Heart of the Matter: Where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity

SALT LAKE CITY UTAH

This is Heart of the MatterTGNN’s original show where Shawn McCraney deconstructed religion and developed fulfilled theology., where Mormonism Meets Biblical Christianity, face to face. Show 16 BOM 43 – Harvest H April 17th 2012. And I’m your host, Shawn McCraneyFounder of TGNN and developer of the fulfilled perspective—calling people to faith outside of religion.. We praise the True and Living God for allowing us to participate in this ministry. May He be with you (and us) tonight.

Joining Church Gatherings

Okay, hey . . . are you going to Church? We meet every Sunday at 10 am for what we call MILK and at 2:30 for what we have labeled MEAT. Verse by verseTGNN’s Bible teaching series—book-by-book, through the lens of fulfillment and spiritual liberty. through Matthew in and AM and verse by verse through Romans in the PM. Join us. Invest in the present and the future for yourself and or your family by investing some time and attention to learning God’s Word. It does NOT return void. Go to www.C-A-M-P-U-S.com for more “informacion.” By the way, we are going to be making some exciting announcements in the near future about CAMPUS so stay tuned . . .

Hey, our outstanding in-house webmaster Micah Bailey has developed some amazing website just for you. They REALLY provide a lot of tremendous informacion. Take a look. (Show Website PROMO here)

Exploring Our Websites

Let me tell you about them briefly:

• www.bornagainmormon.com Full of informacion about the ministry to the LDS, the first book, FAQ’s, and mush-mush more.
• www.HOTM.tv Contains our archives with over 320 hour long programs, and a new sort-of blog that goes with every show – for you to comment upon and lots more including a store.
• www.C-A-M-P-U-S.com Is our newest site and is really cool. Check it out. It will host all of our teachings from the Milk and Meat gatherings.
• www.exmormonfiles.tv This site is under construction but it too will carry all of the programs in the near future. You can go to this site to sign up to meet with Earl and get your story on tape.

AM 820 The Truth! Listen to it. To what? AM 820 the Truth! It is full of great “informacion.”

Speaking of Bishop Earl, he was invited to speak at Calvary Chapel Idaho Falls over the weekend and from what I hear did a great job. So great that we know of one LDS woman who attended and received the Lord that night. I hear that Church has “got it going on” so if you are living in that area and are looking for a place to worship the living God, check them out. Calvary Chapel Idaho Falls

www.calvaryif.org

As I mentioned, one of the things you will find on our HOTM.TV website is a shopping area.

What products are available therein, thereon, thereat? VIDEOS (show them) BOOKS (show them) MUSIC CD’S (show it) We offer these products because they are EXCELLENT tools for whatever your specific needs may be and your getting them from us helps support this ministry. Go to www.hotm.tv for more . . . that’s right . . . “informacion.”

Supportive Community Efforts

Speaking of products, every now and again people send me gifts which I strong encourage you NOT to do – really. In any case I received something in the mail not long ago that is so beautiful and well done I want to tell you where you too can get work like this done. (Show the Leather Pillow) On your screen is the phone number of Cindy who hand makes leather products like this. If you’re impressed with this and would like a pillow of your own, give her a call. By the way, for you cynics out there, my doing this is from my heart to this family. They are not paying for this and I did NOT get this gift in exchange for the promotion. Cindy’s work just fits with the ministry.

Cindy 801 423-2957

Okay, our National Summer Tour is getting legs. Want to know where we’ll be and when? Take a look! We are here to equip the body of Christ – use us.

www.hotm.tv

A Moment From The Word

How about a Moment “From The Word?”

We’re in the Gospel of John (chapter five) and in verse 24 Jesus says, yet again, another important and clarifying statement relative to the Mormon/Christian debate:

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. unto life.

In the Book of Romans, we read:

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word

The Word of God and Modern Challenges

In the Gospel of Luke, the Lord gives a parable known as the Good Seed. In it He states:

Luke 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.

Later in the same chapter someone points out Jesus' earthly mother and brothers and He replies saying:

Luke 8:21 And he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.

And of course Hebrews 4:12 says the all familiar:

“For . . . the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

Recent Perspectives on the Bible

But recent LDS prophets like Ezra Taft Benson, Gordon B Hinckley, and Thomas S. Monson have said to THIS generation:

“The Bible, as it has been transmitted over the centuries has suffered . . . the loss . . . of many . . . plain and precious parts.” (Church News June 20 1992)

(BEAT)

Jesus talked about those hearing “His words” and believing them being saved,” He told parables about “the Word of God,” said anyone who “hears the Word of God are His mother and brothers,” . . .

. . . and Paul said “the Word of God” is sharper than any two edged sword, and it is by hearing the Word of God preached that people come to faith” . . . but the Mormons, from Joseph to the present-day say the Bible is faulty, unreliable, and defective . . . and they present a BOM, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, and speeches from men standing behind podiums and making stuff up as having the ability to fill in the missing pieces?!

More deception, folks.

Trust God – not men.
Trust His Word – not man’s.

The Time is Now: Christian and Mormon Perspectives

In 2006 we warned you of this day. In 2008 the warning was proven legitimate. Since that time the Mormon church, a multi-billion dollar religious conglomerate has done all it can to persuade the nation that it is normal, that they are Christian, and that it – the institution – can be trusted.

So here we are, 2012, and in the face of over 180 years of Mormon missionaries, temple building, changes in focus, practice and even doctrine, the Salt Lake Tribune ran the following headline last week:

“The time of the Mormon is now.”

(beat)

I couldn’t agree more.

And in the face of this, we must simultaneously admit that the time of the Christian is also . . . now.

Decisions Facing Christians Today

It is a time where every Christian in America is having to decide if they are going to stand for biblical truth . . . or something else. It is a time where every Christian in America is going to have to decide if they are going to truly and faithfully serve the living God, or rationalize Him and His truth in the name of their pocketbook, their churches' tax-exempt status, or the job security of their children’s future.

It is a time when we will either look back over our shoulders in awe and support of all that our forefathers stood for in the face of false religion like Mormonism, or we choose to instead build bridges with the institution – out of misguided allegiance, or in the name of some phony type of love.

I want to let you all in on something I’m not sure the masses realize.

The Mormon Model and its Implications

The Mormon model and the Spirit of Mormonism work. This model supports, encourages, and promotes the educated, the well-to-do, and prominent while at the same time gently kicking the struggling, the unattractive, the poor, and the sinful to the curb – all with a smile on the lips. It is a religion of “might makes right,” a faith where the powerful advance, but a system where the truly poor, weak, and rebelliously sinful are castigated, ignored, and used as grist for the mill of the Mormon machine of human progressivism.

So . . . Christians, let me give you a promise . . .

If and when you embrace Mormonism – in any way, you are embracing the antithesis of who and what Christ Jesus was all about. And the cost will be incomprehensible to the benefits.

And with that, let’s have a Word of Prayer.

PRAYER PRAYER PRAYER

Last week we talked about the three witnesses to the Golden Plates and how the record of all that

The Eight Witnesses and Their Testimony

Happened with them out in the woods point to it being a con game aimed at convince one man, Martin Harris, that the plates were real.

Tonight we’re going to talk about a second group of men who supposedly saw Joseph's Golden Plates – they are known as the Eight Witnesses. Now the eight witnesses' experience was much different from the three for the eight witnesses claim to have actually seen and held the plates and not through “spiritual eyes” or through an angel, like the three claimed to see them. In 1829, as reported in the LDS Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord said He would give the three the “power” to see the plates. Joseph Smith had God say in Doctrine and Covenants 5:11:

"and to none else will I grant this power, to receive this same testimony among this generation." (D&C 5:11)

Joseph Smith's Plan

As a result of having put this revelation this way (that God would not grant any others to see the plates through this power of vision), Joseph couldn’t do the old, “Can you see them? Can you see them?” carnival trick again. But for some reason, he felt compelled to have more people claim to having seen his plates. So he gathered up two of his brothers, his father, and five male members of the Whitmer family, and apparently brought them the actual plates for them to “witness.” I think Joseph was just trying to ensure that the question of whether the plates really existed or not could be put to bed by doing this. Now this could be a really short presentation tonight because as far as I’m concerned, the eight were in on the whole thing. Both families were dirt poor, interested in finding buried treasure, and (I think) they thought they could cash in on this book deal once it started selling.

If I’m wrong about this, then the eight men did see and handle something and we have to ask, “What? – what was it?” Let’s look at their testimony that is included in the preface of most BOM copies distributed today.

It reads:

“Be it known unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, unto whom this work shall come, that Joseph Smith, Jr. the Author and Proprietor of this work, hath shewn us the plates of which hath been spoken . . .”

Analyzing the Eight Witnesses' Testimony

Now I want to stop here and have you notice that this testimony was written by Joseph and was then signed by the eight men. Notice the king's English employed here by Joseph:

“hath shewn us the plates of which hath been spoken?”

I mention this to show you that Joseph had an ability and penchant to write in Elizabethan English making everything he said sound like it came from God! Okay, the testimony goes on, speaking of the plates, says:

“ . . . which have the appearance of gold . . .”

Now, LDS apologists use this line to defend against the criticism that if the plates were truly gold, there was no way Joseph could have run through the woods with them under his arm while fighting off attackers. So the LDS defenders go to the line in the eight witnesses' statement and say things like, “all we know is they had the ‘appearance’ of Gold,” not that they were actual gold.” But Joseph Smith himself said that the angel Moroni said the plates were made of GOLD. I wouldn’t think an angel of God would call them plates of “gold” if they were made of something else. Okay, onward with the Testimony of the Eight:

“ . . . and as many of the leaves as the said Smith has translated, we did handle with our hands; and we also saw the engravings thereon, all of which has the appearance of ancient work, and or curious workmanship. And this we bear record, with words of soberness, that the said Smith has shewn unto us, for we have seen and hefted, and know of a surety, that the said Smith has got the plates of which we have spoken. And we give our names unto the world, to witness unto the world that which we have seen: and we lie not, God bearing witness of it.”

I’ve got nothing to say about all that except to ask why they had to include the line, “and we lie not.” I mean, if you’re giving a witness to something you saw, why add:

“and we lie not?”

Because this was part of Joseph’s con-speak. Anyway, this testimony was signed in this way:

Christian Whitmer,
Jacob Whitmer,
Peter

The Role of the Eight Witnesses in Mormon History

Whitmer, Jr. John Whitmer, Hiram Page, Joseph Smith, Sen. Hyrum Smith, Samuel Smith.

Now, these men either lied saying they saw and touched something but didn’t OR they believed they saw and touched something ancient (but it wasn’t) OR They actually saw and held Golden Plates of ancient origin. And if they did, then the BOM is true. Naturally, I do not believe there were any ancient plates of Gold so either these eight men saw nothing (and lied, saying they did) OR they saw and handled something they believed was ancient (but wasn’t) OR they saw and handled something, knew it was a counterfeit, BUT lied anyway saying they were real. It is impossible to know what actually happened.

Of course if the two families were in collusion, no counterfeit plates were needed to convince them at all. But if they weren’t in on it, and they believed in Joseph’s tale, then a counterfeit set of plates would have been required for them to touch and handle. Now a former Mormon leader named Stephen Burnett said in 1838 that Martin Harris had told him that "the eight witnesses never saw the plates & that they hesitated to sign saying they did but were ultimately persuaded to do it." Since we can’t prove any of these explanations true or false the ONLY thing we can do is look at what happened to each of these witnesses later on down the road. So let’s examine this before going to the phone lines.

The Whitmer Family's Estrangement

First, let's look at the Whitmer’s. According to LDS author Richard Bushman in 1838, eight years after the BOM was printed, every one of the Whitmer family became estranged from Joseph Smith Jr. during “a leadership struggle” in Far West, Missouri, and all were excommunicated. They subsequently fled to Caldwell County after receiving an ultimatum from the Danites, who were a group of murderous Mormon henchmen. Did you hear me? The Whitmer’s, supposed witnesses for the actual gold plates, fled from Far West Missouri to escape the wrath of the Danites and were all subsequently excommunicated. Why? They had served their purpose and were summarily dismissed when they challenged Joseph Smith and his ways. For an excellent read, go to UTLM,.org and get a copy of David Whitmer’s testimony pamphlet: “An Address to All Believers in Christ” Which we’ll try and cover some day.

The Smith Family's Loyalty

So that leaves the Smith witnesses—Joseph Smith’s dad and two brothers. Naturally, they remained true to the story, with Joseph’s father dying a natural death and his brother Hyrum being killed at Carthage jail along with Joseph. This left Samuel Smith, Joseph’s brother, and a fascinating tale only Mormon history could produce.

Before I tell it, I want to suggest to you that there is some sort of diabolical power availed to men and groups when they take human life. It is not by chance that this fallen world was christened with blood and murder by the hands of its first child, Cain. Nor do I think Mormonism’s present day wealth and power would exist without similar actions taken in places like Mountain Meadows or when Brigham Young saw to it that Utah deserters would disappear from off the face of the earth. Most evil empires – light or dark in appearance – are founded on the blood and the sacrificial deaths of innocents. Enter Samuel Smith.

Samuel Smith was the first person baptized (after Joseph and Oliver Cowdery) when Joseph’s formed his new Church in 1830. This made him one of the original six church founders AND one of the Eight Witnesses of the plates. A very powerful and important man. Samuel was also an early missionary and member of the Kirtland high council. All this experience, as well as his blood ties to Joseph, put Samuel in a place far ahead of any other – including Brigham Young. Joseph Smith’s personal scribe, William Clayton, recorded the fact that Joseph declared that Samuel was to be his successor if both he and Hyrum were ever killed. Got all that?

Samuel Smith's Ascendancy

But when Joseph and Hyrum were killed there was some conflict over who should be his successor. Brigham Young was intriguingly absent from Nauvoo when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed but he rushed back as soon as he heard the news. In the meanwhile several potential leaders were positioning to take the reins of leadership – Samuel being the most likely. Brigham Young's first cousin (a church apostle) William Richards insisted that nothing should be decided until Brigham could get back to town. But a large number of members did not want to wait and there was

The Mysterious Death of Samuel Smith

A great ground swell gathering behind Samuel. This presented a huge problem. You see, Samuel Smith was violently against… polygamy. But most of the higher-up apostles were secretly practicing it—Brigham Young included. When it looked like Samuel Smith would become the next prophet, he made a promise to denounce the practice of plural marriage, which rallied people behind him even more.

D. Michael Quinn, from his book, "The Mormon Hierarchy: Origins of Power," explains what happened next:

"(It was) then Samuel Smith suddenly became violently ill and died on 30 July 1844 (or 33 days later). This added suspicion of murder to the escalating drama. Council of Fifty member and physician John M. Bernhisel told William Smith (who was Joseph’s brother) that anti-Mormons had somehow poisoned his brother, but William learned from Samuel's widow that Hosea Stout, a Missouri Danite and senior officer of Nauvoo's police, had acted as his brother's nurse. She said Stout had given him 'white powder' medicine daily until he died. Within days of Samuel discussing his succession rights he became ill. By the 24th of July he was 'very sick.'"

Suspicion and Accusations

So what happened? Did Samuel just get sick and die a month after his two brothers? Did anti-Mormons slowly poison him? Or was something far more diabolical in the works? In 1857, Brigham Young, now out here in Utah, said something curious from the pulpit. Listen to the spin and “water mudding” Young spouts from the pulpit:

"William Smith (Joseph Smith’s brother) has asserted that I was the cause of the death of his brother Samuel, when brother Woodruff, who is here today, knows that we were waiting at the depôt in Boston to take passage east at the very time when Joseph and Hyrum were killed. Brother Taylor was nearly killed at the time, and Doctor Richards had his whiskers nearly singed off by the blaze from the guns. In a few weeks after, Samuel Smith died, and I am blamed as the cause of his death."?(Prophet Brigham Young, July 1857, Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p.77)

Did Young have anything to do with the death of Joseph Smith’s brother and an officially appointed successor? At least two people close to Samuel Smith thought so—his surviving brother William and his own daughter. Said William:

“I have good reason for believing that my brother Samuel H. Smith, died of poison at Nauvoo, administered by order of Brigham Young and Willard Richards, only a few weeks subsequent to the unlawful murder of my other brothers, Joseph and Hiram Smith, while incarcerated in Carthage jail. Several other persons who were presumed to stand between Brigham Young and the accomplishment of his ambitions and wicked designs, mysteriously disappeared from Nauvoo about the same time, and have never been heard from since." ("Mormonism," letter from William Smith, New York Tribune, May 28, 1857.)

The Role of Hosea Stout

How did Young do it? Enter one Hosea Stout.

(SHOW PICTURE OF STOUT HERE)

Stout was a Mormon murderer. His avocation was shedding blood and he did it in God’s name for the cause of Mormonism. According to Quinn’s research:

“Stout's diary describes several occasions when Brigham Young and the apostles seriously discussed having Hosea 'rid ourselves' of various church members considered dangerous to the church and the apostles.” In the diary, says Quinn, “Stout referred to this (ridding the church of dangerous threats) as (the method of) 'cut him off—behind the ears—according to the law of God in such cases.' Later in life, when the Salt Lake "municipal high council" (total theocracy) tried Hosea Stout for an attempted murder, he protested, saying: 'it has been my duty to hunt out the rotten spots in the Kingdom.' Notice that after Stout served his purpose, the church kicked him to the curb and tried him for only doing what he was called to do!

So what happened to Samuel Smith, witness of the actual plates? Joseph Smith’s secretary recorded in his diary that Brigham Young’s cousin, William Richards, exerted efforts to avoid the appointment of a successor before Brigham Young arrived. In light of this, Joseph Smith’s surviving brother believed that William Richards asked Stout to murder Samuel. The motive? Prevent him from becoming church president before Brigham Young and the full Quorum of Twelve arrived to Nauvoo.

In the Joseph Smith Family Testimony, page 448, it reads:

"Hyrum & Joseph was Murdered Carthage Jail in Hancock Co[,] Illinois. Samuel Smith died in Nauvoo, supposed to have been the Subject of Conspiracy by Brigham Young." (Joseph Smith Family Testimony, William Smith Notes Circa 1875, Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, p. 488)

Phone Lines for Callers

With that let's open up the phone lines:

(801) 973-8820
(801) 973-TV20

For First Time Callers

First time callers please. LDS callers are the priority

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