Joseph Smith Denials of Perfection, Infallibility and Omniscience
(Synopsis of 4 March 2007 Talk Show)

1. Many attempt to judge Joseph Smith by their view of a prophet which they assume or assert was Joseph Smith's claim. It is common to many to assume that his claim to be prophet was a claim to infallibility and omniscience.

2. Woven throughout Joseph Smith’s life is his frequent insistence that he was but a man capable of human mistakes, with like passions as other men, learning and growing in common ways and also progressing in religious knowledge through study, faith, theorizing, inspiration and revelation but yet far from having a complete and even correct understanding of some quite basice doctrinal concepts.

3. Joseph Smith's claims for himself. I read a number of statements from the Doctrine and Covenants, from his discourses and writings in which he acknowledged his imperfections, a man like other men, and did not claim to be a prophet except when acting as such.

4. Joseph Smith acknowledged that he could fall and be removed from his position as President. I read several items from him on this point, including the fact that he had ordained David Whitmer to replace him in the even he should fall.

5. Phone call: Caller claimed revelations about Joseph Smith. I think he was being facetious. He commented on the Golden Plates.

6. I discuss what we learn about Joseph Smith's view of revelation from his statements and situations. His position was that not all revelation comes from God and all purported revelation must be tested including his own. I discuss and quote from his 1842 article "Try the Spirits."

7. Email: The writer suggests Joseph Smith's running for President was inconsistent with his role as a prophet. I responded that I did not think he really had an interest in being President of the United States, but rather was seeking to increase the Church's profile in order to gain more influence for the LDS to get more national support for the protection of their Constitutional rights.

8. Art Bulla, self proclaimed prophet, read his revelation on D&C 43. I responded, asking how are his revelations to be tested by a priesthood body, a procedure established by Joseph Smith.

9. Caller suggested that there are rules which have not always been followed. We had a good discussion considering the production of D&C 88 and D&C 109.

10. Caller claimed that Joseph Smith wanted to subvert the Constitution. He referred to the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor press. He claimed that the destruction of the LDS press in Independence in 1833 was Constitutional because the Mormons deserved it for publishing falsehoods. We ran out of time.