#22 Rough Stone Rolling

I am in the middle of Richard Bushman's Rough Stone Rolling and it is totally engaging. I don't know how anyone could know the story of Joseph Smith and not be fascinated by him. Although Richard Bushman is Mormon, he is very fair. He almost presents the case of Joseph Smith being a fanatical visionary who invented a religion, but then, when all the information is looked at honestly, that answer is too simple to explain him. I have had two responses as I have read. One is an amazement of how much Joseph really knew and the other is amazement of how much Joseph didn't know. It is though he understands principles and has a vision of how the gospel of Jesus Christ will fill the earth, but he seems to know very little of the details. They seem to come to him a little at a time and through a process that looks a lot like trial and error. Not exactly how our expectations might lead us to believe a prophet should receive revelation.

One example occurs when Bushman is discussing the emergence of the temple endowment in Nauvoo. He comments on how it is connected to Jewish tradition. He explains how there is only a remote possibility that Joseph was even aware of these customs and then gives this statement, "He had an uncanny ability to recover long-lost traditions for use in modern times." It is the method of uncovering these traditions that is sometimes hard to accept, and yet feels consistent with how we know God communicates with each of us. The answers seem to come line upon line. And he uses information that is available in the world to get him started on the process.

I will warn you that if you have a romanticized notion of how the LDS Church was organized or who you want Joseph Smith to be, you might be disappointed in this factual account. Joseph was a convert to organized religion. He wasn't raised with Sunday School or much of any school for that matter. He didn't have a modern perception of what we think religion, particularly our own religion, should be like. He was rough in many ways. But I believe the Lord chose him because of his roughness, not despite it. The Lord needed a man who was good to the core, but strong enough to bring about a marvelous work and a wonder. The more I read, the more I am convinced, there was not better man for the job.

So far, I love this book. I let you know how I feel when I finish it. It's a long one!