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Joseph Smith taught that the moon was inhabited by people that live to be 1000 years old?

You guys also know that Smith himself claimed that Jesus came to the American continent, that Peter, James and John gave him the priesthood, that he translated a historic gospel record that spanned over thousands of years, oh.....and God and Christ spoke to him when he was 14 years old telling him that no church was the real gospel on earth..


Smith's own claims are magnificent enough, kind of dumb to freak out about something some guy said 40 years after the fact that was from a second source.
 
One Brow said:
Really? There were no missionaries, they just left books lying around all over?

It was Smith's charisma that converted those initial missionaries.
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Nope you are incorrect, read Rough Stone Rolling. Yes people thought highly of Joseph but most all conversion and the reasoning for the church growing so fast at first was people's obsession and curiously about the Book of Mormon. The enthusiasm was about the book not so much Joseph himself.
 
Beantown said:
Nope you are incorrect, read Rough Stone Rolling. Yes people thought highly of Joseph but most all conversion and the reasoning for the church growing so fast at first was people's obsession and curiously about the Book of Mormon. The enthusiasm was about the book not so much Joseph himself.
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When you say "nope", have the courtesy to say something that is in opposition to my statement, please.
 
Beantown said:
Nope, Joseph's charisma was not the main driving force for church conversion.
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I suppose that depends on how you define "main driving force". The church doesn't grow like it did if Smith was a dull man, or if the country generally isn't experiencing a great uptick in religious fervor.
 
One Brow said:
I suppose that depends on how you define "main driving force". The church doesn't grow like it did if Smith was a dull man, or if the country generally isn't experiencing a great uptick in religious fervor.
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This is avoiding the possibility of it growing like it did simply because it is true.
 
One Brow said:
Some people were responsible for spreading the book around and talking to people about it.
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The names of those you consider "the initial missionaries?"

Nevermind.

Edit: I did a quick search of first mormon missionary. This is what I found:

Samuel Smith, the first missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and brother of the Church's first president Joseph Smith...

Elder Ballard said that while Samuel Smith did not bring any new members into the Church during his first mission, in New England, his giving copies of the Book of Mormon to those he met led to the subsequent conversion of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball and their families.

While several others did missionary work before Samuel Smith's missions, such as Thomas B. Marsh, Solomon Chamberlain and members of Smith's family, he was the first to undertake a formal missionary assignmentafter the Church was organized.
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https://www.mormonnewsroom.org/article/first-latter-day-saint-missionary-born-200-years-ago-today

Thomas B. Marsh wikipedia entry about conversion:

In 1829 Marsh unexpectedly left his home in Boston and journeyed west, traveling with Benjamin Hall, one of his friends from the Quietist sect. In his words, "I believed the Spirit of God dictated me to make a journey west." He stayed at Lima, New York in Livingston County for three months before returning home. On the way home, he stopped at Lyonstown, where a woman informed him of the Golden Plates that Joseph Smith had obtained. She directed him to Palmyra, New York, and told him to seek out Martin Harris.
Marsh traveled to Palmyra and discovered Martin Harris at a printing office, working on the printing of the Book of Mormon. Marsh was able to obtain the first sixteen pages as a printer's proof. Marsh also met Oliver Cowdery at the printing office.
Returning to his home, he showed the sixteen pages to his wife. They both were pleased and began to correspond with Cowdery and Joseph Smith. After the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was formed on April 6, 1830, he moved with his family to Palmyra to join them that September.
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Doesn't mention he even met with Joseph during his visit.

Solomon Chamberlain:

In this autobiography Solomon talks about meeting with Joseph's brother Hyrum before his conversion but not Joseph:

https://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/SChamberlain.html
 
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One Brow said:
I suppose that depends on how you define "main driving force". The church doesn't grow like it did if Smith was a dull man, or if the country generally isn't experiencing a great uptick in religious fervor.
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But look at Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdary and all the other early "conversions" who was all revolved around the translation of the Book of Mormon. People were literally waiting for the translation to be complete so they could read it. If the Book of Mormon came out to be crap and less than what was expected then Joseph would have been made fun of thus we wouldn't be having this conversation.

But the total opposite happened, people were MORE excited and enthused after the book was printed. It had surpassed peoples expectations.
 
There's plenty of crazy LDS doctrine to go around that no one needs to chase myths. But yet that's where a lot of haters like to spend their time. Also found that interesting.
 
Beantown said:
But look at Martin Harris, Oliver Cowdary and all the other early "conversions" ...
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Your point being? Again, it's not like the pages were being sold in early bookstores. They came through a chain of believers at a time when numerous American religious traditions were being created and spread.
 
Stoked said:
Perhaps to you but not others.
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The truth of the BoM does not explain the growth of Mormonism, and more than the truth of Dianetics explains the growth of Scientology or the truth of the Watchtower magazine explains the growth of the Jehovah's Witnesses. Religions start all the time, and a few always grow rapidly. The truth of the BoM is irrelevant to that phenomenon.
 
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