What If Joseph Smith Jr. Had Lived Longer?
R. Dennis Hansen speculates on how Mormon theology might have developed differently if Joseph Smith had not been martyred at age 38. Using the King Follett Discourse as a starting point, Hansen examines doctrines of theosis and eternal progression that were left incomplete, including questions about whether God continues to progress, the nature of polytheism in Mormon thought, and the role of Heavenly Mother. He critiques the LDS Church's 2014 essay "Becoming Like God" as overly defensive about human potential at a time when scientific discovery should inspire cosmic optimism. Hansen sides with Brigham Young and John A. Widtsoe in affirming that all beings—including God—are eternally progressing.
Roger Dennis Hansen is a professional water resources engineer, historian, and a contemplative figure within the Mormon Transhumanist movement. With a career spanning several decades in hydraulic engineering and international development, Hansen has carved out a unique niche by bridging the technical rigors of environmental science with the expansive cosmological visions of Latter-day Saint theology. ¶ Born and raised in the American West, Hansen’s early life was informed by the cultural and physical landscapes of the Mormon corridor. He pursued a rigorous academic path, earning a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Utah State University, followed by a PhD from the University of Colorado. Professionally, he distinguished himself through his work with the United States Bureau of Reclamation and various international water management projects in the Middle East and Africa, focusing on the sustainable use of the earth’s most vital resource. ¶ Beyond his engineering achievements, Hansen is a dedicated historian and author. His research often centers on the intersection of nineteenth-century Mormonism and the development of the American West. He has authored several works, including The Mormon New World Order, which examines the radical social and theological structures envisioned by early Church leaders. Hansen views these historical efforts not as relics of the past, but as a trajectory toward a future defined by communal progression and technological stewardship. ¶ In his 2014 presentation at the Mormon Transhumanist Association Conference, titled “What If Joseph Smith Jr. Had Lived Longer?”, Hansen explored the counterfactual history of a long-lived Joseph Smith. He posited that the Prophet’s trajectory was leaning toward an increasingly sophisticated, high-bandwidth “Pure Language” and a radical restructuring of society. Hansen suggested that Smith’s vision of a “global brain” or a unified human consciousness—achieved through spiritual and intellectual refinement—parallels modern transhumanist aspirations for enhanced communication and collective intelligence. ¶ Hansen’s work is characterized by the belief that science and religion are complementary tools for understanding the cosmos. He maintains that the Mormon tradition, with its emphasis on the eternal nature of matter and the potential for human deification, provides an ideal framework for embracing transhumanist goals. ¶
Transcript
Speaker 1
Roger Hansen is currently the Planning Group Chief at the Provo Area Office of the Bureau of Reclamation, where he has worked as a civil engineer And a planner for over 30 years. His principal professional interest is the application of real-time monitoring and control technologies to water districts and canal companies in the Intermountain West. Additionally, his colleagues and he are working to bring water and power to Navajos living in very remote locations. Roger Hansen.
R. Dennis Hansen
I’m a technophobe at this, so uh I’m I think I came to the wrong conference. I may do this without a PowerPoint. Should I try it again?
Speaker 1
We’ll keep looking for it. Why don’t you just go ahead? Okay.
R. Dennis Hansen
I had a joke, but it was visual, so I can’t start out with my big number here. My presentation is What If Joseph Smith Jr. had lived longer and how might that have changed the LDS cosmic view that we have today?
R. Dennis Hansen
My name’s Roger Hanson, as they pointed out. I’ve worked 35 years for the Bureau of Reclamation in Provo, Utah. We’re in the water resource business. I’m a fifth generation Mormon, although I’m currently not active. I blog at a website called Tired Road Warrior. So if any of you get the idea you want to have a conversation, feel free to log in. I write under the name of R. Dennis Hansen because some people at work have complained that they didn’t want my opinions. associated with the organization. So if you see an R. Dennis Hanson in the newspaper, that’s me.
R. Dennis Hansen
Historians love to play what if games. It gives them a chance to make wild speculations. Some of the subjects that historians have discussed include what if the South had won the Civil War. What if D Day had been a failure? What if the Marcian heresy had triumphed over Christian proto orthodoxy? Along these same lines, I’ve frequently wondered how the LDS Church might be different today if its founder and first president had lived longer.
R. Dennis Hansen
Benjamin E. Park makes the following observations about Smith’s unfulfilled earthly mission. To quote, he says, Joseph Smith’s premature death at age 38 presented the completion of his religious revolution. Though he had been the recognized prophet and leader for nearly a decade and a half, the explosive theological development during his last three years showed no sign of slackening. And if it can be assumed that much of, and it can be assumed that much of his religious vision was left unfulfilled, unquote.
R. Dennis Hansen
Three months before his martyrdom, Smith delivered his most compelling oration, the King Follett Discourse. In it, he started to develop Mormon theology of theosis. included according to Wikipedia, quote, Mormons believe that humanity may not excuse me, Mormons believe that humanity may not only be given That humanity may not only be given God’s holiness and perfection, but also His essential divinity and Godhood. This doctrine stems from the movement’s founder, Joseph Smith, Jr. , who taught that God the Father is an advanced and glorified man. According to Smith, through the obedience to Christ and the gradual acquisition of knowledge, the faithful may eventually become gods in the afterlife.
R. Dennis Hansen
Since Joseph Smith’s death, his doctrine of definition has morphed into the possibility of the worthy having an opportunity to terraform. The idea was recently brought to the forefront in the wildly successful Broadway musical A Book of Mormon. In the song I Believe, Elder Price intones, I believe that God has a plan for us all. I believe that plan includes me getting my own planet. I don’t know how many of you have seen it, but it’s coming to town. I enjoyed it, but if you can’t handle accrudity, I suggest you not go.
R. Dennis Hansen
The publicity surrounding this concept, mostly jurisdictive, must have been partly responsible for the timing of the recent quasi-official US or LS excuse me, LDS encyclical title becoming Like God. While the L DSSA is generally appealing, it is unnecessary in its present form. From my point of view, it’s overly defensive about the human potential and about getting your own planet. To quote from the encyclical, While few Latter-day Saints would identify with the character of having your own planet, most would agree with the awe-inspired by create by creation hints at its collective potential for the eternities. I think I murdered that one.
R. Dennis Hansen
The time and defense the timing and defensive nature of the twenty fourteen divination essay seems unfortunate. At the time when scientists are beginning to comprehend the vastness and diversity of the universe, there will never be be a time to be defensive about in the future anyway, about our belief in an unlimited potential of both mortals and postmortals. including the derivative idea of getting your own planet. The important points of Joseph Smith’s cosmological view are more timely than ever now.
R. Dennis Hansen
Reporting on a massive telescope system in the Chilean highlands, a system that scientists hopes will allow astronomers to see back almost to the first moments after the universe was formed, a National Geographic Author ends his article with the following almost spiritual statement: On an arid plateau a few miles from where shepherds once slept, our eyes will open upon an unseen universe. Instead of overreacting to Christian fundamentalism, Mormonism needs to highlight the beauties of its cosmic views. Having said that, I cannot help but wondering how the twenty fourteen encyclical might have been different if Smith had lived longer and been able to fine tune his divination theology.
R. Dennis Hansen
Here are four of my wild speculations. I believe that Joseph Smith, if Joseph Smith had lived longer, the nature of God, particularly the issue of whether he is progressing, would be better understood. The 2014 LDS essay ignores this issue. However, quotes from Brigham Young indicate a strong belief that God the Father and everyone and everything is eternally progressing. However, this idea was rudely discounted, and I say rudely, by Bruce R. McConkey. He wrote an extremely nasty letter to Eugene England. But on this issue, Eugene England and I side with Young. If Joseph Smith had lived longer, the idea of eternal progression would be given a stronger emphasis.
R. Dennis Hansen
John A. Widstow, who was an apostle who died in 1954, was a strong advocate for the doctrine of eternal progression. He likened it to organic evolution. He tied it to the need for continued personal advancement in both spiritual and secular matters. Wistow saw every Being in a state of flux, much like modern day process philosophers and theologians. I suspect that if Wisso were alive today, he’d be very interested in attending a conference like this.
R. Dennis Hansen
If Joseph Smith had lived longer, the question of whether Mormons are polytheists would be better understood. The section on this issue in the 2014 LDS Essay is sketchy at best. It deals largely with the relationship between the Father and Son, but does not deal with God’s relationship or the with God’s spouse and with his and with the future status of his and his excuse me, of his other children.
R. Dennis Hansen
And fourth, if Joseph Smith had lived longer, the role of the mother in heaven would be better recognized and understood. I think that Smith would have eventually received revelation on her existence and role, but while Smith may not, but Smith may But while Smith may have been able to illuminate the role of a mother in heaven, it seems unlikely he would have solved Mormonism’s current feminist problem. Smith, like Young, was very much A product of his own time, and it probably wasn’t time for a redefinition of women’s roles.
R. Dennis Hansen
Smith’s untimely death left a lot of questions related to Theosis unresolved. and the LGS Church is having a rough is having difficulties answering them all. The leadership is trying, but questions remain. But for me, it’s fun to play what if games.
R. Dennis Hansen
Richard Butchman made the following comment about the church’s twenty fourteen encyclical. The posting defines a boundary of what we truly believe and also tries to make it as appealing as possible. It sort of puts the caricature of Mormons owning their own plan in perspective. In a way, it dismisses it, but it does but it goes on to say this is a respect for the powers of God and creation and suggest that we may have a part in it. I guess I’d say hooray for Bushman. It is critical that we all understand the enormous potential that humanity has both here on earth and in the hereafter.