How can you claim joseph smith was a prophet?

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The Apocalypse of St. John also says a lot of prophetic things that have not yet come true, although I am aware that not everyone sees that book as a book of prophesies, including myself. More to the point, I don’t know a lot of Mormons, but the ones I have met have been kind, caring and wonderful people and I’m glad I met them. You know, I bet there are a lot of ways to know Jesus. They have one, you have one - that’s great don’t you think? Maybe that’s why God made more than one person. Maybe He loves them all too. Jesus was a Jew, or maybe more accurately an Essene of a sort, but I can say I never read where he asked people about their beliefs before he showed them His love. I bet all of us get a some things wrong when it comes to our beliefs, I know I do. But I’m going to keep working on Loving God and loving others and try to see Him in others t he way Jesus said. If by God’s grace I can get that right, I bet the rest is superfluous.
I have met a lot of nice mormons too. They are one of the nicest groups of people I have ever met. My girlfriend used to be mormon and her family still is. I do believe there is more than one way to know jesus, but I also believe joseph smith was a false prophet. I believe he taught things that go against jesus’ teachings, and because I care about mormons and like them, I want to show them the truth.
 
I can validate jesus’ teachings because of the things you said, and because I cannot prove them to be false.
e46m3,
The most important way I validate Jesus’ teachings is to live by those teachings as best I can. I love His teachings–they are completely part and parcel of every day of my life–every waking minute of my life, as best I can think of Him and try to be guided by following Him.
You “validate” Joseph Smith’s teachings because you understand them. I understand them too, that does not “validate” them.
I tend to doubt that you understand the teachings of Joseph Smith on any level other than a surface level by what you have read or heard.
Joseph Smith’s teachings were not a direct match to the teachings of Jesus. Jesus never taught polygamy
So, then, when Jesus said “I AM that I AM,” you evidently don’t believe He was saying He was the God of Moses Whom Moses was to say “I AM sent me.” Since you evidently don’t believe that, then yes the Old Testament God of Abraham and Moses does not match Jesus in every particular way by what is recorded in the New Testament. Since I know that Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then I understand differently about plural marriage being part of what God commanded to certain people (such as Abraham) at certain times in the history of the world.
Jesus never taught that you could be a God
Only perhaps ten times, but in a little bit veiled way. (The apostle John made it more clear in Revelation.) The idea is that we are to become like Him, really and truly. He is God the Son. To inherit what He rightfully inherits, by His grace, is to become like Him–a son of God or a daughter of God in the sense of an inheritance.
Jesus never taught his Father was once a man who lived on planet Kolob
Nor did Joseph Smith.
Jesus never taught his brother was satan.
Nor did Joseph Smith. He did teach that Satan existed before this world was created, and rebelled against God and sought to replace Christ in Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation.
It’s not about understanding something. It’s about having solid facts out in front of you telling you that what you believe is true.
For me, it’s about living by the teachings of Jesus, including kindness and a forgiving heart such as MFlorence showed here recently and Campeador showed in a response earlier. Those were the kinds of behaviors that Christ’s message was all about.🙂
 
For the majority of the Jews of the time of Christ, one recalls that He was considered a “false prophet” and that there were many other accusations against Him. That is what people do when their belief system is challenged and their status quo is upset by teachings they don’t agree with. Human nature occurs in human beings.
So it’s just a matter of perception? Oh, silly me. I must’ve misinterpreted the fact that LDS church doesn’t even own the land that the Independence temple was supposed to be built upon for it having actually been built and put into service 178 years ago.

So tell me again (or how about just once?) how many false prophecies it takes to be a false prophet. Thus far Smith has successfully defended his perfect 0% accuracy rating.
 
The most important way I validate Jesus’ teachings is to live by those teachings as best I can. I love His teachings–they are completely part and parcel of every day of my life–every waking minute of my life, as best I can think of Him and try to be guided by following Him.
That’s fine and good as long as you follow Christian values and not those Smithian in origin. I really like the part in the BOM where ‘Jesus’ says he’s going to quote Moses and actually ends up quoting Peter’s paraphrase of Moses, word-for-word as it happens. That was hilarious.
I tend to doubt that you understand the teachings of Joseph Smith on any level other than a surface level by what you have read or heard.
In other words, if I can’t pull the wool over your eyes and get you to see it my way, I’ll simply tell you that you don’t understand, a tactic that requires no proof to support.
So, then, when Jesus said “I AM that I AM,” you evidently don’t believe He was saying He was the God of Moses Whom Moses was to say “I AM sent me.” Since you evidently don’t believe that, then yes the Old Testament God of Abraham and Moses does not match Jesus in every particular way by what is recorded in the New Testament. Since I know that Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, then I understand differently about plural marriage being part of what God commanded to certain people (such as Abraham) at certain times in the history of the world.
Since the ‘God’ in the Book of Abraham is supposed to be Jesus while using the alias of Jehovah, you then have to revise your entire theology because it then becomes a celestial version of “Who’s On First?”
Only perhaps ten times, but in a little bit veiled way. (The apostle John made it more clear in Revelation.) The idea is that we are to become like Him, really and truly. He is God the Son. To inherit what He rightfully inherits, by His grace, is to become like Him–a son of God or a daughter of God in the sense of an inheritance.
Nice try but deceitful in spirit because we both know that D&C 132 was very clear in its message that all faithful Mormon men, as long as they were married in the temple and were polygamists, could become gods.

“…15-20 Celestial marriage and a continuation of the family unit enable men to become gods…” (D&C 132 chapter heading)

D&C 132:20 is crystal clear: “Then they (faithful Mormon men who meet the conditions laid out in the prior verses) shall be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting…”

If Jesus heads the church as it claims, we have him saying exactly that. The other references you claimed Jesus made would be, at a guess, 1 Corinthians 8:5 and 15:40-42, right? Unfortunately, these verses are taken out of context and propped up as if they say something different.
Nor did Joseph Smith (Jesus never taught his Father was once a man who lived on planet Kolob).
This also appears to be untrue because since we already know that the Book of Abraham is a farce Smith created and that it first saw print in the 1842 Times and Seasons, during which time I believe Smith was the editor, he seems to have done exactly that.
Nor did Joseph Smith. He did teach that Satan existed before this world was created, and rebelled against God and sought to replace Christ in Heavenly Father’s plan of salvation.
I agree here but it’s the logical result of the LDS teaching that God is the literal father of all of our spirits. This is the first step in what makes the Mormon jesus a product of incest.
For me, it’s about living by the teachings of Jesus, including kindness and a forgiving heart such as MFlorence showed here recently and Campeador showed in a response earlier. Those were the kinds of behaviors that Christ’s message was all about.
When did the real, true, and living Jesus tell you to follow a prophet who lied, couldn’t tell the same story twice, and ‘restored’ something that wasn’t lost in the first place? When did he tell you that all other churches were an abomination before him? And when did he tell you that it was imperative to be baptised for dead people?
 
For the benefit of readers who may have wondered about no responses to certain posters, I have used the option to ignore three ex-LDS persons who persist on the threads that bring up questions about the LDS church. They have the background to find answers to their questions, plus they have the teaching of Jesus to not “look back” when putting their hand to the plow, so I choose to allow them to continue in the choice they have made for themselves and not keep “looking back”. Jesus taught that concept well.
 
For the benefit of readers who may have wondered about no responses to certain posters, I have used the option to ignore three ex-LDS persons who persist on the threads that bring up questions about the LDS church. They have the background to find answers to their questions, plus they have the teaching of Jesus to not “look back” when putting their hand to the plow, so I choose to allow them to continue in the choice they have made for themselves and not keep “looking back”. Jesus taught that concept well.
:rolleyes: Whatever keeps your cog dis humming.
 
For the benefit of readers who may have wondered about no responses to certain posters, I have used the option to ignore three ex-LDS persons who persist on the threads that bring up questions about the LDS church. They have the background to find answers to their questions, plus they have the teaching of Jesus to not “look back” when putting their hand to the plow, so I choose to allow them to continue in the choice they have made for themselves and not keep “looking back”. Jesus taught that concept well.
I was never LDS. And yes, I already know the answers to the questions I’m asking but I want you to answer them because we both know they have no answers that make sense. I’m hoping that you’ll eventually see that the church has been lying to you. At any rate, what you do with the information is up to you but you can’t fool God as easily as you fool yourself.
 
The Apocalypse of St. John also says a lot of prophetic things that have not yet come true, although I am aware that not everyone sees that book as a book of prophesies, including myself.
The difference is that Smith’s prophecies had definite times and conditions attached to them. For instance, several were prophecies that certain persons would perform certain tasks, yet those people died with those tasks undone. There were prophecies of certain things that Joseph himself would do which he never accomplished, and now he’s dead so he can never do those things.

Those are failed prophecies, plain and simple.
 
The difference is that Smith’s prophecies had definite times and conditions attached to them. For instance, several were prophecies that certain persons would perform certain tasks, yet those people died with those tasks undone. There were prophecies of certain things that Joseph himself would do which he never accomplished, and now he’s dead so he can never do those things.

Those are failed prophecies, plain and simple.
And as we know, telling lies makes one a liar, committing murder makes one a murderer, so just one false prophecy makes one a _____ _______.

Care to take a stab at that one, Parker? How about you, Diana?
 
For the benefit of readers who may have wondered about no responses to certain posters, I have used the option to ignore three ex-LDS persons who persist on the threads that bring up questions about the LDS church. They have the background to find answers to their questions, plus they have the teaching of Jesus to not “look back” when putting their hand to the plow, so I choose to allow them to continue in the choice they have made for themselves and not keep “looking back”. Jesus taught that concept well.
By doing this, aren’t you reinforcing what they are saying? After all, you are admitting they have the background to answer the questions.

Somewhere back long ago (I’m not searching for it), I’m sure you made a statement similar to our other lds friends that you are here to help dispel misconceptions about the lds church.

If you feel these 3 aren’t providing accurate information, shouldn’t you be trying to rebut it?
 
For the benefit of readers who may have wondered about no responses to certain posters, I have used the option to ignore three ex-LDS persons who persist on the threads that bring up questions about the LDS church. They have the background to find answers to their questions, plus they have the teaching of Jesus to not “look back” when putting their hand to the plow, so I choose to allow them to continue in the choice they have made for themselves and not keep “looking back”. Jesus taught that concept well.
This is Parkers way of saying the Ex Mormons KNOW the truth…and that is why they left. Mormons cannot fool ex-mormons…they cannot twist the Scriptures, they cannot whitewash their history…because we know better. So, they find it easier to ignore us. I take that as a badge of honor.
 
By doing this, aren’t you reinforcing what they are saying? After all, you are admitting they have the background to answer the questions.

Somewhere back long ago (I’m not searching for it), I’m sure you made a statement similar to our other lds friends that you are here to help dispel misconceptions about the lds church.

If you feel these 3 aren’t providing accurate information, shouldn’t you be trying to rebut it?
This is Parkers way of saying the Ex Mormons KNOW the truth…and that is why they left. Mormons cannot fool ex-mormons…they cannot twist the Scriptures, they cannot whitewash their history…because we know better. So, they find it easier to ignore us. I take that as a badge of honor.
Actually if you’ve participated on forums like CARM as a Catholic, you know what ParkerD is talking about. We have no problem answering questions from non-LDS or ex-LDS. The problem is when certain posts by certain people are loaded with uncharitable statements, polemics, telling us what we “really” believe, etc. Granted, we don’t expect you to agree with our beliefs, but it is possible to discuss them without saying things like “Joe Smith was a charlatan”, whether you believe that or not. If you’ve posted at CARM before, you’d see that some Catholics/Mormons end up ignoring certain ex-Catholics/ex-Mormons, who are very inflammatory, uncharitable, divisive, etc. It’s just not worth it to attempt a discussion with them, and that’s what ParkerD is talking about. What SirThomas said above is exactly what ex-Catholics say on CARM and elsewhere, which comes as no surprise.

In addition, the moderator that has monitored the LDS-related threads has commented on this issue a number of times:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=6882693&postcount=31

That should tell you something, if you ignore what I just said.
 
Actually if you’ve participated on forums like CARM as a Catholic, you know what ParkerD is talking about. We have no problem answering questions from non-LDS or ex-LDS. The problem is when certain posts by certain people are loaded with uncharitable statements, polemics, telling us what we “really” believe, etc. Granted, we don’t expect you to agree with our beliefs, but it is possible to discuss them without saying things like “Joe Smith was a charlatan”, whether you believe that or not. If you’ve posted at CARM before, you’d see that some Catholics/Mormons end up ignoring certain ex-Catholics/ex-Mormons, who are very inflammatory, uncharitable, divisive, etc. It’s just not worth it to attempt a discussion with them, and that’s what ParkerD is talking about. What SirThomas said above is exactly what ex-Catholics say on CARM and elsewhere, which comes as no surprise.

In addition, the moderator that has monitored the LDS-related threads has commented on this issue a number of times:

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=6882693&postcount=31

That should tell you something, if you ignore what I just said.
Thanks for the (name removed by moderator)ut, but I’m really more interested in parker’s take on it.
 
This is Parkers way of saying the Ex Mormons KNOW the truth…and that is why they left. Mormons cannot fool ex-mormons…they cannot twist the Scriptures, they cannot whitewash their history…because we know better. So, they find it easier to ignore us. I take that as a badge of honor.
Personally, i think it goes back to one common element, and that is many of the posters that are ex-lds “studied their way out”.
 
This is also the reason that the church won’t ever address the problems that it faces, only telling members to ‘endure to the end’ and not to read anything that’s not ‘faith-promoting.’
Thanks - that explains why my good friend has this strange almost complete lack of curiousity about my faith. It never comes up as a question with her, and when I have the occasion to begin to talk about some area of my faith, she glazes over so fast that I soon I drop the subject, and she never brings it up again. She seems to have a curious mind for just about any other thing, which is why its puzzling.
 
Caprica;6904188 [QUOTE said:
]Actually if you’ve participated on forums like CARM as a Catholic, you know what ParkerD is talking about. We have no problem answering questions from non-LDS or ex-LDS. The problem is when certain posts by certain people are loaded with uncharitable statements, polemics, telling us what we “really” believe, etc.
Actually, those of us who tell you what you believe are only using your own books and documents. The problem is, you dislike greatly your past used. You hate the BY taught Adam-God. You hate the fact that it was a teaching that God was once a sinful man. You hate the (or should) the fact your leaders were horribly racist, you hate that your god has to change constantly with the public pressure. And when we remind you of all this, you know the apologetics are weak. So, you ignore us…
Granted, we don’t expect you to agree with our beliefs, but it is possible to discuss them without saying things like “Joe Smith was a charlatan”, whether you believe that or not.
First, I find it odd that you would tell me I should say what I believe, when you say what you believe all the time. And it is not a belief that Joe was a con man…it is fact. We have showed many examples to support it. These include the treasure seeking using seer stones…the very stones he amazingly translated the gold plates with, without ever using the gold plates…the bank scandals, etc.
If you’ve posted at CARM before, you’d see that some Catholics/Mormons end up ignoring certain ex-Catholics/ex-Mormons, who are very inflammatory, uncharitable, divisive, etc. It’s just not worth it to attempt a discussion with them, and that’s what ParkerD is talking about. What SirThomas said above is exactly what ex-Catholics say on CARM and elsewhere, which comes as no surprise.
Yes. I spoke the truth. I am glad that the truth comes as no surprise.
In addition, the moderator that has monitored the LDS-related threads has commented on this issue a number of times:
The moderator has also chastized and banned Mormons. So?
 
Actually, those of us who tell you what you believe are only using your own books and documents. The problem is, you dislike greatly your past used. You hate the BY taught Adam-God. You hate the fact that it was a teaching that God was once a sinful man. You hate the (or should) the fact your leaders were horribly racist, you hate that your god has to change constantly with the public pressure. And when we remind you of all this, you know the apologetics are weak. So, you ignore us…

First, I find it odd that you would tell me I should say what I believe, when you say what you believe all the time. And it is not a belief that Joe was a con man…it is fact. We have showed many examples to support it. These include the treasure seeking using seer stones…the very stones he amazingly translated the gold plates with, without ever using the gold plates…the bank scandals, etc.

Yes. I spoke the truth. I am glad that the truth comes as no surprise.

The moderator has also chastized and banned Mormons. So?
The issue, as the moderators have pointed out, is that there are charitable and uncharitable ways to say things. The reason why so many of these LDS-related threads have been shut down is because of a lack of charity, whether by Catholics or Latter-day Saints. I am commenting specifically on why some LDS choose not to respond to specific Catholic posters, and it is for the same reasons that the moderator mentioned in this post, among others. Other Catholic posters, while disagreeing fervently with our beliefs, can discuss them in a charitable, adult manner, such as Soren1 and SteveVH, among others.

I agree with everything that the moderator said. Catholics do not like it when they read what is said on CARM (there have been a few threads on that topic here recently) about Catholicism, yet some of those same Catholics use the same tactics against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Any Catholic or LDS that has participated on CARM knows why we choose to ignore certain posters here.

As far as your misunderstandings of our beliefs, I don’t “hate” them anymore than a Catholic may “hate” the CARM Evangelical that was Catholic for 30+ years and still has misunderstandings of Catholic beliefs, and claims that they are teaching what Catholics “really” believe. You wouldn’t send a non-Catholic to learn about Catholicism from CARM ex-Catholics, nor would I send a non-Latter-day Saint to learn about the LDS faith from an ex-LDS. If anything, it should be balanced and evaluated with what believers of each religion says.
 
The difference is that Smith’s prophecies had definite times and conditions attached to them. For instance, several were prophecies that certain persons would perform certain tasks, yet those people died with those tasks undone. There were prophecies of certain things that Joseph himself would do which he never accomplished, and now he’s dead so he can never do those things.

Those are failed prophecies, plain and simple.
Well, you’re right - Joseph Smith’s prophesies were simpler and more easily defined, whereas the Apocalypse of St John is nebulous, can be read to mean anything you might like to ascribe to it, and we’re not even sure who wrote it, or if it’s even a prophesy. As for Joseph Smith, perhaps if there were some Mormons participating in this dialog we could ask them. I’m just speculating, but perhaps they too consider the prophesies to be flawed, but they continue on because they feel that aside from a few missteps from leadership, they have a good workable faith and an established group identity that works well for them. I think it’s fair to say that most religions have had some embarrassing episodes in regard to their leadership. I can think of a good many. Some church leaders have been wrong in their beliefs, or in how their beliefs were applied, or just profoundly wrong in their actions. On the other hand, I am greatly pleased to see that the people press on with their faith anyway. Maybe the same is the case with the Mormons? I’d be interested to hear what they say.
 
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