Mormon Dilemmas 37

28 July

Joseph Smith Bears Infirmities of Others 

Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 28;Although I was called of my Heavenly Father to lay the foundation of this great work and kingdom in this dispensation, and testify of his revealed will to scattered Israel, I am subject to like passions as other men, like the prophets of olden times.Notwithstanding my weaknesses, I am under the necessity of bearing the infirmities of others, who when they get into difficulty, hang on to me tenaciously to get them out, and wish me to cover their faults. (HC 5:516.)

Isaiah 53:1-5; “Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.  3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4 ¶ Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.  5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

How does one go about reconciling in their heart and mind the words from their prophet were ripped from one of the most holy passages of scripture and twisted to serve their own purposes? 

What Old Testament prophet was guilty of the reprehensible things Joseph Smith was?  Let’s take a look at the character markers of some of them shall we? 

Moses:  guilty of leading his people out of captivity.

Haggai:  guilty of convincing the Israelites to build the 2nd Temple in which the Messiah would appear.

Jeremiah: guilty of not having a poker face and wearing his emotions on his sleeve.  The weeping prophet was more worried about the nation of Israel than himself even while imprisoned in a dungeon.

Daniel: guilty of being carried away to the Babylonian court because of his intellect and his ability to interpret dreams.

Isaiah: guilty of being too outspoken and declaring the word of God even when he couldn’t possibly comprehend the extent of what was to come, meaning Jesus.

Nathan:  guilty of nagging David and speaking hard truth. 

Elisha:  guilty of declaring God’s word from his death bed when kings came to him to hear from God. 

Were they sinless?  Absolutely not.  Were they more concerned about their sex life or God and the lives of their countrymen?  You decide.  It is clear from historical evidences of all those mentioned here, including Smith, who was truly from God and who was not.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

No comments yet.

Leave a Reply