Joseph Smith’s water-walking fail: legit, or just another legend? Ep. 194

Stories have been circulating for almost 200 years now about the Latter-day Saint prophet, Joseph Smith, attempting (and failing miserably) to walk on water. Is there any truth to these stories? That’s the question David explores in this episode.

Video transcript: https://saintsunscripted.com/faith-and-beliefs/the-restoration-of-christs-church/joseph-smiths-water-walking-fail/

— “Walking on Water: Nineteenth-Century Prophets and a Legend of Religious Imposture,” by Stanley J. Thayne, in Journal of Mormon History, Vol. 36, No. 2 (Spring 2010), pg. 160-204: http://bit.ly/3KGPziI
— “Walking-on-Water Stories and Other Susquehanna River Folk Tales about Joseph Smith,” by J. Taylor Hollist: https://bit.ly/3Z7Jssa

Notes:

— In Stanley Thayne’s article (linked above) he also points out that similar claims were made against other controversial religious leaders around Joseph Smith’s time, including Jemima Wilkinson, John Wroe, and James Fisher.

— After reciting the walking-on-water tale, Fawn Brodie wrote, “Baseless though this story may be, it is none the less symbolic.” Hugh Nibley responded in 1946, “The reader is told that though no justification exists for believing the story, Joseph Smith must always have been doing silly things like that, and that makes it ‘symbolic.’ Why bother with mere symbols? Why not give the concrete examples? Can she do no better than to cite a tale that is known to be false simply because it symbolizes her idea of Joseph Smith?” Source: “Tinkling Symbols and Sounding Brass,” Hugh Nibley, pg. 32.

— These stories became so prevalent that in about 1933 a New York State “historic” marker was actually posted at the Broome/Chenango County line (near Nineveh, NY) which read, “Joseph Smith, Founder of Mormonism, Endeavored in 1827 to Walk on Water Nearby, The Venture Was Not a Success.” The marker is no longer standing. Hollist gives additional details about this in the article linked above.

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