Secrets Mormons Don't Want You To Know (5 page)

“Now this is not all, for you have another gift, which is the gift of
working with the rod:
behold it has told you things: behold there is no other power save God, that can cause
this
rod of nature,
to work in your hands…”
¹⁷⁴

However, the 1835 edition of Doctrine and Covenants changes the phrases “the gift of working with the rod” and “this rod of nature” to the “gift of Aaron.”
¹⁷⁵

“Now this is not all thy gift, for you have another gift, which is the
gift of Aaron;
behold, it has told you many things; Behold, there is no other power, save the power of God, that can cause this
gift of Aaron
to be with you.”
¹⁷⁶

“…there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.”

(Matthew 10:26)

Secret 71

David Whitmer was an early Mormon who claimed he was present when Joseph Smith translated the golden plates. Here is his description of what occurred:

“I will now give you a description of the manner in which the Book of Mormon was translated. Joseph Smith would put the seer stone into a hat, and put his face into the hat, drawing it closely around his face to exclude the light; and in the darkness the spiritual light would shine. A piece of something resembling parchment would appear, and on that appeared the writing. One character at a time would appear, and under it was the interpretation in English. Brother Joseph would read off the English to Oliver Cowdery, who was his principal scribe, and when it was written down and repeated to Brother Joseph to see if it was correct, then it would disappear, and another character with the interpretation would appear. Thus the Book of Mormon was translated by the gift and power of God, and not by any power of man.”
¹⁷⁷

Emma Hale Smith, Joseph Smith’s wife, was his first scribe. She wrote the following to their son Joseph Smith III:

“In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close to him, he sitting
with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it,
and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us.”
¹⁷⁸

Isaac Hale, the father of Emma Hale Smith, said of Joseph Smith in an 1834 affidavit:

“The manner in which he pretended to read and interpret, was the same as when he looked for the money-diggers, with a stone in his hat, and his hat over his face, while the Book of Plates were at the same time hid in the woods.”
¹⁷⁹

Michael Morse, Emma Smith’s brother-in-law, gave another first-hand account of Smith’s translation technique:

“When Joseph was translating the Book of Mormon [I] had occasion more than once to go into his immediate presence, and saw him engaged at his work of translation. The mode of procedure consisted in Joseph’s placing the Seer Stone in the crown of a hat, then putting his face into the hat, so as to entirely cover his face, resting his elbows upon his knees, and then dictating word after word, while the scribes—Emma, John Whitmer, O. Cowdery, or some other wrote it down.”
¹⁸⁰

“And her prophets have daubed them with untempered morter, seeing vanity, and divining lies unto them, saying, Thus saith the Lord GOD, when the LORD hath not spoken.” (Ezekiel 22:28)

Secret 72

The 1830 edition of the Book of Mormon says, “By Joseph Smith, Junior, author and proprietor.” But the 1981 edition changes it to, “Translated by Joseph Smith, Jun.”

Secret 73

In 1835, Joseph Smith purchased some papyri from a traveler in Kirtland, Ohio. Later he announced they were the actual writings of Abraham.

“… I commenced the translation of some of the characters or hieroglyphics, and much to our joy found that one of the rolls contained the writings of Abraham, another the writings of Joseph of Egypt…”
¹⁸¹

Josiah Quincy, who saw the papyri, gives this account:

“The prophet referred to his miraculous gift of understanding all languages… ‘And now come with me,’ said the prophet, ‘and I will show you the curiosities…’ Some parchments inscribed with hieroglyphics were then offered… ‘That is the handwriting of Abraham, the Father of the Faithful,’ said the prophet. ‘This is the autograph of Moses, and these lines were written by his brother Aaron. Here we have the earliest account of Creation, from which Moses composed the First Book of Genesis…’”
¹⁸²

But after many years of believing that the original papyri had been destroyed in a fire, the Deseret News announced on November 17, 1967 that they had been found and returned to the Mormon church.

After examination, it turned out that these supposed writings of Abraham were part of the Egyptian “Book of Breathings,” a funeral work addressed to the deceased by the chief priest conducting the funeral service.”
¹⁸³

James H. Breasted, Ph. D., of the Haskell Oriental Museum, University of Chicago, said:

“…these three facsimiles of Egyptian documents in the ‘Pearl of Great Price’ depict the most common objects in the mortuary religion of Egypt. Joseph Smith’s interpretations of them as part of a unique revelation through Abraham, therefore, very clearly demonstrates that he was totally unacquainted with the significance these documents and absolutely ignorant of the simplest facts of Egyptian writing and civilization.”
¹⁸⁴

In spite of the overwhelming evidence, the President of the Mormon church says their religion still accepts Book of Abraham as scripture:

“The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints accepts the ‘Book of Abraham’ as ‘scripture given to us through the prophet,’ President N. Eldon Tanner said Sunday night.”
¹⁸⁵

“The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed.” (Isaiah 9:15-16)

Secret 74

“Now, I ask who hear me, why the learned men who are preaching salvation say that God created the heavens and the earth out of nothing? The reason is, that they are unlearned in the things of God. But I am learned, and know more than all the world put together.”
¹⁸⁶

“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

Secret 75

“John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith and conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon him, and by the authority of the Priesthood he was baptized.”
¹⁸⁷

Secret 76

“A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun. … Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem. Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri…”
¹⁸⁹
3)
Smith prophesied that this temple would be built in his generation:

“Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation. For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house.”
¹⁹⁰

It has been over 150 years and there is still no temple.

“Verily, thus saith the Lord concerning the wars that will shortly come to pass, beginning at the rebellion of South Carolina... And the time will come when war will be poured out upon all nations, beginning at this place. For behold, the Southern States shall be divided against the Northern States, and the Southern States will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall also call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations.”
¹⁹¹

The first part of verse 3 could apply to the Civil War, but the remaining portion failed entirely.

“For not many days hence and the earth shall tremble and reel to and fro as a drunken man; and the sun shall hide his face, and shall refuse to give light; and the moon shall be bathed in blood; and the stars shall become exceedingly angry, and shall cast themselves down as a fig that falleth from off a fig-tree.”
¹⁹²

“I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written—the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till I am eighty–five years old.”
¹⁹³

Smith died at the age of 39. Another false prophecy.

“…and I prophesy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the United States redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the state of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by her officers that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there will not be so much as a potsherd left…”
¹⁹⁴

There is no evidence of the United States “redressing the wrongs committed upon the Saints.” Yet the government was not “utterly overthrown or wasted.”

“While discussing the petition with Congress, I prophesied by virtue of the Holy Priesthood vested in me, and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that, if Congress will not hear our petition and grant us protection, they shall be broken up as a government, and God shall damn them and there shall nothing be left of them not even a grease spot.”
¹⁹⁵

Congress did not grant the petition and the government was obviously not broken up.

“I therefore, in behalf of the Municipal Court of Nauvoo, warn the lawless, not to be precipitate in any interference in our affairs, for as sure as there is a God in heaven, WE SHALL RIDE TRIUMPHANT OVER ALL OPPRESSION. Joseph Smith, Mayor”
¹⁹⁶

Eight days after making this prophecy, Joseph Smith was shot dead. Within two years, the Mormons were driven out of Illinois. Another false prophecy.

“Nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city of New York, also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston, and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel, with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter abolishment which await them if they do reject these things. For if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate.”
¹⁹⁷

“Verily thus saith the Lord unto you my servant Thomas: thou shalt be exalted… and thou shalt bear record of my name, not only unto the Gentiles, but also unto the Jews; and thou shalt send forth my word unto the ends of the earth… I, the Lord, have a great work for thee to do, in publishing my name among the children of men… for thou art chosen, and thy path lieth among the mountains, and among many nations… the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand… I know thy heart…”
¹⁹⁸

Less than two years later, Thomas Marsh was excommunicated.

“I give unto you counsel, and a commandment, concerning all the properties which belong to the order which I commanded to be organized and established, to be a united order, and an everlasting order for the benefit of my church, and for the salvation of men until I come.”
¹⁹⁹

Jesus hasn’t returned, but the United Order disbanded decades ago.

“inquire of the Lord about it. Joseph looked into the hat in which he placed the stone, and received a revelation that some of the brethren should go to Toronto, Canada, and that they would sell the copy-right of the Book of Mormon.”

Despite Joseph Smith’s assurance of success, the plan failed. Joseph Smith said he asked the Lord about it, and the following revelation came to him through the stone:

“Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil.” So we see that the revelation to go to Toronto and sell the copyright was not of God, but was of the devil or of the heart of man.”
²⁰⁰

“…not many years shall pass away before the United States shall present such a scene of bloodshed as has not a parallel in the history of our nation; pestilence, hail, famine, and earthquake will sweep the wicked of this generation from off the face of the land…”
²⁰³

At the same time Smith declared:

“…‘the hour of His judgment is come.’ Repent ye, repent ye, and embrace the everlasting covenant and flee to Zion, before the overflowing scourge overtake you…”
²⁰⁴

It’s been over 175 years, and it never happened.

“…twenty-six years will not pass away before the Elders of this Church will be as much thought of as the kings on their thrones.”
²⁰⁵

That never did happen either. Another in a long line of false prophecies.

“When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:22)

“How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;”

(Jeremiah 23:26)