In Mormonism it is almost impossible to discuss Joseph Smith without an emotional reaction. This is because in most cases Joseph is equated with the restoration and put in an unnatural and untenable position regardless of our view on individual things. Far too often we think that if Joseph was wrong, then the restoration was wrong, and then consequently God was wrong. It doesn’t have to be like this. However, this mindset is difficult to break free from.
Turned over to Satan
First off, this concept doesn’t have to be divisive, however I know it will be for some. If I am in fact wrong then please let me know how, as I really want to adopt truth as much as I can. In looking at the role of a prophet though, things do start to get a little fuzzy. In the scriptures, God has given prophets amazing gifts, however these gifts have been for the benefit of the people not solely for the benefit of the prophet. Once the gifts no longer benefit the people, then there is no longer a purpose for the gifts and God removes them. In modern times this pattern has held firm as well.
An incredibly consistent theme throughout the scriptures is the idea that we are either God’s people or Satan’s people. There are two churches and two groups that we can be part of. If we are not God’s people, then as a default we are Satan’s people. This is made very obvious in an 1829 revelation that was canonized in Book of Commandments 4, which Joseph removed in the 1835 edition. It reads:
And thus, if the people of this generation harden not their hearts … I will establish my church … And now if this generation do harden their hearts … I will deliver them up unto Satan
Book of Commandments 4
We typically don’t think too deeply about what turned over to Satan means. However, God told us in 2 Nephi 27 exactly what it means. In this chapter Nephi is quoting Isaiah 29 and there is a reason that Nephi quotes Isaiah so much. The more I understand Isaiah, the more I realize how descriptive and powerful the writings of Isaiah really are. In this chapter, Nephi is using Isaiah to describe the effects of not following God. He specifically mentions that the spiritual gifts that God gave to the people will be removed because of their iniquity. It reads:
Ye shall be drunken but not with wine, ye shall stagger but not with strong drink. For behold, the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep. For behold, ye have closed your eyes, and ye have rejected the prophets, and your rulers and the seers hath he covered because of your iniquity.
2 Nephi 27:4-5
From this we can see that God removes the gifts of the prophets because the people no longer are using them to their advantage. There is no purpose to give further revelations to the people, through the prophets, since they didn’t even make full use of the revelations they already received. They are drunken with the intoxicating mixture of truth and falsehoods. They stumble because they can’t see clearly, yet they believe they are the only ones that do so. They are in a spiritual sleep that is difficult to wake from, yet vital that they do.
This of course may seem obvious, however what does it mean then if the prophets continue in their role even after their gifts are removed? What if God gives them a lying spirit like 1 Kings 22 says God can do? Should this then not be a valid case, as described in Deuteronomy 13, which describes a true prophet that gives a false revelation? The people are told to not listen to this prophet, even if the prophet previously gave true revelations.
In looking at the church specifically, I have already previously shown how it was turned over to Satan for disobedience. However, it is certainly advantageous to briefly look at that here as well. This is a very brief timeline of events concerning the church. Starting in 1834, consecration had been abandoned and the church had been condemned in D&C 104. Joseph was told, in D&C 105, that the church could redeem Zion, in 1836, if they focused. However, they failed to do so and were condemned by God again.
Almost immediately after this we see gross wickedness start to pervade the church with Joseph even remarking, in 1837, that some of the apostles had sided with the Devil. After this point the church continued its downward descent with the unjust excommunications in Far West, the 1838 Missouri war which the church instigated, and the creation of a secret blood oath group called the Danites that many members including Joseph and Hyrum supported.
After this point things stabilized to a degree. However, the church was rejected again in Nauvoo, according to D&C 124, when they failed to build the Nauvoo temple and instead decided to build a large masonic hall. This was all under the leadership and direction of Joseph and Hyrum, however most certainly they were not the only ones to blame. I have examined every one of these points, to a degree, previously and I would encourage you to do so as well. For a correct understanding of things, it is vital that we see things for what they really are.
With that out of the way, then hopefully it is clear that at least as of 1836 the church was on rocky ground, according to God, and certainly rejected in Nauvoo. Most of the church history we speak about is actually just a whitewashed version of the truth. It is simply a way to remove the negative parts and glorify the positive ones. This is fine and not a huge concern individually.
However, Joseph and Hyrum continued to teach and reveal doctrines almost up until the point of their deaths. For instance, the King Follett discourse was given 3 months before their deaths and in that discourse, Joseph taught several doctrines that are completely unscriptural. This should be a massive red flag, yet it seems few people see it this way. Some even go so far as to suggest that Joseph never gave this speech, but it was an elaborate plan to frame Joseph. This is pretty silly when you actually look at the evidence, but many claim it anyways.
This look into Joseph and the church is in no way meant to be critical or defamatory. I know some will see it that way, however it doesn’t have to be. Truth must be our objective. We must ask ourselves specifically whether something helps us grow closer to God or further from him. These items are also in no particular order. This is just what came to mind after I thought of things for a bit.
No other gift
In 1828, Martin Harris had been financially supporting Joseph and working as a scribe for the transaltion of the Book of Mormon. After the completion of 116 pages, Martin wanted to reassure his friends and family and so took the 116 pages in order to prove his efforts had not been wasted. The 116 pages consequently were lost and never recovered. In 1829, Martin and several of the local residents were starting to believe Joseph didn’t have the plates and the entire process was a forgery. In consequence, Martin wanted a revelation through Joseph in order to reassure himself.
In March 1829, Joseph received a revelation which today is canonized as D&C 5. However, the interesting part of this is there were significant changes made to the revelation after it was received. There honestly may not be a canonized revelation that was changed more than D&C 5 was. These changes fundamentally altered what the revelation meant and the overall implications. In the 1835 published version, Joseph deleted the entire section on being turned over to Satan, changed or added words, phrases, and sentences. He also curiously added additional spiritual gifts for himself. The 1829 version reads:
I the Lord am God, and I have given these things unto my servant Joseph, and I have commanded him that he should stand as a witness of these things, … and he has a gift to translate the book, and I have commanded him that he shall pretend to no other gift, for I will grant him no other gift.
D&C 5 (1833)
The interesting aspect of this is that the revelation was completely changed in the 1835 edition to say that instead of Joseph having “no other gift”, he had “no other gift until it is finished” and that the translation was the first gift Joseph would be given. Of course, the 1829 revelation could have been written in mistake and meant what the 1835 language implies. However, this is a fundamental change and seems more unlikely to me as I think about it. It also was Joseph who made the change, so it is fairly convenient for Joseph to give himself more power and authority.
This would be like my boss giving me one specific written task and then me changing the written task to include anything else I wanted. Of course, my boss could be totally fine with that. However, if he wasn’t then I would have big problems. The 1835 revelation reads:
I, the Lord, am God, and have given these things unto you, my servant Joseph Smith, Jr., and have commanded you that you should stand as a witness of these things; … And you have a gift to translate the plates; and this is the first gift that I bestowed upon you; and I have commanded that you should pretend to no other gift until my purpose is fulfilled in this; for I will grant unto you no other gift until it is finished.
D&C 5 (1835)
As we can see, the first version implies Joseph’s mission was to only bring forth the Book of Mormon. The second version implies Joseph’s mission was much grander in scope and the Book of Mormon was just one of many things Joseph would do. Of course, we know from history that Joseph did many things besides just bring forth the Book of Mormon. This then would be totally inconsistent with the 1829 version of the revelation. Certainly, many things happened after 1829 when God told Joseph that he would have no other gift.
On the topic of D&C 5, I do want to also highlight one other change that Joseph made to that revelation. Many of us are familiar with the scripture in D&C 5 which states that God will reveal his word through Joseph. However, this is not what the original text said. This is actually what it said:
Behold, verily I say, I have reserved the things of which I have spoken, which I have intrusted to my servant, for a wise purpose in me, and it shall be made known unto future generations: But this generation shall have my words
D&C 5 (1833)
In comparison we have the 1835 edition of the same revelation:
Behold verily, I say unto you, I have reserved those things which I have entrusted unto you, my servant Joseph, for a wise purpose in me, and it shall be made known unto future generations; but this generation shall have my word through you;
D&C 5 (1835)
The 1833 version is pretty straightforward. God entrusted things to Joseph and the generation at the time was going to have God’s words. It seems this means the Book of Mormon since that is what Joseph had done at the time. God gave them the Book of Mormon which was his word. This is simple and makes sense.
However, if we look at the 1835 version, then things get a lot different. Joseph is now going to be giving God’s word, present and future, to the generation. This is certainly a subtle difference. However, it has enormous implications just like the previous change we looked at where Joseph gave himself additional gifts. In this case Joseph is now giving God’s words as he sees fit. The original text didn’t say this and didn’t even hint at this.
Temporal concerns
Shortly after the church was organized, in 1830, Joseph was contemplating his situation and the persecution that was levelled against him. As a consequence, Joseph received a revelation that is canonized today as D&C 24. In this revelation Joseph was clearly told what his role was and that he shouldn’t expect to find any success if he strayed from that role. The revelation reads:
Behold, thou wast called and chosen to write THE Book of Mormon, and to my ministry … For thou shalt devote all thy service in Zion; and in this thou shalt have strength. … And in temporal labors thou shalt not have strength, for this is not thy calling.
D&C 24:1-9
It seems then that Joseph’s role was to bring forth the Book of Mormon and to spend all his time serving God. It is frankly simple and really clear. However, if we actually look, Joseph spent relatively little time in the service of Zion and comparatively far more time in temporal concerns. The obvious rebuttal to this is that everything is in the service of Zion, however for this to actually make sense we have to constrain the definitions a little. Me working two jobs so I can afford that big house may not be serving God after all.
In the 1828 Webster’s dictionary, temporal means “Pertaining to this life or this world or the body only”. This seems pretty fair instead of saying everything Joseph did is spiritual because of his calling. If everything was spiritual, then why would God say what he did in D&C 24 as it would be completely pointless?
After the church was organized, it struggled to gain a footing until most of the members relocated to Kirtland, Ohio. It was in Kirtland, that many of the members experienced economic prosperity that was reassuring to the struggling members. It was however during this time that Joseph started a company named, “Rigdon, Smith & Cowdry” and was involved in other mercantile companies in Kirtland. These companies sought to buy wholesale from merchants in New York and then to resell locally in Kirtland. According to the Joseph Smith Papers project, they were able to extend their credit further than they normally would by leveraging Newel K. Whitney, who was a successful store owner in Kirtland. The JSP notes:
Whitney’s reputation and credibility allowed the Kirtland-area firms to buy more goods on credit than their new ventures would otherwise have allowed. These purchases were made with promissory notes assuring repayment in the future, usually three to six months later.
Joseph Smith Papers project
The idea certainly makes economic sense, however there was a national economic downturn, in 1837, which resulted in the companies failing to be able to sell their products and consequently closing operations. It is recorded that Joseph’s company operated for about 9 months until closing in May 1837. The debts however continued to plague Joseph. The debt from this company alone would be almost $500,000 today.
Joseph was able to renegotiate or pay some of the smaller debts, however Joseph and the other leaders were threatened with litigation if they were unable to pay the larger debts. To avoid this, the Kirtland temple was mortgaged, on July 11, 1837, to the New York City firm, Mead, Stafford, and Co. This satisfied the debt and allowed them time to restructure their obligations. However, by the time of Joseph’s death, almost 10 years later, most of the debt remained unpaid.
Kirtland Safety Society
Shortly before Joseph closed his mercantile company, he organized the Kirtland Safety Society, which ended up being one of the worst things he could have done at the time. It seems God was serious when he mentioned Joseph would have no success in temporal matters. On January 2nd, 1837, Joseph and other leaders opened the Kirtland Safety Society which essentially was an illegal bank. They attempted to get official approval, however, were denied since there were already many struggling banks in the area, and they were offering nothing unique. In 1837, there was a national economic hardship which caused many banks including the Kirtland Safety Society to close. This however was significantly worse than Joseph’s failed company.
In late October 1837, Joseph was tried and found guilty of operating an illegal bank. He was fined about $35,000 in currency today. In addition, a number of lawsuits were filed against Joseph by members and non-members. Many of these were settled, however many were left unsettled at the time of Joseph’s death. All of them however were paid for by the church and consequently the struggling members. Today this amount would be in the millions.
The fallout from this was extensive with many members now seeing Joseph as a fallen prophet. This was because according to Wilford Woodruff Joseph had received a revelation from God indicating that he was to start the Kirtland Safety Society and that it would presumably become the greatest bank in the world according to Woodruff. On January 6th, 1837, Woodruff wrote:
I also herd President Joseph Smith jr. declare … that he had receieved that morning the Word of the Lord upon the Subject of the Kirtland Safety Society. He was alone in a room by himself & he had not ownly the voice of the Spirit upon the Subject but even an audable voice. He did not tell us at that time what the LORD said upon the subject but remarked that if we would give heed to the Commandments the Lord had given this morning all would be well.
May the Lord bless Brother Joseph with all the Saints & support the above named institution & Protect it so that every weapen formed against it may be broaken & come to nought while the Kirtland Safety Society shall become the greatest of all institutions on EARTH.
Wilford Woodruff
In addition to Woodruff, Warren Parrish, who was there according to Woodruff, published in a local newspaper his recollection of the events. On February 5, 1838, Warren Parrish wrote to the Painesville Republican, a local newspaper, that Joseph heard an audible voice and was told to start the bank. This bank would then swallow up all the other banks. He wrote
I have listened to [Joseph] with feelings of no ordinary kind, when he declared that the audible voice of God, instructed him to establish a Banking-Anti Banking institution, which like Aaron’s rod should swallow up all other Banks … and grow and flourish and spread from the rivers to the ends of the earth, and survive when all others should be laid in ruins.
Warren Parish
Joseph is also repeatedly recorded as speaking about the importance of the bank and the need to invest in it to strengthen it. Joseph even spoke about this subject, multiple times, in the Kirtland temple. It would be no stretch to say the members thought this was God’s will and were utterly devastated when the bank failed. I can completely see why many would view Joseph as a fallen prophet.
Council of Fifty
There are many other things to discuss pertaining to Joseph and his pursuit of temporal concerns. However, I am afraid this is already too much for most people. The last thing I want to discuss though is the Council of Fifty. The Council of Fifty was a secret group organized, by Joseph, to form a theocratic government in the hopes of eventually leaving the United States. It was this group that was to find a suitable relocation place for the members and then to govern them in the newly created government.
In this council, on April 11th, 1844, Joseph was voted on as their “Prophet, Priest & King“. It was also prophesied by many, including Joseph, that the Council of Fifty was the stone Daniel spoke of that would roll forth to fill the whole earth. This is listed numerous times throughout the meeting minutes by multiple people. On April 25th, 1844, it was decided however that the council suspend meetings and switch to supporting Joseph’s presidential campaign instead. The record reads:
[Joseph] suggested the propriety of passing some resolutions, saying that those of this council who could, should go forth immediately to electioneer &c. we must suspend our meetings for the time being and keep silence on the subject, lest by our continual coming together we raise an excitement. We can call the council together again when necessary.
Council of Fifty meeting minutes
At this time, it was recorded that almost 350 people were given assignments to campaign for Joseph in his quest for the presidency. This included many of the apostles and seventy as well as anyone that was willing from the membership. They saw getting Joseph elected as a viable way to further the gospel. This however was in direct opposition to Joseph’s earlier revelation that he was not to have any strength in temporal concerns. Either that was a false revelation, meaning God lied, or Joseph’s presidential campaign, and the Council of Fifty, were destined for failure. There is no way Joseph could be President, or King of a theocracy and that not being a temporal concern.
It also begs the question as to why was Joseph even doing this in the first place? I completely understand that it was a different time and a different place. However, this is fundamentally not Joseph’s role or the role that God wanted him to be in. Joseph was supposed to be a mouthpiece for God. However, it seems that since God was no longer speaking, then Joseph felt the need to continue God’s work in the way that he saw best. This does seem like a pattern though in the life of Joseph.
Financial Misdirection
According to Joseph’s 1838 history, when Moroni appeared to him, he was told clearly that he was not to use the plates for financial gain. Joseph’s only purpose was to glorify God and further God’s work. Joseph also reaffirmed this in his less detailed 1832 account of the same events. The 1838 account mentions:
[Moroni] added a caution to me, telling me that Satan would try to tempt me … to get the plates for the purpose of getting rich. This he forbade me, saying that I must have no other object in view in getting the plates but to glorify God
Joseph Smith History – 1838 Account
It seems however that even after obtaining the plates, Joseph still had secret hopes of profiting from the Book of Mormon. I honestly don’t blame him since his family was in extreme poverty. Hyrum also seems to have seen the Book of Mormon as an avenue for financial success. In a June 17th, 1829, letter Hyrum’s cousin Jesse Smith wrote to Hyrum speaking about Hyrum’s desires for financial success through the work of God and how this is a very dangerous place to put yourself in. Jesse mentioned how we can setup idols of gold and then start to worship the works of our own hands.
During the translation process of the Book of Mormon, Martin Harris was instrumental in providing for Joseph financially and then mortgaging his farm to finance the printing of the Book of Mormon. During the process, Martin was able to take home a partially complete manuscript, which he lost. This was infamously known as the lost 116 pages. After this devastating event, Joseph received D&C 3, which severely rebuked Joseph and Martin for their wickedness. It curiously mentions though:
Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord, but because of transgression, if thou art not aware thou wilt fall.
D&C 3:9 (1833)
Joseph certainly had to have been aware that he was engaged in the work of God which was no trivial matter. However, it was clear that if Joseph didn’t do the will of God, then he would fall from his position in the eyes of God. The translation continued until it was complete and then Martin put up the money for the printing of the Book of Mormon. At that time Martin had advanced an amount over $100,000 USD today which he fully expected to be reimbursed for. It was agreed, and signed by Joseph, on January 16th, 1830, that Martin and Joseph would both share in the profits from selling the newly printed books.
However, it seems Joseph didn’t want to honor this agreement or at the least didn’t think this applied according to the traditional understanding. In February 1830, Joseph instructed Hiram Page and Oliver Cowdrey to sell the copyright of the Book of Mormon in Canada. However, Joseph specifically didn’t want to involve Martin in the process. Joseph justified this because of what he claimed was a revelation that he received. In the revelation, it mentioned:
Behold I also covenanted with those who have assisted [Joseph] in my work that I will do unto them even the same Because they have done that which is pleasing in my sight (yea even all save Martin only)
Revelation, circa Early 1830 – 23 Commandment AD 1830
It is interesting however because in the original revelation the name of Martin Harris is crossed out and blacked out with solid ink. This appears to be an attempt to redact Martin’s name from the record. However, using modern technology, the original writing is easily discernable. After the name was crossed out, the record was modified to read, “(yea even all save it be one only)”. This is functionally the same, however may have made people feel better by excluding Martin, who essentially was the sole reason the Book of Mormon was able to be printed in the first place. There was no one who assisted Joseph more in the process, yet Martin was the one excluded.
The brethren failed to sell the copyright in Canada and then returned to Joseph. In 1848, Hiram Page, who was one of the individuals who went to Canada, wrote a letter to William McLellin, about this time and about Joseph’s motivations in the process. Hiram mentioned:
Joseph heard that there was a chance to sell a copy right in Canada for any useful book that was used in the States. Joseph thought this would be a good opportunity to get a hand on a sum of money which was to be (after the expenses were taken out) for the exclusive benefit of the Smith family and was to be at the disposal of Joseph. … The necessary preparation was made (by them) in a sly manner so as to keep Martin Harris from drawing a share of the money.
Letter, Hiram Page to William McLellin, Fishingriver, Feb. 2, 1848; Community of Christ Archives (modernized)
It is honestly not clear why Martin should be excluded from the financial sale of the Book of Mormon when he was the one who sacrificed the most in order to get it translated and printed. It is also not clear why Joseph would feel the need to enter into a legally binding contract with Martin and then almost immediately seek to go around that contract for his own personal benefit. It is also unclear as to why Joseph couldn’t profit from the sale of the gold plates, however he could profit from the sale of the Book of Mormon. To me this seems to be equivalent.
After the failed expedition to Canada however, Hiram and Oliver returned and then asked Joseph why they had been unsuccessful when the revelation clearly told them to sell the copyright and that doing so was specifically God’s will. According to David Whitmer, Joseph asked God why the expedition failed and received the answer that not all revelations were from God. David Whiter wrote:
Joseph did not know how it was, so he enquired of the Lord about it, and behold the following revelation came through the stone: ‘Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of men: and some revelations are of the devil.’ So, we see that the revelation to go to Toronto and sell the copyright was not of God, but was of the devil or of the heart of man.
David Whitmer – An address to all believers in Christ
Whitmer continues by discussing the concept of receiving false revelations. However, it can simply be summed up with Ezekiel 14 which states that God gives us revelations according to our desires. If our desires are pure, then we will receive truth from God. However, if we are not pure, but instead want a specific outcome, then God will often give that outcome to us since there is no other option.
It is however very troubling when prophets receive false revelations. Does that then make them a false prophet? This certainly should make us question the validity of every revelation, especially those where entire chains of doctrines originate from. This certainly was also not the only revelation that Joseph received which turned out to not be of God.
No more rain
As a member, I always thought that Joseph had received revelations and canonized them in the D&C right up until the point of his death. This is certainly a logic assumption, however it is completely wrong. If we instead look at a chart of when the revelations were received for the 1844 edition of the D&C, then we can see what certainly appears to be a huge problem. To be fair, not every revelation was canonized by Joseph in the 1844 edition. However, overall, most of his revelations certainly were. This chart corresponds remarkably well though with everything else.
False doctrine
The last thing I want to discuss is the doctrines that Joseph brought forth, primarily in Nauvoo. Certainly, for many of them there appears to be a slow and steady evolution over time. Some will say “further light and truth”. However, what is the difference between “further light and truth” and just making stuff up? I am in no way suggesting anything of this magnitude for Joseph, but it is a valid question.
However, we certainly should be somewhat selective in what we choose to believe since this will establish our trajectory towards or away from God. For instance, we know Ezekiel 14 says God will give us what we ask for since we won’t accept anything else. Joseph himself admitted that some of his revelations were not from God. However today we inherently assume that everything is from God unless shown otherwise. We really shouldn’t start from a position like that. I don’t assume everything is true until proven false especially not when it deals with religion.
As we already looked at, Joseph received revelations pertaining to selling the copyright of the Book of Mormon that were wrong. He received revelations pertaining to the Kirtland Safety Society that were wrong. He received revelations pertaining to the Council of Fifty that were wrong. He also taught doctrines in Nauvoo that are not found in the scriptures anywhere and are likely wrong. Certainly, they could be correct, however why should we assume automatically that they are? A Kirtland era Mormon would think a Nauvoo era Joseph was off his rocker. Yet, today we accept whatever we are told if it can be traced to Joseph.
Previously I have looked at how Joseph changed the idea of being sealed in marriage from the simple idea of being sealed to God. I have looked at how Joseph changed the idea of becoming God’s people to getting your 2nd anointing. I have looked at how Joseph obscured the character of God and complicated our entire understanding of things. Lastly, I have also looked at how the King Follett discourse from Joseph, is not the pinnacle of Mormonism, but a sign that Mormonism departed from God.
So many things were changed from the simple Doctrine of Christ, yet today we assume they were all correct and rely on them for our understanding of God. Nauvoo was not “further light and truth” like the LDS church claims. It was instead a sign that the church had departed from God. Today we trust in the words of men while ignoring the words of God. This will not end well for those who call themselves God’s people.
Conclusion
It is really hard for some people to hear. However, it certainly seems that Joseph’s prophetic eyes were covered, and he exceeded his bounds. God told him he had only one gift, yet he gave himself an unlimited amount more. He was told to not go after temporal concerns, yet that was almost all that he did. He chose to be king by his followers when our only king should be Christ. He brought forth new doctrines which have no scriptural foundation and actually disagree with the scriptures in some cases.
In Nauvoo Joseph even stopped getting revelations altogether and focused on temporal concerns almost exclusively. God told Joseph that his calling was in Zion, however Joseph felt the need instead to be a king of a secret group. If we actually look at Joseph’s roles prior to his death, then we can see how crazy this whole thing is. As of 1844, when Joseph died, these were his roles:
- President of the church
- President of the high priesthood
- Prophet, seer and revelator to the church
- Trustee in trust of the church
- Mayor of Nauvoo
- General of the Nauvoo Legion
- Chief judge and magistrate
- Land agent for the church
- Presidential candidate
Certainly, some of the roles are spiritual in nature, however most are not. I personally have nothing against Joseph, and I do hold him as a prophet of God. However, we have to be honest with ourselves and see things for what they are. The church was turned over to Satan because of their disbelief and Joseph was used by God to do that. Until we realize that we are in the spiritual wilderness and that we need God’s help to get out, then we can’t even begin to approach God. We must understand that some beliefs that we hold sacred are in fact not from God at all.
I certainly don’t expect Joseph to have been perfect. However, I do expect prophets of God to bring forth the word of God and to abide by it. When they stop doing so and instead start bringing forth false revelations of their own making, then I expect God’s people to abide by Ezekiel 14. This is exactly what Joseph taught the people to do, multiple times, and warned against, however they wouldn’t listen because they idolized him too much.
We must shrink our circle of core beliefs until it only contains Christ and his pure and simple doctrine in the scriptures. Until that point, then our sacred cows are going to determine how much of God we are willing to accept. The process of determining truth is certainly not for the faint of heart. Over my life, I have been absolutely sure of some things only to realize I was wrong. I don’t fault anyone for sincere beliefs.
However, until we are willing to be wrong, then how can we be right? If we approach things with the knowledge that we could be wrong and we want to know how, then we can find the truth and adapt ourselves to it. However, if we instead approach everything different from a perspective where we have to be right, then we have damned ourselves since we won’t follow truth when we find it.
This is where many people are today. They have to “defend” Joseph to clear his name, or they have to “defend” Joseph to justify his actions. This is nonsensical, however it is exactly what modern Mormonism has descended into today. When the true servants of God return, then many will miss them because they are too busy defending things that are false.
