Did Joseph Smith claim to be greater than Jesus Christ?

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AI2.0
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Did Joseph Smith claim to be greater than Jesus Christ?

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There was a thread on here somewhere (which I can't find??) where a poster claimed that Joseph Smith boasted he was greater than Jesus Christ.

Sounded sketchy, so I had to research it. Of course it's false because it's been taken out of context to change the meaning-- but here is an explanation of where this accusation arises from and what was actually said;
Though Matthew Pienaar’s answer is correct, let me give a little more explanation.

First, consider this passage from Mosiah 3:17, which critics say was written by Joseph Smith himself:

And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

Also consider the testimony that Joseph Smith gave in D&C 76:19–24:

And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened, and the glory of the Lord shone round about.

And we beheld the glory of the Son, on the right hand of the Father, and received of his fulness;

And saw the holy angels, and them who are sanctified before his throne, worshiping God, and the Lamb, who worship him forever and ever.

And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.

Is this the language of a man who thinks of himself as being greater than Jesus Christ?

Again, consider the words of Jesus Christ that came directly to Joseph Smith by revelation (D&C 19–16–19):

For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent;

But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.

If Joseph Smith gave to us a revelation - real or fake - in which Jesus Christ described Himself as “God, the greatest of all,” how could Joseph Smith then claim to be greater than Jesus Christ?

The argument that he did claim to be greater than Christ originates from this quote:

A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.

Taken alone, this quote may seem to be evidence that Joseph Smith thought of himself as being greater than Jesus Christ. However, when viewed in conjunction with everything else that Joseph Smith said about Jesus Christ, it becomes clear that he was not talking about the difference between himself and Jesus, but about the difference between the people who followed Jesus and the Apostles and the people who followed him. He was rejoicing in the fact that he knew there would not be another Great Apostasy, and that is all. It is outright dishonesty to take this quote alone and act as if it were somehow illustrative of a feeling of superiority over Christ on the part of Joseph Smith. Such an interpretation requires one to ignore pretty much everything else Joseph Smith said about Jesus Christ.

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https://www.quora.com/Did-Joseph-Smith- ... sus-Christ

I'll also point out this response to Joseph when he was feeling very weighed down with all the trials he'd had to bear. D&C 122:8. After complaining that the Lord had forgotten him in his trials, the Lord went through a litany of injustices committed against Joseph, then chided him-- 'The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?' Joseph KNEW he was not greater. This scripture acknowledges that.

A quick google debunked this accusation against Joseph Smith. I'm not sure why some seem to trust the anti sources out there who are always looking for an opportunity to trash the Prophet.

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inho
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Re: Did Joseph Smith claim to be greater than Jesus Christ?

Post by inho »

Joseph Smith wasn't greater than Jesus, but maybe he did greater things than Jesus. Isn't that what Jesus asked for? Jesus said: He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do (John 14:12).

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