Suspicion or Trust: Reading the Accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision

Critics of Joseph Smith’s First Vision contend that the multiple accounts of his experience are inconsistent with each other or with historical facts. They claim that it’s an evolving story that becomes more elaborate over time. “Suspicion or Trust” invites readers to examine Joseph’s own accounts of the vision, recorded for different purposes and audiences. Each has gaps and omissions, and each adds detail and depth. Rather than casting doubt and suspicion, the historical facts and the richly documented accounts of the First Vision provide many open-minded people a good reason to trust Joseph Smith and to believe that he did indeed see the Father and the Son.

This Bookshelf Single is an excerpt from the book No Weapon Shall Prosper: New Light on Sensitive Issues.

Each individual chapter is available as a Deseret Bookshelf Single:

The Attraction of Mormonism
—Brent L. Top

Reflections on Apostasy and Restoration
—Robert L. Millet

Are Christians Christians?
—Kent P. Jackson

Suspicion or Trust: Reading the Accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision
—Steven C. Harper

Seeking Divine Interaction: Joseph Smith’s Searches for the Supernatural
—Kerry Muhlestein

Did Joseph Smith Translate the Kinderhook Plates?
—Brian M. Hauglid

“A Subject That Can Bear Investigation”: Anguish, Faith, and Joseph Smith’s Youngest Plural Wife
—J. Spencer Fluhman

A Latter-day Saint Perspective on Biblical Inerrancy
—Robert L. Millet

The Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Concept of Scripture
—Daniel L. Belnap

The Book of Mormon and the Origin of Native Americans from a Maternally Inherited DNA Standpoint
—Ugo A. Perego

Egyptian Papyri and the Book of Abraham: A Faithful, Egyptological Point of View
—Kerry Muhlestein

Thoughts on the Book of Abraham
—Brian M. Hauglid

The Role of Evidence in Religious Discussion
—John W. Welch

The Fortunate Fall of Adam and Eve
—Daniel K Judd

Jesus Christ and Salvation
—Robert L. Millet

God and Man
—Robert L. Millet

Taking the Great Commission Seriously
—Camille Fronk Olson