May all we do honor, and glorify Christ Jesus and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 10:31

I pray that as visitors read over the materials presented here it’s accepted in the manner intended, and that’s with heartfelt respect for the Lord, as well as the Mormon people.

The last message I’d want to convey is one of animosity, or ridicule.

With this said, there’s an important part of Mormonism in desperate need of light. In the past few years the momentum of shedding light upon Joe Smith’s history has grown, but we mustn’t be lax, nor take a step back.

Members of the LDS Church deserve the truth, which is something they’re definitely not receiving from their leaders. Because of their shortfalls, ministries, and now even the secular world, has had to step up to the plate. 

Today we’re looking at a complex part of Mr. Smith’s life, made even more so by the Church’s ungodly behavior of retro-fitting, and outright lying, about his past. In order not to make this too  laborious, we’re simply providing bullet points, to reveal the true story. Links are provided for those who want to dig deeper!

We’re starting by looking at the biblical resources of where it mentions Urim and Thummim. We do so because it’s easily forgotten in the foray of other topics listed below.

The word ‘Urim’ is mentioned 10x, and ‘Thummim’ is seen 5x. For a complete list see ArtBible.Info. (FYI, this is a Catholic website that I use solely for the purpose of finding exact word counts in the Bible, and nothing else.)

Strong’s Concordance gives no indication these stones are used anywhere else, but in the breastplate of the high priest when he’d enter the Holy of the Holies to sacrifice.

There’s absolutely nothing else in the entire Bible that mentions these two stones, and at best, the true identity of both are educated guesses of what scholars believe they looked like.

The idea Smith used anything of the sort to ‘translate’ golden plates he says he found in the ground is a fallacy he’s produced, and passed on down the line. Moreover, God strictly forbids it!

Deuteronomy 18:10 “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,”

Now we can start at the beginning with Joe Smith’s story to show his track record and reveal just how awful his behavior was when he tried to pass himself off as a man of God!

1.1820 – 1823

Smith claimed he succumbed to nefarious activities, but repented, and began living an upright lifestyle Joseph Smith-History 1:28 – 29.

2.1825 – 1827

Smith, along with his father, and others, were hired by Josiah Stowell to dig for a buried Spanish silver mine thought to be on Stowell’s property Joseph Smith History 1:56-57. For info on the contract agreement they signed see Appendix 1: Agreement of Josiah Stowell and Others, 1 November 1825. During this time papers were written giving explicit detail of what Smith told them he was doing with the ‘seer stone’, aka, ‘Urim and Thummim’. See contract image.

Long story short, he put it in a hat to see what inspiration he could receive on the whereabouts of buried treasure on Stowell’s property. This took place just two years before he wrote the BoM.

3.Josiah and his brother Calvin were wealthy owners of a saw mill, and lots of land. For more info on their bios see Stowell, Josiah, Sr., and Stowell, Calvin.

4.Complaints against Joe’s behavior in swindling people out of money through means of ‘glass-looking’ led to his arrest on March 20, 1826. You can read the entire transcript of the ensuing trial at Appendix: Docket Entry, 20 March 1826[People v. JS]. See image, or click on link provided.

Evidence now shows he used the same method for ‘translating’ the golden plates as he did when searching for buried treasure.

5.Notices of Smith’s arrest, glass-looking, and even the contract he signed when digging for buried treasure, were reprinted in newspapers in Salt Lake City in the 1880’s. When the Church cried foul, evidence was produced by those living at the time proving otherwise.

Fast forward 100 years, and the Church mistakenly jumped on the denial train when rumors surfaced again about Smith’s arrest for glass-looking. A pastor by the name of Wesley P. Walters rediscovered the original documents in a basement of an elderly lady living back east who gave him all the paperwork.

This happened once before, back in the 1880’s when a Christian bishop by the name of Tuttle discovered the papers the first time in a very similar circumstance. You can read the excerpt of his testimony in the Utah Christian Advocate and article he wrote for Funk and Wagnall’s Dictionary.

6.1993 – 1994

The invention of the internet changed everything for the Church. No longer were they allowed to cry foul, and wait for dust to settle into long forgotten memories. People had verifiable proof of the lies, witchcraft, and illegal behavior of Joe Smith, available everywhere 24/7.

7.2008

The Church came out with the ‘Joseph Smith Papers’, and the cash of materials would keep anyone busy for a lifetime. In their published site you’ll find all of Smith’s original canonical writings, court paperwork including charges of disorderly conduct, being an imposter, and even treason, are furnished in the mounds of evidence pertaining to Smith’s shenanigans.

What isn’t so clearly laid out, is the way they’ve presented the material. It takes a lot of patience to find what you’re looking for

One link that houses a page filled with a couple dozen more very helpful links can be found at Smith, Joseph, Sr. Biography. It’s an A-Z list of notable events in Mormon history.