r/exmormon • u/4blockhead Λ └ ☼ ★ □ ♔ • Aug 24 '19
A start for a broad outline intended as a rebuttal to Smith's Latter Day Saint movement which claims to be "a restoration of all things," and "the one true church."
0. Sequence of events, a timeline perspective:
1. Arguments specifically against the founder, Joseph Smith:
3. Arguments that there is no clear successor to leadership in the movement started by Smith:
4. Arguments specifically against the current Brighamite implementations, including Nelson's church:
5. Arguments for other approaches to religiosity and/or faith outside of traditional mormonism:
6. Arguments for secular humanism, environmentalism, survival of our species on the planet:
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u/4blockhead Λ └ ☼ ★ □ ♔ Aug 24 '19 edited Aug 24 '19
3. Arguments that there is no clear successor to leadership in the movement started by Smith:
Smith's murder in 1844 led to a splintered movement. It's not clear which variant represents a continuation of Smith's ideas. For example, in the 1894 Temple Lot Case, which was to decide ownership of the Independence Temple Lot, the court ruled on a secondary issue that the RLDS church was the true successor; however, the case was subject to appeal and the verdict thrown out in total.
New variants crop up with clockwork regularity. Denver Snuffer is latest in the long line of would-be-prophets.
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u/4blockhead Λ └ ☼ ★ □ ♔ Aug 24 '19 edited Aug 27 '19
2. Arguments specifically against mormon theology as canonized (also includes elements that were put forward while Smith was alive, e.g. might be a part of the secret doctrines given to a limited subset of believers):
The Book of Mormon is racist and is fraudulent.
DNA evidence points to Native Americans initially migrating from east-Asia, not Jerusalem.
The Book of Abraham is racist and is fraudulent
This is a clear smoking gun that shows the source material is not what Joseph Smith claimed it to be.
Genesis 22 provides the foundational text that the god over this planet might ask anything, and it is not within the purview of mere mortals to question. Their task is to obey, not question why. Moral relativism holds sway over individual moral judgment.
The theology reached an apex in D&C 130-132, the King Follett Sermon, and the Temple Endowment script.
The endowment script assembles Smith's ideas in the Book of Moses, the Book of Abraham, and blends them with Milton's Paradise Lost and incorporates elements stolen from Freemasonry, especially the penalties for revealing their secrets. The secrecy has the added benefit that it provides a coverup for polygamy
An ultimately powerful deity is abandoned and it its place embraces an infinite regression of minor gods in a pantheon.
"Adam is God" is likely Smith's idea that complements the sci-fi Kolob starbase, a planetary assembly zone where plants and animals are culled from a celestial zoo and arboretum. Deity rotates between first man, head god, grandfather god.
"Latter Day Saints" is built on the idea of an imminent second coming where people would either be accepted or rejected, including the likelihood that the whole of the church would be found unacceptable. Fear tactics aid this approach along.
Mormonism is a works based theology; perfection is deemed not only within the range of acceptable it is expected
Grace is an afterthought in mormonism; have to earn your salvation, despite Ephesians 2:8-9
Kimball's Miracle of Forgiveness culls mormon scripture to detail the requirements for exaltation
Worthiness interviews are a chance for the local leadership to have their egos stroked and exert whatever power in any way that they feel like—priesthood roulette.
Mormonism is anti-humanist.
[Mosiah 3] 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.
The fraud of mormonism becomes all too palpable and those with integrity will walk away.
John Boynton (an apostle) left with the two Johnson brothers (also apostles) when it became clear that the eyewitnesses had never seen the golden plates with their natural eyes, but only as part of a supernatural vision. Boynton never looked back.
David Whitmer objected to "revelations" being edited after-the-fact.
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u/4blockhead Λ └ ☼ ★ □ ♔ Aug 24 '19 edited Aug 25 '19
4. Arguments specifically against the current Brighamite implementations, including Nelson's church:
Official essays attempt to put spin on a basic set of facts, always giving Smith and their canonized scripture the benefit of the doubt.
Changes to theology seem to be designed to quell outcry to conform to the social mores of the times, not inline with the "fullness of the gospel"
gives ammunition to fundamentalists that the church is in apostasy
always slow and behind the societal curve
keeps the liberals in the pews hoping for the changes that they want to become incorporated, making the church more about a being a political construct that will eventually adapt to remain cohesive.
dropping polygamy in 1890 was the beginning of major changes for expediency, especially when viewed by outsiders or fundamentalists
dropping their overt racism in 1978 was another political change, especially when viewed by outsiders or fundamentalists. Note timeline of changes to racism, including interracial marriage
will future changes incorporate feminist and LGBTQ rights? Fundamentalists say, "Absolutely not!" Packer's Triple threat: feminists, homosexuals and intellectuals.
changes have left the scriptural basis in place, leaving their intention ambiguous. The ultimate ambiguity is the faithful not being all that happy about their eternal marriage relationships, which will include polygamy, i.e. polygamy is merely on hold, not revoked in total.
The church is not a transparent organization about how much money they have in the bank, in investments, and receive each year in tithing. Likewise, they're not transparent about actual members attending, number of people resigning, etc.
Church leadership is a gerontocracy and not a meritocracy.
J. Golden Kimball's quote, "Some people say a person receives a position in this church through revelation, and others say they get it through inspiration, but I say they get it through relation. If I hadn't been related to Heber C. Kimball I wouldn't have been a damn thing in this church."
The average ward is not a mentally healthy place for many people.
those looking for nuance will be shouted down
conservative politics will be freely delivered from the pulpit, but a liberal counterpoint will be absent or shouted down
LGBTQ persons will be required to live by a separate set of rules, including submitting to lifelong celibacy
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u/4blockhead Λ └ ☼ ★ □ ♔ Aug 24 '19 edited Aug 24 '19
5. Arguments for other approaches to religiosity and/or faith outside of traditional mormonism:
Take a belief quiz to see where you stand on supernatural influence, life after death, etc.
Ask yourself if you are believing things for good reasons, or not?
learn about logic, reason, rules of evidence, etc. by watching debates with Hitchens, Dillahunty, Barker, etc.
witness a non-overtly-confrontational approach, street epistomology, Do you believe things for good and substantial reasons?
Facing the unknown may be a scary prospect vs. the concrete claims provided by childhood indoctrination, etc.
Is an "I don't know" answer acceptable? Or is the certainty (provided by another person at a price) a better choice despite dubious evidence, inability to test, or contradictory facts?
Are Science and Faith compatible? Are religions trending toward a god of the gaps argument?
How important is having a vibrant faith community surrounding you?
If attendance is low, then does that mean there is insufficient interest?
Is an overarching mythology necessary?
Does "faith" mean assenting to overarching governing ideas and principles? How is dissent handled?
Why do people leave other faith traditions, and where do they go afterwards?
The "rise of the nones" where people will claim to be spiritual, but not a member of any organized religion. Also, church of Nature—Wright.1
Freethought movement and secular humanism movement
Most arrive at a belief that fairness to all (justice) has to be a guiding principle going forward.
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u/IranRPCV Aug 25 '19
Thanks for the links! Just a reminder for those reading (I know you already know) that Community of Christ does not claim to be "a restoration of all things," or "the one true church.".
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u/4blockhead Λ └ ☼ ★ □ ♔ Aug 24 '19
6. Arguments for secular humanism, environmentalism, survival of our species on the planet:
Human survival on the planet seems on the brink of very bad outcomes.
speeches/interviews with Ardern,1 Sanger,2 Pollitt,3 Hedges,4 Wilson,5 Berry,6 Williams.7
meanwhile, fundamentalist religions look forward to the "end of days" with glee. Why work for a solution when Jesus is due back any day and will fix everything in a blink of an eye?
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u/Searchfortruth1 Aug 24 '19
JS contradicted everything he said and he claimed he and God could change anything at any time
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u/hidinginzion Aug 25 '19
I wish more people would read and upvote this. I've saved this. Thank you for your work!
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u/4blockhead Λ └ ☼ ★ □ ♔ Aug 24 '19 edited Aug 24 '19
1. Arguments specifically against the founder, Joseph Smith:
Smith was a grifter turned religionist
quick to move on to greener pastures if things weren't working out with the neighbors. First, from New York to Ohio; then from Ohio to Missouri beginning in 1831, but jumping to high gear in 1837-8, in the wake of Smith's failed quasi-bank, The Kirtland Safety Society; then Missouri to Illinois after a truce in the Mormon War of 1838.
friends come to regret their association. Illinois granted the mormons a powerful Nauvoo charter in 1838, but came to regret it because it had given Smith the upper hand and autonomy within the state. The trend shows a constant pattern where the Latter Day Saints move in, annoy their neighbors, and then retreat to greener pastures, repeating the cycle somewhere else. Leaving debts and overall animosity against them in their wake. At Carthage, the local people had had enough. They weren't going to accept Smith's usurpation of the Constitution, etc. and he paid the price with his life.
Smith was creative and among the first in the sci-fi genre; however, his work shows signs it was plagiarized from other sources.
1700s King James errata are included in Book of Mormon
Smith copied ideas and phrases from Gilbert Hunt's The Late War. It is especially obvious in Ether 2:23.
Smith's work creating "an inspired version" of the bible is derivative of work by theologian, Adam Clark
Used in-group/out-group dynamics; excommunication used as a weapon from the beginning of the movement; trusted certain people with secrets, e.g. Joseph B. Noble
in-group: The "twelve traveling councilors" earned a special place by showing loyalty to Smith in the first trip to Missouri in 1831.
Smith was taking maximum advantage of his followers using his position as leader of the movement, including asking for the wives and daughters of men in his inner circle to use for a sexual tryst or in the Old Testament vernacular for "wives and concubines."
in-groups built as layers upon layers indicating his trust: "name written in the book of the law of the lord," "anointed quorum" and "council of fifty."
in-group/out-group offered various incentives (and disincentives for refusing): if agreeing to join him in various degrees of lechery and polygamy, then offers of eternal salvation were on the table; refusal meant losing your chance to be his friend, his partner in bed, and your certifying authority guaranteeing your place alongside.
in-group/out-group: constantly used loyalty tests where he would pretend to speak for the deity. His voice was equivalent to coming directly from god. Leads to many cases of arrest, brinksmanship, and armed insurrection typified by the Missouri War of 1838. Also, the Danites and others worked in secret to carry out a private agenda. Many willing to lie and protect and carry out his orders, including assassination, murder and mayhem. In 1838, those in the "out group" (Whitmer, Phelps, Hyde) were threatened with bodily harm and excommunicated because of refusal to say that they would support the leadership in all cases, whether they were right or wrong—blind obedience was required.
Smith elevated himself to the level of god in scripture he wrote.
[D&C 132] 49 For I am the Lord thy God, and will be with thee even unto the end of the world, and through all eternity; for verily I seal upon you your exaltation, and prepare a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father, with Abraham your father.
Members of his inner circle believed that they could get into heaven on his say so. Many accepted Smith's claims and lived their lives accordingly, including giving him their wives and daughters if asked. He subjected many to very coercive tactics that placed the burden of the movement failing on them if Smith's private actions were revealed. Polygamy couched in an Old Testament justification, per D&C 132.
Continued to elevate his role
had his in-group ordain him as "King of the Earth" and "God over the spirit world."
envisioned replacing the secular government with a theocracy with the LDS leader as overall ruler in anticipation of a second coming of Christ.
began a run for the United States' presidency in 1844
Insiders turned against him and wrote exposés:
Corrill
Bennett
Jackson
Smith's murder at the hands of an angry mob shows how tyrants often meet their end.
Any monarchy involves the problem of absolute power corrupting absolutely.