My conclusions, about myself and about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
(This text was translated using Google Translate, so there are some errors in the translation. I have corrected some, but not all)
Foreword
I could have written much more in every department but I would rather have more people to read through what little I've written yet many do not read it because it is too much to read. Therefore I have taken me quite short, but is anyone interested in more information about what I have written, just read books or search online. The truth is out there available to anyone who is interested in it.
If anyone is wondering, I have not written my conclusions because I've been hurt by someone from the Jesus Christ Church of Latter-day Saints (hereafter soon shortened JKK = LDS), I have not become proud or otherwise crazy but I have sought more knowledge after that some questions were put to me about JKK I felt I wanted to know more about.
Why I use Internet as media is that it's easy to reach out to many, while those who are not interested can easily click off my post. There is no pressure to read and that is how I want it.
To whom are these conclusions addressed to?
Primarily to members of JKK but also other people can get something out of reading further.
What do I want with this announcement?
You who are reading this can increase your knowledge and as a result, be able to increase your happiness and your opportunities to freedom in life.
Why I want to inform others about my findings?
I feel a responsibility to share with you what I have found and I have a desire to spread the truth. It is of great value, I believe that getting to know more about these things because we as members of JKK put so much energy, time and devotion based on knowledge of these things.
It concerns me and I think it is wrong to some people, without knowing it, living their lives following principles and rules that are not true.
It is better to know how certain events played out in reality and can then you can choose your course in life with at least a better understanding of what you choose. If you choose custom, and tradition in front of truth and freedom, it is quite ok, everyone has the right to choose how they live their lives.
Outline
I'm going to first tell you about who I am and what is important to me in my life. I'm pretty sure that my findings will help others who have similar goals and desires in life that I have. Some will probably not appreciate what I have to say and I respect that, I respect everyone's right to choose and think what they want.
Then I describe various events and publications that has interested me and ends with my conclusions.
Who am I?
I am from Sweden, 43 years old and I am married and the father of three children. Like many people, I grew up in a family consisting of mother, father and two sons, of whom I am the younger brother. Mom, who passed away last fall, believed in God and Jesus while dad believe more in evolution.
I have done many stupid and crazy things in my life, especially in my youth, but I have slowly but surely sought to find more truth about all sorts of things and to learn about how everything works and why. I enjoy the good company of people and I would like myself to become a better person. In short, I seek truth and goodness in life, and it is a constant process in my life.
When I was 21 I got in touch with JKK and its members. I got to know many good and great people and I got to know God and Jesus better which I am eternally grateful. I and my friends who are not members of JKK had many pleasant moments together with peers adolescents who were members of JKK. I will never forget the years 1992-1993, together with the young people from JKK in Jönköping and along with my friends who are not members, it was the most enjoyable time of my life!
Just before I came in contact with JKK, I had gone through a difficult time in my life, I had just come from my first long relationship that did not end in a good way. I was looking for a better life and for people who lived by good principles.
How and why I became a member of JKK?
I wanted to know more about JKK because I thought that the members looked so cheerful and happy out and I wanted to have more of it in my life. I was encouraged by JKKs missionaries to read the Book of Mormon (a book that JKK has and that is comparable to the Bible for members of JKK). The missionaries said that if you pray to God, you can get to know about the Book of Mormon is true. I prayed and I thought I knew a good feeling within me. I was informed by the missionaries and also by other church members that it was God's answer to the Book of Mormon is true.
Is the Book of Mormon is true even JKK true and the person who wrote / translated the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, a true prophet of God, I was informed by the missionaries. It sounded logical, and I did not question it. I believed what they said and I wanted to believe it was true, so I let me be baptized and became a member of JKK in January 1992, 21 years old. Two weeks after my baptism day I baptized my brother, but my mom and dad were never, and never became members of JKK.
What is expected of members of JKK?
When you become a member of JKK some things are expected of you. You should not have sex before marriage, you should not use tobacco, alcohol or drugs. You should pay 10% of your income to the church, giving other financial contributions such as fast offerings, go to church every Sunday, go out and visit other members and gladly participate in other activities, etc.
JKK would also like to see young men in the church to spend two years of their lives as missionaries anywhere in the world, which they do voluntarily without any financial compensation. The purpose of this is to try and get more people interested in becoming members in JKK and that they will know God and Jesus better. Moreover, the two years, the development of the missionary. As a missionary, you help people with whatever they need. But about 95% of the time the mission is spent in trying to recruit more people to the church.
I have been a full-time missionary for the Church in and around London in 1994-1995, and otherwise complied with all rules, notifications, callings, etc. that the church has given me.
To provide financial support to the church you are a member of and follow certain moral rules are not unique to JKK, this exists even among other Christian churches even if objectively speaking the expectations and demands are more in JKK.
How does life work as a member of JKK?
Church members are divided into two major groups, those who were born and raised in the church and those who have become members at some point during their lives, so called convert, that I and my brother are examples. JKK has in Sweden about 8 000 members on the paper and these are mostly members who all their lives have lived in the church.
Any weekday evening during the week can be a member of JKK take part in some activities such as sports, genealogy or institution (a class where you learn more about the church and what we believe in the church).
The main and longest meetings JKK on Sundays. We meet in the church for three hours to take the sacrament (communion) which is bread and water to remember Jesus and what it promised in baptism, namely to follow the commandments of God until you die. After sacrament holds various members short speeches about different experiences in their lives and on various church principles, etc. The rest of the time, about 2 hours, spend it in different lessons and classes where they are taught by the Church manuals, and scriptures about what is God's will , our tasks in life, what happens after death, etc.
During weekdays, you should live your life as you get taught on Sundays, being a member of JKK is a lifestyle. You need to be a good corporate citizen and also invite their friends who are not members of the church to come to church. I have during my 22 years in the church as a member with pride and security told family, friends, coworkers, etc. about how amazing and secure it feels with the church and Jesus in my life.
What is the problem?
The manuals and lessons that missionaries use when they teach are designed in such a way that everything seems logical and correct. Some events in Church history are not included in the manuals and lessons as they actually happened. Some events are not told about at all. The same pattern and at times false white washing, simplifications, prevarications and omission of scandalous events continues JKK to teach to members every Sunday.
When I discovered this, arose in me confusion and disappointment. Everything I believed in collapsed and I felt lost and empty inside. The first reaction I got was that I wanted to defend what I believe in and I wanted so dearly like to see what I've learned and heard so many times in the church must be true. I had built up my entire life and my perception of reality of the Church's doctrines.
With joy and admiration I had previously read through the Church's publications on church history, the church's prophets where Joseph Smith, the church's first prophet and founder of the Church's most the beliefs and authored most of the Church's sacred writings occupy a particularly important position.
How did my journey towards truth and knowledge of JKK, its the beliefs and its founder Joseph Smith?
For about one and a half years ago, I met two of my good friends in Jönköping that put a question to me, if I knew that Joseph Smith (JKK founder and first prophet) had more than one wife?
Yes, I had heard of, I replied, but I had been told during classes on Sundays in church that someone had married Joseph to them in the temple after Joseph's death. I knew, however, that the prophets and leaders who took over the church's care after Joseph's death had several wives, but that it happened because there were not enough men in the church at that time and that it happened because there was no one who could support them and they probably would not have sex with them anyway.
Ana my horror and shock when my good friends goes on and tells us that Joseph Smith married around 30 wives from 1827 to 1844 when he was murdered 39 years old, some wives were as young as 14 and 16 years old when Joseph married with them. Joseph held his first wife Emma, as best he could in ignorance of all these extra wives.
I felt that I wanted to go to the bottom of this, JKK states that JKK is the only true church on earth, and that it is God and Jesus Church. If the Church is true, I thought, so can withstand the scrutiny. Truth stands up to be tested, the truth will prevail and there is certainly a good explanation for all this, I thought, and I wished.
What had I read before?
It was not that I had not read anything about the church and its history before, quite the contrary. I have read many books on the church as the church's prophets, apostles, historians have written such "A great and marvelous work" of the Apostle LeGrand Richards, "Mormon Doctrin" by Bruce R. McConkie, all the books of the Apostle James E. Talmage, books about the history of the Church of Hugn Nibley etc. But none of all the Church's apostles, prophets and leaders had talked about or tried to explain what I now have learned.
How did I find out more information?
After meeting with my friends in Jönköping, I came home to Stockholm, bought Richard Bushman's book "Joseph Smith - Rough Stone Rolling," Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippets Avery's book "Mormon Enigma - Emma Hale Smith" and Fawn M. Brodie's book "No man knows my history "and Others I even read various websites online and watched various videos on Youtube. "No man knows my history", I just read about 80 pages ago, I stopped reading it. I think the book is way too biased negatively against Joseph Smith and full of fabrications and guesswork. I read the books and Web pages objectively and factually could tell me more about the history of the Church, Joseph Smith's life and the events that the church omitted in his teaching.
Joseph and His revelation stone
As I read the books, searched for information online and listened to various Youtube clips I found out about even more things that I have not previously had any idea eg that Joseph Smith had not translated the Book of Mormon, reading from gold plates that I had been taught and seen in pictures of the church, but Joseph had looked down on a special stone in his hat when he dictated to his assistant what was to become the Book of Mormon . This particular "revelation stone" Joseph had also previously been using to try to find buried treasure, but he had never found any treasure using the stone.
A brief insight into how Joseph collected his polygamous wives
Anyway, back to Joseph and all his wives. Joseph married his first wife, Emma, in 1827. Early in 1833, Joseph and Emma in a young girl, Fanny Alger who was then 16 years old, as a helper at home with them. Fanny is described by others as a beautiful young woman with a nice personality. William McLellin wrote in 1872 a letter to Jospeh Smith III (the eldest surviving son of Joseph Smith) that Joseph's wife Emma missed Joseph and Fanny Alger one evening and wondered where they were. Emma went to the barn and saw where Joseph and Fanny together. Emma looked through a crack between the boards and saw what they did. There are several witnesses who later told me that Emma was furious and threw Fanny out of the house. It is worth noting also that the affair with Fanny Alger was three years before Joseph wrote down any revelation on polygamy.
Ok, we are all human beings with faults and failings, it must surely be allowed to make a mistake and still be able to be the prophet of God and receive revelation from God? Well sure, if it had just happened once. Let's see what happens later.
Joseph Smith married including Also with the 14 year old Helen March Kimball in May 1843., she's very young to marry and additionally what Joseph Smith said to Helen before they married also makes me think that Joseph is not a man of God, but everyone is allowed to think that they want this of course. Joseph told Helen that: "If you marry me within the next 24 hours so you and all your father's family and relatives get exaltation (JKKs kyrkord to get to the highest, best, purest heaven). But if you do not marry me, your entire family be damned (in other words = not to come to the highest heaven).
These manipulative pressure on young women / girls did Joseph many times. Young women / girls who often had no family to consult for they had died during the voyage and of the hardships to get to where JKK was in the United States. There was for example two sisters, Emily and Eliza Partridge who was Edward Patridge, Nauvoo Bishop, daughters. Edward died in 1840, and the sisters, then 16 and 20 year old looking for a job as helpers. Joseph and Emma took them in and Emily writes in his diary that Joseph and Emma were so nice to us, almost like a father and mother and I loved Emma and the children.
After they had worked one year at Joseph and Emma's home, then asked Joseph Emily that she would read a letter he had written to her, and then burn the letter. The letter said that Joseph wanted to marry her. Emily refused to marry Joseph, but Joseph did not give up so easily. Elizabeth Durfee, who had married Joseph years earlier, invited Emily and Eliza, and began to tell them about the "spiritual wives" as they called it. Emily married Joseph and four days later married Joseph with her sister Eliza.
Joseph also used to use a trick to say that an angel of the Lord had threatened to kill him with a flaming sword on the girl who asked Joseph would not marry him. This exposed Joseph including 19 year old Zina D. Hunington for year 1841.
Joseph also married wives who are already married to other living men (known as polyandry)
One might think that it is enough extreme to have around 30 wives but it was not enough for Joseph Smith. Joseph also wanted to try to marry women who were already married to living men. An example of this is Flora Ann Woodworth Gove who married Joseph Smith in spring 1843, when she was 16 years old and later she married even with a man named Carlos Gove. Another example is Esther Dutcher Smith, who married Joseph Smith in 1843. Esther had already been married for 10 years but did not become pregnant than with her husband Albert Smith (no relation to Joseph Smith). A third example is Mary Heron Snider.
All is not bleak in terms of Joseph Smith's character
In March 1842, Joseph Smith gave away a nice horse to a colored man as Joseph did not feel closer, and on several occasions sounded Joseph and Emma many people sleeping in their home while they slept on blankets on the floor. Joseph also worked hard in her youth to help with his family's livelihood. My purpose is not to somehow discredit Joseph Smith, but just to find out if he really was a true prophet of God or not. I pick up events as they actually took place, then it's up to everyone to draw their own conclusions. I'll tell you about the events that JKK rather not want members to know something about or talk / ask about. I do this because I do not like when people are manipulated, deceived or become downright cheated.
Recent discoveries that I found the Book of Mormon
There is in 3rd Nephi chapter 20 verse 23-26, written down on the alleged gold plates at an alleged date at 34 years AD., Half a page long quote about Moses is virtually verbatim as Peter quotes in new Testament book of Acts chapter 3 verse 22-26.
But the problem is that in AD 34, Peter had not yet written the book of Acts chapter 3 of the New Testament. So did Peter later. In Acts chapter 5 as told to Peter and John preaching in Jerusalem shortly after Jesus' death. In verse 36 so defended the Gamaliel mentioning: "Not so long ago appeared Teudas ... he killed and all the multitude that followed him dissolved ..". This event is renowned even outside of the gospels, but Tadeus rebellion was put down about year 46 AD
Another example is from the 1st Nephi chapter 22 verse 15, that the Book of Mormon dates that Nephi wrote down around the years 588-570 BC Nephi reads from the brass plates which they had brought from Jerusalem. Nephi quotes the Old Testament prophet Malachi. The only problem is that the book of Malachi in the Old Testament was written down sometime after 515 BC.
Another illogical thing is that according to the Book of Mormon, Nephi takes with him the brass plates from Jerusalem, containing the Old Testament out on their journey. Nephi makes later gold plates where Nephi are recording their revelation and other events. Nephi says there is limited space on the gold plates and time consuming to scrape into the characters on the gold plates. Despite this quote Nephi on gold plates several books from Isaiah, which they already had with them on brass plates. Why waste lot of precious space on gold plates with quotations from Isaiah, when they were already on the brass plates which they had with them?
A reasonable explanation for why Joseph wrote / found in the Book of Mormon was to be able to sell the book to earn money for her poor family and for other reasons as well. Isaiah chapters contained in the Book of Mormon was a smooth filling of the book simply.
Other factors that make it difficult to believe that the Book of Mormon is a true book
DNA
A few studies have been done (see source:
http://www.jefflindsay.com/LDSFAQ/dna2.html # dna) from 1980 to 2003, where studies show that most contemporary American Indians share common ancestors with people from Siberia, especially from the Kets and Altaians from Yanissey river valley and the Altai mountains. Some studies point to other parts of Asia.
A study presented in National Geographic in 2013 (source:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/11/131120-science-native-american-people-migration-siberia-genetics/) shows that almost 1/3 of contemporary American Indians genes come from people who come from western Eurasia, people who can be traced to the Middle East and Europe, which then wanders off to Siberia and further across the Bering Strait to America. researchers found bones from two different people in Siberia, one who had lived about 24,000 years ago and another about 17,000 years ago.
Admittedly, it sounds somewhat hopeful if you believe in the Book of Mormon, to a little less than 1/3 of contemporary American Indians genes may possibly come from people whose forefathers / mothers could have come from the Middle East, which is någolunda near Jerusalem. Would be the Book of Mormon true would reasonably close to 100% of contemporary American Indians genes come from Jerusalem, the only people who will survive in America according to the Book of Mormon is called Lamanites, which according to the Book of Mormon originally came from Jerusalem.
The lack of physical remnants after all the people who have lived in America, according to the Book of Mormon
Researchers have found evidence and the remains of cities and places mentioned in the Bible but the physical remnants that support the Book of Mormon is missing, which is remarkable considering the large number of people who lived over a period of about 1000 years in America, according to the Book of Mormon. That so many people for such a long time have not left any remnants that may be linked to names, places, or people from the Book of Mormon is a mystery.
Steel swords, horses, coins, pigs, wheat, etc. spoken of in the Book of Mormon
According to the Book of Mormon (600 BC - 421 years AD), so use some things and animals of the Mormon people that no archaeologist has yet found in America. These things are:
Silk-Alma 4:6, Nephi 13:7, Alma 1:29
Horses-Enos 1:21, 18:9 Alma, 3 Ne 3: 1, Ne 18:25
Steel-Jarom 1:8, 2 Nephi 5:15,16, 1 Nephi 4:9, 16:18
Iron 2 Nephi 5:15, 20:34, Jarom 1:8, Mosiah 11:8
Coin-Alma 11:5-19
Donkeys-1 Nephi 18:25, Mosiah 5:14, 12:5
Livestock, Cows and Oxen-Enos 1:21; 3 Ne 3:22, 6: 1 Ne 18:25
Pigs-3 Nephi 7:8
Corn and Wheat-Mosiah 9:9; Helaman 11:17
If the Book of Mormon was true would anyone reasonably by now have been able to dig up any of the above animals or objects.
Different versions of the first vision
Joseph did as he himself says, hir first sight / revelation in 1820. The first version of the First Vision written down until 1832. Why did Joseph Smith wait 12 years to write it down or tell about such an important revelation?
1832 version features in brief:
Joseph was 15 when he asked, it does not mention that it was spiritual concerns in the neighborhood as in other versions. Joseph sees in the vision Jesus.
1834 version features in brief:
Spiritual concerns of the neighborhood, Joseph want to know about the true religion, Joseph was here 17 when he prayed, Joseph was here in his bed and prayed and sees in the vision an angel.
1835-36 version features in brief:
Joseph is here 14 years old and is in a grove and asks, looking at the view one person and then another, sees many angels, no mention of spiritual concerns in the neighborhood.
There are more versions than these three but I think it is enough with these three to show that there are differences in the versions. One might think that the versions should be more similar to each other if any of them were true and that Joseph Smith should have mentioned or write down such an important event much earlier than was the case. The different versions of the First Vision feels sadly like an afterthought, created by Joseph in order to portray him as a chosen and special and to get JKK seem to be the only and true Church.
Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon
A cursive writing, a way of writing that is sometimes used in the Bible are also found in some parts of the Book of Mormon, for example, in 1 Nephi and Alma chapter 36. Here you can read what kiasmer is: (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiasmus).
Some members of JKK see this as proof that the Book of Mormon is true, which I do not agree with. Proof that the Book of Mormon is true, for example, would be if someone could show the gold plates, if there were any such, and if anyone other than Joseph Smith would translate the characters from the gold plates and come to the same text as found in the Book of Mormon. That would be proof. As it is now the Chiasmus in the Book of Mormon are as best an argument for the Book of Mormon, that it is similar to some parts of the Bible.
Someone points out that Chiasmus was not discovered until the 1900 hundreds, after the Book of Mormon was printed and that nobody in the church during the time the Book of Mormon was printed mentioned something about this, therefore proving the Book of Mormon is true.
The way to write Chiasmus already exists in the Bible. Just because no one gave a name to this type of writing, which we now call CHIASMUS, does not mean that anyone who has studied the Bible did not know about this and could copy this style of writing to certain books in the Book of Mormon.
I agree that it is clever, elaborate and skillfully done, but it takes away the point of a forgery / copy if I tell in advance how I've done it. If I falsifies a few notes really skillfully, telling people that they are fake, then I'm ruining the whole point with the forgery of banknotes. If I tell you how I have made notes and that the notes are fake, who want to receive it as a valid method of payment? No one.
Book of Abraham
Joseph bought some papyrus scrolls in July 1835 that had been found in Egypt and brought to the United States. Joseph said that these papyri contained Abraham's words that Abraham had written with his own hand while Abraham was in Egypt.
After Joseph Smith was murdered in 1844 retained his mother, Lucy Smith papyrus rolls until she died in 1856. Joseph's first wife Emma sold rolls to Abel Combs on 26th May 1856. Ten weeks later shown a portion of the papyrus rolls in St. Louis Edward Wyman. Museum in St.. Louis was closed in July 1863, the rollers were moved to Chicago museum in 1864. Most thought the rolls were destroyed in 1871 in the Great Fire of Chicago.
But Abel Combs had saved some of the rollers / fragments which later was taken over by Abel housekeepers Charlotte Weaver Huntsman. Then took her daughter Alice Combs Weaver Heusser over rollers / fragments. Alice contacted the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1918 on the rollers / fragments, but they were not interested. In 1947 bought however Ludlow Bull, a counselor at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art rolls / fragments of Edward Heusser, Alice widower. In May 1966 discovered Suryal Aziz Atiya of Utah University rollers / fragments. Since donated JKK a sum of money to the museum and got the reels / fragments.
Professional researchers, both members from JKK and non-members have examined the Egyptian signs and symbols and translated what it says on the fragments, but the correct translation of the symbols and figures on the fragments says something completely different than what Joseph Smith claimed it stood at fragments that are part of JKK sacred writings called "The Book of Abraham".
Joseph Smith called his copy of what was written on papyrus rolls for translation, while JKK calls it the revelation from God. What Joseph wrote down / got revealed to him when he read on papyrus rolls call JKK the Book of Abraham.
The worst part is that it does not matter if you call it translation or revelation, the Book of Abraham we have in JKK do not reflect at all what it says on papyrus rolls. If there were revelations from God, who only speaks the truth, ought also what Joseph wrote down be the truth.
When Joseph wrote / translated / received revelation about the characters and symbols from the Facsimile Erna (= small images on papyrus rolls) Joseph wrote down not the true and proper meaning of the figures and symbols.
Joseph unfortunately doesn´t stand up to the test of a true prophet of God, which is that what you write down as revelation is truth. The conclusion is unfortunately that Joseph writes down things that are not true, and it proves that it does NOT come from God, but from his own mind or from any other person.
The myths about why people leave JKK
JKK has developed a strategy to hold together and try to ensure that members remain in JKK when other members leave the church. To the extent possible, ensure that no more leave the church, giving JKK false explanations why members leave the church. Anonymous surveys of former members have shown that the most common explanations that JKK have found on the reason why members leave the church are:
1st Pride in various forms has been the person to leave the Church.
2nd That the person has committed sins, driving them from God.
3rd That the person has been insulted by another person in the church.
4th That the person has been deceived by Satan.
5th That the person has accepted the world's false teachings.
while in reality it is: (source:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/ldsleave.htm)
1st Do not believe that Joseph Smith is the prophet of God (6%).
2nd Do not believe the Book of Mormon is what it claims to be (5%).
3rd Emphasis JKK places on blind faith and / or obedience to Church leaders (5%).
4th Fann more peaceful after they left JKK behind them (4%).
5th They became fed up with the fanatical mindset that JKK teaches (4%).
6th Logical problems with JKKs religion and JKKs manipulations (3%).
7th Cultlike tempelcermonier (3%).
8th Book of Abraham (3%).
9th Then comes a number of reasons such as the prophet Brigham Young doctrine, polygamy,
JKK approach to gay, problems Mormon has archaeologically speaking, etc.
Ask to find out what is true
Something you as a member of JKK often told is that one can know for himself what is true, by the Holy Spirit if we sincerely ask for to know if something is true.
I have previously thought / believed that I have received a reply to that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I have prayed and thought / believed that the Book of Mormon has been a true book and the book of Abraham likewise etc.
Now it turns out that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Abraham is not correct or that the revelation Joseph received about the book of Abraham is not correct, however you want to put it.
The Book of Mormon has many errors and contains plagiarism from the Bible.
Since I before thought that I have gotten truthful answers to my prayers that this was true but facts shows that is it not, I no longer want to blindly trust to know if things are true through prayer.
I think it's far too easy to be fooled by their own desires that they want it to be true, a kind of auto-suggestion, which means that you are too gullible to believe in things that are not true.
As I've said before, the truth is worth trying and will prevail. 1 +1 is not equal to 3, no matter how much you pray for it to be true or how much you wish it were true.
It may also be that you have received an answer to prayer through the Holy Spirit that God and Jesus are true, for it speaks of God and Jesus in the example Book of Mormon, and as a result have you have also thought that the Book of Mormon is true, and then it is well also that Joseph Smith is true and JKK is true that he established?
Revelations from the prophets of today
Ask yourself these questions:
What are your favorite revelations from today's prophet Thomas S. Monson?
What are your favorite revelations of the prophets before Thomas S. Monson?
How many revelations can you think of?
I believe that Thomas S. Monson, and many other leaders in the church are fine and good people, but I do not think they are more "God's true prophets" than any other man on earth who believe in God and Jesus.
My conclusions
God, Jesus and the Bible
I still believe that God and Jesus are real and true, I still believe that the Bible is God's word.
Members of JKK
I think many members are fantastic and good people and I hope to spend time with them in the future.
Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, Book of Abraham, etc.
Joseph Smith has, I believe, anyway, lived in many respects a life that can not be regarded as particularly Christ-like. I do not believe that Joseph Smith is a prophet called by God and I think he created the Book of Mormon, Book of Abraham, etc. to be able to help himself and his family financially, socially, etc. According to me, Joseph has done too many things wrong and made too many bad decisions in order to be a true prophet of God.
I believe that Joseph organized JKK order to increase his, his family and friends power and position in the world and that there were probably some people around him who expected, wanted him to do it. Maybe he told himself that he was chosen to lead this church.
I think he got most of his polygamous wives in order to have more sex, not because God commanded him to do so.
JKK =LDS
I think JKK of today is a good Christian church that does much good. Polygamy is not allowed anymore and JKK focuses on the family, which I think is good. Church helps in disasters and the like.
JKK show is not open what JKK do with all the money the church gets through its members, which I think is negative and are currently JKK on building a mall in Salt Lake City in the U.S. for a cost of $ 1.5 billion and it is estimated renovation projects around the shopping center, it costs JKK 5 billion dollars to do this.
I think JKK is not God's true, right church but is equally correct and true as any other Christian church, unfortunately. However, there are many good principles and truths in JKK that is well worth keeping and live by.
What can you do now that you have been told all this?
Do exactly what you want. Now you're probably in all cases have more knowledge about JKK, its founder, Joseph Smith, Book of Mormon, Book of Abraham, etc. and make better informed decisions about your life than before you read this document.
Useful YouTube clip if you want to know more
Book of Abraham
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5FAFVVv_oshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcyzkd_m6KEJoseph Smith's character and history by Sandra Tanner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUIiK6cljloOther
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQlYADfAeAYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a989OOSOycwhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi8kxNPSeBc&index=1&list=PL9E3C36B7F4EC3A02https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGWvhhPpetghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhNOx1TjeLg Lying for the Lord 16 min
Good pdf-document on the Book of Abraham, where the pages 15, 20, 23 and 25 shows Joseph's translations / revelation of Facsimile Erna (images) in the book of Abraham:
http://www.mormonthink.com/files/The%20Book%20of%20Abraham%20Criticisms%20Defenses%20and%20Implications.