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John L. Smith's 2006 Rigdon book
Did Joseph Smith Write the Book of Mormon?
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Title-page
Preface Introduction Sidney Rigdon's Early Life The Kirtland Bank Joseph and Sidney Sidney's Salt Sermon William H. Whitsitt Transcriber's Comments Errata |
Entire contents copyright © 2006 by John L. Smith
Only limited, "fair use" excerpts are provided here -- buy the book
Wm. H. Whitsitt's "Sidney Rigdon, the Real Founder of Mormonism"
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SIDNEY RIGDON The ORIGINATOR of MORMONISM By a Fifty Five Year Student of Mormonism. John L. Smith 2006 |
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(this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 3 ] RIGDON'S YOUTH AND EARLY LIFE Sidney Rigdon was born February 19, 1793, the youngest son of a farmer in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Sidney attended school in a log schoolhouse where he learned to read. He was studious, though his early opportunities for formal training were limited. His son remembered him as a "great historian, the best I ever saw."Sidney taught himself grammar. He became responsible for the family farm after his father's death in 1810. He professed a religious experience in 1817. Rigdon became a Baptist and was licensed to preach by the congregation, which he attended. By this time he would have been at least 28 years old. From the beginning of his ministry, Sidney Rigdon was known as an effective speaker. He was described as an "orator," and studied under a number of Baptist ministers and was soon ordained. He married Miss Phebe Brooks, the sister-in-law of one of his preacher mentors. It appears that she lived until 1886 and that she bore Sidney 12 children, though all records of the number of their children do not agree. Adamson Bentley who was Rigdon's brother-in-law, and Rigdon were both active in the Mahoning Baptist Association in east central Ohio. Bentley served as moderator three times. (The "moderator" in Baptist a Baptist association is simply to officiate during meeting of the association (a group of Baptist churches in an area), they have no authority over the churches). By 1821 Rigdon was considered a most capable preacher. The History of Peter's Creek Baptist Church, A Heritage of Faith, by Alan Ciechanowski, says that Sidney Rigdon joined the Peters Creek Church in 1817, that he studied divinity in Beaver County and by 1822 he became pastor of the First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh, PA. Page 14. Ciechanowski reports that Rigdon was expelled by the Baptists for doctrinal errors and that he became a Campbellite. In 1826 he moved to Ohio to join the Mormon Church, pg. 15. At that time Joseph Smith, Jr. would have been in his early twenties, not likely to be able to produce the Book of Mormon. This is interesting because the Mormon Church didn't come into existence until 1830. Too, the Book of Mormon was not printed until April of 1830. Perhaps Rigdon's first contact with a non-Baptist group had been with the Shakers. This cult was started about fifty years earlier by Mother Ann Lee who professed to be the female incarnation of God. The group was communal (they did not own property personally). His interest in the Shakers lasted for more than 10 years. It was perhaps during this period [ 4 ] that Rigdon's interest in communal living began. He tried to incorporate communal living into Alexander Campbell's teachings. Communal living became a part of early Mormonism. Sandamanenism, a cult, which originated in Scotland, and taught that the true church ceased to exist with the death of the last apostle appears to be a forerunner of Campbellism. While still in his 20's Rigdon had learned about the work of Alexander Campbell. Both he and Bentley spent nearly 10 years with Campbell and his movement. Alexander Campbell had been a Presbyterian, but from about 1813-1830 he and his followers were nominally Baptists, though Baptists never extended Campbell the "hand of fellowship," since they felt he was an innovator who would build a new sect on the ruins of Baptists. Rigdon's son John, in an article printed in Dialogue, Vol. 1, No. 4, Winter 1966, page 22 declared that his father and Alexander Campbell" got their heads together and started what was then called "The Campbellite Church." This group sometimes call themselves "The Church of Christ." (Some of this group now call themselves "Disciples of Christ.)" "Sidney Rigdon baptized Campbell and Campbell baptized him, and the church was started." Donna Hill, in her Joseph Smith, the First Mormon, pg. 104 describes Rigdon as the "co-founder of the Campbellite Church..." It is no wonder that Campbell was greatly upset by Rigdon's defection. As co-founder, Campbell had reason to be concerned. Campbell wrote a number of articles about Rigdon and his relation to the Book of Mormon. Campbell differed with Baptists especially over baptism. He felt that baptism was necessary for the remission of sins. Baptists have always insisted that a conversion experience precede baptism. Too, Campbell required his followers to celebrate the Lord's Supper every Sunday. Each Baptist congregation as a rule, sets its own pattern on the frequency of the ordinance (often quarterly). Also, Campbell declared that the Old Testament was not binding. Rigdon and Bentley visited Campbell in 1821 according to Campbell, and an interesting relationship with Campbell began. Rigdon had become a Baptist pastor in the Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania) area. He was soon to leave his church after charges by the Redstone Baptist Association that his doctrines were unsound. After his leaving the Pittsburgh pastorate, he worked from 1824-1826 as a journey-man tanner for his wife's brother. He did not leave the Pittsburgh area, however, but continued to proclaim Campbell's doctrines, particularly about a "restoration" of New Testament teachings. Rigdon continued to preach in the courthouse. Many of his former church members attended, and in 1826, Rigdon moved to Ohio where he accepted a pastorate in the Mahoning Baptist Association. [ 5 ] (first part this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) Campbell differed with Baptists especially over baptism. He felt that baptism was necessary for the remission of sins. Baptists have always insisted that a conversion experience precede baptism. Too, Campbell required his followers to celebrate the Lord's Supper every Sunday. Each Baptist congregation as a rule sets its own pattern on the frequency of the ordinance (often quarterly). Also, Campbell declared that the Old Testament was not binding. Rigdon and Bentley visited Campbell in 1821 according to Campbell, and an interesting relationship with Rigdon began. Rigdon had become a Baptist pastor in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. He would soon leave his church after charges by the Redstone Baptist Association that his doctrines were unsound. Rigdon continued to preach in the courthouse. Many of his former church members attended, and in 1826 Ridgon moved to Ohio where he accepted a pastor in the Mahoning Baptist Association. Rigdon's reputation grew as he preached in revival meetings in his own and neighboring towns. In each he proclaimed his "restoration" ideas. In time Rigdon began to disagree with Campbell. He did not believe the day of miracles was over, or that tongues were only a New Testament phenomenon, and Rigdon was continuing to be enamored by the idea of a communal society and to certain millennial ideas which were foreign to Campbell's position. Finally, there came a break: Rigdon took the position at the annual meeting of the Association in 1830 that a communal lifestyle was necessary if they were to return to the model of the church at Jerusalem. The meeting ended in a seething attack by Campbell. Rigdon left the [ 6 ] meeting and never returned to the Campbell fold. His good relationship with his brother-in-law (Adamson Bentley) also ended and Rigdon's wife was even excluded from her share of her father's estate. Some ceased to follow Rigdon at this point, not willing to risk their considerable property in the communal venture, but several substantial men did follow him. Within months, more than 100 men, women and children had entered into an agreement to hold their property in common. In the fall of 1830 Rigdon received a visit by four men, among them were Parley P Pratt, Oliver Cowdery and Peter Whitmer. They were from the new religious group who had begun to follow Joseph Smith, Jr., the self-proclaimed Mormon prophet. At first Smith called [it] "The Church of the Latter Day Saints," but he was later to call his movement "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Rigdon and Pratt were already friends. Pratt had been converted in one of Rigdon's many meetings. Pratt had been preaching when he learned of the new group called Mormons. Pratt was especially enamoured by the "Book of Mormon." Rigdon was excited by the claims being made by his convert Oliver Cowdery who was a cousin of Joseph Smith's. Pratt, for he had long sought to be sure about the "ancient order of things." Mormons insist that Rigdon did not hear of Joseph Smith until after the LDS (Mormon) Church was organized some months earlier, on April 6, 1830. We will present evidence otherwise later in this study. NOTE: According to Mormon claims, the Book of Mormon had only been in print a few months when it was brought to Rigdon's attention. This is questionable! We should remind our readers that though Rigdon was a preacher of some eloquence, and presented as a Bible student and history buff, his formal education was extremely limited. By today's standards, he was little more than a self-educated frontiersman. There is no record of Rigdon's Bible or historical training other than as an apprentice of Adamson Bentley. He possessed no academic education beyond that of the frontier school near his home in Pennsylvania. (In those days, if a man wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer, he would become an apprentice, that was often his preparation for his life's work!) It appears that Pratt was a follower of Rigdon. Therefore, his ability to judge the merit of the Book of Mormon as a Bible scholar or historian was extremely limited. The very idea that a 37 year old follower of Alexander Campbell would be so quickly and easily taken-in by his younger protégé Parley Pratt, who was almost 15 years his junior -- a mere boy, while Rigdon was a mature, seasoned adult -- and by the young dreamer Joseph Smith, is foreign to my thinking! The fact that Rigdon seemed to be continually vacillating between the [ 7 ] Baptists, Ann Lee, Alexander Campbell, the Sandemanians, the communal lifestyle, and then Joseph Smith, bespeaks of a lack of stability not generally seen in a mature adult. Anyway, whatever might have been his ability to make a rational judgment, or lack of it, Rigdon was apparently convinced that the Book of Mormon had come from God and, that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet, (at least that must be the assumption if we would accept the claim that Rigdon had not heretofore known Joseph Smith). There is evidence that they had known each other for years. See Joseph Smith and His Progenitors by His Mother pages 87-90 and [another?] "Mormonism" book on the subject, also on page 90. Daryl Chase, in his "Sidney Rigdon-Early Mormon," admits the theory of the "Manuscript Found" by Solomon Spaulding's being the origin of the Book of Mormon has been around since 1834. At that time, Rigdon was reported to have been implicated in the imposture by obtaining the manuscript and in turn passing it on to Joseph Smith. This theory, most often repeated even today, claimed that Spaulding was a Congregational or Presbyterian preacher, who in bad health passed the time by writing a novel which supposedly explained the origin of the American Indians. Spaulding (1761-1816) is supposed to have imagined that the Indians were Semitic. (The name Spaulding is spelled two different ways in Mormon literature, Spalding and Spaulding. Though some notable writers speak of him as "Spalding," we shall spell his name "Spaulding" (except when quoting -- in quotation marks -- another publication that uses the other spelling) in this work. We choose this spelling mainly because it is perhaps most often used and because this is the spelling we've seen used by his widow and daughter. (Another man who spelled the name "Spalding" is prominent in Mormon history. He was the Rt. Rev. F.S. Spalding, D.D., Episcopal Bishop of Utah in 1912. He is best known to students of Mormonism for his effort in the translation of the "Book of Abraham." Evidently his work was notable, though it was totally rejected by LDS leaders. The Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol. 2, pgs. 138-139 tells something of his work. Other contemporary Mormons mentioned, but totally rejected his efforts at translation. (His work was later vindicated when some of the originals of the Book of Abraham were found in 1967). (See Mormonism, Shadow or Reality," pgs 299-304 for more information on this subject. (We've not seen the Episcopal Bishop's name spelled any other way). There were other publications during the period, which could have been used to provoke the writer or writers of the "Book of Mormon." These will be mentioned later in this work. [ 8 ] The View of the Hebrews, by Ethan Smith was first printed in 1823 and later printed serially in the local Palmyra (New York) newspaper. Fawn Brodie reports that Joseph's father was a subscriber to the paper. His name appeared among the delinquent subscriber list, which proves that Smith (and others) could have had access to the 'View of the Hebrews" position. That Sidney Rigdon was a follower of Campbell should be of interest in this study. We would propose to call attention to several facts: 1. Some things about Rigdon as a Campbellite 2. Campbell's comments about Rigdon 3. The Campbellite influence on the Book of Mormon (and the Baptist influence on the book) are interesting. 4. The peculiarly quick response of Rigdon to the Mormon position. Note: The Mormonism of 1830 which Rigdon accepted was a far [cry] from the Mormonism of today. 5. Let us learn some things about Rigdon as a Campbellite. Many have written about him. Donna Hill wrote a 500 page book Joseph Smith The First Mormon, in which she calls him "the co-founder of the Campbellite Church." The thing that sets Mormonism apart from the other restoration attempts was, of course, the Book of Mormon. Among the first Mormons who had been Campbellites were Parley P. Pratt, Lyman Wight and Orson Hyde, whom Rigdon had earlier baptized. Also, there were Newel K. and Elizabeth Ann Whitney, Eliza Snow, and others. To one versed in Campbellite (Church of Christ) doctrine and practice, it appears most strange that Rigdon was so easily and quickly converted. This must have been the fastest in history! It is almost beyond belief that one of Rigdon's caliber could have been so easily and quickly persuaded from his position by a man, 14 years his junior, who had earlier been his disciple. There are several facts about the Book of Mormon that are most interesting. In 1834 [sic - 1958?] there was a book printed called Joseph Smith Begins His Work, Vol. II. In it is The Book of Commandments. You readers who've known of my interest in Mormonism have probably known of my long, long, belief that Sidney Rigdon had been aware of Joseph Smith, Jr., at least before Joseph was 20 years old. Rigdon had known the Smith family since Joseph's brother; Alvin had died in 1820 [sic] when Joseph, Jr. was not quite 20 years of age. Thus, there is strong evidence of Sidney Rigdon's involvement with the Smith family years before Rigdon was supposed to have had a part in the beginning of Mormonism. Rigdon had in the past been proven quite persuasive. He was supposed to have been given a copy of the Book of Mormon and after a brief look at it; he became convinced that it was the word of God. We believe [ 9 ] (this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 10 ] never reach the high literary levels found in the Old Testament. He also noted that they "never equal the philosophic concepts and literary perfection of Job." Sperry spoke of the Book of Mormon's "homely English," of its "ambiguous and hard to understand language," of its poor sentence structure, etc. Sperry described the too frequent use of such expressions as "it came to pass" as being noticeably distasteful to cultured readers of the Book of Mormon. We believe Sidney Rigdon's almost on-the-spot acceptance of the Book of Mormon to be the result of collusion, a lack of sufficient examination, an irresponsible emotional acceptance, or an evidence of an inability to properly evaluate the book. It could not have been so received by a capable, thinking, rational man of Rigdon's reputed ability. He [must?] have been a participant in its writing! Alexander Campbell in his "Memoirs," (Vol. II, pgs. 344-345 edited by Robert Richardson, calls Sidney Rigdon a "chief promoter" of Mormonism and declares that there is "good evidence" that he was also "its originator." Perhaps we should explain, (in view of our earlier statements on the subject) that we really do not accept the so-called "Spaulding Theory." We are aware of the claims and counter-claims that have now been around for well over 150 years. In our library we had well-over 200 volumes that mentioned Sidney Rigdon and his part in Mormonism. Most of these (though by no means all), had been written from a Mormon perspective. (Most give absolutely no credence to the claims of the Spaulding Theory). We are aware too, that such scholars as Thomas F. O'Dea declare that "few if any scholars take the Spaulding Theory seriously today." (The Mormons, O'Dea, pgs. 23-24). (Though we do have a "gut feeling" that Rigdon and Smith did know each other long before December of 1830, we believe that even if this were not true, Sidney Rigdon probably had more to do with the origin of Mormonism than did God. Therefore, we do believe Campbell was not too far from right when he called Sidney Rigdon "Mormonism's Originator.") (bottom part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 11 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) Richardson says that Smith and Rigdon arranged for Oliver Cowdery and Parley Pratt to appear to Rigdon who would at once endorse their claim. Though Alexander Campbell was an earlier companion and fellow preacher with Rigdon, by the time of the writing of his memoirs, Rigdon had long gone his own way and become an apostate to Campbell's teachings. Hence the harsh treatment given him in his memoirs. (Perhaps we should explain, in view of our earlier statements on the subject) that we really do not accept the so-called "Spaulding Theory." By that, I mean, I do not accept the idea that the book was copied, that he was actually the author. I am aware of the claims and counter-claims that have now been made for more than 150 years. The "Manuscript Found" in no way contained the original of the Book of Mormon. We believe there is a possibility there was a second manuscript by Spaulding that has not been found.) (Most give absolutely no credence to the claims of the "Spaulding Theory.") [ 12 ] (We are aware too, that such scholars as Thomas F. O'Dea declare that "few if any scholars take the Spaulding Theory seriously today." (The Mormons, pgs. 23-24). Campbell observed that the Book of Mormon discusses "every error and almost every truth discussed in New York for the last ten years. He discussed all the great controversies: -- infant baptism, ordination, the trinity, regeneration, repentance, justification, the fall of man, the atonement, transubstantiation, fasting, penance, church government, religious experience, the call to the ministry, the general resurrection, eternal punishment, who may baptize, and even the question of Freemasonry, republican government, the rights of man..." (Quoted from Millennial Harbinger, Feb. 1831, pg. 85). Campbell agreed with all the other biographers we've read, that Rigdon was a fluent, eloquent public speaker. Likewise, Campbell's appraisal of Rigdon was that he was privately unreliable, with a terrible temper, somewhat given to extravagance, and was in agreement with other reliable estimates of the man. Campbell further stated that "he was ambitious of distinction, jealous of others, but sometimes unable to secure the notice that he sought." Campbell would have accepted Paul Bailey's assessment of Rigdon. He called him a "narrow-minded bigot" (Armies of God, pg. 47). Later in Bailey's book, after Rigdon had become ill, he called him "crotchety" (pg. 84). That word is defined as, "given to odd notions, eccentric, a whiner, grouchy." Campbell accepted the Spaulding Theory, implying at least, that Rigdon and Smith were together in Palmyra, New York, as early as 1827. Obviously, Campbell felt that the entire story was as much (or more) Rigdon's story than Smith's. Campbell describes Martin Harris as being "so credulous" as to be persuaded to defray the expense of the publication of the Book of Mormon. Likewise, Campbell notes Rigdon's inclusion of his millennial theories and other fanciful interpretations of scripture even before Smith appeared (for the record) later in 1830. Campbell says Rigdon sought privately to convince influential persons that the "primitive gospel, supernatural gifts and miracles ought to be restored," and that as in the beginning, they should hold all things in common. Rigdon received little response in Mentor where he resided, but was more successful in Kirtland (Ohio). Upon the appearance of Cowdery and Pratt who were old acquaintances, they at once publicly endorsed Rigdon, at once publicly endorsed his claims. Rigdon went with Smith to Palmyra but there they were met with contempt and ridicule. They knew Smith all too well. Perhaps that was too [ 13 ] close to Bainbridge (New York) where Smith had earlier been convicted by a justice of the Peace as a "glass looker." (He took money from believing farmers to look through his magic glass and find buried treasure). Smith had earlier pleaded guilty and promised to cease his activities. Later he evidently used perhaps that same stone to translate the metal plates. The original court record of that trial was found by Wes Walters in 1971. Its finding seems now to be acknowledged as authentic even by some LDS historians. Therefore, Smith and Rigdon transferred their operations to Kirtland, Ohio where Rigdon had already prepared his people for this new and expected message. Campbell (Ibid, pg. 346) reports that about 1/2 his former members were soon led away by Rigdon's delusion. Mormon "elders" and "apostles," with this somewhat illustrious beginning, were soon able to gain many proselytes. Campbell said that they were from among the ignorant and superstitious, but unfortunately among their converts were many no-doubt able, sincere and well-to-do people. (We should remind our readers again; however, that the Mormonism that these people accepted was far from that believed by present-day Mormons and by hundreds of thousands of converts to Mormonism today.) They knew nothing of the Plural-god, Corporal God, Progressing God, Polygamous God, Incestuous God, every man becoming a God, (embryo God) (etc.) ideas as were later brought into Mormonism. In fact, Mormon proselytes are being worse "duped" today than they were then. Campbell later reminded his readers with some relish, that his former compatriot was later deposed to obscurity by his more competent successor, Brigham Young. There are many passages in the Book of Mormon that lead me to believe that someone with much greater knowledge of Baptist and Campbellite theology than Joseph Smith -- at age 25 -- had something to do with the writing of the Book of Mormon. We find the passage Mosiah 27:27-28 (and many other passages) most interesting in the light of Rigdon's past. This is especially true since this passage contradicts current Mormon doctrine in several very important ways. This passage is obviously inspired by Baptist's interpretation of John 3:3-7. Its "improvement" on the passage in John appears to be the result of after-thought. The expression "born again" and "born of God" appears only in John and in the epistles. However, its use in several Book of Mormon passages supposedly around 100 years before the appearance of Jesus, leads me to believe that someone with an acquaintance with -- and perhaps an understanding of -- the Baptist position on the subject of the "New Birth" must have been its author. [ 14 ] The several inclusions of those precise words: "I am born of the Spirit" (Mosiah 27:24) and "I am born of God" (vs. 28), "have ye been spiritually born of God" (Alma 5:14), "they must repent and be born again" (vs. 49), "and be born again" (Alma 7:14), "what shall I do that I may be born of God" (Alma 22:15), "if I had not been born of God" (Alma 36:5), "that I had been born of God" (vs. 23), lead me to believe that not only was the book written long after the passage in John, but its writer must have had some intimate knowledge of the theology and terminology of Baptists -- particularly in the area and not during the period BC 130 to BC 91 as we are led to believe. Sidney Rigdon (and not Mosiah or Alma, nor Joseph Smith) was in a perfect position and with the ideal background for this knowledge. (We should inform our readers that the concept of the "New Birth" as understood by Christians who claim that experience today, is totally foreign to Mormonism. Such passages as those quoted above are not cited today by knowledgeable Mormons. Mormons do not talk of being "saved." In all our years of dealing with Mormons, we do not recall even one instance (except by those claiming the experience before becoming a Mormon and who did not really understand the Mormon concept), when a Mormon claimed to be "saved." The term is not even in the index of the edition of the Book of Mormon currently in use today. Yet the Book of Mormon is replete with instances where the expression is used relating to an experience with the Lord where one might be said "to be saved, after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23). It says, "there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved..." (2 Nephi 31:21). Again it says, "there is no other or means whereby man can be saved, only in and through Christ" (Alma 38:9). Another passage says "remember that there is no other way or means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come, yea remember that he cometh to redeem the world" (Helamen 5:9) and there are others. (Helaman was supposed to have been written in BC 30 -- before Jesus was born.) It is evident that the concept of being "saved" was one with which Sidney Rigdon would have been familiar and could well have introduced to the new book (assuming he had known Joseph Smith before). Another concept, with which Rigdon would have been familiar, was the idea that baptism must be by immersion and as a Campbellite, that it was necessary for salvation. The writer gives the word for word formula for the baptismal ceremony and then proceeds to declare that it be by "immersion." The passage in 3 Nephi 11:25 says "I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen." The next verse follows: "And then shall ye immerse them in the water, and come forth again out of the water." [ 15 ] This is a redundancy since the word "baptize" literally means to immerse. The word "baptize" (or one of the derivatives) is found about 150 times in the Book of Mormon though only 123 of its pages claim to have been written after the birth (note: not ministry) of Jesus. The fact that the word (or a derivative) is used more times in the Book of Mormon than in the much larger Bible indicates to us that there is an inordinate use of the word. (We should also note that the word "Christ" is used more than 500 years before the birth of Christ. The use of many terms long before they were used in the Bible -- is interesting!) Likewise, the emphasis on the word "baptize" (from supposedly up to more than 100 years before Christ's birth) and such obvious efforts to improve on the New Testament as "And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God. And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned" (3 Nephi 11:33-34 -- compare with Mark 16:16 in the Bible). In 3 Nephi 26:17 it says the disciples of Jesus were to "baptize and to teach as many as did come unto them; and as many as were baptized in the name of Jesus were filled by the Holy Ghost." Moroni 8:9 forbids baptizing children, saying they are not accountable and continues, stating "and their little children need no repentance, neither baptize." Would you not say than a 8-year-old child is a "child?" Many other passages could be listed, but we believe we make our point, the Book of Mormon, with hindsight, settles the issues with which the Baptist-turned-Campbellite Sidney Rigdon was familiar. (We note that it does not deal with any subject which was not a problem of the time (for instance homosexuality), giving convincing, even if circumstantial evidence, that Rigdon may well have had something to do with the content of the Book of Mormon). For the record at least, it is said that Sidney Rigdon's sojourn with the Mormons began in the fall of 1830 when his old friend Parley Pratt, along with Oliver Cowdery, Peter Whitmer and Ziba Peterson dropped by Isaac Morley's communal farm where Rigdon and his family were then living. Pratt had been converted to Campbellism by Rigdon the year before while he was preaching just west of Cleveland. Pratt is said to have persuaded his companions to travel 200 miles out of their way in order to visit Sidney Rigdon. (This was equal to a far greater distance today -- possibly even a several day trip). The conversion was entirely too easy. Anyone, who is at all familiar with the tenacious position of the followers of Alexander Campbell, would have difficulty believing that a younger, former protégé could so quickly and easily convert a man of Rigdon's experience and reputed ability. The story just does not ring true. The first time we heard it, we were inclined to [ 16 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) Rigdon began immediately to help Smith revise Genesis though the revision of the Bible was not completed. Smith was persuaded by Rigdon to move with his family to Ohio. That month (December 1830) Joseph gave a revelation ordering his people to move immediately to Ohio (Sec. 58). At Kirtland, Newel K. Whitney, the most prosperous merchant in town, was persuaded to become a Mormon. By now Smith had learned to use his revelations to good advantage. (Or was it Rigdon who supplied the revelations?) He had found a ready follower in Partridge and a staunch supporter in Rigdon. He produced a revelation from God saying that his followers should build him a house (61:3) ordering every one of his (male) followers -- except himself and Rigdon) -- to go out as missionaries. A few weeks later he got a revelation for Rigdon and Pratt to go as missionaries to the Shakers. This effort did not succeed. A revelation from Smith was all it took to close the effort at communal living at Kirtland. The people didn't like it anyway (13:14). In its place, Smith instituted the "Law of Consecration of Stewardship." It had several advantages over the earlier practice. In the new program the incompetent and lazy were eliminated since each "volunteer" had to support himself and his family while all that was left over went to the church (which really meant that Smith had charge of it). [ 17 ] Rigdon was an able orator. Some said he spoke with the voice of an angel. Sidney Rigdon became a follower of Joseph Smith in December of 1830 -- so the record says -- and for the remainder of Joseph's time on earth, he was a close and constant companion, spokesman and confidant. Our study of Rigdon may appear somewhat repetitious and paradoxical. His 13 years with Smith indicate that he was stable. Yet his several religious positions, Baptist, Sandamanian, Shakers, Baptist, Campbellite, Mormonism, later Strangite and then Rigdonite, make him appear decidedly unstable. The influence that each of these had on him, his mistreatment at the hands of mobs, his periods of ill-health, and his excitable and impetuous nature make him a difficult man to follow and to understand. The Mormonism that he accepted at the time of his conversion was quite unlike the cult we know today. The Book of Mormon's doctrinal teachings would appear quite harmonious with most of the Baptist and Campbellite teachings that Rigdon had accepted 13 years earlier. Most of the doctrines we find abhorrent today had not become a (revealed) part of the Mormonism at this point in time. The acceptance of the Book of Mormon (which did not teach contrary to his old allegiance) and a modern-day prophet was really all that he was getting in addition to most of the teachings of Alexander Campbell. The plural God doctrine, God a corporeal being (who is married), plural marriage and all that is included, their eternal marriage teachings, etc., these were all to come much later. Perhaps it would be well to bring in some of those documentations which lead us to believe that Rigdon had been with Smith prior to the printing of the Book of Mormon. (We will later present some additional information). Lucy Smith, in her Joseph Smith's History by His Mother, provides a most revealing bit of information. Though admittedly circumstantial, we see it -- along with other confirming evidence -- as most important. On page 90 of the 1853 printing of her book, it says, "Shortly after the death of Alvin (he died in November of 1823) a man commenced laboring in the neighborhood, to affect a union of the different churches, in order that all might be agreed, and thus worship God with one heart and one mind." "This seemed about right to me, and I felt much inclined to join them, in fact, the most of the family appeared quite disposed to unite with their numbers; (though she said that Joseph refused even to go to their meetings)..." We believe Sidney Rigdon may have been that man! (If Lucy Smith's statement stood alone, we would not be so inclined, but it, along with much other evidence, is to us convincing). [ 18 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) Another fact that should be considered as having a bearing on this subject is the possibility of Rigdon's having been in the vicinity of Joseph Smith's home or travels during the period prior to 1830. We've never considered seriously the claims of Who Really Wrote the Book of Mormon? by Cowdrey, Davis and Scales. Their book, printed in 1977, appeared amid a great deal of fanfare, lofty promises and extravagant claims, but it failed to produce as promised. (Note our conviction that Joseph Smith's mother in her Joseph Smith's History by his Mother, page 87 which reveals that a man had been mentioning in the neighborhood attempting to "effect the union of different churches." That was Sidney Rigdon!) The three handwriting experts who were to back up their contention that a questioned 12 pages from the original Book of Mormon Manuscript were indeed in the handwriting of Solomon Spaulding who had died in 1816, in the end refused to agree to the lavish promises made by the authors. In 1977 we went to the Church Archives and were shown samples of Spaulding's handwriting, the contested 12 pages, samples of Rigdon's handwriting and also the original of the D&C section 56, which was -- it seemed to us -- in the same handwriting as the questioned 12 pages. We believe that the fact of Spaulding's having died in 1816, the unlikelihood of 12 pages of identical paper and ink being used 13 years later -- in the middle of writing whose scribes are known -- presupposes more than it would be logical to accept. However, it is important to our thesis, that the Cowdery, Davis, Scales book, in presenting Rigdon's schedule, states that there were 15 gaps [ 19 ] in Rigdon's itinerary from 1827-1830 (compiled mostly from Mormon sources they say) which would have allowed opportunity for Rigdon and Smith to get together (pgs 122-125). They further allege that Rigdon's schedule corresponds "exactly" to some events recorded by Smith concerning Mormonism or the Book of Mormon. They point particularly to a two month gap beginning in June of 1829 which corresponds "exactly" to Smith's loss of the 116 pages of the Book of Mormon by Martin Harris. Even the gap of one month (or even less) would give more than ample time for Rigdon and Smith to get together. They include the "testimony of Smith's neighbors and others" who placed Rigdon and Smith together before the publication of the Book of Mormon. (The weakness of this argument, however, is the fact that all these testimonies were given 30 years or more after the events they profess to describe). These authors quote Able Chase, J.H. Gilbert, Lorenzo Saunders, Mrs. S.F. Anderick, Daniel Hendrix, K.A.E. Bell and others who professed to know that Rigdon and Joseph Smith had known each other and had been together at various times before the claims made by the Mormon Church that they did not meet until after Rigdon's conversion to Mormonism in November of 1830, well after the printing of the Book of Mormon (See pgs 125-149). They seemingly provide sufficient documentation for their position. It is our feeling that the weakness of the Cowdrey, Davis, Scales book is not in its premise that Rigdon and Smith knew each other before the conversion of Rigdon in November of 1830, or that they had ample opportunity (and perhaps did) get together on one or several occasions but that they fail to prove the use of the Spaulding Manuscript in the Book of Mormon (which was supposedly their premise). I just might note here that it is my opinion that the Spaulding manuscript "may" have been used by Rigdon, but that he (Spaulding) had no idea of producing a book of scripture. To him it was a novel! The fact that they were unable to get a single one of the handwriting experts to uphold their contention after such lavish promises in the press greatly detracts from their thesis concerning the use of the Spaulding Manuscript. It really does not greatly concern us that we believe it is impossible at this time to prove our theory. We contend that Rigdon was involved, and since it was an obvious imposture and God was not its author, just who did it is rather a moot question today. We believe Rigdon was capable of producing the Book of Mormon single-handedly and that whether or not he used the Spaulding Manuscript is beside the point. A report of interest to our study was printed in the B.Y.U. Studies, Vol. 21, No. 1, Winter 1981. [ 20 ] The article, entitled "The Early Baptist Career of Sidney Rigdon in Warren, Ohio" by Hans Rollman of the University of Toronto (Canada) claims to shed more light on the early career of Rigdon. The article brings out the fact that though not mentioned by any previous biographer that before Rigdon was in Warren, Trumbull County, Ohio for two years, he spent a short time in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. This indicates Rigdon arrived in Warren on March 4, 1820 and not in May 1819 as the Times and Seasons and all other historians claim. Author Rollman presumes in the article that the information about the omission of this information in the Times and Seasons article of 1843 was "to avoid playing into the hands of those who had already advanced the Spaulding theory..." "The later arrival in Pittsburgh -- in 1822 instead of 1819 -- featured prominently in the apologetics against the Spaulding theory," the author relates. (The earlier date would make Rigdon's acquaintance with the work of Spaulding more likely). Though we are aware that most authorities reject the so-called Spaulding theory (and at this point so do we) we are committed to the idea that Sidney Rigdon was involved with Joseph Smith in the origin of the Book of Mormon and the origin of Mormonism. As we see it, Rigdon (and not Smith alone) was a prime mover in the origin of the book. For the record, Rigdon became a Mormon in the fall of 1830. Almost immediately he appears to enter into the complete confidence and closest association with Joseph Smith. It certainly appears that they had known each other before. It would appear that Rigdon's younger protégé Parley Pratt had been the converting influence. Rigdon had already made several changes in his religious commitment. As previously stated, he had been a Baptist as were his parents. Then he became a Shaker, a follower of Mother Ann Lee who claimed to be the female incarnation of God. Beginning in England in 1706, they had come to America in 1774. They were a communal group. They did not marry and bore no children, therefore, they could continue only through converts. A church leader said the Hosts of Heaven trembled, therefore, they should worship in this manner. Hence, they were known as "Shakers." Mark McKiernan, in his Sidney Rigdon 1793-1876, says that Rigdon's interest in the Shaker "doctrines and communistic communities continued for over a decade" (pg. 19). Rigdon went on a mission to the Shakers in 1831. The D&C, section 65 (which in the 1835 edition read quite differently) was given to Rigdon. Rigdon would then (after his bit with the Shakers) go back to the Baptists with whom he had first been identified. Then he cast his lot with Alexander Campbell before his 13 years with the Mormons. Mark McKiernan in his article in Courage, the short-lived RLDS [ 21 ] (this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 22 ] (this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 23 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) A lecture on his life by a son, John Wickliffe Rigdon contained about all we know of first hand information about his last years. It is now in the LDS Church Historian's office in Salt Lake City. It was purchased from John Wickliffe Rigdon when he visited the Salt Lake City Church offices in 1900. Much of the information in that story was drawn from sources already in print. John Rigdon's story was not well written. Spelling, punctuation and grammar and some incoherent notes made the original difficult to read. The account printed in Dialogue was obtained by Earl Keller from a relative in New York. John Rigdon reported that there was never a time in his memory when he did not know Joseph Smith. He declared that he knew him as well as his own father. Sidney Rigdon declared to the end that he did not use the Spaulding manuscript to write the Book of Mormon. Young Rigdon's account was quite detailed. He wrote of his parents wedding and of his father's association with Alexander Campbell. His report of Sidney's first contact with Mormonism was quite graphic. Parley Pratt, whom he had known, and Oliver Cowdery were two of the three who first told him of Mormonism. Other accounts say there were four. He and Pratt had both been Baptists and had known each other as followers of Campbell. Rigdon allowed Pratt to preach in his church that night. After the [ 24 ] service, the three spent the night with him. The three left the next day, Sidney proceeded to read the Book of Mormon. He read day and night. When he finished, he pondered it for awhile. Upon their return, he inquired about Smith. A week later Rigdon and his wife were among those baptized into the Mormon Church. His church was furious at him, but Rigdon insisted that he had not erred. They would not permit him to move into the little house they had prepared for him. He then moved with his family to the little town of Hiram about 2 1/2 [sic] miles outside Kirtland. Rigdon's son went with his father to see Joseph Smith in Palmyra. His son insisted that this was the first time for the two to meet. Sidney did not see the plates, but he talked to the witnesses and to Smith. He became Smith's First Counselor and continued in that position until Smith's death. He described his father as a man weighing about 225 pounds. I had not felt that he was that large. He is usually presented as being a sickly, ailing man, and I was surprised that he was of that stature. (bottom part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 25 ] (this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 26 ] (this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 27 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) Two of the most interesting facets in the life and activities of Sidney Rigdon dealt with his "Salt Sermon" and the "Danites." We believe the two were related, therefore, we would deal with them together. Most historians of note deal with both events as though they were one and the same, or closely related. No doubt one of the most eventful happenings not only in the life of Sidney Rigdon but also in the early history of the Mormons occurred that June 17, 1838 (or some historians say June 19th). It would appear that it was Sunday June 17th). (Rigdon's son, John, thought it was July 4th). Rigdon was always the man of the hour as he approached the pulpit to speak. He had been upset for a couple of months. Several dissenters had been declared traitors. Discontent was evident in the hierarchy. John Whitmer had been accused of misusing church funds. He and W.W. Phelps had been excommunicated. Oliver Cowdery was next. He had accused Joseph of adultery and some of the other church members had been offended by "vexatious" lawsuits. Cowdery had also been involved in counterfeiting. When Cowdery refused to appear before the Church High Council, he and others were excommunicated. Inez Smith Davis observes that there is "no antagonism so bitter as [ 28 ] that found among 'religious' people; no man considered so base by his former associates as he who secedes from them." We agree! This was the Mormon's plight as the day for Sidney Rigdon's "Salt Sermon" approached. There was trouble within, but there was also trouble without. Mormons had been in Caldwell County (MO) only a year and their welcome had worn extremely thin. The old familiar pattern had begun again. A Reed Peck (Quincy, Adams County (IL), Sept. 18, 1839, MS pgs. 22-23) is quoted as saying "...a proposition was made and supported by most as being the best policy to kill these men (Phelps and Cowdery?) that they would not be capable of injuring the church..." It was with that background that Sidney Rigdon stood to preach that Sunday morning with a harangue that would later be remembered as "Sidney's Salt Sermon." He chose his text from Matthew (5:13) where it says, "if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? (I)t is henceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." Rigdon implied that these men, who had once been faithful and were now enemies of the Church, should be trampled under foot. Though some would imply today that Joseph Smith did not endorse the "Salt Sermon" and that it was preached only on Rigdon's initiative, Smith did in fact, give his assent to the sermon in the Elders journal, the official Church publication. He evidently wrote the endorsement himself. He said, "we will avenge ourselves of our enemies, inasmuch as they will not let us alone" (History of the Church, 67-68). The article in BYU Studies, Vol. 13, No. 1, Autumn 1972 entitled "The Election Day Battle at Gallatin" about that summer in 1838 (immediately following the Salt Sermon) is most revealing. He had called upon his followers to rise up and proceed to rid the country of that nuisance. He declared that the angels would be pleased. Some of the dissenters were warned to flee; later they were given three days to leave lest the result be a "more fatal calamity." Eighty-three of Caldwell's most respected citizens signed a petition demanding that the dissenters leave. Though the Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol. 1, pg 438 clearly designate Rigdon as the author of this "communication," his name (nor that of Smith) did not appear on it. Several names of the apostates were included in the document. Some of these men sought legal aid, when they returned. Some of their belongings had been placed in the street along with that of their families. It was along about this time that a "secret society" called the "Danites" came into being. The Church says it was Sampson Avard's idea. Dr. Avard is rather prominent in LDS Church history. He is first mentioned October 15, 1837 when his "license" was "taken" until he returned to make satisfaction. What kind of license and what his problem was, we are not told (History of the Church, Vol. II, pg 519). [ 29 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) Arrington and Bitton, in their The Mormon Experience, pg. 54 says perhaps Sidney Rigdon approved of the Danites' activities. It appears from Donna Hill's Joseph Smith, The Founder of Mormonism, pg 364 that Joseph and Sidney too, had the idea of a "political kingdom of God" perhaps long before the Salt Sermon. He said, "There was no evil concocted when we first held secret meetings" (in Kirtland). He continued, "When I speak of government, I mean what I say. I mean a government that shall rule over temporal and spiritual things" (History of the Church, Vol. VI. pgs 288-292). There can be no question but that Joseph knew of the Danites. He himself said, "If the enemy comes, the Danites will be after them, meaning the brethren in self-defense." (Ibid, Vol. VI, pg. 165). Klaus Hansen in his Quest for Empire, (pg. 57) says that with Rigdon's [ 30 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) Joseph's revelation (D&C 35) professing to be Jesus talking, said: "Behold, verily, verily, I say unto my servant Sidney, I have looked upon thee and thy works. I have heard thy prayers, and prepared thee for a greater work. Thou are blessed, for thou shalt do great things." "Behold, thou wast sent forth even as John, to prepare a way before me... For I am God...," the spokesman said. This revelation is dated December 1830, the occasion of the first meeting of Rigdon and Smith. One wonders at the immediate response of each to the other. Were two equally fascinating men meeting for the first time? Or were two old cronies able for the first time to come out of the closet? Either way, thus began -- at least for the record -- a close relationship that would end only in Joseph's death. It appears that there was never even a strain on their relationship until Joseph attempted to take Rigdon's daughter, Nancy as a plural wife. It seems that Joseph wrote her a letter which she showed to her father (Isn't One Wife Enough, Kimball Young, pg 95) telling him of Joseph's advances. [ 31 ] At first Smith denied the allegation but when Rigdon produced the letter, Joseph had to admit the truth. His excuse was that he was testing her virtue. W.A. Linn, in his The Story of the Mormons, (pg. 59) declares, "The man who had more to do with founding the Mormon Church than Joseph Smith, Jr., even if we exclude any share in the production of the Mormon Bible (Book of Mormon), and yet who is unknown even by name to most persons to whom the names of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are familiar, was Sidney Rigdon." He says a Mormon, John Hyde, was right, in 1853 and 1854 [sic - 1857?], when he wrote: "The compiling genius of Mormonism was Sidney Rigdon. Smith had boisterous impetuosity but no foresight. Polygamy was not the result of his policy but of his passions. Sidney gave point, direction, and apparent consistency to the Mormon system of theology. He invented its forms and the manner of its arguments... Had it not been for the accession of these two men (Rigdon and Parley P. Pratt) Smith would have been lost, and his schemes frustrated and abandoned." (Quoted from Mormonism, It's Leaders and Designs (1852 [sic - 1857?]). I don't think Sidney introduced polygamy to Mormonism -- that was Joseph Smith. Hayden's Early History of the Disciples' Church in Western Reserve describes a contemporary of Campbell and Rigdon, an old preacher friend from Pittsburgh days named Scott, who reported to the church association at Warren (Ohio) in 1827-1828. Hayden said of Walter Scott, "He contended ably for the restoration of the true original apostolic order which would restore to the church the ancient gospel as preached by the apostles. The interest became an excitement... the air was thick with rumors of a 'new religion,' a 'new Bible.'" Therefore, the idea of Rigdon's connection with such a scheme as the Book of Mormon was common belief. Rigdon's brother-in-law, Bentley, in a letter to Walter Scott dated January 22, 1841, said, "I know that Sidney Rigdon told me there was a book coming out, the manuscript of which had been found on gold plates, as much as two years before the Book of Mormon made its appearance or had been heard of by me." (Millennial Harbinger, 1844, page 39). There were many testimonies of those who would connect Rigdon and Smith before 1830. Much of this information was first printed by E.D. Howe in his Mormonism Unveiled in 1834. Other material was presented by Pomery Tucker in 1867. Tucker had worked in the shop where the Book of Mormon was printed. He used material first printed by Howe, but some of the material was his own. Tucker's information, if it is to be believed, is conclusive in proving that Rigdon and Smith had been together on more than one occasion prior to the printing of the Book of Mormon. The only weakness to Tucker's [ 32 ] claims was that most of the testimonies were given some years after the events were supposed to have taken place. If their claims were true, then the "Manuscript Found" must not have been the book they saw and there must have been a second manuscript. We are persuaded that it is not too much to believe that there may have been a second manuscript, as some of the testimonies seem to imply. In our own experience and that of other writers that we know, though only one book may get into print, they almost always attempt more than one book. I have started several books that I did not finish even after I had several books in print. (bottom part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 33 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) THE KIRTLAND BANK EPISODE No study of Sidney Rigdon would be complete without delving into the Kirtland Bank fiasco.The ill-fated banking venture of Sidney Rigdon and Joseph Smith is described variously in many publications. One really finds it difficult to know where to begin. B.H. Robert's Comprehensive History of the Church describes the effort by Smith to charter a bank, and failing (after the currency had already been printed), used a stamp making the notes read "Anti-Bank-ing" company thus circumventing the law. He admits that "having no state charter, the bank had no legal standing and consequently, the institution failed." [ 34 ] (this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 35 ] 
Our readers will note the signature of Sidney Rigdon in the lower left-hand corner of the bill along with that of Joseph Smith. Mormons generally credit the panic of 1837 as a reason for their many financial problems in the failure of the bank. Perhaps if it had not been for Joseph Smith's claim that God had revealed to him that he start a bank, if it had not been for the prematurely printed bills and for the addition of the "anti" and "ing," if he had not made such exaggerated claims for its solvency, if he hadn't filled most of the boxes with shot and scrap iron with "$1,000" stenciled on the outside, and if it had not been for those "three-dollar" bills, the Kirtland Anti-Banking Society might have been only one of many Ohio banks that failed during that period. Joseph and Sidney's participation in banking ended with their resignations and finally with their leaving Kirtland in the night to escape prosecution -- neither ever returned! (bottom part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 36 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) JOSEPH & SIDNEY Joseph would be 25 in a few days. A tall, young backwoodsman, he had the reputation of being a money-digger. In fact, he had been convicted when he was 20 and after a promise to desist, he improved his story and a few months previous to his reported meeting with Sidney Rigdon, he produced a book which he professed to be scripture, a record of a people who were the ancestors of the American Indian that he had found hidden under a rock. (Now we know that Indians are descendants of Mongolians and not Israelites.)On the other hand, Sidney Rigdon, a rotund, 215 pound man, well-educated for the backwoods area where he lived, mature, confident, approaching middle age, who had baptized the fellow who was to convert him, and who was soon to be responsible for hundreds and hundreds of converts to this new religious group. We should remind our readers that the Mormonism of 1830 would never recognize the 12,500,000 member "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints" of today. It was closer to the Protestants of a generation or so ago. Plural gods, god a physical being, eternal marriage, plural marriage, Christ and the Devil brothers, etc., had not even been thought up. [ 37 ] An Alexander Campbell follower, Sidney Rigdon did not make any changes in his thinking. He had already decided that the communal lifestyle was proper (which he perhaps introduced to Mormonism). He only added the idea of a modern-day prophet and a book of additional scripture (which, by the way, teaches (doctrinally) almost exactly as Campbell believed -- just add a new book and a prophet! (He already believed the church had ceased to exist and just needed to be restored. He believed in baptismal regeneration (of course by immersion). The new book -- which teaches doctrinally just as Rigdon already believed -- and a prophet was the only change he needed to make!) Obviously, with no way to prove at that point that the Book of Mormon was totally unproven archaeologically or geographically, Sidney Rigdon (assuming he had not known Smith previously) accepted the book on faith. There was no other basis of proof at that point, nor is there now. The Book of Mormon is no more provable today than when it first came from the E.B. Grandin press! (The Bible, we might add, continues to be proven. Older manuscripts -- like the Dead Sea scrolls continue to prove its antiquity and its reliability). But the story of the plates, the Reformed Egyptian language, the Urim and Thummim and the Seer Stone, the idea of a modern-day prophet -- all this -- is but the story of Joseph Smith (and possibly Sidney Rigdon)! We are reminded that the Bible says "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man." (Psalms 118:8). However, the thrust of this portion of our study is to deal with the close relationship between Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon. This intimacy did not seem to build, it was as if they had known each other before and that their commitment to each other antedated their reported meeting. Most of the history we have today relating to Sidney Rigdon was either made by those close to Alexander Campbell who considered him an apostate, or it was reported by others whose group he had decided was in error. Hence, like all apostates, he was disliked and condemned by most all that knew him. Among the several studies that have been made of Sidney Rigdon and his influence on Mormonism, is that of Joseph Welles White in a thesis presented to the University of Southern California in June of 1947. Mr. White was pursuing a Master of Arts degree in the Graduate School of Religion. White mentioned the mass of source material, most of which is polemic, much of it "caustic" on the subject. His studies included affidavits and statements published by E.D. Howe in his Mormonism Unveiled in 1834 through George B. Arbaugh's Revelation in Mormonism in 1932 and Fawn Brodie's No Man Knows My History in 1946. [ 38 ] He calls Arbaugh, "admirably scientific" and Brodie's book objective and exhaustive. He recounts Rigdon's first acquaintance with Mormonism and the Book of Mormon, which was brought to him by Parley P. Pratt who had earlier been Rigdon's disciple. At first Rigdon was adamant in his rejection of the Book of Mormon and Mormonism as it was presented to him. Rigdon's account of this meeting was printed in the Millennial Star, Vol. XIV, pg. 47. White believed Rigdon wrote the account. Daryl Chase, in his "Sidney Rigdon -- Early Mormon," an unpublished M.A. thesis (1931) declared that in his opinion, "Sidney Rigdon ranks among the most important of all Mormon converts" (pg. 73). White agrees with that quote from Chase and declares the purpose of his study to show "that Rigdon had foreknowledge of the Book (of Mormon) before its publication." He also believed that it was probable that Rigdon had some part in the book composition. He noted that early Mormonism's theology was far more nearly that of Rigdon than Smith at that time. He further states that "even if Rigdon had no part in writing the Book of Mormon, he had more to do with the organization and doctrines of Mormons than did Joseph Smith." At the point of Rigdon's conversion, Mormonism was just eight months old and had fewer than 100 members. The Book of Mormon was its only publication. For 13 years, in fact, until very shortly before Joseph's death, Rigdon was Mormonism's official spokesman. There is no question but that Rigdon contributed direction to the new movement, without which, Mormonism might never have succeeded. One ex-Mormon called him "the compiling genius of Mormonism." It has been noted that Rigdon has the peculiar distinction of having been both praised and hated by everything that he was ever a part of. He was appreciated as a Baptist, but he left its ranks to become a follower of Alexander Campbell! After a rather short time as Campbell's darling, he turned to Mormonism. After being rejected by the LDS as Joseph's successor, he became a follower of James J. Strang, shortly thereafter he formed his own group. He is perhaps best known by each group as an apostate, a renegade, a deserter. Therefore, there seems to be no unbiased report of him. Either he is whitewashed or vilified. He is never seen objectively. Rigdon left his biggest mark, however, on Mormonism. It was with Joseph Smith and Mormonism that his influence was greatest and longest lasting. White perhaps justly called him "Mormonism's guiding genius." It might be observed that no other early Mormon served longer during those first 13 years nor made such a lasting imprint on the sect that now seldom gives him the credit due him. [ 39 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) J.W. White in his thesis makes several observations that are important to our proposition. Parley P. Pratt, Rigdon's earlier disciple, headed straight for Rigdon and easily converted his former mentor who himself had seemingly prepared his people for a startling A.S. Hayden, in his Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve, pg. 209, wrote that "Rigdon, With pompous pretense, was travailing with expectancy of some great event soon to be revealed to the surprise and astonishment of mankind." Hayden said of Rigdon, with "an imagination fertile glowing and wild to extravagance, bordering upon credulity, he was prepared and preparing others for the voice of some mysterious event soon to come." White says an angel visited Rigdon prior to his being baptized a Mormon (pg. 16). Daryl Chase, in his thesis, observes that Rigdon did not have to give [ 40 ] up or change any of his theology when he became a Mormon (pg. 125). He could even retain the same phraseology and arguments that he had previously used. His faith, repentance, baptism by immersion and for the remission of sins and the laying on of hands to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost (and the restoration) was the message that he had come to believe and was that of the first Mormon missionaries and that is taught by the almost 50,000 Mormon missionaries today. When Rigdon accepted Mormonism, he got rid of Alexander Campbell, whom he no longer respected, and moved on to greater freedom. In fact, the points of contention between him and Campbell were the very ones Mormonism espoused. White then attempts to consider a connection between Rigdon and Spaulding. He inserts into his thesis a chronology of Rigdon's known movements between November 2, 1826 and November 14, 1830. White notes that the admitted gaps are quite interesting. Joseph's mother (History of Joseph Smith, pg. 100 (footnotes) 1945 printing) mentioned Joseph's absence following his marriage (January, 1827). He explained the delay by telling of being visited by an angel and that he now knew "the course that I am to pursue, so all will be well." For a second gap, White could not find a connection, but a third gap covers September 22, 1827, Smith claimed another angel visitation and that the plates had finally been delivered to him (Joseph Smith's Own Story, Independence, MO, Zion Printing, pg. 12). At this point, Rigdon's activities show an unaccounted six weeks. Charles A. Shook, in his True Origin of the Book of Mormon, 1914, pgs. 132-135, reports that Lorenzo Saunders, an intimate Smith family acquaintance, saw Rigdon at the Smith home in March of 1827 and again that fall and again in the summer of 1828. White suggests that it is interesting at least, that these three dates fit the first, third and fourth gaps. (Joseph Smith's mother, in her Joseph Smith's History, London printing, 1853, pg. 90, tells of a man who "commenced laboring in the neighborhood, to effect a union of all the different churches, in order that all might be agreed, and thus worship God with one heart and one mind," who we believe might well have been Sidney Rigdon. Her book dates this man's preaching there as "shortly after the death of Alvin" who was Joseph's brother. Alvin died in November of 1823 (Joseph Smith, The first Mormon, Donna Hill, pg. 59). After Martin Harris' wife stole the first 116 pages of the manuscript of the Book of Mormon in June of 1828, Smith was distraught, but in July he received a revelation which resolved his problem (Doctrine & Covenants, 3). At this point there is a two-month gap in Rigdon's chronology. Could they have conferred at this time? Or how about the next gap -- October 13 to January 1 -- just before he continued the translation? [ 41 ] The next gap was from May to July 1829. We are told that on "a certain day" in May, the baptism of Smith and Cowdery occurred. Shook reported (pg. 115) that Cowdery said that the angel that appeared at their baptism sounded "mysteriously" like Sidney Rigdon. Another gap of 60 days (March to June 1830 covers the date of April (D & C, 20) when Smith received a long and detailed revelation regarding the organization of the church. White believed Smith would not have been capable of this writing at that time in his life. He believes that Smith and Rigdon may have been together during this period when Rigdon's experience would have been invaluable. The last gap (August, 1830 -- November 14), takes us up to within 10 days of Rigdon's "conversion." Either of these gaps would have allowed Rigdon and Smith to get together. Their homes were only 250 miles apart. At 50 miles a day, the trip would have required only 10 days. Later, in January of 1838, Rigdon rode 60 miles in 10 hours. He is known to have made several long horseback trips during his lifetime. (Essentials in Church History, Joseph Fielding Smith, pg. 42) Though these "gaps" do not offer proof that they corroborated, the possibility is interesting. The fact that they appear at times when he was needed, coupled with other testimony, lends circumstantial evidence for that theory. The period immediately preceding the advent of Mormonism was one of religious ferment. Baptists and Presbyterians especially, were caught in the throes of the Campbellite movement. William Miller, whose movement was later to become what we know as the Seventh-Day Adventists (though he never espoused the 7th day idea) began his ministry in 1831. This indicates something of the status of religious groups in the 1820's and 1830's in upstate New York. They were all in ferment, religious leaders were rising up everywhere and denominational groups were in turmoil. White reminds his readers of the close parallel between Campbell's teachings (Faith, Repentance, Immersion, Remission of sins, the Holy Ghost, etc.), and that of the early Mormons. It appears that only the Campbellites were preaching the "First Principles" before the Book of Mormon appeared in 1830. At this point their movement had not spread beyond Virginia, Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and Kentucky. White says none of their ministers had as yet reached New York. Mormon leaders have said that Joseph translated the entire book in 60 days, from April 7, 1829 to the first week in June. LeGrand Richards made much of the speed with which he worked. He said "we doubt if any other writer has ever written a book of fiction of such magnitude in anything like such a short period of time" (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, (1966), pg. 72). [ 42 ] The first effort to connect Rigdon with the Book of Mormon was printed in 1834 by E.D. Howe in his book Mormonism Unveiled (sic). In it he introduced the Spaulding theory with which we've dealt throughout this book. Alexander Campbell, writing in 1844 (Millennial Harbinger, (pgs. 38-39) repeats an experience (recalling a difference in memory of dates by him and Adamson Bentley, one remembers it as 1826 and the other 1827) of a conversation with Rigdon about metal plates that had been dug up in New York which gave an account of the origin of the inhabitants of this continent and of their professing the Christian religion just as he and Campbell and Joseph's brother-in-law, Adamson Bentley had been preaching in the Western Reserve in Ohio. Mormon writers have not attempted to refute this report. A.S. Hayden, in his Early History of the Disciples in the Western Reserve (1875), pgs. 239-243, tells of a change in Rigdon's demeanor as reported by Darwin Atwater during the several months prior to his conversion to Mormonism and that Rigdon spoke of a book soon to be published that would explain the origin of the Aborigines and the mounds and other antiquities found in some parts of America. He reported that Atwater even reproached Rigdon for such eloquent and enthusiastic reporting of such instead of the gospel. He said Rigdon said no more about it. White reports a letter by a leading physician, Dr. Storm Ross to a Rev. John Hall of Ashtabula, Ohio in 1841 in which he told of riding on horseback with Rigdon in 1830 and that Rigdon told him that it was time for a new religion to spring up and that mankind was ready for it (as reported in Linn, Story of the Mormons, pg. 66). White declares, and we concur, that whether or not the Spaulding manuscript found in Honolulu (HI) was used in the Book of Mormon, or whether or not Rigdon may have taken the manuscript from the printer's office, or whatever the problems encountered in communicating with Smith, Rigdon appeared to have had some foreknowledge of the Book of Mormon. It was expected that the book, when it appeared, would agree with his theology. (bottom part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 43 ] day. Among the "camp-meeting" expressions were the use of "encircled," "change of heart," "arms of mercy," "days of probation," "everlastingly too late," etc., (phrases not found in the Bible, but common revival expressions of the era). (See M.T. Lamb's The Mormons and Their Bible, pg 103). He also gives as a striking example the contemporary nature of the Book of Mormon, the fact that William Morgan of Batavia, New York, who after writing a book exposing the secrets of Freemasonry, disappeared and it was popularly believed that the Masons had killed him. Rumors abounded and it became a national issue. In October of 1827, a corpse washed up on the shore of Lake Ontario and it was believed by many to be Morgan. (It is interesting -- though unrelated -- that Morgan's wife later became a plural wife of Joseph Smith, Jr.) This anti-Masonic excitement lasted for several years and interestingly, the Book of Mormon reflected the prevailing attitude. S.H. Goodwin, author of a book on Mormonism and Masonry, declares that the Book of Mormon lays practically every charge made by Masonry's enemies at their door. "Secret combinations," "works of darkness," "terrible oaths," "secret abominations," etc. (2 Nephi 9:9; Alma 37:30; Mormon 8:27; Alma 37:27, 29; etc.) are found throughout the Book of Mormon. These references to the current thinking of the period date (and locate the origin) of the Book of Mormon as certainly as if a contemporary date had been included. Sidney Rigdon was undisputedly the producer of Joseph Smith's "Inspired Version" of the Bible. Though Joseph Smith is named as translator, Rigdon admittedly had a role in its production. Lachmann's Greek New Testament was printed in 1811. Many ordinary, country preachers desired a revision of the Bible. It is known that Alexander Campbell used the Four Gospels by Dr. George Campbell, first published in 1778. Several notable preachers of the period published their own translations. (George Campbell's version is still being sold today under the title Living Oracles). By the way, it translates baptize as "immerse" which made the book especially appealing to Alexander Campbell and his followers. White says Rigdon was jealous of Campbell and we tend to agree. Rigdon had declared that he had contributed as much to the "reformation" as Campbell or Scott but that they got the honor "of it." Rigdon used several opportunities to vent his feelings about Campbell and this jealousy. In Smith's autobiography there is a sketch about Rigdon (believed to have been written by Rigdon) in which he says, "Mr. Campbell was no more the originator of the sect (the Campbellites) than Elder Rigdon." (Quoted from The Story of the Mormons, Linn, pg. 62). Linn quoted from the Messenger and Advocate (June 1837) in which Rigdon said: "One thing has been done by the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. [ 44 ] It puked the Campbellites effectively; no emetic could have done so half as well..." The Book of Mormon has revealed the secrets of Campbellism and unfolded the end of the system" (pg. 62). (I have often noted that the Campbellite movement in Utah has had very limited success. Mormons have every thing they have and more. Author). Since variant readings of manuscripts of the New Testament were being discussed, it was to be expected that such a passage as I Nephi 13:26-29 would be included in the Book of Mormon. Rigdon and Smith would waste no time for in December of 1830 (just a month after Rigdon's conversion) the revelation to begin a new translation of the Bible was received, (D&C 35:20). Obviously it was already in Rigdon's thinking. However, BYU Studies, Vol. 22, No. 4, Fall 1982, pg 404 calls attention to the new 1981 printing of the Triple Combination (Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants and Pearl of Great Price) that has changed the heading of Section 35 of the D&C to read "The translation was begun as early as June of 1830." Many backwoods preachers dreamed of "translating." This way no knowledge of Greek or Hebrew was needed. 'They would "translate" by inspiration." Though first kept a secret, Rigdon and Smith moved into a house some 30 miles from Kirtland (OH) to begin their work (The Story of the Mormons, Linn, pg. 69). The manuscript was in Rigdon's handwriting. Though not printed until 1867, it was supposed to have been finished July 2,1833, just three years after it was started. (bottom part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 45 ] In the Genesis passage Joseph Smith predicts his own coming. In Isaiah he elaborates to make the chapter refer more directly to the Book of Mormon. Rigdon, perhaps reminiscent of his Campbellite background, has even Adam hearing the gospel message and in obedience to it, he is immersed (Genesis 6:65-67). See also the Pearl of Great Price. Whatever one may think about the Book of Mormon, he must admit -- if he is knowledgeable of Mormonism at all -- that Mormonism (at least during Rigdon's time in it) was just simply Campbellism with Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon added. The really divergent teachings were to come later. White concludes that he has proved that the Book of Mormon and the "Inspired Version" were but products of the nineteenth century culture. He also notes the resemblance between Campbellism and LDS doctrines. He restates the background for a desire to make a new translation of the Bible. The Mormons even followed Campbell in their choice of a name. In fact, to begin with, they called themselves "The Church of Christ (as evidenced by the title page of their Book of Commandments printed in 1833 and though possessing three titles through the years, they have always incorporated the word "Christ" (except for the period 1834-1838) in their title. It appears that Rigdon's emphasis on their being pre-millennial saints made him forget the name of "Christ" in their title for several years. Campbell had always used the words "Christian," "Church of Christ," or "Disciples of Christ" in his movement. Like the Campbellites who sometimes put on their cornerstone "Founded A.D. 33," the revelation in the D&C 20:1 reminds us that both groups are obviously unaware of the miscalculations of Dionysias upon which our Christian calendar depends. (Doctrine & Covenants 20:1 says "The rise of the "Church of Christ" in these last days, being one thousand eight hundred and thirty years since the coming of our Lord..."). They do not (or did not) know of this four-year deviation. The church name had not been a problem in the past. But to Campbell, Scott, Stone and Rigdon, this was a concern of utmost importance. White notes that hardly an issue of Campbell's papers appeared without a discussion of the proper name for the Church. Campbell's principle premise was the return or restoration of the New Testament order. This, Mormons have carried to the extreme. Smith's first question was, "Which of all the sects was right -- and which I should join?" White observes that Campbell claimed to "restore" the gospel, but Rigdon restored the "priesthood." Campbell taught that salvation could be found only in the Church. Therefore, men need to get into the Church. Rigdon took the idea a step farther. The Mormons love authority. All their members (almost) hold [ 46 ] some office. It is "The Priesthood" that is important and John the Baptist had returned to add his blessings in restoring it! (Oliver Cowdery reported that when John the Baptist appeared, that his voice "most mysteriously resembled Elder Sidney Rigdon's voice" The True Origins of the Book of Mormon, Shook, pg. 149). Rigdon out-did Alexander Campbell. He gave church leaders "authority." Even the most meticulous details are provided (See D&C, 20). Since Joseph Smith is not known to have been acquainted with Campbell's doctrine, one wonders how he could have so completely incorporated it into his new church without the aid of Rigdon. As a young man of just 25, with no theological training and little church involvement, how could he come up with exactly the same teachings as Rigdon unless Rigdon was really the originator of his thinking. If, as we are led to believe, Rigdon (a much older and experienced man) had influenced such men as Campbell and Scott, he would be the perfect man to influence Smith, since Rigdon was there first, it was he who influenced Smith (and not the other way around). White observes that a tract on "Faith" published by either Mormons or the followers of Campbell, could be used interchangeably. Likewise, he declares, their views of repentance are identical. On baptism, the Mormons did Campbell one better. Not only did he require that every living person be baptized, they even made it possible for them to be immersed for the dead. White observes that this was first taught at Kirtland -- Rigdon's home -- after the Mormons had moved there. Here again, Rigdon's theology requiring baptism was incorporated into Joseph Smith's new cult. There were three points on which Campbell and Rigdon differed however, present day miracles, communism and the millennium. It is significant that these three strong emphases were incorporated into early day Mormonism. Claims of miracles, visitations by angels, seeing fire, lights, speaking in tongues, etc., all became a part of Rigdon's Mormonism (with Joseph's concurrence it appears) at Kirtland. There seems to be no evidence of Joseph's interest in communistic experience until Rigdon's appearance. There is no doubt but that he was responsible for its introduction. Though Campbell called his paper the Millennial Harbinger, he did not place an undue emphasis on the millennial issue. In fact, he declared "We have not committed ourselves to any of the theories of the present day on the nature and coming of the millennium." Rigdon, however, had extravagant views of the millennium and they were an important part of his preaching. There are reasons to believe Joseph was already thinking of millennial teachings since his revelation (D&C, 29:11) is dated September 26th, six weeks before Sidney's conversion [ 47 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) Both Campbell and Scott reported that Rigdon had described the contents of the Book of Mormon two or three years before its publication. White concludes, on pages 136-137 of his thesis, that though Mormons ignore Rigdon's part in Mormonism's origin, his "foreknowledge of the Book of Mormon (is) a fact which seems incontrovertible." Charles Earl Sebold, in his thesis submitted to the Hartford Theological Seminary in 1941 entitled "The Mormon Idea of God," observes that Joseph Smith's interest in the Book of Mormon appeared mainly to want [sic] money. However, Sidney Rigdon, with his reputation as a good preacher and somewhat of a Bible scholar, made "the Book of Mormon a Bible." It was he who made the movement a Church; it was he who gave it its theology (pgs. 2-3). Sebold quotes a letter from Rigdon's brother-in-law, Bentley, and from a Darwin Atwater, in which a reference was made to Rigdon's knowledge of the "Golden Plates" from a few months to two years before the Book of Mormon made its appearance. He also notes the fact that "previous to the appearance of the Book of Mormon, Rigdon was in the habit of spending weeks away from his home, going no one knew where" (pg. 10), and that neighbors of Joseph Smith noted that a mysterious stranger appears at the Smith residence..." (pg. 11). He quotes Orson Hyde, a Mormon apostle as saying Rigdon "did [ 48 ] more than any other man to create the church" (pg. 11). (this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 49 ] way, Mormonism grew rapidly during those first few months and Sidney Rigdon was largely responsible. (New groups usually grow slowly. Their first converts are usually not affluent nor popular. Often they gain one, lose two, gain three and lose one. Rigdon's thousand or so within months made Smith's success possible). The record says that Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon first met three weeks after Rigdon's baptism (Ibid, pg. 82). We are indebted to several newspaper articles from the vicinity which describes Smith and Rigdon during this period, (the Painesville (OH) Telegraph issue of February 1, 1831 and February 15). Several later issues also deal with the subject as does Alexander Campbell in his Millennial Harbinger, Vol. II, pgs. 85-96. This was later reprinted in the Painesville paper. Rigdon was royally received by Smith from the beginning. And well he should, for the ready-made membership that Rigdon provided was quite a windfall for the fledgling new church. Founders of other new religious movements had not been so fortunate (See History of the Church, Vol. I, pg. 120). Immediately upon Rigdon's conversion, he and Joseph Smith received a "revelation" (D&C, 35). At this point it is difficult to determine just who was influencing whom! The 37th section of the D&C that was given jointly to Joseph and Sidney, ordered the Mormons to move to Ohio. From this point on, as long as Joseph lived, we find the name of Sidney Rigdon deeply involved in whatever the church did. A quick look at the most commonly used edition of the D&C reveals that Joseph and Rigdon were joint recipients of nine revelations (35, 37, 40, 44, 49, 71, 73, 76 and 100). The D&C reveals that Rigdon is to write (translate) for Smith, he is to "prove prophecies" for Smith, he is to bless Edward Partridge, to preach to the Shakers, to go to Missouri, to write a description of the land of Zion, to consecrate and dedicate the land of Zion and the Temple Lot in Independence (MO), he is to preach in Cincinnati, he was sometimes chastised (as in section 63), he was ordained to be Smith's spokesman (section 100), he was one of those who received a special, secret name from the Lord (Section 104 -- but removed in 1981), and he was warned that he needed to become humble if he was to be retained as counselor (Section 124), etc. Surely there was none so prominently mentioned in the History of the Church or the D&C than Rigdon. Rigdon's theological background and his oratorical ability stood Smith in good stead many times during the more than 13 years that they were together. They often appeared together on the same platform. Yet they were so unalike, McKiernan quotes Amos S. Hayden, [ 50 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) An interesting slant on Rigdon and from a totally objective source is given by a Nauvoo (IL) girl (Charlotte Haven) whose letter of March 5, 1843 was printed in the December 1890 issue of The Overland Monthly, a periodical printed in San Francisco. She wrote forthrightly in several letters to her relatives of the city, the people, their homes, their dress, their leaders (Smith, his wife, his mother... and of the Kimballs) the new temple, etc. She mentioned that Rigdon was the postmaster, she tells of being invited into the family quarters when she went to pick up the mail. She called Sidney Rigdon "the most learned man among the Latter Day Saints." She described him as "past fifty," "somewhat bald and his hair slightly grey." She said he had "an intelligent countenance, a courteous manner" and that he "speaks grammatically." She reported that he spoke pleasantly about his travels "in this country and in Europe." (I had not heard that he had traveled in Europe -- John L. Smith). She observed that he was "very reticent about his religion." Perhaps he did not think it necessary to discuss such a subject with a mere girl. She said that she had "heard it stated that he (Rigdon) was Smith's chief aid in getting up the Book of Mormon and creed." She declared that he was "far above Smith in intellect, education, and secretiveness, that there is scarcely a doubt that he is at the head in compiling it." Another interesting observation that she mentioned: "I looked over his library -- on some book-shelves in the kitchen. It was a good student's collection, -- Hebrew, Greek, and Latin lexicons and readers, stray volumes of Shakespeare, Irving's works, and a number of other valuable books. He studied for the ministry in his youth, then was employed in a newspaper office (note). His wife is always busy with domestic labor. They have five daughters." Charlotte said that the only party she attended in Nauvoo was at their house. [ 51 ] (this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) [ 52 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) SIDNEY'S SALT SERMON On Sunday, June 17, 1838, Sidney Rigdon preached his fiery "Salt Sermon," so named from the words of Matt. 5:13 of the Sermon on the Mount, i.e. where Jesus said that if the salt has lost its savor, it is "good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men."In no uncertain terms, Rigdon used the text as harshly as possible, to warn prominent dissenters like Oliver Cowdery, the Whitmers' and Lyman Johnson in Far West, Missouri, that after their excommunication's, they deserved to die. Brigham H. Roberts, a prominent Mormon leader explained that the "trodden under foot of men" should be literal. [ 53 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) Howe begins his account of Sidney Rigdon and the plates on page 100. Here we are told of the conversion of Rigdon after his meeting with Parley Pratt and others, the latter part of October, 1830. (Howe's listing of the names of those at that first meeting varies slightly. He begins on page 102 with "Cowdery (Oliver), Pratt, Peterson and Whitmer." Cowdery was one of the "Three Witnesses," and was a cousin of Smith. Nothing is said of the more subtle teachings of the Mormon Church. Even Sidney was unaware of Mormonism as taught today. The last pages of Howe's book (pgs. 278-290) -- remember, the book was printed in 1834 -- within less than four years after the first printing of the Book of Mormon. That puts it pretty close to the beginning of Mormonism's story -- he tells of Solomon Spaulding and his use of the characters "Nephi and Lehi" (pg. 279). Mrs. Spaulding (pg. 280) relates the story of the Book of Mormon, describing the accounts given in the Book of Mormon (this does not agree with the "Manuscript Found" that evidently was an earlier effort by Spaulding). Seldom does a writer make only one effort. Some later accounts are rejected because too much time had lapsed since their occurrence. This account was almost current. John N. Miller (pg. 283) said Spaulding "had written two or three books or pamphlets on different subjects He continued, "I have recently examined the Book of Mormon, and find the writings of Solomon Spaulding from beginning to end, but mixed up with scripture... which I did not meet with in the 'Manuscript Found'... The names of Nephi, Lehi, Moroni, and in fact all the principal names, are brought fresh to my recollection He remembered especially, the word 'Zarahemla.'" [ 54 ] On page 288 Howe relates that Spaulding's manuscript that he saw contained "about a quire (500 pages) of paper." "The Manuscript Found" (which turned up later), was much shorter. Howe explains (pg. 288) that the book containing the information comparable to the Book of Mormon "bears no resemblance to the 'Manuscript Found'" which turned up later in Hawaii. I am indebted to my friend Vernal Holley for a view that perhaps others may not have seen. As stated already, it is my conviction that there is not much validity to the oft-stated claim that Solomon Spaulding was the author of the Book of Mormon. However, I must admit that if I had seen Vernal Holley's Book of Mormon Authorship: a Closer Look before arriving at my conviction, I might have been persuaded. Any writer establishes a pattern of writing that might identify him even though he writes on an entirely different subject. Therefore, if Spaulding wrote other material -- its authorship might be determined by a careful comparison. The length of the Book of Mormon and the brevity of the "Manuscript Found" convinced me long ago that there is little relationship between the two books. However, since I am trying to be objective in my study and presentation, let me give you some convincing information presented by Holley. (By the way, Holley was a former Mormon. He is now deceased. He has held various leadership positions in ward and stake levels of the Mormon Church). He spent 3,000 hours in the more than 12 years researching and writing about Spaulding and what he deems was Spaulding's part in the writing of the Book of Mormon. In my opinion, his presentation is most convincing. Briefly, Spaulding's "Manuscript Story" was supposedly a novel about records of voyagers landing in America. It was the parallels to the Book of Mormon that we found interesting. Among the parallels were: They both told of two races of people, they both mentioned natives who wore skins around their bodies. Their worshippers both mounted a stage or high stand. They both knew of the revolving of the planets. They both raised American corn and Old World wheat. They both worked with metals. They both had domesticated horses, they both made the mistake of saying that wheat was grown in Ancient America. In both stories they were governed by kings who passed their kingdoms to their sons. Both mention a system of taxation. Both speak of numerous religious teachings with almost the same meanings and several are given in the same order. One says polygamy is permissible and the other goes on to say "that [ 55 ] (top part of this page not transcribed due to copyright restrictions) One of the most interesting and able presentations about Sidney Rigdon and his involvement in Mormonism's beginnings was written by William H. Whitsitt, D.D., LL.D., Professor and later President of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary at Louisville, Kentucky just before the turn of the century. (1900) Written in 1885, and edited in 1888, it was donated to the Library of Congress in 1908. I am indebted to Dale R. Broadhurst of Salt Lake City for my copy of the manuscript. In a cover letter to the Chief of the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., dated August 28, 1908, Dr. Whitsitt wrote that his manuscript was "an effort to demonstrate from original documents and history, that Mormon theology and its Church constitution were conceived and produced by Rigdon and not by Joseph Smith." Whitsitt reported that the manuscript was completed in 1885 but that he had been unable to get it into print. He reported that he had produced an outline of his study, which was published in the Dictionary of Religious Knowledge by Dr. Samuel M. Jackson of New York in 1891, more than 100 years ago now. Dr. Whitsitt wrote of the Rigdon family and the fact that Sidney's brother, Carvill Rigdon had become a Mormon elder (Messenger & Advocate, 1:76). (If you are interested in Dr. William H. Whitsitt's information on Mormonism you will find pages about him and his work about Sidney Rigdon.) Several of Sidney's cousins were Baptist preachers who later "became converts to the Disciples (or Campbellites). Rigdon's brother, Loammi reported that while still a boy, Sidney [ 56 ] fell from a horse and became entangled in a stirrup and was dragged. The injury resulted in such "a contusion" that afterwards it affected "his character, and to a certain extent, his conduct." Whitsitt felt that this "supposition was without foundation." He stated further, that this "could only be put forward by a person who was at a loss to comprehend the man and explain his career." Rigdon was "highly excitable and nervous... and then given to fits of hysteria muscularis," but, Whitsitt says, all his actions "were rational and very consistent with the purpose he had before him." THE END |
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Transcriber's Comments
Rev. Smith nowhere states exactly what audience it was that he intended to address with this little booklet. He evidently did not expect his readers to be Latter Day Saints, for he does not speak directly to those people. This is in keeping with the efforts he has put into his anti-Mormon periodical, The Newsletter. A line in the masthead of that occasional publication reads: "We are not Mormons! Our purpose is to... Keep People Out! We were never Mormons!" It appears then, that Rev. Smith has aimed his message at a non-specialist readership of Christians whom he suspects are in some danger of becoming converts to Mormonism. Such auditors cannot be expected to know in advance much about Latter Day Saint origins and the early leaders of that movement. It is for this very reason that potential readers of Rev. Smith's booklet should be warned to verify each and every assertion he makes in Did Joseph Smith Write the Book of Mormon? Whether or not that is even the booklet's proper title remains something of a mystery. Rev. Smith provides a secondary identifier on the title-page of his pamphlet: "Sidney Rigdon, the Originator of Mormonism..." The report under consideration here is, then, not so much an argument against Joseph Smith's alleged involvement in authoring the Book of Mormon, as it is a plea for better understanding of Elder Sidney Rigdon being the "originator" of the Latter Day Saints' religion. Rev. Smith's implicit purpose at least eliminates the need for any further consideration of Joseph Smith having been the writer of Nephite narratives, revelations, etc. What hopefully remains, for the curious reader with sufficient patience to finish this strangely written booklet, is an informed consideration of the purported secret activities and motives of Sidney Rigdon. Unfortunately Rev. Smith's published report does little to provide the necessary information, and in fact it may leave many readers less well informed and more confused than when they first opened its pages. 
Yellow Journalism? In his 2006 pamphlet, Did Joseph Smith Write the Book of Mormon? Rev. John L. Smith continues the journalistic writing style so often evident in his anti-Mormon newspaper -- that is, the intended communication is put before the reader in a staccato of one and two sentence paragraphs, the contents of which are generally simple assertions, declared without much corroborating evidence from primary sources or critical analysis. About all that can be said in favor of this method of communication, is that occasionally it divulges actual facts. But how is the reader to separate out fact from fancy in such journalism? -- or, more important still -- how is the reader to separate out the truth from intentional falsification? The reader cannot look to Rev. Smith for any help in these sorts of questions, for the writer does not seem to comprehend how he himself is persuaded to believe certain things regarding Mormon origins, while rejecting all other possibilities. One example here must serve to illustrate a large number of similar strange conclusions announced in Smith's booklet. The writer several times identifies the Solomon Spalding fictional story rediscovered in Hawaii in 1884 as the famous "Manuscript Found" spoken of in so many cases by Spalding's old neighbors and relatives. And yet that Hawaii document bears no such title and does not contain the several unique points for identification provided by Spalding's associates, who had encountered the real "Manuscript Found." Since Rev. Smith's readers are not allowed to see both sides of an old argument over the identity of the Hawaii story, they are given no choice but to accept his account of literary history as being accurate. This sort of thing may not bother Rev. Smith much, but it is certain to vex his more cautious auditors. And, it goes without saying that most Latter Day Saint readers will find Rev. Smith's hodgepodge of unverified (and oft times contradictory) claims a gold mine for hostile counter-criticism. The writer's penchant for repetition is unaccountable, unless almost each page of the booklet is meant to be read as an individual periodical article, sans headlines. Indeed, the booklet might be salvageable, were it re-issued in that format, with each page-length article presented as a topic for discussion, rather than pronouncements of inevitable conclusions. Rev. Smith follows a loose pattern of introducing various past writers who have in one way or another spoken a little about Sidney Rigdon, and of subsequently summarizing their viewpoints regarding the man. As a continuous exposition this sort of compilation is tedious and needlessly repetitive -- but were the same material presented as a set of individual, inter-related summaries, Rev. Smith's intended message might at least be a little more intelligible. On page 17 Rev. Smith inserts this cryptic aside to his readers: "Our study of Rigdon may appear somewhat repetitious and paradoxical." Since the writer reprises and paraphrases a number of old books containing mentions of Sidney Rigdon, some repetition of subject matter would be understandable -- but entire sentences, paragraphs and sets of paragraphs so repeated, is indeed "paradoxical." The paradox is, how one compiler (Rev. Smith) can rummage through so many different sources on Elder Rigdon, and not recognize the contradictions, absurdities, and downright falsehoods he has thus arrived at (and passed on to his unsuspecting readers). Advanced age, lack of critical consideration of texts quotes, and gross unfamiliarity with Latter Day Saints history are no doubt factors to consider for anyone who takes the trouble to sort out fact from fiction on this little booklet. 
The time is out of joint Rev. Smith appears to have concluded his writing of this booklet shortly before the turn of the century, before internet search programs and e-mail access to remote sources of information became generally available to Mormon history scholarship. No other explanation accounts for his failing to mention a number of recent articles, books and web-publications devoted to the very topic he himself has undertaken to elucidate. A short list of such uncited items might well include the following: (1996) Van Wagoner, Richard S.: Sidney Rigdon (2000) Knowles, Lloyd A.: PhD Dissertation on Sidney Rigdon (2001) Ready, Bryan: MA Thesis on Whitsitt & Early Mormonism (2003) Knowles, Lloyd A.: "Sidney Rigdon... Benedict Arnold" (2003) Morley, Todd: “Sidney Rigdon's 1820 Ministry" (2005) Cowdrey, W., et al.: Who Wrote the Book of Mormon? (2005) Roper, Matthew P.: "Mythical 'Manuscript Found'" (2005) Criddle, Craig: "Sidney Rigdon... Book of Mormon" Numerous other examples of easily available information on Sidney Rigdon and/or Mormon origins might be tabulated here, but the above list will suffice in its demonstrating a cut-off for the time period in which Did Joseph Smith Write the Book of Mormon? must have been finalized. In other words, it is largely the product if the previous century and not of the contemporary era. Even a Stopped Clock... Just because Rev. Smith's booklet is ill-written, error-ridden and lacking proper documentation, none of that necessarily means that his basic conclusions are erroneous. The writer introduces several historical possibilities which likely warrant further investigation. The first of these possibilities is that only the "Rigdon" part of the Spalding-Rigdon authorship claims for the Book of Mormon matches up with past reality. This is not a new idea: the Rev. Dr. William H. Whitsitt was initially persuaded by some of the same arguments Rev. Smith has mentioned, and he evidently only included the chapters on Solomon Spalding in his unpublished Sidney Rigdon biography after overcoming some doubts in the matter. At least it was Whitsitt's conclusion that it really did not matter much, whether or nor Rigdon made use of a pre-existing fictional history in his alleged compilation of the "Ne |
