Many Mormons are unaware—or choose not to confront—key facts about Joseph Smith and Mormon history that strike at the very foundation of their faith. In this video, we examine the uncomfortable truths surrounding Joseph Smith’s prophetic claims, practices, and character, weighing them against the Word of God.
Joseph Smith claimed to translate the Book of Mormon by gazing into a “seer stone” placed in a hat—yet Scripture warns against divination and occult practices: “There shall not be found among you… a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord” (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). If God condemns such practices, could they truly be the basis of divine revelation?
Smith also organized the Kirtland Safety Society Bank, which collapsed in fraud, leaving many followers in ruin. The Bible commands leaders to be above reproach: “Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:7). Instead of integrity, Joseph Smith’s actions brought scandal and distrust.
His attempts at “translating” ancient texts, such as the Egyptian papyri (later exposed as the Book of Abraham), have been proven false by modern Egyptologists. God’s Word warns: “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass… thou shalt not be afraid of him” (Deuteronomy 18:22). By biblical standards, Joseph Smith’s failed prophecies and false translations mark him as a false prophet.
Perhaps most troubling, Smith practiced plural marriage in secret, marrying between 30 and 40 women—some already married to other men, and many without the knowledge or consent of his first wife, Emma. Yet the Bible presents marriage as a sacred union between one man and one woman: “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31). Smith’s actions stand in sharp contrast to the biblical model of fidelity, purity, and transparency.
Even Joseph Fielding Smith, a former LDS Apostle and church president, admitted: “Mormonism must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith.” If that is true, then it is crucial to test his life and teachings in light of Scripture. The Bible exhorts us: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
This video will walk through these historical realities and biblical truths, asking the hard but necessary question: Was Joseph Smith truly a prophet of God, or was he one of the false prophets Scripture warns us about? The answer has eternal consequences.
