A Father's Support

This evening we read the testimony of the prophet, Joseph Smith.  Immediately, the unquestioning support of Joseph Smith's father stood out to me in the following passage (emphasis added):

The first thing that I can recollect was a voice speaking unto me, calling me by name. I looked up, and beheld the same messenger standing over my head, surrounded by light as before. He then again related unto me all that he had related to me the previous night, and commanded me to go to my father and tell him of the vision and commandments which I had received.

I obeyed; I returned to my father in the field, and rehearsed the whole matter to him. He replied to me that it was of God, and told me to go and do as commanded by the messenger. I left the field, and went to the place where the messenger had told me the plates were deposited; and owing to the distinctness of the vision which I had had concerning it, I knew the place the instant that I arrived there.

I am an only child and a "daddy's girl."  I love stories that illustrate strong connections between parents and their children, especially fathers and daughters.  Though that (the fathers and daughters thing) is not the case here, I was still drawn to the fact that Joseph's father did not hesitate to affirm that his experience was "of God," then told him to get going with what he had been commanded to do.  This tells me that Joseph's father was a man of faith who recognized God's hand in his daily life, and was in-tune enough to know the message from his son was truth.

This passage similarly stood out to my husband as a testament that people truly can change.  From church history, we learn that Joseph Smith's father was known to be a religious man but not one who bought into organized religion much, though he did join a Universalist society in his young adult years.  We also learn from church history that early on in his marriage, he invested in ginseng root as it grew wild in Pennsylvania, but was robbed of his profitable return due to a deceitful business partner.  It is my theory that to the knowledge of his ventures with ginseng, twisted or perhaps malicious reports seem to have somehow equated Joseph Smith's father with some "out there" stuff as his name appeared on a flyer or advert in an episode of "Mysteries at the Museum" my husband watched a while back that touched on Houdini, spiritualists, and something to do with poison and ghosts...?  Case in point, ever since seeing that episode, my history-buff brain-like-a-sponge husband had it in his head that Joseph Smith's father was into some super weird stuff back in the day and incorrectly assumed he went from some voodoo magic type to all-supportive-God-fearing-father type.  We had quite the research session between the two of us to clear this all up.  Those who search historical content together stay together, right?  Right???