40. read Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith

Many many moons after I first cracked the cover, and we are through! With some regret, too, because after the first couple of sections I got used to the writing style and began thoroughly enjoying myself. Joseph Smith was kind of captivating, it would seem. His sermons are charmingly confrontational, a little jumpy, and free of that careful polish that you find coating modern General Conference addresses. I think I like my prophets to be occasionally oblivious of PR etiquette. It makes them more real to me, less like another marvel of media packaging. By the end I was surprised by how much I liked Joseph Smith.

Somehow I had missed it in all my years as a church member, but Joseph Smith often emphasized a doctrine of spiritual independence. There were piles of great one liners, but I'll leave off with the darling of the bunch:

"Turn to God; for your religion won't save you, and you will be damned."