MeetTheExMormons.org
Calvary Salt Lake Associate Pastor Mike Lorange came to share his story last month with his wife and young son. You may watch his testimony and see the pictures at the link above.
 Christmas at Temple Square
I was able to spend some nights outside at my usual annual spot across from Temple Square in front of the Deseret bookstore. People love coming to see all the wonderful Christmas lights at Temple Square. I always enjoy wishing others Merry Christmas with my JosephLied.com lighted sign. Most people appreciated the greeting. However, there are always exceptions. The most hostile reaction was from a Catholic young adult. He said I was being “disrespectful.” Of course I disagreed with him and told him how it was important for Jesus to speak out against false religion. There was also another guy who thought I should have a “positive message.” I responded that it is very positive to warn others who are following a false prophet to hell. I also told him as he was walking away that his message to me seemed rather negative.
I ran into a good LDS friend of mine while I was out there. She is a political activist who has helped me quite a bit on the transgender issue at my girl’s school. She encouraged me to be a caucus delegate for Utah!
I noticed that more people than ever asked me, “What Joseph are you talking about?,” and many seemed quite sincere. I simply responded, “The Joseph associated with all this” pointing to Temple Square. Not long after this, an article came out claiming that Utah is no longer a majority LDS! So I’m thinking that this may explain why I got so many perplexed reactions this year.
Update on dissertation
I completed my initial draft on the third chapter of my dissertation. The chapter is on LDS racism in their scripture. I have four more chapters to go. The next is on LDS General Authorities’ racist statements, and that is due at the end of March. Please continue to pray for this project. I hope to have everything completed by the end of this year.
We need your partnership
If you’re looking for ways to store up for yourself treasures in heaven (Matt. 6:19-20), may I suggest investing in our ministry? We not only need your prayers, but we need your financial partnership as well. Keep in mind that your investment is not simply for us, but for the lives of others we reach with the gospel. The standard way to financially invest is by writing a tax-deductible check to Courageous Christians United (CCU). For more information on various ways to invest in this ministry, including online giving, please see our “Invest” page on our sites. If you’re not a partner and are blessed by these monthly updates, please join our team and let us know soon. We’d love to be your missionaries here in Utah. Many thanks to those of you who hold us up in prayer and/or in your financial giving!
Be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6)!
Rob Sivulka
President, Courageous Christians United
P.O. Box 1374
West Jordan, UT 84088
(801) 792-6373
MormonInfo.org
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JWinfo.org
MuhammadLied.Info
AbortionIsMurder.Info
Mailbag
No he did not lie. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints lied to maintain their power and false authority.
[I replied:] they both lie. The record is clear Smith lied about polygamy, the Book of Abraham, the Kinderhook Plates, the JST, polytheism, etc., etc.
[She replied:] All of the above you mention are part of the lies and deception of the Church.
[I replied:] and were made by Smith.
[She replied:] No.
[I replied:] On May 8, 1838, Joseph Smith stated, "'Do the Mormons believe in having more wives than one?'
'No, not at the same time. But they believe that if their companion dies, they have a right to marry again. But we do disapprove of the custom, which has gained in the world, and has been practiced among us, to our great mortification, in marrying in five or six weeks, or even in two or three months, after the death of their companion. We believe that due respect ought to be had to the memory of the dead, and the feelings of both friends and children'" (History of the Church 3:28). At this point, Smith had at least one plural wife: Fanny Alger. He may have had two plural wives depending on when he married Lucinda Morgan Harris that year according to LDS scholar Todd Compton (In Sacred Loneliness, 49).
Then on May 26, 1844, Smith (right after he made his famous boast that only he--not even Jesus--was able to keep the whole church together [History of the Church 6:408]) said he only had one wife (411). At this time, he actually was married to around 30 to 40 wives (cf. footnote 24 and footnote 29 of the LDS Church's Gospel Topics Essay "Plural Marriage in Kirtland and Nauvoo" admits he had polyandrous marriages with 12 to 14 women). About a year before this statement that he only had one wife, his own infamous scripture D&C 132:52-5 put the guilt trip on his first wife Emma to receive these other wives given to Joseph.
[She replied:] Not made by Smith. Made by his detractors among them Brigham and the women who lied under direction of Brigham at risk of rejection or death.
[I replied:] conspiracy theory. Smith wrote these notes in the History of the Church. You have zero evidence he didn't make these statements.
Further, who translated the JST? Smith of course. He lied about putting a prophecy of himself in Genesis 50. He lied in 2 Sam. 12:13 in saying God did not put David's sin away from him. He also lied in Rom. 4:5 in saying God justifies not the ungodly. How do I know? Because every version of the Bible says otherwise, every ancient manuscript of the Bible says otherwise, every lectionary and Church Father quoting the Bible says otherwise. Smith lied and was proven to be a liar just as Prov. 30:6 says. If you cannot see this, then it's willful blindness on your part.
[She replied:] Let me cover Romans 4:5 to start with and see what you think. ....his faith is counted for righteousness.It is not the one who has faith in his faith, but the one who has faith in the goodness,provision and loving kindness of the Lord who is righteous. Such is one to whom the Father says, "Because you are not trying to earn My favor or earn My blessing, because you're just believing in who I am as a Justifier of the ungodly. I pronounce you righteous.
The REAL conspiracy theory is that Joseph Smith SECRETLY taught and practiced Polygamy and that Joseph, Emma, and Hyrum Smith were lying when they each vehemently and consistently condemned Polygamy and denied any personal involvement in it on their parts.
You are being fooled by the LDS Church's own doctoring of Church records including the History of the Church.
And yes there is a large and growing mountain of evidence that Smith did make the statements you and others (and the LDS Church!) alleged he did.
Remember: Motive. The LDS Church has MOTIVE for claiming that Joseph Smith taught and practiced Polygamy and for teaching that he was lying when he denied having done so: If Polygamy did not come from Joseph Smith, then that means it really came from Brigham Young, which would make Brigham Young an utter fraud since he is falsely claiming that Polygamy came from Joseph Smith, which would -- and here's the punchline -- would make the LDS Church utterly illegitimate and devoid of authority since it claims its legitimacy and authority THROUGH the fraud and usurper Brigham Young.
[I replied:] and you still haven't proven otherwise. You're just gainsaying. Further, you're understanding of Rom. 4:5 is correct, but it's not what Smith translated. He is proven to be a liar over and over again in the JST just as Prov. 30:6 said would happen. Smith also made up the Book of Abraham and the Kinderhook Plates going against what every Egyptologist knows. JosephLied.com
[She replied:] It is obvious you hate Joseph Smith. Why keep attacking him?Why don't you talk about what is really important to you a in life. There is so much more to life than trying to convince other people to your way of thinking. I see it as a waist of time.You have a family.I am sure there is much more of concern about your family and helping them be healthy and happy than arguing About... Joseph Smith.
[I replied:] if Jesus and his apostles thought it was important enough to warn of false prophets who teach a false god, false Jesus, false Spirit, false gospels, and give false scriptures (e.g., Matt. 24:24 and Acts 20:28-31), then I'll do the same.
[She replied:] you are dealing with a very complicated issue that of Joseph Smith whose name was predicted to be had for good and evil. Brigham Young and other so called jerks such as John Taylor and Willard Richards up to and encluding Russell Nelson,ceo of the Church and richest man in the world are the liers and deceivers.Some day we will know the truth but there is much more in life that deserves our time and attention.
[I replied:] if you can call those others jerks, then I can certainly of Smith. Of course there's much more to life, but Paul told Timothy to not only watch his life carefully, but also his doctrine so he could save himself and his hearers (1 Tim. 4:16). You may be clouded as to it being complicated regarding Smith, but I'm not.
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Hi from Cordoba Argentina! I met some LDS missionaries on the street a couple weeks ago, one happened to be from Dallas where I am from. They came once to my house and we visited for a while, now they are coming back today. Thanks for your site and resources!
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Awesome, brother. Thanks for being there to get the word out!
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Wow! This is great! This will certainly make people curious and get them talking!!
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…I thought you were talking about Joseph in the gospels, as in Mary and Joseph.
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