirits feed off of good energy and bad spirits feed off of bad energy. Dabbling in the occult or misusing drugs or sexuality provide an entry point. This my understanding. It's unfortunate that TSCC doesn't recognize the problem of possession and teach people how to deal with it.
The spirits that walk the Earth are usually the bad ones. Very tricky ones. So if Joseph really were possessed, TSCC could be the creation of the devil himself.
Smith learned his craft from his father. He was a life-long career con-man. He learned from an early age that certain people would believe anything he told them, and that's what kept him going. Con-men have been with us since the beginning of time. Smith was one of many.
I personally think that a case can be made for this. Perhaps not necessarily mentally ill, but some kind of anomoly. I personally think that he was a genius... high IQ with a very creative side.
I definitely don't think that he was "possessed" because I don't have a belief in such notions.
--and appeared to JS. That would make him a deceiving spirit (1 Tim. 4.1, 1 John 4.1) And Satan masquerades as a spirit of light (2 Cor. 11.14). And Paul was emphatic about being not being deceived with "another gospel" (Gal. 1.6-9), going so far as to repeat himself in quick order.
Have any of you ever discussed these verses, or arguments, with TBMs? What is their typical response, or do they just avoid the whole matter?
He was a con man and fraud of almost no equal. I cannot imagine that he believed any part of the Bible. I think he thought it was a fairy tale for fools. Clearly he did not fear God or he would not have done what he did. He is as surprised as anyone that he is in Hell and destined to spend eternity there as he did not even believe it existed in the first place.
I agree completely with the comment that ole sleazy Joey was very "possessed" with himself. When I read his story, I think his Mom was his cheerleader and in her eyes he could do no wrong. She was awestruck as his ability to entertain their dull evenings with his tantalizing stories, plus I have this belief that when he lived through the trauma of his bone disease, she "knew" that he was special, very special, and destined for greatness in God's eyes.
This reverence from someone like your Mother goes a long way in molding a child, in my opinion. Then you have Joe loving to fool fools in parting with their money, people who found his company entertaining, and Joe loving to do this with his time rather than sweat in the fields. Magic was part of his family life as was reading the bible and talking about churches. He did these things with his family a lot. No tech back then to keep everyone occupied.
Ole sleazy Joe was "possessed" with how great he was at the game of conning and he chose, in my book, to let it lead the way in his life and he willingly followed along, not caring who he had to step over, under or on as he traveled along.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/24/2015 12:37AM by presleynfactsrock.
Yeah, I don't know if I'd say Smith was possessed. I just think there's too much, "The Devil made me do it," when people are plenty capable of evil on their own. Smith's ever more outlandish actions were a natural outgrowth of what happens when an imaginative manipulator sees success in his work.
It's well documented--as often noted on this board--that Smith was an able storyteller, and very imaginative. Despite the LDS church painting him as an ignorant hick, Joe had access to libraries and was well read. In addition, his parents were teachers. They also appear to have been greedy and his daddy eschewed on honest work in favor of scams like treasure-digging--and passed that characteristic on to Joe. The Smiths, no doubt, would have been big in MLM if they were alive today. Now, as Joe became more skilled as a manipulator, Joe realized he could score what all men want--more sex--with the reward being salvation for the lady and her whole family.
Add to Joe's own personality the cultural-religious milieu of America during the Second Great Awakening (the Jehovah's Witnesses came out of this era, as well) and you've got the perfect storm.
"Add to Joe's own personality the cultural-religious milieu of America during the Second Great Awakening(the Jehovah's Witnesses came out of this era, as well) and you've got the perfect storm."