this guys thinks JS is a fraud:
http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Mind-Jo...3585256&sr=1-1
Written by a psychiatrist. From what I gather, he is doing some kind of psychoanalysis by comparing what Joseph Smith wrote in the BoM (as a kind of autobiography) with his earlier life events. I guess he is saying that the BoM was a kind of narcissistic comic book that allowd JS to exact psychic revenge against the people that had caused him pain. ????? I guess this is taking the Brodie approach to the extreme.
If we can say that there are three approaches to viewing JS's state of mind:
1) that he was a fraud, and piecing together the evidence that shows it
2) making no judgment as to whether he was a fraud, but gathering the facts and observations and placing it in historical context
3) that he was a prophet, or at the very least someone who thought he was a prophet, and piecing together the evidence that shows it.
Why is it that people like SU are horrified at #3, but exultant about #1? Well, maybe he would say "in the 21st century, intelligent people know that all claims about God are fraudulent." Ok. But man is that a boring, dogmatic approach to things. I've met many, many people that have claimed extraordinary spiritual events. Not hearsay. But directly from their mouths. Are they all frauds? I don't think so. Are they all perfect people without blemish in their personal lives? I don't think so.
The more a person is smugly certain they have arrived at their (facile) conclusion, the more one should doubt their ability. This is complex. People are complex. Joseph Smith was certainly complex.