The next time someone quotes Wilford Woodruff (and all the others that said it) on "The Lord will never allow the prophet to lead the church astray. He will remove me out of my place if I attempt to do so."

The best answer is to point to Joseph Smith - who didn't have to die, btw. He was already across the river and came back. So the response would be, "Well then God must have removed Joseph Smith because of polygamy, King Follett, etc (point to your favorite bad doctrine here)." I'd love to see the reaction from a TBM. I might even throw in, "And for cryin' out loud, he wasn't even wearing his garments in Carthage."

Of course they will say God did not remove Joseph Smith. So if He didn't, then how exactly do Woodruff's words apply? Removal at death by old age? Removal by vote of the quorum of the twelve?

For a TBM, God never removes the prophet even when he dies - and even when he dies getting shot in prison.

No. He never was God's prophet in the first place. He was off in cookoo land from the start.

Make you wonder though. What if that piece of space junk lands on Tommy Monson?

No, he was not a prophet, just a self proclaimed prophet. And, no god did not "remove" him, a mob killed him derpriving him (and his victims) of criminal proceedings.

Wasn't he also killed by a few pissed-off folks?

Moses just had to wander about for a few years.

What's up with that?

Timothy

Joseph continually violated all the rules alleged to have been set down by God regarding the practice of polygamy.

61 And again, as pertaining to the law of the priesthood—if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse aanother, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery for they are given unto him; for he cannot commit adultery with that that belongeth unto him and to no one else.

Seems to me, Joseph violated all of these rules.

Obviously, I don't see JS as a prophet at all, but to Mormons, this should be damning evidence.

I think it is more accurate to say that Joseph Smith removed himself. There are many ways in which he did this, that frankly have nothing to do with his religion itself, but more about how he chose to practice that religion, often in violation to the laws of the land and standard moral descency.

1. Plural marriage. Going after married women whose husbands were still living and under-aged girls. It was illegal then and has always been illegal. Worse, he refused to stop claiming that an angel of god was going to kill him if he didn't. I'm sorry, but that excuse is just batsh*t crazy. At best he was an adulterer. That really isn't acceptable behavior, especially for a church leader and government politician. How many nutjobs over the years have used the excuse "god told me to do it" to cover their bad behavior?

2. Trying to become President of the US and create his own theocracy outside the democratic process.

3. Destruction of the free press.

4. Stealing and robbing people in his failed financial schemes.

To say that God removed Joseph Smith would be similar to saying that if you pray to God for help and something good happens, god intervened.

This isn't about God, its about Joseph Smith's bad behavior and how he was removed for that behavior.