There have been many charlatans who claimed they saw angels. What makes Joseph Smith any different?
You are right, there have been many questionable claims made by many people about seeing angels or Mary or God. But Joseph did more than just make the claim. I could point to the Book of Mormon as hard evidence for the reality of the angel Moroni, but there is something even more basic that our critics so often overlook. LDS writer Joseph Fielding McConkie pinpointed a primary difference between Joseph Smith’s encounters with angels and those of any other professed prophet when he said: Many a pretender to the prophetic office has claimed to entertain angels or to have spoken with God, but who other than Joseph Smith introduced his angels to others? Joseph Smith introduced Moroni to Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Martin Harris. He was never alone when priesthood or keys were restored…. He and Sydney Rigdon received the revelation on the degrees of glory together. Together they saw legions of angels, along with the Father and the Son (see D&C 76:21-23). Oliver Cowdery was with Jos
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- There have been many charlatans who claimed they saw angels. What makes Joseph Smith any different?
