Joseph Fielding Smith: evolution was not something he thought highly of. The son of Joseph F. Smith and grandson of Hyrum Smith, was a prominent figure in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As an apostle from 1910 and later Church President, he became known for his strong defense of traditional doctrines, often clashing with those who sought to reconcile faith with modern scientific and academic thought.

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One of the most famous conflicts involved the theory of evolution and the age of the Earth. Smith staunchly opposed the idea of an old earth, particularly the notion of human-like creatures or pre-Adamites living before Adam and Eve. His core objection wasn’t simply to evolution itself, but to the idea that there could have been death before the Fall of Adam and Eve. Smith believed that death entered the world because of the Fall, and if death existed before then, it would undermine the necessity and efficacy of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. This principle of no death before the Fall was central to his arguments.

This perspective led to direct clashes with contemporaries like James E. Talmage and John A. Widtsoe, who were generally more open to scientific ideas. The most notable dispute involved B.H. Roberts’s book manuscript, The Truth, The Way, The Life, which attempted to reconcile a very old Earth and the possibility of pre-Adamites with the Genesis account. Roberts proposed that Adam and Eve were the first humans with souls, not necessarily the first biological humans. As a member of the church’s publications committee, Smith absolutely rejected Roberts’s ideas, protesting their publication to the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency. While this conflict brewed behind the scenes, Smith publicly denounced the idea of an old Earth and pre-Adamites in a speech. In response, Talmage gave a talk endorsing the possibility of an older Earth, highlighting some public disagreement among church leaders. Ultimately, the First Presidency chose not to endorse either side and requested both men cease public conflict on the issue, preventing Roberts’s book from being published at that time. Smith, however, outlived many of his contemporaries and later published his own book, Man His Origin and Destiny, which strongly attacked Darwinism and the higher criticism of the Bible.

Smith’s career as a defender of traditional beliefs was significantly shaped by his upbringing and early experiences. His father, Joseph F. Smith, was called to testify before Congress during the Reed Smoot hearings. During these hearings, the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (RLDS), led by descendants of Joseph Smith Jr., saw an opportunity. Richard Evans, an RLDS apostle, issued broadsides accusing the LDS Church of corruption, denouncing Brigham Young for originating polygamy and blood atonement, and claiming the RLDS Church was the true successor to Joseph Smith. This became a “family feud.” Joseph F. Smith was infuriated and asked his son, Joseph Fielding Smith, to refute Richard Evans.

This charge launched Joseph Fielding Smith into a career of research and writing, focusing on apologetics – the defense of religious beliefs. He published pamphlets refuting Evans, arguing that polygamy originated with Joseph Smith Jr., not Brigham Young. This pamphlet feud led to exchanges in newspaper op-ed pages and solidified Smith’s path. He began working in the Church Historian’s office during this time and soon became Church Historian, serving for decades until he became Church President in 1970.

His long tenure as Church Historian meant he had significant influence. Unlike contemporaries like Talmage, Widtsoe, Joseph Merrill, Adam Bennion, and B.H. Roberts who sought to engage with the rising world of professional academia and show Mormonism as respectable by their standards, Smith viewed professional academics with suspicion. He saw many as hostile to faith, pointing to academic works that explained religious experiences through non-religious lenses, such as a biography suggesting Joseph Smith Jr. was epileptic. Smith believed these scholars were “out to destroy religion” and therefore he saw no need to build bridges with them.

A significant controversy involving his time as Church Historian concerns the 1832 account of Joseph Smith’s First Vision. This early account was contained in a diary under Joseph Fielding Smith’s custody. At some point, three pages containing this account were removed from the diary. While it is unclear who exactly removed the pages, Smith is considered a plausible candidate because the document was in his custody, specifically in his office safe. However, other people also had access to the archives. Smith did later show the 1832 account to a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. The removed leaves were eventually restored by archivists in the 1990s. Smith was ultimately blamed for the incident, as allowing such treatment of a “priceless document” was considered quite scandalous regardless of who performed the action.

Joseph Fielding Smith’s legacy is complex, marked by his unwavering dedication to defending the faith as he understood it against perceived threats from both inside and outside the church.

Is the Church changing with regards to academics & evolution? Do you agree that the defensiveness of JFS continues to be seen in the modern Church?