![]() ![]() In the 1838 reading of the story, the “unusual excitement on the subject of religion” and the clergy who were “active in getting up and promoting this extraordinary scene of religious feeling” led to “confusion and bad feeling.” 1 Smith did not know which minister to follow. He was looking for forgiveness, as were others who flocked to the revivals in his neighborhood. His first account, written in 1832 and discovered in the archives in the 1960s, suggests that earlier Smith may have understood the experience as about the state of his soul. Initially, however, Smith may have understood the vision differently. That is the story of the account drafted in 1838. ![]() ![]() When the heavenly personages appeared, he asked them which church to join, and they replied none of them. He was confused by the melee of voices coming from ministers of various denominations and wanted guidance. One of the questions we ask about Joseph Smith’s First Vision is, What did visions mean in those days? How did Smith understand his encounter with God? The most established interpretation is that questions about the churches prompted Smith to pray. ![]()
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