Top 40 Most Dishonest Acts in Mormon Church History
https://www.mormonstories.org/top-40-most-dishonest-acts-in-mormon-church-history/
One of the most common questions asked of me is, “Do the brethren know that the church isn’t what it claims to be? Are they intentionally misleading the membership at this point?”

Up until recently, my answer has always been, “No. They are sincere men who genuinely believe that the church is true.”

After my recent interview with Shannon Caldwell Montez — about the handling of the B.H. Roberts/Book of Mormon faith crisis affair of 1922 — I started to think about how outrageously dishonest it was for the Mormon church to intentionally withhold from its members the legitimate scientific concerns surrounding the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham for almost 100 years, while also attempting to erase from church membership any memory of the life of B.H. Roberts.

This reflection led me to make a starter-list of the most outrageously dishonest actions by the Mormon church and its leadership over the years. I have created a starter list below. Will you please review my list, and help me include any other actions that seem particularly egregious to you?

It would be amazing to turn this list into a book someday. Does anyone want to help?

What have I included here that is factually incorrect?
What should I add?
Thanks in advance.

Top 50 Most Dishonest Acts in Mormon Church History

The Mormon church teaching its members for decades the story of Joseph Smith declining alcohol as a boy during his surgery (to give the impression that he obeyed the Word of Wisdom during his life), while knowing that Joseph Smith both drank alcohol as an adult (including drinking wine the night before he was killed), and supported alcohol production and sales in Nauvoo, including having a bar in the Nauvoo Mansion.
Joseph Smith falsely claimed to have the gift and power of God to translate ancient languages into English, when he knew he didn’t have this power, and plagiarized significant portions of his “translations.”
The Mormon church knowingly deceiving members by portraying Joseph Smith as translating the Book of Mormon using a breast plate and the “Urim and Thumim” when they knew that he actually used a stone in a hat.
Joseph Smith knowingly and intentionally altering “revelations” written down in both the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants once they were demonstrated to be false or untrue.
Joseph Smith intentionally defrauded members of the church in Kirland of their savings by knowingly creating a fraudulent bank and then misappropriating the funds.
Joseph Smith manufactured the bestowal of the Melchizedek priesthood years after it was supposed to have been given to the church, and then amending the history accordingly.
Joseph Smith excommunicating Oliver Cowdery for accurately accusing him of an adulterous affair with Fanny Alger in 1838.
Joseph Smith overtly lying to Emma (his wife) about polygamy, which included Joseph performing a fake sealing of Emily and Eliza Partridge to Joseph after he had already been sealed to them both secretly.
Joseph Smith overtly lying to LDS Church membership about his practice of polygamy.
Joseph Smith calling men on foreign missions so that he could proposition their wives for polygamy.
Joseph Smith publicly maligning women as “whores” who denied his polygamous advances.
Joseph Smith destroying the Nauvoo Expositor because it accurately reported that Joseph Smith was secretly practicing polygamy, and lying about it.
The Mormon church continually portraying Joseph Smith as an innocent victim leading up to his death.
The Mormon church knowingly and falsely portraying Joseph Smith as a monogamist in its curriculum for members for over a century.
The Mountain Meadows Massacre – Mormon leaders and church members in Southern Utah promising peace (via a white flag) to the besieged members of the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, and then dressing up as Native Americans so that the Native Americans could be blamed for the massacre. In total, 120 men, women, and children were massacred.
Brigham Young assisting in the cover-up of the Mountain Meadows Massacre, and scapegoating John D. Lee as primarily responsible for the massacre.
The Mormon church telling the world in 1890 that it was stopping polygamy, and then secretly and intentionally continuing to practice it – at the highest levels – including allowing new polygamous sealings, for several more decades.
The full leadership of the Mormon church being put on explicit notice by 1922 by B.H. Roberts and others that both the Book of Mormon and Book of Abraham contained significant scientific problems, and then hiding this information from members for another almost 100 years, and seeking to suppress the memory of B.H. Roberts. This included the church telling Truman Madsen NOT to publish his biography of B.H. Roberts in 1965, out of fear that it would challenge the faith of its members.
Mormon church historian and eventual prophet Joseph Fielding Smith encountering the 1832 version of Joseph Smith’s First Vision (which significantly contradicted the later, 1838 “official version” of the First Vision), and thus ripping it out of Joseph’s journal and hiding the account for decades, until he was publicly exposed for having done so, and then taping it back into the journal.
The Mormon church excommunicating David O. McKay’s niece, Fawn Brodie, for authoring a historically accurate biography of Joseph Smith entitled “No Man Knows My History.”.
After feeling the need to respond to the rising popularity of Fawn Brodie’s Joseph Smith biography, the Mormon church attempting to become more honest with its history during the Leonard Arrington years (1972 – 1982), only to have the entire initiative scrapped out of fears that church members might lost their faith if they were taught the honest history.
Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie publicly claiming in 1981 that the Adam-God doctrine was never “known to be taught in the church,” only to acknowledge in private to Eugene England in the same year, “Yes, President Young did teach that Adam was the Father of our spirits, and all the related things that the cultists ascribe to him. ” See here and here for more info.
Boyd K. Packer explicitly justifying the deception of the membership by privately stating in his 1981 talk entitled “The Mantle is Far, Far Greater Than the Intellect,” that “Some things that are true are not very useful.”
The Mormon church attempting to purchase the Mark Hofmann forgeries in an overt attempt to hide the potentially controversial documents from its members.
The Mormon church enlisting hired apologists (e.g., Nibley, Peterson, Sorenson, Gee, Ash, Bushman, Terryl & Fiona Givens, Fluhman) FOR DECADES to publicly attack the character of honest truth-tellers of Mormon history, and/or to mislead and gaslight its membership regarding problematic church history.
The Mormon church excommunicating or intimidating honest scholars and activists for openly discussing problematic church history (e.g., Fawn Brodie, Juanita Brooks, Michael Quinn, Maxine Hanks, Brent Metcalfe, Jeremy Runnells, Sam Young).
Gordon B. Hinckley publicly condemning polygamy on Larry King Live as being “not doctrinal” when the doctrine remains enshrined in D&C 132, and when church leaders including Dallin H. Oaks and Russell M. Nelson continue to live celestial polygamy.
Gordon B. Hinckley publicly denying that the Mormon church taught that men and women could become Gods by stating, “I don’t know that we teach it. I don’t know that we emphasize it.”
Gordon B. Hinckley stating publicly that the members are entitled to know where their tithing goes, when he knew that church financial information is withheld from its members.
Helmut Nemetchek: ‘In my country, we say the people’s Churches–the Protestants, the Catholics–they publish all their budgets, to all the public. ‘
Hinckley: ‘Yeah. Yeah. ‘
Helmut Nemetschek: ‘Why is it impossible for your Church? ‘
Hinckley: ‘Well, we simply think that that information belongs to those who made the contribution, and not to the world. That’s the only thing. Yes. ‘”
The Mormon church withheld extensive diaries, journals, and historical records from its members for over a century.- until the Internet forced its hand.
The Mormon explicitly forbidding current Mormon apostles and prophets from keeping journals, so as to prevent any future sensitive church information from coming to light.
The Mormon church attempted to take control over and privatize the Leonard Arrington Records Collection at Utah State University.
The Mormon church claimed that no tithing funds were used to build City Creek Mall.
The gaslighting infused into LDS Gospel Topics Essays.
The Mormon church refers to the lifting of the Black Priesthood Ban as a policy change, when the church knows that the Black Priesthood Ban was declared to be doctrinal by the First Presidency in 1949.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland lied publicly when asked if U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney would have taken a blood oath in his Mormon temple endowment.
Russell M. Nelson claimed that the heinous November 2015 LGBTQ Exclusion policy was inspired of God, only to turn around 3 years later and claim that the rescinding/reversal of the policy was also a revelation from God. See here for more details and analysis. Nelson also claimed that the LGBTQ exclusion policy was “motivated by love.”
Elder Ballard explicitly denied in November of 2017 that Mormon church leaders have ever attempted to hide any troubling history from its members, ever.”Some are saying that the Church has been hiding the fact that there’s more than one version of the First Vision, which is just not true. The facts are, we don’t study. We don’t go back and search what has been said on the subject. For example, Dr. James B. Allen of BYU, in 1970 he produced an article for the church magazines explaining all about the different versions of the First Vision…But it’s this idea that the Church is hiding something, which we would have to say–as two apostles that have covered the world and know the history of the Church and know the integrity of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve from the beginning of time–there has been no attempt on the part, in any way, of the Church leaders trying to hide anything from anybody. Now we’ve had the Joseph Smith Papers. We didn’t have those where they are in our hands now. And so we’re learning more about the Prophet Joseph…So, just trust us wherever you are in the world. And you share this message with anyone else who raises the question about the Church not being transparent. We’re as transparent as we know how to be in telling the truth. We have to do that. That’s the Lord’s way.”
Honorable Mention

Prohibiting generations of “non-worthy” LDS and/or non-LDS family and friends in the U.S. from attending the wedding ceremonies of their believing LDS family and friends – including parents and siblings – only to reverse the policy without offering any sort of apology to those who were excluded for decades. See here, here, here and here for details.
Russell M. Nelson broadly proclaims that Mormons believe that marriage should only be between one man and one woman, all while D&C 132 still teaches polygamy as Mormon doctrine, and Russell M. Nelson himself (as well as Apostle Dallin H. Oaks) are both sealed to multiple women for the eternities.
When Zimbabwe Vice President Mohandi requested support for clean-water wells, Mormon apostle Neil Anderson said “We are not wealthy people but we are good people, and we share what we have.” Less than a month later it is revealed that the Mormon church had/has a $120 Billion+ stockpile of investments through Ensign Peak Advisors, which doesn’t count other assets such as real estate, etc. The annual GDP of Zimbabwe is currently $31 billion USD.
Ezra Taft Benson attempted to destroy copies of LDS Church-written “The Story of the Latter-day Saints” in 1976 because he was uncomfortable with the candid history and framing.

Top 10 LIES my Mormon Church hid from me my whole life
– By Randy Louis, March 2023 [JD=Journal of Discourses, HC=History of the Church, GTE=Gospel Topics Essays]
1. Why did my Church lie about Joe Smith’s First Vision and the fact that there are at least 4 versions? The
first time Joe wrote it down in his own journal was in 1832 – 12 YEARS AFTER the claimed vision! In the 1832
First Version, Joe saw one person, “the Lord.” In the 1835 Second Version, he saw a “personage,” then
another, which was NOT the Lord but a “personage who testified that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” He also
claimed he saw “many angels.” In the 1838 Third Version, he now claims he saw 2 personages – God & Jesus
Christ. The official version is 1842. Why did NO ONE in the 1830s ever mention Joe saw 2 people? Brigham
Young refuted Joe’s story of 2 people when he said “The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven…but he
did send His Angel to Joseph Smith” (JD V2 p171, 1855). John Taylor also refuted this when he said “the
Prophet Joseph asked the Angel which of the sects was right” (JD V20 p167, 1879). Even Joe’s younger brother
William Smith stated “an Angel appeared to him.” (William Smith on Mormonism, 8–10) These all prove that
as late as 1879 (35 years after Joe’s death) the Church was not teaching Joe’s 1842 story of two personages
but the 1832 story of one person! If Joseph Smith were a true prophet, he would not lie about his visions!
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/first-vision-accounts?lang=eng
2. Why did my Church lie about the Book of Abraham papyri? In 1967, 10 fragments of this papyri were
actually found (Metropolitan Museum of Art), given to the Church, then published in the Improvement Era
(Feb 1968). They were translated by multiple LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists who all concluded: “None of the
characters on the papyrus fragments mentions Abraham’s name or any of the events recorded in the book of
Abraham!” These were identified as Egyptian funerary texts. The Church chose to hide this for over 47 years
until finally admitting it in July of 2014 on the Church’s Gospel Topics Essays on LDS.org! It also admits the
papyrus dates to over 1000 years after Abraham died! Why does the Book of Abraham state it was “written by
his own hand, upon papyrus?” Since its admitted that Joe incorrectly translated the Book of Abraham, and not
one word was correct, how was he a true prophet? Read these facts on your own Church’s website:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/translation-and-historicity-of-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng
3. Why did my Church lie about the Kinderhook plates which Joe Smith incorrectly translated? In 1843, Wilbur Fugate tricked Joe into translating six brass plates that he later, in 1879, admittedly forged! The
meaningless symbols and characters inscribed on the plates were “translated” by Joe to opportunistically
reinforce the Book of Mormon. Joe Smith boasted, “I have translated a portion of them, they contain a history
of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of
Egypt…” (HC V5 p372) The 1962 Improvement Era even boasts, “the Kinderhook plates, examined by Joseph
Smith, reaffirms his prophetic calling…” But in 1980, scientists from the Chicago Historical Society proved the
Kinderhook plates were a nineteenth-century creation. In 1981, after 100+ years, the Church finally admitted
this was indeed a hoax in the Aug 1981 Ensign. What does this say about Joe’s translating abilities?
4. Why did my Church ban Blacks from the priesthood until 1978, just in time to open the Brazil temple? Did
the unchanging God now change his mind to suddenly allow Blacks to have the priesthood? The 2013 article, “Race and the Priesthood” (LDS.org) says the “Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black
skin is a sign of disfavor or curse…” Does this mean that Brigham Young, Joseph Fielding Smith and all the
other prophets who proudly proclaimed this as “The Lord’s doctrine” were false prophets? Is the “skin of
blackness curse” disavowed too? (BoM 2 Nephi 5:21) For 148 years, the Church taught that Blacks were
“inferior”and “deprived of nearly all intelligence!” If prophets claim to speak the will of God when their
words can later be disavowed – were they really true prophets at all? Why should we trust that the current
prophet will not have his words disavowed in the future? Did you know Brigham Young said the law of God for
interracial marriage is “death on the spot?” Is God racist, or were the prophets racist?

5. Why did my Church lie about Joe Smith’s polygamy and his polyandry? Not only was he married to at least
34 women, 14 of them were still married! He sneakily waited until their husbands were out of state on
missions so he could marry them. Not only that, but ten of his wives were teenagers, such as 14 year old
Helen Mar Kimball! Joe coerced these young girls by telling them an “angel with a drawn sword” would kill
him if he didn’t marry them. If Joe did this in our day, he would be labeled a pedophile just like Warren Jeffs – who’s spending life in prison for raping a 15-year old girl that he “married.” In May of 1844, Joe claimed to
only have one wife (HC V6 p411) yet LDS.org GTE now admits Joe had “between 30 & 40 wives!” If God
approved of polygamy, why did Joe hide it and lie about it? Did you know Brigham Young said “the only men
who become Gods are those who enter into polygamy?” (JD V11 p269) Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated
for accusing Joe of adultery after catching him cheating in the barn with 17 year-old Fanny Alger! Did you
know William Law (2

2nd counselor in the First Presidency) was excommunicated for protesting Joe’s multiple
marriage proposals to his wife, Jane? Joe’s First Presidency and closest associates (Oliver Cowdery, Sidney
Rigdon, William Law, John C. Bennett) all admitted Joe was an adulterer! The Nauvoo Expositor published by
William Law (which led to Joe’s destruction of the printing press that eventually got him imprisoned) exposes
Joe’s whoredoms and chicanery. This is the reason Joe wanted this paper suppressed and destroyed!
6. Why did my Church lie about Joe Smith – the treasure digging, occultist, necromancer? He conned many
people out of their money because he never found any treasure using his seer stone! He used this same seer
stone (that never worked) to look into a hat to “translate” the Book of Mormon without even using the gold
plates! Emma never even saw the gold plates since
they were always covered in cloth! Did you know Joe
sacrificed a rooster and a dog in order to propitiate
the spirits to find the treasure?
In 1826, Joe was arrested and found guilty of a
misdemeanor by a court in Bainbridge, NY, for being a

“disorderly person” on the complaint of Josiah Stowell’s nephew, Peter Bridgeman. Here’s a snippet of Justice Albert Neely’s bill showing the costs of his several trials in 1826 where he mentions
the trial of “Joseph Smith The Glass Looker, March 20, 1826.”

This court date – March 20, 1826 – is the exact date found in the published account of the trial and also the fee
for the trial – 2.68 – is the exact figure found in the printed court record – “Costs: $2.68.” These two proofs
confirm this 1826 trial took place and found Joe Smith guilty of “disorderly conduct” for “scrying.” This is all admitted in “Rough Stone Rolling” by Richard Bushman (current active Mormon, ex-Bishop/ Stake
President/Stake Patriarch) and sold by Deseret Books – funded and approved by the Church!
7. Why did my Church lie about our Apostles and Prophets being paid? I went on a mission for 2 years, preaching that we have NO PAID MINISTRY – only to find out that we actually do! In 2014, all General
Authorities were paid $120,000 a year. The Church has used its members tithing & donations to build a $1.5
Billion shopping center (City Creek) and amass a $100 Billion+ investment fund! In 2023 the SEC fined the
Church $5 Million for hiding $32 Billion in 13 shell companies for over 20 years! Did you know in 1845, the
Quorum of the Twelve exempted themselves from paying tithing?
8. Why did my Church hide the fact that Joe Smith stole the Temple
ceremony, symbols, signs and tokens from Masonry just seven weeks
after he became a Mason? Compare these Masonic handshakes →
Joe became a Master Mason on March 16, 1842 (HC V4 p552) then
introduced the endowment ceremony on May 4, 1842 (HC V5 p1). Joe
claimed the Temple endowment was the original one taken from
Solomon’s Temple, but they performed animal sacrifices in that
Temple! Why have there been multiple changes to the endowment
ceremony like the death penalty blood oath, Five Points of
Fellowship, and Adam-God doctrine which are all now disavowed?

9. Why was I never told by my Church that the tenth Prophet
of the Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, said there is “No
salvation without accepting Joseph Smith” in Doctrines of
Salvation, Vol 1, p117. The Bible says Jesus is the only way to
salvation (John 14:6). Acts 4:11-12 states “This Jesus is the
stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has
become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men
by which we must be saved.” Maybe this is why I was
constantly asked if we worship Joseph Smith on my mission!
Another blasphemous statement I never heard is by the
apostle Bruce R. McConkie who said “There is no salvation
outside the Church” from his book, Mormon Doctrine, 1966. So were the Apostles Paul, Peter, James, or John not saved
since they didn’t belong to the “Mormon church?” 10. Why was I never told by my Church that many books
written before the Book of Mormon coincidentally mentioned
multiple identical subjects and themes that Joe wrote into
the Book of Mormon? “The Late War – between the United States and Britain” and “View of the Hebrews” are
two such books. View of the Hebrews was written in 1823 by Ethan Smith who happened to be Oliver
Cowdery’s Pastor! Joe quotes from this book to prove his Hebrew origin of the American Indians theory – which was the accepted common knowledge of the time. However, current DNA evidence actually shows they
descended from East Asia. Here are a few subjects the “View of the Hebrews” mentions that should sound familiar to Mormons:
1) Hebrew origin of the American Indians
2) A lost book buried by an old Indian Chief in ancient Hebrew writing where people afterwards discover
it from the earth and ascertain it of ancient Israel origin
3) A small colony of Israelites that left a European city about 600 BC, by crossing the ocean to America
4) Inspired Prophets who foretold of future events
5) Urim & Thummim and Breast Plate
6) People divided into two classes – an idle, barbarous group and an industrious, civilized group
7) Overthrown civilization in America due to many long wars
8) Barbaric division eventually utterly exterminated the civilized one
9) Quotes copiously and chiefly from Isaiah in relation to the scattering and gathering of Israel
10) Quetzalcoatl “The Mexican Messiah” – a white bearded man who dwelt twenty years among the
people and preached the gospel to men. He disappeared after he declared he would one day return. What a coincidence that the Book of Mormon, written in 1830 – 7 years after View of the Hebrews – mentions
all 10 points & more! (Did you know Lucy Smith wrote in her book that Joe recited BofM stories at age 18?)
Elder B. H. Roberts (President of the First Council of Seventy & the Church’s Chief Theologian and Historian)
actually presented these and other issues, in a 2 day meeting with President Heber J. Grant, the First
Presidency and the Twelve Apostles on January 4-5, 1922! (Book of Mormon Studies, p21, B.H. Roberts)
In a Church claiming continuous revelation, why did these Prophets & General Authorities have no answers?
“Mormonism…must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God…
or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground.”

———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Top 10 LIES my Mormon Church hid from me my whole life
– By Randy Louis, March 2023 [JD=Journal of Discourses, HC=History of the Church, GTE=Gospel Topics Essays]
1. Why did my Church lie about Joe Smith’s First Vision and the fact that there are at least 4 versions? The
first time Joe wrote it down in his own journal was in 1832 – 12 YEARS AFTER the claimed vision! In the 1832
First Version, Joe saw one person, “the Lord.” In the 1835 Second Version, he saw a “personage,” then
another, which was NOT the Lord but a “personage who testified that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” He also
claimed he saw “many angels.” In the 1838 Third Version, he now claims he saw 2 personages – God & Jesus
Christ. The official version is 1842. Why did NO ONE in the 1830s ever mention Joe saw 2 people? Brigham
Young refuted Joe’s story of 2 people when he said “The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven…but he
did send His Angel to Joseph Smith” (JD V2 p171, 1855). John Taylor also refuted this when he said “the
Prophet Joseph asked the Angel which of the sects was right” (JD V20 p167, 1879). Even Joe’s younger brother
William Smith stated “an Angel appeared to him.” (William Smith on Mormonism, 8–10) These all prove that
as late as 1879 (35 years after Joe’s death) the Church was not teaching Joe’s 1842 story of two personages
but the 1832 story of one person! If Joseph Smith were a true prophet, he would not lie about his visions!
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/first-vision-accounts?lang=eng
2. Why did my Church lie about the Book of Abraham papyri? In 1967, 10 fragments of this papyri were
actually found (Metropolitan Museum of Art), given to the Church, then published in the Improvement Era
(Feb 1968). They were translated by multiple LDS and non-LDS Egyptologists who all concluded: “None of the
characters on the papyrus fragments mentions Abraham’s name or any of the events recorded in the book of
Abraham!” These were identified as Egyptian funerary texts. The Church chose to hide this for over 47 years
until finally admitting it in July of 2014 on the Church’s Gospel Topics Essays on LDS.org! It also admits the
papyrus dates to over 1000 years after Abraham died! Why does the Book of Abraham state it was “written by
his own hand, upon papyrus?” Since its admitted that Joe incorrectly translated the Book of Abraham, and not
one word was correct, how was he a true prophet? Read these facts on your own Church’s website:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-topics-essays/translation-and-historicity-of-the-book-of-abraham?lang=eng
3. Why did my Church lie about the Kinderhook plates which Joe Smith incorrectly translated? In 1843, Wilbur Fugate tricked Joe into translating six brass plates that he later, in 1879, admittedly forged! The
meaningless symbols and characters inscribed on the plates were “translated” by Joe to opportunistically
reinforce the Book of Mormon. Joe Smith boasted, “I have translated a portion of them, they contain a history
of the person with whom they were found. He was a descendant of Ham, through the loins of Pharaoh, king of
Egypt…” (HC V5 p372) The 1962 Improvement Era even boasts, “the Kinderhook plates, examined by Joseph
Smith, reaffirms his prophetic calling…” But in 1980, scientists from the Chicago Historical Society proved the
Kinderhook plates were a nineteenth-century creation. In 1981, after 100+ years, the Church finally admitted
this was indeed a hoax in the Aug 1981 Ensign. What does this say about Joe’s translating abilities?
4. Why did my Church ban Blacks from the priesthood until 1978, just in time to open the Brazil temple? Did
the unchanging God now change his mind to suddenly allow Blacks to have the priesthood? The 2013 article, “Race and the Priesthood” (LDS.org) says the “Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black
skin is a sign of disfavor or curse…” Does this mean that Brigham Young, Joseph Fielding Smith and all the
other prophets who proudly proclaimed this as “The Lord’s doctrine” were false prophets? Is the “skin of
blackness curse” disavowed too? (BoM 2 Nephi 5:21) For 148 years, the Church taught that Blacks were
“inferior”and “deprived of nearly all intelligence!” If prophets claim to speak the will of God when their
words can later be disavowed – were they really true prophets at all? Why should we trust that the current
prophet will not have his words disavowed in the future? Did you know Brigham Young said the law of God for
interracial marriage is “death on the spot?” Is God racist, or were the prophets racist?

5. Why did my Church lie about Joe Smith’s polygamy and his polyandry? Not only was he married to at least
34 women, 14 of them were still married! He sneakily waited until their husbands were out of state on
missions so he could marry them. Not only that, but ten of his wives were teenagers, such as 14 year old
Helen Mar Kimball! Joe coerced these young girls by telling them an “angel with a drawn sword” would kill
him if he didn’t marry them. If Joe did this in our day, he would be labeled a pedophile just like Warren Jeffs – who’s spending life in prison for raping a 15-year old girl that he “married.” In May of 1844, Joe claimed to
only have one wife (HC V6 p411) yet LDS.org GTE now admits Joe had “between 30 & 40 wives!” If God
approved of polygamy, why did Joe hide it and lie about it? Did you know Brigham Young said “the only men
who become Gods are those who enter into polygamy?” (JD V11 p269) Oliver Cowdery was excommunicated
for accusing Joe of adultery after catching him cheating in the barn with 17 year-old Fanny Alger! Did you
know William Law (2

nd counselor in the First Presidency) was excommunicated for protesting Joe’s multiple
marriage proposals to his wife, Jane? Joe’s First Presidency and closest associates (Oliver Cowdery, Sidney
Rigdon, William Law, John C. Bennett) all admitted Joe was an adulterer! The Nauvoo Expositor published by
William Law (which led to Joe’s destruction of the printing press that eventually got him imprisoned) exposes
Joe’s whoredoms and chicanery. This is the reason Joe wanted this paper suppressed and destroyed!
6. Why did my Church lie about Joe Smith – the treasure digging, occultist, necromancer? He conned many
people out of their money because he never found any treasure using his seer stone! He used this same seer
stone (that never worked) to look into a hat to “translate” the Book of Mormon without even using the gold
plates! Emma never even saw the gold plates since
they were always covered in cloth! Did you know Joe
sacrificed a rooster and a dog in order to propitiate
the spirits to find the treasure?
In 1826, Joe was arrested and found guilty of a
misdemeanor by a court in Bainbridge, NY, for being a

“disorderly person” on the complaint of Josiah Stowell’s nephew, Peter Bridgeman. Here’s a snippet of Justice Albert Neely’s bill showing the costs of his several trials in 1826 where he mentions
the trial of “Joseph Smith The Glass Looker, March 20, 1826.”

This court date – March 20, 1826 – is the exact date found in the published account of the trial and also the fee
for the trial – 2.68 – is the exact figure found in the printed court record – “Costs: $2.68.” These two proofs
confirm this 1826 trial took place and found Joe Smith guilty of “disorderly conduct” for “scrying.” This is all admitted in “Rough Stone Rolling” by Richard Bushman (current active Mormon, ex-Bishop/ Stake
President/Stake Patriarch) and sold by Deseret Books – funded and approved by the Church!
7. Why did my Church lie about our Apostles and Prophets being paid? I went on a mission for 2 years, preaching that we have NO PAID MINISTRY – only to find out that we actually do! In 2014, all General
Authorities were paid $120,000 a year. The Church has used its members tithing & donations to build a $1.5
Billion shopping center (City Creek) and amass a $100 Billion+ investment fund! In 2023 the SEC fined the
Church $5 Million for hiding $32 Billion in 13 shell companies for over 20 years! Did you know in 1845, the
Quorum of the Twelve exempted themselves from paying tithing?
8. Why did my Church hide the fact that Joe Smith stole the Temple
ceremony, symbols, signs and tokens from Masonry just seven weeks
after he became a Mason? Compare these Masonic handshakes →
Joe became a Master Mason on March 16, 1842 (HC V4 p552) then
introduced the endowment ceremony on May 4, 1842 (HC V5 p1). Joe
claimed the Temple endowment was the original one taken from
Solomon’s Temple, but they performed animal sacrifices in that
Temple! Why have there been multiple changes to the endowment
ceremony like the death penalty blood oath, Five Points of
Fellowship, and Adam-God doctrine which are all now disavowed?

9. Why was I never told by my Church that the tenth Prophet
of the Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, said there is “No
salvation without accepting Joseph Smith” in Doctrines of
Salvation, Vol 1, p117. The Bible says Jesus is the only way to
salvation (John 14:6). Acts 4:11-12 states “This Jesus is the
stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has
become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men
by which we must be saved.” Maybe this is why I was
constantly asked if we worship Joseph Smith on my mission!
Another blasphemous statement I never heard is by the
apostle Bruce R. McConkie who said “There is no salvation
outside the Church” from his book, Mormon Doctrine, 1966. So were the Apostles Paul, Peter, James, or John not saved
since they didn’t belong to the “Mormon church?” 10. Why was I never told by my Church that many books
written before the Book of Mormon coincidentally mentioned
multiple identical subjects and themes that Joe wrote into
the Book of Mormon? “The Late War – between the United States and Britain” and “View of the Hebrews” are
two such books. View of the Hebrews was written in 1823 by Ethan Smith who happened to be Oliver
Cowdery’s Pastor! Joe quotes from this book to prove his Hebrew origin of the American Indians theory – which was the accepted common knowledge of the time. However, current DNA evidence actually shows they
descended from East Asia. Here are a few subjects the “View of the Hebrews” mentions that should sound familiar to Mormons:
1) Hebrew origin of the American Indians
2) A lost book buried by an old Indian Chief in ancient Hebrew writing where people afterwards discover
it from the earth and ascertain it of ancient Israel origin
3) A small colony of Israelites that left a European city about 600 BC, by crossing the ocean to America
4) Inspired Prophets who foretold of future events
5) Urim & Thummim and Breast Plate
6) People divided into two classes – an idle, barbarous group and an industrious, civilized group
7) Overthrown civilization in America due to many long wars
8) Barbaric division eventually utterly exterminated the civilized one
9) Quotes copiously and chiefly from Isaiah in relation to the scattering and gathering of Israel
10) Quetzalcoatl “The Mexican Messiah” – a white bearded man who dwelt twenty years among the
people and preached the gospel to men. He disappeared after he declared he would one day return. What a coincidence that the Book of Mormon, written in 1830 – 7 years after View of the Hebrews – mentions
all 10 points & more! (Did you know Lucy Smith wrote in her book that Joe recited BofM stories at age 18?)
Elder B. H. Roberts (President of the First Council of Seventy & the Church’s Chief Theologian and Historian)
actually presented these and other issues, in a 2 day meeting with President Heber J. Grant, the First
Presidency and the Twelve Apostles on January 4-5, 1922! (Book of Mormon Studies, p21, B.H. Roberts)
In a Church claiming continuous revelation, why did these Prophets & General Authorities have no answers?
“Mormonism…must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God…
or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground.”

– Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 1:188

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