Should I bring up Joseph Smith?

When born-again Christians and their LDS friends talk about faith, Joseph Smith, Jr. quickly becomes the elephant in the room. Why? Because of an odd combination of agreement and disagreement.

Both parties agree that the LDS Church stands or falls on the claims of Joseph Smith.¹ But Smith’s polarizing character forces quick disagreements. He was either a righteous martyr chosen by God to restore Christ’s true Church to the earth, or a hypersexual charlatan whose power-hungry machinations brought an ignominious end.

Born-again Christians know that Joseph Smith will have to be addressed at some point. But when? And how do we keep the conversation civil and helpful? To answer questions like these,

I’d like to offer three pieces of advice.

1. Start with God

God delights to begin with Himself. When introducing Himself to mankind, He says, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). When announcing Himself to Moses, God says, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:6).

John begins his gospel in like manner: “In the beginning was the Word” (John 1:1). If we follow God’s pattern, any conversation about God’s things should begin with God rather than the people who claim to represent God. By first getting a sense of the majesty of God, the stakes are raised for those who speak for God. In other words, the conversation is no longer about a prophet, but about God’s expectations for prophets.

2. Listen Thoughtfully

LDS people are, in my experience, very aware of Joseph Smith’s shortcomings. Some make excuses, others choose willful ignorance, and still others reject the parts of his character they deem offensive. As such, opinion can range widely from person to person within the LDS Church. Some Latter-day Saints call Joseph Smith their hero; others say he was a fake.

It seems that most rank-and-file Mormons accept his theology but reject his polygamy. The point is this: we can’t know what an LDS friend thinks of Joseph Smith until we ask. Before moving on, two other points bear mentioning.

First, in my experience, LDS people generally don’t mind when I ask them their opinion of Joseph Smith so long as I ask respectfully. Second, LDS people know Joseph Smith’s shortcomings more than their evangelical counterparts do. Full stop.

Born-again Christians can get the opinion that they’ve got the dirt on Joseph Smith and their Mormon friends have no idea how bad the man truly was. The reality is quite the opposite (thanks to google). Latter-day Saints willfully choose Joseph Smith over Jesus Christ because they love darkness more than they love the light (John 3:19). It’s not a matter of education, but of illumination.

3. Apply God’s Test

God gives a three-fold test for prophets. We go into great lengths explaining God’s prophetic test in Discovering God Together and we would encourage you to check out that resource.

Briefly, God requires that a prophet’s message conforms to existing revelation (Deuteronomy 13:1-3), that any prediction of future events proves accurate (Deuteronomy 18:22), and that his (or her) character conforms to New Testament standards for church leaders (1 Timothy 3; Titus 1; Revelation 2:20).

Joseph Smith, of course, fails the test on every point at multiple points. And if your LDS friend will listen carefully to God’s test, they may begin to see the biblical rationale for rejecting both the man and his message. What’s more, by applying God’s test for prophets to Joseph Smith, you can bring God back to the center of the conversation.

Conclusion

Many Christians avoid the subject of Joseph Smith entirely. Others address the man immediately. I’d like to suggest that we start with God, ask thoughtful questions about Joseph Smith, and then apply God’s Word accordingly.

Although any discussion about Mormonism must eventually broach the subject of Joseph Smith, caution, respect, and Bible-centered thinking must reign.