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”.
Can even a “true” prophet have false revelations?
SETTING: Winter 1829-1830. Comp Hist 1:165 Joseph had a revelation that Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdery were to go to Toronto to sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon to raise money.
RESULT: Unfulfilled!
They went, according to the revelation, but were completely unsuccessful. Joseph Smith “inquired of God” and was told that some “revelations” are not from God. David Whitmer reports this incident in his book An Address To All Believers In Christ, Richmond, 1887, photo reprinting by Utah Lighthouse Ministry, pp 30-31.
Even Joseph Smith had to admit that some of his “revelations” might be of man or even of the devil. Comp Hist 1:165. This is contradictory in concept to the Deuteronomy 18:22 test, which says that the failure of the test indicates that the prophet is false. Joseph Smith here implies that the prophecy may be false, but the prophet himself is apparently still a prophet. One might ask then, what good is a prophet?
Hyrum Smith, who was also a “prophet,” on Nov 1, 1831, commented about prophecy and said that “if you hit once in 10 times, that is alright.” [quoted by Abraham O. Smoot in 1868 at the Provo School of the Prophets] This also is a contradiction of Deuteronomy 18:22.
Note that the prophecies and promises which are in the D&C “shall all be fulfilled.” If even one remains unfulfilled, then this also is a false prophecy. D&C 1:37