In the Spring 1994 conference, GBH brutalized Thomas Ford and his family and demonstrated how the Lord gets even with those who oppose The True Church.
Who’s Thomas Ford? He was the governor of Illinois when Joseph Smith was killed. GBH holds him responsible for the murder of Joseph Smith.
You can read GBH’s referenced talk here: http://www.lds.org/ensign/1994/05/the-greatest-miracle-in-human-history?lang=eng
GBH’s summary of Ford and family: The Lord cursed Ford and his family with unrelenting poverty and death at young ages, including his children.
True, Ford and family lived tragic lives. See Thomas Ford in Wikipedia.
But let’s compare the Ford’s tragedies with the Lord’s “Blessings” to Smith
Here’s what happened to Smith’s 10 children, natural and adopted
Smith had 11 kids (See Wikipedia: Children of Joseph Smith)
1. Alvin Smith, born and died the same day, June 15, 1828. The baby was reported to have multiple birth defects.
2. Thaddeus Smith – Male twin. Born and died the same day, April 30, 1831
3. Louisa Smith – Female twin. Born and died the same day, April 30, 1831
4. Joseph Smith Murdock. Adopted. Born April 30, 1831 (Same day as 2 and 3). He lived 10 months – died March 29, 1832.
5. Julia Murdock Smith: Adopted. Converted to Catholicism
6. Joseph Smith III: He led a rival church.
7. Frederick Granger William Smith: Died at age 25, and left one daughter who never married and had no children
8. Alexander Hale Smith: Presiding patriarch of rival church. He died at age 72; had 9 children
9. Don Carlos Smith: Died 14 months after his birth. Born June 13, 1840, Died August 15, 1840
10. Unnamed male child: Stillborn, Dec 26, 1842
11. David Hyrum Smith: November 17, 1844 – August 29, 1904. 59 years old. He was confined to a mental asylum for the last 27 years of his life.
So, I must ask you again: In your opinion, did the Lord bless the life of Smith more than that of Ford?

Yeah.

I can only sympathize with Emma to a certain extent, but that poor lady went through/put up with a lot of crap.

I don't sympathize with Emma at all. She tolerated a philandering husband and threw Eliza Snow down the stairs, causing her to miscarry. She looked the other way even when told her husband was cheating because of the money, prestige and power it garnered for her and for her children.

How do I know this? After her husband died, she didn't continue but stayed behind and supported a rival church. Ergo, she never believed it was the one true church restored by a vision of God the Father and Jesus and all others were abominations.

She ran off with a conman who admitted to her father that he was a fraud and promised her father that henceforth he would work a regular job and support her honestly. Instead he cooked up yet another scheme to part people who worked from their hard-earned money-- He pretended to translate the Book of Mormon, just like he pretended to translate the Book of Abraham.

How could Emma not know he was faking when the book was not in the room and when it was in the house covered by a dish towel? You notice she wasn't one of the "witnesses" who saw it with her spiritual eyes. No sir, I can just imagine her saying, "Just keep me out of it--that's all I ask."


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