appeared to a modern man was somewhat doubted. "Faced with Joseph Smith's account of a subjective religious experience in a literal historical setting, writers of the past have either accepted it as fact, or more commonly, rejected it as falsehood or delusion." (Arrington p.5) There seemed to be no middle ground on the issue. The account of the first "vision" describes Joseph Smith's confusion as a boy over the many different religious expressions going on. Inspired by the words of James he was asking God for wisdom. He went into the woods to pray and in the words of Joseph Smith, "I saw a pillar of light over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me . . . when the light rested upon me I saw two personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spoke unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other, This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him." To Joseph this meant that he was forgiven of his sins and was not to join any of the organized churches. For the Mormons the visit of an angel to Joseph Smith during the night of September 21, 1823, signaled the documentary foundation of Mormonism. A statue representing the angel stands atop the Salt Lake Temple. In one hand the figure holds a trumpet: in the other are clasped plates symbolic of the Book of Mormon, the ancient religious record whose existence Smith claimed was revealed to him in 1823. Shortly after his first vision Joseph Smith was concerned with his lack of spirituality. He was praying on Sept. 21 when he was rewarded with the appearance of an angelic being who said his name was Moroni. It was Moroni who told Joseph Smith where the gold leaves or "plates" were located. Smith tried to keep this secret, however, word got out. And today, this religion is practiced by millions in the United States. The governing scriptures of the Mormon Church are the Bibles, The Book of Mormon, Doc...
