Friday, December 29, 2006

The False Prophecies of Joseph Smith

(or, over 50 reasons why current prophets of the LDS church won’t “prophesy”)

The following is a list of over 50 prophecies by Joseph Smith that did NOT come true, thus rendering him a FALSE PROPHET.

In light of the following list, remember that according to Deuteronomy 18:20-22 it only takes one false prophecy to make a prophet false, just as it only takes one murder to make a person a murderer. As you read the many false prophecies of Joseph Smith, keep this Biblical teaching in mind.

1) THE ABRIDGEMENT OF D&C 137.

Although there are actually dozens of false prophecies we could begin with, I thought it might be appropriate to begin with one which has come to new found prominence in recent years. In 1976, the 137th section of Doctrine & Covenants (D&C) was submitted to the general conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for a vote to be "sustained" as scripture. It is a narrative of a vision supposedly seen by Joseph Smith in Kirtland, OH in 1836.

What the members who voted on this new addition to scripture were not told by "the Brethren," is that whole paragraphs (216 words) of the actual revelation as recorded in The History Of The Church had been conveniently left out of the version to be included in the D&C. The reason for these omissions was that four obviously false prophecies were contained in the part of the revelation which was censored out. These were prophecies so obviously false that even the average LDS reader would pick them up. Therefore they went down the "black hole" of Mormon history.

What exactly were in these missing parts? Well, if you go to the official history of the LDS church published by the church's own publishing company, you will be easily able to find the missing prophecies. Here is what is not in the new D&C 137:

[Joseph Smith:] "....I saw the Twelve Apostles of the Lamb, who are now upon the earth, who hold the keys of this last ministry, in foreign lands, standing together in a circle, much fatigued, with their clothes tattered and their feet swollen, with their eyes cast downward, and Jesus standing in their midst, and they did not behold him. The Saviour looked upon them and wept.

I also beheld Elder M'Lellin in the south, standing upon a hill, surrounded by a vast multitude, preaching to them, and a lame man standing before him supported by his crutches; he threw them down at his word and leaped as a hart, by the mighty power of God.

Also, I saw Elder Brigham Young standing in a strange land, in the far south and west, in a desert place, upon a rock in the midst of a bout a dozen men of color, who appeared hostile. He was preaching to them in their own tongue, and the angel of God standing above his head with a drawn sword in his hand, protecting him, but he did not see it.

And I finally saw the Twelve in the celestial kingdom of God. I also beheld the redemption of Zion and many things which the tongue of man cannot describe in full"

Now, if this were true, it was a truly inspiring and wonderful declaration! Unfortunately, for the LDS faithful, a short look at the official history of the church reveals the false prophecies contained therein.

First of all, Smith claimed to see his (original LDS) Twelve apostles all in the celestial kingdom. This is difficult to imagine, since there was already division between Smith and the majority of the Apostles, beginning with discord in Kirtland, Ohio. The first portion of the "missing words" shows his less than subtle rebuke of their resistance to his will. "...fatigued....tattered...eyes cast downward....The Saviour looked upon them and wept." Smith was calling them to get into line and submit themselves to his full authority. That's the carrot offered in the last portion, "I finally saw the Twelve in the Celestial Kingdom of God."

However, his "thus saith the Lord" must have had little effect on them, since at least seven of the twelve under discussion were soon excommunicated or apostasized from the church: John F. Boynton & Luke S. Johnson (1837), Lyman Johnson (1838), William E. M'Lellin (c.1838), Thomas B. Marsh & Orson Hyde (1838), and William Smith (1845)

How could they have ever attained the celestial kingdom under those conditions? They couldn't! They were not only accursed by their very acts of apostacy or excommunication, but fell victim to the LDS Church's own scriptural denunciation. D&C 84.40-41 clearly states:

"Therefore, all those who receive the priesthood, receive this oath and covenant of my father, which he cannot break, neither can it be moved. But whoso breaketh this covenant after he hath received it, and altogether turneth there-from, shall not have forgiveness of sins in this world nor in the world to come."

Although a few of these men later returned to the church, none of them were even close to the standards necessary for attainment of that highest degree of glory. The majority remained apart for life. Therefore, the prophetic utterance, "I finally saw the Twelve in the Celestial Kingdom of God." was obviously false. It would have been false even if only one Apostle remained outside the fold.

Second, the vision of M'Lellin preaching and working miracles in the south never came true because he apostasized from the church without ever doing it! (see above).

Third, Although Brigham Young did bring the Mormons west and was a great colonizer and orator, the vision of Brigham Young preaching to "men of color" in their own language, in some strange and faraway place in the southwest never took place either, or at least there is no trace of it in the very detailed records and diaries concerning his reign as prophet.

Finally, “Zion” (Independence, MO.) was never redeemed, has never been redeemed in the 150+ years since the prophecy was made. (see below, for more on Zion). Is it any wonder that the Brethren chose to remove whole chunks of this "inspired" revelation? Four false prophecies for the price of one!

2) THE BUILDING OF THE NEW TEMPLE.

In D&C 84 (esp. vs.2-5, 31, 114-115), Smith prophesied in 1832 that a temple would be built by the generation then living in Independence, MO. during THAT generation. Allowing the widest possible latitude of 100 years for a generation, that still leaves the prophecy unfulfilled over 50 years late!

There still is no temple in Independence; although one has been commenced by the RLDS Church, a splinter off of Mormonism which the LDS church contends is a false cult! Not only that, the temple lot which Joseph Smith dedicated as the "only true site" has been owned for generations by a third Mormon splinter sect; and the Utah Mormons couldn't build a temple there if they wanted to!

3) THE NAUVOO HOUSE.

In D&C 124.56-60, Smith prophesied that the Nauvoo House in Nauvoo, IL. would be in his family forever (1841). It did not remain in his family, and is not owned by them today. This makes for a very false prophecy.

4) OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES.

In the Pearl of Great Price (PGP), Joseph Smith-History (JSH) 1.40-41, (1823) Smith claimed that the angel Moroni told him that the prophecies in Isaiah 11 were "about to be fulfilled," and that those in Joel 2 were "soon to be" fulfilled. More than 165 years have passed and that interpretation of prophecy has not yet come to pass. Those prophecies certainly will be fulfilled, but Joseph Smith and his angel sure got their dates wrong!

5) CONVERSION OF THE INDIAN PEOPLES.

In D&C 3.3 (1828) it says, "Remember, that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men." This verse is considered sacred scripture by Mormons; and that means that Mormons, logically, must apply it to their history and Joseph Smith's prophecies. If Smith's prophecies were frustrated, then those prophecies were the work of men, not of God!

D&C 3.16-20 says that the Lamanites (Indians) will be converted. For a century and a half, the LDS missionaries have been trying to convert their “Lamanite brothers” and have not done so. The vast majority of Indians are not Mormons, and most of the few who become LDS turn inactive. This has obviously not been fulfilled, after many years and spending vast amounts of money on programs to convert Indians.

6) WHITE AND DELIGHTSOME INDIANS.

Speaking of the Lamanites, the Book of Mormon (BOM) contains a prophecy about them, which can easily be put to the test. 2 Nephi 30.6 prophesies that the Indians who converted would turn "white and delightsome" a few generations after joining the church. This is what is written in the original, handwritten manuscript of 2 Nephi 30. It is in the original 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon.

However, in 1840, Joseph Smith, evidently thinking to correct the "most correct book ever written," ordered the phrase changed to "pure and delightsome." Then later, Brigham Young ordered it changed back to "white and delightsome." Then in 1981, it was again changed back to "pure and delightsome", even though the correction does not clean up the parts of the BOM where they are turned from white and delightsome to "dark and loathsome."

A honest reader would have to speculate that since over 160 years have passed (4 Biblical generations) since Indians began joining the church, that at least some of them would have to turned at least a little whiter. None of them have; and this is evidently why they changed the verse without so much as a word of explanation.

7) GATHERING TO ZION.

D&C 57.1-3 (1831) identifies Independence, MO as the center place of Zion, the gathering place of the saints, it is "the land of promise." This revelation failed because, according to D&C 3.3 cited above, any work which is of God could not be frustrated. This "gathering" in Zion was really frustrated, because the Mormons tried to gather there and were physically driven out! To this day, there are few Mormons there; and actually many, many more RLDS members by far! If God was behind this revelation, then the Mormons could not have been driven out by men.

8) CONFOUND YOUR ENEMIES.

In D&C 71.6-10, the following prophecy was given:

"For unto him that receiveth it shall be given more abundantly, even power. Wherefore, confound your enemies; call upon them to meet you both in public and in private; and inasmuch as you are faithful, their shame shall be made manifest. Wherefore, let them bring their strong reasons against the Lord. Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you; there is no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and if any man lift his voice against you, he shall be confounded in mine own due time."


Mormons have never fulfilled this prophecy, in fact they shun it and constantly disobey it. There are over a hundred organized ministries to Mormons in the orthodox Christian church and no Mormon prophet or apostle has ever been willing to meet with them in public or in private to "confound" them. Indeed, very few Mormons of any sort will meet with them, unless they are already having doubts about the Church and want some straight answers.

Many have been bringing out "strong reasons" against the false god of Mormonism now for decades and official Mormondom has slunk away and refused to answer them, [except in their own forums, on their own websites and publications] even though they are continually called for dialog. To the best of anyone’s knowledge, no minister to the Mormons has ever had his "shame" made manifest. If anything, there are more ex-Mormons out there slugging away against the Zion empire than ever before!

9) THE EARTH SHALL SHAKE AND REEL AS A DRUNKEN MAN.

D&C 88.87 (1832) prophesies that:

"...not many days hence the earth shall tremble and reel as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face...and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from a fig tree."

Now over 58,000 days have past (as of 1991) since that prophecy was given. By any reasonable standard, "not many days" could not be construed to be more than 58,000 days; and yet none of these things have occurred. This prophecy has obviously failed.

10) THE WORD OF WISDOM.

The Mormons are noted for their Word of Wisdom revelation which forbids them from drinking liquor, coffee or tea, or to smoke. This is in D&C 89. Many Mormons do not realize that there is also a prophecy in it in vs.18-21:

"And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in the navel and marrow to their bones; and shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures; and shall run and not be weary and shall walk and not faint, and I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen."

The fact is that this promise isn't working Although most Mormons diligently keep this Word of Wisdom, they do not find any treasures of knowledge. They certainly run and become weary; and they certainly become faint at times from walking. In fact, many of the highest leaders of the LDS church (who presumably are keeping this commandment) are sick and dying of degenerative diseases.

The destroying angel certainly is not passing the Mormons by; as it did the children of Israel in the Passover. Mormons die just like everyone else. Although they try hard to keep the LDS god's commandment, he does not seem to be keeping his end of the bargain, or else Joseph Smith is a false prophet!

11) ZION SHALL NOT BE MOVED.

D&C 101.17-20 (1833) prophesies:

"Zion shall not be moved out of her place, notwithstanding her children are scattered. They that remain, and are pure in heart, shall return, and come to their inheritances, they and their children, with songs of everlasting joy, to build up the waste places of Zion. And all these things that the prophets might be fulfilled. And behold, there is none other place appointed than that which I have appointed; neither shall there be any other place appointed than that which I have appointed for the work of the gathering of my saints."


First of all, the Mormons were driven out. Secondly, those who were driven out never returned with their children to come to their inheritances. Thirdly, a little over a decade after this, the "gathering" place of the saints was transplanted to Utah, even though the LDS god declared that "neither shall {future tense} there be any other place appointed." Three strikes, and Joseph Smith is out!

12) THE UNITED ORDER.

In D&C 104.1 (1834) a prophecy is given concerning the LDS institution, the ‘United Order” (a theocratic, communistic method of distributing and controlling property and goods):

"…I give unto you counsel and a commandment, concerning all the properties which belong to the order which I commanded to be organized and established, to be a united order, and an everlasting order for the benefit of my church, and for the salvation of men until I come..."

LDS history reveals that this "everlasting" order had to be disbanded soon after because it failed. It is obvious that today Mormons do not practice a communal approach to property. If anything, they are in favor of capitalism and against communism. This is one of the most blatantly false prophecies of Joseph Smith.

13) DESTROYER SENT FORTH.

A prophecy was given in D&C 105.13-15:

(1834)

"Therefore it is expedient in me that mine elders should wait for a little season, for the redemption of Zion. For behold, I do not require at their hands to fight the battles of Zion, for…I will fight your battles. Behold, the destroyer I have sent forth to destroy and lay waste your enemies; and not many years hence they shall not be left to pollute mine heritage, and to blaspheme my name upon the lands which I have consecrated for the gathering together of my saints."

Note that the LDS god says "I have {already accomplished} sent forth…" the destroyer. History shows that the enemies of the Mormons were not destroyed or laid waste. They still haven't been to this day! The "destroyer" must be slow! This is another prophecy that was frustrated (D&C 3.3) because the Mormons were still persecuted after this and were driven out of "Zion" about 5 years later!

14) THE DREADFUL DAY OF LORD IS NEAR.

In D&C 110.16, (1836) we find this prophecy:

"…the keys of this dispensation are committed into your hands; and by this ye may know that the great and dreadful day of the Lord is near, even at the doors."

Over 150 years have passed, and that "dreadful day of the Lord" has not come. Another failed prophecy!

15) THE TREASURE OF THE CITY IS YOURS.

D&C 111 has a very strange revelation about treasures in Salem, MA:

"I have much treasure in this city for you, for the benefit of Zion, and many people in this city, whom I will gather out in due time for the benefit of Zion, through your instrumentality…and it shall come to pass in due time that I will give this city into your hands, that you shall have power over it, insomuch that they shall not discover your secret parts; and its wealth, pertaining to gold and silver shall be yours. Concern not yourselves about your debts, for I will give you power to pay them… And the place where it is my will that you would tarry, for the main, shall be signalized unto you by the peace and power of my Spirit, that shall flow unto you. This place you may obtain by hire. And inquire diligently concerning the more ancient inhabitants and founders of this city. For there are more treasures than one for you in this city."

Neither Joseph Smith nor other LDS leaders ever found any treasures in Salem. They did not take control of Salem, nor have any Mormons since. The "many people" were never gathered out, as only 13 were baptized out of the whole city. The silver and gold prophesied was never found. They returned to Kirtland, OH without funds to pay their debts! This prophecy fails on every count!

16) THOMAS MARSH'S "GREAT WORKS"?

A personal prophecy was given to Thomas B. Marsh on July 23, 1837 and recorded in D&C 112.3-12. At the time this prophecy was given, Marsh was the leader of the 12 apostles of the LDS church.

Here are key excerpts from it:

"…thou [Marsh] shall bear record of my name, not only unto the gentiles, but also unto the Jew; and thou shalt send forth my word unto the ends of the earth…for I, the Lord, have a great work for thee to do, in publishing my name among the children of men…thou art chosen, and thy path lieth among the mountains, and among many nations. And by thy word many high ones shall be brought low, and by thy word, many low ones shall be exalted. Thy voice shall be a rebuke unto the transgressor; and at thy rebuke let the tongue of the slanderer cease its perverseness. Be thou humble, and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer to thy prayers. I know thy heart, and have heard thy prayers concerning thy brethren…pray for thy brethren of the Twelve. Admonish them sharply for my name's sake, and let them be admonished for all their sins, and be ye faithful before me unto my name…"

In fact, Marsh was excommunicated from the LDS church less than two years later. Although he rejoined the church about 20 years later, he never did any of the mighty works listed in the above prophecy. For most of his 20 year absence he was, in fact, a bitter enemy of the Mormon church.

17) THE MYSTERIOUS MISSION OF DAVID W. PATTEN

Speaking of personal prophecies, here is a failed one in D&C 114.1:

(1838) "…thus saith the Lord: It is wisdom in my servant, David W. Patten, that he settle up all his business as soon as he possibly can, and make a disposition of his merchandise, that he may perform a mission unto me next spring, in company with others, even twelve including himself, to testify of my name and bear glad tidings unto all the world."

Sadly, Patten was killed before he could fulfill this prophecy. Mormons have two arguments against this fact. One is that Patten was actually being called on a mission to the spirit world after death. Although that is a very creative response, the verse itself contradicts it since 1) he was to go on the mission with eleven other men, none of whom were killed before spring; and 2) the verse says his mission was to "the whole world." That could hardly be just the spirit world.

The other argument is that he wasn't worthy of the mission so the Lord killed him. The problem with that assertion is that Joseph Smith himself proclaimed that "Brother David Patten was a very worthy man, beloved by all good men who knew him…and died as he had lived, a man of God, and strong in the faith of a glorious resurrection…one of his last expressions to his wife was: whatever you do else, O! do not deny the faith.' These explanations do not hold water! The prophecy is false!

18) REMEMBER OLIVER GRANGER?

Another personal prophecy of Smith's which fell to the ground was D&C 117.12-15, which says, in part:

"…I say unto you, I remember my servant Oliver Granger; behold, verily I say unto him that his name shall be had in sacred remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord…"

You ask 99 out of 100 Mormons who Oliver Granger is, and they will give you a blank look. His name is supposed to be in everlasting remembrance from generation to generation, and yet most Mormons have never heard of him.

19) DID JOSEPH TRIUMPH OVER HIS FOES?

This section of D&C 121 is prefaced in the LDS church introduction by being identified as “Prayers and Prophecies written by Joseph Smith the Prophet, while he was a prisoner in jail in Liberty…” Note what is said in part in vs.5-15:

"…My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes…And also that God hath set his hand and seal to change the times and seasons, and to blind their minds, that they might not understand his marvelous workings; and take them in their own craftiness…And not many years hence, that they and their posterity shall be swept from under heaven, saith God, that not one of them is left to stand by the wall…"

This prophecy promises that Smith and his church would triumph over all their foes. This never happened. They had just been driven out of their “Zion” in Independence, MO. Smith was to die by the hands of his foes, about five years later. The entire church was run out of the state about eight years later and had to flee to Utah! Can this be triumphing over your enemies?

Even in Utah, the power of the church was ultimately broken by the federal government who forced the church leaders to submit to government authority and to do away with their cherished doctrine of plural marriage! More recently, the church was forced to succumb to outside pressure again and change its racist position on the blacks or else lose its tax-exempt status. Likewise, its strong anti-abortion stand has been also reversed. Is this triumph?

We need to ask: When did God change the times and seasons on us (vs.12)? When did he blind the minds of Smith's enemies? When were every one of Smith's enemies "swept from under heaven"? In fact, most of them long outlived him!

20) THE INTEGRITY OF GEORGE MILLER

In D&C 124.20-21, (1841) we find the following revelation:

"…verily, I say unto you, my servant George Miller is without guile; he may be trusted because of the integrity which he has to my testimony I, the Lord, love him. I therefore say unto you, I seal upon his head the office of a bishopric…that he may receive the consecrations of mine house, that he may administer blessings upon the heads of the poor of my people, saith the Lord. Let no man despise my servant George, for he shall honor me."

In spite of this endorsement from "the Lord," George Miller was excommunicated seven years later. Another prophecy frustrated (D&C 3.3) by the work of men?

21) WHERE WAS JOSEPH'S VICTORY?

D&C 127.2 contains the following prophecy, similar to the one noted above in #18:

"…for to this day has the God of my fathers delivered me out of them all, and will deliver me from henceforth; for behold, and lo, I will triumph over all my enemies, for the Lord God hath spoken it."

This also promises that Smith would triumph over his enemies. Obviously he did not do so as they murdered him and drove his remaining church from pillar to post.

22) WAS EMMA SMITH "DESTROYED?"

One of the most significant sections of the Doctrine and Covenants is D&C #132, which deals with the plural marriage (polygamy) revelation. However, it also contains many false prophecies!

"(v.6) And as pertaining to the new and everlasting covenant [i.e.. polygamy or plural marriage], it was instituted for the fullness of my glory; and he that receiveth a fullness there must and shall abide the law, or he shall be damned, saith the Lord God.…(v.52-54) …let mine handmaid, Emma Smith [Joseph's first wife] receive all those [wives] that have been given unto my servant Joseph, and who are virtuous and pure before me; and those who are not pure and have said they were pure shall be destroyed, saith the Lord God.…and I give unto my servant Joseph that he shall be ruler over many things; for he hath been faithful over a few things, and from henceforth I will strengthen him. 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 this commandment [of plural marriage] she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord; for I am the Lord thy God, and will destroy her if she abide not in my law....(v.62) And if he have ten virgins given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery, for they belong to him, and they are given unto him; therefore he is justified."

Where do I begin? First of all, plural marriage was an "everlasting covenant" that only lasted about 50 years. It was officially done away with in 1890. How can something everlasting stop? Obviously false! Secondly, according to v.6, everyone who is not living in plural marriage in the LDS church is damned. That means that almost all Mormons except for 30,000 or so "fundamentalists" today (who still keep the original commandments of plural marriage) are damned!

Verse 53 says that Joseph Smith would be strengthened henceforth. That depends on one's definition of "henceforth," as he was shot dead by his enemies less than a year later. That usually doesn't strengthen one.

Verse 54 threatens Emma Smith with destruction is she doesn't let Joseph have all of his wives without complaint and acknowledge the divine origins of plural marriage. Emma never did these things. She fought against the plural marriage doctrine; and yet she lived to ripe old age; and Joseph was shot just months later. Emma was so opposed to polygamy, that she went off with Joseph's son, Joseph Smith III and started the RLDS church, which denies that Smith ever taught polygamy. That pretty well blows that prophecy out of the water!

23) THE "LAST TIME" THE MISSIONARIES WENT OUT

In D&C 33.3, (1830) a "revelation" given through Joseph:

"For behold, the field is white already to harvest, and it is the eleventh hour, and the last time I shall call laborers into my vineyard."

Now this was in 1830, and it is quite evidently false for LDS missionaries are being "called" every day to go on missions. If the last time missionaries, who are certainly laborers in the field of harvest if anyone is, were to be called was 1830, then how can the LDS church call missionaries today and believe this scripture to be true?

24) "SOME REVELATIONS ARE OF THE DEVIL"

In the work, “An Address to All Believers in Christ”, David Whitmer, (one of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormon) related that in the winter of 1829-1830, Joseph Smith sent Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery on a mission to Toronto, Canada to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon. This mission was ordered by a revelation that Smith claimed he had received from God.

Unfortunately, both the mission and the revelation were utter failures. This is yet another false prophecy. Oddly enough, when Smith was asked why the revelation had fallen to the ground, he:

"…enquired of the Lord about it, and behold, the following revelation came through the stone: Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil.' So we see that the revelation to go to Toronto and sell the copy-right was not of God, but of man."

But the question must be asked, if the "prophet" Joseph Smith cannot tell which of his revelations are from God and which are not; why should we trust ANY OF THEM? It is a very flimsy proposition at best!


25) ANY NATIONS BOWING TO THE MORMON GOSPEL?

D&C 49.9-10 (1831) gives us a false prophecy, redolent with arrogance:

"Wherefore, I say unto you that I have sent unto you mine everlasting covenant, even that which was from the beginning. And that which I have promised I have so fulfilled, and the nations of the earth shall bow to it; and, if not of themselves, they shall come down, for that which is now exalted of itself shall be laid low of power."

This "everlasting covenant is term used constantly in Mormonism to refer to the LDS version of the gospel and specifically to the idea of temple marriage. Now we have yet to see any nations "bow" to the principles of the Mormon gospel, and it has been almost 160 years as of this writing, since the prophecy was given.

In fact, since this prophecy, various governments (whether rightly or wrongly) have driven the Mormons out of various states, forced them to give up their doctrines of celestial plural marriage and white racism, forbidden them to preach their weird gospel in many lands.

None of these governments or nations, including the US (which was the particular subject of death curses from the LDS temples for almost a century) have been "brought low" for not bowing down to Mormonism.

26) "I, THE LORD, PROMISE THE FAITHFUL AND CANNOT LIE…"

Joseph Smith prophesied in D&C 62: 1,6, & 9 (1831) that:

"…the faithful among you should be preserved and rejoice together in the land of Missouri. I, the Lord promise the faithful, and cannot lie… Behold, .the kingdom is yours. And behold, and lo, I am with the faithful always…"

There are some serious problems with this prophecy as well. The "faithful" weren't preserved; they did not rejoice together in Missouri (in fact, they were run out of the state); and the "kingdom" was not theirs and God certainly did not appear to be with them. Official LDS history shows how this prophecy failed!

27) WERE ALL THE PROMISES OF DOCTRINE & COVENANTS FULFILLED?

Even the celebrated first section of D&C (1831) does not emerge without a false prophecy of massive proportions. Section 1, verse 37 states:

"Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled."

I have already shown over twenty places in the D&C where the prophecies were not fulfilled. There are yet more to come.

28) WAS JESUS LATE?

D&C 133.17 (1831) prophecies:

"Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight, for the hour of his coming is nigh."

This prophecy was given nearly 160 years ago, and has still not occurred. That is stretching the meaning of the word "nigh" to the breaking point!

29) THE CIVIL WAR PROPHECY

This is a long one, but it needs to be looked at closely because the Mormons [especially the LDS missionaries] like to claim this prophecy as one of Joseph Smith's true prophecies, and it just doesn't bear close scrutiny!

In D&C 87.18, (1832) we read:

"Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina, which will eventually terminate in the death and misery of many souls; And the time will come that war will be pour out upon all nations, beginning at this place. For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain…and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.

"And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshalled and disciplined for war. And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation.

"And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations.

"That the cry of the saints, and the blood of the saints, shall cease to come up into the ears of the Lord of Sabbath, from the earth, to be avenged of their enemies. Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen."

This prophecy was given on Christmas Day, 1832, in appearance almost 30 years before the Civil War. Although the prophecy looks good on the surface, it must be realized that at the time this was brought forth, South Carolina was already involved in many rebellious acts, and this fact was available in the papers of the time. Congress had passed a tariff in July of 1832 that South Carolina had declared unacceptable.

It was during the Christmas season that the nation's press expected and wrote about the impending outbreak of civil war, beginning with this rebellion in South Carolina. Even the U.S. Army was on alert. With these facts at hand, it didn't take much of a seer to predict the unfolding events. Even a paper published by the Mormons themselves contained such news!

However, the war did not come to pass. The entire prophecy was shelved and never appeared again during Joseph Smith's lifetime. The first two editions of the History of the Church did not include it even though it was in the original manuscript. It reappeared in 1852 when the war again seemed imminent.

Aside from the dating problems, the scope of the prophecy is not in balance. In just one item, the prophecy states that war would begin locally and pour out upon all nations and shall be the direct cause of an international global war. Even the great World War I did not encompass all nations, and it was 50 years after the Civil War and had no possible relationship to it! This is a definite false prophecy that did not come to pass.

Former Mormon Dick Baer has pointed out there are at least 20 elements in this prophecy, and for it to be a true prophecy, all of those elements would have to have come to pass. In human terms, those odds are 1 in 1,048,576 a truly remarkable achievement, had Smith pulled it off. Obviously he did not.

In another example, verses 4 through 6 state that the slaves shall rise up, the remnants left in the land shall rise up against the Gentiles (non-Mormons) and the bloodshed, famines, plagues (caused by this great war) shall bring with God's wrath, "...a full end of all nations." This did not happen. In fact, Smith only got two elements out of 20 right, and those were based on current events and common sense. Sorry, this is a bad one!

30) PESTILENCE AND EARTHQUAKE IN THE US?

Here is an explicit false prophecy (1833) from official Church history:

"And now I am prepared to say by the authority of Jesus Christ, that not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake shall sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land…flee to Zion before the overflowing scourge overtake you, for there are those now living upon the earth whose eyes shall not be closed in death until they see all these things, which I had spoken, fulfilled."

Obviously, none of these dire predictions have come to pass, and it has been over 150 years since they were given. No one is now left alive from that generation. The scope of the warning was centered on the generation in which the Mormons were still calling on their converts to leave their homes, cities and countries and Come to Zion. They have long since stopped this mandatory migration to the center of Mormonism. That generation had passed by before the end of the 19th century.

31) DID ZION FAIL?

D&C 97.19-20 (1833) prophesies:

"Surely, Zion is the city of our God, and surely Zion cannot fall, neither be moved out of her place, for God is there and the hand of the Lord is there; And he hath sworn by the power of his might to be her salvation…"

This makes Smith a false prophet or God too weak to keep his promises. "Zion" fell and the Mormons were driven out of Independence, MO in 1838-39!

32) WAS ZION REDEEMED AFTER "A LITTLE SEASON?"

D&C 100.13, 15 (1833) states:

"And now I give unto you a word concerning Zion. Zion shall be redeemed although she is chastened for a little season.…Therefore, let your hearts be comforted; for all things shall work together for good to them that walk uprightly, and to the sanctification of the church."

Again, over a century and a half has passed without this prophecy coming to pass. That would be stretching the idea of "a little season" beyond the point where the English language has any meaning at all.

33) SEVENTY FIVE PERCENT WRONG?

In a letter to "the Exiled Saints in Missouri," Joseph Smith declared:

"Therefore this is my counsel, that you retain your lands [in Missouri], even unto the utmost, and employ every lawful means to seek redress of your enemies; and pray to God day and night to return you in peace and safety to the lands of your inheritance; and when the judge fail you, appeal unto the executive; and when the executive fail you; appeal to the president; and when the president fail you, and all things also fail you but God alone, and you continue to weary Him with your importunings, as the poor woman did the unjust judge. He will not fail you to execute judgment upon your enemies, and to avenge his own elect that cry unto Him day and night. Behold, He will not fail you. He will come with ten thousand of his saints, and all His adversaries shall be destroyed with the breath of His lips."

Unfortunately for the Mormons, none of these things came to pass; nor have they yet. They did not retain their lands in Missouri. The god of Mormonism never destroyed their enemies; and in fact those very same enemies drove them out of the state! The only thing Smith got right was that they would petition all the authorities and be turned down. 25% accuracy doesn't cut it according to Deuteronomy 18:20-22.

34) THE MARCH OF ZION'S CAMP

In D&C 103.15ff, there is a prophecy concerning Zion's Camp. It begins:

"…(v.15) Behold, I [God] say unto you, the redemption of Zion must needs come by power…(v.19) Therefore, let not your hearts faint…(v.20) Mine angels shall go up before you , and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land…(v.24) And inasmuch as mine enemies come against you to drive you from my goodly land, which I have consecrated to be the land of Zion, even from your own lands…ye shall curse them; and whosoever ye curse, I will curse, and ye shall avenge me of mine enemies."

Leaving aside for a moment the totally un-Biblical theology of all this (Jesus told us to pray for our enemies, not to curse them; and nowhere does God ask His people to avenge Him!), this is still a failed prophecy. Zion's Camp was an armed crusade of Mormons sent out by "revelation" to go to Missouri and rescue their fellow Latter-day Saints there. Actually, the march of Zion's Camp failed miserably, and so did the prophecy of God's presence going before them and cursing their enemies!

35) THE MOVE TO JACKSON COUNTY

In a letter to the High Council (8/16/1834), Joseph Smith declared,

"…I shall now proceed to give you such counsel as the Spirit of the Lord may dictate…[you are to have the churches] use every effort to gather to those regions and locate themselves, to be in readiness to move into Jackson County in two years from the eleventh of September next, which is the appointed time for the redemption of Zion"....

Well, the churches did not move into Jackson County on September 11, 1836. Nor was "Zion" redeemed at that time, as church history itself shows. Was the Holy Spirit wrong, or just Joseph?

36) THE KIRTLAND "ANTI-BANKING SOCIETY"

A false prophecy from the Latter-day Saint Messenger and Advocate,

"This place [Kirtland, OH] must be built up, and will be built up, and every brother that will take hold and help secure these contracts [for land] shall be rich."

This one fell with a "crash!" The Mormons were driven out of Ohio and no-one became rich by helping to secure those land contracts. Ironically, most of the men who helped Smith lost their shirts and Smith himself went bankrupt because of his "funny-money" scheme in the Kirtland Anti-banking Society.

37) NASA, PHONE JOSEPH SMITH!

Joseph Smith, not content with banking; also tried his hand at exo-biology and astronomy. He declared in 1837:

"Inhabitants of the Moon are more of a uniform size than the inhabitants of the Earth, being about 6 feet in height. They dress very much like the Quaker Style & and quite general in Style, or the one fashion of dress. They live to be very old; coming generally near a thousand years. This is the description of them as given by Joseph Smith the Seer."

[Yes, I do acknowledge that this prophecy was recorded by a member of the congregation, in his personal notebook, similar to what the members do in sacrement meetings today. So, the question goes, why would a member record what they hear, see, and do if it will just be discredited later in history when it becomes embarrassing to the church?]

Although Mormons will try and deny that Joseph Smith ever really taught this nonsense, they will find it confirmed from Brigham Young; who also taught it; and added that there were people also living in the sun! Obviously, modern science has condemned these prophecies to the ashcan of bad science fiction!

38) THAT POOR TEMPLE IN MISSOURI!

Another prophecy about the temple being built in Missouri is in D&C 115.1, 7-12:

"Verily, thus saith the Lord…Let the city, Far West, be a holy and consecrated land unto me; and it shall be called most holy, for the ground upon which thou standest is holy. Therefore I command you to build a house unto me, for the gathering together of my saints, that they may worship me. And let there be a beginning of this work, and a foundation, and a preparatory work this following summer;…Thus let them from that time forth labor diligently until it shall be finished, from the cornerstone thereof unto the top thereof, until there shall not anything remain that is not finished."

The temple has never been built, although the cornerstone was laid in 1838. Since this work has been frustrated for over a century and a half, it must be a work of men, not of God (D&C 3.3). The very best one can say about Joseph Smith and company is that they failed miserably in obeying their god's commands.

39) THE MARCH TO JACKSON COUNTY

Joseph Smith is quoted (1839) in "Reed Peck's Manuscript" as prophesying that:

"…within three years they [the Mormons] should march to Jackson County and there should not be a dog to open his mouth against them."

The Mormons didn't march into Jackson County by 1842, in fact, they still haven't.

40) THE "ASTONISHING" ANSON CALL?

An 1842 prophecy of Joseph Smith from the “Anson Call Diary” [discussing the Rocky Mountains] declared that:

"…there are some of these standing here that will perform a great work in that land…There is Anson [Call], he shall go and assist in building cities from one end of the country to the other and you shall perform as great a work as has ever been done by man, and the nations of the earth shall be astonished and many of them will be gathered in that land and assist in building cities."

As it happens, Anson Call did assist in settling Millard County, Utah in the southern part of the state. However, none of the "cities" in that region are particularly large or noteworthy. Nor did Call ever build cities from one end of the country to the other. He did not do anything which "astonished" the nations; nor did he do "as great a work as has ever been done by man."

41) JESUS' RETURN

Joseph Smith made this reference to the Second Coming of Jesus:

"Were I going to prophesy, I would say the end [of the world] would not come in 1844, 5 or 6, or in forty years. There are those of the rising generation who shall not taste death till Christ comes.

"I was once praying earnestly upon this subject, and a voice said unto me, "My son, if thou livest until thou art eighty-five years of age, thou shalt see the face of the Son of Man." I was left to draw my own conclusions concerning this, and I took the liberty to conclude that if I did live to that time, He would make His appearance. But I do not say whether He will make His appearance or I shall go where He is. I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till I am eighty-five years old."[48 years hence or about 1890…]

Interestingly enough, this passage is taken from Smith's diary; and modern LDS "historians" have removed the phrase "48 years hence or about 1890" because it so clearly demonstrates the falsity of the prophecy .

Obviously, none of the "rising generation" ever saw Jesus' coming. Jesus certainly did not come in "about 1890." A century has passed since that date; and Smith's prophecy lies dead and buried along with that "rising generation."

42) THE POTSHERD PROPHECY

Although Mormons like to vaunt their patriotism, Joseph Smith was not very fond of the US government. In 1843, he declared:

"…if the government, which received into its coffers the money of citizens for its public treasury, cannot protect such citizens in their lives and property, it is an old granny anyhow; and I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers, that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left…"

Congress failed to comply with Smith's demands. It did not protect the Mormons, and did not redress the wrongs done against them. In spite of this; the congress was never overthrown; and the US government has never been destroyed, overthrown or wasted. After over 140 years, the United States is the most powerful country in the World!

43) WARNING THE LAWLESS

In 1844, Joseph Smith made this "prophetic" threat:

"I therefore warn the lawless not to be precipitate in any interference in our affairs, for as sure as there is a God in Israel, we shall ride triumphant over all oppression."

A little over a week after this prophecy, Smith was shot to death by his enemies; and all the efforts of the Mormons in Nauvoo were brought to naught soon after that.

44) DID SMITH "SWALLOW UP ALL OTHER BANKS?"

In The Millennial Star, volume 19, p.343, Smith proclaimed that his Kirtland Anti-Banking Society was to "…swallow up all other banks." As has been discussed above, in False Prophecy #36; Smith's bank failed miserably.

45) NO PEACE SAVE IN ZION?

A statement of Joseph Smith's was published in Compendium in 1882 on p.271 in which he declared:

"The time is soon coming when no man will have any peace but in Zion [Independence, MO.] and her stakes."

More than 140 years have passed since that prophecy; and it's no more true now, than it was then.

46) W.W. PHELPS JUST DIED TOO SOON!

Joseph Smith prophesied by revelation that W.W.Phelps would not taste of death till Jesus came. Often in private and in public, did Mr. Phelps boast to the saints of this blessing, given to him by revelation and prophecy through Joseph. However, Phelps died March 7, 1872. Another blatantly false prophecy!

47) THAT WONDERFULLY "CORRECT" BOOK

Joseph Smith proclaimed this in 1841:

"I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding its precepts, than by any other book."

Now, if this is true, why have there been over 4,000 changes in the Book of Mormon since its 1830 publication; many of them substantive and significant? Can it still be "the most correct book" of any on earth with that many errors? How does it compare to the Bible?

Without wanting to get into a lengthy discourse on just how reliable the Bible really is; consider these simple facts: The New Testament, for example has about 20,000 lines of manuscript in it. It is roughly the same size document as the Book of Mormon, which has around 25,800 lines in it (in the 1830 edition). Playing the devil's advocate, we find that the New Testament has 0.5% (one-half of one percent) changes AT MOST in its text, between the oldest manuscripts we have, and the present translations, worst case scenario.

In applying the same math to the Book of Mormon, we find that its 4,000 changes produces a change rate of 1%, twice that of the New Testament! This is extraordinarily bad for the Book of Mormon when one considers that the New Testament has gone through hundreds of years copying while the Book of Mormon has been supposedly sitting pristine in the ground on golden plates and translated by the direct power of God. Further, since its discovery, it has been completely controlled for a mere 150+ years by "living prophets."

Think of that! The New Testament has managed to acquire only half the textual changes that the Book of Mormon has, even though the NT has been in existence for nearly 2,000 years! In other words, it means that in thirteen times the time span, the NT has at most 50% fewer corrections in its text than the "most correct book."

Beyond that false prophecy, there is another element in the statement. Joseph Smith declared that the Book of Mormon could draw folks nearer to God through obeying its teachings than any other book. However, absolutely none of the distinctive commands of the LDS church are in the Book of Mormon; nor are any of its doctrines! In fact, the Book of Mormon teaches against most points of LDS theology.

Among other things, it teaches the Trinity (2 Nephi 31.21); that God was never a man, and that He never changes (3 Nephi 24.6, Moroni 8.18); that plural marriage is incredibly evil (Jacob 2.22-27); that you are saved only through faith without works (Mosiah 3.18, 5.15); and that baptism for the dead is worthless for you must be born again before death(Alma 34.32-35).

This means you could read the Book of Mormon and never have the foggiest idea of how the LDS church teaches people must attain exaltation!

48) "THE HOUR IS NIGH"

In D&C 29.9-10, (1830) Joseph Smith again prophesied:

"For the hour is nigh and the day soon at hand when the earth is ripe and all the proud and they that do wickedly shall be as stubble; and I will burn them up, saith the Lord of Hosts, that wickedness should not be upon the earth; for the hour is nigh, and that which was spoken by mine apostles must be fulfilled; for as they spoke, so shall it come to pass."

Any reasonable reading of the words "nigh" and "soon" would indicate Smith was prophesying the coming of the Lord in his lifetime. Over 150 years and several generations have passed away since Joseph Smith passed away and still this prophecy is unfulfilled.

49) THE "UTTER ABOLISHMENT" OF NEW YORK AND BOSTON

Another "threat" prophecy was given by Smith in D&C 84.114-119 (1832) :

"…let the bishop go unto the city of New York, also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel…of the desolation and utter abolishment [sic] which await them if they do reject these things. For if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate…(v.119) For I the Lord have put forth my hand to exert the powers of heaven; ye cannot see it now, yet a little while and ye shall see it and know that I am, and that I will come and reign with my people."

Now none of these cities ever listened to the LDS gospel to any measurable extent at all during Smith's lifetime; in fact, they rejected it and even now the LDS church represents a very tiny minority in these urban centers. Yet these cities never suffered "desolation and utter abolishment" for their failure to heed the LDS gospel. The prophecy failed.

50) THE KEYS, THE KEYS, WHO HAS THE KEYS?

A rather self-serving prophecy appears in D&C 112.15 (1837):

"…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."

This revelation was given to Thomas B. Marsh, at the time the head of the Twelve Apostles. (see False Prophecy #15 above). The problems with it are two-fold. First, Smith was murdered in 1844 and the Lord hadn't come. That meant that the keys had to have been taken from him, or else Brigham Young would not have had them and would have been a false successor.

The Mormon might say, "Well, the promise is also to “youward,” meaning the recipient of the revelation, Marsh." However, that cannot be true, because surely the Lord would have known that 2 years later Marsh would be excommunicated and have any and all keys of the priesthood stripped from him.(see #15). Although Marsh did rejoin the church, he never again was an apostle nor held the "keys" that this prophecy promised he would hold until Jesus came again. So both Joseph Smith and Thomas Marsh failed to retain the keys promised.

51) WAS LYMAN WIGHT RIGHT?

Although not as directly involving Smith as the previous 50 prophecies have, this incident in 1831 during an ordination ceremony of Lyman Wight done by Smith shows that he taught and believed that Jesus would come within a generation:

"The Spirit of the Lord fell upon Joseph in an unusual manner, and he prophesied that John the Revelator was then among the Ten Tribes of Israel…He prophesied many more things I have not written. After he had prophesied, he laid his hands upon Lyman Wight and ordained him to the High Priesthood, after the holy order of God. And the Spirit fell upon Lyman and he prophesied concerning the coming of Christ. He said that there were some in the congregation that should live until the Savior should descend from heaven with a shout, with all the holy angels with him."

As we have had to observe many times before here, all the people of that generation have been in their graves for years. And Jesus hasn't come. According to the Bible, if Joseph Smith had disagreed with Lyman's prophecy, or felt he was off-base; he should have corrected him, especially since he was the "senior prophet", rather than let false teaching go abroad into the congregation while he was present.(1 Cor.14:29) Smith was not usually shy about rebuking those he disagreed with, and he let this prophecy stand, primarily because it agreed with several of his own.

52) "…56 YEARS SHOULD WIND UP THE SCENE."

Here is an example of Smith's own prophecies of the Second Coming from 1835 with which the above prophecy agreed:

"President [Joseph] Smith then stated that the meeting had been called, because God had commanded it; and it was made known to him by vision and by the Holy Spirit. He then gave a relation of some of the circumstances attending us while journeying to Zion, our trials and sufferings…[that we should]…go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord was nigh, even 56 years should wind up the scene."

[Again, I acknowledge that this statement was written by someone who merely wrote down his understanding of what Joseph Smith was saying, much like members today write down what they hear during sacrement meetings or Stake conferences, any of which can be discounted as unreliable 100 years from now should they prove embarrassing. Defending the Church by stating that these sources are unreliable because they were written by laymen in the pews is the same as admitting that what the individual members write down and keep record of in today's meetings are just as useless and without purpose]

Now 56 years would make the year of the Lord's coming 1891, which would agree with all of the preceding prophecies on this subject, but which would disagree with reality and history!

Smith later added that if he met with a violent end, the scene would wind up a good ten years earlier. Well, 1881 and 1891 came and went without the return of Christ. Another specific test of exact prophecy and another failure.

53) HAS THE MORMON CHURCH BEEN REJECTED?

In D&C 124.27-36, (1841) through Joseph Smith, the god of Mormonism gave an ultimatum to the LDS people in Nauvoo, IL in the form of this prophecy/commandment.

"…build a house to my name, for the Most High to dwell in. For there is not a place found on earth that he may come to and restore again that which was lost unto you, or which he hath taken away, even the fullness of the priesthood…(v.31) I command you, all ye my saints, to build a house unto me; and I grant unto you a sufficient time to build a house unto me; and during this time your baptisms shall be acceptable unto me. But behold, at the end of this appointment, your baptisms for the dead shall not be acceptable unto me; and if you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord God."

Now bear in mind again the principle of D&C 3.3, that if a work is frustrated it is of men. The Mormon people did not build the temple in Nauvoo, IL in anywhere near the "end of the appointment." In fact, the temple was still unfinished when Smith was shot in 1844! Even some Mormon historians doubt that the temple was ever finished before it was burned to the ground by mobs. Obviously, the building of the temple was not the work of God then; which makes this whole prophecy false!

[I acknowledge that the Nauvoo Temple has been re-built and restored. It ONLY took almost 150 years to do it, so what does that imply for all the vicarious baptisms that had been performed in other temples during that time?]

This means that all the work which the LDS church has been doing for the dead is unacceptable to their god. Either this prophecy is false, or else the LDS church should "be rejected as a church." Which is it, reject the prophet or reject the church? Either one pulls the whole house of cards down!

FINALLY, we felt we might bring this rather dreary litany of godless failures to a close with some of the few prophecies Joseph Smith actually got right!

[Because even I can’t say that Joseph Smith was 100% wrong]

1) Boastful Prophets

In D&C 3.4 ( given in 1828), we find this:

"For although a man may have many revelations, and have power to do many mighty works, yet if he boasts in his own strength, and sets at naught the counsels of God, and follows after the dictates of his own will and carnal desires, he must fall and incur the vengeance of a just God upon him.."

Now bear that prophecy in mind, as we move ahead several years to 1844. In May of that year, Smith proclaimed this:

"I have more to boast of than any man ever had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a church together since the days of Adam.…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."

Just 30 days from making that boast, on June 27, 1844; Joseph Smith was murdered by a mob in Carthage jail. He fell, and incurred the vengeance of a just God upon himself. Of course, that is not how the LDS members see it; but at least this time, Joseph got it right!

2) Porter Rockwell

Joseph Smith promised Orrin Porter Rockwell, his bodyguard and the great "Destroying Angel" that no bullet or blade in the hands of his enemies would harm him if he remained loyal, true to his faith and did not cut his hair. Rockwell kept his hair long and through thirty five years of fighting and countless enemies, died in bed after a hard night of drinking.

3) One More On Christ's Return

On March 10, 1844 Smith said that the Second Coming of Christ would NOT be that year or for the next 40 years. He was right.

4) Good and Evil

Joseph Smith said that the Angel Moroni told him that "my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of [me] among all people." While the "all nations, kindreds and tongues" may be a bit presumptuous, since the LDS church has only reached around 100 kindreds and tongues worldwide, surely wherever Mormonism has appeared, both good and evil is spoken about Smith.

5) Inspired Version Bible

Joseph Smith said that it was not the Lord's will that the Inspired Version of the New Testament portion of the Bible be published in Newspapers. He said that the Inspired New Testament and the Book of Mormon would be printed together. The Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints printed and issued the two books together in 1892-1893 and thereby fulfilled the prophecy.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Polygamy practice was based on an "excess women" theory


The "excess women" excuse is de-bunked

The Mormon apostle John Widsoe de-bunked the common explanation that polygamy was practiced in order to provide homes to a surplus of women in the church:
"The most common of these conjectures is that the Church, through plural marriage sought to provide husbands for its large surplus of female members. The implied assumption in this theory, that there have been more female than male members in the Church, is NOT supported by existing evidence. On the contrary, there seems always to have been MORE MALES than females in the Church..."
"The United States census records from 1850 to 1940, and all available Church records, uniformly show a preponderance of MALES in Utah, and in the Church. Indeed, the excess in Utah has usually been larger than for the whole United States, ...Orson Pratt, writing in 1853 from direct knowledge of Utah conditions, when the excess of females was supposedly the highest, declares against the opinion that females out numbered the males in Utah..."
"Another conjecture is that the people were few in numbers and that the Church, desiring greater numbers, permitted the practice so that a phenomenal increase in population could be attained. This is not defensible, since there WAS NO SURPLUS OF WOMEN."(Evidences and Reconciliations, 1960, pages 390-392)

From an LDS publication:

"But then the proportion of the sexes in Utah would not, at present, admit of an extensive practice of plural marriage. When the census was taken five years ago, there were 143,963 souls in Utah Territory, not counting untaxed Indians. In this number there was an excess of 5,055 MALES over females. This does not have the appearance of permitting an extensive practice of plural marriage,..." (Juvenile Instructor, Vol. 20, page 133)

Brigham Young gives Mormon women 2 week ultimatum
to quit complaining about polygamy:


"Now for my proposition; it is more particularly for my sisters, as it is frequently happening that women say they are UNHAPPY. Men will say, 'My wife, though a most excellent woman, has NOT SEEN A HAPPY DAY SINCE I TOOK MY SECOND WIFE,' 'No, NOT A HAPPY DAY FOR A YEAR,' says one; and another HAS NOT SEEN AHAPPY DAY FOR FIVE YEARS. It is said that women are tied down and abused: that they are misused and have not the liberty they ought to have; that many of them ARE WADING THROUGH A PERFECT FLOOD OF TEARS,...

"I wish my own women to understand that what I am going to say is for them as well as others, and I want those who are here to tell their sisters, yes, all the women of this community, and then write it back to the States, and do as you please with it. I am going to give you from this time to the 6th day of October next, for reflection, that you may determine whether you wish to stay with your husbands or not, and then I am going TO SET EVERY WOMAN AT LIBERTY and say to them, Now go your way, MY WOMEN WITH THE REST, go your way. AND MY WIVES have go to do one of two things; either round up their shoulders to endure the afflictions of this world, and live their religion, OR THEY MAY LEAVE, for I will not have them about me. I will go into heaven alone, rather than have SCRATCHING AND FIGHTING AROUND ME. I WILL SET ALL AT LIBERTY. 'WHAT, FIRST WIFE TOO?' YES, I WILL LIBERATE YOU ALL....

"I wish my women, and brother Kimball's and brother Grant's to leave, and every woman in this Territory, or else say in their hearts that they will embrace the Gospel —the whole of it....say to your wives, 'Take all that I have and be set at liberty; but if you stay with me you shall comply with the law of God, and that too WITHOUT ANY MURMURING AND WHINING. You must fulfil the law of God in every respect, and round up your shoulders to WALK UP TO THE MARK WITHOUT ANY GRUNTING.' "Now recollect that two weeks from to morrow I am going to set you at liberty. But the first wife will say, 'It is hard, for I have lived with my husband twenty years, or thirty, and have raised a family of children for him, and it is a great trial to me for him to have more women;' then I say IT IS TIME THAT YOU GAVE HIM UP TO OTHER WOMEN WHO WILL BEAR CHILDREN. If my wife had borne me all the children that she ever would bare, the celestial law would teach me TO TAKE YOUNG WOMEN that would have children....

"SISTERS, I AM NOT JOKING, I do not throw out my proposition to banter your feelings, to see whether you will leave your husbands, all or any of you. BUT I KNOW THAT THERE IS NO CESSATION TO THE EVERLASTING WHINING OF MANY OF THE WOMEN IN THIS TERRITORY; I am satisfied that this is the case. And if the women will turn from the commandments of God and continue to despise the order of heaven, I will pray that the curse of the Almighty may be close to their heals, and that it may be following them all the day long...."Prepare yourselves for two weeks from to morrow; and I will tell you now, that if you will tarry with your husbands, after I HAVE SET YOU FREE, YOU MUST BOW DOWN TO IT, and SUBMIT yourselves to the CELESTIAL LAW. You may go where you please, after two weeks from to-morrow; but, remember, that I WILL NOT HEAR ANY MORE OF THIS WHINING." (Sermon by Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4., pp. 55-57; also printed in Deseret News, Vol. 6, pp. 235-236

Brigham Young brags about his virility:

"Brother Cannon remarked that people wondered how many wives and children I had. He may inform them, that I SHALL HAVE WIVES AND CHILDREN BY THE MILLION, and glory, and riches and power and dominion, and kingdom after kingdom, and reign triumphantly." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, page 178)

"I could prove to this congregation that I AM YOUNG; for I could FIND MORE GIRLS WHO WOULD CHOOSE ME FOR A HUSBAND THAN CAN ANY OF THE YOUNG MEN."(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, page 210)

"The next man who came on to the carpet wanted to know HOW MANY WIVES BROTHER BRIGHAM HAD. I replied, '... I will guess, if that will do you any good....if I may judge from APPEARANCES, I SHOULD PRESUME HE HAS SOME FIFTY OR SIXTY.'" (Mormon Apostle Ezra T. Benson, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, pages 80-81)

On February 19, 1854, Jedediah M. Grant, second councilor to Brigham Young, spoke in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, telling of Joseph Smiths demands for other men's wives:

"When the family organization was revealed from heaven—the PATRIACHAL ORDER of God, and JOSEPH began, ON THE RIGHT AND ON THE LEFT, TO ADD TO HIS FAMILY, what a quaking there was in Israel. Says one brother to another, 'Joseph says all covenants are DONE AWAY, and NONE ARE BINDING BUT THE NEW COVENANTS; now suppose JOSEPH should come and say HE WANTED YOUR WIFE, what you say to that?' 'I would tell him to go to hell.' This was the spirit of many in the early days of this Church....""What would a man of God say, who felt aright, when JOSEPH ASKED him for his money? He would say, 'Yes, and I wish I had more to help to build up the kingdom of God.' Or if HE CAME AND SAID, 'I WANT YOUR WIFE?' O YES,' he would say, 'HERE SHE IS, THERE ARE PLENTY MORE.'... Did the PROPHET JOSEPH WANT EVERY MAN'S WIFE HE ASKED FOR? He did not,... If such a man of God should come to me and say, 'I want your gold and silver, OR YOUR WIVES,' I should say,' HERE THEY ARE, I WISH I HAD MORE TO GIVE YOU, TAKE ALL I HAVE GOT.'" Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, pp. 13-14)

Monogamy is evil

Heber C. Kimball, second councilor to Brigham Young,
on how monogamy makes a man wither and dry up:

"I have noticed that a man who has BUT ONE WIFE, and is inclined to that doctrine, soon begins to WITHER AND DRY UP, while a man who goes into PLURALITY looks fresh, YOUNG AND SPRIGHTLY. Why is this? Because God loves that man, and because he honors his word. Some of you may not believe this, but I not only believe it but I also know it. FOR A MAN OF GOD TO BE CONFINED TO ONE WOMAN IS SMALL BUSINESS,... I DO NOT KNOW WHAT WE SHOULD DO IF WE HAD ONLY ONE WIFE APIECE." (Deseret News, April 22, 1857)

Brigham Young declares monogamy a
system established by robbers:

"Monogamy, or restrictions by law to ONE WIFE, IS NO PART OF THE ECONOMY OF HEAVEN AMONG MEN. Such a system was commenced by the founders of the Roman empire....Rome became the mistress of the world, and introduced this order of monogamy wherever her sway was acknowledged. Thus this MONOGAMIC ORDER OF MARRIAGE, so esteemed by modern Christians as a HOLY SACRAMENT and DIVINE INSTITUTION, is nothing but a system established by a SET OF ROBBERS...."Why do we believe in and practice polygamy? Because the Lord introduced it to his servants in a revelation given to Joseph Smith, and the Lord's servants have always practised it. 'And IS THAT RELIGION POPULAR IN HEAVEN?' IT IS THE ONLY POPULAR RELIGION THERE,..." (The Deseret News, August 6, 1862)

George A. Smith - Monogamists should be ashamed:

"We breathe the free air, we have the best looking men and handsomest women, and if they envy us our position, well they may, for they are a poor, NARROW MINDED, PINCH-BACKED RACE OF MEN, WHO CHAIN THEMSELVES DOWN TO THE LAW OF MONOGAMY AND LIVE ALL THEIR DAYS UNDER THE DOMINION OF ONE WIFE. They ought to be ASHAMED OF SUCH CONDUCT, and the still fouler channel which flows from their practices; and it is not to be wondered at that they should envy those who so much better understand the social relations." (Deseret News, April 16, 1856)

Brigham Young - Monogamy is the source
of prostitution and whoredom:

"Since the founding of the Roman empire monogamy has prevailed more extensively than in times previous to that. The founders of that ancient empire were robbers and women stealers, and made laws favoring monogamy in consequence of the scarcity of women among them, and hence this MONOGAMIC SYSTEM which now prevails throughout Christendom, and which had been so fruitful a source of PROSTITUTION AND WHOREDOM throughout all the Christian monogamic cities of the Old and New World, until rottenness and decay are at the root of their institutions both national and religious."(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 128)

From the Mormon church paper Millenial Star:

"... THE ONE-WIFE SYSTEM NOT ONLY DEGENERATES THE HUMAN FAMILY, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND INTELLECTUALLY, but it is entirely incompatible with philosophical notions of immortality; IT IS A LURE TO TEMPTATION, AND HAS ALWAYS PROVED A CURSE TO A PEOPLE." (Millennial Star, Vol. 15, p. 227)

Mormon apostle Orson Pratt explains that
the debauched state of Europe
is due to monogamy:

"Some of the nations of Europe who believe in the one wife system have actually forbidden a plurality of wives by their laws; and the consequences are that the whole country among them is overrun with the most abomi[na]ble practices? adulteries and unlawful connections prevail through all their villages, towns, cities, and country places to a most fearful extent." (The Seer, p. 12)

George Q. Cannon - Monogamy responsible
for the decline and fall of the Roman Empire:

"It is a fact worthy of note that the shortest lived nations of which we have record have been monogamic. Rome...was a MONOGAMIC NATION AND THE NUMEROUS EVILS ATTENDING THAT SYSTEM EARLY LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR THAT RUIN WHICH EVENTUALLY OVERTOOK HER."(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 202)

Apostle Orson Pratt:

"This law of MONOGAMY, or the MONOGAMIC SYSTEM, laid the foundation for prostitution and the evils and diseases of the most revolting nature and character under which modern Christendom groans,..." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, page 195)

Brigham Young - Adam was a polygamist:

"Now hear it, O inhabitants of the earth, Jew and Gentile, Saint and Sinner! When OUR FATHER ADAM came into the the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, ONE OF HIS WIVES WITH HIM." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, page 50)

Jesus was a polygamist (!!!)

Apostle Orson Hyde:

"I discover that some of the Eastern papers represent me as a great blasphemer, because I said, in my lecture on Marriage, at our last Conference, that JESUS CHRIST WAS MARRIED at Cana of Galilee, THAT MARY, MARTHA, AND OTHERS WERE HIS WIVES, AND THAT HE BEGAT CHILDREN.(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, page 210)

Brigham Young, answering critics who claimed
polygamy as a relic of barbarism:

"Yes, one of the relics of Adam, of Enoch, of Noah, of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob, of Moses, David, Solomon, the Prophets, OF JESUS, AND HIS APOSTLES." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 328)

Brigham Young:

"The Scripture says that He, the LORD, came walking in the Temple, with HIS TRAIN; I do not now who they were, unless HIS WIVES AND CHILDREN;..." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, page 309)

Apostle Orson Pratt:

"...it will be seen that the GREAT MESSIAH who was the founder of the Christian religion, WAS A POLYGAMIST, ...the MESSIAH chose...by MARRYING MANY honorable WIVES himself, show to all future generations that HE approbated the PLURALITY OF WIVES under the Christian dispensation, as well as under the dispensation in which His Polygamist ancestors lived. "We have now clearly shown that GOD THE FATHER HAD A PLURALITY OF WIVES, one or more being in eternity, by whom He begat our spirits as well as the spirit of Jesus His first Born, and another being upon the earth by whom He begat the tabernacle of Jesus, as his only begotten in this world. We have also proved most clearly that the Son followed the example of his Father, and became the great Bridegroom to whom kings' daughters and many honorable wives were to be married We have also proved that both God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ inherit THEIR WIVES IN ETERNITY as well as in time;... And then it would be so shocking to the modesty of the very pious ladies of Christendom to see Abraham and his wives, Jacob and his wives, JESUS AND HIS HONORABLE WIVES, all eating occasionally at the same table, and visiting one another, and conversing about their numerous children and their kingdoms. Oh, ye delicate ladies of Christendom how can you endure such a scene as this?... If you do not want your morals corrupted, and your delicate ears shocked, and your pious modesty put to the blush by the society of POLYGAMISTS and their wives, do not venture near the New Earth; for POLYGAMISTS will be honored there, and will be among the chief rulers in that Kingdom."(The Seer, page 172)

Brigham Young - To become a god, one must be a polygamist:

"The ONLY MEN WHO BECOME GODS, even the Sons of God, are those WHO ENTER INTO POLYGAMY."(Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, page 269)
My Thoughts Are:
I'm glad I wasn't a Mormon a hundred years ago.
Why has the current church deviated from this "restored gospel"? Supposedly God has suspended the practice of polygamy, but it is still part of their doctrine, and is still practiced in the temple marriages; for example: a man can be married to his deceased wife and to a new wife and be considered a practitioner of polygamy, thereby ensuring his place in the Celestial Kingdom (CK). Women are not allowed to do this if their husbands die first and they remarry, they can only be sealed to their first spouse and the second has to enter into the marriage understanding that his wife belongs to the first and any children they have together belong to the first sealing. Who would marry a young widow in the Mormon church knowing this?
Yes it does matter, because these members believed they were part of a restoration of all things and that they were elite, special, set apart, a peculiar people, etc...and this was God's true church. Looking at it today, it is as if they gave their lives defending principles and teachings that were never going to remain a part of the church. Why would they have had to sacrifice so much to belong to this faith if 100 years later it wasn't going to be practiced or preached anyway?
Suppose 50 years from now the church announces that temple ordinances are no longer required for admittance to heaven, and tithing is to be paid voluntarily? How would some long time members feel after sacrificing and adherance to these teachings all their lives just to have it disposed of for the sake of becoming more mainstream and acceptable to society? What's the point of taking the prophet's word so seriously about wearing only one pair of earrings, when another prophet 25 years down the road will just proclaim his words null and void?
Restored gospel? I don't think so. More liked "disposed of" gospel. There is no reason to adhere to a system that proclaims itself to be a duplicate of the original church, when it has slowly evolved over time to be a mishmash of doctored history, cast-away teachings, and men who were not speaking as a prophet, just merely expressing their personal views.
If a man is going to claim to be a prophet, he had better act as such, and be able to pass the test, like maybe having a prophecy come true. When is the last time an LDS prophet actually "prophesized" anything?
The LDS church isn't special. It isn't a 'restored' gospel. It's just the result of one man's opinions and a book he wrote trying to keep from starvation. People believed him because of his ability to tell the story, and for his charisma and charm. They elect presidents and congressmen the same way. And when a president or a congressman is found to have lied to the people, through outside investigations and media interrogations, the people cast him out. This is NOT ALLOWED in the LDS church. There is no scrutiny, no questioning of "the Lord's Annointed", or you risk your membership in the club. The threat is 'loss of Spirit', being cast out into "outer darkness" and losing your family to another worthy male who can claim your wife and children because of your unbelief. What a mindfuck.
Let's pretend you're a judge, not a lawyer. That means you take ALL evidence into account, not just the set of statements that support your views. Weigh the evidence, pro and con. Put the church on trial, and if it's true it should be able to back up all their teachings with fact, not feelings. Appeal to the emotions is what ties the members to the church. They promote "truthiness" in the pews. Whatever promotes good feelings and maintains your testimony becomes "true". Whatever causes doubts and casts a shadow of fear must be therefore "false". This is not how real life is. Judges don't throw criminals into jail based on their looks or personality, they have to weigh the facts and follow the law, regardless of their personal feelings.
Why do I continue to rant about the church? Because I am making a stand against something I feel tore my own family apart. I truly believe that the church is the cause for strife within many families, splitting them up into "believers" and "non-believers". Even if I were to come back, I would have to accept that my own children couldn't be sealed to me and my spouse, and I couldn't be an "eternal family" by the Mormon standards, so why the hell would I return? They already failed to deliver on the promise by waiting until I got through the last hurdle to tell me that even though I was a good and faithful member of the church, I still will be unable to attain the CK with my family in tact because not all believe. I think it is a colossal waste of time to work and slave away for such an unreachable goal. If I am doomed to a lesser kingdom anyway, then why should I pay tithing, go to the temple, keep up on callings, attend interviews and be subjected to their rules? According to their own standards, I will never be worthy to enter the HOLY OF HOLIES because I won't be able to get the Second Annointing anyway, because it is reserved for General Authorities and their spouses, to make their calling and election sure. Does anyone know why regular members have never heard of this ordinance? Because they don't qualify for it anyway, so why would they tell anyone it exists in the first place? And I don't believe them when they say they don't practice it anymore, because if it used to be a requirement 100 years ago, there is no reason to believe it is no longer required, or else the church fails to live up to it's own standard of claiming to be a 'restored gospel'. If Jesus had to do it, SO DOES EVERYONE. There is a HOLY of HOLIES in EVERY TEMPLE that the General Authorities would attend. They have all received this ordinance, and regular members would not be informed of it for the simple fact that they can't ordain everyone, there has to be an upper crust and a special class of Mormon, and there has to be souls to inhabit the Terrestial and Telestial Kingdoms, right? Treating everyone the same and allowing everyone to partake would take away that special uniqueness and higher authority that the GA's give themselves. They all have special secret knowledge that only a select few ever learn, and the regular members think they have this when they get their garments and endowments. There is so much more to the church than the average member knows, and it is only through careful research and sorting the facts from feelings that one can be able to remove themselves from this boxed in "limited reach" system.
This is NOT Christ's way. He preached acceptance and inclusion to all those who come to him. There were no temple ordinances, no recommends and interview processes. There were no meeting attendance mandates, or holding multiple callings. His only requirements were:
1.Belief
2.Repentance
3. Baptism
Why can't it be that simple again?

Sunday, December 24, 2006

In Case You Missed It....

Go back and read this one I posted a couple of days ago:

Kinderhook Plates Proclaimed Ancient Records by Joseph Smith

My mind is STILL reeling from the implications this has on the Mormon church as the "one true church".

Get out your Occam's Razor for this one.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Genetic Evidence Discounts that Native Americans Descended from Jews

Full text can be found here

The LDS church claims that the ancient inhabitants of the Americas descended from the Jews.

"[The angel] said the Indians were the literal descendants of Abraham…" (Joseph Smith, Journal, 9 November 1835. See Scott H. Faulring, ed., An American Prophet's Record: The Diaries and Journals of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Signature Books and Smith Research Associates, 1987), p. 51; Dean C. Jessee, ed., The Papers of Joseph Smith: Volume 2-Journal, 1832-1842 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992), p. 70; Dan Vogel, ed., Early Mormon Documents (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1996), 1:44.

"After thousands of years, all were destroyed except the Lamanites, and they are the principal ancestors of the American Indians." (Introduction to the Book of Mormon, 1991 edition)

"With pride I tell those who come to my office that a Lamanite is a descendant of one Lehi who left Jerusalem some 600 years before Christ and with his family crossed the mighty deep and landed in America. And Lehi and his family became the ancestors of all of the Indian and Mestizo tribes in North and South and Central America and in the islands of the sea, for in the middle of their history there were those who left America in ships of their making and went to the islands of the sea.
"Not until the revelations of Joseph Smith, bringing forth the Book of Mormon, did any one know of these migrants. It was not known before, but now the question is fully answered. Now the Lamanites number about sixty million; they are in all of the states of America from Tierra del Fuego all the way up to Point Barrows, and they are in nearly all the islands of the sea from Hawaii south to southern New Zealand. The Church is deeply interested in all Lamanites because of these revelations and because of this great Book of Mormon, their history that was written on plates of gold and deposited in the hill. The translation by the Prophet Joseph Smith revealed a running history for one thousand years-six hundred years before Christ until four hundred after Christ-a history of these great people who occupied this land for that thousand years. Then for the next fourteen hundred years, they lost much of their high culture. The descendants of this mighty people were called Indians by Columbus in 1492 when he found them here." (Spencer W. Kimball, "Of Royal Blood," Ensign, July 1971, p. 7)

Apologists sometimes claim that the Nephites and Lamanites shared their land with other inhabitants not from Jerusalem. However, this does not appear to be the case:

"8. And behold, it is wisdom that this land should be kept as yet from the knowledge of other nations; for behold, many nations would overrun the land, that there would be no place for an inheritance.
9. Wherefore, I, Lehi, have obtained a promise, that inasmuch as those whom the Lord God shall bring out of the land of Jerusalem shall keep his commandments, they shall prosper upon the face of the land; and they shall be kept from all other nations, that they may possess this land unto themselves. And if it so be that they shall keep his commandments they shall be blessed upon the face of this land, and there shall be none to molest them, nor to take away the land of their inheritance; and they shall dwell safely forever." (2 Nephi 1:8-9)

Despite claims by LDS prophets to the contrary, science does not support the view that Native Americans are of Jewish stock. For example, there is no blood antigen evidence for native Americans being related to the Jews. Natives of North and South America (and Pacific Islanders) have genetic alleles that can be traced exclusively to Asia. Mitochondrial DNA is transmitted unilineally, and is therefore not watered down by intermarriage-even the mitochondria of a single remote ancestor of a group would likely show up at least occasionally in tests.

As noted by geneticist Simon Southerton:

"I began searching for research papers having some connection with American Indians or Polynesians. Because I was familiar with plant genetics I became interested in recent research on the DNA of American Indians. The principles of DNA analysis are applicable to all living things so it was relatively easy to jump from the plant to the animal kingdom. I rapidly accumulated many scientific papers comparing the mitochondrial DNA of American Indians from numerous tribes with the mitochondrial DNA of other populations around the world. Mitochondrial DNA is passed from mother to child each generation. It is essentially a female genealogical lineage, or a maiden name if you like, stored in the mitochondrial DNA sequence. This part of the total DNA genome is used for population studies in many animal species. It is very simple to study because the mitochondrial genes don't get rearranged each generation like most genes, which are inherited as a mixed bag from previous generations. I was equally interested in more recent Y-chromosome DNA studies. Male lineages, much like DNA surnames, are passed from father to son and clearly reveal male genealogical lineages.

"In the last decade scientists from several research groups had tested the mitochondrial DNA of over 2000 American Indians from about a hundred tribes scattered over the length of the Americas. It soon became apparent to me that about 99% of their female lineages were brought into the Americas in excess of 12,000 years ago. Almost all of these lineages are most closely related to those of people in Asia, particularly in southern Siberia near Mongolia. Several tribes in Mesoamerica (which included Aztecs and Mayans) had been tested and all but a couple of individuals out of about 500 had mitochondrial DNA of Asian origin. The small fraction of Native American lineages that were not from Asia appeared to originate in Europe, most likely Spain. DNA studies also showed that the female ancestors of the Polynesians came from South East Asia and not the Americas. Y-chromosome studies, which trace male migrations, strongly support the mitochondrial work, except that the European influence is higher (about 10% in the Americas).

"For two weeks I wrestled with the research. I collected more and more research papers but failed to find anything that supported migration of Jewish people before Columbus. Enough is known about the DNA lineages of Jews to be very confident that they are clearly distinguishable from Asian lineages. They would also be easily identifiable if they were present in the Americas in significant numbers. I struggled with the complete discrepancy between the research and my understanding of the Book of Mormon and the doctrine of the Lamanites. The Book of Mormon describes the occurrence of Hebrew civilizations in the Americas numbering in the millions. It is clear that the victorious Lamanites would have numbered in the millions in about 400 AD. I could not understand how such large numbers of people could have escaped detection…

"Soon after I came to the realization that the Book of Mormon is not what it claims to be, I became deeply upset. I had firmly believed that it was true. I had not been looking for evidence to prove it wrong. I had been looking for research that could be viewed as supportive. It was a shock to have my belief shattered so quickly…

"I corresponded with this BYU professor on about four occasions until I became even more convinced of the seriousness of the situation. He was a very nice man and he was very honest with me. In the midst of his lengthy defenses of the Church he acknowledged that greater than 98% of American Indians came from Asia and that this conflicts with current thinking in the church regarding the whereabouts of the Lamanites today. Not only did he confirm my conclusions, he strengthened them even further. He confirmed that scientists at BYU had tested 3000 American Indians from Peru and they came up with the same problem of virtually all the female DNA lineages coming from Asia. Now I knew that all three major civilizations in the Americas the Aztecs, Maya and Incas were comprised of people who trace their genealogy back to Siberia. Data from Peru had been conspicuously lacking in my research." (Simon Southerton, DNA genealogies of American Indians and the Book of Mormon, March 17, 2000)

Consider also this recent conclusion (May, 2002) by Thomas Murphy that genetic research fails to show any connection between Native Americans and Israelite DNA:

"Some Latter-day Saints have expressed optimism that DNA research would lead to a vindication of the Book of Mormon as a translation of a genuine ancient document. The hope is that DNA research would link Native Americans to ancient Israelites, buttressing LDS beliefs in a way that has not been forthcoming from archaeological, linguistic, historical, or morphological research. The results, though, have been disappointing. So far, DNA research lends no support to traditional Mormon beliefs about the origins of Native Americans. Genetic data repeatedly point to migrations from Asia between 7,000 and 50,000 years ago as the primary source of Native American origins. DNA research has substantiated the archaeological, cultural, linguistic, and biological evidence that also points overwhelmingly to an Asian origin for Native Americans. While DNA evidence shows that ultimately all human populations are rather closely related, to date no intimate genetic link has been found between ancient Israelites and the indigenous peoples of the Americas-much less within the time frame suggested by the Book of Mormon. After considering recent research in molecular anthropology, summarized here, I have concluded that Latter-day Saints should not expect to find validation for the Book of Mormon in genetics. My assessment echoes that of geneticist and former LDS Bishop Simon Southerton whose survey of the literature on Native American DNA also "failed to find anything that supported migration of Jewish people before Columbus." He concluded "the truth is that there is no reliable scientific evidence supporting migrations from the Middle East to the New World." (Thomas W. Murphy, "Lamanite Genesis, Genealogy, and Genetics", American Apocrypha: Essays on the Book of Mormon)


My thoughts are:

I always wondered why a group of Jews who migrated to the Americas would not mention anything at all about keeping Kosher, observing the Jewish rites and customs, keeping the High Holy observances and the other markers that would have indicated anything about their "Jewishness".
One thing in particular stuck out in the Book of Mormon where it mentions the kinds of animals that were kept. Now, I could get into a fascinating, long debate about what the hell is a "Curelom", but another time. And nevermind that elephants aren't exactly indigenous (that means native) to North or South America.

The main point I wanted to ask someone of Mormon faith: WHY would Jews that supposedly migrated here to America, (in great big rectangle barges with holes in the top AND bottom) (???) Why would they keep "herds of swine" when it is considered an "unclean" animal and of no use to Jews, I mean Lamanites? They wouldn't eat it, that's for sure. What they hell are they good for? Why, why, why are swine mentioned as "useful to man" if these folks were supposedly of the "lost tribes of Israel"?:

Ether 9:18
And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.


Ether 9:19
And they also had horses, and asses, and there were elephants and cureloms and cumoms; all of which were useful unto man, and more especially the elephants and cureloms and cumoms.


Anyone have an Occam's Razor ?