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Posts Tagged ‘Magic’

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive”. Ephesians 4:14

 The April 2020 Liahona carried an enlightening article on how Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon.

It seems as if they threw caution to the wind, but held fast to the claim it was done through the ‘power of God’.

Here in part is what they said – (more…)

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Today we’re looking at a vitally important piece of Mormon history – the translation process of the so-called golden plates.

The other day I got to thinking about all the different stories I’ve read about Smith’s method of translation, and of course I wondered if my mother knows about them. Based on experience when discussing Mormonism with her, I can only surmise she isn’t aware.

Trying to piece together how Smith translated the golden plates has been as taxing as it was when we investigated the 11 different versions of his first vision. One thing is abundantly clear in Mormonism.

Nothing is simple.

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Mormon Decisions 10Helaman 13:31; “And behold, the time cometh that he curseth your riches, that they become slippery, that ye cannot hold them; and in the days of your poverty ye cannot retain them.”

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Jupiter Talisman 2It’s almost impossible to do any research on Mormonism without coming across historical documentation of Joseph Smith’s participation in the occult and the speech we’re listing here is a good example of that.

Of all the subjects within the world of Mormonism, learning about Joseph’s participation in the occult is what shocked me the most when I finally left the Church.  All I can say is that I had absolutely no idea he did these things, but looking back on the things I participated in as a Mormon I shouldn’t have been surprised…

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Treasure-Seeking Ways of Joseph

Mormon Decisions 10The following is an excerpt from an interview of Joseph Smith’s father by local journalists. The book A New Witness for Christ in America was written by Francis Kirkham in defense of the Church. Mr. Kirkham was tutored by James Talmage, attended BYU, graduated from Univ. Michigan, went to law school at the Univ. of Utah and even taught at BYU for two years, served 3 yr mission for the Church and wrote a grammar book for missionaries to help them learn Maori. 

While living in New York and performing in-depth studies of the Book of Mormon Mr. Kirkham had the opportunity to compile dozens of interviews and articles of Joseph Smith’s family members and contemporaries from New York and Ohio newspapers. The compilation of those papers resulted in Kirkham’s book series A New Witness for Christ in America. 

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The Golden Plates of Mormonism

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 555;While the plates were in Joseph’s keeping, others saw them, including eleven witnesses whose testimonies appear in all editions of the book.  Various descriptions provided by eyewitnesses suggest that the plates may have been made of a gold alloy, measured about 6 inches by 8 inches (15.2 cm by 20.3 cm), were 6 inches (15.2 cm) thick, and weighed about 50 pounds (22.7 kg).

Mosiah 8:9;And for a testimony that the things that they had said are true they have brought twenty-four plates which are filled with engravings, and they are of pure gold.

Today we’re looking at the gold plates and Joseph Smith’s character.  Where are the plates today?  Were they made of gold or something resembling gold?  The many descriptions of the plates remind me of Joseph Smith.  Some say he was the real deal just as those plates, while others tell a story of a man that looks good on the outside, but when you get up close it becomes clear all that glitters isn’t gold.

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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)

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