What it says on the tin, what would the affect be on Mormonism without the death of its founder?
Mormonism without death of Joseph Smith
- Thread starter Stuyvesant
- Start date
Are you referring to his death at the hands of a mob, or the changes to Mormonism if he lived till 90 something as leader of the church before passing on through something a tad more natural? Unless your assuming he is immortal.
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Likely, the Mormons would've still migrated to Utah whether or not Smith died. The anti-Mormon hatred in the east was so intense it would've happened either way.
Hnau
Banned
Possibly no restriction of the priesthood to blacks. Brigham Young was adamant about racial restrictions, Joseph Smith was more pragmatic. In early Mormonism while Smith was alive, black men were ordained to the priesthood, though he distanced himself from racial inclusionary practices when the church was trying to survive in Missouri, a slave state. After leaving Missouri, he probably would have put the church on a trajectory towards fuller racial inclusion.
The structure of the church also might develop differently. When Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith were killed at the same time, there was a succession crisis because rules hadn't been formally decided on how the next prophet would be selected. Hyrum was Joseph's chosen successor, as the Assistant President of the Church. In the power vacuum, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles became the acting leadership of the church and since then the eldest member of the Quorum becomes the prophet on the death of the last. If Joseph lives longer, and names a successor, and that successor completes his succession peacefully, then subsequent prophets will be given the formal power to choose their successor regardless of seniority rights in the Quorum. This would become important in the Twentieth Century, as the prophet may name a younger Apostle as his successor, giving him more time to lead the church, rather than passing the mantle on to another elderly apostle who will only have his twilight years to effect policy. It could make the Mormon Church more dynamic.
Assuming a long life for Joseph, he would probably push the church towards a more socially radical, communitarian trajectory. In his last few years especially, in Nauvoo, when he thought he and the church were safer than they'd ever been, he began revealing his most extraordinary commandments and revelations, such as the King Follett Discourse in which he claimed men could become gods, or the revelations concerning polygamy. Given decades of more time, you'll probably see much bolder, visionary leadership than what even Brigham Young was capable of.
The structure of the church also might develop differently. When Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith were killed at the same time, there was a succession crisis because rules hadn't been formally decided on how the next prophet would be selected. Hyrum was Joseph's chosen successor, as the Assistant President of the Church. In the power vacuum, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles became the acting leadership of the church and since then the eldest member of the Quorum becomes the prophet on the death of the last. If Joseph lives longer, and names a successor, and that successor completes his succession peacefully, then subsequent prophets will be given the formal power to choose their successor regardless of seniority rights in the Quorum. This would become important in the Twentieth Century, as the prophet may name a younger Apostle as his successor, giving him more time to lead the church, rather than passing the mantle on to another elderly apostle who will only have his twilight years to effect policy. It could make the Mormon Church more dynamic.
Assuming a long life for Joseph, he would probably push the church towards a more socially radical, communitarian trajectory. In his last few years especially, in Nauvoo, when he thought he and the church were safer than they'd ever been, he began revealing his most extraordinary commandments and revelations, such as the King Follett Discourse in which he claimed men could become gods, or the revelations concerning polygamy. Given decades of more time, you'll probably see much bolder, visionary leadership than what even Brigham Young was capable of.
Very doubtful it would butterfly away the restriction of the priesthood. Though already the Book of Mormon had established the dark skin of the Lamanites as a curse from God specifically intended to keep the Nephites from intermarrying with them, by the late 1830s/early 1840s, Smith's theology had evolved in a direction very similar to that of his time, that is, to view blacks as descendants of Ham and their skin as a sign of the curse that Noah gives Ham in Genesis 9:20-27. That this pertained to the priesthood as well was established in the Pearl of Great Price:
It's very doubtful that Smith would change his views on this. The ban on blacks pertaining to the priesthood was not a mere Church policy. It was Church doctrine.
Had it not been for one thing I'll get to short, I would say that I agree. You would likely have seen a leadership much like that of the Community of Christ, formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Likely, the Prophet-Presidency will remain within the Smith family for years to come. Undoubtedly, Joseph Smith III will be the one to succeed his father as prophet.
Here's the thing, I don't think that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints would have survived had Joseph Smith Jr. survived. As time went on, Joseph Smith Jr. increasingly begun to develop his theology away from the vanilla protestantism he had originally presented in the Book of Mormon. Exaltation, polygamy, the Masonic-inspired temple ceremonies, etc. I don't think that Joseph Smith would simple have stopped developing his doctrines by the mid-1840s had he survived. Remember that the Book of Joseph that he claimed had accompanied the Book of Abraham in the papyri he purchased back in Kirtland still was "untranslated". Likely, he would have produced such a work as well, going more deeply into the themes he had begun sketching on in the Book of Abraham and the King Follett Discourse.
I am particularly intrigued by the Adam-God doctrine, enthusiastically preached by Brigham Young during the Utah years. Brigham insisted on that this was no invention of his own, but only what he had been taught by Joseph Smith, and took it so seriously as to include it in the so-called lecture at the veil in the early temple ceremonies. I don't see why we should doubt Brigham on this point, as Joseph was known to first only spread new doctrine to a few select before revealing it to the membership at large (see for example exaltation, polygamy, etc.). I don't think it's unlikely that a Book of Joseph would have explored this.
Then there's Smith's fascination with Masonry. The temple ceremony is filled to the brim with Masonic influences, and early Mormons taught that this was because Masonry had its origins at Solomon's Temple (another belief very common at the time), which Mormon doctrine teaches contained the very same rituals modern Mormon temples do. It had over the years however become "corrupted", and Joseph Smith Jr. merely restored them.
And then there are Joseph Smith's consistent failures with his communitarian and utopian designs, such as the United Order, the Kirtland Safety and Anti-Banking Society, Zion's Camp, etc. These were the failures that led to the most defections and apostasies during his lifetime. Unlike Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, Jr. was a terrible administrator and executer. He lack the shrewdness, the pragmatism and the sense for business.
And then as always, there is polygamy, which during Smith's time as prophet was practiced with the utmost secrecy, because many leading members of the Church were actually fiercely against it, such as Sidney Rigdon. And do not forget that Emma Smith hated the practice, and several times throated to leave Joseph and go east with their children back to her parents.
And then, there's Joseph's increasingly megalomaniacal personality, from his being crowned King of Israel by the Council of Fifty in 1844, to his campaign for the United States Presidency that very same year, when apostles were sent on missions to campaign for him.
No, if all this is allowed to continue brewing, we're looking at impending implosion. Polygamy will eventually make Sidney Rigdon leave the Church, with him denouncing Joseph. Emma will eventually say that enough is enough, and desert Joseph, returning east, possibly taking their children with her. The increasingly syncretic theology will soon enough start alienating even the most die-hard supporters such as Brigham Young, John Taylor and Heber C. Kimball. It will not surprise me if everything culminates in Joseph Smith, Jr. declaring that he is Christ reincarnated, and the whole superstructure ultimately collapses.
I strongly doubt that the Church will even survive the remainder of the 19th century. If it exists today, it would be in a form not dissimilar to the form in which the Strangite Church still exists today. Here's their website, by the way.
The constant threat of mob violence, even if it spared Joseph Smith's life, would force the Saints to relocate. The question, however, is where. My understanding is that he wanted them to go to California--which would not have turned out well, as they would again be quickly outnumbered by Gentiles... Of course, they might try to re-re-locate to Utah then, but perhaps it would be too late if there were already Gentile settlers there.
Binturong
Banned
As someone who was raised LDS, and is soon to be excommunicated, I find this incredibly interesting. I've never heard of... well, hardly any of what you talked about in this post. Would you mind hooking me up with whatever it is you've been reading about the church and its history? Cuz I'm very interested in getting to know more about the history from an objective standpoint.
I'm surprised no one has brought up Texas. It was considered by Smith and some negotiations with the Republic amounted to Mormons settling the Nueces strip. A devout high ranking member of the church, Lyman Wight, was sent to make way for the main congregation. Smith's death curtailed the plan, and Young's assumption to power stopped it completely. During his life Smith had made musings about his people moving to the Rockies. This conviction wouldn't vanish and in my mind would still occur even if the main Mormon body had moved to Texas. Yet I still wish to see a TL where a lasting Independent Texian Republic had a significant Mormon minority...
This book covers the topic.
This book covers the topic.
Now, let's move to some secular concerns. Consider Nauvoo as a large metropolitan area. Just as Louisville sits on the "falls" of the Ohio River, Nauvoo is on the Des Moines Rapids in the Mississippi, a hindrance to river commerce until the Keokuk hydroelectric plant, with its 37-foot dam, controlled the river in 1913. If Nauvoo grows and there is no migration to Utah, what happens with the upcoming transcontinental railroad? The settlement of the Rocky Mountains would be very, very different.