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Which church do you have a testimony of, the current church or the original 1830 church?
They are not at all the same.
A Difficult Discovery
Years ago my family was disappointed and dismayed when a relative
left the family church for Scientology. His own family has since grown up in
that religion and embraced it as true, and despite all evidence to the contrary,
refuse to believe the facts in opposition to claims of the founder. This has
been very frustrating for some, as what L. Ron Hubbard claims as his own personal
history can easily be proven to be an embellished and falsified past. However,
these good people refuse to look at the evidence, preferring flattering fables
rather than putting their belief system into question. What they have is working
for them, anything found which contradicts their beliefs is to be avoided and
is deemed to be an attack by apostate former Scientologists or falsehoods designed
to discredit the church.
I have not gone looking for problems in my own religion, the Mormon church or
more properly Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Quite to the contrary,
I have been very actively involved in leadership and teaching positions, have
‘born my testimony’ of the church and leaders, founder, scriptures
etc. I have fearlessly declared what I believed to be the truth all around the
globe in many countries, particularly when I spent two years as a full-time
missionary in a foreign land. Finding fault with the history or doctrines was absolutely the last
thing on my mind as I studied intensely the gospel and dogmas, preparing lessons
to share in classes or web sites. When opposition appeared, I would valiantly
fight the attackers of the church and defend the official church positions.
In no way was I desirous to prove it false as it was my life, and contained
principles of salvation for now and forever.
Then I discovered I had not been told the whole story, some elements of our
history had been altered, whitewashed, sanitized as ‘non-faith promoting’.
If these claims were true, then it called into question all of the restored
doctrines, principles, priesthood, ordinances of the church as well as the moral
integrity of the founder, Joseph Smith.
Just as my Scientology relatives refused to look at anything which could harm
their faith, I also had been brought up to fear opposition as being nothing
more than lies by evil men out to destroy the true church. As Scientologists
revere L. Ron Hubbard as a man of truth and wisdom, so I revered Joseph Smith,
the founder of the Mormons. I was not going to allow myself to be troubled by
lies, so I set about disproving the unsavory claims. My church was my life,
and I was not about to let enemies of God ruin His work of salvation for
the children of men. So I looked at the accusations one by one with the intention
of getting to the bottom and bringing the deceptions of conspiring men to light.
With the power of the Holy Ghost on my side, I could know the truth of ALL things as taught clearly by Moroni in the last chapter of the Book of Mormon. There was no fear of being deceived by the adversary, as that guiding Light/Spirit could dispel all falsehoods with no possibility of damage to a testimony based on truth. My conclusion was already firm, all I needed was fact-finding to support it, keeping in mind that some things could only be known by faith. Therefore, armed with faith and the Holy Ghost, cutting asunder the opposition would be my privilege and I relished the opportunity to prove them false.
I got a library copy of One Nation Under Gods, a history
of mormonism by author Richard Abanes and began researching these points:
•Joseph Smith fell into sexual promiscuity as early as 1833 beginning with
Fanny Alger, a house girl. This expanded into sexual relations with
over 30 women, 9 of which were married to other men at the time, some as young
as 14. His proclivity morphed into a convenient doctrine of plurality of wives
later known as polygamy. He denied this practice to his grave, and was in fact
killed in a gunfight (not martyrdom) over destruction of the Expositor press
which was exposing his behavior to other Nauvoo citizens. The secret practice
was officially denied in Salt Lake City until 1852, at which time it evolved
into a commandment which was later revoked.
•The doctrines considered scripture in the 1833 Book of Commandments
were altered considerably when republished in 1835 as the Doctrine and Covenants.
Visitations not found in 1833 were inserted into rewritten revelations, with
additions of priesthood and expanded calling of Joseph Smith not found prior
to 1835. This caused an uproar among some who had testified to the 1833 printing,
but who did not agree to their testimony being reprinted in the changed version
(which they considered embellished).
•Almost 4,000 changes have been made to the Book of Mormon,
mostly grammatical, but some doctrinal corrections in order to conform to later
teachings which evolved over time. The manner of translation where the correct
wording would appear in the stones is problematic when the poor frontier grammar
of the original publication is considered (one could expect perfect spelling
and grammar from God).
•Joseph was tricked into believing the Kinderhook Plates
were genuine, had woodcut facsimiles printed in the mormon newspaper, was in
the process of beginning translation of the fakes at the time he was killed.
•The Book of Abraham is similar to other funeral texts of
the time, which dates to around 380 B.C. rather than 2000 B.C. It is in reality the Egyptian Book
of Breathings, has been fully translated by egyptologists (thanks to the Rosetta
Stone) and proven to contain nothing at all about Abraham nor his teachings.
•The original Nauvoo Temple endowment ceremony was created 2 months after
Joseph joined masonry, and was identical in many elements such
as hand signs, death oaths (now removed in current ceremony) and symbolism.
The similarities are shocking and clearly a plagiarism of masonic rituals (created
originally by the 13th century Knights Templar to preserve anonymity for the sake of
safety, and not dating back to time of King Solomon’s temple).
This was conceded by Dr. Reed C. Durham, Jr., Institute of Religion teacher and president of the Mormon History Association, with his presidential address delivered at The Mormon History Association Convention April 20, 1974 (link listed further down below).
•The First Vision was never officially taught until 1842,
with many modifications and differing versions along the way before being published as the official
church version found today. Even early church leader prophets had differing
accounts, most believing the visit of Moroni to have been the first contact
Joseph had with the supernatural with no mention of God the Father nor Jesus Christ appearing in various discourses.
•Brigham Young did in fact preach the 'Adam God Doctrine'
(that Adam is God the Father) despite official denials by modern church authorities
that he was misquoted (there are numerous quotes besides Journal of Discourses
1:50 usually indicated). Blood oaths once found in the temple ceremony were
taken literally and enforced via Blood Atonement where the blood of many was
in fact shed. A climate of fear prevailed in the Salt Lake Valley, where none
dared express dissent, fearing slit throats for speaking evil of the Lord’s
anointed leaders. Examples were made, the rest obeyed the authority of Brigham
and his cohorts. I did not believe it possible, but the Mountain Meadows
Massacre (in which John D. Lee was made the scapegoat for the prophet’s
command) is a terrible example of the mentality of bloodshed at the time. Many disgruntled members who tried to leave the valley did not make it far.
And the list could go on and on...
The book I tried to disprove led me to the painful discovery that the claims
were sadly true. Researching early church sources was sufficient to prove that
our history has been altered, as well as teachings which hardly resemble what
is taught at church today. An unchanging church has indeed changed with the
times, even a supposedly perfect temple ceremony was altered, with the charge
to attendees to never speak of the changes while inside or outside the temple.
Changes are made all while smiling authorities assure us that changes have not
been made. Many younger church members refuse to believe that the death/blood
oaths were once a part of the temple endowment, they resemble their Scientology
brethren who refuse to believe facts about that church.
Why would I as a ward and stake leader suddenly stop attending church after an adult lifetime (30+ years) of dedicated service and devotion in time and offerings to the church? Very few have bothered to ask, afraid of what my answer might be.
What could possibly sway someone who had been so strong in the faith and who had been in so many leadership and teaching positions, a staunch defender of the restored gospel when it came under attack?
Perhaps it was truth itself which opened my eyes, painful as
it initially was to accept. Ignorance can seem like bliss, but is not an option for truth seekers....
At some point it becomes necessary to consider the possibility that I have grown
up in a false belief system, that I have not been told the whole story by those I trusted to
be my shepherds and guides. Nothing in my life has ever been so painful, for
I believed what I was taught in my religious tradition with all my heart. But just as fish in a fish tank live
with the false notion that their environment is the only true reality, so it was with me.
If you have an honest mind, seek the truth using the Spirit as your guide. If
however you are content to live as you have and bury your head in the sand away
from the problems, then there is no need to look further. Comfortable falsehoods
can be blissful in some ways, although dedicating one’s time and resources
to a false claim of building Zion will lead to future disappointment when proven
to be based on a foundation of fraud and falsehoods.
“By the power of the Holy
Ghost
ye may know the truth of all things”
Moroni 10:4-5
(ALL things
including THESE things...)
1. Joseph Smith’s documented plural wives:
http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/home.htm
2. 1833 Book of Commandments revelations altered and enhanced with extra visitations when reprinted in
1835 Doctrine and Covenants:
http://www.irr.org/mit/BOC/default.html
http://www.lds-mormon.com/js1.shtml
3. Almost 4,000 changes to the original 1830 Book of Mormon:
http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/3913intro.htm
The replica plates made of lead (dimensions of 6 x 6 x 8 cubic
inches) located at the Utah Lighthouse Bookstore (1358 S. West Temple, SLC)
has a weight of 117.3 lbs which I found difficult to lift. The corresponding
calculation for the gold original alleged by Joseph Smith would yield a weight
of 200.3 lbs. I can't imagine running through the woods with such plates nor
lifting them through a window unless Joseph possessed arms larger than most
men's legs. The possibility exists that a mock-up could have been made of readily
available tin, which would weigh approximately 60 lbs., although Martin Harris
in later years stated that they saw them with their "spiritual not natural
eyes" (understandable in a time of superstition where vivid imagination/visualizing
was akin to 'spiritual seeing').
4. Kinderhook Plates hoax which fooled the prophet Joseph Smith to the point of publishing wood cuts in the newspaper and claiming to be working on the translation (precedence
for Mark Hoffman's successful forgeries fooling modern prophet and apostles?):
http://www.mrm.org/topics/joseph-smith/fooling-prophet-kinderhook-plates
5. Book of Abraham is a common funeral text from the Book of Breathings found in most mummies:
http://www.carm.org/lds/ldspapyri.htm
6. Mormon temple similarities to masonic rites:
http://www.lds-mormon.com/mormmaso.shtml
http://www.exmormon.org/journey/journey_g.htm
http://www.mormonismi.net/temppeli/durhamin_puhe1974.shtml
7. Forgotten doctrines such as Adam God and the horrible murderous
Blood Atonement:
http://mit.irr.org/adam-god-doctrine
http://www.irr.org/mit/WDIST/wdist-blood-atonement.html
In 1976 President Spencer W. Kimball stated the following:
"We wam you against the dissemination of doctrines which are not according
to the scriptures and which are alleged to have been taught by some of the General
Authorities of past generations. Such for instance is the Adam-God theory. We
denounce that theory and hope that everyone will be cautioned against this and
other kinds of false doctrine." (Church News, Oct. 9, 1976)
In a letter dated February 19, 1981 to Eugene England at BYU, Apostle Bruce R. McConkie admitted:
"Yes, President Young did teach that Adam was the father of our spirits, and all the related things that the cultists ascribe to him. This, however, is not true. He expressed views that are out of harmony with the gospel. But, be it known, Brigham Young also taught accurately and correctly, the status and position of Adam in the eternal scheme of things. What I am saying is, that Brigham Young contradicted Brigham Young, and the issue becomes one of which Brigham Young we will believe. The answer is we will believe the expressions that accord with the teachings in the Standard Works." (http://www.mrm.org/bruce-mcconkies-rebuke-of-eugene-england, http://www.challengemin.org/adampg6.gif)
Of course Brigham would disagree:
"How much unbelief exists in the minds of the Latter-day Saints in regard to one particular doctrine which is revealed to them, and which God revealed to me -- namely that Adam is our father and God...Our Father Adam is the man who stands at the gate and holds the keys of everlasting life and salvation to all his children who have or ever will come upon the earth." (Sermon delivered on June 8, 1873. Printed in the Deseret Weekly News, June 18, 1873.)
"I know just as well what to teach this people and just what to say to them and what to do in order to bring them into the celestial kingdom...I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out to the children of men, that they may not call Scripture. Let me have the privilege of correcting a sermon, and it is as good Scripture as they deserve. The people have the oracles of God continually." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 95.)
"I say now, when they [his discourses] are copied and approved
by me they are as good Scripture as is couched in this Bible . . . " (Journal
of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 264; see also page 95.) (http://www.carm.org/lds/quote_by.htm)
8. Mountain Meadows Massacre cover up (nothing was done without consent of Brigham Young in that time, it was a theocratic dictatorship):
http://www.religioustolerance.org/lds_mass.htm
http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mountainmeadows/leeaccount.html
9. ‘Lamanite’ DNA:
http://www.irr.org/mit/Lamanites-DNA-Book-of-Mormon.html
http://www.mormonstories.org/three-geneticists-respond-lds-essay-dna-book-of-mormon-michael-ash/
10. Core doctrines denied publicly by the prophet:
http://www.lds-mormon.com/gbh.shtml
11. Many changes to a supposedly unchanging church:
http://www.utlm.org/onlinebooks/changecontents.htm
Books:
One
Nation Under Gods, Richard Abanes
(well-referenced history without church censorship)
An
Insider’s View of Mormon Origins, Grant
Palmer (Institute Director/Teacher for Church Education System)
Suddenly
Strangers, Brad and Chris Morin
(their story being similar to mine)
The Keystone of Mormonism, Arza Evans (suffered in silence about his findings while continuing church activity for over 40 years)
I seek truth, honesty, answers to difficult questions rather than twisted
explanations coming from apologists desperate to hang on to their conclusions.
We are taught from early childhood to say “I know the church is true!”
as it is whispered in our ears by parents at the pulpit. Of course the children
have no such knowledge, are merely parroting words, and sadly I feel that this
continues into adulthood for many.
Look for yourself.
Think for yourself.
Be fearless with what you find.
Something else very critical to consider. The big question, a very important question, is did Joseph Smith really see God the Father and the Son per the 1820 account (unknown until 1842)?
As Gordon B. Hinckley put it:
"That becomes the hinge pin on which this whole cause turns. If the First Vision was true, if it actually happened, then the Book of Mormon is true. Then we have the priesthood. Then we have the Church organization and all of the other keys and blessings of authority which we say we have. If the First Vision did not occur, then we are involved in a great sham. It is just that simple."
(New York Rochester Missionary Meeting, July 12, 1996.) (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p. 227)
In 1961 Hugh Nibley (respected church scholar) stated regarding the 1826 trial for treasure hunting with the seer stone:
"If this court record is authentic, it is the most damning evidence in existence against Joseph Smith."
In 1971 court documents were discovered among the 1826 Chenango
County records, two bills from the officials who participated in the arrest
and trial of Joseph Smith at South Bainbridge in 1826:
same [i.e. The People]
vs.
Joseph Smith
The Glass Looker
Misdemeanor
March 20, 1826
To my fees in examination
of the above cause 2.68
In a book entitled, The Mormon Experience, pages 10-11, Church Historian
Leonard J. Arrington and his assistant Davis Bitton conceded that Joseph
Smith was tried as a "glass looker":
"Smith's self-admitted employment by Josiah Stoal resulted in the youth's being brought to trial in 1826, charged with either vagrancy or disorderly conduct. Bills drawn up by the local judge and constable refer to Smith as a 'glass looker' (Note: one who, by peering through a glass stone, could see things not discernible by the natural eye). The bills class the offense as a misdemeanor and indicate that at least twelve witnesses were served with subpoenas."
Things were not the same as portrayed in the prevalent paintings etc. found
today. The seer stone was placed in a hat
to 'translate the plates', the very same method used to 'see buried treasure'.
Emma Smith, wife of Joseph, recounted:
"In writing for your father, I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close to him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating [the Book of Mormon] hour after hour with nothing between us.’"
(Emma writing to son Joseph Smith III, History of the RLDS Church, 8 vols.,[Independence, Missouri: Herald House, 1951], "Last Testimony of Sister Emma," 3:356. Also quoted in Creation of the Book of Mormon, by LaMar Petersen, p.25)
The official version of the 1820 First Vision comes from what
was printed in 1842 (Times and Seasons). But there were differing accounts which
vary somewhat on important details:
1832 Handwritten in first History of Church
1834 Messenger and Advocate
1835 Diary account
1838 Public statement
1840 Missionary tract
Other fodder for thought:
• No revival occurred in the Palmyra area in 1820, although
one did occur in 1824-25.
[ In Lucy Mack Smith's memoirs, she notes that she and three of her children
joined the Presbyterian Church after the death of Alvin Smith in 1823: "About
this time their was a great revival in religion and the whole neighborhood was
very much aroused to the subject and we among the rest flocked to the meeting
house to see if their was a word of comfort for us...." Lucy Smith,
"Preliminary Manuscript" LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah
in Vogel, Dan, ed. (1996), Early Mormon Documents I, 306. (Signature Books),
five volumes.]
• Joseph Smith became involved with at least two Methodist churches between 1820 and 1830. He served as a Methodist exhorter (In that period, a Methodist "exhorter" followed the minister's sermon, urging the congregation to follow its teachings.) in the Palmyra area early in the period, and then after the stillbirth of his first son in 1828, he briefly joined a Methodist class in Harmony, Pennsylvania. While he almost certainly never became a member of either church, associating himself with the Methodists was curious behavior for one who had been instructed by God not to join any established denomination eight years previous.
[ Bushman, Richard Lyman (2005) Rough Stone Rolling: A Cultural Biography of
Mormonism's Founder (Alfred A. Knopf).,pp 69-70. A childhood acquaintance of
Smith's, Orsamus Turner (1801-1855), noted that "after catching a spark
of Methodism in the camp meeting, away down in the woods, on the Vienna road,
[Joseph] was a very passable exhorter in evening meetings." in O.
Turner, History of the Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase (Rochester,
New York: William Alling, 1851), in Vogel, III, 50. The Methodists did not acquire
property on the Vienna Road until July 1821, so it is likely that Smith's first
dabble with Methodism occurred during the 1824-25 revival in Palmyra.]
• In the 1838 account Joseph claims that it had never entered into his heart "that the existing churches were all wrong," but according to the 1832 account in his own handwriting, he had already concluded from reading the Bible that all churches were wrong.
["...from the age of twelve years to fifteen I pondered
many things in my heart concerning the sittuation of the world of mankind the
contentions and divisions the wickedness and abominations and the darkness which
pervaded the minds of mankind my mind become excedingly 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 liveing
faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the Gospel of
Jesus Christ as recorded in the new testament..." in Vogel, I, 28]
• In recounting her own memories of the events that led to the founding of the LDS Church, Joseph Smith's mother, Lucy Mack Smith, did not mention the canonical First Vision.
[ Lucy Mack Smith notes that after the family's third wheat harvest in Palmyra/Manchester
(1823):
"we were sitting till quite late conversing upon the subject of the diversity of churches that had risen up in the world and the many thousands opinions in existence as to the truths contained in scripture. Joseph never said many words upon any subject but always seemed to reflect more deeply than common persons of his age upon everything of a religious nature. After we ceased conversation he went to bed and was pondering in his mind which of the churches were the true one but he had not laid there long till he saw a bright light enter the room where he lay he looked up and saw an angel of the Lord standing by him."
Lucy Smith, "Preliminary Manuscript" LDS Church Archives,
Salt Lake City, Utah in Vogel, I, 289.]
• There is no reference to the canonical First Vision story in any published church material from the 1830s. Nobody heard anything at all about it until much later than the first days of the restoration.
[ James B. Allen, "The Significance of Joseph Smith's 'First Vision' in
Mormon Thought," Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, 1 (Autumn 1966),
30-34.]
• In 1838 Joseph Smith claimed that he had been the victim of ‘severe’ persecution for having discussed his 1820 vision, but there is no contemporary evidence of any persecution of Smith except that which resulted from his talk about treasure seeking or, later, about his discovery of the Golden Plates. The local newspapers of the time make no mention of an event which would indeed have excited the community (this sort of thing generally attracted a lot of attention, as there were many claimants to similar sorts of experiences which found their way into the press).
["I soon found, however, that my telling the story had excited a great
deal of prejudice against me among professors 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, and my circumstances in
life such as to make a boy of no consequence in the world, 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, 1:22.]
• The First Vision was not emphasized in the sermons of Smith's immediate successors Brigham Young and John Taylor, many of which allude to Moroni's visit as the first visionary encounter.
[ Hugh Nibley admitted, "A favorite theme of Brigham Young's was the
tangible, personal nature of God, which he never illustrates by any mention
of the first vision." Improvement Era (November 1961), 868. John Taylor's
comments on the First Vision shift from emphasizing angels to God the Father
and Jesus Christ. ]
• Joseph Smith had a motive for changing his story
in 1838, a period of crisis within the Church. Many early leaders left
the Church in 1838, and there was open dissent against Smith's leadership. A
quarter of the original Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and some 300 members —
perhaps fifteen percent of the total membership —had left the church.
To declare that his original call had come from God the Father and Jesus Christ
rather than an angel would have strengthened Smith's leadership role —
and in fact, it did so.
• The 1832 account does not mention an appearance of God the Father, nor does it mention the phrase "This is my beloved Son, hear him." The text also does not say that Jesus condemned contemporary Christian churches as corrupt but rather says that Smith discovered their falsity through his own study of the Bible.
[ Interestingly, in September 1832, Joseph Smith revealed that before the reinstitution
of the priesthood no man could see God and live. This revelation was canonized
as (Doctrine & Covenants 84:21-22):
(21) And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood,
the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh;
(22) For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.
]
Is all of this just nit-picking or 'straining at gnats'? In my mind this is serious food for thought and not something to be brushed aside lightly without inquiry. If the whole foundation of a religion (or cult?) is at stake, isn't it worth the time to find out if these claims are legitimate or not?
I personally refused to believe any of this at first, being totally invested with time, talents, efforts in a religion I was sure was the only true one. But after doing my own research with mostly friendly sources from early church documents and journal entries, the conclusion became more than obvious that the LDS have had the wool pulled over their eyes. Well-meaning (perhaps) writers/re-writers of church history have desired to keep things 'faithful' (not faithful to actual historical events, but rather faith-promoting) and have thus edited, sanitized, white-washed undesirable things from current church books and manuals to protect members from the truth. As Boyd K. Packer put it:
"There is a temptation for the writer or the teacher of church history to want to tell everything, whether it is worthy or faith promoting or not. Some things that are true are not very useful."
The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater Than The Intellect, a talk given at the Fifth Annual Church Educational System Religious Educators' Symposium, 22 August, 1981, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.
(For an official transcript see Brigham Young University Studies, Summer 1981 or go to http://www.mormonismi.net/kirjoitukset/bkp_mantteli.shtml )
These are things which yank the rug out from under the entire church story, leaving it without a firm foundation for the religion as found today. Using Google to search a few key words (such as 'first vision accounts' or 'real mormon history') will yield some surprising results which are difficult (impossible really...) to deny.
Are we really supposed to ignore these historical and doctrinal problems? Is life really about bleating along with the herd in blind obedience, or are we supposed to get our own Light through personal efforts? You get to decide for yourself.
