I testify the ‘church’ is true (ref. D&C 10: 67-70)

If anyone has read my blog posts and perceives I am disaffected with the LDS Church, let me repent and clarify myself.

I am a descendant of ‘Mormon’ pioneers (through my Mother). I have researched and read everything I can find out about my ancestors through some of their journal writings and contemporary history books. They’re not just ‘pioneers’, they are part of me and I am part of them. I am also a descendant of non-denominational ‘Christians’ (through my Father). While my Dad's family expressed belief in God, they didn’t appear to exclusively embrace any denomination. Even though I jumped into ‘Mormonism’ with both feet as a young man, I’ve never forgotten my dual heritage and believe it has helped to balance my perception.

So, after 35 years in the ‘Mormon’ experience, what can I honestly testify is true?

1. I testify the Book of Mormon is the Word of God and its authors (Nephi, Alma, Mormon, Moroni, etc.) are real prophets. It is indeed a second witness (with the Bible) of Jesus Christ. Regardless of how it came into existence, its content stirs my soul and has awakened my understanding of who I am and my place in this Universe.

2.The Doctrine and Covenants chronicles the Lord’s attempt to gather his children ‘as a hen gathereth her chicks’; 99.9% of its contents came through Joseph Smith, who I testify is a true prophet of God.

3.The content of The Pearl of Great Price came through a real prophet of God. Anyone that dismisses its content loses treasures of hidden knowledge.

4. The behavior of past and present ‘Mormons’ proves the truth of the teachings contained in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price. Anyone who doesn’t internalize the teachings is either not seriously studying or perceives the warnings pertain to ‘other people’ and not themself. The Adversary values either viewpoint.

Let’s not forget the Adversary claims this Earth as his ‘kingdom’ and vowed to use its wealth to influence his causes; he unleashed the fury of hell on Joseph Smith and the 'Restoration', and has not relaxed his design to destroy it by every means possible. Let’s not mistake the warning themes in the Book of Mormon (eg. ‘pride’, ‘priestcraft’, ‘idolatry’, ‘neglect of the poor’, ‘whoredoms’, ‘murder’, ‘believing all is well in Zion’, etc.), as being directed at those who will never read the Book of Mormon. Let’s not forget the book teaches ‘there are save two churches only’,

10 And he said unto me: Behold there are save two churches only; the one is the church of the Lamb of God, and the other is the church of the devil; wherefore, whoso belongeth not to the church of the Lamb of God belongeth to that great church, which is the mother of abominations; and she is the whore of all the earth. (1 Nephi 14: 10).

Let’s not include ourselves among the ‘end time’ people Moroni was shown by the Lord,

35 Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing.

36 And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts.

37 For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and afflicted.

38 O ye pollutions, ye hypocrites, ye teachers, who sell yourselves for that which will canker, why have ye polluted the holy church of God? Why are ye ashamed to take upon you the name of Christ? Why do ye not think that greater is the value of an endless happiness than that misery which never dies - because of the praise of the world?

39 Why do ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not?

40 Yea, why do ye build up your secret abominations - to get gain, and cause that widows should mourn before the Lord, and also orphans to mourn before the Lord, and also the blood of their fathers and their husbands to cry unto the Lord from the ground, for vengeance upon your heads?

41 Behold, the sword of vengeance hangeth over you; and the time soon cometh that he avengeth the blood of the saints upon you, for he will not suffer their cries any longer. (Mormon 8: 35-41)

Do these warnings have bearing on someone that does not believe the Book of Mormon is the Word of God? Yes, but more so on those of us that do believe. I repent of taking the Book of Mormon lightly (D&C 84: 54-61) for most of the last 35 years and pray all of us will recognize the awful situation we are in.

5.       And lastly, I testify the church of Lamb of God is true, and the Book of Mormon teaches how to get there.

God bless.

Why beat a dead horse (Joseph Smith and Polygamy).

If you followed the two links in my prior post, you’ve discovered Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith vigorously and openly challenged the secret activities of many LDS people, including leaders, who had adopted ‘spiritual wifery’ (Polygamy/Bigamy). Joseph Smith did not permit instigators to go unchallenged, bringing many before church councils to root out the truth. Joseph Smith himself was once accused by Oliver Cowdery of an immoral act with 16 year old Fanny Alger, which led to a council where Cowdery recanted the accusation and Joseph was acquitted.

John C. Bennett is a character you may have known little about, yet he played a principle role in everything that influenced this secret ‘illicit sex society’ in Nauvoo. After his excommunication for immorality, Bennett helped establish and operate the ‘Nauvoo Expositor’ printing press, which published the article that Joseph Smith was the influence behind the ‘spiritual wifery’ practice. After the Nauvoo City Council ordered the destruction of Bennett’s printing press, Joseph and Hyrum Smith were charged in connection with that order and ended up at the Carthage jail, where their lives ended. Bennett went on to publish a book that pinned ‘spiritual wifery’ entirely on Joseph Smith. In the book, Bennett claimed to have infiltrated Mormonism to expose it as a fraud; Bennett was the actual ‘fraud’. Since current LDS Church leaders agree that Joseph Smith secretly practiced plural marriage with up to 34 women, some as young as 14, and he was having sex with most of them (ref. BYU's FairMormon), they appear to agree that Bennett was at least partly right.

The second link in my prior post is a summary of DNA research that proved Joseph Smith did not father children with numerous purported plural wives. So if recent LDS Church leaders assert Joseph Smith did [father children with plural wives], but DNA science [so far] is proving contrary, in which should I place my confidence?

In an era [1830–1844] of no contraception, pregnancy could not be prevented if sexual intimacy was happening (except in rare cases of sterility).The DNA study proves Joseph Smith was not the biological ancestor of these descendants, therefore, he did not have sexual intercourse with those women who claimed to be his plural wife. I perceive Ugo Perego, who happens to be LDS, has no agenda to prove Joseph Smith was or wasn’t a Polygamist, he is simply a Scientist who strives for facts (a/k/a ‘truth’). Since Brigham Young University dropped the funding of the study mid-stream, Mr. Perego is continuing the study with private support.

Everyone in Mormonism knows that Emma Hale Smith and her children did not follow Brigham Young to Deseret (Utah). Near the end of Emma’s life, she gave a sworn statement that her husband did not institute or practice a concept by any name that involved having sexual intercourse with other women. Read Emma’s testimony to her children, grandchildren, and the world; pray about what she said; Emma would be a 'liar' by definition if you agree with the LDS Church on this one.

By 1852, Brigham Young went on to challenge the United States Government that Polygamy (or ‘Celestial Marriage’ in LDS terminology) was protected by the 1^st Amendment of the Constitution. By 1882, the Federal Government had enacted laws to stamp out the practice of men cohabitating with more than one woman anywhere in the United States and its Territories. Even though Brigham Young and his successors eventually lost the battle, the practice of ‘celestial (plural) marriage’ was driven underground. Today, more than 80 factions of the pre-Manifesto LDS Church still practice a form of ‘celestial (plural) marriage’. The mainstream LDS Church admits the practice within the church went on into the 1930’s. Most LDS members today believe in a doctrine that ‘celestial (plural) marriage will persist throughout eternity.

So is this an ‘old news … time to move on … nothing important about this anymore’ kind of thing? Some have said to me ‘…then don’t study about it and it won’t bother you so much’. Not so fast … it was LDS Church leaders that recently decided to release an Essay on the subject, and I appreciate they did, because the truth is always relevant.

Obtaining the truth is agonizing when it challenges everything you believe, but in the end, truth is essential to triumph. The Lord does not walk in crooked paths, He does not say one thing, but mean another. When man disobeys God, he stumbles and is left unto himself, confusion sets in and doctrines of men prevail.

In the Spring of 1820, do you remember how Joseph Smith described his experience of going to a ‘sacred grove’ to pray to God about which church he should join? As he began to pray, do you remember his description of nearly being destroyed by an evil influence? Do you think that ‘evil influence’ ever left him alone as he lived his daily life? When Cain envied God’s approval of the sacrifice made by his brother, Abel, it was that same ‘evil influence’ that encouraged Cain to murder his brother, and thereby take possession of all his brother’s achievements. That ‘evil influence’ is alive and well in our lives too; it is at the root of every occasion that a person bares false witness against another, or exploits a person’s vulnerability, or exercises control or dominion over others in the name of ‘priesthood’.

What if Joseph Smith is innocent? What if ‘spiritual wifery’ or ‘celestial plural marriage’ was not introduced and practiced by him? What if Joseph was only sealing men and women to himself as the ‘Father of the last dispensation’? Can believing that Joseph Smith engaged in plural marriage when he really didn’t constitute ‘speaking evil’ of him, as Moroni proclaimed many people will do?

Ask God as you patiently study his word and history, and truth will distill upon your soul.

The next installment on this topic will get into the scriptures (Jacob 2; D&C 132).

What does it mean ... "A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge" (Teachings of Joseph Smith)

My Mom’s oldest brother, Sherwin Cox, died in 2001. At our family reunion prior to his death, he approached me for a private conversation.

I could tell in his expression he had something serious to say to me, he said “I want you to know why I kept my family out of the [LDS] church”. I didn’t know what was coming next, and after a pause he continued … “Polygamy … it’s evil … it’s of the Devil”. I was stunned, but my brain was racing with how to reply. I stammered the words “but … but … Joseph Smith … he …”, my Uncle smiled a kind smile and walked away.

A day before his brief words with me, I watched him greet with hugs every family as they arrived at the family reunion. He was known as good, kind, generous, and busy, but now his priorities were urgent as time was slipping away too quickly.

Sometime after his death, I attended the St. George LDS Temple with my Mother, Grandmother, Uncle and Aunt, and the wife of my deceased Uncle Sherwin. The purpose was a vicarious sealing of him to his Wife, Donna. There were a lot of happy tears shed that day, and we all believed he was pleased with what took place.

As my busy life rolled on, I occasionally reflected on that brief encounter with Uncle Sherwin at the family reunion. Why was it so important to him to tell me that … to how many others did he say those words … an ember was smoldering within me to understand why he said what he said.

My Dad passed away unexpectedly several years later. It was hard to accept, people so important to my existence were now gone. When Grandma Vivian died, I really felt melancholy when visiting the Reunion property alone. I can be there with Family and enjoy myself, but alone, I feel tears coming on as I walk about and remember.  Oh how I miss them all.

So in the fall of 2011 a strong and persistent feeling came over me that I must delve into my paradigm and turn over every stone. My kids got tired of hearing about my research into why Blacks were denied the priesthood; and whether or not it was Joseph Smith that instituted Polygamy; and why the LDS Church was investing billions in City Creek, Philadelphia, and Florida.

I wondered at times, and still do, whether these promptings were connected with my belief that our deceased loved-ones are mindful of us, and they now possess an unfettered perspective on the past, present, and future. While I don't believe they are permitted to interfere with our agency, I believe our souls are communicative, after all, I have their DNA within me, our connection is eternal. I’ve had dreams, a few I consider visions, that left me with impressions of things that are changing, that time is winding down, maybe it’s just my own conscience reminding that I’ve lived two-thirds of my potential mortality. Whatever it is, I’ve been driven to study out practically everything I’ve ever embraced, to know for certain it is based on truth and not tradition. 

Early last year one of my grown children helped me set up this blog. She said it will help me share my findings with the family and anyone else I might want to share with. I have only posted a half-dozen times so far, and only two people have ever left comments, but this is a forum for me to process what I learn. I don’t claim to be right, I always reference sources to support what I share, and I welcome feedback. This is about seeking truth and having the courage to change when I'm on the wrong side of it. Tradition is damning, I can't imagine the horror finding out after death that I left my posterity behind in darkness.

I’m experiencing many emotions as I challenge my paradigm; sometimes excitement, sometimes sorrow. I’m not afraid of seeking truth because its source is the Creator of my soul. Although I cannot see Him, I feel His presence, and His words (scripture) give hope that He is at the end of my journey.

BTW, I now realize my Uncle Sherwin wasn't asking for my opinion about Polygamy, but rather, planting a seed of desire to know the truth. How thankful I am he loved me that much. 

In the same spirit of my Uncle Sherwin, I now share with you what I've learned about Joseph Smith and Polygamy. If it matters to you to 'get knowledge', I recommend you start here. Another source is a DNA science study originally commissioned by Brigham Young University to confirm whether or not Joseph Smith is the ancestor of families who claim to descend from purported plural wives. If 'getting knowledge' is your thing, as it is mine, there is much to share. Because truth is so easily counterfeited and the scriptures warn of 'false' and 'lying' teachers, I want to emphasize that before I share what I study, I ponder and pray over it unceasingly. The subject of Polygamy has taken years of study and prayer to reach this point, and I must share.

Stand by for Part Two of this subject.