Hypothetically, what if Mark Hoffman's salamander letter was actually a letter by Joseph Smith admitting that the BOM was a fictional creation and that the first vison was a lie? If the church were true, wouldn't church leaders know that this document could not possibly be a valid historical document? Why would they purchase such a letter if they knew that the church were true and that Joseph Smith would never make such a admission? I smelled a rat a long time ago!

The LDSinc. were caught examining and considering purchasing a document that they didn't want to get out into the public.

The letter was about a freaking salamander that talked like Jimminy Cricket in Pinochio. (appropiate)

They were using their super priesthood power to examine a FAKE document and add to the enthusiam to offer money for it. The contents of the letter would show that Joe Smith was not a prophet but talked to salamanders.

They took the bait and ran with the crowd thinking on the letter to cover it up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamander_letter



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/2012 05:22PM by upsidedown.

Good point. This should be one more bullet point in Jesus' Smith's thesis of the GA's knowing the church is a fraud.
If they believed the church was true, they wouldn't have bothered to purchase the salamander letter. They would have dismissed it as a fraud right away. Instead, they ate it up and wanted to squirrel it away. Part of the genius of the Salamander Letter is that it wasn't incredulous enough to be dismissed as a fraud right away. The references to magic and salamanders had just enough correlation to what the GA's already knew that they considered the letter to be genuine.

BTW, Mark Hoffman did forge a letter by Joseph Smith to one of his friends in New York, wherein he was saying things to the effect that he was playing along with everyone thinking he was a prophet. IIRC, this letter didn't go to the church, but to someone else, and eventually it was later proven to be a fraud.

I think all exmos need to be really well-acquainted with the details of the Mark Hofmann affair. If anything proves that the GAs aren't inspired, it's that.

I know there was an A&E episode of "City Confidential" that covered the Hofmann bombings, but it didn't really do the case justice. I wish someone would produce a thorough yet concise documentary that would walk viewers through the implications of what happened with Mark Hofmann. I'm amazed at how man TBMs I talk with who don't really know much about Hofmann, if anything.

they appeared as if they were willing to do anything to keep what they thought was the truth away from the public.

A book called The Mormon Murders is a really good place to see just what lengths the Prophets seers and revelators in Gods kingdom were willing to go to prevent justice from being done.

An interesting parallel can be seen when you read Blood of the Prophets and how far the Prophets seers and revelators in Gods kingdom went to prevent justice from being done.

I've read "A Gathering of Saints," which some people have suggested is a better account of the Hofmann affair than "The Mormon Murders." Frankly, I think a lot of TBMs aren't going to go out of their way to read those or any other books about it (it's amazing how many people I know who are too lazy to read), but they'd be more likely to watch a compelling documentary, even if it is somewhat taboo.

I suspect they already have that information. They aren't about to let the members in on that. They might stop paying, praying and obeying.

I think it's trite to say well-a-true-prophet-wouldve-known-they-were-fakes.
I don't think the prophets ever claimed to be unfoolable.
But...if they REALLY believed and KNEW the church was true, they should have called it a fake right up front.
By purchasing it they are either knowingly buying a fake to protect the members, or they think an authentic document could contradict the church.