Q & A Below

On the 202nd anniversary of Joseph Smith's First Vision (an unplanned "coincidence"), a conference was held in Lexington, KY at which Joseph's good name was vindicated and a  living messenger sent from the Father spoke. This was the only time in recorded Kentucky history when a servant of the Lord has delivered a message to its inhabitants. (See Jacob 5:57-63). To put this in Biblical perspective, if the Lord had delivered a message through Noah or through Isaiah (or through Joseph Smith) for the first and only time in Kentucky, would that have been historically noteworthy?

To persuade to believe in Christ and that Joseph Smith told the truth (he wasn't a liar because "the liar shall be thrust down to hell". God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow is working again in the last days preparatory to the Lord's Second Coming.  The Restoration continues!

If quoting and believing Joseph's own words and echoing Joseph's own words that he opposed polygamy is "controversial", then Yes, this conference was controversial.

Most Mormons I believe privately welcome Joseph's quotations that show he was not a hypocrite, a liar, or an adulterer. He opposed polygamy publicly ALWAYS and never practiced it. 

The current narrative (of the main Mormon sect) has been troubling for thousands of people both LDS and Christian. When they hear the history written AFTER Joseph's death that he had 40 wives, led a secret life from his wife, they are horrified and often withdraw from the message of the Restoration, and sometimes become atheist.

At this Conference, we shared Mormon history that has not been widely known, but has been seeing the light of day in recent years. Joseph's good name was vindicated. Is it not our duty and privilege to speak good of Joseph's name?

Professional musical artists performed. The Thomas Sisters brought the Spirit of God into the meeting as they performed worship music of Jesus Christ. 

Click on Music in the menu for more details.

Of course it would be okay, right? Wouldn't it be wholly inconsistent with the 11th Article of Faith and a shameful persecution of the saints (DC 121:38) if any institution condemned or ostracized its members for believing that Joseph was faithful to Emma and opposed polygamy? Can the institution tolerate Joseph's own quotations and activities that demonstrate his opposition to polygamy? Can a belief that Joseph fought polygamy be permitted to be held by members? Can one hold a belief in a God that condemns polygamy as an abomination? We hope so!

As for us, we believe people can worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their own conscience. (11th AoF), even if that means believing God condemns polygamy, as the Book of Mormon states in Jacob 2.

A worthy question to investigate!

Absolutely NOT! There was no opposition to the preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ or the Restoration. In fact, our main desire was to PRESERVE the Restoration and to encourage faith in Jesus Christ.

All the speakers love Jesus Christ, and regard Joseph Smith as a true messenger, and believe the Restoration continues today. All are grateful for the massive good the Church has done over the years. Without the Church, the Book of Mormon may not have gone into all the world. We love the Mormons. We are Mormons! To quote Mormon, we feel we are "disciples of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." (3 Nephi 5:13)

“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 (HC 5:259).

"...whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come..." (Alma 42:27)

A big "NO" to both questions. This was a non-institutional event, and not part of any organized church. There is no leader and no organization. No paid clergy. All of us are volunteers and equals, with Christ at the head. This is a pro Mormon, pro Christ conference. 

In DC 10:67-68, Christ defines his "church" as something very specific, and attaches a warning to those who would try to change it. 

Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church.  Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church.

The Lord's definition of His "church" is immensely EXPANSIVE and inclusive, isn't it? You could be a member of any religion or any church but qualify as his church if you repent and come unto Christ (take Saul for example, or Alma the Younger). Conversely, you could be a member of any Mormon denomination (like the LDS Church) and NOT be a member of Christ's "church" if you're unrepentant and not "come unto him". Who judges? Christ does! Not any man!

The Lord advised Joseph as follows in DC 3: "For, behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words— Yet you should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary."

That's great advice to follow, isn't it? Fear God, and not any man, especially any man who requires submission to him and doesn't allow you to worship God according to the dictates of your own conscience.

"Forasmuch as this people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their hearts far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men."

Mormon declares that "perfect love casteth out all fear." (Moroni 8:16)

2 Tim 1:7 says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 

If anybody tries to scare you from asking questions, ask yourself if that is of God. (DC 121:34-44) Hold to the iron rod (word of God), and let Christ (not man) be your foundation. Build "upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ." (Helaman 5:12)

You are aware of the pleasure / pain principle. Simply put, people make choices to avoid or decrease pain or make choices that create or increase pleasure.

If Brigham was lying, then "oh my heavens, that would mean the church doesn't have any so-called authority and my family isn't sealed to me anymore!"  This is PAIN.

And so the natural response would be to reject the possibility that Brigham was lying, EVEN IF THAT MEANS THROWING JOSEPH UNDER THE BUS!  By rejecting Joseph as a truth-teller, you get to remain in the "pleasure" your mind has constructed falsely, forgetting that the temple ordinances are an INVITATION TO receive the greater things that CHRIST (Holy Spirit of Promise) will seal upon you CONTINGENT upon your faithfulness. Remember the words spoken, "All these blessings... I seal upon you by virtue of the holy priesthood, through your faithfulness, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

LDS have become like the stereotypical Protestant who vainly believe they are saved as soon as they proclaim Jesus "with their lips" when prompted by their pastor to come up to the front of the church. With Protestants, it's the "altar call". With LDS, it's getting married in the temple. As if Christ didn't repeatedly teach that we must repent and COME UNTO HIM.

When you are baptized by water, that is a SYMBOL, not the real thing. Agreed?

When you are brought through the veil in the temple, that is SYMBOL of the Lord bringing you through the veil. It's a powerful ritual pointing to the Second Comforter. It's not the real thing. It's a ritual (that's been changed many times since Joseph first orally revealed it before he was murdered by friends). The ritual is designed to teach you to seek the real thing.

The Book of Mormon warns repeatedly of pretenders who would flatter you with teachings like, "do this, and you are saved/sealed! The institution says so, and so it must be true! The temple worker in the white suit says so! It must be so!"  

It's up to you to discern. The test is afoot! The scriptures are very clear, but belief (or UNbelief) beats truth every time. Moroni exhorts us to "rend that veil of unbelief." Do you really think baptism by water, or spending 90 minutes in the endowment session and going through the veil is the REAL THING? 

Or might those ordinances be symbolic to help teach us of what to prepare for?

Your sealing is no more valid without Christ personally telling you than baptizing someone with water is valid (Joseph said the water baptism was "but half a baptism"). Christ said you must be born of water and of the spirit. 

Don't buy the fictitious "pain" that your mind tells you will happen if you reject Brigham as the liar. You're not losing any sealing. You've only received the invitation. Be grateful for the invite. You should be working towards (this is called "repentance") getting sealed by the Savior Himself when He presents you to the Father, and you become a member of the Church of the Firstborn (see DC 76:54,67) and His son or daughter.

"Absolutely not", according to the Church. You must conform to what the leaders dictate to you. If you don't, you are considered "apostate". That is the very definition of "apostasy" in the handbook. 

Those in the church who say you cannot be good with God and oppose the church leaders at the same time have much in common with those who rejected John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. 

The common denominator is that both mainstream people then and today put their faith in church leadership. They cannot separate their faith in God from their faith in the Brethren. "Cursed is he that puts his trust in man." For your own blessing, forsake idolatry!

Until you can separate the Lord as distinct from "the Brethren" (and objectively judge the men you put up on a pedestal by "their fruits"), you must inevitably suffer the consequence of living in darkness at noonday because of "disobedience and the tradition of men" that has deceived you from the truth.

"And that wicked one comes and takes away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers." (DC 93:39).