WI: Joseph Smith born a woman?

What if it was a woman who started preaching about golden plates and Chirst in America? What effect would it have on the Mormon church?
 
What if it was a woman who started preaching about golden plates and Chirst in America? What effect would it have on the Mormon church?
Well, *Mormonism would be less patriarchal. I could see polygamy being more than polygyny, in particular, Josephine might have multiple husbands. In the settling of the west, where men outnumbered women 10-1 or worse, *Mormonism might make huge strides if the only way a gold miner or cowboy can get a women is to convert and share one...
 
I doubt she would found the Church ITTL, because she would be raised entirely different. Josephine Smith would probably just wind up married to some Upstate New York farmer, and die.
 
I doubt she would found the Church ITTL, because she would be raised entirely different. Josephine Smith would probably just wind up married to some Upstate New York farmer, and die.

QFT.

If some woman mysteriously starts preaching weird stuff that's completely counter to mainstream Christianity, she's a lot less likely to be taken seriously. I'm sure she would realize this, in addition to having been raised to be a lot more timid than OTL Joseph. That's not to say it couldn't happen, of course. But I doubt that even if she did choose to start a new church, it would've taken off.
 
QFT.

If some woman mysteriously starts preaching weird stuff that's completely counter to mainstream Christianity, she's a lot less likely to be taken seriously. I'm sure she would realize this, in addition to having been raised to be a lot more timid than OTL Joseph. That's not to say it couldn't happen, of course. But I doubt that even if she did choose to start a new church, it would've taken off.
You'd be astounded at the variety of sects that started in the Second Great Awakening. The Mormons are just about the only survivors of that great flourishing.

Agreed that that it would have been hard for a women to get an audience with such a novel theology. OTOH, if any time (short of the 1920s) was it, that was the time.


Edit: Mary Baker Eddy succeeded with Christian Science in the 1880s, which was, IMO, as less congenial time for a woman leader, in some respects.
 
You'd be astounded at the variety of sects that started in the Second Great Awakening. The Mormons are just about the only survivors of that great flourishing.

Agreed that that it would have been hard for a women to get an audience with such a novel theology. OTOH, if any time (short of the 1920s) was it, that was the time.


Edit: Mary Baker Eddy succeeded with Christian Science in the 1880s, which was, IMO, as less congenial time for a woman leader, in some respects.

Oh, yes. I know there were successful movements founded by women. How many of them survived? I have no doubt that if our Josephine Smith decided to found the LDS Church, she would've had a few people flock to her banner. But I don't think it'd remain mainstream the way it has OTL.

Edit: When I said "take off" in the previous post, I meant that more like "become major." I'm not trying to argue no one would follow her solely because of her gender. Sorry if that's the confusion.
 
Not to mention Ellen G White, who founded the Seventh-Day Adventists (an interesting character, she had hallucinigenic fits caused by brain damage...). If you assume *Mormonism would be kinder to women, well, maybe. In my observation women have often supported misogynistic customs, often more vehemently than men.:confused:
 
Top