Joseph Smith Papers more than scholarly

The Joseph Smith Papers project was conceived for its scholarly value and not for its interest among average readers.

But at least indirectly, the project that is destined to fill 30 printed volumes is expected to have a broad impact in the Mormon community.

"I think you'd have to be a pretty devoted church-history student to take these original hardbound volumes of Joseph's papers and find great delight in them," said Elder Marlin K. Jensen, church historian. On the other hand, "I'm always surprised what a significant percentage of our membership has that interest," he said.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has scoured its archives; scoured the archives of the Community of Christ church, which is in possession of a significant collection of documents related to Joseph Smith; and also sought out the holdings of a number of private collectors to come up with the materials for the Joseph Smith Papers.

The first volume is scheduled for distribution in December. The scope and depth of the project fit with the projection that the final volume will not be published until 20 years from now.

"Every document we know of that we want to access that falls within the descriptor of a paper of Joseph Smith is being published," said Patrick Dunshee, manager of marketing and communications for the LDS Church History Department. "That includes documents from all over the world."

"For me it's the golden age of church history," Dunshee said, "because all of these things have come together."

Elder Jensen, a member of the church's First Quorum of Seventy, projects spin-off products that draw on material from the Joseph Smith Papers will begin to enrich church curriculum materials, church magazines and programming on church-owned TV stations.

An online version of the project will make materials searchable and quickly accessible to a broad audience that may never see the bound volumes. "I think over time it will be of the greatest use to the church" as the material is "distilled into every home, every life," Elder Jensen said.

"Generally these types of papers projects are not on the radar of the normal member of the church or the normal person who is not a scholar," Dunshee said. "But this is different. This is Joseph. Our testimonies are linked to Joseph Smith in a way that finds us very interested in everything that he did and taught and said. And so the papers of Joseph Smith will be of great interest to members of the church."

"History does enrich everything about living our religion," Elder Jensen said. "There is something very spiritually important about church history."

Elder Jensen agrees that Mormons take an active interest in knowing their church heritage.

"Contrary to the conventional situation, which is the more educated you become the less religious you become, in the (LDS) church it is just the opposite — the more educated the more devoted," he said, referring to the results of a Brigham Young University study. "It's a thinking-man's faith."

E-mail: sfidel@desnews.com