Who killed Joseph Smith?

NOTE: The second video (Part 2) has been released, link at the bottom. Please watch Part 1 first.

I’m guessing a few of you are sitting there scratching your head thinking, “What do you mean who killed Joseph? We know exactly who killed Joseph and Hyrum. It was the mob! We have the accounts of Willard Richards and John Taylor you know. It’s even in our canonized scripture in D&C 135.” To the casual reader of history, this has been the common narrative as explained by the LDS church. Most people are unaware that the church has slowly been changing how they talk about the events of that fateful day. I myself never felt the need to even ask the question. I mean, why would you ever doubt what the church says? The Book of Mormon is true, so the rest must be true, and they only have our best interest at heart, right? 🤔

To help you understand where I’m coming from I’d like to first share a video from some folks that I highly respect. I feel that they are honest seekers of truth and want to know what happened to the prophet of this restoration and his brother… oh, and their younger brother as well. :)

After the video, I’ll add a few of my thoughts, but this essay will be a work in progress. As new theories and ideas emerge I’ll add to it. I do have to include a bit of a warning here. You have to approach the theories presented with an open mind. If, in your mind, the church can do no wrong, then you’ll find this video offensive.

I’ll admit that this theory was shocking the first time I heard it. I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea that the possibility existed that church leaders could do something so horrific. How could someone present themselves with all the appearances of a righteous “prophet”, yet potentially be a murderer? A term that helps define this shock we feel, and our desire to disbelieve such an accusation, is called cognitive dissonance.

Cognitive Dissonance : psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously

Not long ago I sat down with a high-ranking church leader and decided to float this theory by them. The response was as expected, “No way, no way!!” They actually seemed repulsed by even suggesting the theory. A careful study of the scriptures shows us that it is not only possible but to be expected that men or women can give off the appearance of righteousness. (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Christ himself taught a similar idea as part of his famous sermon given on the mount that overlooks the Sea of Galilee. And this wasn’t some offhand comment from the Savior, he included it as part of his core doctrine. Christ knew better than almost anyone the corruption among the Sadducees and Pharisees, and the vile way in which they gave the appearance of righteousness, yet their hearts were prideful and vain. They were ravening wolves. We shouldn’t think so highly of ourselves or any church leader to think that this couldn’t happen in our day. In fact, it was prophesied by many ancient prophets that it would happen in the latter days. (Matthew 7:15)

15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Think about that verse for a minute. Most of us just focus on the first part and think, “Oh, of course there are false prophets, I’d easily be able to spot them.” Some of you are probably thinking that many of my essays fit that category as well. 😏 But just take a look at the rest of that verse. These people have all the appearance of being a “sheep” and of wearing all the outward signs and actions of being a follower and disciple of Christ. We would then assume they are humble and have good intentions. Christ ends that verse with the description of a ravening wolf, which gives us a very clear depiction of who these people really are. Their intent is to harm, maim, or kill, be that in a physical and/or spiritual capacity.

If this theory that Justin presents is true, then it surely would be a fulfillment of several prophecies. The first comes from the Savior himself, as he is speaking to the Gentiles, which most certainly includes the Gentile (LDS) church. In 3 Nephi 16:15, the Lord refers to these people as “salt that has lost its savor.” In Jewish tradition, salt is often associated with covenants and the Lord’s covenant people. He then tells us why they have lost their savor. (3 Nephi 16:10)

10 And thus commandeth the Father that I should say unto you: At that day when the Gentiles shall sin against my gospel, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, and shall be lifted up in the pride of their hearts above all nations, and above all the people of the whole earth, and shall be filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, and murders, and priestcrafts, and whoredoms, and of secret abominations; and if they shall do all those things, and shall reject the fulness of my gospel, behold, saith the Father, I will bring the fulness of my gospel from among them.

Take special note of who Christ is speaking to in this verse. These people received AND rejected the fullness of the gospel. They are not ignorant Gentiles or run-of-the-mill Americans. They are the Lord’s covenant people. If Joseph was murdered by his friends, who were secretly living polygamy, we could check off all of the items listed in verse 10. We then come to the stark realization that at some point the Lord will take the fullness of his gospel from among them. One thing that I didn’t realize is that this same prophecy (idea) is repeated by Moroni in Ether 12:35. In this chapter, he speaks of his weakness in writing the Book of Mormon. This is the gift he is giving to the Gentiles. If they reject it, through not living its teachings, it will be taken from them. (Ether 12:35)

35 Wherefore, I know by this thing which thou hast said, that if the Gentiles have not charity, because of our weakness, that thou wilt prove them, and take away their talent, yea, even that which they have received, and give unto them who shall have more abundantly.

The next prophecy comes from Moroni as he finishes his record in the 8th and 9th chapters in the record of Mormon. It is interesting to note that these words were intended to be the final chapters of the Book of Mormon. A careful study of chapter 8, specifically verse 34, should be a clear indication that Moroni was speaking directly to the latter-day saints, as he finishes his words. “…at that day when these things shall come forth among you.” He then proceeds to tell us that ALL churches “even every one has become polluted.” He is not speaking about a time before Joseph, he is speaking after the record has been brought forth.

38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies—because of the praise of the world?

40 Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads?

Please note that “secret abominations” are mentioned by both the Savior and Moroni in their prophecies. The Savior refers to polygamy as an abomination in Jacob 2. Joseph called it a crime in the 1842 edition of D&C 101, which was later removed by subsequent church leaders. Both Joseph and Hyrum taught vehemently against polygamy and used the strongest language possible to condemn the practice. Read my essay titled “Polygamy = Adultery” to understand the corruption and whoredoms that were introduced after these men were murdered. I believe the secret practice of “spiritual wifery”, also known as polygamy, was a significant motive for the murders.

In my essay title “My Story” I end with two quotes that I feel are worth repeating here. George Albert Smith once said, "If a faith will not bear to be investigated, if its preachers and professors are afraid to have it examined, the foundation must be very weak." And from J. Reuben Clark, “If we have the truth, it cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed.” There should be nothing in our doctrine or history that cannot be questioned. The very beginnings of the Restoration began by asking questions. Has our generation become so intellectually and spiritually weak that we cannot endure rigorous debate?

My commentary on the film:

1. The fact that Willard and John’s accounts do not hold up to scrutiny, and even present falsehoods, should be a massive red flag. John Taylor waited 10 years, and after the passing of Willard Richards, before releasing his retelling of events.

2. Both of these men seemingly had “miraculous” events, that were retold so they could prove that God was with them. Willard frequently told his story of how Joseph supposedly prophesied that bullets would be all around him, yet he would be unscathed. John Taylor’s story of being shot in the pocket watch and thrown back into the room also presents the hand of providence in preserving his life. This story isn’t even supported by church historians today. It was a lie.

3. The Council of 50 had voted to destroy the Nauvoo expositor. Joseph told these brethren that if they did he would surely be the one that would have to shoulder the burden of reprisal. Both Willard Richards and John Taylor pleaded with Joseph to go ahead with destroying the press. There is the possibility that they knew these actions would put Joseph in a compromising position, namely Carthage jail.

4. The ballistics do not match the two eye-witness accounts. I’ve shot many animals over the years with rifles that match similar ballistics to these musket rifles that were supposedly used. These firearms cause massive damage. I remember my dad shooting a Pine Hen (high-mountain game bird) with a rifle while hunting elk. He was aiming for the head so he wouldn’t damage the meat but the shot went low in the central breast. The only thing we found was a pile of feathers.

5. What the ballistics do show is that Hyrum was shot with a pistol and John Taylor received several pistols rounds as well. John Taylor’s wound in his left is most telling. What is your natural inclination when someone points a gun at you or you know you’re going to be shot at? You hold up your hand in a defensive position. My theory is that Joseph was pointing his gun right at John’s face and John put his hands up in defense. Joseph wasn’t messing around.

6. Joseph spoke with the current stake president of the church about excommunicating several high-ranking church leaders just days before he was taken to Carthage.

7. I feel there was significant motive by a sizable group of men to commit these murders. It has been proven that many of the Twelve were lying and deceiving. They were secretly practicing polygamy even after having openly sworn that it was an abomination. Some of the men even signed documents that condemned polygamy, yet it was later proven they were secretly practicing it at the time.

8. One of Joseph’s personality traits was that he often trusted people too much. His heart was very willing to take people at their word and to forgive quickly if the need arose.

9. Samuel Smith “died” about one month after both of his brothers were murdered. There are statements from his family that say he was poisoned. His official cause of death is “death by vomiting.” The History of the Church narrative states that Samuel died of stomach complications exacerbated from riding his horse to Carthage and the emotional events of his brother’s deaths.

10. I find it very telling that Justin’s stake president excommunicated him without even watching the film or asking further questions and obviously had a high degree of cognitive dissonance. Some things you just can’t question if you are to believe the “church.” Notice I didn’t say the “gospel.”

11. Justin’s theory is only one of many, yet I feel it is closer to the truth than any previous narrative. Is it perfect? No. Admittedly so. But it is certainly worth considering.

One of the biggest challenges we face is historical accuracy. It’s just hard to understand who to trust. But I feel there is enough evidence remaining, along with the eye-witness accounts, that we can make a pretty good judgment call. Especially when we begin to patch together the events that transpired after the murders. None of these theories are perfect by any means. There are holes in all of them (sorry, for the bad pun), but what is clear is that things don’t add up to what the LDS church says happened, even they are changing their tune. I’m quite interested in hearing Part 2 of this documentary that will dive further into the potential motives.

The elephant

Now, I should also address the elephant in the room. What if these events transpired the way Justin portrays them? What if John and Willard were murderers? They were both future leaders, even presidents of the church. What about the “Lord’s kingdom” upon the earth, that shall never falter? I was told my entire life that I didn’t need to worry about the church nor its leader, the Lord would never allow them to lead me astray, the church would sail on into the Millenium. If you happen to be asking any of these questions, I’d invite you to reread the verses of scripture that I quoted earlier. All of this was prophesied. What a blessing it is that the Lord and his servants warned us about these events.

The Restoration as a preparatory work

I plan to do a future essay on this, but both Nephi and Christ teach us how the winding-up scenes play out. In 1 Nephi 14, we read about a period of time when God pours out his blessing upon the Saints, a restoration if you will (verse 14), but things take a turn for the worse. All sorts of wickedness and abominations happen and truly biblical destruction occurs. This is often referred to as the “tribulations.” (“Tribs’” for short) Then we learn that the work of the Father will “commence.” Wait, hold on, what does that mean “commence”? We learn of this exact same pattern and prophesy from the Savior in 3 Nephi 21 as well as chapters 26-28. There is a restoration, a period of destruction, then the work of the Father commences. It is my belief that the restoration is only a preface to the work that will happen in gathering the House of Israel in the last days when the work of the Father truly begins. And, according to 3 Nephi 16:11, as well as Ether 12:35, the Lord is going to be doing some reshuffling.

There is a great deal more I could go into, but I get the feeling that few members of the church will actually read to the end of this essay. The video most likely broke a few of you. Many of you may have lots of questions. And rightly so. All I can do is invite you to seek Jesus and ask him if any of this is true, and if it even makes any impact on your lives. In reality, none of this should affect our relationship with the Savior. For some of you, like me, it only strengthens it. Our witness of the gospel should never be founded upon the precepts (or narratives) of men. Our faith should be centered upon the foundation of Christ and his doctrine as witnessed to our hearts and minds through the Spirit. It is by this method that we are able to discern truth from error in all things.

God is good. He has a great work for us to do now, but we are just beginning. I invite you to study Christ’s words and then discern through the Spirit what it means to be a disciple of Christ by taking his name upon you. He is the Peacemaker. He loves you and invites you to turn your heart and mind to him.

Shalom

Disclaimer: Only a small portion of my thoughts and feelings are contained within this essay. Add to that the variety of emotions that arise through personal paradigms and you can see the difficulty in understanding a writer’s true intent. It is nearly impossible to condense a lifetime of study, thoughts, and impressions, into a single work. I value and encourage the need for altering perspective as new light and knowledge is acquired. One of the best ways to know a person’s heart is to sit down and talk face-to-face, perhaps while consuming a mild barley drink.

If you’d like to explore this topic further please see the linked resources below.

Disclaimer #2: I may agree with all, some, or maybe just a few words of the content listed below. I may also strongly disagree with elements that are shared. Take the Spirit as your guide as you study all things.)

Willard Richard’s “Prophecy”

The Crime of Polygamy