This morning, I read JS-H 1:24-25. Joseph, comparing himself to Paul defending himself to King Agrippa, said: “…and though they should persecute him unto death, yet he knew, and would know to his latest breath, that he had both seen a light and heard a voice….”

Joseph’s testimony would have been sealed with his blood the same if he had died a natural death, but people would have had to wait longer for that to happen. As long as someone lives, they are free to deny their previous testimony, but once dead, the testimony can no longer be changed.

Heavenly Father also sees death differently than we do. He commands us not to kill, but He either allows us all to die or actually causes death through natural disasters or whatever. The point of our lives is that we prove ourselves and that we have a chance to repent. The scriptures indicate throughout the history of the world that when a people are “ripened in iniquity” they will be destroyed, and God is the Judge and Executioner–the only completely Righteous and All-Knowing Judge.

Thank you..I agree completely. So there is no misunderstanding, for myself, the authenticity of latter day revelations and restorations stand independent of whether evil men choose or did not chose to murder someone. And stand independent as to whether Joseph was murdered or died in his sleep or for that matter the cause/effect or how he handled it.
IMO men demand blood and not God. We build cairns to cover the truth rather then reveal it. For example, if a nation engages in a war those that are killed on our team are honored and revered. Whether their or our cause was just or not becomes increasingly irrelevant. Then we begin saying “to honor those who gave their life” we must not abandon the enterprise and must also send more bodies/more blood–but that tells us nothing as to the justice of the cause but tells us everything about the anthropological nature of blood sacrifice.
The most revolutionary writings as to the nature of Christianity and the atonement IMO can be found in Rene Girard’s writings. He is to theology what Darwin was to creationism–revolutionary. One can never read the scriptures and in particular the BOM the same again after reading his writings. The “things hidden since the foundation of the earth” is that we are the ones that demand blood not God. We are the ones that shed blood. God does not want Joseph murdered nor desires his children to do so.
Does God want those with evil thoughts to act out those thoughts and kill as they did Joseph? The Son of Man felt no need to stone the adulteress even if the keepers of the law required it.
THe murder of Joseph has an effect on us as we build a cairn–a cairn found in DC 135, but such effect neither validates nor invalidates the authenticity of his revelations.

The wicked are condemned through their acts and not through their intents, even though God knows the thoughts and intents of their hearts. That also has less to do with individual testimony than with justice being served.

It seems usual that those whose calling is to inspire are not usually called to administer.

What your Sunday school teacher has said probably sounds very “mainstream” compared to what is implied by John Taylor in D&C 135. Not to mention Brigham’s stements about Joseph being a saviour and a god to his people.

A interesting point in the discussion about the alleged necessity of the martyrdom at that time, since one of the last revelations Joseph received commanded them to go to the Rocky Mountains.

That’s why he couldn’t just die in his sleep.

It doesn’t bother me that Joseph Smith has his place set among the martyrs, even that there was a good reason for it.

I can also see that we have to be careful not to compare him too closely with Jesus, Who was the Only One whose martyrdom could be the Infinite Atonement for the sins of the world.

Yesterday, I also finished re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I was thinking how Harry Potter compares with Joseph Smith (even though it was probably the furthest thing from JK Rowling’s mind when she wrote it.) Harry Potter was also compared with Jesus Christ, though, when the story (Spoiler Alert!) gave him off to me mostly just a would-be martyr, who, if he really did die, was at least able to come back in a Life-after-death situation, and to enjoy the earthly rewards of his “sacrifice.” HP compares with JS more because of their willingness to die for a good cause, and because of the necessity of enduring their names having been slandered throughout their worlds, than anything else.

But I also agree that the Book of Mormon was the principal fruit of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and it is a good fruit.