Does it bother anybody else... the ever changing face of Joseph Smith and his image that is presented by the "Mo Church"??

I mean.... I have seen an aactual photograph of Joseph Smith and he had dark hair, a big nose and a large pompadore hair style. I realize his hair style may not be in vogue and they probably did not like fact that he had a big nose, but did they really ned to change the art depictions of him? Really?? For what purpose?

I mean we have all seen what Abraham Lincoln looked like or George Washington... but you see few and probably no people that try to change the physical pictures of what they looked like.... no matter how not in style their hair style was or whatever.

The part that bugs me the most is you see these idiotic art depictions of Joseph Smith and Emma Smith smiling and playing with children. Old Joe Smith has become a blonde haired blue eyed character with regular looking hair... and he has a closer resemblance to Brad Pitt then the real Joseph Smith. The one artist depiction of Emma Smith that I saw makes Emma look more like a modern day Super-model like Carmen Elektra or something.

I guess that it should not annoy me, but these white washed and Hollywood actor/actresses make-overs for Joseph Smith and Emma Smith is really stupid. Do TBM's really buy into this sh*t??

I've heard that he wore his hair that way to cover up the burns from being tarred and feathered...

It bothers me, but not as much as Caucasian Jesus

The Mos are not concerned with the real Joseph Smith whether he is depicted in writing or visually.

You are so right...The older pictures depict him as a little potbellied with a nose like the Penguin from Batman. Then in the sixties through eighties he has that handsome, yet thoughtful look. Now he looks like he stepped right off the Brawny paper towel package.. We know why they do this...It's marketing and he is the product....

They do the same with Adam and Eve..They have different pics having them look like Barbie and Ken. One pic, Adam had a Missionary haircut and eves legs were waxed...I mean really, If there had really been an Adam and Eve i think they would look a little rough....

Whiskey_Tango Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You are so right...The older pictures depict him
> as a little potbellied with a nose like the
> Penguin from Batman.
...

Our Latter Day Savior -- Brother Joseph:
http://olivercowdery.com/smithhome/Sthumb07a.jpg

UD

Seeing these images and how they've changed and deceived is a good lesson in why monotheistic religions such as Islam forbid representations of sacred people. No redrawing Mohammed.

I remember as a kid my family took a trip back to temple square were they had an exhibit of the death masks of Joe and Hyrum Smith. Hyrum was probably pretty good-looking, but I remember being totally shocked by the shape of Joseph's face. I had this image of what he looked like based on the pictures they always showed in primary-- he can't have looked at all like those. The large size and pointy shape of his nose was emphasized even more by a receding chin and forehead that sloped sharply back.

None of this should really matter of course, except that the idealized pictures are probably the result of marketing research which says that people tend to believe people who are generally perceived to be better looking. This is just one more instance were the truth is sacrificed to the PR machine.

"Caucasian Jesus"

"They do the same with Adam and Eve..They have different pics having them look like Barbie and Ken. One pic, Adam had a Missionary haircut and eves legs were waxed"

LMFAO...How did I NOT pick up on the waxed legs?

LOL LOL...

It really is all about marketing and myth to fuel the business. And yes, the sheeple want it that way. The target consumer wants a comfortable myth divorced from uncomfortable reality. In a really sick way it is a win-win transaction.

And no, LDS Inc. is not alone. Jesus has made a similar remarkable journey from short, brown and Semitic to Nordic superman.

Actually Jesus is now the lead singer of nickelback
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0oGdURcTxVQeCcAodfBGOd_?p=chad+kroeger&fr=ipad&fr2=piv-web

Lol!

...so I don't know what they show now. Upstairs, where they had displays of all the presidents, they showed a collection of various representations of JS with an explanation/excuse that they don't know what he actually looked like since there are no photos. Meanwhile, in the basement, were a bunch of paintings of JS done in the Nauvoo period, with him looking a lot like a puffin. Then, on the ground floor, were the JS and HS death masks -- so the church knows exactly what he looked like, but they prefer playing the Pick a Joseph You Like game.

Reminds me of a Frank Herbert quote from one of the 'Dune' books: "The writing of history is largely a process of diversion. Most historical accounts distract attention from the secret influences behind every great event."

I have read that the JS death mask is a bit misleading because the lower jaw is often "slack" on a corpse (yeah, I've seen the effect, don't ask). I think William Fichtner is the closest of what JS probably looked like:
http://www.buddytv.com/articles/Prison_Break/Images/william-fichtner-5.jpg

On the other, the guy I used to work who was a close to real-life Joseph Smith (cheated on his wife with multiple women, including a 16 year-old, yet still she took him back) was similar looking to WF, but not as attractive, yet had Svengali-like powers.

here http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk213/jeffotron/hagio.jpg



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/29/2012 12:38PM by rationalguy.

Looks very effeminate in the photo, kinda quasi-louis XIV

This one's my favorite: http://www.utlm.org/images/josephsmithhat_irr.jpg

I think it is fascinating because the Mormon Church wants TO CONTROL who gets to do artistic depictions of Joseph Smith. Pretty lame nonsense if you ask me. I don't think that "Mo Inc." should have control over what kind of artist depictions are done of Joseph Smith. Plus Joseph Smith burying his face in a hat is accurate to real history of Joseph Smith.


http://www.christianindex.org/4216.article

Kay Burningham, who wrote "American Fraud" has a whole chapter devoted to JS death mask, contemporary drawings of him, and written descriptions. He was not a handsome man.

During his time in Nauvoo his figure was described as "stout and round shouldered" - NOT the athletic and broad shoulded male model-type in some church illustrations.

He had a very prominent nose, a very sloping forehead and a little receding chin.

The fact that he had to strong-arm, deceive, and threaten his way into some of his sexual relationships is some indication that he was he was rather a rather crude person who relied on power, not charm, when he didn't get his way.

I Am sure the momos are just trying to romanticize JS it's lucky no one can meet him or BY... They wouldn't stay in a church run by sleaze bags like them.