On the 100th anniversary of Joseph Smith Jr.’s birth, a 50-foot granite obelisk was raised on the site. [278] This doctrine of endowment evolved through the 1830s, until in 1842, the Nauvoo endowment included an elaborate ceremony containing elements similar to Freemasonry and the Jewish tradition of Kabbalah. He was told not to join any of the churches. Smith, however, never viewed the wording to be infallible. [79] Smith continued to live in Ohio, but visited Missouri again in early 1832 to prevent a rebellion of prominent church members who believed the church in Missouri was being neglected. [271] At first, Smith's church had little sense of hierarchy; his religious authority was derived from visions and revelations. [45], Although Smith had left his treasure hunting company, his former associates believed he had double crossed them and taken the golden plates for himself, which they believed should be joint property. Smith said the Council had authority to decide which national or state laws Mormons should obey. [311] Smith said that blacks were not inherently inferior to whites, and he welcomed slaves into the church. [126] Smith also attempted to portray the Latter Day Saints as an oppressed minority, and unsuccessfully petitioned the federal government for help in obtaining reparations. [88] Smith gave a revelation saying that to redeem Zion, his followers would have to receive an endowment in the Kirtland Temple. Non-Mormon vigilantes raided and burned Mormon farms, while Danites and other Mormons pillaged non-Mormon towns. [26] Smith said that, although he had become concerned about the welfare of his soul, he was confused by the claims of competing religious denominations. [32], According to his later accounts, Smith was visited by an angel named Moroni, while praying one night in 1823. Joseph Smith, originally Joseph Smith, Jr., (born December 23, 1805, Sharon, Vermont, U.S.—died June 27, 1844, Carthage, Illinois), American prophet and founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people” . [157] The paper decried Smith's new "doctrines of many Gods", alluded to Smith's theocratic aspirations, and called for a repeal of the Nauvoo city charter. Smith said he experienced a series of visions, including one in 1820 during which he saw "two personages" (presumably God the Father and Jesus Christ), and another in 1823 in which an angel directed him to a buried book of golden plates inscribed with a Judeo-Christian history of an ancient American civilization. [198] [219] Modern historian Fawn Brodie has called the Book of Mormon a response to pressing cultural and environmental issues of Smith's times, saying that Smith composed the Book of Mormon drawing from scraps of information available to him. [65], Smith's authority was undermined when Oliver Cowdery, Hiram Page, and other church members also claimed to receive revelations. The eldest, Alvin (born in 1828), died within hours of birth, as did twins Thaddeus and Louisa (born in 1831). [109], In a speech given at the town's Fourth of July celebration, Rigdon declared that Mormons would no longer tolerate persecution by the Missourians and spoke of a "war of extermination" if Mormons were attacked. [232] While many changes involved straightening out seeming contradictions or making small clarifications, other changes added large "lost" portions to the text. He was a controversial figure in American historybeloved of his followers and hated by his detractors. [90], In late 1837, a series of internal disputes led to the collapse of the Kirtland Mormon community. [196], The first of Smith's wives, Emma Hale, gave birth to nine children during their marriage, five of whom died before the age of two. [238] The papyri from which Smith dictated the Book of Abraham were thought to have been lost in the Great Chicago Fire.