The Mormon Delusion: Volume 3. Discarded Doctrines and Nonsense Revelations

By Jim Whitefield

This is the third in a series of books exposing the truth behind Mormonism. In this volume, we review doctrines that have been discarded. To early Mormons, Adam was God and blood atonement was a stark reality. These were accepted doctrines which survived for several decades throughout the leadership of several successive prophets. Today, the Church denies they even existed. The origin of the Mormon temple ceremony is established and explained. An analysis of changes over the years shows that the rites now enacted bear no resemblance to the original ceremonies Joseph Smith lifted from late eighteenth century Masonic ritual, claiming they were restored from the time of Solomon. The psychology of a Mormon testimony is explored and explained. Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants are exposed as completely unfulfilled nonsense that Mormons simply cannot see through as long as blind faith precludes rational thinking.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Mar 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9781447551379

Book preview

THE

MORMON

DELUSION

Volume 3

Discarded Doctrines and

Nonsense Revelations

Jim Whitefield

The Mormon Delusion. Volume 3.

Discarded Doctrines and

Nonsense Revelations

Paperback Edition

First published in July 2009 by

Lulu Press Inc. Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.

Second Edition – September 2010

Copyright © Jim Whitefield 2009, 2010, 2011

ISBN 10: 1409292487

ISBN 13: 978-1-4092-9248-7

eISBN: 978-1-44755-137-9

British Library Catalogue System Number: 015497834

Lulu ID: 7260229

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may

be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or

transmitted in any form or by any means,

electronic, mechanical photocopying, recording,

or otherwise, without the prior permission

of the author.

One download version may be stored on computer

for the sole use of the purchaser.

All other restrictions apply.

themormondelusion.com

Email the author: [e-mail]

Dedication

This work is dedicated to those who once knew the joy of believing

beyond any doubt that they had found

within Mormonism, the one true religion

only to discover at some later stage they had been deceived.

To those who had to reluctantly face and deal with

the unwanted and at first unbelievable

but ultimately undeniable truth.

Many who discover the truth, consciously decide to ignore it,

reverting to their delusion for the supposed sake of family and friends;

crawling back into and hiding in the ‘Matrix of Mormonism’, ignoring reality.

To those brave people who acted on the truth;

experiencing the unimaginable suffering, trauma

and consequences which affect relationships within family

and circle of friends; standing up and being counted

for the sake of integrity –

I dedicate this work and wish them a speedy, effective and complete –

recovery from Mormonism.

Also by this author

The Mormon Delusion. Volume 1.

The Truth Behind Polygamy

And Secret Polyandry

First Edition - Feb 2009

Second Edition - Aug 2009

Third Edition - Sept 2010

The Mormon Delusion. Volume 2.

The Secret Truth Withheld

From 13 Million Mormons

First Edition - May 2009

Second Edition - Sept 2010

The Mormon Delusion. Volume 4.

The Mormon Missionary Lessons

- A Conspiracy to Deceive

First Edition - January 2011

Available in hardcover, paperback, as downloads and PDF e-Books.

Visit themormondelusion.com and link to TMD Lulu Bookstore.

I spent 43 years believing in a false religion.

Now I want my 43 years as an atheist.

God owes me that.

Jim Whitefield

Acknowledgements

I am indebted to my wife who has put up with the many hours I have spent, almost every day, on this work since we retired in March 2006. Our intended relaxing retirement years were abruptly brought to a halt, the day after we retired, moved to a smaller home, and I rediscovered an old booklet which led to research which three years later is now complete. I deeply appreciate her understanding, support and unfailing patience as I have endeavoured to come to terms with awful discoveries I made. Writing about them has been my therapy.

I am grateful for the encouragement and help of several posters on the Recovery from Mormonism (RfM) bulletin board at www.exmormon.org who reviewed odd chapters for me when they could. They post under pseudonyms and will know who they are.

Despite my enthusiasm to write and expose all that I discovered concerning the truth, naturally I had self-doubts and times of despair when I just wanted all the pain to go away. In those times, when I wanted to walk away from the project, I am grateful that authors such as Fawn M. Brodie and Jerald and Sandra Tanner came to my rescue by way of their books, which gave me the courage to continue. Likewise, Richard Dawkins, whose work ‘says it as it is’ helped me to be forthright in my approach and not soft-soap the truth.

I am very grateful to Arza Evans, author of The Keystone of Mormonism, for reading my initial manuscripts, for endorsing them and encouraging me to continue with my writing, when I really just wanted to curl up and die, so to speak. His book also helped me understand why the Book of Mormon is pure fiction and led me to research further into the reality concerning that.

Likewise, I am grateful to an old friend, Simon Southerton, author of the definitive work: Losing a Lost Tribe: Native Americans, DNA and the Mormon Church, for enthusiastically reading and endorsing the final drafts for me. His own first book conclusively exposes the Mormon lie that Native Americans are of Israelite descent. Mormon apologists now postulate alternative ‘theories’.

The research required in undertaking this work required many thousands of hours over several years and has involved the study of many books, journals, newspapers, documents, transcripts, historical and genealogical records. I am grateful to the many people who have also made so much information available on the internet, which otherwise would have been impossible to research.

Thousands of different references and sources were checked and used in the compilation of the evidence included in my books. Invariably, although I have meticulously checked and rechecked my work, there must be a few errors (it would be impossible for there not to be) for which I accept full responsibility. Hopefully, these will be minor and not significantly alter the claimed findings. I have certainly found a number of errors in almost every work I have read during my research and do not think myself better at avoiding them than other, more experienced authors and historians. Unlike me, they list many people who they wish to thank for researching, reviewing, editing and helping correct their work. Unfortunately, I had no one to turn to for such help and have to accept sole responsibility for my efforts, from beginning to end.

However, following publication of Volume 1, someone who has become a dear friend, Jean Bodie, offered to proof read my subsequent books prior to publication. Jean started by reviewing Volume 2 and now, once again I would like to profusely thank Jean for her meticulous proof reading, corrections and editing suggestions for Volume 3. Jean’s tireless efforts have helped to make my work far better than would otherwise have been the case. It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Jean. From different countries and time zones, we have worked together on presenting an accurate account of the truth in a more easily readable and interesting format than I could ever have achieved alone. Jean has helped to hone my efforts into what I hope the reader will find a flowing work which is easy to read and understand. The truth is the truth but even so, it is much more easily understood and appreciated when it is written and presented well. Largely because of Jean, several aspects in my work are now presented more accurately and more succinctly, not to mention being much more easily understandable than would otherwise have been the case. I finally got to meet Jean personally during a trip she and her husband made from Canada to England in June of 2009. It was a pleasure to be able to get to know Jean better and to personally thank her for her diligence and hard work.

I would have liked to have been able to thank two members (of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles and the First Quorum of Seventy) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, with whom I have been friends for several decades. They initially corresponded with me and one had telephone conversations with me. They promised the Church would answer the questions I raised regarding polyandry and other irreconcilable matters. Unfortunately, well over a year after Church leaders later asked for more time to research my findings before formally responding, follow up letters requesting the promised response have been completely ignored.

I can only assume that the Church has no answers…

September 2010 Second Edition Note

A few updates have been made to this work during a recent review. I am also very grateful to my friend John Bleazard who has kindly helped with some further notes of a few remaining typos and grammatical errors which have also been attended to. Hopefully, this book is finally a reasonably ‘clean’ read. The main thing is that it remains historically accurate and the claims substantiated.

Guidance Notes

28 January 2008. Much of this work was completed during the time that Gordon B. Hinckley was President of the Mormon (LDS) Church. He is referred to throughout the book as the current prophet. Hinckley became 15th President on 12 March 1995 and died last night, Sunday 27 January 2008, aged ninety-seven. Under the tradition of ‘The Law of Apostolic succession’, Thomas S. Monson will almost certainly be sustained as the 16th President of the Church at the April 2008 General Conference. This tradition (although not set in stone), is now the accepted method of succession and is covered more fully in Chapter 14 of Volume 1 of this work. (After note: Monson was indeed sustained as President of the Mormon Church at the Annual General Conference).

***********

This work is an exposé regarding the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Today, the Church prefers the nickname ‘LDS’ (Latter Day Saints) rather than ‘Mormon’ which was previously the case, both inside and outside the religion. As the term ‘Mormon’ is actually still more widely recognised, particularly in the United Kingdom, that is the term I have used throughout this work. On occasion, where necessary, I have used ‘LDS’ to differentiate between the mainstream Mormon Church and the RLDS (Reorganised Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), now called ‘Community of Christ’.

Where quotes are included, original spellings and grammar have been retained. Unless otherwise stated, any emphasis was in original quotes.

The word ‘Church’ (with a capital ‘C’) is used throughout this book. Where it occurs without further explanation, it always refers to the Mormon Church. The expression ‘the Church’ specifically refers to the controlling leaders of the organisation or to the organisation itself. The context in each case should be self-evident. In other contexts, ‘church’ in the lower case is used as normal.

For the convenience of readers who are unfamiliar and may otherwise have difficulty in recalling them, some dates, Mormon scriptures, statements and teachings are repeated several times throughout the book in connection with different subjects, perspectives or people. I trust that anyone fully familiar with these will forgive any seemingly undue repetition.

Web addresses are notorious for changing or disappearing altogether. Nevertheless, I have included a number, as so much information is now available on the internet, allowing readers access to further research with relative ease. If sources cannot be located, just use a search engine, referencing the topic or related words, to locate the required information.

Many (and some rare) historical books are now available to read or research online. Some such works that I recommend are listed in the bibliography. In addition to those listed, Google Book Search is building an online collection very quickly. Before purchasing a book, it is always worth first checking to see if it is available to read or download free online.

In some instances, information is relegated to footnotes, allowing for ease of reading the basic material. Where the same footnote material is used in different chapters, on occasion, the detail may be repeated for the convenience of the reader. Some appendices may also be referenced from footnotes. Whilst I have used the Harvard (author-date) System for referencing from the text, where detail is provided in a footnote, my preference has been to then also include the bibliography reference there.

Where detailed citing of other works (which may not appear in the bibliography) occurs from referenced books, these details are given in the text, as c: (for citing), or, if lengthy, in the footnotes. The same applies to some references to newspapers, periodicals, details of Dialogue, A Journal of Mormon Thought, articles and internet sites. If they are too large to reasonably include in the body of the text, details will be found in footnotes.

Abbreviations & Glossary of Terms

Some abbreviations are used in the text. Not all the following terms appear in this work. Some are included as a guide to a few words and phrases used within Mormonism, as an aid to understanding the religion and to help the reader’s perspective. There are many more terms in use which are not referenced here.

AARONIC PRIESTHOOD — Consists of Deacons, Teachers and Priests. The office of Bishop is also technically an Aaronic Priesthood office, although only High Priests hold this office. Whilst in the early church only adult men held these offices, it has gradually changed and today Deacons are called at age twelve, Teachers at fourteen and Priests at sixteen. Although they have various responsibilities, the best known are that Deacons pass the sacrament to members, Teachers prepare it, and Priests bless it. Boys over fourteen are often junior companions to Home Teachers, visiting members each month in their homes.

AF — Ancestral File. See FS.

AoF — Articles of Faith. Thirteen statements of some basic beliefs held by the Mormon (LDS) Church. Apx — Appendix. Sometimes used in abbreviated referencing for works cited within the text.

APOSTLE — Member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. Seated at number twelve when called (for life), they move up in position when someone dies. Traditionally, the longest serving apostle becomes the next prophet. This is termed ‘The Law of Apostolic Succession’. Although theologically it is not established as automatic, most members accept that it is, as the tradition has always eventually been followed. Today, it is unlikely that a young person would be called as an apostle. Brigham Young ordained young teenage sons as apostles, even though they were never called to the Quorum of Twelve.

BCE — Before Common Era. Non-religious alternative to the use of B.C. (Before Christ).

BISHOP — Head of a Ward, which is the equivalent of a Parish.

BISHOPRIC — Consists of a Bishop and two counsellors who administer a Ward.

BOA — Book of Abraham. Supposedly written by Abraham and translated by Joseph Smith.

BOC — Book of Commandments - 1833. Original title of what became the Doctrine and Covenants (1835).

BOM — Book of Mormon. Supposed history of Native Americans, accepted by Mormons as scripture translated from gold plates by Joseph Smith.

BRANCH — Equivalent to a Parish in a smaller, not fully developed Mormon demographic area.

BRANCH PRESIDENCY — Consists of a President and two counsellors who administer a Branch.

BRANCH PRESIDENT — Head of a Branch of the Mormon Church.

BY — Brigham Young.

BYU — Brigham Young University.

c: — citing, or: c. in: — cited in. Referencing from works cited in the text.

CE — Common Era. Non-religious alternative to A.D. (Anno Domini - The Year of Our Lord).

CELESTIAL KINGDOM — Highest of three degrees of glory available to Mormons. It contains three further degrees of glory, the highest of which is ‘exaltation’ where people become Gods and create worlds.

CES — Church Educational System. Includes Seminary and Institute Courses.

DIALOGUE — Dialogue, A Journal of Mormon Thought. An ongoing series of articles concerning the Church, available: www.dialoguejournal.com

D&C — Doctrine and Covenants. One of the Mormon ‘standard works’ of scripture, containing revelations of Joseph Smith. First published 1835.

DISTRICT — Equivalent to a Diocese in smaller, not fully developed Mormon (LDS) demographic area.

ELDER — An office in the Melchizedek Priesthood, also the official title of a missionary.

E.M. — Encyclopaedia of Mormonism.

ENDOWMENT — Mormon temple ceremony during which members make covenants with God and learn rituals which they believe will enable them to enter the Mormon ‘Celestial Kingdom’.

FAIR — Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research. (Mormon Apologetics). Available at: www.fairlds.org/

FARMS — Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies. (Mormon Apologetics). Available at: http://farms.byu.edu/ (Now renamed: The Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship). FS — Family Search. Online genealogical research facility provided by the Mormon Church. This incorporates Ancestral File (AF), Census records, International Genealogical Index (IGI), Pedigree files and the U.S. Social Security Death Index. See: www.familysearch.org

GA — General Authority (First Presidency, Quorum of Twelve Apostles and the Quorums of Seventy).

HC — History of the Church. Seven volume official (but falsified) History of the Church.

HELL — See Spirit World and also Sons of Perdition.

HOME TEACHING — A system of visiting members in their homes once a month on behalf of the Bishop, checking welfare, giving a spiritual message and praying with them.

IGI — International Genealogical Index. See FS.

IMPROVEMENT ERA — Church magazine, published from 1897-1970.

INSTITUTE — Institute of Religion. A four year, weekly course of religious study for nineteen to twenty-nine-year-old young single adults.

IR — Inspired Revision. Also known as JST. (Joseph Smith’s Translation). Smith’s Inspired Revision of the King James Version of the Bible.

ISL — In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith by Todd Compton.

JD — Journal of Discourses. 26 volume set containing sermons of early Mormon Church leaders.

JST — See IR.

KJV — King James Version of the Bible.

LDS or LDS CHURCH — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. LDS stands for ‘Latter-Day Saints’, a nickname the Church now prefers, rather than ‘Mormon’ which was used by members and nonmembers alike until recent years. This work uses ‘Mormon’ rather than ‘LDS’ as it is the name generally known by non-members in the U.K.

MELCHIZEDEK PRIESTHOOD — Name used by the Church because the true name ‘The Holy Priesthood after the order of the Son of God’ is too holy to use. Consists of Elders, Seventies, High Priests, Patriarchs, Apostles and Prophets. Anyone over 18 can technically be called to any office. Once ordained, no matter what else someone is called to, the Priesthood office remains with them forever. Previously there were Seventies Quorums in every Ward. These days there are a just a handful of such quorums which consist of full time representatives of the Church, assigned from Salt Lake City.

MILLENNIAL STAR — Church magazine, published in England, 1840-1970.

MORMON — Name of a character from the Book of Mormon. Also used to identify a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints – more commonly called ‘The LDS Church’ in the United States today.

MORMONISM — Nickname for the theology of the Mormon (LDS) sect.

MORMONITES — Early 1800s nickname to identify members of the Mormon sect.

MORMONS — Nickname for the collective, a group or the entire membership.

n. — note. Referencing notes from works cited in the text.

OCCAM’S RAZOR — This medieval philosophy can best be restated in modern terms as: All other things being equal, the simplest and most obvious solution is usually the best.

PARADISE — See Spirit World.

PoGP — Pearl of Great Price. A Mormon book of canonised scripture, including the supposed Book of Abraham which Smith claimed to translate from papyrus, which has now been fully exposed as a fraud. However, despite the RLDS Church disclaiming it, the LDS Church ignores the evidence and says nothing. It also includes Smith’s version of Matthew, an expanded version of Genesis (Moses), and some of Smith’s own history as well as the Articles of Faith.

PRIESTHOOD — See Aaronic Priesthood and Melchizedek Priesthood.

PRIMARY — A Sunday programme for children from nursery age up to age eleven. In years gone by, this was a midweek programme.

PROPHET — The President of the Mormon Church. However, the three men in the Presidency as well as the quorum of twelve are all sustained as ‘prophets, seers and revelators’.

PROXY — Someone being sealed for eternity to a deceased person has a living person stand as proxy for the deceased. In the early Church, a woman was automatically also sealed for time only, to the proxy husband, usually as a plural wife. Any future children they had would belong to the deceased husband in the eternities. The practice is still used today but a proxy is just a stand in for the ceremony and could be anyone who is available ‘for and in behalf of’ the dead, with no marriage for time being entered into by the proxy spouse.

RLDS or RLDS Church — The Reorganised Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, now known as the ‘Community of Christ’. One of several schisms formed following the death of Joseph Smith when Brigham Young and the twelve apostles took over the main body of the Church.

RS — RELIEF SOCIETY. Women’s organisation first headed by Smith’s wife Emma. Women do not have the Priesthood or any authority within the Church, nor do they hold positions which have any. The Relief Society is directed and supervised by the Priesthood.

SA — Single Adult programme for singles over the age of twenty-nine.

SACRAMENT — Bread, anything will do, but white bread is preferred by some Bishops, and ordinary water, taken from small individual paper or plastic cups are used to represent the body and blood of Christ.

SACRAMENT MEETING — The main Sunday worship service, where the prime purpose is partaking of the sacrament.

SAINT or SAINTS — A member, or group of members of the Mormon Church. A generic term not meant to imply any saintly attributes, simply an acknowledgement and designation of church membership.

SEMINARY — A four year weekday course of religious study for fourteen to eighteen year olds.

SHIELDS — Scholarly & Historical Information Exchange for Latter-Day Saints. See: www.shields-research.org

[sic] — Latin, ‘thus’ signifying a spelling mistake, grammatical error, or use of a wrong word.

SLC — Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

SPIRIT WORLD — A place where spirits go, between death and the resurrection. It consists of two separate places (or conditions, or states of mind) which are commonly believed to be Paradise and the Spirit Prison. Theologically, in days gone by (including when I was young) the Spirit World was the Spirit Prison, as no one can leave there in the way we leave earth through death. The two aspects which described the condition of people there were then known as Paradise and Hell. This concept appears to have been toned down somewhat in latter years.

SONS OF PERDITION — Those very few who will go to Outer Darkness with Satan. These are people who have known the truth and had a sure witness of it and then deliberately turned their backs on the Saviour and followed Satan.

STAKE — Equivalent to a Diocese, fully organised with a large multi-purpose meeting house.

STAKE HIGH COUNCIL — Twelve men who assist in administering a Stake under the direction of the Stake Presidency. When a new High Counsellor is called, he sits in the number twelve position at High Council meetings. As someone is released and called to a different Church role, he moves up one place until eventually (unless released earlier) he will sit at number one. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Senior High Counsellor’ or ‘Number 1’, this is more of a colloquialism than an official position.

STAKE PRESIDENCY — Consists of a President and two counsellors who administer a Stake.

STAKE PRESIDENT — Head of a Stake which consists of several Wards.

STAND — Pulpit.

TBM — True Blue Mormon (A devout, faithful, unquestioning disciple of the Church).

TELESTIAL KINGDOM — Lowest of three degrees of glory. A place described as better than Earth. It is where evil people, whom other faiths and religions may consider deserving of Hell (murderers, adulterers and liars etc) will end up in the hereafter.

TERRESTRIAL KINGDOM — Second of three degrees of glory. A place in the hereafter for good people who did not accept the Mormon Church.

THE BRETHREN — Terminology (colloquialism) used to represent the top fifteen leaders of the Church (known as the ‘Big 15’ in the ex-Mormon community) comprising the First Presidency and Quorum of Twelve Apostles, all of whom are set apart as prophets, seers and revelators.

TMD — The Mormon Delusion.

UTLM — Utah Lighthouse Ministry. Anti-Mormon Christian ministry which was founded in 1959 by Jerald and Sandra Tanner.

v. — reference to a verse or verses of scripture.

V. — reference to a Volume, followed by the volume number.

WARD — Unit of the Church equivalent to a Parish, fully organised, usually with a multi purpose Chapel. In areas of dense Mormon population, two or more Wards may utilise one building.

WoW — Word of Wisdom. Mormon ‘health code’. Members are required to live this principle among others in order to hold positions in the Church or attend the Mormon temple.

YLT — Young’s Literal Translation of the Bible.

YM — Young Men Organisation for boys aged twelve to eighteen.

YSA — Young Single Adult Programme for eighteen to twenty-nine year old singles.

YW — Young Women Organisation for girls aged twelve to eighteen.

ZION’S CAMP — A band of some 200 men plus some women and children made an ill-fated two month trek which resulted in many of the participants getting cholera. The attempt at a negotiated return failed and Smith disbanded the group rather than try to use force. Smith claimed he had a revelation to raise a militia in Kirtland (Ohio) which would march to Jackson (Missouri) and redeem Zion from where they had been chased by the old settlers.

Preface

We are instructed to be like children,

who are willing to be taught and then to act

without first demanding full knowledge. –

Elder Robert Oaks. (Pres of seventy) Ensign. July 2005.

I joined the Mormon Church as a convert in 1960 at age fourteen and resigned from the Church in 2003, after forty-three years of membership, for no other theological reason than I could no longer hold to a belief in God. See more details in ‘Afterthoughts’ at the end of Volume 1 of this work or on my web site: www.themormondelusion.com. For the next three years I tried to get on with my life and thought no more about the Mormon Church.

When I accidentally stumbled across polyandry, in March 2006, I made some notes regarding the evidence to discuss with Church leaders. While I was awaiting a response, I discovered more and more things that I was never taught as a member. I submitted evidence of fraud, lies and Church cover up of the truth and asked for and was promised explanations.

All of my life I had lived by faith, adhering to the very concept admonished by Robert Oaks above. Childlike faith was expected and observed. Sometimes that was difficult but trusting leaders as men of God, compliance was assured.

Once I started to read books that I had previously avoided as they had been ‘forbidden’, I discovered that far from ‘anti-Mormon’ literature containing lies perpetuated by the enemies of Mormonism, most work I read actually exposed lies from within the Church itself. It was the Church which had changed history and covered up the truth behind Joseph Smith’s hoax.

This was quite a shock and my notes to ‘the brethren’ quickly expanded from polyandry, to include aspects such as the First Vision and the Book of Abraham. Ultimately, I was referred to apologists for most aspects, which I had previously indicated would not be at all satisfactory as they do not represent God. After a year of waiting for answers, Church leaders asked for more time to research the polyandry issues. By then, I had discovered so much evidence which proved the Church had consistently covered up the truth about almost everything, that I indicated to the leaders that I was beginning to feel an obligation to publish my findings.

From that moment, my correspondence was completely ignored and no answers were ever forthcoming. I offered to send in manuscripts for evaluation and comment by leaders (not apologists), but again no response was received. I do know my letters were received, as I also asked for copyright permission to use some Church owned pictures and I received a letter from the Intellectual Property Office refusing permission. Men, who had said they were my friends and whom I had known for decades, completely forsook that friendship. Not even the traditional Christmas card arrived last year. I must suppose that there is a policy to shun those who are considered apostate and who speak out against the Church; people who are no doubt seen as under the influence of the adversary and therefore to be avoided at all costs. Rather than display integrity as apostles of the Lord, and stand up and actually face and answer troublesome questions, they choose instead to completely ignore them and the people who raise them. Ignoring problems and referring people to apologists is cowardly.

I had originally just intended to expose the truth regarding polygamy, and more particularly, the little known polyandry that was practiced in the early Church. On discovering there were so many huge problems with every other aspect I encountered, I found myself writing chapter after chapter about many other issues along the way. Before I knew where I was, there was far too much material for one volume and I decided two books would be needed to cover all the lies I had discovered.

As I went along, there were some aspects which I did not intend to research or write about, as I was quite sure there was no ‘funny business’ going on with them. This included aspects such as the ‘Adam-God’ doctrine, which I was taught was only a theory and never a serious issue; ‘Masonic ritual’ in Mormon temples, which I was taught originated from Solomon’s time and thus any similarity was coincidental; and also ‘Blood Atonement’, which I knew was a misunderstanding and only referred to the atonement of Christ. I was wrong, very, very wrong… and a third volume became essential.

As an example of what rank and file Mormons believe is the case, the idea that Adam was God would immediately elicit a laugh from most, who would invariably say that it was never a doctrine, but simply a theory, or even a myth, just as I was taught. The truth about this concept is beyond belief and it ultimately required a complete section of its own in order to satisfactorily cover the evidence surrounding what was actually a long term doctrine.

Again, it was quite by accident that I discovered something about Adam-God which led me to no longer trust my memory and to research the facts. Such is the depth of modern Mormon deception regarding such aspects as these, that to adequately explain things, the details have become lengthy sections rather than mere chapters and have necessitated this third volume to accommodate them. I decided to include an analysis of the psychology of a ‘testimony’, out of interest, as Mormonism is after all such a delusion.

I always had problems understanding and accepting much of the Doctrine and Covenants, so I have included a random selection of Sections, just to show the absurdities we are willing to accept without question, when we are held in a state of delusion. A whole book could be compiled to include the rest of the nonsense contained in the D&C which members do not readily ‘see’.

This volume commences with a section containing several dozen very short summaries which explain the truth about many aspects of the Church, some of which are more fully expanded upon in earlier volumes. This ‘introduction’ to the truth about Mormonism should serve as a reasonable grounding for anyone who has not read the first two volumes and may be a newcomer to the lies presented as truth by the Mormon Church. I hope it will be helpful as a basis of understanding.

Further volumes could be written, not only about the D&C, but also other Smith fiction, such as the Book of Moses. At this stage, I am not sure I would want to do that, as writing has been my therapy to help overcome the trauma of my discoveries and after this, I really would like to get away from Mormonism completely and get on with what is left of my life as best I can. We shall see.

Volume 1 of this work dealt with the truth behind polygamy and the little known polyandry. Volume 2 dealt with the basic aspects of Mormonism that the Church lies about even today. This volume mainly concentrates on topics that the Church denies completely – ‘Adam-God’ as a doctrine, ‘Masonic Ritual’ stolen and used in Mormon temples, and human ‘Blood Atonement’ being a nineteenth century Mormon reality. This book will prove that Adam being God was an enforced doctrine which survived for decades, through several prophets. It will prove that Mormon temple rituals were exactly copied from Masonic ritual which had been updated in the late eighteenth century. And, it will prove human blood atonement, both accepted and also enforced – that is, Mormon murders, were a nineteenth century doctrine and a reality in practice.

I stated in the Preface to Volumes 1 and 2 that these works are not intended to be read by faithful Mormons who would rather not know the truth and who wish to remain in a delusional state. Therefore, if the reader is in that category, I suggest not proceeding further. Should such a person decide to continue, please remember that you proceed on your own volition. Please do not blame me for the consequences of your journey or the possible resulting destruction of a presently perceived testimony. Please understand, if you decide to proceed, that you do so entirely at your own risk.

I am not about trying to convince the faithful that their Church is not true; I am a facilitator of facts and the truth, supported by concrete evidence, for those who are seeking it or who are already questioning and looking for the answers to their questions, based on evidence and facts that are substantiated, rather than Mormon fiction. This warning is further expanded upon in earlier volumes of my work.

It will quickly become apparent to those who are not Mormon that the details I include as evidence against Mormon Church claims, come mainly from within the Church. References stem from recorded Church history, various quorum minutes, leaders’ sermons, court cases, leaders’ journals, and temple endowment wording as well as what the Mormons claim as scripture, such as the D&C. Additional information recorded in newspapers, books or journals by Mormons, or even apostates of the day, do no more than reinforce the physical evidence already unearthed from within the records of the Church and writings of those who led it at the time. That evidence is conclusive. There is no room for doubt or argument about that. Nevertheless, you must judge for yourself.

1. In the Beginning - The Origin

and Some Beliefs of the Mormon Church

There are, in effect, two things: to know and to believe one knows.

To know is science. To believe one knows is ignorance.

Hippocrates, 400 BC.

Details of the origin and beliefs of Mormonism could and does fill many volumes. For a more detailed look at many aspects concerning the Mormon Church, properly known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, please refer to my earlier work and the recommended booklist. This section provides a selection of short summaries regarding aspects the reader may find an interesting and useful basis of understanding, from which to better appreciate the underlying character of Joseph Smith, perpetrator of one of the greatest frauds ever known. Some of the subjects briefly recapped here are included for the benefit of those whose interest may lie mainly in later sections, but who may have little or no real knowledge of the Mormon Church overall. Some things are more fully explored in TMD Volumes 1 and 2, but several of the following aspects are not covered in my earlier work.

Joseph Smith’s hoax is still being perpetuated beneath a blanket of known lies and falsified history in a conspiracy to deceive rank and file members of the Mormon Church today. The evidence of this is so prolific that virtually everything published by the Mormon Church contains lies or falsifications in some form or another. The following potpourri is just a sample; the tip of the iceberg; provided to give a glimpse into the hidden reality behind Mormonism.

1. The First Vision

According to the Mormon Church, in the spring of 1820, during a religious revival in his area, a fourteen year old New York State farm boy, Joseph Smith, decided to ask the Lord which church he should join and went to the woods to pray about it. There he had a vision in which God and Jesus Christ appeared as two separate individual beings, believed by the Church to be in human form, with tangible bodies. With the Holy Ghost as a third personage of spirit, we have the Mormon doctrine of three separate and distinct individual beings (Polytheism) within the Godhead. This theology is of course, diametrically opposed to traditionally accepted Christian Trinitarian Monotheism from the Nicene Creed, and is one of the fundamental differences between Mormonism and mainstream Christianity. The boy Smith was told by Jesus Christ during this vision that no church was entirely true, they were all in apostasy to one degree or another, and that the true church would be revealed and restored through him. According to Smith’s story, he immediately told people about his vision, and was from that very moment severely persecuted for saying that he had seen both God and Jesus. ¹

What Mormon Church leaders don’t tell anyone and what almost all Church members have no idea about, is that their leaders know this is just selective historical material written by Smith and not even close to the actual truth. One would naturally, initially, view such an account with scepticism but ultimately either reject it, or accept it on simple faith. And that is exactly what is expected of people; they should study the idea that Smith saw God and Jesus and also that he translated the Book of Mormon, pray about those things and see if the Lord confirms they are true. In 1960, at age fourteen, I did exactly that and felt comfortable about it, taking the story at face value, trusting those who taught it to me. Whilst we may have to take the idea of Smith seeing God and Jesus on faith, as of course there is no evidence to support it, if we care to stop and think for a moment, we certainly do not have to take the claimed history surrounding it on faith. That we can check. Few who join the Church ever do.

Potential converts really should research and substantiate everything for themselves and only after that should they consider anything further. Of course there was no internet in 1960, and very few books on Mormonism were to be found in my local library in England. The ones I located were written by clergy of other religions and so misinformed they could not be seriously considered. This experience confirmed in my mind, the correctness of the idea the Church teaches that members should rely only on the books recommended by Church leaders, lest we be deceived by the adversary and led astray.

I believed that Smith immediately told everyone about his vision because that is what the Church teaches. When I felt the anticipated ‘burning in the bosom’ at age fourteen, I went to school and told all my friends, several of whom attended church with me. One or two actually joined the Church only to later leave, as so many people do. I always thought that shortly after Smith received this magnificent vision, he had written down the account which we read today. Smith states that he told a Methodist minister about the vision within a few days and that he was constantly persecuted by all the religious faiths for repeatedly maintaining he had seen both God and Jesus in a vision. I believed it, as published, for the next forty-three years. Members are taught not to question but to live by faith. Most do just that, looking no further for any confirmation or validation of anything they are taught. That is a huge mistake.

2. The 1820 Reality

Smith’s story turns out not to be the case at all. There was no 1820 religious revival of any description, just a June Methodist camp meeting when no meeting house was available. No revival occurred in the time period referred to in Smith’s story. There was one a couple of years earlier, and another occurred several years later, when there was a significant increase in membership numbers of the prominent religions of the day. There is no record anywhere of Smith ever telling anyone about this vision during the 1820s. If he had been as excited about actually seeing God and Jesus as I was at hearing about it, he would have told everyone just as he claimed, and someone somewhere would have recorded it. He didn’t tell anyone and no one has ever claimed he did. He was never persecuted by anyone in the early years, until being chased down by his former money digging syndicate who wanted their share of the gold book he claimed to find in 1827. In fact, the earliest newspaper reports about Smith’s claims are from 1831, over a decade after the supposed vision, which ironically actually confirm that Joseph Smith made no claims to have had any religious experience at all until after he claimed he found the gold plates in 1827. ² On top of that, the Smith family didn’t actually even live in Manchester, New York then; they moved there two years later. (See: Marquardt & Walters 1994:1-13).

3. No Evidence of a First Vision

Religion was an afterthought to the idea of a book which Smith had hoped to publish to make some money. If the First Vision really happened in 1820 and in the manner in which the Church now portrays it, as discussed, it would have been immediately reported, if not then, certainly before 1830, the time when the Book of Mormon was published, a full ten years later. If not officially published, at least there would have been news reports of it, as Smith stated that he told people about it, and declared that it led to his constant persecution by local ministers. Yet there is no actual record of him ever writing it down or even telling anyone about it until after 1827 when the first and diverse accounts of his locating supposed gold plates began to appear. (Brodie 1963:23&n).

4. The First Vision was Published Twenty-Two Years Late

So far as recounting Smith’s vision in writing is concerned, the version we read today was not actually penned, and even then not in Smith’s own hand, until 1838, eighteen years after the claimed event and eight years after the Church was formally organised.

Considering the fact that this vision is now considered the very keystone of Mormonism, it is astounding that no one even knew about it until long after Smith had created his Church. It was then first published in 1842, so no one even knew about a vision of God for twenty-two years. Unfortunately for the Church, Smith also recorded other differing versions of events which they deliberately fail to mention. This final and official version bore no resemblance at all to anything that Smith had previously said or recorded about it. Smith then backdated it to suit, giving credence to his latest theological ideas. By then they had evolved from traditional Trinitarian Monotheism, in which tone the entire original Book of Mormon was expressed, to the polytheism that is taught by the Church today. It did however, leave some major problems within his earlier writings, some of which were later falsified, but some remain in place even today. Church members don’t realise that Smith entirely changed his theology in the 1830s, so they just don’t see the monotheism still interlaced throughout the Book of Mormon for what it really is. When members ask about God being described as also being Jesus, they are told that as Jesus was the God of the Old Testament; the references can be confusing. The problem is that it means God was confused, as it was He who supposedly dictated the words of the Book of Mormon, one by one in Smith’s hat.

5. Pick a Vision - Any Version - They Are All Different

Smith recorded earlier and completely different versions of this First Vision as his newfound religion evolved. By 1830, the Church had been organised and the Book of Mormon had been published. There was still no mention and no account of any such First Vision. That is not surprising, as the first published edition of the Book of Mormon was completely monotheistic, and only later somewhat altered, thus confirming that in 1830 Smith had still not dreamed up his ideas on polytheism. In 1832, Smith personally wrote his first account of a First Vision and stated that the vision occurred in his sixteenth year, 1821 rather than 1820. He claimed to have seen Jesus alone who called Smith his son. In 1835 there are other accounts in Smith’s diary of the same vision, written by a scribe, which Smith twice recounted to others but this time, although dating it to 1820 when he was fourteen, the vision is one specifically of angels. One of them testifies of Jesus and it is not a vision of deity at all. That idea was yet to be invented.

The Book of Commandments was an 1833 publication of Smith’s most important revelations. Reprinted as the Doctrine and Covenants in 1835, there was still no mention of any First Vision whatsoever in either publication. Not only did Smith not tell anyone about the vision for well over a decade, he then recounted it completely differently at least three or four times. In 1838, he finally devised a version of a vision that was most dramatic and suited his latest theological ideas best. ³ The final version of Smith’s supposed First Vision in the spring of 1820 evolved from an 1832 version of seeing Jesus, through two 1835 versions of angels, to finally, in 1838 a magnificent vision of God and Jesus Christ as individuals who spoke to him. Not many Mormons are aware of the evolution of Smith’s first vision story. Most believe there was only ever one version, that it was immediately written down and he told everyone about it.

This version of Smith’s vision was not written by Smith, but rather by a scribe on his behalf, so there is no telling if it is his original work or whether he had help making it up. Had it really happened as finally written, Smith would have got it right first time, and he would have actually told everyone about it in 1820, just as he later claimed. The Book of Mormon would have read quite differently and the vision would have been published much earlier. Evidence, from Smith’s own pen and dictation, proves conclusively that he did no such thing. He simply made things up as he went along, not in a gradually revealed consistent manner, but in an ever changing fictitious story, finally published after he had decided, in the mid-late 1830s, that he liked the idea of plural Gods. This was many years after Smith allegedly had the vision which then had to be updated in order to accommodate and support his latest theology.

6. The Angel Moroni - Formerly Known as Nephi

Joseph Smith claimed to have located the gold plates in 1827 with the help of an angel. At the same time, subsequently recorded stories were told, for the very first time, of earlier visions which led to the find. Smith backdated them to September 1823. There is no record written down prior to 1827 of any visions whatsoever. Smith gave interviews between 1829 and 1835 containing several (very conflicting) versions of angelic visitations. ⁴ However, the current official version of these events was once again not finalised until 1838, some fifteen years after the supposed event, when Smith then remembers and records in minute detail much of what the angel said, including several complex word for word changes to scripture dictated by the angel. Despite the very specific details Smith impossibly recorded from memory, he was seemingly confused over the name of the angel. In this official version of events, Smith specifically refers to the angel as ‘Nephi’, the name he also used on most other occasions. The Church later falsified the account, after Smith’s death, to read ‘Moroni’. (Tanner 1987:136. Incl. photo of original handwritten manuscript and interpolation).

This was the official published version of events where Smith himself had settled on the name of ‘Nephi’. The falsification is claimed as clarification, with the argument that Smith mostly called the Angel ‘Moroni’ elsewhere. My own research indicates just the opposite and that Smith almost always spoke of the angel as Nephi – if he gave a name at all. There is only one Smith account: 1838 Elder’s Journal Vol 1 No. 3:43 and one Cowdery account: April 1835 Messenger and Advocate, where for some reason they used the name ‘Moroni’. That the choice of a name for the visiting angel was so confused, considering Smith’s precise detail about what was said all those years after the event, is indicative of the complete and utter hoax that the whole thing was. Hidden Mormon facts are always much stranger than the fiction they teach – and Mormon fiction is strange enough.

These visions of Joseph Smith’s Angel Moroni (formerly known as Nephi) were mainly throughout one night in Smith’s bedroom. The Church today fails to state, let alone explain, how Smith managed to have these visions, in which he claimed bright light filled the room like noon day and lasted most of the night, with the angel standing by his bed. The room was occupied not just by Smith but also by all his brothers. The family lived in a small log cabin. Then aged seventeen, Smith shared a small upper room with all his brothers; Alvin, aged twenty-five (who died a month later, in November 1823); Hyrum, twenty-three; Samuel, fifteen; Ephraim, thirteen; William, twelve; and Don Carlos, aged seven. The manifestations are described as visions rather than just dreams and from Smith’s description it is highly unlikely that they would have gone unnoticed by all his brothers in the room, had it been a real experience. The Church no doubt claims they were miraculously seen only by Joseph, but not only do they omit the fact that others slept in the room, none of the brothers record that Joseph even told them about it for many years. The final version which they eventually became aware of had changed and evolved until a suitable official story was written in 1838 and, once again, not published until 1842. ⁵ Some early accounts vary wildly from the 1838 official version.

7. Toads, Spirits, Angels and Deity

The earliest reports of any visions were in 1827, seven years after the supposed first event. There was no prior account of what would have been the most monumental incident since the Saviour himself was born. However, in the earliest accounts of Smith’s visions, recorded from 1827 on, some indicate a dream and some a vision about treasure, others of either a spirit which turned into a toad, a ghost, or an unnamed angel appearing to Smith in 1823. In an 1830 interview, Smith describes an angel visiting him. In 1832 he said Jesus had appeared on his own in a grove in 1821. In 1834 we have references to an unnamed angel appearing in Smith’s bedroom in 1823 when Smith was seventeen. In 1835 we are again in a grove, now at age fourteen (1820) with two personages for the first time, who are specifically identified as angels, one appearing, then another. They are then joined by many other angels. Although one testifies of Jesus, none are spoken of as Jesus, who is not part of the vision.

It is only in 1838 when the official stories finally evolve. A revised First Vision now has two personages; one assumed but not stated, to be God and the other, assumed but again not stated, to be Jesus Christ. Both are also assumed to have had physical bodies, as Smith had devised and developed his plurality of Gods theology in the mid-late 1830’s. The final and current First Vision story as it is now published wasn’t even written by Joseph Smith personally. A subsequent version in 1844 was written by Smith but still only references two unidentified personages, taken to be God and Jesus by inference alone. ⁶ At the same time, penned in 1838 and published 1842, the official story about the supposed 1823 and 1827 visits of the angel ‘Nephi’ – who is now known as ‘Moroni’ – were recorded in finite detail never before seen or even heard of.

8. Folk Magic and Smith the Con Artist

Smith carried an occult ‘Jupiter Talisman’ until the day he died. (Tanner 1987:49C-49D, views of both sides of talisman and further references). In his teens and early twenties, Smith was somewhat addicted to his line of a hobby and paid seer work, which was often undertaken at night so as to avoid people learning where they were digging. To Smith, it was easier and undoubtedly more exciting than the hard work of a farmhand he was otherwise obliged to undertake. The seer didn’t dig; he just located the place to dig and performed occult or magic practices, in order to stop any attending spirit guardians of the treasure moving it away into the earth, as was the folk lore tradition. It was not however, very lucrative for him as he was not paid at all well and he was not very good at it, as he never found anything of value. ⁷ Other than the supposed gold plates he claimed he was led to by an angel, there is no record that he ever discovered anything of worth for anyone. Smith belonged to a syndicate of money diggers who contracted to share any finds they made. This arrangement was to cause Smith some major problems when he later claimed to have found the ‘golden bible’ which technically should have then been shared with the rest of the syndicate. They were the only ones to ‘persecute’ Smith in the 1820s and according to their joint agreement, with very good reason.

On 20 March 1826 in Bainbridge, Joseph Smith was convicted for the misdemeanour of ‘glass looking’, in respect of taking money under the false pretence of being able to locate hidden treasure and lost property with his seer stone. This was just ten months before he married Emma Hale. (See: Brodie 1963:30-31 & Apx A1). It was also six years after his claimed first vision and three years after his first supposed visions of Moroni, neither of which he had yet invented. He was soon ready to move on to bigger and better things. The idea of a hidden golden bible had been spoken about in the Smith family on many prior occasions. Smith had a furtive imagination and had often described ancient Native Americans and their culture in detail to his parents, as the family sat around the evening fire when he was a young boy. This was long before his claim to have seen an angel and subsequent location of the gold plates.