Introduction A Latter-day Saint woman wrote to Garrett Dirkmaat asking about a video and an article claiming that Joseph Smith both received his visions and translated the Book of Mormon through the use of psychedelic drugs, including toads, “magical herbs,” and psychedelic mushrooms. She asked whether there was any evidence supporting this theory. Dirkmaat explains … Read more
Introduction Doctrine and Covenants 76 — often referred to simply as “the Vision” by early Saints — presented a radical doctrine to the nineteenth-century Protestant world. Among its teachings are the idea of degrees of glory (celestial, terrestrial, and telestial), the rejection of an eternal hell in the classical Protestant sense, and the affirmation … Read more
Doctrine and Covenants 76 in Early Latter-day Saint Thought Doctrine and Covenants 76, known among early Latter-day Saints simply as “the Vision,” was regarded as one of the most important revelations ever received by Joseph Smith. In Joseph’s time, when people said “Joseph Smith’s vision,” they were usually not referring to the First Vision, but … Read more
Introduction This bonus episode draws on a revealing moment in early Church history: a letter Joseph Smith wrote in 1833 addressing members who rejected or disputed revealed doctrine—particularly the revelation now known as Doctrine and Covenants 76. By examining how early Saints reacted to prophetic teachings, the episode highlights enduring patterns seen again in the … Read more