Any way you look at him, Joseph Smith Jr. is a remarkable person.
If you see him — as the approximately 12 million worldwide members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do — as a prophet, seer, revelator, church founder and translator of the Book of Mormon, you consider him one of the most beloved and important figures in history.
If you see him — and many historians and scholars do — as "an authentic religious genius" and "a towering religious figure," he still must be classed as one of the most charismatic leaders and significant religious personages of 19th century America.
Joseph Smith was born Dec. 23, 1805, in Sharon, Vt., and died at the hands of a mob on June 27, 1844. But during that brief life span, he set in motion events and doctrines that forever changed the face of religion.
So it is not surprising that the 200th anniversary of his birth is receiving yearlong attention.
During the year, church headquarters in Salt Lake City will sponsor selected international and national recognitions of the Joseph Smith bicentennial.
Almost every LDS ward, branch and stake will also be planning special observances recognizing the teachings, accomplishments and legacy of the church's first prophet.
Many individuals and organizations will also be contributing special events and projects: books, CDs, programs, exhibits, needle arts. Here's just a small sampling, showing the diversity of some of the things that will occur throughout the year.
This Is The Place Heritage Park has developed a program that explores the life of Joseph Smith through the words of people who knew him. Historic interpreters — including well-know personalities, such as Porter Rockwell and Lucy Mack Smith, and lesser-know figures, such as Joseph's first home teacher and a woman who knew his favorite hymns — will greet guests and talk about the prophet using accounts taken from journals and diaries.
"We Knew Joseph," will debut Saturday as part of Ladies Night at the park from 5:30 to 8 p.m. and will be free to the public. After that, it can be reserved for youth groups, families and other organizations. Call Cliff Harris at 801-924-7402 for availability and pricing.
A summer lecture series will be held at This Is The Place Heritage Park on Fridays, 7-9 p.m., from June through August. Lectures will take place in the Smoot Hall and will be free with park admission. Speakers include Liz Lemon Swindle, Susan Easton Black, Mark McConkie, Heidi Swinton and others. For information call 582-1847.
A family reunion of descendants of Joseph Smith will be held this summer. Invitations have been sent to nearly 300 known descendants of the Joseph Smith Jr. line, many of whom are not members of the LDS Church. The reunion is being organized by the Joseph Smith Jr. Family Organization, under the direction of Mike Kennedy, president of the family organization and a great-great-grandson of Joseph Smith through his son Alexander Hale Smith.
A CD titled "Joseph Country: Nashville Pays Tribute to Joseph Smith" will be released by Deseret Book in June. With songs written by Dan Truman, of Diamond Rio fame, and Jason Deere, who has worked with such artists as SheDaisy, Jessica Simpson and LeAnn Rimes, the CD will explore various aspects of the Prophet's life. Performers include David Osmond, Ryan Shupe, Mindy Gledhill and others; former baseball star Dale Murphy will add some narration.
A conference "examining the religious, social and theological contributions" of Joseph Smith, titled "The Worlds of Joseph Smith" will be held at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on May 6-7. For tickets and/or information go to josephsmithconference.byu.edu. This summer the Library of Congress will also sponsor an exhibit of historical documents from the library's own collection as well as materials added by the LDS Church and Brigham Young University.
"Joseph Smith and the Prophetic Tradition," a conference examining the place of Joseph Smith in the "the larger arena of prophets and the prophetic word across various religious traditions," will be held Oct. 21-22 at Clarmont University in Claremont, Calif.
E-mail: carma@desnews.com