Latter-Day Saint Roots in the American Forest: Joseph Smith’s Restoration Visions in Their Environmental Context
On 6 April 1830 Joseph Smith Jr. legally established what he claimed to be the restored Church of Jesus Christ that had existed previously during the New Testament times. This bold claim was bolstered by stories of angelic visitations in the hemlock–northern hardwood forest of New York and Pennsylva...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Religions |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/3/232 |
| _version_ | 1797442913117929472 |
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| author | Samuel R. Palfreyman |
| author_facet | Samuel R. Palfreyman |
| author_sort | Samuel R. Palfreyman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On 6 April 1830 Joseph Smith Jr. legally established what he claimed to be the restored Church of Jesus Christ that had existed previously during the New Testament times. This bold claim was bolstered by stories of angelic visitations in the hemlock–northern hardwood forest of New York and Pennsylvania by biblical and nonbiblical figures alike. In one of Smith’s supernatural encounters he claims that immediately prior to his theophany the Devil tried to intercede and prevent his communion with God. Thus, Smith and his followers have embraced a complex worldview concerning the nineteenth-century American forest, host to both the Divine and the Devil. The nineteenth-century American forest was complicated by its dangerous elements, its economic opportunities, and the sublime quality popularized in landscape paintings. Forests existed as environments that were equal in their ability to leave one desolate, well-provisioned, or inspired. Navigating these sometimes paradoxical views, Joseph Smith’s stories of otherworldly visitations in forest settings have resonated with many people seeking understanding in a confusing world. The founding story of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and artistic depictions thereof demonstrate an evolving view of the American forest. The American forest is a malleable, liminal space in which Latter-day Saints have continually combined elements of faith and memory to create a unique faith tradition with roots in a transformative place in American society. This interdisciplinary paper examines the physical appearance of the hemlock–northern hardwood forest, the socioeconomic climate, shifting sentimental values, and the philosophical ideas popularized by transcendentalists and the Hudson River School of painters that provided the scaffolding for this resilient religious movement’s origin story. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:48:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ebceae98b9514e2db3cfd0efa56572de |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2077-1444 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T12:48:30Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Religions |
| spelling | doaj.art-ebceae98b9514e2db3cfd0efa56572de2023-11-30T22:10:09ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442022-03-0113323210.3390/rel13030232Latter-Day Saint Roots in the American Forest: Joseph Smith’s Restoration Visions in Their Environmental ContextSamuel R. Palfreyman0Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Salt Lake City, UT 84150, USAOn 6 April 1830 Joseph Smith Jr. legally established what he claimed to be the restored Church of Jesus Christ that had existed previously during the New Testament times. This bold claim was bolstered by stories of angelic visitations in the hemlock–northern hardwood forest of New York and Pennsylvania by biblical and nonbiblical figures alike. In one of Smith’s supernatural encounters he claims that immediately prior to his theophany the Devil tried to intercede and prevent his communion with God. Thus, Smith and his followers have embraced a complex worldview concerning the nineteenth-century American forest, host to both the Divine and the Devil. The nineteenth-century American forest was complicated by its dangerous elements, its economic opportunities, and the sublime quality popularized in landscape paintings. Forests existed as environments that were equal in their ability to leave one desolate, well-provisioned, or inspired. Navigating these sometimes paradoxical views, Joseph Smith’s stories of otherworldly visitations in forest settings have resonated with many people seeking understanding in a confusing world. The founding story of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and artistic depictions thereof demonstrate an evolving view of the American forest. The American forest is a malleable, liminal space in which Latter-day Saints have continually combined elements of faith and memory to create a unique faith tradition with roots in a transformative place in American society. This interdisciplinary paper examines the physical appearance of the hemlock–northern hardwood forest, the socioeconomic climate, shifting sentimental values, and the philosophical ideas popularized by transcendentalists and the Hudson River School of painters that provided the scaffolding for this resilient religious movement’s origin story.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/3/232The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaiChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsMormon ChurchJoseph Smith’s First VisionSacred GroveRestorationismHudson River School of painters |
| spellingShingle | Samuel R. Palfreyman Latter-Day Saint Roots in the American Forest: Joseph Smith’s Restoration Visions in Their Environmental Context Religions The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaiChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Mormon Church Joseph Smith’s First Vision Sacred Grove Restorationism Hudson River School of painters |
| title | Latter-Day Saint Roots in the American Forest: Joseph Smith’s Restoration Visions in Their Environmental Context |
| title_full | Latter-Day Saint Roots in the American Forest: Joseph Smith’s Restoration Visions in Their Environmental Context |
| title_fullStr | Latter-Day Saint Roots in the American Forest: Joseph Smith’s Restoration Visions in Their Environmental Context |
| title_full_unstemmed | Latter-Day Saint Roots in the American Forest: Joseph Smith’s Restoration Visions in Their Environmental Context |
| title_short | Latter-Day Saint Roots in the American Forest: Joseph Smith’s Restoration Visions in Their Environmental Context |
| title_sort | latter day saint roots in the american forest joseph smith s restoration visions in their environmental context |
| topic | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaiChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Mormon Church Joseph Smith’s First Vision Sacred Grove Restorationism Hudson River School of painters |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/13/3/232 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT samuelrpalfreyman latterdaysaintrootsintheamericanforestjosephsmithsrestorationvisionsintheirenvironmentalcontext |