Tag Archives: Joseph Smith

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"To whom it may concern This certifies that Elijah Able has been received into the church of the Latter Day Saints, organized on the sixth of April, in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred & thirty, & has been ordained an Elder according to the rules & regulations of said church, & is duly authorized to preach the gospel agreeably to the authority of that Office. From the satisfactory evidence which we have of his good moral character, & his zeal for the cause of righteousness, & diligent desire to persuade men to forsake evil & embrace truth, we confidently recommend him to all candid & upright people as a worthy member of society. We, therefore in the name, & by the authority of this church, grant unto this, our worthy brother in the Lord, this letter of commendation as a proof of our fellowship & Esteem: Praying for his success & prosperity in our Redeemer’s Cause. Given by the direction of a conference of the Elders of said church, Assembled in Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio, the third day of March, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred & thirty six. Joseph Smith Jr. Chairman. Frederick G. Williams Clerk. Kirtland, Ohio, March 31, 1836." - License for Elijah Able, 31 March 1836, p. 61, The Joseph Smith Papers | wasmormon.org
"This certifies that Elijah Able has been received into the church of the Latter Day Saints, organized on the sixth of April, in the year of our Lord, one thousand, eight hundred & thirty, & has been ordained an Elder according to the rules & regulations of said church, & is duly authorized to preach the gospel agreeably to the authority of that Office. From the satisfactory evidence which we have of his good moral character, & his zeal for the cause of righteousness, & diligent desire to persuade men to forsake evil & embrace truth, we confidently recommend him to all candid & upright people as a worthy member of society. We, therefore in the name, & by the authority of this church, grant unto this, our worthy brother in the Lord, this letter of commendation as a proof of our fellowship & Esteem: Praying for his success & prosperity in our Redeemer’s Cause. Given by the direction of a conference of the Elders of said church, Assembled in Kirtland, Geauga County, Ohio, the third day of March, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred & thirty six. [signed] Joseph Smith Jr., March 31, 1836." - License for Elijah Able, 31 March 1836, p. 61, The Joseph Smith Papers

1969 Official First Presidency Statement on the Doctrines of Banning Blacks from the Priesthood

Just as the statement from the First Presidency in 1949, there was another statement issued in 1969 regarding the stance of the church on denying the priesthood to any black member of the church. In 1949, the First Presidency consisted of George Albert Smith, J Reuben Clark & David O McKay. In 1969, the presidency …

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"In revelations received by the first prophet of the Church in this dispensation, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the Lord made it clear that it is “not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.” These words were spoken prior to the Civil War." - Statement of the LDS First Presidency David O McKay, Hugh B Brown, and N Eldon Tanner, December 15, 1969, regarding the position of the church with regard to the Negro. | wasmormon.org
"In revelations received by the first prophet of the Church in this dispensation, Joseph Smith (1805-1844), the Lord made it clear that it is “not right that any man should be in bondage one to another.” These words were spoken prior to the Civil War." - Statement of the LDS First Presidency David O McKay, Hugh B Brown, and N Eldon Tanner, December 15, 1969, regarding the position of the church with regard to the Negro.

Byron Marchant, Accused Dissident, Unjustifiably Excommunicated for Opposing Priesthood Ban in 1977

Among the first votes of dissent in the modern Mormon church occurred in 1977, in opposition to the church doctrine banning blacks from any priesthood ordination and temple endowment. A member voted opposed to sustaining church leadership in General Conference 1977 and was subsequently excommunicated. Then less than 1 year later the church downgraded the …

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Elder Oaks Claims Apostolic Duty to Sacrifice Anything That Makes The Church Look Bad

The authors of the fascinating book about Emma Smith, Mormon Enigma were reprimanded for publishing it. They weren’t excommunicated, but they were forbidden to speak in meetings and firesides. Elder Oaks spoke with Linda Newell (one of the authors of Mormon Enigma) as she recounted in her talk at the 1992 Pacific Northwest Sunstone Symposium called “The …

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"My duty as a member of the Council of the Twelve is to protect what is most unique about the LDS church, namely the authority of priesthood, testimony regarding the restoration of the gospel, and the divine mission of the Savior. Everything else may be sacrificed in order to maintain the integrity of those essential facts. Thus, if Mormon Enigma reveals information that is detrimental to the reputation of Joseph Smith, then it is necessary to try to limit its influence and that of its authors." - Elder Dallin H Oaks, LDS Apostle, First Counselor in First Presidency | wasmormon.org
"My duty as a member of the Council of the Twelve is to protect what is most unique about the LDS church, namely the authority of priesthood, testimony regarding the restoration of the gospel, and the divine mission of the Savior. Everything else may be sacrificed in order to maintain the integrity of those essential facts. Thus, if Mormon Enigma reveals information that is detrimental to the reputation of Joseph Smith, then it is necessary to try to limit its influence and that of its authors." - Elder Dallin H Oaks, LDS Apostle, First Counselor in First Presidency
"From the days of the Prophet Joseph even until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church, never questioned by any of the Church leaders, that the Negroes are not entitled to the full blessings of the Gospel." - First Presidency of George Albert Smith to Dr Lowry Nelson, 1947 | wasmormon.org
"From the days of the Prophet Joseph even until now, it has been the doctrine of the Church, never questioned by any of the Church leaders, that the Negroes are not entitled to the full blessings of the Gospel." - First Presidency of George Albert Smith to Dr Lowry Nelson, 1947
"If we accept that Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon using a dark occultic seer stone he presumably found from an alleged career in treasure digging, scrying, and magic, this means the Book of Mormon was revealed through an occultic instrument and not by revelation and instruments provided by God." – Seer Stone v. Urim & Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial by L Hanna Stoddard & The Joseph Smith Foundation | wasmormon.org
"If we accept that Joseph Smith dictated the Book of Mormon using a dark occultic seer stone he presumably found from an alleged career in treasure digging, scrying, and magic, this means the Book of Mormon was revealed through an occultic instrument and not by revelation and instruments provided by God." – Seer Stone v. Urim & Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial by L Hanna Stoddard & The Joseph Smith Foundation
"For nearly 200 years, our official Church history never promoted the seer stone hypothesis... However, over the past decade a major shift has prompted many Latter-day Saints to abandon the “traditional narrative,” as many progressive intellectuals call for a “new narrative.”" – Seer Stone v. Urim & Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial by L Hanna Stoddard & The Joseph Smith Foundation | wasmormon.org
"For nearly 200 years, our official Church history never promoted the seer stone hypothesis... However, over the past decade a major shift has prompted many Latter-day Saints to abandon the “traditional narrative,” as many progressive intellectuals call for a “new narrative.”" – Seer Stone v. Urim & Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial by L Hanna Stoddard & The Joseph Smith Foundation
This six-page history was at some point excised from the letterbook. Fortuitously, one can actually date the time period when these leaves were removed, because the tearing of the last of the three leaves was done with such little care that a small triangular fragment (containing four words of the text) was initially left in the gutter of the letterbook and then removed and taped back onto the last leaf. The clear cellophane tape that was used for this repair was not invented until 1930 - Another Look at Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Stan Larson, Dialogue, Vol 47.
This six-page history was at some point excised from the letterbook. Fortuitously, one can actually date the time period when these leaves were removed, because the tearing of the last of the three leaves was done with such little care that a small triangular fragment (containing four words of the text) was initially left in the gutter of the letterbook and then removed and taped back onto the last leaf. The clear cellophane tape that was used for this repair was not invented until 1930 - Another Look at Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Stan Larson, Dialogue, Vol 47.
Furthermore, “the cut and tear marks, as well as the inscriptions in the gutters of the three excised leaves, match those of the remaining leaf stubs, confirming their original location” in the Joseph Smith letterbook. By 1965 these three leaves of the 1832 account were again “archived together with the letterbook.” Thus, the period when these three leaves were separated was approximately 1930 to 1965—or allowing a five-year period for the cellophane tape to come into common usage in America, the three decades from 1935 to 1965. - Another Look at Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Stan Larson, Dialogue, Vol 47
Furthermore, “the cut and tear marks, as well as the inscriptions in the gutters of the three excised leaves, match those of the remaining leaf stubs, confirming their original location” in the Joseph Smith letterbook. By 1965 these three leaves of the 1832 account were again “archived together with the letterbook.” Thus, the period when these three leaves were separated was approximately 1930 to 1965—or allowing a five-year period for the cellophane tape to come into common usage in America, the three decades from 1935 to 1965. - Another Look at Joseph Smith’s First Vision, Stan Larson, Dialogue, Vol 47
"the Lord heard my cry in the wilderness and while in the attitude of calling upon the Lord in the 16th year of my age a pillar of fire light above the brightness of the sun at noon day come down from above and rested upon me and I was filled with the spirit of god and the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord and he spake unto me" - Joseph Smith – 1832 First Vision Account | wasmormon.org
"the Lord heard my cry in the wilderness and while in the attitude of calling upon the Lord in the 16th year of my age a pillar of fire light above the brightness of the sun at noon day come down from above and rested upon me and I was filled with the spirit of god and the Lord opened the heavens upon me and I saw the Lord and he spake unto me" - Joseph Smith – 1832 First Vision Account
"by searching the scriptures I found that mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatized from the true and living faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the new testament" - Joseph Smith – 1832 First Vision Account | wasmormon.org
"by searching the scriptures I found that mankind did not come unto the Lord but that they had apostatized from the true and living faith and there was no society or denomination that built upon the gospel of Jesus Christ as recorded in the new testament" - Joseph Smith – 1832 First Vision Account
"Joseph Smith evidently wrote his history on the first three leaves of the book in summer 1832." "These three leaves were later cut from the volume but have since been reattached." The 1832 First Vision Account is displayed with visible tape to reattach it back into the journal in the Joseph Smith Papers Project.
"Joseph Smith evidently wrote his history on the first three leaves of the book in summer 1832." "These three leaves were later cut from the volume but have since been reattached." The 1832 First Vision Account is displayed with visible tape to reattach it back into the journal in the Joseph Smith Papers Project.
"There will always be some reason or another to doubt the truthfulness of this church and gospel. There are arguments and evidence supporting the proposition that there is no God, that Jesus was just a good philosopher-teacher, that Joseph Smith was simply a charismatic storyteller and that this church and gospel are not true. This evidence, these arguments, are on some level appealing and believable, for there are many who believe them." Elder Kyle McKay, Church Historian | wasmormon.org
"There will always be some reason or another to doubt the truthfulness of this church and gospel. There are arguments and evidence supporting the proposition that there is no God, that Jesus was just a good philosopher-teacher, that Joseph Smith was simply a charismatic storyteller and that this church and gospel are not true. This evidence, these arguments, are on some level appealing and believable, for there are many who believe them." Elder Kyle McKay, Church Historian

Elder McKay’s Sure and Certain Foundation for Unhistory and Brainwashing

Elder McKay the official Church Historian, with no credentials for history, but a career lawyer and executive gave a devotional at BYU-I in April 2023 titled A Sure and Certain Foundation. He detailed to students and young adults how to strengthen their faith in the church and how to face doubts. Elder McKay, Church Historian …

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Demonizing Doubt: Nelson’s Talk on Lazy Learners and Lax Disciples

In his lazy learners and lax disciples talk at the April 2021 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, church President Russell M Nelson emphasized the importance of developing faith in Jesus Christ through intentional effort and action. Those who don’t succeed in this self-administered brainwash he refers to as “lazy …

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Explore the Origin Story of wasmormon.org – A Mormon Book Reviews Podcast Episode

A recent episode of the Mormon Book Reviews podcast features an interview with Evan, the creator of wasmormon.org, and his brother Garrett. Evan shares the story of how he came to create the website and why he chose to share his experience of leaving the Mormon church. The interview includes the personal stories of faith …

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