It's even less impressive and wrong than when I first learned about it!

Just sayin...

Not only is it wrong, but JS made this "prophecy" at a time when many newspapers were predicting that a civil war was imminent, beginning in South Carolina. SC had just defied the federal government and declared that the states did not have to honor federal legislation. President Jackson was ready to mobilize troops to put down the rebellion. The nation was already on the brink of war.

This was all reported in newspapers, including one published near JS' home, in November 1832. His "revelation" is dated December 1832.

Section 87 was far less prophetic than believers now days think because they don't understand the events surrounding it.


Nullification Crisis - 1832
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nullification_Crisis



"Twelve miles from the Mormon stronghold of Kirtland, Eber D. Howe’s Painesville Telegraph predicted “civil war” was near and perhaps “our national existence is at an end.” Four days later Joseph Smith 'prophesied.'"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2011 01:55PM by badseed.

Indeed, and it's the "biggie" that apologists like to hang their rock-in-a-hat on, prophecy-wise. Joe Smith had some good guesses, like the Jackson County prophecy about "only the chimneys will remain standing"; well, Joseph had probably seen a house or two burn down in his time, and the stone or brick chimney would be a stark remnant. It sounds poetic, but that's what happens in a fire.

The chapter reads as if it is the prediction of the apocalypse. I might be crazy, but I could have sworn the section used to say something about "my second coming." I will have to pull out my old copy of the LDS canon.

Only a truly ethnocentric person would imagine that a problem in a small country thousands of miles from most civilization would lead to the end of the world. And I have never heard a Mormon try to show how the civil war linked to any other conflict.

This prophecy was not even in the D&C until AFTER the civil war, IIRC, it was in the 1870s. So, take that for what it is...

Thanks for the info. Family has brought this up in discussions over my dilike of JS-He predicted the civil war and where it would start so he must be a prophet. If the discussion ever comes up again I will now be more prepared.

LochNessie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for the info. Family has brought this up in
> discussions over my dilike of JS-He predicted the
> civil war and where it would start so he must be a
> prophet. If the discussion ever comes up again I
> will now be more prepared.

You can also counter with the equivalent "proof" that the Seventh-Day Adventists use to validate their prophet, Ellen G. White: she predicted the 1906 earthquake that destroyed San Francisco!!

Anyone who uses this as "proof" of the ability of prophecy, ask them why Old Hickory continued with nullification and the policies to avoid war and why JS didn't prophecy THAT first. You'll get a deer in the headlights look because they absolutely do not understand the politics of the time at all. AJ's my second favorite President ever and I've read extensively on him and his policies. He wasn't a fool - unlike JS.

One thing I would point out to my fam is that some ga's said the south would win the civil war. Of course then they just said that they were speaking for themselves as men, not for the lord. You can't argue with brainwashed.

Did not know that about the San Francisco earthquake. That is cool!

and that would allow the Church/Deseret/Utah to break free of the Union. Didn't quite turn out that way.

Funny how all of Joseph's screw ups like Zion's camp etc are canonized and scripture while BY's were never adopted in the same way. BY didn't shoot his mount off in prophet mode nearly as often but he did say the saints could take any of his words as scripture though.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2011 06:56PM by badseed.