Who was John Smith?

The first prophet of the restoration, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was Joseph Smith. Easy, eh? It's not like his name was Mortimer Farnsworth or Quinton Harshbarger or Xavier Wybrow or something. Hear it once, you'll probably remember it. Some copy editor at U.S. News & World Report apparently wasn't paying much attention in class. In a collection of the magazine's religious articles titled "Mysteries of Faith," out this month, the headline to the six-page spread on the LDS Church is headlined thus: "In John Smith's Steps." "Somebody took a snooze at the keyboard," said Richard Folkers, spokesman for the magazine. "Yeah, there are all the excuses about having a small staff that's overworked and all that, but the bottom line is we're paid not to have this happen." The article is a reprint of a cover story on the LDS Church that appeared in the magazine three years ago (that one sported the headline "The Mormon Way" but was otherwise the same article). ...  more

It's not like the name is a hard one to remember. The first prophet of the restoration, according to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was Joseph Smith. Easy, eh? It's not like his name was Mortimer Farnsworth or Quinton Harshbarger or Xavier Wybrow or something. Hear it once, you'll probably remember it. Some copy editor at U.S. News & World Report apparently wasn't paying much attention in class. In a collection of the magazine's religious articles titled "Mysteries of Faith," out this month, the headline to the six-page spread on the LDS Church is headlined thus: "In John Smith's Steps." "Somebody took a snooze at the keyboard," said Richard Folkers, spokesman for the magazine. "Yeah, there are all the excuses about having a small staff that's overworked and all that, but the bottom line is we're paid not to have this happen." Story continues below The article is a reprint of a cover story on the LDS Church that appeared in the magazine three years ago (that one ...  more

him, after they reinstated all of his blessings, including the temple, in 1961. John D. Lee was excommunicated and then executed for his role in this tragic mass murder. ...  more