The Unmentionables Behind Mormonism

You will get a polite knock at your front door, upon opening it you will find two young men in their early twenties smiling at you and asking several questions (usually the same one just worded differently) about the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. Or maybe you have grown up with-in the religion, cast it aside and came back again out of fear of rejection from your family members and/ or other loved ones. Whatever the case may be, there is some information that most Latter Day Saints do not want you to know (because in all probability it promotes free thought and of course that Mormonism is a fraud religion, or perhaps that they themselves do not even know).

On September 21, 1823, Joseph Smith claimed that an angel named Moroni appeared to him in his bedchamber, speaking of a restoration of the gospel and golden plates. Three years later on March 20th, 1826, Joseph Smith was taken to court in Bainbridge, New York and was convicted of being 'a disorderly person and an impostor.' At the trial Smith himself admitted, 'to defrauding citizens by organizing mad gold-digging expeditions and also claiming to possess dark or 'necromantic' powers' (1).

Many religious apologists and some Mormon leaders claim that the trial never happened. Further investigation led me to discover that the story is this: Young Joseph Smith was commissioned by another young man to help him find gold and other treasures. Smith used a 'scrying stone' (one of the Uthim or Thurmim later used to 'translate' the golden plates, and to create the Book of Mormon) upon seeing nothing in the stone, he made something up, and when the young man found no treasure he took Smith to court. Court records do show that Joseph Smith was charged with a misdemeanor (8). Something no other 'good' Mormon would dare utter, let alone believe!

In 1835, an Irish traveling exhibitor, Michael Chandler, brought an ancient Egyptian papyrus and four mummies to Kirtland, Ohio (after being cast out of New York, Ohio had been this traveling bands next stop). Because of Joseph Smiths' status (as a prophet to the loony-church; sorry Mormon Church) he was allowed to gaze at the papyrus. Upon looking at it, he claimed that 'one of the rolls contained the writings of Abraham; another the writings of Joseph of Egypt' (4). Immediately, the church purchased the papyri for $2400.00 (for the time that was a great deal of money!). The book of Abraham was translated, published, and in 1880 recognized as the 'Pearl of Great Price' (kind of ironic isn't it? Such a pearl of information that the church paid a hefty toll for, maybe one of the reasons the church initially went bankrupt) one of the five books of scripture Mormons study from today. This book of Abraham (later turned out to be the Egyptian Book of the Dead) 'emphasized the plurality of gods (yet, modern Mormons do not preach this, I wonder why?), pre-mortal existence, and the concept that the earth had been organized out of pre-existing matter' (5). Conveniently enough in 1871, the papyri were thought to be lost in a fire in Chicago (4), later found in 1966 at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. On the back of the papyri were 'drawings of a temple and maps of Kirtland, Ohio' (which I find absolutely appalling, obviously this man used the papyri to his advantage!) (5). Egyptologists today have found that Joseph Smiths' translations were dead wrong, he knew absolutely nothing about hieroglyphics (which just proves all the more that Mormonism-is fake!).

Yet no Mormon I have ever met (and very doubtful you will find one either) does anything but glorify Joseph Smith. How great of a man he was and all the things he has done; from founding the church, 'finding' the golden plates, 'restoring' the gospel, to translating and publishing the Book of Mormon. It is very possible that very few Mormons know the actual history, or even care to know, they are blissfully ignorant and blinded by the lies that are continually hand fed to them.

One of the greatest and sacred ceremonies of many Christian religions, is marriage. Most notably that of a monogamous marriage-one man-one woman. However, the Mormon religion, albeit I have been told many times that polygamy is no longer practiced by modern Mormons, there is a slight possibility that secretly it could still be happening. Because after you are married you have the opportunity to be sealed to your spouse (for time and all eternity). Even after divorce, you are still sealed to your spouse. So, essentially making it 'ok' to still have sexual relations with your 'ex-wife' (not to mention that a broken sect of the church that label themselves as, Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints or FLDS, still DO practice this principle). The great Joseph Smith taught polygamy in his 'sermons' as early as 1831. Although it is not cited that he began practicing until 1835, because, he claimed, 'an angel with a sword came to him many times and commanded him to practice or else he would lose his life' (what a justification, but wait it gets worse!)(6). Joseph was publicly known to have had 12 wives, nine of which were married to other men at the same time. Andrew Jensen, Assistant Church Historian at the time, noticed at least 27 woman as being sealed to the first prophet (8). Smith gives a 'divine' justification to the cause, as stated in the Doctrine & Covenants (still to this day!)

132:54: 'and I command my handmaid, Emma Smith, to abide and cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide by this commandment, she shall be destroyed, said the Lord, for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law.'

Making it ok for him to sleep around with other women, while his wife is to follow this 'commandment from God' else she be destroyed. I already feel the fear she must have felt and sympathize with her. Joseph follows with a 'law' given by 'God' in

132:61: 'and again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood-if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then he is justified, he cannot commit adultery, for they are given unto him, for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else. (9)

Good friend to Joseph Smith (and later second prophet to the church) Brigham Young was also a polygamist. But then once they go over history of the church there are libraries of information on Joseph Smith, Brigham Young is just a blip in their histories compared to him. Mainly, because he was just as bad as Smith, but more open about his views. Brigham stated that polygamy was 'instituted by the Lord so that noble spirits which are waiting for tabernacles (bodies) might be brought forth' (6). Joseph obviously felt the same way since it is says in D&C 132 to take virgins in 'an hundredfold' in order to 'multiply and replenish the Earth' (sounds familiar does it not?

Genesis 1:28: 'and God blessed them, and God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth...')

Much to the embarrassment of some church leaders, in 1852 the Mormon Church publicly admitted to the practice of polygamy. Not until almost 40 years later in 1890 was this practice banned by Wilford Woodruff.

And lastly, my final unmentionable pardon given to this cache system, racism. Openly practiced and preached as to be expected with the other world events happening at that time, but are they so ashamed of their past not to even hint at it. Oh by the way we used to promote racism; I, myself would have never known had I not been doing research for this paper. In 1848, Brigham Young banned all black members from holding any leadership or priesthood authority in the Church (5). Which basically allowed black members but they were unable to do just about everything (no blessings, no holding office, and no missionary work). It was not for another 130 years in 1978 [conveniently 10 years after the black civil rights movement changed America], President Spencer W. Kimball announced having a 'divine revelation' which granted blacks rights and access to the priesthood powers (7). Still to this day, black members or other minority groups are hard to come by within the church. I have come to find that most Mormons are middle-upper class white citizens and tend to present themselves as superior to others because of their belief in the 'true gospel.'

Even though they carry a polite and kind façade, like any human being they can be cruel (unreasonable so and a lot of the times without you realizing it). Young men and (more recently) women missionaries are taught the basics of doctrine that they should prescribe to new inquiries and/or members, when posed with tough questions they tend to repeat themselves and stutter (because usually there is no correct answer). Or if you are renegade member, trying to break free (but the grips of your family life will not allow it) keep at it, there are support groups available, most notably at: www.exmormon.org.

Good luck on your journey to free thought!

References:
1). God is NOT Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens (p. 161/164)

2). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigham_Young#polygamy

3). The Book of Mormon-Introduction

4). http://www.carm.org/religious-movements/mormonism/book-abraham-papyri-and-joseph-smith

5). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Smith#CITEREFHILL1976

6). http://www.i4m.com/think/polygamy/polygamy_summary.html

7). www.irr.gov/mit/pdfs/skin-color-&-LDS-church.pdf

8). www.20truths.info/mormon/polygamy.html

9). http://scripture.lds.org/en/dc/132/58-66#58