Overview

Many critics of the Church allege that Joseph Smith never made a true prophecy and that he failed the test of a real prophet. The allegedly false prophecies that they offer are sometimes based on questionable sources, sometimes are distortions of the truth, or sometimes are open for honest debate but can be resolved without abandoning Joseph Smith as a legitimate prophet. I address some of these issues on my LDSFAQ page, Questions About Prophets and Prophecy (also see my essay on the fallibility of human leaders in the true Church). Related resources with a great deal of information can be found beginning with the FAIRMormon.org page, Joseph Smith/Alleged false prophecies.

Did Joseph Smith make any true prophecies? Yes! Indeed, the record cannot be explained away as lucky guesses. Below I list a number of the arguably true prophecies that Joseph Smith made. However, the most important evidence for Joseph's divine calling as a prophet of Christ is the Book of Mormon , which is why I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

For those who have seen allegedly false prophecies of Joseph Smith, keep in mind that most of the statements used to condemn Joseph Smith were written down by someone else and are subject to inaccuracy. My experience with how others quote me has been most frustrating. Even experienced journalists often garble what was actually said. Many alleged false prophecies are just hearsay, and many were never intended as a prophetic statement. (And sometimes even what I write or say myself isn't what I really meant!)

Latter-day Saints know that the gift of prophecy does not make every utterance divinely inspired. As Latter-day Saints, we only need to be bound by what has been canonized, not by every alleged saying or even every actual writing of Church leaders. Very few alleged false prophecies are from canonized writings, and I believe that the few apparent exceptions are treated on this page. So if 50 years after Joseph was killed, somebody writes that they remember him talking about men living on the moon, and no one else can verify that claim, it's nothing to be bothered by. And even if Joseph did speculate on something that silly while sitting around a campfire one night, as a mortal he's entitled to silly opinions. It's unreasonable to hold him to a standard higher than the prophets of the Bible could meet. (See my page on prophets and prophecy for more information, and see "The Nature of Prophets and Prophecy" by John A. Tvedtnes, published at FairMormon.org.)

Summary

Joseph never claimed to be infallible, and no prophet is. He may have been surprised and frustrated by the delayed fulfillment of some prophecies, such as the establishment of Zion in Missouri, which has yet to come. But those who knew him well knew that he was a prophet of God, and those who have examined carefully the prophetic Book of Mormon or Doctrine and Covenants or Pearl of Great Price will find abundant evidence of heavenly inspiration.

Even in small things we see Joseph acting as a prophet and seer. Newel Whitney, for example, in 1832, had been sick and in bed for four weeks. Donna Hill reports what followed (Joseph Smith: The First Mormon, Doubleday and Company, Garden City, NY, 1977, pp. 148-149): "Joseph announced to him one day that if he would agree to start the next morning, they would take a wagon to the river and at once find a ferry to carry them across where a hack [carriage] would be waiting. The hack would take them to the landing where they could board a boat and be traveling up the river before ten o'clock. It all transpired just as Joseph predicted, and they reached home speedily and safely in a very short time."

The scriptures Joseph left us must be given special emphasis in determining his status as a prophet. Hearsay, newspapers, and records written long after the alleged events may appear to show false prophecies, but those sources are much less reliable and useful as a standard than the canonized writings we have, where the claim of prophetic influence is to be taken seriously. The Word of Wisdom and the Civil War prophesy from the Doctrine and Covenants both demand attention - and respect, for they, like the other scriptures given through Joseph, are prophetic indeed.