Joseph Smith - My Working Theory

As I stated in my post "Four Views Of Joseph Smith," I think Joseph Smith was a Sincere Visionary.  Why?

Not a Con Man:
I don't think he was a con man because con men usually don't stay around long because people get suspicious. They are generally looking for easy money.

Not a Pious Fraud:
Dan Vogel thinks Joseph Smith was a pious fraud. I understand a pious fraud to be someone who uses deception to attain their religious convictions. I agree with Vogel that Joseph Smith intentions were religious.

The problem the pious fraud theory is the Book of Mormon. How did Joseph Smith produce it (assuming he was not a prophet). His contemporaries did not think he had the ability to produce it; therefore, it was written by someone else. There's the Samuel Spalding theory and the Spalding-Rigdon theory. Only later did people like B.H. Roberts, a Mormon General Authority, think he had the ability to write it. This contradicts Emma who know him best and early 1830's critics who probably met him. He would have had to memorize the book because no witness says he used a manuscript and Emma flat out says he did NOT use one.

Probably a Sincere Visionary:
I think Joseph Smith developed an ability for automatic writing while scrying with the seer stone.  It would explain a lot about the Book of Mormon and later revelation. Joseph Smith is religious and lives in a visionary culture. Meaning visions of Jesus, etc. were not uncommon at that time. He has a vision and sees an angel (Moroni) and is told about plates.

The plates are a sticking point for the sincere visionary theory. If he had real ancient plates then Joseph Smith was a prophet and if not then he's a con man, pious fraud, or sincere visionary. I'm currently investigating the witness statements to see if they physically saw/handled the plates. My guess it that the data might be inconclusive.

I theorize Joseph Smith saw the location of the plates with the seer stone (as Martin Harris stated) and thought he saw something but was unable to obtain it when first at the Hill Cumorah—-just like other treasure digging experiences who reported supernatural experiences and did not acquire the treasure. He eventually had something physical but what it was and why he made something deceptive as a "sincere" visionary I still have to resolve. (Maybe he's a Visionary Pious Fraud??)

Joseph Smith "translates" the plates by automatic writing. This would explain no manuscript, beyond normal writing abilities, dictating hour after hour, being able to pick up where he left off in dictation without prompting/read back, writing styles other than his, the "memorization" of long portions of Isaiah, etc.

Basically, Joseph Smith thought he was a prophet but the Book of Mormon and all the later revelation would be the product of his subconscious.

Still figuring it out.