Joseph Smith's Early Opposition & Forgotten Critics - John Turner Pt. 7 | Ep. 2039
Mormon Stories Podcast
Dr. John Dehlin
4.6 • 5.2K Ratings
🗓️ 10 July 2025
⏱️ 130 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
In this episode, we dive into Chapter Eight of Joseph Smith: The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet by John G. Turner. We explore early public criticism of Joseph Smith by figures like Abner Cole, the satirical Book of Pukei, and Luman Walters' possible influence. We also examine Joseph’s efforts to sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon in Canada, what that reveals about his intentions, and the revelation that supposedly authorized it.We discuss how Joseph’s financial motives, revelations, and treatment of Martin Harris raise important questions, and consider the book's early lack of demand—even as Joseph continued to pivot and adapt. From legal troubles and claims of treasure seeking, to his revisions of the Bible and the rise of anti-Masonry, this episode looks at how Joseph’s evolving theology and personal ambitions shaped early Mormonism.We also tackle difficult questions around gender and divine authority: Why were no women, including Emma Smith, called as witnesses to the golden plates? What does Emma's role—and her sacrifices—say about the story Joseph told?This is a wide-ranging and thought-provoking installment that challenges the traditional narrative while offering rich historical context.**Topics Include:**- Abner Cole’s criticisms & Book of Pukei- Attempt to sell the Book of Mormon copyright in Canada- Revelations and motives: divine or self-serving?- Joseph’s treatment of Emma & women’s roles- Legal issues & treasure seeking- Bible revisions, anti-Masonry, and theology- Emma’s loyalty and legacy___________________
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, everyone and welcome to Mormon Stories Podcast. I'm your host, John DeLinn. It is July 9th, |
| 0:06.1 | 2025. And today you are joining us for part seven of our series on what I'm calling the Joseph |
| 0:13.7 | Smith podcast. We are seven now episodes in to interviewing Dr. John Turner of George Mason University, who just released a book |
| 0:24.0 | called Joseph Smith, The Rise and Fall of an American Prophet from Yale University Press. |
| 0:29.4 | We are so grateful for everyone who has contributed to make this possible for all of the |
| 0:34.6 | base Mormon stories donors, but also for everyone who stepped up to donate to this campaign. |
| 0:40.0 | Specifically, I'm happy to announce that we've raised $4,500 so far. |
| 0:45.1 | That pays for nine episodes, |
| 0:47.0 | so we'll be able to do at least this one and three more. |
| 0:50.3 | And if any of you want to see this series continue, just go to donorbox.org |
| 0:56.8 | slash Joseph Smith, become a monthly donor, and we'll keep doing these episodes for as long as you value them. |
| 1:03.6 | We have covered so many important topics so far, six episodes to be exact. |
| 1:10.0 | These episodes are best consumed in sequence, and you can find |
| 1:14.1 | the sequence at the Joseph Smith podcast on YouTube. It's a playlist under the Mormon Stories |
| 1:19.1 | podcast channel. We're also going to be releasing these on Spotify and on Apple Podcasts as well, |
| 1:26.9 | but of course they're integrated into the Mormon storage feed. |
| 1:30.1 | We've covered the first six chapters of this important book, and we've covered everything |
| 1:37.1 | from Joseph Smith's family background to Joseph Smith's First Vision, to the Golden Plates, |
| 1:43.9 | to the Book of Mormon translation, to the |
| 1:47.4 | Lost 116 pages with Martin Harris, the three witnesses, the eight witnesses, and just Joseph |
| 1:52.8 | generally as a translator, and of course, Book of Mormon historicity. Today we are going to be covering |
| 1:59.9 | chapter seven, which is entitled |
... |
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