Week 14 Blog

the second great awakening was a time of great religious upheaval, especially in New York where Joseph smith lived. In such circumstances it is easy to see that he became confused as to who or what to believe. Furthermore there was dissension even in Joseph's own family, several of his siblings and his Mother were Presbyterian, while Joseph's father and oldest brother, were not members of any organized church, despite their deep spiritual beliefs. Joseph Himself had significant Methodist leanings, at least until the first vision. It is easy to see why Joseph was confused. Less easy to see is how he arrived at the conclusion that he must ask God which curch, if any, to join. Most people in Joseph's day went to a minister, or looked in the bible themselves to find such answers. Joseph did in fact do both, and it was probably because of the "democritization" of religion, that Joseph decided to ask God directly. there were so many ministers of religion, all with their own interpretations of the Bible. Had Joseph resided in another country, he would not have had to face such a plethora of biblical interpretations. But in america, because people had easy access to the Bible, various churches had sprung up, all based on their own interpretations of the Bible. Another motivator for Joseph to ask God directly, which Church, if any, he should join, was the fact that his father, despite being a deeply religious man, did not participate in the services of an organized religion. Another thing about the first vision that understanding the second great awakening helped me understand, was its receival. One would think that amidst all this religious turmoil, ministers would be glad to recieve revelation directly from god, but I think that by the time the first vision came around the people were tired of false prophets, which the second great awakening produced, and believed that revelation came from the devil. Thus some were trying, in their point of view, to save Joseph from evil.