Mormon DNA » Joseph Smith

If Joseph Smith was a fraud where did the Book of Mormon come from?

Joshua Steimle — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 23:17:55 +0000

Critics say the Book of Mormon is not the word of God, that it is a fraud and false. So then what is your explanation for the existence of the book? It must have come from somewhere. Joseph Smith had an elementary school education and wasn’t known for having great writing skills. Did he write it on his own? Could you, even with the help of your college education and the Internet write such a book? Before you answer, have you actually read the book from cover to cover? The idea that Joseph Smith, or any other person or group of persons, could write such a book, even today, is hard to believe. I’d be willing to bet that if you got 20 of the smartest people together with degrees in archeology, Meso-American culture, Hebrew studies, theology, and Central American geography, they might be able to write a book, but I bet it could be conclusively and obviously proven to be an invention within a matter of days.

But hey, give it your best shot. If you don’t believe Joseph Smith was a prophet who translated the Book of Mormon from ancient plates with God’s help, where do you think the book came from?

Joseph Smith’s Fulfilled Prophecies

Joshua Steimle — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:32:47 +0000

Prophet prophesy, right? So if Joseph Smith were a real prophet, couldn’t we verify that by looking at his prophecies and seeing if they came true. Well yes, you can. However, far be it from me to do the research when somebody else already has, which is why I’ll refer you to Jeff Lindsay’s Fulfilled Prophecies of Joseph Smith page.

There you can read Accurate Prophecies of the Civil War, The Saints to Flourish in the Rocky Mountains, and one my favorites, The Stephen A. Douglas Prophecy.

Joseph Smith’s False Prophecies

Joshua Steimle — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:26:37 +0000

Q: There are the many false prophecies of Joseph Smith.

A: Which prophecies of Joseph Smith are you referring to as false? I can argue specifics but not general statements.

Q: Joseph Smith said “that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book” (History of the Church, Vol. 4, page 461).

Regarding false prophecies of Joseph Smith

http://www.carm.org/lds/js_false_prophecies.htm

A: When Joseph Smith said “the most correct” he wasn’t making a statement about grammar and punctuation, he was saying it contained more of the pure truth about the gospel of Christ than any other book.

Here are a few responses to the page of failed prophecies, although I don’t have time to address all of them, I haven’t even had lunch yet.

Response to 56-year prophecy – http://www.shields-research.org/General/LDS_Leaders/1stPres/Joseph_Smith/56_Year.htm

Temple built in Missouri in Smith’s generation – it actually says “an house” and doesn’t necessarily refer to a temple in Missouri. A temple was built in Smith’s generation, namely in Nauvoo.

“All Nations would be involved in the American Civil War” – This is a misunderstanding of the statement “And the time will come that war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place”. This isn’t saying that all nations would be involved in the Civil War, but that the Civil War would mark the beginning of other wars worldwide.

Prophesy that the earth will tremble and the sun be hidden in “not many days” – “not many days” means different things to man and God, and it would appear from the scriptures that when God says “not many days” that can easily mean 300 years and when he says “the time is nigh, even at the door” it can mean another 100 years.

“Prophecy that Isaiah 11 was about to be fulfilled” – Same argument here. We’re arguing about what God meant by “soon”.