Posted by:
ReeditNweap
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Date: March 15, 2013 08:55PM
I posted this quote previously under the thread, "Theory" but decided to let it have its own thread;
Actually, probably a lot of people think that perhaps Joseph occupied himself with more than just spiritual matters when he went out to the forest to get some space from family. It's actually hard to NOT get that impression when reading Joseph's own narrative from LDS website,
http://rsc.byu.edu/archived/joseph-smith-prophet-man/11-joseph-smith%E2%80%99s-athletic-natureOn one occasion while preaching to a Church assembly, the prophet shared a story in which he explained to his listeners why he was such as active, sportive seer. The story went as follows:
A certain prophet. . . .was sitting under the shade of a tree amusing himself in some way, when a hunter came along with his bow and arrow, and reproved him. The prophet asked him if he kept his bow strung up all the time. The hunter answered that he did not. The prophet asked why, and he said it would lose its elasticity if he did. The prophet said that it was just so with his mind, he did not want it strung up all the time. (“Recollections of the Prophet Joseph Smith” 472)
AMUSING himself in "some way" that draws immediate reproof from the first passerby? Whatever could good old Joe have been doing to "amuse" himself, he has left us to only wonder. well, whatever he did to amuse himself, we know it certainly helped maintain his elasticity. No high strung prophets needed.
Remember, these are HIS words. Amusing himself under a tree. Puhleeze!