Joseph Smith Iii
Joseph Smith III ( 6 November 1832 - 10 December 1914 ) was the eldest son of Joseph Smith , founder of Mormonism. Joseph Smith III was the first prophet-president of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, now known as the Community of Christ.
Summary |
Biography
Childhood
Joseph Smith III was born in Kirtland in the Ohio November 6, 1832. He is the son of Joseph Smith Jr. , founder of Mormonism , and Emma Hale Smith. He moved with his parents in the Far West Missouri in 1838 where his father is finally arrested after the conflict between locals and immigrants Mormons. The young Joseph receives several times for permission to visit his father in prison and the apostle Lyman Wight argues that one of these occasions, Joseph Smith Jr. had laid his hands upon the head of his son, saying "You will when I leave my successor " . This story is however contested by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who saw no more than a blessing, not a designation.
When Joseph Smith was murdered in 1844 in Carthage ( Illinois ), Joseph III was only 11 years. While some church members feel it should succeed his father, his young age makes that impossible. The succession crisis will Brigham Young to take over the leadership of the Church. The relationship between it and the mother of Joseph III, Emma Hale Smith, deteriorates rapidly and the latter refuses to follow. In 1847, second wife Emma Lewis Bidamon. Joseph III studies law and marries Emmeline Griswold in 1856.
Reorganization of the Church
After the death of Joseph Smith , the majority of church members following Brigham Young until Utah , while a significant minority follows James J. Strang. He also still several congregations in Illinois and Missouri who refuse the authority of one or the other. They are particularly hostile to polygamy encouraged by Brigham Young. They will be joined by disgruntled movement Strang when he also be practicing polygamy.
The idea of launching a new organization then makes its way among these congregations. Joseph Smith III was then tipped as future leader of this movement. He received several visits from delegations asking him to accept the presidency but he is steadily declining, saying wait to be inspired by God in this sense. Finally, in 1860, Joseph Smith III said he received divine confirmation and was ordained president of the movement to April 6, 1860 Amboy ( Illinois ). This will be known as the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, now known as the Community of Christ.
President of the Church
Many members of the new organization were persons having distanced from the Church because of evolution theocratic Joseph Smith at the end of his life they saw as a source of excess. They also refused to follow Brigham Young who seemed to pursue suit in Utah. Moreover, they generally rejected the teachings of the late Joseph Smith about the plurality of gods, exaltation, polygamy and baptism for the dead.
Faced with this situation, Joseph Smith III decided to adopt a middle road, which earned him the nickname "pragmatic prophet" by his biographer. Without formally rejecting the last teachings of Joseph Smith , he says they have been misunderstood, transcribed and they are not essential. Moreover, he asserts regularly throughout his life that the doctrine of polygamy was not enacted by his father but is an invention of Brigham Young.
In the years 1860 and 1870, Joseph Smith III began to rebuild the structure of the church with a new First Presidency, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, a seven Colleges of the Seventy and Presiding Bishopric. He appoints William Marks as his first counselor. After his death, it means WW Blair and his brother David Hyrum Smith as counselors in the First Presidency.
In 1866 he moved to Plano ( Illinois ) where printing of the Church has been installed. He took the editorship of the organ of movement, the Saint's Herald. Plano becomes the headquarters of the Church. Meanwhile, some members establish a colony at Lamoni ( Iowa ) where they try to establish a community called Economy Act of Consecration (or Order of Enoch). In 1881, Joseph Smith III moved to Lamoni, which becomes the new headquarters of the movement. Although the practice of the Law of Consecration is finally abandoned, the city continues to grow. The church established a college that later became the University of Graceland.
Return to Zion
The Mormons were expelled in 1839 from the city of Independence that Joseph Smith was designated as the center of the future Zion. Members of the Reorganized Church to return and settle gradually. Joseph Smith III also established himself in 1906 at the age of 73, leaving his eldest son Frederick M. Smith is head of the Church from Lamoni.
Finally, December 10, 1914 at the age of 82 years, Joseph Smith III died at his home following a heart attack.
See also
Bibliography
- (In) Roger D. Launius, Joseph III: Pragmatic Prophet, University of Illinois Press, 1995, 394 pages ( ISBN 0252065158 )
Related articles
References
- Lyman Wight, Letter to The Northern Islander, July 1855, reproduced in Saints Advocate, Vol. 7, September 1884, p. 478; also quoted in The History of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Vol. 2, p. 789
- James Whitehead, Autumn Leaves, Vol 1, p. 202
| Preceded by | Joseph Smith III | Followed by | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Smith |
| Frederick M. Smith |
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