Cr@ig In The Middle

A Short List of Some of the Things I would have to Believe in to Accept Mormonism Again

2008-07-22T10:46:00.006-07:00

A recent anonymous poster sugggested that I would someday return to the religion of my birth...I disagree...but it made me think of some of the things I would have to believe to again return...this is a start to the list of things I would have to believe. (I will be adding more items to this list from time to time, as I have the time)

1. That God actually exists, I see no evidence of this. (he never helped me find my car keys I guess)

2. That this non-existing God created our earth, heavens, solar system, universe {again there are better, more logical explanations for how our universe came into existence excluding a God figure}

3. That God created Adam and Eve…the "FIRST" earthly humans.

4. That Adam and Eve, according to Mormon doctrine, exited the Garden of Eden, which was in Missouri, 6,000 years ago, after the Fall. That with the Fall, physical and spiritual death entered the earthly realm for the very first time. This is where the wheels of belief already start to fall off. The evidence so overwhelmingly supports the existence of man on earth for 100’s of thousands of years and death has been a constant part of earthly existence since life began, literally millions and millions of years ago. Only in Mormonism’s “reality suspension” was there no death prior to 6,000 years ago.

5. I would have to believe that the earth is 6,000 years old as stated in Mormon scripture D&C 77, something that I just find totally unbelievable based on all of the examinable evidence to the contrary.

6. That God lives on some actual planet near some planet called Kolob which shares its light with our sun. Now the interesting thing is that the word “Kolob” comes from the Book of Abraham, a book that has been so summarily debunked and proven to any thinking person, to be a fraud…that to again be able to believe in Kolob I’d have to believe in the Book of Abraham.

7. So let me address the Book of Abraham. It claims to be a translation of an Egyptian papyri written by Abraham, in his own hand. (see title page) The book is clearly NOT what it claims to be. Only in Mormonism’s twisted convoluted world, where actual truth and reality don’t matter can the BoA be real. So to believe in the BoA, I can’t believe in it for what it claims to be…but I must make some huge mental gymnastic leap and view the papyri as something it never claims to be…”a mystical revelation channeling device” through which Joseph Smith decoded some secret code, only he could see, imbedded within the papyri. But the evidence doesn’t support this. Joseph claimed to translate the papyri, he even took characters from the papyri and wrote their so-called translations in long hand. Clearly he wanted his audience to think he was making an actual translation of the papyri script. Bottom line, the Book of Abraham is a poorly crafted fraud which I would have to suspend reality in order to regain a belief in.

8. I would also have to believe in the Book of Mormon and believe it is what it claims to be. So let me examine what it claims to be.

A. a translation of a never discovered language

B. a religious history of a bronze-aged civilization living among a stone aged civilization with NO transference of their bronze aged technology.

C. A middle eastern Jewish people that left NO DNA footprint.

D. A people with horses, cows, camels, elephants, goats, yet were able to remove all evidence of their existence.

E. A people that were proficient in the working of metals such as gold, silver, steel, etc yet were able to remove all evidences of excavations, mines pits forges and all other sign of this technology.

F. A people who didn’t eat any of the known fruits and vegetables in the America’s such as the sweet potato, corn/maze…yet ate fruits such as figs, grapes whose pre Columbian existence has NEVER been found.

G. Basically the Book of Mormon describes a bronze aged civilization that thrived in the America’s yet left not one trace of their existence.

9. I would have to believe that the man Joseph Smith who claimed to see the physical God the Father and Jesus Christ couldn't get the details of his story right with each retelling of this fanciful story. (not something one would do if the story was actually true) In fact with each retelling the story only became more glorious and spectacular. I would also have to beleive that this same Joseph, who saw them in their physical bodies would within 10 years teach that God had no physical body and was merely a spirt...THEN...change his story again and claim that No God actually had a physical body. Joseph's godhead in reality...evolved throughout the years.

10. I would need to believe that God would command Joseph to use a stone Joseph had dug up while digging a well, to help in the translation process for the Book of Mormon. That God would instruct Joseph to use this same rock that Joseph had knowingly used to defraud people out of their money in his treasure digging scam. That God would instruct Joseph to place this same stone used in Joseph’s fraud in his hat and by putting his face in the hat with the stone he could also translate golden plates that were given to him by an angel named Moroni.

11. I would also need to believe that Joseph could translate these Golden Plates without the plates actually being present in front of Joseph…as he claimed that sometimes he would place them in a tree truck out in the woods and still be able to translate.

12. I would need to believe that this translation, from God’s mouth to Joseph’s ear via the peep stone, was so perfect that it only required a couple of thousand corrections after God had given Joseph Smith a word for word dictation on special parchment that would appear in his magical hat and then disappear once the correctness had been confirmed.

13. Perhaps the most difficult thing, regarding the translation of the Book of Mormon, I would have to again believe in to be a faithful believing Mormon...is the Official whitewashed translation story...which is actually a bunch of unbelievable bunk and lies...taught as the church had wanted this foundational story to have happened rather than how it actually did happen.

To be continued…

Be Ye Therefore Perfect...

2008-07-10T14:59:00.003-07:00

And with these words, Mormon’s are reminded that they will NEVER measure up or be good enough….because here’s a little secret…NO HUMAN WILL EVER BE PERFECT. Striving for perfection is a mission in futility and frustration…

As a member of the High Council with the assignment of speaking to my assigned ward on the subject of being perfect, I asked those in the congregation the following question. “By the raise of hands, who here feels that they will inherent the Celestial Kingdom?’ To my utter shock, out of a congregation numbering about 350, only a small smattering of 6-8 hands went up. This Wasatch front ward, full of active Mormon’s…most of whom paid a full tithe, did their monthly home or visiting teaching, held temple recommends, fulfilled callings and held family home evenings…didn’t feel that they were doing enough to reach the highest reward in Mormonism.
Although I admit that my example is anecdotal, I believe it illustrates reality inside Mormonism…the inherent knowledge among active Mormon’s that “Their best efforts are NEVER and will NEVER be good enough”

And no wonder when almost every priesthood leadership meeting is filled with denunciations from the pulpit for the few male leaders in attendance to do better…lengthen their stride…reach higher…jump further. For the field is white, ready to harvest and lo he that thrustest in his sickle with his might…the same layest up…blah blah blah.

As a young Elders Quorum President, trying my hardest to do all that was asked of me while still trying to manage a young, growing family and a growing business, I personally did all of the home teaching that had not been completed by the 25th of each month. But try as I might, I just couldn’t get to 100% [families being gone etc] every month. Each month I knew that the bishop would come down hard on me for not fulfilling my priesthood duties [which I took very seriously]. So each successive month I would rededicate myself and my councilors to once again reaching the coveted 100% home teaching goal....but it never happened, at least not consecutivly.

A few months after I had been released, I was surprised, when a visiting member of our stake high council stopped by our quorum to congratulate the new elder’s quorum presidency for three successive months of 100% home teaching. I felt humiliated and mad for two reasons. First because my presidency had never had successive 100% home teaching months…AND second, because since I had been released…I had NEVER had a home teacher....ever. Rather than put in the effort to reach 100% home teaching…the rather SMART new presidency just lied and turned in false numbers. I remember speaking to my rather stunned former councilors who also admitted that they too had not been receiving home teachers. We all agreed that we had been rather stupid for trying so hard...if all you had to do to get recognition from our inspired priesthood leaders was lie our ass's off.

But the need for perfection had been so great on this new elder’s quorum presidency, they just decided to lie rather than do the work.

As a full time missionary, numbers were very important. And despite claims to the contrary, Numbers were everything. Yes there were the required words to teach by the spirit…but god damn it…the spirit better get you at least 30 teaching opportunities a week or else.

Every Elder was measured against the other. Companionships that worked the most hours, placed the most Book of Mormons, taught the most discussions or if all the stars aligned, actually had a baptism were highlighted in our monthly “Report” Newsletter. Elders that excelled in their work habits advanced…elders that turned in less than stellar numbers…remained Sr Comps or a mere Jr Comp. Numbers mattered. And Boy did I have Numbers. I led the mission month after month… in many of the NUMBER areas and quickly advanced up the leadership ladder….reaching Assistant to the President the last 6 months of my mission. The quest for perfection was everywhere. I now feel bad for playing that game and mentally beating up those elders that just couldn’t or wouldn’t play along with the numbers/perfection game.

Sometimes…someone’s best really is less than some arbitrary number picked by a mission president and his AP’s.

Utah leads the nation in depression. Could this be related to the Mormon perfection quest and the reality of its failure members to actually reach perfection?

As a former Mormon, I now look back on my mormon perfection quest with a sense of glee that I was able to get off the Mormon Perfection Quest Merry Go Round. Knowing that I only have to please myself and no longer have the need to cater to the whims of old men in Salt Lake City and their never ending pleas to do more, give more, be more.

It’s said that water finds its own level, everyone is different, everyone’s needs and abilities are not the same…Living the cookie cutter, one size fits all LIFE offered by Mormonism is NOT an authentic life. It's a fake life. I am so very grateful I discovered this reality…while I was still at an age and had the ability to live an authentic life.

I Wanted Mormonism's Claims to be True...But instead, It Broke My Heart

2008-07-01T14:18:00.004-07:00

I absolutely loved the LDS Church. I loved the culture, I loved the people, I loved and looked up to the GA’s as examples to base my life on and I loved the comfort that I had the TRUTH. I could with an aire of confident pride look at my fellow man and feel sadness and compassion for their lack of belief in accepting Mormonism’s truth. I took comfort in knowing that I was not just another human being walking blindly on the face of the earth... I knew who I was; I was a Child of God... a God in embryo. Yeah, I bought the “Snake Oil” and all its promises of families being together forever.... eternal marriage.... Godhood...eternal progress...That’s what makes it hurt so much even today. To discover the lies, the whitewashing, and the glorification of history to make it more spiritually uplifting, to have been taught the foundational stories as the church wanted its history to have played out rather than how it actually did play out.... I feel lied to and deceived by the very people I had placed such total confidence in. They lied to me and continue to lie to promote their agenda of belief. But belief in lies is just a false hope.

Coming to the realization that the LDS Church is not what it calms to be…has been the most painful experience of my life…yes even more so than being subjected to the church court which led to my excommunication (which was the second most painful experience of my life) Discovering that the church of my birth, has lied about its foundational claims…is more than I care to bare. Yet the facts that lead me to this conclusion seem beyond reproach. I just can’t fake it any longer; I can’t hold the pieces of the puzzle together in my head any longer. Much like the Dutch boy with his fingers in the dike holding back the flood. I had been plugging the many conflicts in my faith in Mormonism since my mission and the dam just finally broke. I can’t hold all the conflicting so called truths…one must be true while the other false. Conflicting claims of truth can’t all be true. I have to accept reality!

Mormonism is amazing to me in that regard...its ability to get its "knowledgeable" members to ignore credible information that conflicts with the offical church scrubed stories. How do these active members maintain these conflicting bits of information in their head while still being able to maintain faith in the church. God bless em I say ...I just couldn't lie to myself any longer. I no longer had the ability to maintain the cognitive dissonance.

Gordon B. Hinckley and many others have said that the church is either the truth or it’s a fraud...its either what it claims to be or it isn't. The fact that the church needs to lie and cover-up and whitewash and doctor and change its history and foundational stories in order to make them more faith promoting, finally collapsed what faith I still had remaining. I asked myself.... Would Jesus need to lie to support belief in Him? I answer that by saying NO, He wouldn't need to lie...which begs the question...then why would HIS church need to lie? Gordon Hinckley challenged members of the church to stand for something…well I decided to stand for TRUTH.

But most active Mormon’s won't expose themselves to the conflicting information.....it’s just too painful. My dear wife, whom I love to death...barely listens to anything I have to say on the subject. I have no credibility with her. It has broken her heart to see me lose the faith and belief I once held so dear, but I couldn't live a lie any longer. I refuse to live a lie for anyone. The church may be the greatest thing ever invented…but if it was invented…and its not what it claims to be, then I want nothing to do with it

The average run of the mill active believing member of the church won't listen to reason....they have been so conditioned by the church that they won’t listen to alternative ideas when they come in conflict with the church’s version of foundational claims. Questioning is not encouraged…if in so doing it questions faith in official stories. Even when confronted with factual documented proof...active members discard it as anti-Mormon falsehoods. How do I know this...that description used to be me.

My ah hah moment was when I finally decided that I had to know the truth no matter what the consequences...When I allowed myself to search for the truth even at the cost of my faith...it was over. The truth won out. I didn't like the truth...the truth was extremely painful, but I couldn't deny it either…the evidence against Mormonism is overwhelming.

I have no agenda against the church...you won't find me at conference holding up signs promoting what I’ve discovered... I just want to live an honest athentic life and be the best person, husband, father I can be….

One thing I’ve learned through this process of discovery is that it is not possible to accept reality unless you are willing to accept the remote possibility that the church may not be what it claims to be. If you can't accept that possibility...then you will never accept reality when it comes to church claims.

.

Mormon Church to Members ... Ignore Reality ... Trust Your Feelings

2008-06-16T15:20:00.009-07:00

"Mormon-Think" can be summed up in one sentence uttered by one of its top 15 leaders, Boyd K. Packer (next in line to assume the presidency of the Mormon Church).

"When confronted by evidence in the rocks below, rely on the witness of the heavens above”

In other words…When confronted with verifiable physical evidence that conflicts any Mormon claim…Ignore it, stick your fingers in your ears, and yell naw, naw, naw, naw…I can’t hear you.

Don’t believe in verifiable, observable, testable, discernable, visible, recognizable evidence. Instead ignore all conflicting evidence and place your faith in your human emotions and feelings that can’t be manipulated, managed and controlled. For you can always rely on your human emotions and feelings as a confirming witness to truth.

I understand why the Mormon Church would want its members to place their faith in something so unstable as their own human emotions and feelings becasue the church knows that it has trademarked its ability to manipulate human feelings.

The church through its own subsidiary,Bonneville Communications , boldly flaunts its ability to manipulate the human heart (feelings) stating its unique strength is their …”ability to touch the hearts and minds of audiences, evoking first feeling, then thought and, finally, action. They call this uniquely powerful brand of creative advertising HeartSell® — strategic emotional advertising that stimulates a response.” Anyone who doubts the Mormon churches ability to evoke emotions may ask the question ... Why do missionaries hand out tissues to audience members viewing the church produced "Joseph Smith Movie"? The movie demonstates the churches ability to manipulate tears, feelings and emotions... AKA "The Spirit"

They proudly proclaim that for over 30 years [their] creative professionals have designed public service and direct response messages for national nonprofit organizations such as the Huntsman Cancer Institute, Boy Scouts of American, National Hospice Foundation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and The Salvation Army.

Yup…don’t trust the observable, verifiable or testable….trust your human emotions. (Just make sure that the church isn’t using its trademarked special human feelings manipulation technique “HeartSell®” on you.

"WTF? - Adam was a "Black" African?"

2008-06-12T09:01:00.003-07:00

A few years ago I read the book "The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey" by Spencer Wells. Wells, a geneticist, traces the DNA forefather of all current living mankind back to a single man who lived in Africa 60,000 years ago.

In a National Geographic article on this subject we read:

“By analyzing DNA from people in all regions of the world, geneticist Spencer Wells has concluded that all humans alive today are descended from a single man who lived in Africa around 60,000 years ago.

Modern humans, he contends, didn't start their spread across the globe until after that time. Most archaeologists would say the exodus began 100,000 years ago—a 40,000-year discrepancy.

Wells’ take on the origins of modern humans and how they came to populate the rest of the planet is bound to be controversial.

His work adds to an already crowded field of opposing hypotheses proposed by those who seek answers in "stones and bones"—archaeologists and paleoanthropologists—and those who seek them in our blood—population geneticists and molecular biologists.

Over the last decade, major debate on whether early humans evolved in Africa or elsewhere, when they began outward migration, where they went, and whether they interbred with or replaced archaic species has moved out of scientific journals and into the public consciousness.
Wells addresses these issues in a new book, The Journey of Man: A Genetic Odyssey, and a National Geographic documentary of the same title. In a straightforward story, he explains how he traced the exodus of modern humans from Africa by analyzing genetic changes in DNA from the y-chromosome.

"As often happens in science," he said, "technology has opened up a field to new ways of answering old questions—often providing startling answers."

You can read the rest of this article here:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/12/1212_021213_journeyofman.html

The poster Zelph, in a comment left on my Mormonism is Dependant on Death First Occurring 6,000 Years Ago post, made the following comment….”on the topic of the first humans, it is evident that the first humans came from Africa. I doubt that the white bread people we see in the temple video would survive the African Sahara. The first humans probably looked like Africans today. Just shows the level of racism to automatically assume that the first parents were white.”

Not only that but…knowing that our first parents were of African descent throws a Huge “WTF” moment at the Mormon ban of Blacks of ONLY African descent holding the so-called super duper magical Mormon priesthood powers. For the Mormon paradigm to work, Adam had to be “White and delightsome” for only then could God have cursed Adam’s son Cain with his dark loathsome skin we find in the African race (according to Mormon doctrine). For it was by being labeled as the descendants of the evil Cain that generations of Blacks {of only African decent} were denied the full rights and so-called privileges of Mormonism's Priesthood.

Once again...the realities of science are screwing with the rational for the Mormon ban against the African race.

Funny how NOTHING discovered by Science confirms ANY of Mormonism’s bizarre core doctrines…

Actually its rather sad...

My 10 Favorite Questions to Ask Mormon's

2008-06-11T15:48:00.003-07:00

01. Describe in detail the Book of Mormon civilizations, their food, money system, animals, modes of transportation, tools, weapon systems etc.
A. Where did this civilization exist?
B. Why have none of these outward signs of this civilization ever been found?
C. Can you name any other civilization that left no earthly footprint of its existence?

02. When did Adam immerge from the Garden of Eden? {If they are stumpt…refer them to their Mormon Bible Concordance which states that Adam immerged from the Garden of Eden 4,000 BCE}
A. Where was the Garden of Eden? {I throw this in for fun}
B. Was there death on the earth before Adam left the Garden?
a. If they say no…have them explain the fossil record
b. If they say yes…have them explain Mormon doctrine that states that physical death was introduced with the Fall of Adam.

03. How old is the earth? {again if they get stumpt refer them to D&C 77}
A. Once they establish 6,000 years have them explain how the archeological record shows modern-man has been in the America’s for nearly 20,000 years and throughout the earth for over 100,000 years and in Africa for over 1,000,000 years.
B. How do you reconcile this with Adam leaving the garden 6,000 years ago?

04. Was there a Universal Flood and a reqal historical Noah?
A. If yes, have them explain how all the animals got to their final destinations i.e., Kangaroo only in Australia, Hummingbirds on in the America’s
B. If there was a central distribution point {AKA Mt Ararat} why don’t we find these unique animals distributed throughout the earth rather than in their isolated locations with no fossil record leading back to the Middle East?
C. If there was a Universal Flood explain the archeological record showing the presents of man in the America’s {and other parts of the world} prior to and following Noah but before the timeline of Jared and Lehi.

05. Are the Pacific Islanders descendants of Lehi?
A. Explain the scientific evidence that shows they descended from Asian forefathers and NOT American forefathers.

06. Explain in detail the method Joseph Smith translated the Golden Plates? The actual mechanics of this process.
A. If they know the actual process congratulates them…if they don’t inform them.
B. Explain how JS accomplished his translation with the plates being nowhere in sight?
C. Explain how the same process Joseph used to “con” local farmer with his treasure digging scam could have been the process God used to translate Golden Plates?

07. Do you believe in Evolution?
A. Explain how mankind and chimpanzees share 98.7% identical DNA?

08. Does the Sun generate its own energy {self contained} or does it borrow its energy from other planets… i.e. Kolob? {see the Book of Abraham}

09. Explain how 18th century man-made additions to the King James Bible found their way into the Book of Mormon?

10. Explain how sections of 2nd Nephi’s Isaiah taken from Laban’s Brass Plates included parts of the Biblical Isaiah that were written after Lehi left Jerusalem?

Of course caution should be used with the use of these questions as they have the terrible side effect of causing your Mormon subject to have to actually **THINK** which could lead to cognitive dissonance...and begin the process that may eventually led to apostasy.

Mormonism is Dependant on Death First Occuring 6,000 Years Ago

2008-06-10T16:12:00.003-07:00

In an October 1996 Conference talk, Mormon Apostle Russell M. Nelson again reiterated a fundamental Mormon doctrine concerning the historicity of The Fall of Adam and the introduction of physical death (November 1996 Ensign beginning on page 33) by stating:

"The Creation required the Fall. The Fall required the Atonement. The Atonement enabled the purpose of the Creation to be accomplished. Eternal life, made possible by the Atonement, is the supreme purpose of the Creation. To phrase that statement in its negative form, if families were not sealed in holy temples, the whole earth would be utterly wasted.The purposes of the Creation, the Fall, and the Atonement all converge on the sacred work done in temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The earth was created and the Church was restored to make possible the sealing of wife to husband, children to parents, families to progenitors, worlds without end.This is the great latter-day work of which we are a part. That is why we have missionaries; that is why we have temples-to bring the fullest blessings of the Atonement to faithful children of God."

Section 77 of the Mormon Doctrine and Covenants as well as the official Mormon Church website set in concrete the chronology of Adam's Fall as occurring in the year 4000 BCE, http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bd/chrono , So again we have a FIXED historical date for the introduction of death according to Mormon doctrine.

But any elementary school aged student (unless they were educated in Utah) can tell you that death has existed on the earth as long as life as existed...literally millions of years. Fortunately we have a fossil record to confirm this reality.

So how does the church explain away this huge problem in its foundational doctrine?

Chirp...chirp...chirp....

Complete and utter silence on this obvious (to any thinking person) conflict.

The mere fact that death has existed for millennia, illiminates the Mormon claim for the need of atonement. For if death has existed for literally millions of years...then there was NO Fall of Adam...if there was No Fall of Adam...then according to Mormon doctrine there is no need for an atonement....if no need for an atonement...there is no need for a Christ...

The FACT, that there was never a FALL ,as Mormon's claim, some 6,000 years ago, completely collapses Mormonism's House of Cards.

Maybe Bruce R. McConkie said it better than I...

"If death has always prevailed in the world, there was no fall of Adam which brought death to all forms of life. If Adam did not fall, there is no need for an atonement. If there was no atonement, there is no salvation, no resurrection, no eternal life, nothing in all of the glorious promises that the Lord has given us. If there is no salvation, there is no God. The fall affects man, all forms of life, and the earth itself". - Bruce R. McConkie

Hmmm maybe Bruce and I agree on something…

What is Truth?

2008-06-10T10:32:00.002-07:00

What is Truth?

When I was a believing Mormon, one of my favorite hymns was, “Oh Say What is Truth.”

Oh say, what is truth? 'Tis the fairest gem That the riches of worlds can produce, And priceless the value of truth will be when The proud monarch's costliest diadem Is counted but dross and refuse.
Yes, say, what is truth? 'Tis the brightest prize To which mortals or Gods can aspire; Go search in the depths where it glittering lies Or ascend in pursuit to the loftiest skies. 'Tis an aim for the noblest desire.
The sceptre may fall from the despot's grasp When with winds of stern justice he copes, But the pillar of truth will endure to the last, And its firm-rooted bulwarks outstand the rude blast, And the wreck of the fell tyrant's hopes.
Then say, what is truth? 'Tis the last and the first, For the limits of time it steps o'er. Though the heavens depart and the earth's fountains burst, Truth, the sum of existence, will weather the worst, Eternal, unchanged, evermore.

I was raised to be truthful. I have always placed great value in being truthful and in seeking Truth. There are a few stanzas from this hymn that are of particular interest to me and seem to sum up how I view truth. “But the pillar of truth will endure to the last” and “Though the heavens depart and the earth's fountains burst, Truth, the sum of existence, will weather the worst, Eternal, unchanged, evermore”

Truth is eternal and unchanging. Truth does not cave into public pressure or bow to the whims of man. Truth is timeless, it is absolute, and it is unquestionable and certain. If something is true…you can bank on it forever and even if the heavens depart and earth’s fountains burst, truth will remain unchanged evermore.

I was taught that the tenants of Mormonism met the toughest of truth tests. That Mormonism and truth were synonyms of each other. Mormonism = Truth and Truth = Mormonism. How is it possible that I could have been so wrong?

Discovering that the church was not what it claims was one of the hardest conclusions of my entire life. It has been an extremely excruciating and painful supposition to come to. With all my being, I wanted the church to be all it says it is. To be TRUE. But the depth of the lies, cover-up and whitewashing coupled with so many obvious false claims were just too overwhelming for me to maintain faith in Mormonism. I agonizingly came to the conclusion that despite what I had been taught all my life, the faith of my youth had been built on false and unfulfillable promises of eternal life, eternal families and marriage only by maintaining an allegiance to Mormonism. The abundance of conflicting information to this claim can lead to only one logical conclusion, “The church is not what it claims to be“. It is NOT True.

To me ... this is the underlying evil of Mormonism ... It is equivalent to buying a medical elixir from a snake oil salesman who claims that his elixir and his alone can cure all of your medical ills. You buy into his claim of wonderful medical miracle cures and pay your money. You go home take the elixir exactly as instructed…you have great faith in this salesman and his product, believing that his claims are true. But when the desired cure never takes place…you go to get your money back….but the salesman has skipped town with his fictional claims and your money…you were sold a fiction, and despite his truth claims and your faith…it never was going to be anything other than fiction with no chance of ever delivering on its claims. You were sold a false hope and the salesman never had, nor intended to make good on his promises.
The allure of Mormonism is its claim of truth. The false hope in Mormonism is its ability to pass off to the NEXT life all of its big pay offs. The REAL rewards don’t arrive until you’re dead…when I suggest that none of us will have the ability to ask for a refund…Mormonism is a false hope with no intention of ever being able to make good on its promises.

Like the snake oil salesman promising miracle cures...Mormonism sells its members false hopes in the eternities that it will never have to make payment on. It sells its membership false promises that it will never have to keep.

Some knowledgeable members believe that a lifetime of dedication and obedience to the church is warranted because of the earthly benefits that are inherent in the church in this life. Because the church brings these members closer to Christ...they overlook or ignore the difficult history and false claims of the church. They buy into the claim that the church makes them a better human being. The promises of eternity are merely the “dessert” on an already wonderful lifestyle. In other words, some members are willing to overlook the truth claims of Mormonism because they perceive or reap earthly benefits. So the lifestyle benefits are worth forfeiting so-called earthly gratifications.

So Mormonism is a false religion because its claims are false. It claims to be the only true church on the face of the earth...yet its doctrine is riddled with falsehoods.

Some time ago I compiled some of the false testable claims found in Mormonism... here is a small portion of that effort.

Testable false claims found in Mormonism:

1.) If there was not a universal flood 4000 plus years ago, Mormonism is a fraud.

2.) If there was death of any kind, animal or vegetable, prior to The Fall, 5700 plus years ago, Mormonism is a fraud (check your local fossil record).

3.) If any human being on earth today descended from any human, or humanoid, other than two people who lived in Missouri 5700 years ago, then Mormonism is a fraud.

4.) If there were ANY humans living on earth prior to Adam and Eve 5700 years ago, Mormonism is a fraud.

5.) If the canonized Book of Abraham is not what Joseph claimed it to be (a "translation" of those particular scrolls), then Mormonism is a fraud.

6.) If the Book of Moses is not what JS claimed it to be (a restoration of Moses' original book of Genesis), then Mormonism is a fraud.

7.) If "spirit" is not "matter", then Mormonism is a fraud (that is, we ought to be able to detect the "matter" of "spirit", shouldn't we? Why is it totally invisible and undetectable, that is, IMMATERIAL?)

8.) If the Native Americans are not who "Jesus Christ" in the D&C said they were, namely, "Jews", then Mormonism is a fraud.

9.) If our sun is not drawing its light from a star called Kolob, then Mormonism is a fraud (wording from the facsimile may allow apologist spin job on this one - course, "wording’s never had much of an impact on whether a spin job comes up or not).

10.) If those who currently have themselves sustained as "seers" cannot actually perform the function of a seer by, say, translating unknown languages while looking through a seer stone, as outlined in the BOM and other places, Mormonism is a fraud. (Why haven't they translated the "papyrus scrolls of Joseph" yet?).

11.) If "A" and "not A" can not both be true, then Mormonism is a fraud, since in so many cases Mormonism requires us to believe just that, i.e., "The Lord won't let the prophet lead us astray"/"I don't know that we teach that"..."The Negroes weren't valiant in the pre-existence"..."birth control is an impure and unholy practice"..."plural marriage is necessary to exaltation"...and a million more reversals of previously taught doctrines by sitting church presidents. If the Lord won't let the prophets lead the church astray, how is it that in less than two centuries, the Godhead had been reconfigured by them so often? The Lectures on Faith were even CANONIZED for almost one hundred years! Can you imagine? The Godhead was the trinity for awhile, then it had two people in it, Adam's in there for awhile, JS thinks Jehovah is God the Father in section 109, or at least thinks it's okay to pray to Jesus which now it's not, the Godhead actually has three, James E. Talmage invents "divine investiture"....it's nuts. In which one of those evolutionary stages was the Lord not allowing the prophet to lead us astray? When we worshipped Jehovah? Or Adam, in the endowment ceremony? Or does it not matter who we worship? If not, then what's that commandment doing there in the Ten Commandments? And if it IS the case then that the Lord WILL let the prophets lead the church astray, then that torpedoes the whole thing anyway (as if all the contradictions don't anyway).The funny thing is, you don't even need to go searching around for steel and barley and stuff. You don't even need to go outside Mormonism itself to see that it can't possibly be what it claims to be. You can pretty much establish there is no way just on www.lds.org itself.

12. If the Earth is NOT 6,000 years old (see D&C 77) Mormonism is a fraud

13. If there were not Steal, Horses, Elephants, Wheat, Barley, Wheeled vehicles Figs, Grapes, etc in the Americas during the timeline of the Book of Mormon. Mormonism is a fraud

14. If the island inhabitants of the Pacific are not descended from the population of the Americas and of Hebrew blood, Mormonism is a fraud

15. If Joseph Smith’s claim to have translated Egyptian Papyri is proven a false translation, Mormonism is a fraud

16. If Joseph Smith translated the Kinderhook plates, which have been proved to be a modern day hoax, Mormonism is a fraud.

17. If Jews from the time of Moses until at least 600 B.C. were not proto-Christians, Mormonism is a fraud

18. If Ancient Jews didn’t believe in the Devil/Satan, Mormonism is a fraud

19. If Ancient Jews didn’t believe in an afterlife, Mormonism is a fraud

20. If there wasn’t an original, pristine Christian church started by Jesus Himself which fell into apostasy, Mormonism is a fraud

21. If Joseph Smith used the same method of translation for the BoM that he used to defraud unsuspecting farmers of their hard-earned money with his claim to find treasure, Mormonism is a fraud

22. If the JST of the Bible is found to be totally unsupportable as a translation of any original biblical manuscripts, Mormonism is a fraud

23. If the substantive narration of the BofM - King Benjamin's discussion involving Jesus bleeding from every pore - debunked as a fabrication when Bible scholars learned that the Book of Luke account of Jesus sweating blood was a fabrication inserted by proto-orthodox believers (precursor to Catholic Church) - see research by Bart Ehrman. The plates of brass insertion is also debunked via the 1769 KJV errors. The Nephite sermon on the mount text is also a demonstrated fabrication because of the Lord's Prayer that Bible scholars have found to be partly fabricated during the Middle Ages - see any Bible, like a NIV version or annotated NKJV for a discussion., Mormonism is a fraud

24. If the characters Joseph Smith claimed were on the golden plates bear no resemblance to any ancient writing forms, and particularly no form of Hebrew or Egyptian, Mormonism is a fraud.

25. If the Book of Mormon contains anomalies of history, anachronism, geography, archaeology, etc., and obvious plagiarisms from the Bible and other works, Mormonism is a fraud

26. If changes were made to the original so-called Book of Mormon translation after Moroni declared the translation correct and took back the Golden Plates, Mormonism is a fraud

27. If Joseph Smith did not see God and Jesus Christ in 1820, then Mormonism is a fraud.

28. If Joseph Smith was not persecuted for having claimed to see God and Jesus Christ, then Mormonism is a fraud.

29. If Joseph Smith never told anyone about the "First Vision," then Mormonism is a fraud.

30. If John the Baptist never conferred the Aaronic Priesthood on the heads of Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, then Mormonism is a fraud.

31. If Peter, James and John never ordained Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery with the Melchizedek Priesthood, then Mormonism is a fraud.

32. If Joseph Smith attempted to join any religion after being directly told to join none by Jesus Christ, then Mormonism is a fraud.

33. If after 1820. Joseph Smith ever changed his concept of deity from a traditional Trinity belief to a belief of distinct persons of flesh and bone, then Mormonism is a fraud.

34. If there is no steel swords, cows, horses, elephants, etc in ancient America, the Mormonism is a fraud.

35. If the Jews before 400 BC were unfamiliar with Greek names, then Mormonism is a fraud.

36. If God didn't want Joseph Smith to have sex with teenage girls, then Mormonism is a fraud.

37. If Elijah and Elias are the same person, then Mormonism is a fraud.

38. If sacred Mormon temple tokens, oaths and penalties are of Masonic origin, then Mormonism is a fraud.

39. If the living apostles haven't personally visited with Jesus Christ, then Mormonism is a fraud.

40. If a modern day prophet states that no one can see the future, then Mormonism is a fraud.

41. If a modern day prophet does not boldly tell the world that he is a living prophet when asked, but states that "the people sustain him as such", then Mormonism is a fraud.

42. If the only and best example of modern revelation is the decision to build a conference center and build more Temples, then Mormonism is a fraud.

43. If the church requires mandatory belief, Mormonism is a fraud

44. If the church commands mandatory feelings, Mormonism is a fraud.

45. If it claims god is omnipotent and yet must follow some higher law, Mormonism is a fraud.

46. If the church can’t tell the truth regarding its own history, then Mormonism is a hypocritical organization and a fraud.

47. If the Mormon Church is not the restoration of the primitive church (either messianic Judaism or pure Paulism) then Mormonism is a fraud.

And on and on and on...

And cannot be what it claims to be or TRUE

Is the Book of Mormon Modern or Ancient

2008-06-03T14:53:00.009-07:00

If the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be…a translation of ancient golden plates holding the religious history of the forefathers of the American Indians… then it’s version of Christ’s sermons, found in 3 Nephi , should be the most pure, direct copies of Christ’s sermons in existence. For it would not have gone through all the alterations and human errors that were inherent in the reproduction process that produced our current Bible. In other words the Book of Mormon was not exposed to the errors of men and had the added advantage of coming to man directly through the gift and power of God Himself or so Mormon's claim.

Because of the pure process that gave us the Book of Mormon, one would not expect to find any of the mistakes found in our current Bible’s rendering of Christ’s sermon….because the Book of Mormon was not dependant on the same process that gave us the Bible …right?

Prior to the printing of the Book of Mormon, mankind relied on ancient Greek manuscripts from the second century, translated, transcribed, added to, deleted from through 1000’s of human hands and 1000’s of years to give us the words of Christ. A comparison of the earliest copies of these Greek manuscripts to copies that followed, has shown that there were hundreds of changes, errors and additions from those early manuscripts. Because each of these changes occurred after the second century AD and after the events Mormon’s claim took place in America…one would NOT expect to find the same mistakes, changes and additions found in the Bible... in the Book of Mormon’s versions of His sermons.

But does this claim stand up to scrutiny?

Is the Book of Mormon an actual translation of the abridged written words of an ancient American prophet named Mormon or the product of a talented but flawed mind? Did Mormon abridge plates that he had inherited giving a purer version of Jesus Christ’s sermon or did Joseph Smith merely plagiarize and then change a few words around to produce his version of Christ’s sermon in order to give it the appearance of a translation?

A close examination of the various versions of the Lord’s Prayer as found in Matthew 6 shows some surprising revelations.

We are all familiar with the widely used King James Version (KJV) of the Lord’s Prayer and the one found in the Book of Mormon.

Our current KJV - Matthew 6:9-13

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

And 3 Nephi 13:9-13

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

It’s interesting to note that these two versions differ in several key areas. The Book of Mormon fails to include 2 sentences found in the common KJV of the Lord’s Prayer.

01. Thy kingdom come.
02. Give us this day our daily bread.

Are missing...

So are we to conclude that Christ did not say these words to the Nephites…or had men merely added these words in the many years since Christ had supposedly uttered these words to the masses in Galilee and the Book of Mormon represents a more pure form of Christ’s sermon?

But wait…there is more…our current Lord’s Prayer found in today’s KJV…is NOT the same as the original 1611 A.D. first edition copy of the KJV.

The Lord’s Prayer as it was originally printed in the 1611 A.D. KJV

“Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. “

Note that in the original KJV Both of the sentences left out of the Book of Mormon version were included in the KJV…but the last sentence …” For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen” is NOT found in the original first edition 1611 A.D. KJV.

It doesn’t take a Biblical scholar to see that this last line was added…in fact it started to show up in the versions of the KJV of the Bible in the 1700's and it is NOT present in ANY of the original Greek manuscripts.

A simple comparison of the 1611 AD KJV Bible and latter versions show that this line was added by “man” to the JKV of the Lord’s Prayer in the early 1700’s

But wait, there is still more…

An exact translation of the Lord’s Prayer from our earliest Original Greek Manuscripts into English… reads…

" Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one'

Note how both sentences removed from the Book of Mormon ARE found in translations from our earliest Greek Manuscripts…yet the Book of Mormon DOES include the sentence that Biblical scholar's have shown was added by man to the KJV in the 1600’s

So is the Book of Mormon what it claims to be?

If it IS a translation of ancient scripture…why does it include man-made additions from the 1700’s?

If it is a more pure rendering of Christ’s sermon, why doesn’t it include the same words given in our earliest Greek formats?

If during the translation process, Joseph took a short cut when he saw Christ familiar sermon being given again to the Nephites,(as mormon apologists claim) why did he remove those 2 sentences from the original Greek if he was trying to give a more pure form of Christ’s sermon and then leave in the man-made parts?

The Day I told the Stake President to Kiss my A$$

2008-05-20T15:00:00.005-07:00

Several years ago I received a phone call from the stake executive secretary in the area in which I live. I had been excommunicated maybe 2 years earlier and the new stake president wanted to have me come into his office for an update on where I currently stood with respect to the church. At first I told the Ex Sec that I had no desire to meet the new SP and hung up the phone. But upon further reflection I thought ,what the hell, so I called the Ex Sec back apologized for my curtness and set up an appointment to meet with the SP in his church office (to me his office held no special power or meaning other than a convenient place to meet) I felt he needed to KNOW exactly where I stood with respect to his church.

At the appointed time I arrived in my shorts , tee shirt and flip flops for our meeting. He greeted me warmly (he was a good guy in his pre-SP life). He offered to give an opening prayer to which I responded with “whatever floats your boat…but I won’t be participating”. After his prayer, he started to express his great love and respect for me and asked what my current views of the church were today.

I then went into a 30+ minute discourse of how I no longer viewed the church as being anything other than a man made institution with only imaginary make believe super human powers that he affectionately referrers to as priesthood powers. That it’s foundational scripture, The Book of Mormon, was nothing more than a fictional fairytale. That its so called prophets were merely men and it claims of holding a monopoly on truth was a false claim.

He was somewhat surprised that I had fallen into such a state of complete apostasy and questioned my statement on Mormon priesthood being anything other than what it claims to be. Bad move on his part.

I sat forward in my chair, looked him in the eye, raised my arm to the square and said. “John (not his real name) I am so sure that your so-called Mormon priesthood is nothing more than phony Mormon magical non-sense that I want you right here and now to raise your arm to the square like this and command me with all the super human mormon priesthood you can muster to become deaf and dumb just like the fictional Alma did to the fictional Korihor in your Book of Mormon. Come on Do it”, I said…raising my voice ever so slightly. “Do it!”.

He just sat there looking like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming semi-tractor-trailer with his mouth wide open. He was obviosly not used to having anyone question his authority.

I then gave him my "testimony" that Mormonism was a fraud, that he was a smart man and could work his way out of it as well if he really wanted to know the truth. I told him that each and every time he bore testimony stating emphatically that he KNEW the church was true he was lying…he admitted that he believed rather than KNEW…but that it was a tradition in the church to express” knowledge” rather than belief and saw nothing wrong with continuing to do so. I reiterated my statement that it was dishonest to claim as knowledge something he had just told me he did not in fact know. He seemed unfazed with my argument.

We parted with a handshake and the knowledge that he was a product of Mormonism and would remain so…and that he no longer had ANY power or authority over me. Some days are better than others…and on this day it was good to be a Mormon apostate.

Oh one more thing...all future posts to this blog will be posted in brail and grunts...

LOL...

Just kidding :-)

One more thought...knowing that there are many TBM's who visit my blog...PPPPLLLLEEEAAASSSEEEE....I don't want to hear all the crap on what an asshole I was that day (granted I was very direct) but that day was all about taking back my power from the Mormon church and letting them know that no longer could they ever feel that they had any power or authority over me.

I set boundaries with the church letting them know that I would no longer be at their beck and call...that in the future, if this SP wanted to meet with me He would have to call me himself rather than have his lacky call and it would be at a location of my choice and the subject of all future meetings would be of my choosing. I never head from him since.

Dispelling Apostasy Stereotypes

2008-05-02T09:01:00.011-07:00

This post is NOT for the weak at heart.

It is very very long but I thought it was worth preserving and sharing.

Recently I stumbled on a Blog operated by some truly believing Mormon's. They had some intereseting sterotypical views on Mormon apostacy and why members of the church are leaving in droves in their area of the world. They had pretty much confirmed their sterotypes before I entered the fray in an effort to correct their "Pigeonholing". I began, what I considered, an interesting discussion hoping to dispell their biases. Some of their assumptions are quite telling...Enjoy.

I haven't gone to the bother of editing for easier rading...but I think you will be rewarded should you venture on...

**EDIT ALERT**

Ok I had cut the entire thread from the TBM blog and pasted it here on my blog for mere convenience BUT.... One of the TBM's came over here to my sand box and scolded me for posting their personal posts without first seeking their permission (see first comment) Did you honestly think an evil apostate would ask permission first?

But Nicko....I actually agree with you... so I have deleted the entire thread from my blog and instead replaced it with a link to your blog.

http://aroundthefireside.blogspot.com/2008/04/apostasy.html

After all this is the wild wild west of the internet where nothing to held sacred... so although I may respect you're wish...Once something has been posted on the internet....it's pretty much OUT THERE for the taking...it's just how things work in the wild west.

Some wise person once told me...If you don't want something on the "NET" don't put it on the net.

So for those of you curious enough...please clink on the link provided and read the thread on apostacy in its original format...

Happy Now Nicko?

The Church "IS NOT" what it claims to be...

2008-03-24T11:04:00.001-07:00

Early in my discovery of the foundational lies Mormonism is built upon, I remember struggling to wrap my brain around the new concept that the church was not true. This alternative world view was as unbelievable to me as if I had witnessed the Sun rising in the West. I remember many dark and depressing weeks as my mind tried to deny the undeniable and make the adjustment to this new reality…what many of us refer to as the “Matrix Effect”, the act of wakening from a false reality. During this difficult and painful time…I kept fighting my birth to non-belief. I would come to a decision then go back and reexamine my conclusions…I never wanted the Church to NOT be true.

During one of my many attempts at re-examining Mormon truth claims…I read a post (on another board) from Tal Bachman. In his post, Tal made, what for me was a very crystal clear statement ... that sent shivers down my spine. He stated, “The church is NOT what it claims to be…” . Even today I don’t know why this statement affected me as it did, but those 9 simple words were like a catalyst in my mind. It took my fussy blurry world into sharp focus. I had been struggling to accept that the “Church was NOT True”…but by merely viewing the Church as NOT what it claimed to be…everything became perfectly clear. Why this made any difference for me I do not know. I even sent Tal an email asking him to explain what exactly he meant by saying that the church is not what it claims to be…his reply was something like…”ah dude, what exactly don’t you understand? (probably thinking...you dumb ass) The church makes many claims about being the only true church on the face of the earth, on having living prophet that speak directly with God, that they have another witness of Jesus Christ, the Book of Mormon, ect ect ect…they are NOT what they claim to be…get it?

The light bulb in my mind turned on…and the darkness of my recurring conflicts disappeared… I moved from struggling doubter…to skeptical thinker… almost in an instant…yeah I got it.

The church is NOT what it claims to be…became the most powerful of power statements in my journey out of the grips of Mormonism. It truly set my mind free…

Is the"Pearl of Great Price" The Ugly Step-Child of Mormonism?

2008-03-20T14:40:00.005-07:00

Every 5-10 years , whatever geriatric-MAN happens to be playing the role of Mormon Prophet at the time, issues a challenge from the pulpit in General Conference to the Mormon faithful, to once again, read the entire Book of Mormon before the end of that given year for the umpteenth time.

Morg-bots then set their collective minds on the task of accomplishing this goal. Families accommodate the mandate by waking their children up earlier in the morning, individuals can be seen reading the book while commuting to work on public transportation, articles in the Ensign and Church News, trumpet the dedication and personal sacrifice of members the world over who once again have suffered through yet another boring ‘READ’ of the Book of Mormon. And those not so faithful ,but still believing Mormon’s, have yet one more thing to feel guilty over when they start but never finish the book.

But…what about the poor ugly red headed step child of Mormonism, "The Pearl of Great Price”. Why is it constantly being left out of the fun? There has NEVER been a challenge issued by Morg Central to read the very book that contains the writings of Abraham…written by his own hand no less… or the Books of Moses…damn Joseph actually received the same exact revelation that Moses did…but Moses screwed up and his revelatory version became tainted and mistranslated by unworthy men. .. Thank GOD, Joseph got his copy directly from GOD…there were no messy rocks in hats or golden plates to get in the way....just Gods mouth directly to Joseph's ears. You’ve got to love pure Revelation. And last, but certainly not least the “History of Joseph Smith” well at least the history HE wanted us to believe. OMG and don't forget all those proclamations on Polygamy and Black men finally receiving the same super human powers as White men...

So WHY is the PoGP ignored and consigned to second class status? Why is it relegated to mere parsing and 'single verse' quotation status? If it truly is a PEARL of such GREAT PRICE why doesn't the Mormon Prophets shout its amazing story from the roof tops as well? Why can't it be the Third Witness for Jesus Christ? Hell one wasn't enough in the first place...why stop at just two? Why aren’t the Mormon faithful challenged to read all of its pages through every 5-10 years….hell it’s small enough that they wouldn’t even need a full year to read it through…they could challenge the Morg-bots to read it through in between conference sessions.

And Hell, think of all the benefits… think of all the extra time families could really spend together…all the extra time individuals could spend on real important things like…making more money to increase tithing revenues…and think of all those poor guilt imbued Mormon’s who will finally have a challenge they can actually complete.

Of course, unless the PoGP REALLY is something the Mormon hierarchy is embarrassed about and doesn’t want its membership to read in one straight sitting? Gee…someone may actually ask some hard questions about what those facsimiles really are.

Best to keep that Ugly Step Child locked up in the morg basement where it belongs I guess….

The Mormon Shell Game

2008-03-19T16:18:00.003-07:00

Once while traveling through Italy, I encountered a group of men gambling their money away at a sidewalk shell game. The ‘dealer’ would place a pea under one of three walnut shells on a board…then quickly shuffle the shells around the board. The other men placed bets on which shell they believed the pea had ended up under. As I watched, I observed the shell with the pea move around the board. As the shell came to a rest I would instinctively pick the correct shell game after game. I was amazed at how easily “I” was able to choose the correct shell while the other men kept losing their money. Somehow...the movement of the pea seemed so obvious, but the otherr men kept losing their money, game after game. After watching 7-8 games and having been able to consistantly guess the correct location of the pea, I decided that I could make some easy money.

I felt I had an edge over the dealer and other gamblers… surly I could NOT lose… I had discovered a way to out smart the dealer. I convinced myself that I had some previously unknown talent to locate concealed peas hidden under walnut shells. Wow what an opportunity had fallen into my lap. My ethnocentric American mind told me I had an advantage over these stupid Italians and their money.

As I reached for my wallet and withdrew a few large bills…one of the men who had been consistently losing his own money… gleefully welcomed me and my money to the board…but something was wrong… maybe it was the collective look in each of their eyes…a misplaced glance or a knowingly collective “We’ve caught another sucker” look on all of their faces…but I knew in an instant…that I had stumbled onto a well crafted “con” and that these men were looking to shear a sheep.

In a moment of clearity I quickly grabbed my money and ran away from the shell game as fast as I could…with them yelling some choice Italian words at me… but I had dodged a bullet.

The Mormon Church is also delft at playing the game of ’Peas and Shells’. Each generation of Mormon faithful are taught doctrines that are in direct conflict with those taught to the older/ previous generation. The church is delft in the duplicity of its multiple doctrines… it is not unusual to find three generations of a single family each having their own conflicting beliefs on such basic doctrines as the Flood, Adam and Eve, Creation, Origin of the Amerindians, the process for the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and the Book of Abraham etc, just to name a few. But is this any wonder…with the Mormon Church continuously moving the dogma ‘pea’ with every doctrinally conflicting scientific discovery made?

My mother’s generation believed and were taught that all American Indians were descendants of Lehi that these descendants occupied the entire Northern and Southern American Continents, that the earth is 6,000 years old with NO death prior to Adam’s fall and that there was a universal flood that covered the entire earth with water to its highest mountain.

My son believes and has been taught in church that Lehi merely contributed to a vast DNA pool and was only one of many original much diluted forefathers of the Amerindians, that Lehi left no DNA evidence due to this population dilution, That the Nephite and Lamanite Nations occupied a relatively small, yet to be discovered, geographic area somewhere in Central America, that there are 2 Hill Cumorah’s , that the flood was not universal but limited in scope to a small region in the near east and should NOT be taken as a literal event, that the earth has a multi-billion year age and that death has been a part of earth for billions of years. He has also had one very different doctrinal innoculationary dogma pounded into his head… “Prophets are men…and sometimes speak as such”.

Both my mother and son are active believing Mormons with completely conflicting beliefs…they are the result of the success of the Mormon Shell Game… Oh, if they could both wake up and discover that they are pawns in the Mormon Shell Game… a very crafty con game run by a very cunning cult. Run... please run...

The Church Literally Broke My Heart

2008-02-26T16:07:00.003-07:00

It totally crushed me, when I started down this road of discovery, to learn that the Mormon Church had lied, covered up and withheld pertinent, essential information from me to come to an understanding of its truth claims.

I remember sitting in my car one day crying uncontrollably as this reality sunk in. I had given my life to an organization that had made promises to my family and me, I had made real sacrifices in both time talents and money for the church and these bastards didn’t have the moral dignity to tell me the truth?

I had a very difficult time wrapping my brain around this reality…why would they lie to me? I went through long periods of depression… revisiting my conclusions over and over, requestioning them still again and again. Yet each time that I have…I have come back to the conclusion that the leaders of the LDS church have been in a certifiable conspiracy to restrict information and keep it from the general church membership. I can only assume that they feel they have some noble purpose or cause that they feel is more important then my right to know the truth. They must believe they know what is better for me than I do.

They believe their lies are justified because, in their opinions, the church does so many positive things for individuals and families.

Who the fuck do they think they are to use me as a rat in their noble maze? Their lies have exposed my family to untold pain and trauma. And who knows if we’ll have the ability to survive it…all because Joseph lied about his experiences and those who followed him chose to carry on the fraud.

When I discovered the lies about the foundational claims of Mormonism, that church leaders had massaged facts, whitewashed historical events, doctored reality to support their desires to manipulate church membership to their so called higher purpose...it nearly killed me.

What gives them the right to fuck with my life! To make promises to me of an eternal family life ... a promise that they will never have to deliver on. What gives them the right to manipulate reality and restrict our lives, to take our hard earned money…so that their so called higher purposes can be fulfilled.

NO Organization has the moral right to take away a person's moral agency by depriving them of information they need to utilize that agency - and yet that is exactly what the Mormon Church does...They literally broke my heart!

Where is the Footprint?

2008-02-19T11:16:00.002-07:00

The LDS Church claims that the Book of Mormon is an actual, historical account of real people and real events. In other words, a non-fictional historical narrative of “some” of the actual former inhabitants who actually lived on the American Continent between 600 BC and 400 AD.

They also assert that the truth of this claim will not be known through any physical evidence such as DNA, anthropological or archeological means. The truth of the book of Mormon can only be known through the spiritual feelings one receives after one has both read and sincerely prayed about the truthfulness (reality) of the book. And of course, true believing Mormons believe that there is ONLY one possible outcome for this effort…that the truth of the Book of Mormon will be confirmed to you. If you did not receive the “Right” answer, then the problem lays with you…the reader…not the book…you must NOT have been sincere enough or prayed hard enough…it’s NOT that the book is NOT what it claims to be. Thus, you the reader are pushed into the Mormon maze of circular reasoning.

As bazaar as this sounds, most believing Mormons are not totally crazy. They are also intelligent educated people and do use logic based decision tools in other parts of their lives. What follows is my attempt to interject logic into a conversation with your typical Mormon TBM and help them step out of The Book of Mormon circular reasoning process.

TBM Mormon: I know beyond any doubt that the Book of Mormon is all it claims to be and is true.

Cr@ig: So you believe that the characters portrayed in the Book of Mormon were actual living, breathing people who lived somewhere on the American continent? (This is important to establish that they believe that these fictional characters are actually real to them)

TBM Mormon: Yes I do.

Cr@ig: Now I can look at you (Mr./Mrs. TBM Mormon), I see you, you are actually alive, you breathe, you eat, you live in a house, you have a government record, a birth certificate, parents and children, a job, a medical record, an actual historical record of your existence. You are REAL. There is an actual “foot print” of your existence. If you died today, people generations from now could see evidence that you actually existed.

But what about the Book of Mormon people? There is NOT a single site that can be pointed to as having been a confirmed Book of Mormon site. (Cumorah not withstanding) Not a building, not a road, not a city, not a region or country, not even a descendant of these Book of Mormon characters.

There is not a single vestige of this people’s existence. Not a shard of broken pottery, a lost coin, a misplaced tool, a building or house foundation, a garbage pit, a lost weapon from their many wars…nothing, absolutely NOTHING that can be pointed to as a Nephite or Lamanite artifact. It’s as “IF” they NEVER EXISTED. If these Book of Mormon people ever did existed…they left not one single shred of evidence of their existence…they lived and left “No Footprint”.

The Book of Mormon suggests that these people numbered into the millions….yet vanished into thin air. Help me understand HOW any of this is possible?

TBM Mormon: Well, I don’t know…but the spirit confirmed the truth to me.

Cr@ig: And you find this so called spirit reliable in spite of this? Since when does the accommodation of truth require you to suspend reality?

TBM Mormon: Duh……. Ah…..

*************************************************************************************

Now the sad reality is that this line of logic will not affect the true Nazi-Mega-TBM, My own TBM wife chooses to ignore even this line of logic and refuses to even give me an answer to my questions of HOW this is possible. But hey, it could reach some who are willing to open up their minds to reality.

“… faith, as well intentioned as it may be, must be built on facts, not fiction - faith in fiction is a damnable false hope" -- Thomas Edison

Haun's Mill Did Not Take Place in a Vacuum

2008-02-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

All my life I was taught that the Mormons were innocent victims in Missouri. These lies began when I was a small child on my mother’s knee... they continued as a member of Jr. Sunday School as I learned how Joseph Smith was innocently sent to Liberty Jail. As I advanced in Seminary the graphic elements of Haun’s Mill were played out over and over again in sickening details. Through out my 4 years of Institute at University more and more of the lies were reiterated and reinforced.

By the time I went out on my mission I had heard “All” the stories or so I thought. The "Hauns Mill Massacre”, Farr West, The Mormon Extermination Order and finally the expulsion of the Saints from Missouri were all burned into my mind. By the time I was an adult Mormon I had a deep inbreed incredulous impression of those Missourians of 1838 for what they had done to my people merely for their desire to practice their religion as they saw fit. How could there be so much evil among men. Lilburn W. Boggs was the ultimate villain; for in these stories, he was the anti-Christ...the very epitome of evil.

I now feel like such a putts for buying everything I was fed hook line and sinker. They say the winners write the history...well when it comes to the Mormon’s...this rule doesn’t apply...I swear these revelations of the "real histroy" make me sick and the Mormon's wonder why former Mormon's get so mad and angry and can’t leave it alone. It's the LIES!!

There is no end to the length the Mormon Church will go to whitewash and rewrite its history. I make no excuses for the actions of the Missourians, they were not innocent either...But the terrible events that took place in 1838 Missouri...DID NOT take place in a vacuum. Haun’s Mill and the events that took place in Farr West were directly in retaliation for actions STARTED by the Mormon’s.

It was the Mormons who FIRST issued an extermination order against the Missourians.

It was the Mormons who gave its own apostate members 24 hours to leave or be killed ... driving them into an alliance with the Missourians.

It was the Mormons who started a secret society of thugs that went on a burning and killing spree against the Apostate and non-Mormons.

The Mormon's ALSO burned and pillaged the homes of innocent Missourians.

Clearly it was the Mormons who fired that first fateful shot across the bow. There were no Innocent parties here... but it was the Mormons who set into motion the events that would have cataclysmic consequences for them as they tried to purge the Mormon counties of all non-Mormons. A lesson they seemed to forget when they eventaully moved to Illinois.

Read the following historical chronology of the events that took place in Missouri after Joseph arrived in 1838 ... fleeing from authorities in Ohio I might add ... who wanted his hide for the failure of his Kirtland anti-bank fraud. I might add one more thing... was it a coincidence that at this time when the church was literally falling apart (1/3 of the 12 apostles and its membership left the church) that Joseph bolstered his image among the extreme faithful with his new and improved First Vision story? (which is now the official story)

It is interesting to follow these events knowing that the Mormons set into motion events that soon sealed their fate in Missouri

14 March 1838 Joseph Smith arrives in Far West.

June Danites organize in Far West.

17 June Sidney Rigdon delivers "Salt Sermon" condemning Mormon dissenters.

19 June After receiving warning, dissenters flee from Caldwell County.

28 June Mormons lay out town and organize a Stake of Zion at Adam-ondi-Ahman in Daviess County.

July Mormons open settlements at DeWitt and throughout northwestern Missouri.

4 July Fourth of July celebration at Far West. Rigdon declares Mormons will wage a "war of extermination" against mobs.

14 July Carroll citizens meet to oppose Mormon settlement at DeWitt. Meetings and threats against Mormons at DeWitt continue throughout the summer.

6 August Gallatin election battle. Daviess settlers talk of organizing against the Mormons.

7 August Joseph Smith leads one hundred fifty Danites to Diahman to protect the Saints. Mormons threaten judge Adam Black and others suspected of anti-Mormon activities. Reports of Mormon "invasion" spread through upper counties.

13 August Daviess County judges issue writs for the arrest of Joseph Smith and Lyman Wight.

13 August Committee of Carroll citizens orders the Saints to leave the county.

20 August One hundred armed men ride into DeWitt and threaten Mormons.

20-30 August Citizen groups and vigilantes meet in upper counties and resolve to assist Daviess and Carroll counties in bringing alleged Mormon criminals to justice.

30 August Governor Lilburn W. Boggs, responding to reports of civil and Indian disturbances in western counties, orders twenty-eight hundred state troops to stand ready to march.

3 September David R. Atchison and Alexander W. Doniphan are hired as lawyers for Smith and Wight.

7 September Smith and Wight are tried at a preliminary hearing in Daviess County. Judge Austin A. King orders the defendants to post bail and appear at the next hearing of the grand jury in Daviess.

9 September Excitement in upper counties continues as Mormons capture three men attempting to transport guns to vigilantes in Daviess County. Mormons and Missourians petition Judge King to quell the disturbances.

10 September Judge King orders General Atchison to raise four hundred troops and disperse the Mormons and non-Mormon vigilantes.

13 September Carroll vigilantes postpone assault on DeWitt and march to Daviess to assist settlers against the Mormons.

18 September After receiving reports of disturbances, Governor Boggs orders out two thousand troops and prepares to lead march to western Missouri.

20 September Atchison disperses vigilantes in Daviess County and leaves one hundred troops under General Parks to maintain peace.

21 September Carroll County vigilantes, returning from Daviess, resolve to expel the Saints from DeWitt.

24 September Governor Boggs receives letter from Atchison stating that vigilantes in Daviess have dispersed. Boggs dismisses troops and returns to Jefferson City.

1 October Vigilantes attack DeWitt, burn the home and stables of Smith Humphrey. During the next several days Mormons appeal to Governor Boggs and other civil authorities for protection.

6 October General Parks arrives in DeWitt with one hundred troops to quell disturbances. Anti-Mormon spirit among troops forces Parks to return to Ray County a few days later.

9 October Messenger reports to Mormons that the governor said they must rely on local authorities for protection. He will not intervene.

11 October Mormons at DeWitt surrender and move to Caldwell and Daviess counties. Carroll vigilantes resolve to help settlers expel Mormons from Daviess.

14-15 October Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon call upon Mormon troops to ride to Diahman to protect the Saints, threatening those who will not join the Mormon army. Four hundred soldiers march to Daviess County.

16-17 October Generals Doniphan and Parks prepare to march with troops to Daviess, but inclement weather and anti-Mormon sentiment in militia causes generals to abandon expedition. Parks continues to Daviess alone.

18 October Mormon soldiers attack Gallatin, Millport, and other settlements in Daviess, driving non-Mormon settlers from their homes, plundering, and burning. Missourians retaliate.

18 October General Parks visits Mormons and Missourians in Daviess. Parks discovers that civil war has broken out and declares that Mormons are now the aggressors.

22 October Mormon troops return to Far West after driving nearly all non-Mormons from Daviess.

24 October Apostles Thomas B. Marsh and Orson Hyde sign affidavits in Ray County describing Mormon activities. Ray committee returns from Daviess with similar reports of depredations. Capt. Samuel Bogart calls out Ray troops to prevent invasion by Mormons.

24 October Bogart and his troops harass Mormon settlers in Ray and Caldwell counties. They capture two Mormon spies and threaten to execute them.

25 October Capt. David W. Patten leads Mormon troops to rescue spies. Troops clash at Crooked River, with three Mormons and one Missourian killed. Exaggerated reports of Crooked River battle spread throughout the state. Fearing the Mormons intend to continue attacks, Generals Atchison, Doniphan, and Parks call out state militia to quell alleged Mormon rebellion.

27 October Governor Boggs, responding to reports of Mormon depredations in Daviess County and their attack on state troops at Crooked River, orders that the Mormons must be "exterminated or driven from the state."

30 October Missouri troops, under command of Gen. Samuel D. Lucas of Jackson County, arrive outside Far West. Mormon leaders send messengers to learn intentions of troops.

30 October Two hundred soldiers from Livingston and nearby counties overrun Mormon village of Haun's Mill, killing eighteen and wounding fifteen.

31 October Col. George Hinkle, John Corrill, and other Mormon representatives attempt to negotiate with General Lucas, but receive demands for surrender. Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, and other Mormon leaders give themselves up as hostages. About seventy-five Mormon soldiers, advised of the surrender plans, flee from Far West during the night.

1 November Joseph Smith advises Mormon troops at Far West and Diahman to surrender. Mormon War ends.

1 November General Lucas holds a court-martial of seven Mormon leaders. Opposition of General Doniphan and others prevents the execution of Mormon prisoners.

2 November Mormons forced to deed over their property to pay expenses for the war. This part of the surrender agreement is later declared illegal.

4 November General Clark arrives with troops and announces his intention to carry out the surrender terms exacted by General Lucas.

12-29 November Judge Austin A. King presides at Court of Inquiry held in Richmond, Ray County. Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and a number of other Mormons are committed to prison on the basis of testimony against them.

December-February 1839 Missouri legislature debates whether to investigate the disturbances and allow the Mormons to remain. Legislation to investigate is tabled until July, after the Mormons have already left the state.

February Mormons pool resources and organize to leave Missouri.

11 April Joseph Smith and four other Mormons are indicted for crimes in Daviess County, and are granted a change of venue to Boone County.

16 April Smith and other prisoners escape from their guards and return to Saints, who are gathering at Quincy, Illinois.

May Nearly all the Saints have left Missouri.

I find it particularly interesting that the Mormons living in Missouri lived in peace with their neighbors...well at least until Joseph Smith showed up...