Ch. 1: Angels and Devils

[Chris OConnor]

Ch. 1: Angels and Devils

[Cattleman]

The Second Great Awakening was quite a time in American religious history. Not only in upstate New York, but other areas as well. In Kentucky and Pennsylvania, the Stone-Campbell movement gave rise to a new denomination which later split into two, today's Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and the Church of Christ. Of course these were not the Adventist type churches Fitzgerald discusses. But, while the Adventist churches have pretty well died out, the Adventists remain. It is not hard to find a Millieniest, as some like to be called, everywhere. During the 1970s, I was given a copy of Hal Lindsey's "Late Great Planet Earth." And among the Internet prophets, you can find J. D. Farag and his Aloha Ministries. So jit is not too surprising that Joseph Smith was able to scare up followers. While not well educated, it is obvious that Smith was intelligent, cunning, and had quite a persuasive personality.

[youkrst]

The region itself became known as the “Burned-Over District,” in honor of the way it was repeatedly overrun by one religious craze after another.

fascinating!

[youkrst]

“Joe Smith never handled one shovel of earth in those diggings. All Smith did was to peep with stone and hat, and give directions where and how to dig...Smith said if he should work with his hands at digging there, he would lose the power to see with the stone.”viii

[youkrst]

i like this writers style, very flowing, ongoing, he doesn't get in the way at all and keeps it bounding along. The next nugget is only ever a few words away so it's the opposite of stodgy or ego bound, the life force of the subject itself is well cared for.

[youkrst]

Martin being naturally a credulous man, hands Joseph the money.”

[ginof]

I'm having a tough time with the writing style. If you are going to take something like a religion apart, you should be rigorous about it. If you are not, you should have a great writing style. Sort of like Mark Twain's "Christian Science". The first part really cracked me up, and the second part is a logical annihilation. But this writing style is not doing either. The writer does not have Twain's wit (to be fair, few ever have) and bounces from one thing to another too readily. The fact that it is footnoted is what is keeping me in there. But the style (explain a story and then say, well, maybe it was different depending who you ask) isn't "academic" enough for me. Am glad that others appear to be liking the style.

[ginof]

what I find particularly damning is the multiple first accounts and the idea that Smith was preparing himself to receive the tablets while being convicted of fraud. I would like the author to spend a little more time talking about how believers explain that away.

[youkrst]

i like this writers style,

I'm having a tough time with the writing style.

Am glad that others appear to be liking the style.

yes, it's fascinating how different readers each bring a whole new world with them as far as requirements, expectations, experiences, inclinations etc etc

music is like that too where particular listeners may react or not react to certain forms or whatknot

an intriguing thing to me. that these works are like only half the equation where the reader/listener is bringing a lot to the result as well.

in my case liking a breezy style to avoid anything too stodgy which might nod me off to sleep (being sleep deprived).

[youkrst]

what I find particularly damning is the multiple first accounts and the idea that Smith was preparing himself to receive the tablets while being convicted of fraud.

yeah it was the same here, wow! the picture was pretty clear, this guy is a shyster.

I would like the author to spend a little more time talking about how believers explain that away.

yeah would be interesting to hear the mormon apology on it all, i just assumed from past experience that they would try and ignore it and brand anyone who brought it up as a "troublemaker"