We have learned that Oliver Cowdery and Emma Smith were very unhappy with Joseph Smith for his involvement with 16 year old Fannie Alger. Cowdery termed it “a dirty nasty filthy business” and eventually left the church over this among other things. We know Joseph Smith violated the word of wisdom until the day he died. He was not wearing temple garments at the time of his death. He killed two people and seriously wounded another at Carthage jail where he was killed himself. There were perhaps 45 women married to him. We know he tried to have sex with other married women but failed in some of these attempts, particularly with Sarah Pratt who left the church over his behavior and later he apparently lied about her and accused her of false actions to try to defend his reputation. He had her accused of being a lover of John C. Bennett to try to ruin …show more content…
Further he attempted to seduce Sarah Pratt according to her testimony, while she was married to Orson Pratt at the time. Both Orson and Sarah left the church because of this incident, although Orson returned to the church at a later time. Sara Pratt never rejoined the church. As pointed out earlier, whether he committed adultery or not is a definition (really a distinction without a difference) he tried to make to explain his extra marital affair with Fanny Alger. Joseph Smith tried to get Nancy Rigdon as a plural wife but she refused. John C. Bennett also tried for the same woman and also failed. “Levi Lewis states that, he has ‘been acquainted with Joseph Smith, Jr., and Martin Harris, and that he has heard them both say, adultery was no crime. Harris said he did not blame Smith, for his (Smith’s) attempt to seduce Eliza Winters, etc.” History of the Saints Page 84 Did he bear false witness against others? Didn’t he testify falsely about Sarah Pratt’s reputation, trying to protect himself from her telling of his attempts to get her to engage in sexual relations with