LDS Mormon Facts 61-70
Useful or not, they're still true.
Useful or not, they're still true.
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Author: Curtis Weller
To quote an Apostle of Jesus Christ (of Latter-day Saints);
'Some things that are true are not very useful.'
(Boyd K. Packer, "The Mantle Is Far, Far Greater than the Intellect," CES Symposium, 1981.)
This section of WhyMormons.net devotes itself to such factoids about the mainstream LDS Church and its history.
Oopsy: While the Word of Wisdom recommends using tobacco as a poultice for bruises, and for sick cattle (a popular myth in the 1800s, and mostly prescribed for horses), there is absolutely no medical evidence to support that tobacco is beneficial for any of these uses.
Selling God's Intellectual Property: The historic record tells us that Joseph Smith attempted to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon. When it failed to sell, Joseph claimed the failure was a result of a false revelation, rather than divine directive.
Can't Remember? Joseph Smith was able to give an exact date for when 'Nephi', later changed to 'Moroni', visited him about the Gold Plates, September 21, 1823. Joseph was unable, however, to remember the date that God the Father and Jesus Christ supposedly visited him in 1820. Same goes for when Peter, James, and John restored the Melchizedek priesthood.
More Translation: In 1843, Joseph Smith made an 'inspired' translation of the 'Kinderhook' plates. Minor problem: The plates and the strange characters written on them were an elaborate hoax designed to prove that Joseph Smith couldn't really translate anything. More than an 'Error of Men': If Joseph Smith couldn't discern that the plates were a hoax, fell for the trap, and even claimed to have translated the fake inscriptions, how can we be confident that his other translations aren't also 'errors'?
They were all supposed to be abominations: Despite being told in 1820 by God not to join any church because they were all wrong, Joseph Smith tried joining his wife's Methodist church in 1828 and signing up for the Methodist classes taught there.
Did Joseph forget about seeing God in 1820?: Joseph Smith claimed he saw God the Father in 1820. But then he wrote that in 1823 he prayed to know 'if a Supreme being did exist.' Shouldn't he have already known?
How important was the First Vision?: While the LDS church claims that the First Vision is the cornerstone for the beginnings of Mormonism, the first Church History written in 1835 under Joseph Smith's direction makes absolutely no mention of the First Vision. In fact, Joseph claims his first spiritual experience was in 1823 when he prayed in bed to know if God existed.
Lorenzo Snow, an early LDS prophet, once preached that polygamy would cure the urge to masturbate or indulge in other sexual behaviors.
Joseph Smith's last born, David, was committed to the Illinois Hospital for the Insane after having served as a counselor in the RLDS presidency. Brigham Young proclaimed that he was the rightful heir of the LDS presidency. David died in the asylum in 1903.
Wilford Woodruff, an early prophet in Mormonism, told a stake conference in Snowflake, Arizona, that there would be no United States in the year 1890.
1-10 | 11-20 | 21-30 | 31-40 | 41-50 | 51-60 | 61-70 | 71-80 | 81-90 | 91-100 | 101-110 | 111-120 | 121-130 | 131-140 | 141-150 | 151-160 | 161-170
Would you like to submit some facts for this section? Email CurtisWeller@WhyMormons.net with your facts. Please include verifiable source material and the name we should credit for the contribution.
