I read an article in politicsusa written by an avowed anti-religious bigot. He mentions, casually, that Joseph Smith was, “a convicted fraudster”.
Well, this was news to me! I hadn’t heard of Joseph Smith being convicted of anything. In fact, it was in waiting for his trial in Missouri that he was freed by his captors. It was waiting for his trial in Illinois that he was murdered in cold blood by a mob of so-called Christians. If that is the faith the author wants to align himself with, then let the blood of Joseph Smith be on his hands. Let’s see what the angels in heaven will testify against him at the last day that he stands before his Maker.
There is a curious rumor floating around that Joseph Smith was convicted of being a “glass-looker” and using stones to find treasure in 1826. The sad truth is that there was no record of conviction, only a trial, for which we have no record of the verdict or even much testimony. The curious should read the article at SHIELDS if they would like an accurate look at what we have records of and what is most likely to have occurred.
If Joseph Smith committed fraud, then where are the deceived, and what was his prize? Was he so rich? Did he live a life of luxury? Did he take advantage of even the slightest weakness of any around him?
Those who study Joseph Smith honestly will come to the same conclusion as I have. Either he was a prophet of God of the same type and nature as Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, or he is something else. What that something else could be, we cannot tell. He certainly wasn’t a fraudster. He certainly wasn’t a womanizer or a murderer or any of the other things he has been accused of being.
That he made extraordinary claims, we cannot argue. He claims to have walked with angels, spoken with God, and restored powers that left the earth with the passing of Peter, James and John long ago.
His most extraordinary claim of all was that a record was prepared for over three thousand years on golden plates to be translated by the power of God at the hands of Joseph Smith, and that this record would change the entire world preparatory to the Second Coming. We have the book, and it is freely available for anyone to read. Our invitation is simple: Read the book, ponder on its implications, and ask God, with real intent, whether it is true. If it is true, then you must join the same church the book comes from. If it is not, then you will know for yourself, from God Himself, that Joseph Smith was no prophet. The fact that so-called Christian leaders teach people not to pray to God about such an important matter should be alarming.
Those people who want to mix religion and politics, or rather, church and state, are playing with fire. They wouldn’t like to be judged by their beliefs, and yet judge others by theirs. Isn’t this what Jesus preached against? Isn’t that hypocrisy in its purest form?
Let me expound, for a few moments, the absurdity of your beliefs, if you will allow me to do so. Let me state first, that even though I believe these things about you, I do not think you any less human because of it. Indeed, I firmly believe that people are free and should be free and should choose for themselves what to believe. This is the only way to truth.
First, you believe that the God who created the universe cannot speak to a prophet.
Second, you believe that the God who created man as his crowning creation does not care to reveal himself to the same.
Third, you believe that the same God you call merciful and just does not intend to reward as many people as possible with the same blessings he enjoys for all eternity.
Fourth, you believe that the same God who calls himself Father does not think of us as Gods in embryo, or in other words, children of God, destined to become exactly like God.
Fifth, you believe that Jesus did not descend below all things to bring the world, as much as possible, back to God.
Sixth, you believe that man can live by his own devices, and that we need not rely on the supernatural or divine in the least bit, while failing to acknowledge the foundation for logic and reason and science itself is supernatural and divine in nature.
Seventh, you believe that the people around you are not connected by blood, spiritual and physical, and should inherit the same respect that the wisest and most noble among us deserve, regardless of their current situation, especially in light of their future possibility.
Eighth, you believe that God, who organizes all the celestial bodies in order, does not intend to organize the earth in like order, with prophets and apostles, teachers and priests and others, in organized religion administered from the mouth of God through His prophets and servants.
Ninth, you believe that man is not nothing compared to God, and that we can have a sane thought on our own accord.
Tenth, you believe that when the entire world rises up and murders someone in cold blood who was guilty of no crime, it must have been because that person was bad, not that he was a threat to all the evil institutions and practices of the world.
If you want to make this election about religion, let’s stick to the only religious topics that matter: Is man free? Should one person live off the labor of another? Should we protect individual rights or only group rights? I think on these points we, the vast majority of America agree, and should we let lesser beliefs divide us, then we won’t live to see any of our beliefs bear fruit.
