Mormon History and Scandals

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ALL LDS CHURCH QUOTES BELOW ARE FROM: Translation and Historicity of the Book of Abraham - July 8, 2014 - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/translation-and-historicity-of-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng

1. Does the LDS Church admit that Abraham had nothing to do with the Book of Abraham papyrus?

“Scholars have identified the papyrus fragments as parts of standard funerary texts that were deposited with mummified bodies. These fragments date to between the third century B.C.E. and the first century C.E., long after Abraham lived.”

Mormon Handcart Monument, Winter Quarters, Nebraska

THE MORMON HANDCART DISASTER! by Rocky Hulse

2006 is the sesquicentennial (150th) year celebration of the Mormon Handcart Treks which began in 1856. The handcart companies, there were ten total, left from Iowa City, Iowa, which was the Western end of the railroad during the handcart trek years of 1856-1860. The Mormon Emigrants would sail from Europe into New York, Boston or Philadelphia and then go by rail to Iowa City. There they would form up into companies, get outfitted with their handcarts and provisions, and begin the 2 1/2- to 3-month trek to Salt Lake City, Utah.

REMEMBERING THE SURVIVING CHILDREN FROM THE MOUNTAIN MEADOWS MASSACRE 150 YEARS AGO THIS MONTH by Rocky Hulse, September 2009

Early History (1830s–1840s)

• Founding of the Church: The LDS Church was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith. During his leadership, there was no official church ban on Black people holding the priesthood or participating fully in church ordinances.
• Elijah Abel: Elijah Abel, a Black man, was ordained to the priesthood in 1836, indicating that race was not initially a barrier to leadership roles in the early LDS Church.

Brigham Young and the Priesthood Ban (1852)

• Move to Utah: After Joseph Smith's death in 1844, Brigham Young became the leader of the church and led the Saints to Utah Territory.
• 1852 Announcement: In 1852, Brigham Young publicly announced a policy banning Black men from being ordained to the priesthood and restricting Black men and women from participating in temple ordinances, such as marriage sealings.
  • Justifications: Young and other church leaders cited various theological and cultural rationales, including the belief that Black people were descendants of Cain (a figure in the Bible) and were cursed with a "mark" of dark skin. These justifications were rooted both in 19th-century American racial attitudes and in interpretations of scripture.

Theological Justifications and Perpetuation

• Curse of Cain and Ham: Church leaders taught that Black people were descendants of Cain or Ham, figures from the Bible, and were therefore subject to a divine curse. These teachings were used to justify denying Black people access to full participation in the church.
• Valiance in the Pre-Mortal Life: Some leaders suggested that Black people were "less valiant" in the pre-mortal existence (a concept in LDS theology) and therefore were born into a lower station in life.

Civil Rights Era and Growing Scrutiny

• Mid-20th Century: By the 1960s and 1970s, the LDS Church faced increasing criticism for its racial policies, particularly during the Civil Rights Movement. Scholars, activists, and members of the church began questioning the theological basis for the priesthood ban.
• International Growth: As the church expanded globally, especially into Africa and Brazil, the priesthood ban became a significant obstacle to missionary work and church growth.

The End of the Ban (1978)

• Revelation on the Priesthood: In 1978, under the leadership of President Spencer W. Kimball, the church announced that it had received a revelation allowing all worthy male members, regardless of race, to be ordained to the priesthood. This revelation was formalized in the church's official declaration known as Official Declaration 2, which is now part of LDS scripture.
• Repudiation of Past Teachings: In recent years, the LDS Church has explicitly disavowed past teachings that Black skin is a curse or that Black people were less valiant in the pre-mortal life.

Contemporary Church Position

• 2013 Statement: The church released a statement titled "Race and the Priesthood," which acknowledged the racist origins of the priesthood ban and disavowed past teachings and justifications. The statement emphasized that racism is contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Legacy of Racism in the LDS Church

• While the 1978 revelation ended the formal exclusion of Black members, the legacy of racial exclusion continues to affect the church. Some members and historians have called for further acknowledgment and reparative action regarding the church's racist history.

For nearly 150 years, until the black revelation of 1978, Mormons considered "black skin" a curse and refused to grant them the Mormon priesthood necessary for exaltation in the Mormon plan of salvation.  The following are racist statements made by Mormon leaders throughout the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species, and put them on a national equalization." (Elder Hyden quoted in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith by Joseph Fielding Smith, page 270 and History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 218).

The Mormon belief in black skin being a "curse" is found in uniquely Mormon books they call "Scripture."  These books, known as the Book of Mormon and Pearl of Great Price published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are racist as shown in the list of verses below.  Remember that the Mormon version of God is not the God of the Bible.

The curse of Cain or "mark" mentioned in Biblical Scripture is never said to refer to black skin. The God of the Bible rejects racism.  The Bible states that “God does not show favoritism.” (Romans 2:11, New International Version of the Bible). The God of the Bible regards all people alike, regardless of skin color.  In fact, He teaches that He made all mankind from “one blood” (Acts 17:26).

Since all cultures come from Adam and Eve,  there is no condemnation for mixing color in marriage, either.  The Bible states that there is no distinction between people groups in God's salvation plan. Galatians 3:28 says: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

DECEPTION IN THE MORMON CHURCH ESSAYS

Recently the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints scripted carefully crafted messages which they call "Gospel Topics Essays," published on their official website at lds.org or soon to be known as churchofjesuschrist.org. In these essays, the LDS Church seeks to inoculate its members against "anti-Mormon" information by offering several excuses for its incredibly deceptive doctrine and history.

Upon examination of these Essays, we find discussions of the church's early history of civil disobedience as it related to polygamy and scandalous behavior on the part of Joseph Smith's taking wives married to other men and girls as young as 14. These essays also mention Joseph Smith's fraudulent translation activity with the Book of Abraham and his use of a "seer stone" to translate the Book of Mormon.

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who try to excuse this information with the claim that they've never heard of this information before would do well to consider their words of their own Scriptures that state at Doctrine and Covenants 131:6: “It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.”  Therefore accurate knowledge of Church history is important, for it reveals the facts that demonstrate that Joseph Smith was not a true prophet of God. Remember that according to Isaiah 9:16, those who are led of false prophets are “destroyed.” (See also Deuteronomy 18:20-22.) This is why Christians are commanded to “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

THE MORMON MURDERS – WHY THE COVER-UP? by Rocky Hulse

It’s been just over 20 years now since Mark Hofmann, the returned Mormon Missionary, blew up two innocent people with pipe bombs, and was plea bargained out instead of going to trial.

.:MORMON SPLINTER GROUPS

- Sects that broke away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Proponents of the Salt Lake City based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as LDS or Mormons) boast of the alleged “unity” of their 12 million membership. Pointing to multiple denominations of Christian churches, Mormons attribute their "unity" (i.e., uniform church structure and belief) to latter-day revelation and to additional books they regard as Scripture.They challenge the potential convert to read and pray about the Book of Mormon in order to gain a “testimony” of the truthfulness of the book. This “testimony” (consisting of a “burning in the bosom” sensation) is alleged to be the main test for determining whether the potential convert should become a member of the LDS Church. Given the fact that over 100 splinter groups have developed on the foundation of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, we question the validity of the Mormon “testimony” in solidifying the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the sole possessor of the "restored gospel." Since all of these movements base their authority on the Book of Mormon and the Prophet Joseph Smith, how can a "testimony" gained through praying about the Book of Mormon be sufficient to prove which church of all of these movements one should join? The following list of dissident groups is taken from the book Divergent Paths of Restoration:

.:WHO ARE MORMONS? – Their History, Beliefs and Practices

.:EXAMINING THE CLAIMS OF MORMONISM — Is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the True Church? Overview of Mormonism exposes some of the unchristian doctrines of the Mormon Church, changes in LDS Scripture and false prophecies that have been uttered by various Mormon authorities.

.:CONTRADICTIONS IN MORMONISM — WHO ARE WE TO BELIEVE?

“The Lord will never allow the President of the Church to lead us astray.” (Gospel Principles, 1995, p. 50)

Is it true that the Presidents of the LDS Church have never led Mormons astray? You be the judge:

.:DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS COMPARED WITH BOOK OF COMMANDMENTS - Most Significant Changes in LDS Scripture

.:IS JOSEPH SMITH’S FIRST VISION A SOLID HISTORICAL FACT?

THE FOUNDATION OF JOSEPH SMITH'S FIRST VISION

CHRONOLOGICAL CONTRADICTIONS IN THE OFFICIAL 1838 ACCOUNT

WAS JOSEPH SMITH VISITED BY THE ANGEL “NEPHI” OR “MORONI”?

CONTRADICTING ACCOUNTS

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