Joseph Smith's Earliest Vision

Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, as a boy had his earliest spiritual experience by having a vision of Jesus in the wilderness. We demonstrate elsewhere that the fact it took place in a wilderness means it comes under Jesus's warning of imposters who appear in the wilderness saying "I am Jesus." See Imposter Analysis Applied to Smith's Vision.

The fact this vision of Smith took place in the wilderness is true in both the earliest account by Smith as well as the official account of the Mormon church. In Joseph Smith’s earliest account of the First Vision, we read about the "Lord" speaking to Smith, saying he had been "crucified," and he appeared to Smith out of a pillar of light -- virtually identical to Paul's experience:

“…thus from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered many things in my heart concerning the situation of the world of mankind the contentions and divi[si]ons the wicke[d]ness and abominations and the darkness which pervaded the of the minds of mankind my mind become exceedingly distressed for I become convicted of my sins and by searching the scriptures I found that <mankind> did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatised from the true and living faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ …

… when I considered all these things and that (that) being seeketh such to worship him as worship him in spirit and in truth therefore I cried unto the Lord for mercy for there was none else to whom I could go and to obtain mercy and the Lord heard my cry in the wilderness and while in (the) attitude of calling upon the Lord (in the 16th year of my age) a piller of fire light above the brightness of the sun at noon day come down from above and rested upon me and I was filled with the spirit of god and the (Lord) opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord and he spake unto me saying Joseph (my son) thy sins are forgiven thee. go thy (way) walk in my statutes and keep my commandments behold I am the Lord of glory I was crucifyed for the world that all those who believe on my name may have Eternal life (behold) the world lieth in sin and at this time and none doeth good no not one they have turned asside from the gospel and keep not (my) commandments they draw near to me with their lips while their hearts are far from me and mine anger is kindling against the inhabitants of the earth to visit them acording to th[e]ir ungodliness and to bring to pass that which (hath) been spoken by the mouth of the prophets and Ap[o]stles behold and lo I come quickly…” http://www.exploringmormonism.com/?p=168

This would imply it was 1822 when Smith was 16. Smith himself said this was a vision during his cry "in the wilderness."

The official Mormon version of the first vision appears in their official Pearl of Great Price. Joseph Smith is the official author. It is similar on this issue of the "wilderness." It is still in the "woods" (wilderness)" and Smith sees a "pillar of light" over himself, and then Smith sees Jesus with God, and then God speaks and says this "Jesus" in the light is the one whom Smith must obey: 

So in accordance with this, my determination to ask of God, I retired to the woods to make the attempt. It was on the morning of a beautiful, clear day, early in the spring of eighteen hundred and twenty. I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God .... I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head .... When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description .... One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other 'This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!' .... I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right, (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong) and which I should join. I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong .... I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great deal of prejudice against me among professors [believers] of religion, and was the cause of great persecution, which continued to increase; and though I was an obscure boy, only between fourteen and fifteen years of age ... yet men of high standing would take notice sufficient to excite the public mind against me, and create a bitter persecution; and this was common among all the sects all united to persecute me. — Pearl of Great Price, Joseph Smith - History 1:5-8, 14-19, 22. See New Light on Joseph Smith's First Vision.

For reasons explained in relation to Paul's similar vision, this vision could not be valid because it was seen in the wilderness and was not universally experienced. See the article "Imposter Analysis of Matt 24 Applied to Mormonism"