Standing up for Truth and Joseph
Mormonism is true. Keep the baby (the Restored Gospel) and throw out the dirty bath water (Brigham's false god of polygamy).
Courageously seek Truth. The tone of this pro-Mormonism website is set by J. Reuben Clark of the First Presidency:
“If we have the truth no harm can come from investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed.”
Why would any truth-loving member of the church want to avoid "harming" Brigham's lies?
The astonishing things i've learned about Mainstream lds
Mainstream LDS believe their founding prophet was a liar but didn't lose his authority (DC 121:37)!
DC 121:36-37 says if you drift from righteous conduct (i.e., if Joseph was lying to his wife and the world) and seek to "cover your sins" you lose the spirit of God AND your priesthood or authority! Lying would directly result in Joseph losing his priesthood. It's black and white. If you're not okay with the church's official position that Joseph was lying to his wife, the courts, the church, and the world, then stand up for Joseph!
Mainstream LDS believe my wife and I are apostate for openly saying Joseph was an honest man.
If my wife and I are "astray" by declaring Joseph was honest, is that "apostate" conduct? The church thinks so! Our stake president literally told us we could believe that Joseph was honest and Brigham was lying, but WE HAD TO KEEP OUR BELIEF PRIVATE! Top church leadership outrageously and falsely accuse us of apostasy for defending Jospeh, but yet no leader and no member point out how we err in doctrine. Even now at this very moment I'll ask the you, the reader, to please point out where we err in doctrine. Will you say anything? Are you ok with the official "narrative" of the church that Joseph was lying to his wife and the world? No leader and no friend of ours has even tried to explain how we are in error by declaring that Joseph fought polygamy his whole life. How can it be that a church that claims to be "true" and asks people to investigate its claims REFUSES to investigate Joseph's own anti-polygamy position (canonized in Scripture in the 1835-1844 D&C) and his tireless efforts to denounce and eradicate polygamy? Is this not shameful hypocrisy? Please tell us how we err.
There's no sense of duty to try to save us!
How is it possible that nobody attempts to bring my wife and I back to the "true fold", assuming you think "the church is TRUE" and we have wandered astray? Everyone sheepishly prefers to put their head in the sand and say nothing. Is that loving or noble or admirable or courageous? If you desire to help us, please contact us immediately and help us. Our door is open!Let's talk. You can have the floor! We're all ears, and want to hear what you have to say.
There's no shame in leaders BEING tyrants!
The only "correction" offered by our leaders is to submit to them. This is brazenly authoritarian and unequivocally the behavior of a cult. Demanding submission is an act that is clearly condemned by the Lord when He says "no power of influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood ("supposed authority" that abusers think they have). You just can't demand obedience to yourself like a thug, ever, and expect to be on good terms with the Lord. Any leader who demands submission to them because they are a leader loses any connection they might have had to heaven, and are left to "kick against the pricks and persecute the saints" (DC 121:36-38). Our high council stood by and not only allowed but unanimously and officially ENDORSED this open and unapologetic aggresive act of unrighteous domination by our stake president. Do you stand with the high council of the Louisville KY stake high council and their approval of and use of flagrant compulsion, or do you denounce any action that compels members to fall in line and support the Brighamite teaching of polygamy or lose your leaders' favor? In short, do you feel shame in your leaders despicably abusing their "supposed authority" to silence those who openly defend Joseph as an honest man (DC 121:39)?
There's an embarrasing double standard!
Members will send their kids out on missions and ask the world to investigate Brigham's version of history which defines Joseph as a liar, pedophile, and adulterer, but they won't investigate Joseph Smith's true historical opposition to polygamy, which completely exonerates him while smashing the anti Mormon attacks on Joseph that simply present Brigham's teachings in lurid view!
This unfortunately is nothing short of gross hypocrisy. But it can be repented of right now, by replacing your allegiance to the brethren with loyalty to your Savior. Put your trust in Jesus, not evil imposters (wolves in sheep's clothing). Why not REALLY embrace the teachings of the Restoration, even if that ironically means STANDING UP FOR TRUTH AND JOSEPH?
The LDS leaders and mainstream members don't care about truth!
There is ZERO interest in inconvenient Truth. I'm not exaggerating. NOBODY that I know in the mainstream church has a remote interest in investigating the truth of whether Joseph or Brigham was lying about polygamy. Prove me wrong (3 Nephi 20:41). The stakes are high: if you don't "hear" the voice of the Lord, you will be destroyed (Acts 3:23 and JSH 1:40). That's a serious consequence, wouldn't you say? And yet, I'm aware of no church leaders or Kentucky members of the church who want to give consideration to the irrefutable historical evidence that Joseph was fighting polygamy his entire life. They all bury their heads. Maybe you'll be the first to investigate?
Fear of men has been institutionalized!
How else to explain the silence of our friends and family other than to state the obvious: mainstream members FEAR their leadership. They literally fear their leaders might withdraw some "blessing" from them, as if men can save them. NEWSFLASH: they can't! Trust Christ to save you, not an institution! Be reminded that even Joseph was chastised by the Lord (see DC 3:7-8) for thinking more of what men thought than what God thought! Find some courage and exercise a particle of faith by planting the word (Alma 32) that monogamy is the law of God, and that Joseph was telling the truth! Brigham was lying. The light will come on if you begin to believe! Believe the Lord, just like King Lamoni did, and forsake your evil tradition!
Exposing fraud and apostasy doesn't wake them up!
Plain evidence to you that the church leaders are wrong and in opposition to Christ is that they do not specify any doctrinal error we have made. We are declaring Joseph to not be mendacious, but that it was Brigham who was lying. Our leaders simply try to force us to bend to their will (submit to them by not publicly saying Brigham was lying and that Joseph was telling the truth), while they seek to hide in darkness and refuse to come into the light (John 3:19). They do not want to deal with the consequences that Brigham was the fraud, and not Joseph. They don't want to lose the power and gain (1 Nephi 22:23) those lies of Brigham have given them. They are truly loyal Brighamites! They prefer power and gain to truth (Jesus Christ). Are not these men EVIL wolves preying on the sheep, just as Jesus warned would be a threat to you (Matthew 7:15). Oh, but they say they can't lead you astray (see OD 1)! Now what honest man on earth would ever assert it was impossible for him to mislead you?! Nobody but a con artist, or a cult leader. "Beware of false prophets", the Savior warned! It's a command so vital that it's in the Sermon on the Mount (see Matt 7:15). If an expose of your leaders' fraud doesn't wake you up, can you not see you are in a cult, led by leaders that are preying on you with zero sympathy (Moses 7:26) for your unwitting ignorance they are wolves?
There's no interest in DOING the "first principles of the gospel".
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and repentance (turning away form anything else, esp man and facing the Lord) are the first principles of the gospel (see the 4th Article of Faith). And yet members' faith is squarely placed in their church leaders. The leaders (the church institution) carefully mold their sheep (those who hear THEIR voice) so everyone looks at them instead of Jesus. You can't look at both your leaders and Jesus at the same time, can you? The institutional mantra which has been engraven in members' minds is to "follow the prophet." Sing along now! But no man, not even Adam, Moses, or Joseph Smith, can save you. Only Jesus can. Can you turn away from the brethren who want your eyes and devotion fixed on them, and face your Savior? He invites you to do so, and He gifted you the Book of Mormon to show you that He's willing to manifest Himself to you (see Title Page of the BoM). That literal and redemptive manifestation of Him to you (the Second Comforter) can only happen if you will follow Him, and not any man (see DC 76:98-101)!
Despite these openly-practiced evils by LDS leadership, mainstream members still follow these wolves
I don't use the word "evil" loosely or for effect. It is the correct word because these actions are anti Christ and unabashedly practiced.The following verifiable, factual actions of LDS leadership (who are sustained by active stake presidents and bishops and the general membership) are all absolutely evil. The devil delights and laughs with his angels to have his will carried out by men who present themselves as the Lord's mouthpieces, thus using and taking His name in vain (their vanity), a direct violation of the 10 Commandments (Exodus 20:7, see also "vain ambition" in DC 121:37). I marvel at how mainstream members turn a blind eye to this awful wickedness!
-Leaders compel obedience to THEMSELVES! They exercise unrighteous dominion by demanding they be followed or else be cast out. This is evil and unacceptable in any Christian environment, much less in a church which claims to be the Lord's church.
-They say Joseph was lying to the church, the courts, the world, and his wife about NOT practicing polygamy, and yet insist he retained his priesthood. This evil is the stuff of conmen, and yet this evil is unhesitatingly overlooked.
-Church leaders, in the handbook, have written a definition of "apostasy" that removes Christ's gospel as the standard and instead requires conformity to leaders' demands. The handbook is public info. This rejection of the gospel as the true measuring stick for behavior is condoned by members (YOU! if you're a mainstream member reading this) without protest. The leaders have gone wildly apostate, lifting up their heads in wickedness (Alma 30:18), but unflinchingly accuse others of apostasy who conform to the scriptures!
-The leaders reject the Lord's commandment to not practice priestcraft by doing the exact opposite! They have canonized and still heavily push the BIG LIE and heresy that the president of the church can't lead the church astray (OD1). But that is "priestcraft" by definition! It sets the president up as a light (see 2 Nephi 26:29), and yet, this evil is tolerated by the mainstream.
-They excommunicate members who stick up for Joseph and defend the Lord's teaching of monogamy as found in the 1835-1844 editions of the D&C when Joseph was alive. This action is incongruent with the gospel and should be swiftly condemned, but loyal followers of the brethren don't dare utter a peep. They stay quiet and follow their leaders, demonstrating themselves to be telestial beings (see DC 76:98-101).
-Church leadership add requirements for baptism (see baptism interview questions), when Jesus says adding to his doctrine is of the devil (3 Nephi 11:40).
-The leaders are utterly intolerant of members reading things they don't approve of. This is brazenly the stuff of a cult brainwashing its members, yet members hearken to this evil and refuse to even investigate JOSEPH's own words that prove he fought polygamy.
-The leadership in 1921 removed the doctrine (the Lectures on Faith) approved by Joseph Smith and sustained unanimously by the church in 1835. This evil done without a church vote was evil and has catastrophically damaged the ability of members to exercise faith unto life and salvation.
-Leaders do not condemn 'leader worship' by the members. Instead of harshly condemning the body of members who unitedly stand up when an apostle enters a room, they allow this sickening idolatry to persist, when they should end this practice and place focus on Jesus.
-Desptie Jesus saying to BEWARE of false prophets, which necessarily requires us to examine their "fruits" (many listed above), LDS church leaders don't allow or tolerate examination of their own works/ teachings/ fruits. This intolerance is unmasked evil, and yet is accepted by the mainstream.
There are dozens of other examples. Moroni 7 gives clear direction on how we can judge evil from good. We can know what is good by judging whether it entices us to do good, to love God, to serve Him, and to persuade to believe in Christ. It's that simple and perfect. Use the standard given in Moroni 7:13-17 to determine if a teaching or action of somebody is good and of Christ. If not, then reject that teaching.
And so I ask you, how many evil teachings and practices of the leaders do you need to convince yourself that you're being led by ravenous wolves? Do you at least say within yourself, "Hmm, maybe I should be suspicious. Maybe I should make sure I am founded on Christ and focus my eyes on Christ and not men."
Where do top leaders and I differ?
Who defends Joseph?
It's astonishing how LDS leadership, when faced with the dilemma of having to choose whether it was Joseph or Brigham telling the truth, is perfectly fine with saying Joseph Smith lied about polygamy, but they WILL NOT dare even whisper Brigham was guilty of the sin (of lying) that thrusts a man down to hell (2 Nephi 9:34). In other words, they will easily condemn Joseph to hell while defending Brigham whose notorious racist teachings and blood atonement doctrine they concede are wrong. In what alternate universe is it conceivable the LDS church willingly condemns its founding prophet to hell by insisting Joseph was lying, as liars are "thrust down to hell" (2 Nephi 9:34), while doggedly defending Brigham who the average Joe can discern is obviously lying to excuse his whoredoms (Jacob 2:23)?
Only one of the two can be telling the truth. There is no middle ground. Will you stand by (in the presence of God and witnesses all around you) and let the LDS leadership (the Brethren) officially "cry Joseph sinned when he has not sinned" (DC 121:16)? In opposition to everything Joseph did to oppose polygamy, the Brethren officially side with Brigham over Joseph by continuing to insist Joseph was the liar, rather Brigham. They only allow room in their curriculumn for Brigham's narrative that Joseph was secretly practicing it, all the while covering up Joseph's great efforts to condemn and eradicate the abomination. Whereas I say he is innocent of those posthumous accusations made by Brigham Young. Joseph and Emma always fought polygamy. All of Joseph's speeches and actions testify of his opposition to polygamy. Brigham on the other hand "sought to excuse himself in committing whoredoms because of the things" David and Solomon did (Jacob 2:23). Conveniently, so Joseph couldn't defend himself and excommunicate Brigham, Brigham waited 8 years past Joseph's murder to allege Joseph was secretly practing what Brigham then started to make public! Is it too hard to conceive that Brigham could have been a conman with an insatiable lust for power and gain (and women)? He died the wealthiest man in Utah, married to dozens of women. Could he have been the poster child for fallen (the natural) man? "...remember that he that persists in his own carnal, [sensual, devilish] nature, and goes on in the ways of sin and rebellion against God, he remains in his fallen state and the Devil hath all power over him. Therefore, he is as though there was no redemption made, being an enemy to God; and also is the Devil an enemy to God" (Mosiah 16:3-5).
To my LDS Kentucky friends: Keep the baby (restored Gospel), discard the dirty water (falsehoods).
The BoM repeatedly warns, "Inasmuch as you will not keep the commandments of God, ye shall be cut off from his presence." Is having a "go along to get along" ALL IS WELL IN ZION commitment and loyalty to the LDS leadership worth being cut off from his presence?
The leadership of the LDS Church is destroying the church as it insists Joseph Smith lied publicly to hide his secret polygamy. Practicing polygamy was adultery and was a crime in Joseph's day. So when the church today claims its founder did this, they are saying he was a criminal who lied publicly to church members and to the world.
Are you okay with this?
The widespread and easy access to Joseph's teachings that prove he vigorously fought polygamy has changed everything, just as the Gutenberg press put information in the hands of the People and exposed the corruption of the Catholic church and broke the hegemonic influence of the Catholic church. A mass exodus out of the church accelerates today before our very eyes. People like me (and maybe you?) are learning for the first time that Joseph never taught or endorsed polygamy. But the church curriculum hides that history from its members. Joseph's anti-polygamy teaching are purposely omitted. However, easy access to Joseph's teachings allows anybody the opportunity to see for themselves that Joseph never lied. He was consistent in denouncing polygamy. He was wholesome and faithful to his wife.
Can the current leadership reverse its course by distancing itself from Brigham, just as they did with his embarrassing racism? Can they repent and turn away from Brigham and towards Christ? Is there too much at stake? Are the BILLIONS of dollars, and power/control over members who place their trust in a leader (who they claim can't lead you astray) too great of a sacrifice for them to make? Could it be you are putting your trust in man (2 Nephi 4:34)? The BoM is clear. "Power and gain" (see 1 Nephi 22:23 and Ether 8:22-23) is what corruption cherishes! Decide for yourself why the Brethren are committed to Brigham's big lie in which he rewrote history and pinned HIS insatiable lust on Joseph who was dead and could not defend himself.
Keep the baby, discard the dirty bath water. Embrace the true teachings of the Restoration and put your trust in Jesus Christ, not any leader. "Touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing (the teachings of Brigham and his supporters). Awake and arise...come unto Christ...and deny yourselves of all ungodliness..." (Moroni 10:30-32).
Moroni issues this chilling warning to the LDS (and Gentiles at large) in Ether 8:22: "The Lord will not suffer that the blood of his saints (Joseph and Hyrum are at the top of the list), which shall be shed by [a secret combination], shall always cry unto him from the ground for vengeance upon them and yet he avenge them not." VENGENANCE IS COMING to the church who professes to know the Lord and represent Him! I am not overstating this! The D&C proclaims:
Behold, vengeance cometh speedily...And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, says the Lord — first, among those among you, says the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, says the Lord. (DC 112:24-26).
You might be deceived if you can't answer YES to these:
Are you able to say that your LDS tradition might be wrong?
Could it be that Joseph was telling the truth and not lying publicly? Can you meekly say that's a possibility?
Can you without reservation state that NO institution can save you?
Belief that an institution can save you is an abomination. Nowhere in scripture is this taught. But what is taught is that only Christ can save. Can you separate Jesus Christ from your beloved institution - the LDS church? They are not the same thing.
If I'm a lost sheep, do you care enough about me to rescue me by reaching out to me?
One of the most remarkable things I've witnessed is that none of you have sought to recover me. I'm seeking Christ. I love Mormonism. I remain loyal to the BoM. And yet all of you with no exceptions, from leaders to the general body, appear to live in fear or apathy. What do you fear? If you deny living in fear or possessing apathy towards investigating truth and defending Joseph, why haven't you contacted me?! Let's get together and you can do 90% of the talking! I'd love to hear from you. Any takers?
Do you explore or investigate uncomfortable ideas?
Everyone who has rejected a true prophet (from Jesus to Joseph Smith) has lived in their own echo chamber, refusing to examine inconvenient ideas that oppose their tradition.
Can you admit that Joseph was not lying and that Brigham was?
One of the two was lying. If Brigham tried to pin HIS OWN polygamy (whoredoms) on Joseph who was dead and unable to defend himself, yes, that has implications for you to think about. No need to fear, because...Christ still lives, and the Book of Mormon is still true. If you have received a witness from the holy ghost that the Book of Mormon is true, that means Joseph was therefore a true prophet....but that witness has NOTHING to do with Brigham or subsequent presidents of the church, it has to do with the Book of Mormon and its translator. You are instructed in Moroni 10:3-5 to ask if the BoM is true, not if Brigham is true.
Can you keep your eye on Christ, believing He is "the way" and not the Brethren?
The Brethren can't save you. Only Christ can. Why would any man ask you to follow him?
Can your loyalty to "the brethren" resemble those who blindly followed the Sanhedrin over Jesus?
The members of the church in Jesus' day "followed the prophet". They kept their eyes on "the Brethren", even to the point of rejecting and killing their Messiah. If the Lord sent a messenger today, like Himself, or like John the Baptist, or like Joseph Smith, or like Abinadi, what evidence can you point to that you accept that messenger? Make sure your loyalty is to Christ and not your leaders.
Do you read "unapproved" sources?
Can you see how controlling it is for any man or men (your institutional leaders) to tell you that you shouldn't read what they disapprove of? The Sanhedrin bluntly opposed and DISAPPROVED of Jesus. You are in great peril if you limit yourself to what the modern Sanhedrin (the Brethren) tells you to read!
Can you please God over men (the Brethren) by pledging full allegiance to Christ?
"For do I now please men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. But I certify to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man, for I neither received it of man..." (Gal 1:10-12 JST)
Can the president of the church, as a fallible man, lead the church astray?
Read OD1 in the Doctrine & Covenants. It astonishingly FALSELY claims the president of the church can't lead you astray. This is plainly anti Christ. This is the very definition of priestcraft and encourages idolatry. “'Priestcrafts are that men preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the welfare of Zion" (2 Nephi 26:29). The OD1 heresy sets up the president for a light unto the world -- the Church boldly asserts its own president can't lead you astray! How comforting! Sounds like the church wants you to trust their leadership, wouldn't you say?
Can you name one thing that the church teaches that damns members?
I just named one above: OD1's statement that the president can't lead the church astray is false and should be immediately disavowed publicly by the church as a foolish and dangerous addition (added in 1984!). Or was this 1984 addition INTENTIONAL? Can you even agree that OD1 is outlandishly incorrect and the record should be set straight, namely, that it is dangerous, because it encourages idolatry of the Brethren?
Could you be of telestial glory right now by "loving the lie" of Brigham and the institution?
The Lord defines (in DC 76:103) the type of weak character that is comfortable in the telestial world: those who are not just liars and adulterers, but those who "love a lie." You don't have to MAKE or SAY the lie, you just have to "love" it (go along to get along). Do you love the insidious lie of Brigham that Joseph Smith lied to the world publicly, and secretly practiced polygamy? Are you willing to exchange your birthright for a "mess of pottage" (pledging your allegiance to Brigham's teachings)? See Genesis 25:29-34.
Is joseph worth your time to investigate his words?
CAN you believe Joseph over Brigham?
Is it a virtue to steadfastly refuse even a token effort to confirm Joseph opposed polygamy? If you're going to investigate Joseph's tireless oppostion to polygamy, that means you have to, ironically, look at an "unapproved source" (Joseph's own words and actions!), something the Brethren don't want you to do. Why do they not want you to know Joseph fought polygamy and that he never practiced it? Their intolerance of (and animosity towards) Joseph's own anti-polygamy teachings is a big clue as to who controls the LDS church, is it not? If you personally refuse to look at Josephs' own words (and thereby "love" the lie of Brigham), does such a refusal bode well for you at Judgment Day?
Imagine Joseph, as dispensation head, being present at your judgment and asking you, "Why wouldn't you believe my words?" There would be no words to express your humiliation. "Uh...but I was following the brethren...," as you sunk in shame with the light finally coming on that believing a lie about Joseph was a big deal after all! Nothing more would need to be said as your words would condemn you -- YOU WERE FOLLOWING THE BRETHREN. You have the opportunity at this very moment to set things right: Turn away from the lies of Brigham and turn to the Lord who taught clearly polygamy is an abomination, and that "the liar... shall be thrust down to hell" (2 Nephi 9:34). Joseph wasn't lying, BRIGHAM was!
Do you love Brigham's teachings that much to not even hear Joseph out? All because you are loyal to the institution that throws Joseph under the bus?
Is Brigham's well-documented racism preferred to equality? NO, mainstream Mormons can let that go. Is Brigham's blood atonement doctrine preferable to God's grace offered through Christ's Atonement? No, they can let that go too. Is Brigham's secret sex with his spiritual wives preferrable to traditional monogamy prescribed by the scriptures? I guess it is, right? Mainstream LDS won't dare say otherwise. Will you? Is Brigham's publicly-announced sex with multiple women (polygamy as a celestial tenet announced 8 years after Joseph's death by Brigham) preferrable to Section 101 of the D&C (a section Brigham later removed!): "Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again" (1835 - 1844 editions of the Doctrine and Covenants). Do you prefer this alleged "celestial" practice to the monogamy God teaches? There is none who dares to molest this Brighamite teaching at church, not you or anybody, is that right? Or can you break free from the fear and conditioning of decades of Brighamite influence and investigate Joseph's side of the story?
So, I ask you, do you love these Brighamite teachings so much that you're unwilling to take a peek at how Joseph tirelessly fought the false accusations of him practicing polygamy secretly?
More than anything, I think most mainstream LDS think they can just stick their fingers in their ears, as if that will excuse them of the command to discern (beware of) a false prophet, and to heed the words of a true prophet. What makes you any different than those who rejected Jesus in favor of following the Sanhedrin? Heaven forbid if God actually followed the historical pattern Mormon missionaries teach -- and sent a true messenger outside the religious hierarchy (the "Brethren"). Naturally, the esteemed "brethren" would not label the outsider messenger sent from the Father as "authorized" but rather as a "heretic". The Brethren and those who follow them, who "suppose" they have a "little authority (DC 121), might even kill the "heretic", as was the fate of Jesus, Abinadi, and Joseph Smith. One who knows history would actually EXPECT the Brethren to defame and even kill a true messenger, just as Jesus and Joseph were.
And what does history record? Joseph was defamed (the lie was that he was secretly practicing polygamy!) and he was murdered! Yet he constantly denounced the abomination. Will you not believe him? Will you reject Joseph's words and actions (opposing polygamy) and hold him in derision too as Brigham outrageously did eight years after Joseph's murder by trying to pin Brigham's sexual deviancy on Joseph?
Realize this: both Joseph and Brigham can't be telling the truth. Joseph was lying or Brigham was. If you believe Brigham's version (announced in 1852), then what that means (take your fingers out of your ears) is that Joseph was a liar and fraud, and a hypocrite of the ages. You can't have it both ways! When you 'go along to get along' and say Joseph publicly condemned polygamy and privately practiced it, why would you believe anything Joseph said or wrote (like the Book of Mormon)? Perhaps it's "okay" that Joseph engaged in deceit and hypocrisy because, as a current LDS bishop told me, "he was just a natural man (he actually quoted to me Mosiah 3:19!), just like the rest of us are!"
You can't have it both ways, no matter if the devil says you can. Joseph can't be a fraud and be a true prophet. The devil whispers in your ears, "What the heck is Joe talking about? He's lost it. He thinks the church says Joseph is a liar? Ignore him. Don't investigate Joseph fighting polygamy! All is well in Zion!" The devil is actually asking you to NOT investigate Joseph Smith's own words! Now you know how people feel when a missionary gives them a BoM and invites them to read it. Heeding the warning of their well-meaning friends and family that the BoM is false, they put the book on the shelf and never take it down to read it because they "know" it's false, just as you "know" I must be misled (even though I'm quoting Joseph)!
Don't succumb to the lies of the devil, even if the lying spirit says to you, "don't read unapproved sources." For crying out loud, YOU are a Mormon. You KNOW Joseph's own words are "approved." So why fear them? Be courageous and investigate Joseph's own words!
What I'm inviting you to do is simply investigate. Investigate what? A MESSAGE OF SALVATION. It begins with hearing and heeding Joseph's words and the Book of Mormon! Be grateful you have been warned.
If you're LDS and you're reading this website, liken yourself to someone who just heard Lehi's warnings in Jerusalem. Nearly 100% of the people rejected him. Liken yourself to the people who heard John the Baptist's testimony. Almost all rejected his testimony. Liken yourself to those who heard Jesus' own words in His day. As you know, almost all rejected Him. And now, you don't have to imagine what it would have been like to live in Joseph's day and to have heard Joseph's own words. You're experiencing it RIGHT NOW AT THIS MOMENT! I am inviting you to hear and consider the words of Joseph Smith, which are his own words that disavow polygamy. Yes, this message is different from the Brighamite false tradition that polygamy is celestial. The BoM teaches the same truth in Jacob 2 that polygamy is a whoredom and abomination. Back in the early 1800's, nearly all people rejected Joseph. Will you do the same today? God is administering the same test to you as He did in former times. Rejoice in the opportunity to repent and turn to Christ and forsake your idols of men. Why cling to men and any institution that can't save you, even though they set themselves up as light to do that very thing.
In each case above, the people who rejected the Lord's voice did so BECAUSE OF their religion. They had no use for, and even ridiculed and despised messengers sent by God and their message. Will you do the same? Will you hold Joseph "in derision" (DC 122:1) like the mainstream (LDS) Brighamite teaching does? Will you allow that derision to go unchallenged, as if God would be okay with your apathy or downright support of a "whoredom and abomination"?
If you will not lift a finger to investigate, could you be walking in darkness at Noon day? You would fit the description of those who are blind, but think they see. Watch the video I made for you to help you understand that you must first become "blind" to see.
I ask you, like Alma did in Alma 32, to exercise a particle of faith, and consider the import of what I'm saying to you. Plant the word, nourish it, and see if it will grow. Be not faithless, but believing (John 20:27).
The Most Significant Mormon & Christian Missionary Event in KY History Happened On March 26, 2022
As improbable as it may seem to you, God is working again, in perfect harmony with the teachings of the Restoration (Mormon 9:7-10). Are mainstream LDS interested in God offering them something new today, or will they turn away in unbelief like most do when two Mormon missionaries knock on their door? I hope you will open your door and receive the message and not fearfully or dismissively stay behind your closed door!
More than ever, we have to read and know the scriptures and take the holy spirit as our guide (DC 45:57), and not simply outsource our thinking and therefore our very salvation to any leader. "Cursed is he that puts his trust in man (church leaders are men)." (2 Nephi 4:34; 28:31)
The "fulness of the gospel" is available through "the fulness of the gentiles" to all who will "hearken unto the words of the Lord, and...doubt not, but be believing" (Mormon 9:27).
Where do I stand? Where do you stand?
The Lord is working with a people who believe He's moving again. He has offered the Book of Mormon today for the first time as a covenant to all who will arise and receive it as a covenant by which to govern their lives.
"How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens, and ye would not!" (3 Nephi 10:5)
To get a feel for what the Lord is asking of you, please listen to Kathy's song below.
The gathering underway has to do with your heart. Christ desires to establish a City of Peace -- Zion --where the inhabitants are of "one heart."
"One Heart"
“We don’t ask any people to throw away any good they have got; we only ask them to come and get more. What if all the world should embrace this Gospel? They would then see eye to eye, and the blessings of God would be poured out upon the people, which is the desire of my whole soul.”
- Joseph Smith
A Quick recap, to catch you up!
Take 30 minutes to hear joseph's own words in this video
Pres. Hugh B. Brown
"I hope that you will develop the questing spirit. Be unafraid of new ideas, for they are as stepping stones to progress. You will, of course, respect the opinions of others but be unafraid to dissent - if you are informed. Now that I have mentioned freedom to express your thoughts, I caution you that your thoughts and expressions must meet competition in the marketplace of thought, and in that competition truth must emerge triumphant. Only error needs to fear freedom of expression."
"From the cowardice that shrinks from new truth, from the laziness that is content with half truth, from the arrogance that thinks it has all the truth - Oh, God of truth, deliver us."
- As quoted by Hugh B. Brown
But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore, they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred because of them. Yet I will heal him...
3 Nephi 21:10
Why was joseph not welcomed on his own farm (today's church)
Joseph would be excommunicated by the church today.
The leader "began to rail upon me, and threaten me..."
"...he seemed determined to quarrel with me, and threatened me..."
"...While he was thus engaged, pouring out his bitter words upon me, a rabble rushed in and...began to quarrel among themselves for the premises..."
From Kathy: At the historic Lexington, KY Conference on March 26, 2022, we spoke good of Joseph Smith. For many years, the mainstream narrative has been that he practiced polygamy, meaning he sealed himself to other women and then began engaging in marital relations with them privately, while publicly denouncing polygamy to the mainstream church, to the legal system, and even to his wife, Emma. While we agree that Joseph was clearly sealing people to himself, the facts show that he was sealing women and MEN, in a practice that was not clearly understood or fully revealed prior to his death. This practice, called the Law of Adoption, was recognized by early church leaders, but each one left behind statements that they did not understand it. These "sealings" by Joseph, have since been conflated as "marriages," although it has not been suggested that Joseph "married" the men, which is certainly an interesting omission.
It is our testimony that Joseph was a true and honest man and that what he said in public that denounced polygamy was what he also taught privately. Allowing it to be said that he was speaking out against polygamy in public and then privately practicing it makes him the worst of hypocrites and a lying deceiver. He was a man who's honor and character was vouched for by God himself and we are willing to stand and say that is more than enough for us and we are unwilling to buy into any historical narrative that accuses him of deceitful actions. He has been cleared of wrongful acts of later church leaders whose racist beliefs denied the priesthood to generations of worthy black saints and it is our hope that he will also be cleared from the terrible stain that polygamy has also left on his reputation and that of the entire church.
See link to the quotes of Joseph.
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Joseph's words are largely unheard of because they have never been included in the mainstream LDS curriculum. They show that Joseph always condemned polygamy, and in fact aggressively fought against it, publicly and privately. One of the best helps to finding and researching these quotations (complete with detailed footnotes) is the written transcript of a talk given by Whitney Horning. We invite you to read her comments and research and see for yourself the quotes for yourself. As active faithful members of the LDS church for decades, we NEVER saw or heard these quotations of Joseph in any church setting. This raises its own questions of why they have been kept from the main body of the saints when they have been clearly documented in the newspapers of the times, in conference minutes, and in records the LDS church has had for many years.
Where do you stand, with Joseph or with Brigham? Kathy and I stand with Joseph!
Joseph and Emma
"...What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one. I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago; and I can prove them all perjurers." (History of the Church, vol 6, p. 411) Joseph Smith made this statement preaching from the stand to the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo on Sunday May 26, 1844, a month before his death.
Contact Joe
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