Posted in Joseph Smith & Lucifer Compared, Masonry and the Occult, tagged Book of Abraham, brass plates, Brigham Young, Diving Rods, false prophet, gold plates, Joseph Smitih, Magic, Magic Hat, Masonry, mormonism, Occult, Witch Hazel, Witchcraft on 05/07/2011 | Leave a Comment »
Joseph Smith’s Involvement with Magic, Masonry, and the Occult
PART I
by JANIS HUTCHINSON
04/24/07
Author requests article critique
http://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=61803
JOSEPH’S MAGIC HAT*
Joseph Smith’s claim of receiving gold plates from a holy angel, has attracted millions of converts to the Mormon Church, a church which now boasts a membership of nearly thirteen million, and continues to add about a million new members every three years or less.(1)
Posted in First Vision of Joseph Smith, Joseph Smith & Lucifer Compared on 04/05/2011 | Leave a Comment »
All NINE versions of Joseph Smith’s First Vision
by Mark Grote
“As of 1834, Joseph Smith’s first published autobiographical sketch contained no whisper of an event that, if it had happened, would have been the most soul-shattering experience of his whole youth.
Posted in Joseph Smith & Lucifer Compared, Joseph Smith the Real Story, tagged angel of light, bible, Book of Mormon, con artist, false prophet, freedom, grace, heavenly messenger, Jesus, joseph smith, lies, nine visions, sacred grove, truth on 01/25/2011 | 3 Comments »
Joseph Smith’s Character
Will the Real Joseph Smith Please Stand Up?
By Mark Grote 2004
Born on December 23, 1805, Joseph Smith could run faster, throw farther and jump higher than the other kids in Sharon, Vermont. If you tour the sites in Nauvoo, IL., the place of his death, that’s what you’ll hear of Joseph Smith as you move about the historical landmarks.
But if you are interested in facts, instead of legends, you might find yourself questioning whether it’s a good idea to put your eternity in the hands and beliefs of this man.
Born to Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smith Jr. grew up on a series of tenant farms in Vermont, New Hampshire, and New York. Though in his youth Joseph was largely deprived of a formal education, he was adequately “instructed in reading, writing, and the ground rules of arithmetic.” 1 Joseph’s mother said that he was often “given to meditation and deep study.” 2 It also widely known that Joseph Smith was “nimble-witted, ambitious, and gifted with a boundless imagination, he dreamed of escape into an illustrious and affluent future.” 3 Joseph Smith could always tell stories with amazing detail of ancient civilizations.
According to the church, affected by the the religious movement taking place around his home in Manchester, New York, in 1820, fourteen-year-old Joseph (depending on which account you believe) was determined to know which of the many religions he should join. He encountered a passage in the Bible instructing any who lacked wisdom to “ask of God” (James 1:5).
Early one morning in the spring of 1820, it said that Joseph went to secluded woods to ask God which church he should join. According to his account, while praying Joseph claims he was visited by two “personages” who identified themselves as God the Father and Jesus Christ.
He was told not to join any of the churches. “Oddly enough, there is no mention of this “vision” in the early Mormon church records and the Improvement Era admits: “Joseph Smith’s ‘official’ account of his first vision and the visits of the angel Moroni was…first published in the Times and Seasons in 1842.”4 For such a dramatic event such as this in one’s life, you would think the person would be changed profoundly by the events and that they would be in the forefront of his mind. But Joseph Smith didn’t give an account of the vision before 1842. Why not?
Jesus said in the Bible that He would only return in the fullness of Glory that would be visible from one end of the sky to the other, and God told Moses that ”no one can see Him and live” [italics added], indicates more biblical evidence that Joseph Smith lied about this encounter with God, because God is unchanging and not a liar. Either Joseph Smith lied or God did. Who do you believe?
Despite the obvious differences with scripture, people still wanted to believe Joseph Smith because they wanted to know God was real. It is no surprise that, in 1823, that Joseph Smith was visited by another spirit, this time by an angel named Moroni (some accounts say THIS was Joseph’s first vision), who told him of an ancient record containing God’s dealings with the former inhabitants of the American continent that just happened to be buried a short walk from his home in Palmyra, NY. In 1827, Joseph supposedly retrieved this record, inscribed on thin golden plates, although weighing in excess of 250 pounds each, and shortly afterward began translating its words by the “gift of God.”4
A gift so great, that it contained many grammatical errors. Apparently, God was so busy creating the earth in six days, He didn’t have time to brush up on his grammar skills. The resulting manuscript, the Book of Mormon, was published in March 1830. On April 6, 1830, Joseph Smith organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and became its first president and High Priest of the Melchizedek.
Now, if you read Mormon literature, you’ll read “Joseph married Emma Hale on January 18, 1827, and was described as a loving and devoted husband. They had eleven children (two adopted), only five of whom lived past infancy. During the thirty-nine years of his life, Joseph established thriving cities in Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois; produced volumes of scripture; sent missionaries throughout the world; orchestrated the building of temples; served as mayor of Nauvoo, one of the largest cities in Illinois, and as general of its militia, the Nauvoo Legion; and was a candidate for the presidency of the United States.” 1 Wow! That’s very impressive.
You won’t read, however, that Joseph Smith was also into mysticisms and Masonic practices, was a reader of seer stones, and was a money-digger who engaged in fortune telling. In addition to the militia he formed, what you won’t hear that it was against the law. You won’t hear that he destroyed a printing press. You won’t hear that he burned down the building that it was in. You won’t hear that he shot and killed two men with a gun he had smuggled into the jail. And you won’t hear that he had more than 30 wives.
Smith was a controversial figure in American history because of his bizarre and unbiblical interpretations such as polygamy— and was as much beloved by his followers as he was hated by his detractors. One thing that Mormons do not talk much about are the facts surrounding Joseph Smith’s arrest. In what some would call terrorism today, Joseph Smith destroyed a printing press and burned down the building around it after some of Smith’s critics printed things about Smith and the Church in a publication called the Nauvoo Expositor. Apparently, the truth hurts. As one might expect, Joseph was persecuted much of his adult life for his unbiblical beliefs and was killed along with his brother Hyrum by a mob in Carthage, Illinois, on June 27, 1844, following the uprising surrounding the destruction of the press, the destruction of the building and, candidly speaking, the destruction of the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America.
Now, considering the monument events of above, you would think that they would profoundly impact a person for every thought, action or plan that one might endeavor to take on. Not so for Joseph Smith. Consider these facts:
Mormon apostle and leader, David O. McKay once stated: “The appearing of the Father and Son to Joseph Smith is the foundation of the church.” Got that? The foundation of the church.
According to John Widstoe, another Mormon apostle, “The First vision of 1820 is of first importance in the history of Joseph Smith. Upon its reality rests the trust and value of the his subsequent work.”
Let’s examine these dates of significance in light of the above quotes.
1820 – The Mormon Church’s official date when Joseph Smith supposedly had his first vision. He was 14. His vision was a visit of the Father and Son together, separate, standing in the air, talking to him.
1829 - The Book of Mormon is published.
1829 – Joseph Smith enters the priesthood when he and Oliver Cowdery are visited, this time by James, Peter and John.
1830 – The Mormon Church is established.
1832 – Joseph Smith gives prophecy that no man can see the face of God without being in the priesthood. So how did he see the Father in 1820 when, by his own admission, he was not in the priesthood? Or is the “Priesthood” prophesy false? Which is it?
1834 – Oliver Cowdery, assisted by Joseph Smith, recounts in the Messenger and Advocate, published in Sept. 1834, that the first vision actually came in 1823. Joseph Smith would have been 17 instead of 14 as told by the church.
1842* – Joseph Smith publishes his ‘official’ account of his first vision in the publication Times and Seasons.
1844 – Brigham Young takes over control of the Mormom Church after the murder of Joseph Smith. Young had 363 sermons published in the inspired Journal of Discourses. Never once does he mention the first vision upon which the foundation of the church is set.
1820-1850 - Numerous publications describe the first vision as Joseph being visited by the angel, Moroni.
1851 - Mormon publication of the first edition of the Pearl of Great Price reveals it was actually the angel, Nephi, that Joseph Smith actually saw in 1820, contrary to all other Mormon publications that previously said it was Moroni. This is quite troubling. Was is it God the Father and Son, the angel Moroni or the Angel Nephi? And how did we get from two visitors to one?
1853 – Joseph Smith’s mother, after Smith’s death, wrote in her biographical Sketches, confirming it was, Nephi, that Joseph Smith saw.
The book of Mormon is published in 1830, 10 years after the so-called First Vision, yet the 1820 vision upon which the Church if founded is not officially given until 1842?
Only one conclusion can be drawn from these events, which are backed up by facts and reliable sources including the Mormon Church’s own historical records, and that is that Joseph Smith was a false prophet, money-digger and lying manipulator of people of the worst kind. Please, do not put your trust and eternity into the hands of Joseph Smith. Jesus Christ said, “I am the truth, the way and the life, no man goes to the Father but by way of the Son.” Jesus is all you need. No church, belief in no prophet is required.
Jesus said to the thief on the cross, “Today you’ll be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:42-43). Instant, FULL Salvation! No works, no church, no baptism, nothing but faith.6 The Greek word for “paradise,” that Jesus uses in Luke 23:43, is paradeisos, the same word in the Greek that Paul uses in 2 Cor. 12:4 to describe the third heaven that Mormons use to explain the “three degrees of glory” doctrine. Paul says in 2 Cor. 12:2-4:
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
You can see that Paul refers to the third heaven as “paradise.” Closer examination of the word, paradeisos, the same word that Jesus said to the thief. How can you reconcile this, my Mormon friends? This passage clearly contradicts Mormon teachings about heaven and how to get there. Paul goes on in the passage to reveal that it was himself who was caught up into paradise, the third heaven, where Jesus took the saved thief.
Even if one was to put the “three degrees of glory” doctrine aside, the thief is still a problem for Mormon apologists. There simply is not enough exegesis (reading out of the bible) to explain the Mormon position that the thief, a lying cheat and swindler who lived a life of reprobate, could never be in the third heaven with Jesus. By the Mormon Church’s own doctrine and admission, you need to be a member of the “true church,” their church, be baptized and married and having performed many works (how many?…no Mormon for nearly 200 years can tell you), in order to go to the third heaven after you die. Yet, here we see Jesus and Paul, clearly describing the same heaven in the bible’s original language, paradeisos (meaning no misinterpretations here), the same heaven that will have the thief there. You see my Mormon friends, there is but one way to heaven, and that is Jesus. Confess your sins to Him, pray to Him, read His word, the holy bible, and KNOW you are saved (1 John 5:13).
* Note: 22 years went by before Joseph Smith published his account of the first vision upon which, according to McKay, “is the foundation of the church.” If it was so significant, why did it not appear in the Book of Mormon?
Footnotes
1. History of Joseph Smith, Jr., by himself, in Joseph Smith’s Letter Book at Kirtland, November 27, 1832 to August 4, 1835 (Church Historian’s Library, Salt Lake City, Utah).
2. History of the Prophet Joseph, Improvement Era, vol. 5, p. 257.
3. No Man Knows My History, The Life of Joseph Smith. 1971, 1973. New York. p. 18
4. God’s Word, Final, Infallible and Forever. 1985. Grand Rapids, MI. p. 24
5. Book of Mormon, title page.
6. God’s Word, Final, Infallible and Forever. 1985. Grand Rapids, MI. p. 162
Posted in Joseph Smith & Lucifer Compared, Joseph Smith Descriptions of, tagged bible, Christ, false prophet, grace, Jesus, joseph smith, Joseph Smith influence, medium, money-digger, mormonism, salvation, truth on 01/13/2011 | Leave a Comment »
Joseph Smith Description, pt. II
“Martyrdom” of Joseph
Gospel Kingdom, pg. 360; “He, however, instantly arose, and with a firm, quick step, and a determined expression of countenance, approached the door, and pulling the six-shooter left by Brother Wheelock from his pocket, opened the door slightly, and snapped the pistol six successive times. Only three of the barrels, however, were discharged. I afterwards understood that two or three were wounded by these discharges, two of whom, I am informed, died.” – John Taylor (Third prophet of the Church.)
Posted in Joseph Smith & Lucifer Compared, Joseph Smith Descriptions of, tagged bible, Christianity, false gospel, false prophet, godhood, grace, Jesus, joseph smith, lds church, lies, Mormon doctrine, mormonism, peace, salvation, truth on 01/13/2011 | Leave a Comment »
Joseph Smith Descriptions
Google the name of Joseph Smith and you’ll find a plethora of websites that either lauds the praises of Smith or those who show vehement hatred for the man. My objective for this list of descriptions isn’t to show hatred towards him because I don’t feel hatred for Joseph Smith; however, I am saddened for my people that have chosen to believe in his odious lies. Our objective for producing articles such as these is to inform and educate.
Aside from the LDS hymn “Praise to the Man”, let’s find out just how much the Mormon people love the false prophet Joseph Smith. If the Mormon will stay on this site long enough to see just one egregious falsehood about Smith and begin thinking about it, then I’ve done the job God has given me to do. Our main objective isn’t to sensationalize, but to inform and lead my people into the ever loving arms of our God and Savior Christ Jesus.
While compiling this list I found there were some items that bothered me more than others. Joseph parting the veil, Joseph being crowned as King, Joseph’s consent needed to get into heaven, confessing spirit of Smith is of God, etc., seemed to raise my dander up more than his egomaniacal claims about himself. I don’t rightly care if he thought he was some genius for the world to behold, but it sickens me when he laid claim to executing miracles that belong to our God.
The Bible tells us there will be some in the crowd that want for their ears to be tickled so they don’t have to listen to sound doctrine and will accumulate for themselves the teachers who will fulfill their own lustful desires. 2 Tim. 4:3-4. So it goes with Joseph Smith and Mormonism.
The teachings of Orthodox Christianity have been solid and unwavering for two thousand years and will continue to be so until the Good Lord comes or calls us home. Mormonism is another one of the false churches the body of Christ must endure for this time in history.
Casting Crowns (a Christian music group) sings a song called “Who Am I”. That song keeps coming to my mind while collecting the data for this article and I thought I’d share some of the lyrics as an example of what the honest Christian mind thinks upon compared to Smith’s slanderous claims.
“Who am I?
That the Lord of all the earth,
Would care to know my name,
Would care to feel my hurt.
Who am I?
That the bright and morning star,
Would choose to light the way,
For my ever wondering heart.
Chorus:
I am a flower quickly fading,
Here today and gone tomorrow.
A wave tossed in the ocean,
A vapor in the wind.
Still you hear me when I’m calling,
Lord you catch me when I’m falling,
And you told me who I am.
I am yours.
I am yours.”
I would imagine the followers of Smith aren’t putting all the pieces together when they think about the claims Joseph Smith made during his life. They probably see one or two and think nothing of it or brush aside some of the more contentious comments. However, looking at a good portion of them in a concise manner like this hopefully brings it to a brighter light. Ask yourself:
How likely is it that Smith is all the things and more listed in the descriptions below?
Can you just imagine Paul tooting his own horn about his intellect? He let us know he was from the elite tribe of Benjamin, but considered it rubbish in light of knowing Christ; see Phil. 3:4-8. What if Luke bragged about being a doctor? How would it make you feel towards the gospels? Doesn’t it take away from the message of Jesus coming to save the world? The Classical scholar E.M. Blaiklock called Luke “a consummate historian to be ranked in his own right with the great writers of the Greeks”. Yet not a word is spoken by Luke of how incredibly knowledgeable or humble he is because he was too busy investigating witnesses, studying the Old Testament and going on missions with Paul.
For the LDS Church to blossom as it did, how did it happen? I’ve often wondered and have been asked that if Mormonism is wrong then why did it grow? The only answer I can come up with is the scripture from 2nd Timothy mentioned above and what the author wrote in the Summer 2000 edition of the Journal of Illinois State Historical Society. Timothy Wood wrote;
“To maintain any kind of unity of purpose, Smith alone had to be seen as the sole source of direction for the Restoration movement…However, at the same time Smith organized a hierarchy which concentrated decision-making power within the church’s upper echelons, especially the First Presidency (the president prophet and his two primary advisors) and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.”
Did you catch that? “…Smith alone had to be seen as the sole source of direction for the Restoration…”? Where is God in that? If someone like Smith came along in today’s world and you had all the evidence in the LDS doctrine would you fall for it? Mind you, the references below aren’t even close to all that’s been written about Joseph Smith!
We’re praying for those caught in the snares of Mormon lies. We pray the Mormon people will hear the call of the Lord of all the earth. If you’re LDS we implore you to think about the claims regarding Smith listed below and make an informed decision of whom you will choose to follow – 2 Tim. 1:12.
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
1 Cor. 1:18 …
Apostle of Joseph Smith
Journal of Discourses 3:212; “I am a witness that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. What an uproar it would make in the Christian world to say, I am an Apostle of Joseph. Write it down, and write it back to your friends in the east, that I am an Apostle of Joseph Smith. He was a man of God and had the revelations of Jesus Christ, and the words of Jesus Christ to the people. He did build and establish the kingdom of God on earth, and through him the Lord Almighty again restored the Priesthood to the children of men.” – Brigham Young
Armed With Nothing Bigger Than a Penknife
Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 30; “He that arms himself with gun, sword, or pistol, except in the defense of truth, will sometime be sorry for it. I never carry any weapon with me bigger than my penknife. When I was dragged before the cannon and muskets in Missouri, I was unarmed. God will always protect me until my mission is fulfilled. (HC 6:364-65.)”
Athletic
Lord Needed a Prophet, pg. 4; “At six feet tall and weighing about two hundred pounds, the Prophet Joseph had an athletic build. He enjoyed hard work and energetic play. Joseph frequently joined the young boys in Nauvoo in outdoor games. He could hit a ball with a bat so great a distance that the other players would call to the boy who was going for the ball to take his dinner while he was at it. Joseph would laugh and go on with the game.”
Author of Scripture
January 1997 Ensign, pg. 50, Gerald N. Lund; “These 10 most prolific scriptural producers authored a total of 1,480 pages. Joseph Smith alone was responsible for 900. His total pages equal nearly 61 percent of the total pages of the other top 10 producers, and he is responsible for nearly three times as many pages as either of the two next highest scriptural producers, Mormon and Moses. Before Joseph Smith, the world had only the 1,590 pages of the Bible; through this one man, the Lord increased our scriptural library by more than half.”
Authority to Speak for God
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 345; “I will prove that the world is wrong, by showing what God is. I am going to enquire after God; for I want you all to know him, and to be familiar with him; and if I am bringing you to a knowledge of him, all persecutions against me ought to cease. You will then know that I am his servant; for I speak as one having authority.”
Baptisms in Name of Joseph Smith
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 121; ““Do the Mormons baptize in the name of ‘Joe’ Smith?” No, but if they did, it would be as valid as the baptism administered by the sectarian priests.””
Bears Infirmities of Others
Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 28; “Although I was called of my Heavenly Father to lay the foundation of this great work and kingdom in this dispensation, and testify of his revealed will to scattered Israel, I am subject to like passions as other men, like the prophets of olden times.Notwithstanding my weaknesses, I am under the necessity of bearing the infirmities of others, who when they get into difficulty, hang on to me tenaciously to get them out, and wish me to cover their faults. (HC 5:516.)”
Brings Purpose to Life
Handbook of the Restoration, pg. 50-51; “It would seem scarcely necessary to point out the obvious conclusion and purpose of this recital. If any man has received in his heart the witness of the divine truth embraced in the contributions of the Prophet Joseph, I charge him to be true… Glorious purpose will come into life. Family ties will be sweeter. Friendships will be dearer. Service will be nobler, and the peace of Christ will be his portion. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
Choice Seer
Joseph Smith, The Choice Seer, Epilogue #10; “As the man who stands at the head of the dispensation of the fulness of times, Joseph Smith is the preeminent prophetic witness of Christ and the source through which we receive every saving principle and the attendant authority to perform every saving ordinance. To him the Lord said: “I have conferred upon you the keys and power of the priesthood, wherein I restore all things, and make known unto you all things in due time. And verily, verily, I say unto you, that whatsoever you seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven; and whatsoever you bind on earth, in my name and by my word, saith the Lord, it shall be eternally bound in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you remit on earth shall be remitted eternally in the heavens; and whosesoever sins you retain on earth shall be retained in heaven.” (D&C 132:45–46.)”
Complete Sacrifice
Joseph Smith, the Prophet, the Man, pg. xxxiv-xxxv; “When a man gives his life for the cause he has advocated, he meets the highest test of his honesty and sincerity that his own or any future generation can in fairness ask. When he dies for the testimony he has borne, all malicious tongues should ever after be silent, and all voices hushed in reverence before a sacrifice so complete. (Dalby)”
Confessing spirit of Smith is of God
Discourses of Brigham Young, pg. 435; “Whosoever confesseth that Joseph Smith was sent of God to reveal the holy Gospel to the children of men, and lay the foundation for gathering Israel, and building up the Kingdom of God on the earth, that spirit is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that God has sent Joseph Smith, and revealed the everlasting Gospel to and through him, is of Antichrist, no matter whether it is found in a pulpit or on a throne. 8:176.”
Consent of Joseph needed to enter heaven
JD 7:289-290; “I will now tell you something that ought to comfort every man and woman on the face of the earth. Joseph Smith, junior, will again be on this earth dictating plans and calling forth his brethren to be baptized for the very characters who wish this was not so, in order to bring them into a kingdom to enjoy, perhaps, the presence of angels or the spirits of good men, if they cannot endure the presence of the Father and the Son; and he will never cease his operations, under the directions of the Son of God, until the last ones of the children of men are saved that can be, from Adam till now.”
Continues to Lead from Heaven
Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson, pg. 101; “The Prophet Joseph Smith was not only “one of the noble and great ones,” but he gave and continues to give attention to important matters here on the earth even today from the realms above. For in the eyes of the Lord, the God of this world under the Father, it is all one great eternal program in which the Prophet Joseph plays an important role, all through the eternal priesthood and authority of God. (God, Family, Country, pp. 30-31.)”
Controls Minds of Believers
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 341; “President Joseph Smith again arose and said—In relation to the power over the minds of mankind which I hold, I would say, It is in consequence of the power of truth in the doctrines which I have been an instrument in the hands of God of presenting unto them, and not because of any compulsion on my part.”
Crystal Gazer
Joseph Smith – Seeker after Truth, Prophet of God, pg. 73; “He was said to be a crystal or peepstone gazer, a digger for lost treasure, and a devotee of the black arts. He came of a low ancestry, they said, and was reared in a superstitious, untruthful family. Moreover, some held that the Book of Mormon was written, not by him, but by some ally that he had duped into helping him. The charges were many and varied.”
Death of Joseph Necessary
DoS 1:221; “DEATH OF TWO TESTATORS REQUIRED…He had to die. Why? Because we read in the scriptures that the testimony is not of force without the death of the testator-that is, in his particular case, and in the case of Christ. It was just as necessary that Hyrum Smith lay down his life a martyr for this cause as a witness for God as it was for Joseph Smith, so the Lord permitted them both to be taken in that way and both sealed their testimony with their blood.”
Defies World to Refute him
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 372; “The head God organized the heavens and the earth. I defy all the world to refute me. In the beginning the heads of the Gods organized the heavens and the earth. Now the learned priests and the people rage, and the heathen imagine a vain thing. If we pursue the Hebrew text further, it reads, “The head one of the Gods said, Let us make a man in our own image.””
Done More Than Anyone
Discourses of Joseph Smith, pg. 22-23; “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized April 6th, 1830. Joseph Smith was martyred in Carthage, Illinois, on the 27th of June, 1844—14 years after the organization of the Church. What did he accomplish in these 14 years? He opened up communication with the heavens in his youth. He brought forth the Book of Mormon, which contains the fullness of the Gospel; and the revelations contained in the Book of Doctrine and Covenants; restored the holy Priesthood unto man; established and organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an organization which has no parallel in all the world, and which all the cunning and wisdom of men for ages has failed to discover or produce and never could have done. He founded colonies in the States of New York, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois, and pointed the way for the gathering of the Saints into the Rocky Mountains; sent the Gospel into Europe and to the islands of the sea; founded the town of Kirtland, Ohio, and there built a temple that cost about a quarter of a million dollars; he founded the city of Nauvoo in the midst of persecution; gathered into Nauvoo and vicinity some 20,000 people, and commenced the building of the temple there, which when completed cost one million dollars; . . . In a word, he did more in from 14 to 20 years for the salvation of man than any other man save Jesus only, that ever lived. (JD 24:14-15.)”
Done More Than Anyone Else for Mankind
D&C 135:3; “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.”
Enlarged the Concept of Covenant
Life of Joseph the Prophet, pg. 167; “Both the priesthood and the covenant existed before the beginning of time or the creation of the earth. They are not of time, but of eternity,—the everlasting chains which link the heavens and the earth, and connect the race of mortals with the races of immortals that have gone up into their exaltation before them. Thus has Joseph enlarged our conceptions of the priesthood, of the covenant, of religion.”
First to be Resurrected
Discourses of Brigham Young, pg. 468; “Is Joseph glorified? No, he is preaching to the spirits in prison. He will get his resurrection the first of any one in this Kingdom, for he was the first that God made choice of to bring forth the work of the last days. His office is not taken from him, he has only gone to labor in another department of the operations of the Almighty.”
Followers; Joseph had More Than Jesus
JD 14:202-203; “…this personage whom we call the Savior of the world, there were not, strange to say, as many persons believed on him as have believed on Joseph Smith in the latter days. Not that Joseph was the Savior, but he was a prophet.”
Foreordained of God
Doctrines of Salvation 1:184; “Abraham was appointed to become the “father of the faithful,”…Moses was chosen to lead Israel from Egyptian bondage, and Joseph Smith to stand at the head of the greatest of all dispensations, that of the fulness of times…Joseph Smith was chosen to stand at the head of the work of the Lord in the last days, and his work was assigned to him through the fore-knowledge of our Eternal Father… No prophet since the days of Adam, save, of course, our Redeemer, has been given a greater mission.”
Fulfilled Ancient Promises
Doctrines of Salvation 1:192; “ONLY JOSEPH SMITH FULFILS ANCIENT PROMISES. Joseph Smith declared that he, with Oliver Cowdery, his companion, received the keys of the gathering of Israel. No one else ever claimed to have had them revealed to him. If Joseph Smith did not receive them, then someone must be empowered with this authority before the coming of the Lord: for Israel is to be gathered, and it must be by authority given to someone. Israel is being gathered, which indicates that Joseph Smith must have held those keys.”
Fulfillment of Scripture
Joseph Smith History 1:40-41; “In addition to these, he quoted the eleventh chapter of Isaiah, saying that it was about to be fulfilled. He quoted also the third chapter of Acts, twenty-second and twenty-third verses, precisely as they stand in our New Testament. He said that that prophet was Christ; but the day had not yet come when “they who would not hear his voice should be cut off from among the people,” but soon would come.41 He also quoted the second chapter of Joel, from the twenty-eighth verse to the last. He also said that this was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be. And he further stated that the fulness of the Gentiles was soon to come in. He quoted many other passages of scripture, and offered many explanations which cannot be mentioned here.”
General, Joseph Was a
Discourses of Joseph Smith, pg. 7; “Yet this man became mayor of the biggest town in Illinois and the state’s most prominent citizen, the commander of the largest body of trained soldiers in the nation outside the Federal army, the founder of cities and a university, and aspired to become President of the United States.”
Genius With No Education
Divine Authority or the Question, Was Joseph Smith Sent of God?, pg. 4; “How came Mr. Smith, if a deceiver, to think of all this? Did Martin Luther, Wesley, Whitfield, Swedenborg, or Irving think of this? Whence his superior intellect, his depth of understanding, his extensive foresight, that he should so far surpass all former impostors for 1700 years? John testifies that when the everlasting gospel is restored to the earth it shall be by an angel. Mr. Smith testifies that it was restored by an angel, and in no other way. This is another presumptive evidence that he was sent of God.”
God & Joseph are Partners
Handbook of the Restoration, pgs. 49-50; “How may we account for these remarkable accomplishments, these transcendent contributions to the learning, the knowledge and wisdom of this age? …There is only one explanation which is tenable. God chose this man. He spoke through him. The virgin, unsophisticated mind of the youth was a fertile field for the planting of spiritual seeds. They grew and matured into a perfect faith that brought Joseph into partnership with God…for as we are told of old, one man and God are a majority.”
God to All
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 363; “God made Aaron to be the mouthpiece for the children of Israel, and He will make me be god to you in His stead, and the Elders to be mouth for me; and if you don’t like it, you must lump it. I have been giving Elder Adams instruction in some principles to speak to you, and if he makes a mistake, I will get up and correct him. (April 8, 1844.)”
God, You Will Look upon Joseph as
Journal of Discourses 5:88; “You call us fools: but the day will be, gentlemen and ladies, whether you belong to this Church or not, when you will prize brother Joseph Smith as the Prophet of the Living God, and look upon him as a God, and also upon Brigham Young, our Governor in the Territory of Deseret.”
Great as Adam and Abraham
MD, pg. 395; “In the providences of Almighty God, and according to the plan before ordained in the councils of eternity, Joseph Smith, Jr., was born into mortality, December 23, 1805. As a pre-existent spirit he had ranked with Adam and Abraham; he was one of the noble and great ones of whom Abraham wrote (Abra. 3:22-23), a truth which President Joseph F. Smith also saw in vision. (Gospel Doctrine, 4th ed., p. 601.) In that prior existence, by diligence and obedience, he gained the spiritual stature and capacity which entitled him to be foreordained to stand as the head of the greatest of all gospel dispensations. (Teachings, p. 365.)”
Great and Noble Spirit like Jeremiah
Marvelous Work and Wonder, pg. 278; “The spirit of Joseph Smith, like Jeremiah, was also one of the “noble and great” ones. The Lord appointed unto him his work and reserved him to come forth in this dispensation to be a prophet and seer unto the nations. That is why the Lord called Joseph Smith while yet a boy, because he knew Joseph and knew of his integrity and greatness.”
Greater Than Isaiah
Discourses of Joseph Smith, pg. 7; “In thirty nations are men and women who look upon him as a greater leader than Moses and a greater prophet than Isaiah; his disciples now number close to a million [the present figure is over 3.5 million]; and already a granite shaft pierces the sky over the place where he was born, and another is in course of erection over the place where he is credited with having received the inspiration for his Book. (John Henry Evans, op. cit., introduction.)”
Greatest Fulfillment of the Church is Through Joseph
Journal of Discourses 24:14-16; “Through Joseph Smith, God has revealed many things which were kept hid from the foundation of the world in fulfillment of the Prophets—and at no time since Enoch walked the earth has the Church of God been organized as perfectly as it is to-day—not excepting the dispensation of Jesus and His disciples—or if it was we have no record of it.”
Greatness of Joseph Smith
Mormon Doctrine, pg. 396; “Joseph Smith’s greatness lies in the work that he did, the spiritual capacity he developed, and the witness he bore of the Redeemer. Since the keys of salvation were restored to the Prophet, it is in and through and because of his latter-day mission that the full redemptive power of the Lord has again become available to men. It is because the Lord called Joseph Smith that salvation is again available to mortal men.”
Greatness and Integrity of Joseph Smith
Marvelous Work and Wonder, pg. 278; “The spirit of Joseph Smith, like Jeremiah, was also one of the “noble and great” ones. The Lord appointed unto him his work and reserved him to come forth in this dispensation to be a prophet and seer unto the nations. That is why the Lord called Joseph Smith while yet a boy, because he knew Joseph and knew of his integrity and greatness.”
Had to Go Away but Will Return
Journal of Discourses 13:164-165; “Said he, “You have to round up your shoulders to bear up the kingdom. No matter what becomes of me…” This language was plain enough, but we did not understand it any more than the disciples of Jesus when he told them he was going away, and that if he went not the Comforter would not come. It was just so with Joseph….but none of us seemed to understand that he was going to seal his testimony with his blood, but so it was.”
Heavens rested while Joseph left to mature
Life of Joseph the Prophet, pg. 6; “The great work of opening the dispensation thus accomplished by the august administration of the Father and Son, the heavens rested for a season. There was divine wisdom in this. Joseph was too young at that time to be sent forth with the wondrous proclamation to all nations, kindreds and tongues, that God had called him to be the prophet of a new civilization; too young, at fourteen, to seek out from the multitude strong apostolic men, saying unto them, “Leave your nets and follow me.””
Helped Save Men
Doctrine and Covenants Speak, 2:456; “One of Joseph Smith’s contributions to the salvation of men in this world was the bringing forth of “. . . the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God…” (D&C 135:3.)””
Intelligence is Superior
Discourses of Joseph Smith, pg. 4-5; “…as if he would penetrate the deepest abyss of the human heart, gaze into eternity, penetrate the heavens, and comprehend all worlds…his intelligence universal, and his language abounding in original eloquence peculiar to himself—not polished—not studied—not smoothed and softened by education and refined by art; but flowing forth in its own native simplicity, and profusely abounding in variety of subject and manner…I have known him when chained and surrounded with armed murderers and assassins who were heaping upon him every possible insult and abuse, rise up in the majesty of a son of God and rebuke them, in the name of Jesus Christ, till they quailed before him, dropped their weapons, and, on their knees, begged his pardon, and ceased their abuse…”
Joseph is Jehovah’s Epic
Life of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 165; “Jehovah’s epic! There is no other defining that will adequately express the subject and themes grasped by the genius of the Mormon Prophet.”
Keeps Whole Church Together better than Jesus
Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 31; “I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. A large majority of the whole have stood by me. Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of Jesus ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet. (HC 6:408-9.)”
Keys Held by Joseph until Christ’s Return
D&C 112:15; “Exalt not yourselves; rebel not against my servant Joseph; for verily I say unto you, I am with him, and my hand shall be over him; and the keys which I have given unto him, and also to youward, shall not be taken from him till I come.”
King
Dr. D. Michael Quinn, BYU Studies, The Council of Fifty and Its Members, pgs. 89-90; ““This leads to the final office in the symbolic Kingdom of God on earth as embodied in the Council of Fifty. William Clayton recorded in his journal that in the 11 April 1844 meeting of the Council of Fifty, “was prest. Joseph chosen as our prophet Priest, & King by Hosannas.” William Marks, who participated in this action, later stated that the Council of Fifty conducted this as an ordinance “in which Joseph suffered himself to be ordained a king, to reign over the house of Israel forever.”
Knows More than Whole World Combined
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 350; “Now, I ask all who hear me, why the learned men who are preaching salvation, say that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing? The reason is, that they are unlearned in the things of God … 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. The Holy Ghost does, anyhow, and He is within me, and comprehends more than all the world…”
Lamb to Slaughter
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 379; ““I am going like a lamb to the slaughter, but I am calm as a summer’s morning. I have a conscience void of offense toward God and toward all men. If they take my life I shall die an innocent man, and my blood shall cry from the ground for vengeance, and it shall be said of me, ‘He was murdered in cold blood!’”
Lawyer
HC 5:289-290; “I am a lawyer; I am a big lawyer and comprehend heaven, earth and hell, to bring forth knowledge that shall cover up all lawyers, doctors and other big bodies. This is the doctrine of the Constitution, so help me God. The Constitution is not law to us, but it makes provision for us whereby we can make laws. Where it provides that no one shall be hindered from worshiping God according to his own conscience, is a law. No legislature can enact a law to prohibit it. The Constitution provides to regulate bodies of men and not individuals.”
Loyalty to Joseph Brings Rewards
Joseph Smith: The Choice Seer, Epilogue #12; “We know that loyalty to Joseph Smith and the Restoration will reap rich rewards for individual members of the Church and will result in miraculous conversions throughout the earth.”
Man of Sorrows
Joseph Smith, The Choice Seer, Prologue: Joseph Smith Among the Prophets; “Like his Master, Jesus Christ, Joseph Smith was called upon to endure a life of loneliness. It was a life characterized not only by persecution and suspicion but also by an isolation known only to those who walk in the glorious light of noonday sun, who know with an absolute certainty and yet must minister among others who seem content to walk and talk in the fading rays of dusk, those who struggle with faith, those who doubt, and even those who dare not believe. The farm boy who grew to become a prophet’s prophet was also, to some degree at least, “a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Mosiah 14:3)…”
Posted in Joseph Smith & Lucifer Compared, Joseph Smith It's all Because of, tagged angel of light, Bible truth, Book of Mormon, crucified, false gospel, false prophet, Jesus, joseph smith, ravening wolf, salvation, sheep's clothing on 01/12/2011 | Leave a Comment »
It’s All Because of Joseph
Please forgive my sarcasm in the title of this article. It comes from a video I watched on YouTube of a BYU professor who talks about, amongst other things, her testimony of Joseph Smith. Take a look at the video, and I’ll see you back here in a few minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irpesJU8_HM&feature=related
As I watched this video of her testimony she said some things that were very heartbreaking to me. One was this idea that the Book of Mormon is a stronger witness of Jesus Christ than the Bible. The other is the exalted position she gave Joseph Smith in her life.
After the video ended I was left with two questions:
Where is her testimony of Jesus Christ?
Where is her testimony of the Cross?
All I heard was what Joseph did for her; because of Joseph her husband can give her blessings, because of Joseph she has the priesthood in her home. There is no mention in her testimony of her relationship with God, no mention of her walk with Him, and what she has learned about him.
She mentioned how she wanted to learn all she could about Joseph Smith. What about learning all you can about Jesus Christ? Our time on earth is so short, would you not what to learn more about the man that you will be standing in front of when you die? In John 15:4-7 we find a wonderful promise from Jesus, himself. In it he tells us that if we “abide” in him, meaning look to and think of him in all we do, he in turn will “abide” in us. He will be with us, and in our journey through this life he walks with us every step of the way. In verse 7 Jesus says for him to abide in us we must know his words, in knowing his words we know him:
“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will,
and it shall be done unto you.”
Would you not want to develop a relationship with him? In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, we learn how we will be judged by Jesus Christ and that He is the foundation we will be judged upon. If we are unsaved we will judged by our sin, if we are saved we will be judged on our works. Here is what verses 13, to 15 of that passage say:
“Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it,
because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of
what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall
receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he
himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire”
The saved will be judged on their works because of the change of heart Jesus has given them. When you are saved God leaves you here on earth to bring others to know Jesus Christ, to make disciples unto Him. These works will be judged by the motive behind them. Whether we did them to “show off”, to glorify ourselves, or we did them to glorify God will be revealed. This is why as saved, followers of Jesus we must check our “heart attitudes”. We need to make sure that we are doing discipleship, ministry, or evangelistic work to show the world who Jesus Christ is, not to receive praise or approval from others.
Do you want Jesus to say “I know you not” when you stand before him? That is what will happen to those who focus on a relationship with a religion, or in this case another person, and not Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us in John 14:6 that He is “the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
Her testimony is very telling, and unfortunately very typical of a Mormon, as it glorifies Joseph Smith. As I’ve said in my other articles; Jesus in Mormonism is nothing more than an “after thought”. A verse I have used in pervious articles I feel describes the testimony of a Mormon is found in Luke 6:45:
”A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good;
and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil:
for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh”
To listen to any Mormon’s testimony you would think the “abundance” of their heart is Joseph Smith and Mormonism. This is very heartbreaking for me. I know the LDS people want to follow Jesus; they don’t speak much of him in their testimonies. I would love to be able to walk into a random LDS fast and testimony meeting and hear someone praising Jesus for what he did for them that week. Jesus is everything to us; I wish the LDS could truly understand that. I wish they could know that Jesus did it all, he “paid it all”, and there is absolutely nothing that we have to do to earn our salvation. Instead they are taught what Jesus did isn’t enough.
At the beginning of her testimony Ms. Black mentions how the name of Christ appears an average of once every 2.1 verses in the New Testament, and an average of once every 1.7 verses in the Book of Mormon. She called the Book of Mormon the “greater witness” of Jesus Christ because of the times she says Jesus’ name appears in the New Testament. Upon hearing her say this I have to wonder if she or the LDS community for that matter really knows who Jesus is or even the Word of God.
There is no physical evidence that events of the Book of Mormon ever occurred and she is saying that this book is a “greater” witness of Jesus Christ? All she has is the word of Joseph Smith.
I pray she and other members of the LDS Church to pick up a little book called “Names of Christ” by T.C Horton & Charles E. Hurlburt. I don’t consider myself a bible scholar by any stretch of the imagination. I can however tell you that I know it to be God’s Word. I know the Bible is only true source that testifies of Jesus Christ. He is referred to countless times in the Old Testament. In many cases he is not only referred to by Jesus or Christ, but also by other names as well. These other names define who he is to us personally and how important he is to our salvation. To give you an example of what I am talking about I’ve listed a few of my favorite names of Jesus and the Bible passages that go along with them.
My Fortress-
Psalms 18:2 –“The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.”
The True God
1 John 5:20-“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life”.
Our Peace
Ephesians 2:14 – “For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us:”
Bread of Life
John 6:35- And Jesus said unto them,”‘I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst”
Wonderful
Isaiah 9:6 – For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The might God, The everlasting Father, The Princes of Peace.
Next month look for an article where I will be explaining why these are a few of my favorite verses that talk about Jesus Christ. I want to help the LDS be able to remove Joseph Smith from this exalted position they have put him in, and in turn put Jesus in the position that he rightfully deserves in their lives. I want them all to know who Jesus is, and all he can be to them, all they have to do is ask. All they have to do is ask him to come into their hearts, once they do that they will no longer revere Joseph Smith as a true prophet. God will open their eyes and they will see Smith for whom and what he truly was, a deceiver, and false prophet.
I did a little research myself as to how many times Jesus’ name appears it the New Testament. In the KJV Jesus, Jesus Christ, and Christ appear for the first time in Matthew 1:1 – The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham
My findings are as follows, from www.bible.com;
Jesus – 942
Jesus Christ – 182
Christ – 537
In the Old Testament the prophecies and promises all pointed to Jesus Christ. The people had to live by the Law first, before Jesus could come. The Law and the tabernacle where the Israelites worshipped were all about Jesus. In Galatians 3:24 it says:
“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith.”
In Exodus 12:3-6 God gives Moses instruction for the Passover. A lamb that was perfect, “without blemish”. It had to be sacrificed; its blood had to be spilled for their sins to be washed clean. This lamb represented the sacrifice Jesus made for us. In John 1:29 it says:
“The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith Behold the
Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
One of my favorite songs by Casting Crowns is called “All because of Jesus”. This is what the testimony of someone who calls themselves a Christian, a “follower of Christ” should sound like:
(Chorus)
“It’s all because of Jesus I’m alive
It’s all because the blood of Jesus Christ
That covers me and raised this dead man’s life
It’s all because of Jesus I’m alive
I’m alive, I’m alive”
A Christian’s testimony glorifies God, not a mortal man or religion. We praise Jesus for all he has done for us, for all he is doing in our lives now. We glorify Him, because we know that without Him, without the sacrifice he made for us on the Cross we would not have everlasting life. We thank God for the soul saving knowledge the Bible contains, and we pray they many will be saved through its witness of Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the one who should be in that exalted position, not a religion, and definitely not a mortal man. We owe Jesus everything, if it wasn’t for him we would be bound for hell because of our sin. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 explains that Jesus is the “mediator” between us and God, meaning he intercedes on our behalf. The verse says:
“For there is one God, one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus;”
“Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time”
I was reading in Romans today, in chapter 1 verse 18 to 25. It amazed me how these passages spoke of what Smith did, and how the LDS people have traded truth for a lie. Joseph Smith held the truth away from the early LDS, putting his spin on God’s Word rather than letting His Word speak for him. The LDS today as they did then “profess themselves to be wise”. They are taught that only members of the LDS church can correctly explain, understand and decipher the Bible. They believe that they are the teachers and there is nothing of worth a non-LDS can teach them about it. In doing all of this the LDS have made themselves “fools”. They change the truth of God and turn it in to a lie; they have given into their flesh and their “itching ears”. 2 Timothy 4:3-4 says:
“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine;
but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers,
having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth,
and shall be turned unto fables.”
The LDS doctrines are full of things that may sound good, and logical to the unsaved person. To the saved individual, they know these ideas are wrong and do not line up the biblical teaching. They see religions like Mormonism for what they are, the false gospels Jesus, and Paul warns us about. As we find in Galatians 1:8-9.
As always my prayer is that the LDS people will come to know who their Savior truly is, be saved, and have everlasting life. It’s not all because of Joseph; it’s all because of Jesus.
In Christ,
Melissa Grimes
Posted in Joseph Smith & Lucifer Compared, Joseph Smith and Jesus Compared, tagged bible, false gospel, false prophet, gospel, History of the Church, Jesus, joseph smith, mormonism, salvation, truth on 01/11/2011 | Leave a Comment »
Joseph Smith and Jesus Compared
Luke 22:54-23:33 is the focus of this article and for the sake of space we ask that you open your own Bibles to read along as we point out the significant events that took place in Jesus’ last few days of life here on earth.
Through Jesus’ death God manifested His great love for us and introduced to mankind that grace was available to all – no matter the tribe or race you belonged! The grace of God brought with it a new lifestyle that was freer than anyone had previously known.
Works became an outward expression of our love for God and the concept that we had to work for salvation was nailed to the cross Jesus hung upon.
With these things in mind we turn our attention to what mankind can do in the name of God when he chooses to pervert truth and attempts to take the focus off the Creator.
At the time of this writing it is December 2005. During this great season of looking to God who gave us His Son, we are also striving to keep the LDS Church’s focus placed in the right direction.
This year just so happens to be the 200th anniversary of the birth of Joseph Smith. He was born on December 23, 1805 in Sharon, Vermont and you can read his testimony in length in the back of the Pearl of Great Price. The Church has placed much emphasis on the birth of Joseph with pageants throughout the U.S. and various other celebration gatherings while praising the name of Joseph Smith. Keep in mind they are not praising God that Smith was born; they are praising the man.
We decided it’d behoove our readers to have a side by side comparison of the arrest of Jesus and Joseph. Let’s see if the reasons for both these arrests were warranted, the outcome of each and their ramifications
| Jesus Christ | Joseph Smith |
| Arrested in Garden on Wednesday of Holy Week | Three main criticisms of Smith published in Nauvoo Expositor on June7, 1844. Polygamy, exaltation & false prophecy. He was mayor of Nauvoo, Lt. Gen. of the Legion of Nauvoo, Pres. of city council & Prophet of the Church |
| Taken to Annas, father in law of Caiaphas, questioned and beaten | Nauvoo City Council declared the destruction of newspaper for June 10, 1844. |
| Taken to Caiaphas the high priest to answer for false charge of blasphemy, beaten | Charged with riot by Illinois Governor Ford and issued warrant with guarantee of safety. |
| Questioned by Sanhedrin, beaten & spat upon | June 25, 1844 Joseph & Hyrum Smith arrested and incarcerated in Nauvoo. |
| Taken on Thursday to Annas, Caiaphas & Sanhedrin again, beaten and spat upon | Additional charges of treason are levied against Smith for declaring martial law. This is a capital offense. |
| On Friday-taken to Sanhedrin | Guns smuggled into jail & given to Smith brothers. |
| Taken to Pilate-found not guilty | Jailor at Carthage takes a sudden leave of absence with family. |
| Taken to Herod-found not guilty | Mob approaches Carthage jail, gets into gunfight with Joseph & Hyrum. |
| Taken to Pilate again to be condemned | Joseph manages to shoot & kill two people. |
| Crucified | Joseph & Hyrum are shot & killed. |
With the advent of the crucifixion of Jesus, people were set free from the Law, our sins were forgiven and God’s good news was spread throughout all the earth. There was no deceit found in His mouth, no weapons smuggled into the courtyard for His defense and no witnesses who would stand to give a good account of our Lord. He had committed no crime, broken no law, told no lie and came to set the captives free!
Joseph on the other hand was charged with numerous violations he had committed, jailed and didn’t wait for his day in court. Now you can say the mob didn’t wait either, but aren’t we supposed to wait upon the Lord and not our own understanding? It is illegal for the prisoner to have possession of a gun while incarcerated. What prisoners did Joseph set free?
After seeing a side-by-side account of these two men I’d like for the Mormon to tell me why it is they worship Joseph over Jesus…
Praise to the Man, Hymn #27
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Jesus annointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation,
Kings shall extol him and nations revere.
Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
Death cannot conquer the hero again.
Praise to his mem’ry he died as a martyr;
Honored and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by assassins,
Plead unto heav’n while the earth lauds his fame!
Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.
Ever and ever the keys he will hold.
Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom,
Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.
Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven;
Earth must atone for the blood of that man.
Wake up the world for the conflict of justice.
Millions shall know “Brother Joseph” again.
While reading over the words of that Mormon hymn there are many places one would think it was Jesus they are singing about, but sadly enough we all know the truth. Let us remember the sacrifices that Jesus made for us and have those be the things we keep our minds upon!
The Scottish missionary Amy Carmichael, once said; “If I covet any place but the dust at the foot of the cross, then I know nothing of Calvary Love”.
It looks as if the Mormons who have protested about this article are feeling as if they’ve been persecuted. They want the attention placed upon them and Joseph Smith instead of the sacrifice that our Lord Jesus so willingly gave for us.
Since the original posting of this article we have received several e-mails from angry Mormons condemning us for our work. Most didn’t even know they could read about the shoot out at Carthage from their own documents in History of the Church 6:612-630. Some had never heard that Joseph Smith had shot and killed two people before getting shot himself. Again, if we would keep our focus where it should be then perhaps we wouldn’t be so quick to throw out the truth!
Jude 24-5 says; “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
Posted in Joseph Smith & Lucifer Compared, Joseph Smith & Warren Jeffs Compared, tagged bible, false gospel, false prophet, FLDS, Jesus, joseph smith, mormonism, polygamy, salvation, truth, Warren Jeffs on 01/11/2011 | Leave a Comment »
Joseph Smith and Warren Jeffs Compared
On August 29, 2006, Warren Steed Jeffs, prophet of the FLDS Church, was arrested just outside of Las Vegas after being pulled over on a routine traffic stop by the Nevada Highway Patrol. He had been on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted List since May.
I don’t know how many times since I heard the above news that I have stopped to wonder what must be going through the minds of the followers of the FLDS Church, headquartered on the border of southern Utah and northern Arizona.
It must be a busy time there with the families having emergency meetings to discuss what their next move should be. I am certain they will wait to hear for direction from their prophet, but my thoughts go more towards those who will begin questioning God today because of the actions of their leader. Odds are, the members who are wondering about God wouldn’t dare to audibly express their questioning mind. And those who don’t doubt God will see this as more persecution from the “outside”.
To give you some idea of how this community “came to be” we need to take a quick look back in time. In 1928 polygamists first moved to Colorado City, AZ (originally called Short Creek) for the sake of privacy; by that time polygamy had been federally outlawed for almost 40 years by the Edmunds-Tucker Act of 1890, so their practice of multiple wives went on behind closed doors. With a difference of opinions, the leaders split the group and established the “sister” community of Hildale, UT in 1958.
Most reports say the group has 10,000 members now, but previous claims in the past few years have gone as high as 30-50,000. They have had various leaders throughout the last hundred years; Jeffs is just the latest of more than a handful the FLDS has seen.
The members of the FLDS hold a deep devotion for their leader, believing that he has been sent by God to speak for him. They literally believe that whatever and whenever he speaks; it is gospel. If you’ve had a chance to watch the news reports of the people living at the compounds you will have seen and heard their devotion to the “latter-day prophet”.
The FLDS believes to this day that the mainstream Mormon Church, (headquartered in Salt Lake City), has forsaken the true teachings of the “Restored Gospel” that was delivered to Joseph Smith more than 175 years ago. Their experiences of love and adoration are the same for Jeffs as they are for their founding father, Joseph Smith. They are totally convinced the revelation to practice polygamy (D&C 132) was instituted of God and a necessary work to obtain salvation.
While they may look different to us on the “outside”, they believe they are living their religion and trying to be as pure as they possibly can to please their god. If you have any experience with the doctrines of LDS theology, you would probably agree with me that the FLDS Church is actually living a “purer” form of Mormonism than their counterparts in Salt Lake City. Don’t get me wrong, I still don’t agree with anything they teach! Their understanding of Deity, the Bible and continued revelation are polar opposites of traditional Judeo-Christian beliefs!
In light of the advent of Jeffs arrest and publicity, I thought it would be a good idea for some reflection of past and present prophets in the LDS Church and its “subsidiaries”.
Generally, the majority of Mormons that I’ve spoken with about Jeffs and the FLDS say they hope he is brought in and prosecuted for the crimes that he’s been accused of in Utah and Arizona. They believe that sexual crimes against a child are abhorrent and the perpetrator needs to be held accountable for the sake of the children. When I ask if they believe he should be charged with breaking the Edmunds-Tucker Act, they will reply with a resounding yes!
When asked why they don’t have D&C 132 removed from their writings since they don’t practice polygamy anymore, some members tell me it will be in effect when we get to heaven; meaning the teaching is still true even though man would not honor it as such.
Others tell me that if they remove it then they would have to “gut” the majority of their written teachings. Let’s pray the Lord will open their eyes to the realization of what they’ve said! None of them would ever admit that it (polygamy) is not from God; nor would any member of the Church openly admit what Joseph Smith did back in the 1830’s was wrong. I’ve been told “times were different back then”, or “there were 5 women to every one man back then”.
You will hear a different opinion for each person you ask about the polygamy issue; but the common denominator between all the responses I’ve received from church members is what disturbs me the most. “It was ordained of God and it was okay for Smith to practice plural marriage in the nineteenth century”. Fast forward to the twenty first century and you’ll hear that Jeffs is an outlaw and should be arrested. That’s quite the double standard! This situation reminds me a lot of my own family.
I’ve spoken before and shared with everyone that Butch Cassidy is my great-great-great uncle. While growing up I had the opportunity to meet his sister Lulu a few times when my grandmother would drive us down for a rare visit. Now whenever I’ve shared this little piece of family history with others, I receive a wide-eyed excited reaction more times than not. It’s as if Butch Cassidy went from being the thug that he really was a hundred years ago, to some larger than life folk hero. People generally don’t see past the blue eyes of Paul Newman and Robert Redford’s depiction of the sordid ways of the “Wild Bunch”.
Well, he may have lived in a time that we only read about now in history books or see in the movies, but his crimes were real. He really robbed banks at gun point, he really blew up trains, and he really killed and hurt people. How glamorous is he now?
It’s the same thing with Smith and Jeffs. Smith really burned down a printing press; he really took wives unto himself when he was already married to Emma; he really declared Martial Law in the town of Nauvoo, Illinois; he really did declare himself Lieutenant Governor, mayor and city council president; and he really had been charged in New York with being a disorderly person and an imposter in 1826; court papers documenting charges filed against him for assault and battery in 1835, and on it goes.
If Smith were around today would you believe his message? What if your daughter came home from school one day and said; “Guess what, I heard a man speak at campus today about God. He said that God and Jesus appeared to him and told him I should be his fifth wife…” Wouldn’t you be the least bit concerned? If it were one of my daughters I’d be locking my doors.
~Why is it okay for Smith to practice polygamy but not Jeffs?
~Why is it okay for the Church to leave the teachings of D&C 132 in their writings if they don’t believe in it anymore?
~Jeffs is accused of arranging marriages of young girls to much older men who are practicing polygamy. This is obviously against the law; however, Joseph Smith did the same thing.
~Jeffs was also accused of unlawful flight from the police. Smith went from Palmyra, to Missouri, then Ohio and to Nauvoo. After Smith’s death the church then fled to Utah after being “persecuted” by the town.
To reiterate my point to all this; what is the difference between what Jeffs has done in 2006 and what Smith did in the 1800’s? The Church is always telling its members to live their religion and to obey so that they will go to heaven. Seems to me Jeffs was just “living his religion”. According to D&C 132:4 it says you’ll be damned if you don’t obey. “For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.”
Bruce McConkie said this in Mormon Doctrine, pg. 118; “Celestial marriage is a holy and an eternal ordinance; as an order of the priesthood, it has the name the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. Adam was the first one on this earth to enter into this type of union, and it has been the Lord’s order in all ages when the fulness of the gospel has been on earth.”
Whenever I receive e-mails or calls from Mormons they always make sure to tell me that they do good works for the Lord and proof of their “Christianity” are their good works – they will then quote Matthew 7:20 which says “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.”
My answer to that is “you’re absolutely right!” Take a good long look at Warren Jeffs, the product of Joseph Smith’s “righteous” god. The people that lived 175 years ago didn’t like the things the LDS Church stood for anymore than we do today.
I know that if you’re a Mormon reading this, you’re probably insulted. For this I can honestly say I wish it weren’t that way. I know it’s offensive when you feel that you are the doctrines of Mormonism. I can also tell you that we don’t publish these articles or bring to light “news” of the Church to bash you with it, or to antagonize. It has never been my intention, nor will it ever be that way for us here at Life After Ministries. We do however, want to encourage you to pick up the references we quote to take a look for yourself and know we are always in prayer for you!
With Love in Christ;
Michelle Grim
1 Cor. 1:18
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