Stay with me on this one.

Forensically speaking, it would explain a whole lot if Moroni made multiple visits to the wrong address in Palmyra, New York. This possibility came to me recently when my GPS landed me at a wrong pier in Santa Monica, California.

What is Moroni returned over and over again, due to his innocent, sincere belief that Joseph Smith was the actual youngster God wanted to restore His only true church through, when in fact, the correct person was just a few fields away, waiting patiently for his or her prayers to be answered?

If an angel taught sacred secrets to the wrong person, a new religion seems to me to be inevitable. And such an institution, like any historic snowball worth its salt, would have many mutations, freak doctrines and inconsistencies, just as the only true church had through the (in-error-delivered-to) con-man, Joseph Smith.

How do we know that Moroni is not chained today in a cold dungeon for totally screwing up his one, simple task to restore the rarest vehicle possible in existence? What if Joseph Smith did as he was commanded, for fear of offending God, if he did nothing?

Wouldn't you commit any atrocity if a flaming sword was the inevitable result of a choice of just a little less than your full, free-agency?

I think we need to open our minds to consider that angels can err, and if we accept this one fact, the Mormon church may just be the best efforts of an imperfect but well-meaning origin.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=Moroni%27s+psychological+makeup

You lost me on the speculation that Moroni was real.

"You lost me on the speculation that Moroni was real."

Not to mention the speculation that God is real. Or, if he is real, the ridiculousness of the theory that an all-knowing, all-powerful God wouldn't know that Moroni was heading to the wrong address, and steer him to the correct young man---one who was actually humble, sincere, prayerful, and was not a con-artist folk-magician.

Then it would mean that human beings are gullible beyond safe boundaries. It would mean that anyone could be a leader, and thus, chaos would result as a norm, and not merely an unfortunate aberration.

Generally, I have faith in humanity, outside of many parts of Africa and a few other intensely short-sighted and hyper-passionate locales.

If a person came knocking at my door in 1830 and told me he had been visited by an angel that hovered above the floor, I would share this as news among my own family and peers. To doubt amazing occurrances would be to cut off all unlikely rescue attempts for a less-than-competent planet of men and women.

Don, do you think you would have ignored the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in 1830? If so, why? It seems to me that trust is the lubricant of human progress at every level.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xthDHvenr4Y

"Don, do you think you would have ignored the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in 1830?"

You mean like 99% of everybody who did hear about it in 1830 ignored it? Most of the people who had known Joseph Smith since he was a teenager were smart enough to know that he didn't restore any "gospel."

I am sure that Moroni was nothing more than a fabrication of JS. Sadly many humans are gullible beyond safe levels. Got to admit though, I was sucked in by the story for many years.As far as religion is concerned chaos is the norm.

There was only one address, in JS's head.

If I had met Joseph Smith, I can assure you that he would have preferred William Law over me. If you doubt it, I suggest you read from my section at Salamander Society.

Don't you mean Nephi? The first time Joseph wrote about this account he said the angel was banned Nephi (see the Joseph Smith papers).

"Named" not "banned" from my last post. I hate my phone

You had one job, Moroni!! ONE. JOB!

Sheesh...it happens every Xmas that Santa Claus misses MY address with that Porsche Turbo Carrera that i asked for years ago!

Wishful extrapolation certainly makes it plausible that Nephi/Moroni mistook Joseph Smith's farm house for P.T. Barnum's house just down the lane a bit.

I mean come on now...with "prayer" being a 50/50 proposition...God's overall credibility leaves much to be desired.

Am i right or am i right???

Or so it seems to me...