More of the same --

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=10a8b00367c45110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=198bf4b13819d110VgnVCM1000003a94610aRCRD

Lesson 38 in the Joseph Smith manual reprints the Wentworth letter.

There were some good things about this lesson.

As near as I can figure they reprint the letter in its entirety and include familiar (yet unfamiliar, if people really consider the words) stories about Book of Mormon translation methods and other things. The footnotes point out that there are multiple versions of the first vision, and that this is not the canonical one found in the Pearl of Great Price.

The unfortunate thing that struck me about it, though, was Joseph Smith's description of the Missouri persecutions. Again he gives the impression that they were peaceful people just trying to live in harmony with their neighbors, who rose up against them out of misunderstandings. All the persecutions are made out to be one-sided, when the historical reality is quite different.

This article IMHO is quite a good summary, based on information I have read before:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mormon_War_(1838)

I don't believe that every church class, lesson, or handbook has to present absolutely all the historical details, but I do believe that they should reflect the general tone of what took place. Positioning the mobbings that took place in Missouri and other places as unprovoked persecution is simply not true. It's deceptive, and harmful to people's testimonies when they discover that the LDS church has not been honest with them about its orgins, and that its leaders have not told the complete truth.

As in my previous post I have to ask the question, "why must Mormonism be shrouded in such deception?"