Reclaiming the “Primary Question”
The twenty-first-century emphasis on multiple accounts of Joseph Smith’s First Vision has impacted the way religious educators in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints present and teach the First Vision to their students. Based on a survey of 76 seminary and institute teachers, the author identifies two main themes: an increased confidence in understanding and teaching the multiple accounts, and a heightened emphasis on personal applications of the First Vision in terms of communing with God and receiving divine love and forgiveness. The author argues that these themes reflect a shift from a more defensive, or exclusive, interpretation of the First Vision to a broader, or more inclusive, witness of divine communication and forgiveness. The author also suggests that the 1832 account of the First Vision, which highlights Joseph Smith’s primary question about his standing before God and his desire for salvation, has become more relevant and appealing to modern-day seekers. The author concludes that the new memory of the First Vision will influence the identity, proselytizing, and historical interpretation of the Church and its members in the years to come.
