I don't blame any one for not believing my history. I cannot tell it; I shall never undertake it. But, it is worth noting that Mr. Roger Anderson states that the same questions given to different people who knew Joseph Smith can easily result in common answers. Fawn Brodie changed all that in 1945 with her `No Man knows my History', which was a first serious attempt by a professional historian to understand the Mormon prophet within his context, and in a manner which did not depend on accepting his supernatural experiences in the terms in which they have been described by Smith and his followers. In this letter to his brother Frank, Reuben explained that he circulated his proposed review among trusted friends "who have read the book." Second, to label Mr. Hurlbut as one who is excommunicated is, in my opinion, a type of character assassination. Here we have evidence that similar language used to describe Joseph Smith was used by another source not even connected with Hurlbut. Which of all the Protestants denominations is the correct church? We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe. There are two issues here: The accuracy of the quote in History of the Church, since it is based upon a synopsis of Joseph's remarks by Thomas Bullock. by Eber D. Howe, printed in 1834, contains sworn testimonies from neighbors and acquaintances of Joseph Smith concerning the dubious character of him and his family. 2 (1945) A man's memory is bound to be a distortion of his past in accordance with his present interests, and the most faithful autobiography is likely to mirror less what a man was than what he has become. As cited in the booklet by Vernal Holley. Helpful Not Helpful. Howe then traveled to Conneaut, Ohio, to see if the statements Hurlbut had collected there accusing Smith of plagiarism in writing the Book of Mormon were authentic. Its errors may be summarized under three main headings: misrepresentation of the contents and circumstances surrounding the compilation of the affidavits; failure to consider alternative interpretations for the evidence; and invalid conclusions based on faulty premises. You will notice that many of the witnesses say the same thing. Rather, the Mormon is concerned with their content. No Man Knows My History, ch. Character assassination is the most common and easiest way to accomplish it. I don't blame anyone for not believing my history. “Anderson’s first charge of substance is that Hurlbut either composed or heavily edited the depositions he collected. Howe’s book since that is the original usage. Well, the sword cuts both ways. Though Mrs. Brodie’s biography of the Mormon prophet is anything but faith-promoting, she also was suspect of the Hurlbut testimonies. As noted in footnote # 8 of Roger Anderson’s article on p. 30. In this case, the word “unvailed” is incorrect. Volume 5, page 103 and numerous other references therein. Fawn M. Brodie. It is obvious when reading the context of this quote, that Mrs. Brodie favors Joseph Smith. The No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith Study Guide contains a comprehensive summary and analysis of No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith by Fawn M. Brodie. … The first edition of the novel was published in 1945, and was written by Fawn M. Brodie. But, it turns out that Mr. Howe actually conducted some spot checks by interviewing some of the witnesses against Joseph Smith. What was the general reputation of the Smiths? “You don’t know me; you never knew my heart. In the case of my website, I have been accused of lying and great efforts have been taken by Mormons to attempt to prove this. 10 Picture Quotes. There was ample opportunity for them to complain if things were not accurate. You will also notice that I have included other writings by other authors, some are Mormon, with page numbers under the appropriate category demonstrating that some of the claims of the eyewitness’ accounts contained in Howe’s book are not solitary. Howe’s book since that is the original usage. If I had not experienced what I have, I would not have believed it myself. In Anderson’s analysis, these errors recur regularly and sometimes flagrantly.” (p. 27-28). If I had not experienced what I have, I could not have believed it myself.” - Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr, sermon on April 7, 1844, Nauvoo, cited in No Man Knows My History, by Fawn Brodie I cannot tell it: I shall never undertake it. Statement of E. D. Howe, 8 April 1885, Painesville, Lake County, OH. history happens twice because people don't listen at the first time. A man's memory is bound to be a distortion of his past in accordance with his present interests, and the most faithful autobiography is likely to mirror less what a man was than what he has become. Furthermore, other, independent resources also mention items covered in the Hurlbut affidavits: Gold Plates, putting a stone in a hat to see things in it, and money digging. Holley also quotes A. W. Benton in a letter to the editor of the Evangelical Magazine and Gospel Advocate, April 9, 1831, which states: “In this town (South Bainbridge, N.Y.), a wealthy farmer, named Josiah Stowell, together with others, spent large sums of money in digging for hidden money, which this Smith pretended he could see, and told them where to dig; but they never found their treasure.”11As cited in the booklet by Vernal Holley, Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look, Ogden, UT: Zenos Publications, 1983, p. 48, footnote # 41. Six recalled the names Nephi, Lamanite, etc. Well, you have authors that affect the writing. Enjoy the best Benjamin Franklin Quotes at BrainyQuote. Free download or read online No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith pdf (ePUB) book. But none has. 19 (1945) Show me a character whose life arouses my curiosity, and my flesh begins crawling with suspense. The eyewitnesses had personal experience with Joseph Smith, so their subjects covered a wider range, whereas the Mormon authors had every opportunity to omit any and all unfavorable accounts that they knew about. I don't blame any one for not believing my history. If this is so, then where is the proof? No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith, 2 nd ed., New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985, p. 143. It should be spelled “unveiled.” Throughout this paper, I use “unvailed” in reference to E.D. Doctrine and Covenants, 135:1 (27 June 1844) Cried out by Smith as he fell to his death after being shot by a mob. The Thames is liquid history. I have seen this approach used by Mormons many times. If I had not experienced what I have, I would not have believed it myself. Are we to say that all these people, 66 in total, who signed these documents, were lying or had been coerced or unduly influenced by Mr. Hurlbut? This has happened more than once. This is exactly what you’d expect of real witnesses. I will use his comments as a springboard of my own to counter the general claims of those attempting to discredit Mr. Hurlbut’s affidavits. It is then signed by 51 people. Consider this comment written by Mr. Roger Anderson on page 30 of his book: When Hurlbut submitted his collected statements to newspaper editor Eber D. Howe for publication, Hurlbut was embroiled in legal difficulties with Joseph Smith which made Howe suspect Hurlbut’s motives. The first states that the Smith family was “destitute of moral character” among other things. Therefore, the negative opinions of Anderson and Brodie on this issue carry far less weight and amount to nothing more than what they are: opinions. No Man Knows My History, ch. Does John 9:2 imply that we pre-existed in heaven before birth? 10, Spring 1970, pages 283-314. 19 (1945) Tags: man's, memory, bound, past, accordance, present, interests, most, faithful Not surprisingly, his treatment of plural marriage aligns closely with that of Fawn M. Brodie’s psychoanalytic history No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith, the Mormon Prophet (1945) and, more recently, George D. Smith’s Nauvoo Polygamy: “. What we can see in this chart is that the eyewitnesses are saying the same things. Quote by Joseph Smith Jr.: “You don't know me; you never knew my heart. Was it such as to entitle them to respectability among their neighbors, or were they addicted to indolence, intemperance, or lying?”7Anderson, p. 29. If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at info@carm.org. Nevertheless, below is a chart where I have gone through the affidavits in Howe’s Book, Mormonism Unveiled, and mapped the page numbers where the accusations occur against Joseph Smith. On the left side of the chart are the names of the people. I don't blame any one for not believing my history. Mr. Hurlbut is merely the messenger. I don’t blame any one for not believing my history. “You don't know me; you never knew my heart. Western Monitor (Fayette, Missouri), August 2, 1833; quoted in Brodie, No Man Knows My History, 1945, p. 131. This kind of evidence strongly supports the reliability and accuracy of the eyewitness’ accounts against the character of Joseph Smith. If I had not experienced what I have, I could ot have believed it myself." ... and one special part of your brain that may interpret your history of trauma as meaning that you are in danger only all the time. In fact, these affidavits were signed in front of Thomas P. Baldwin, a Judge of Wayne County Court in New York; Fred K. Smith, Justice of the Peace of Wayne County; Jonathan Lapham, Justice of the peace; Charles Dimon, Justice of the Peace; and, some of the signers of the testimonies even had people who signed off as character references for them! I don't blame anyone for not believing my history. Anyway, I enjoyed this biography on Joseph Smith. ... No man knows my history. by BookRags. After all, the affidavits are sworn testimonies by eyewitnesses. This study guide consists of approx. It is worth noting, that Fawn Brodie makes an identical comment against the Hurlbut Affidavits in her book, No Man Knows My History: “It can clearly be seen that the affidavits were written by Hurlbut since the style is the same throughout. Richard L. Anderson’s Article, Joseph Smith’s New York Reputation Reappraised. 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