Marketing, marketing...
Posted on 10/04/2009 8:24:42 AM PDT by Colofornian
Focusing on minor weaknesses of the Prophet Joseph Smith misses the mark, the man and his mission of restoring the gospel, said Elder Tad R. Callister of the Seventy.
SNIP
He noted that the first thing Joseph learned was that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ are two separate and distinct beings, a truth confirmed by the Bible. The second truth he discovered was the Father and the Son have glorified bodies of flesh and bones. Third, Joseph learned that the heavens are not closed, that God still speaks to man today. This is achieved by asking if God loves His people as much today as in the past, if He has the same power today as then and whether His people need Him as much today as in ancient times, Elder Callister said.
"If the answers to those questions are 'yes,' and if God is the same yesterday, today and forever, as the scriptures so declare, then it leaves little doubt — God does speak to man today exactly as Joseph Smith testified."
The fourth truth learned was that the full and complete Church of Jesus Christ was not on the earth at that time. "Of course there were good people and some components of the truth, but the apostle Paul had anciently prophesied that the second coming of Christ would not come, "'except there come a falling away first,' " Elder Callister said.
"Through Joseph Smith have been restored all the powers, keys, teachings and ordinances necessary for salvation and exaltation. You cannot go anywhere else in the world and get that," he said. "Salvation is only to be found in one place, as so designated by the Lord Himself."
(Excerpt) Read more at deseretnews.com ...
Let's see: The following is a so-called list of "minor weaknesses?" Smith...
..."marries" 11 or 12 already-married women despite injunctions against polygamy in the Book of Mormon;
he promises spiritual benefits accruing to the family of a 14 yo girl if she marries him -- and "marries" other young minor girls.
He lies & deceptively covers up his other unions in the 1830s and 1840s.
He gives dozens of false prophecies.
He orders the destruction of a printing press, a criminal matter.
That was 18 years after he was convicted for glass-looking -- at that time a criminal offense. What so bad about "glass-looking" (money-digging)?
"Money-digging" (also sometimes called "glass-looking") was a con or a fraud that was practiced in the Northeastern US at that time. The con man would have a "magic stone" which he would place in his hat, and then pull his hat over his face, excluding all light. The stone would then supposedly shine and the money-digger could locate hidden treasure. People would pay the money-digger to tell them where to dig, but there was another part of the scam. When you got "close" to the treasure, the money-digger would usually tell you that the treasure had moved. The whole thing was like looking into a crystal ball or doing palm-reading. (Source: http://www.bibletopics.com/biblestudy/162-4.htm
Two interesting quotes (same source):
(1) In an 1859 interview, Martin Harris, one of the three witnesses to the Book of Mormon plates, stated that in Oct 1826 Joseph Smith had been approached by an angel and told to "quit the company of the money-diggers."
(2) David Whitmer, another of the three witnesses, wrote: "I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face in the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principle scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear."
The article also mentioned:
Also significant are the affadavits and statements made by a number of Smith's neighbors in Palmyra, about Smith's lifestyle in the 1820's. Several neighbors have stated that Joseph Smiths Senior and Junior were both money-diggers, and that Jr. (i.e. the Mormon founder) was particularly good at it and was the head of a group of money-diggers.
In late 1825 a wealthy Pennsylvania farmer named Josiah Stowell (sometimes spelled Stoal) came 150 miles to hire Smith because of Smith's reputation. Smith was hired to help Stowell locate a supposed old Spanish silver mine on Stowell's farm. During this time two significant things happened. First, Smith met his future wife, Emma Hale, and in later interviews her father explained how he didn't like Joseph Smith when he first met him because Smith was a money-digger, and Mr. Hale didn't want any criminals marrying his daughter! Perhaps even more damaging, however, was the fact that Smith was tried and convicted in court in March 1826 for "glass-looking". The charge had been brought up by Stowell's nephew, who saw through the con that his uncle didn't. Mormon historians now acknowledge that this trial happened and that Smith was convicted on this charge.
Ping
All that they believe in is based on a 14 year old shyster. The fact that they refuse to look at his history as a crook, adulterer and outright charlatan demonstrates the gullibility of those who would not question the veracity of anything in the bom.
Once you peel away the layers it is evident the false premises that the bom are built on and the faith in a man who is in no way demonstrative of how a true prophet of God would conduct himself.
SZ
This is a message just given @ the twice-a-year Lds General Conference in Salt Lake City. This shows you how Lds elitely looks down upon the rest of the world -- that God can ONLY work salvation thru the Mormon church.
Apparently Lds see no incongruency with their view that God continues to speak today vs. their view that God can't speak salvation through any other sources. (They shut up God)
But think of the religious tradition they follow in their founder. 1844 -- the last year of his life -- was the great year of grandiose self-pride exhibited by Joseph Smith:
He had over a few dozen wives.
He designated himself as a candidate for President of the United States.
And 'twas the year he made the following statements
"I have sealed upn my head every key, every power, every principle of life and salvation that God has ever given to any man who ever lived upon the face of the earth."
"I have got all the truth which the Christian world possessed..."
"If you tell them that God made the world out of something, they will call you a fool. But I am learned, and know more than all the world put together." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 350)
Now, tell me, do you think the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would want to distance themselves from these Smithesque statements?
Not on your life. The first two were pulled out of all the things Smith said as worthy of inclusion of a 2007 book by the church called Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith. The latter was also a church based book compiled by a later Lds "prophet" (Joseph Fielding Smith) and published in 1938.
Then why do Mormons talk about God as being singular if their plural? Why do many Mormons insist that they are monotheists if they are polytheists?
As Milton V. Backman, Jr. wrote in Church History: Selections from the Encyclopedia of Mormonism (p. 117)-- published by the Lds church (Deseret Book Company): The "first vision" of Joseph Smith "...undergirds the doctrine of an anthropomorphic God and theomorphic man..."
In plain talk, this means what Mormons have done is to reduce God to a man and elevate man to godhood. (The lie of Satan written all over that)
It’s just really, really strange that people, seemingly bright people, can fall for this con.
Tad?
TAD???
It would be bad to be named Tad.
Marketing, marketing...
These people have Christ coming to Smith here on earth. It was declared by Christ himself that his second coming would be open and notorious.
Don’t forget, Smith’s wife Emma obviously did not
think too much of Joe’s “revelations’.
After his death she went and married a Baptist who drank, smoked and cussed, in definance of Brigham Young, who wanted her to be his “ plural wife’.
So much for the Prophet’s crediblity, his own wife thought he was a nutcase.
That's what I think when I think of Romney, intelligent, successful business man, former governor, yet he swallows all this LDS stuff hook, line and sinker. Either that or it was politically expedient for him to do so at one time and now he's stuck with it. He'd convert in a heart beat to something else if he thought it might advance his political future.
As always, just my humble opinion.
Only being a Chadwick would be worse.
Then smith was a false teacher, for he claimed 'god' revealed to him that he progressed into godhood, as did other gods before him.
It that a FACT?
Who knew!!
The things that ARE 'confirmed by the BIBLE' is that a man should have ONE wife!!
And also 'confirmed' by the Book of MORMON!!
We seem to be at an impasse here folks!
Why NOT??
You 'christians' can do whatever YOU want and still be Christians!!
--MormonDupe(But them Flds folks are NOT MORMON.)
Which ONE?
Or Fearless Fosdick
This article title is wrong....Joseph Smith weren’t no prophet and they weren’t no “Restoration”.....
Mr. Hale didn’t want any criminals marrying his daughter!
_______________________________________________
Good for him...
Unfortunately Joey Smith stole Emma away in the middle of the night..
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