If, as the national media has reported, some Liberty University students absent themselves from their graduation ceremony tomorrow morning in protest of the school’s choice of a Mormon commencement speaker, their absence isn’t likely to be noticed. The university will confer degrees on 14,012 residential and online students, with about 6,000 graduates in attendance among a crowd expected to swell to over 34,000. Security protocols surrounding the address by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney require students and faculty to show up hours ahead of time in order to be screened by metal detectors before passing into the area where ceremony’s procession will begin. Fewer bodies might, in fact, be welcomed by those (full disclosure), like me, who will be attending.

Every year at Liberty University at least some students, as do students at commencement ceremonies everywhere, express disagreement with the school’s choice of speaker, but never has their discontentment been so amplified by both national media coverage and the power of social networking. However, while the reach of both traditional and social media may be wide, it isn’t deep, nor is its memory long. It was only three years ago, when most of the current graduates were sophomores and not likely paying attention, that Glenn Beck, who is Mormon, delivered the commencement address amidst a few largely unheard grumblings.

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This is the second evangelical-heavy state Mr. Romney has lost. With a third, Florida, next on the list, it’s important to consider the often antagonistic skepticism that many evangelicals have of Mr. Romney’s brand of Protestantism: Mormonism.

For many evangelicals, that faith — a “false religion,” as the Baptist pastor Robert Jeffress called it — raises serious doubts about Mr. Romney’s suitability for office. But such concerns ultimately say more about the insecurities of the establishment denominations than about Mormonism itself.

Many evangelicals assert that Mormonism denies the divinity of Christ and is therefore not a branch of Christianity. But the Mormon belief is that Jesus was the first-born child of God and a woman, and that humans can aspire to share his spiritual essence in the afterlife.

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CHICAGO — Mitt Romney may or may not become the first Mormon to move into the White House next year, but a new study shows that Mormonism is moving into more parts of the country than any other religious group, making it the fastest-growing faith in more than half of U.S. states.

The 2012 Religious Congregations and Membership Study, released here Tuesday (May 1), shows that the mainline Protestants and Catholics who dominated the 20th century are literally losing ground to the rapid rise of Mormons and, increasingly, Muslims.

The study is conducted once every 10 years and can track Americans’ religious affiliation down to the county level, from the largest (Los Angeles County, where Mormons grew 55 percent while Catholics shrank by 7 percent) to the smallest (Loving County, Texas, which is home to 80 people and one nondenominational evangelical church).

Romney’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported 2 million new adherents and new congregations in 295 counties where they didn’t exist a decade ago, making them the fastest-growing group in the U.S.

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Sen. Orrin Hatch has denied his Republican presidential campaign is motivated by a longing to fulfill an obscure Mormon myth. But during an interview with a Mormon Church-owned radio station this week he borrowed the exact phrasing of the apocalyptic belief.

According to the so-called “White Horse Prophecy,” the U.S. Constitution will be hanging by a thread and a church elder from Zion will ride in on a metaphorical white horse and save it.

Utah’s senior senator . . . complained that Democrats’ political correctness will be the ruin of the country.

“They tolerate everything that’s bad, and they’re intolerant of everything that’s good. Religious freedom is going to go down the drain, too,” Hatch said. “I’ve never seen it worse than this, where the Constitution literally is hanging by a thread.”

. . . Wright [the radio interviewer], also a Mormon said Hatch clearly was “talking to his folks” in the church audience and his use of the phrase was the buzz of the station afterward.

“It just caught me by surprise. It was worded carefully,” Wright said Wednesday. “I’m not sure he saw himself as the one who would fulfill the prophecy, but I thought it walked a fine line. It’s such a well-recognized phrase.”

. . .

In July, Hatch called The Tribune to deny talk among GOP political insiders that he may have felt divinely inspired to seek the presidency. (Salt Lake Tribune, Nov. 11, 1999, pp. C1 & C4, )

This popular prophecy of Smith’s is explained in the Encyclopedia of Mormonism:

LDS attachment to the Constitution has been further encouraged by an important oral tradition deriving from a statement attributed to Joseph Smith, according to which the Constitution would “hang by a thread” and be rescued, if at all, only with the help of the Saints. Church President John Taylor seemed to go further when he prophesied, “When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States the Elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men” (JD 21:8). To defend the principles of the Constitution under circumstances where the “iniquity,” or moral decay, of the people has torn it to shreds might well require wisdom at least equal to that of the men raised up to found it. In particular, it would require great insight into the relationship between freedom and virtue in a political embodiment of moral agency. (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol.1, 1992)

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Fox News host Glenn Beck’s Aug. 28 rally — “Restoring Honor” — on the National Mall as well as his recent criticisms of President Obama have focused strongly on religion, and specifically Christianity. On an Aug. 24 broadcast, for example, Beck characterized Obama’s religious beliefs as “liberation theology,” which he called a “perversion of the gospel of Jesus Christ as most Christians know it.” But Beck has also acknowledged that many U.S. Christians may question whether his own denomination — the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormons — is a Christian group. In an interview with Chris Wallace on “Fox News Sunday,” Beck said, “[L]ook, I’m Mormon, and most Christians don’t recognize me as a Christian….”

It would be incorrect to state that “most” Christians do not view Mormonism as a Christian religion. A 2007 survey by the Pew Research Center reported that a majority of Catholics (52%) say that Mormons are Christian; 29% say they are not. Among all Protestants, more say Mormonism is a Christian religion than say it is not by a 49%-to-34% margin. This includes 62% of white mainline Protestants who say Mormons are Christians.

Of the major Christian groups, white evangelical Protestants are the most likely to say Mormonism is not a Christian religion: 45% say Mormons are not Christians, while 40% say they are Christians.

While many Christians see Mormonism as a Christian religion, most Christians do not see their faith having much in common with Mormonism. Among all non-Mormon Americans who express a religious preference (most of whom are Christians themselves), fully 62% say that Mormonism and their own religion are “very different.” This opinion is held by 67% of white evangelical Protestants, 61% of white non-Hispanic Catholics and 56% of white mainline Protestants.

For more details about public attitudes toward Mormons, see these reports and commentaries from the 2007 survey:

“Public Expresses Mixed Views of Islam, Mormonism,” Sept. 25, 2007

“Clinton and Giuliani Seen as Not Highly Religious; Romney’s Religion Raises Concerns,” Sept. 6, 2007

“Public Opinion About Mormons,” Dec. 4, 2007

“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves,” (Matthew 7:15).

You will never meet anyone who will say, “I am a false prophet, follow me.” He will present himself as a true prophet, and he will appear to be true. But, you must search deeper and examine his “fruit,” that is, his prophecies and teachings. The best method of discerning the truth is by a critical examination, because the truth will stand the strongest test, but error will be exposed.

This thought was expressed by Joseph Fielding Smith in Doctrines of Salvation, Vol. 1, page 188. He said, “Mormonism, as it is called, must stand or fall on the story of Joseph Smith. He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has ever seen. There is no middle ground.

“If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be refuted, and his doctrines shown to be false, for the doctrines of an impostor cannot be made to harmonize in all particulars with divine truth. If his claims and declarations were built upon fraud and deceit, there would appear many errors and contradictions, which would be easy to detect. The doctrines of false teachers will not stand the test when tried buy the accepted standards of measurement, the scriptures.”

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world,” (1 John 4:1).

Have These Prophecies Come To Pass?

Doctrine and Covenants 84:1-5, 31: The prophecy, given Sept. 1832, says a temple would be built on the temple lot in Jackson County, Missouri “in this generation.” A century and a half has passed and yet no temple has been built. Compare the prophecy with comments about it in these Journal of Discourses volumes; Vol. 10, page 344; Vol. 11, page 269; Vol. 13, page 138 and 362; and Vol. 17, page 111.

Doctrine and Covenants 87:1-6: This prophecy was given Christmas Day, 1832, and proclaimed that a civil war would break out between the Northern and Southern states and that war would be “poured out upon all nations.” However, war was not poured out upon all nations. Six months prior to this prophecy President Andrew Jackson expected hostilities to break out over South Carolina’s rejection of a tariff act by Congress. The President even put the army on alert. A good history book will establish the facts.

Doctrine and Covenants 97:19: The prophecy says that “Zion cannot fall, neither be moved out of her place….” But, Zion was moved from Jackson County, Missouri. D&C 101:17-21 says “…there is none other place appointed than that which I have appointed;…” Salt Lake City cannot be Zion.

Doctrine and Covenants 114:1: This prophecy, given in 1838 by Joseph Smith, says that David W. Patten, one of the twelve apostles, was to perform a mission in the Spring of 1839. However, the History of the Church, Vol. 3, Page 175, tell us that David W. Patten died in October of 1838! His mission could not be performed in the spirit world, as some Mormons say, because the prophecy states that he will accompany the eleven other apostles “…into all the world.”

Doctrine and Covenants 117:12: The prophecy says that the name of Oliver Granger would be held “in sacred remembrance from generation to generation, forever and ever, saith the Lord.” But, who is Oliver Granger? Why have most Mormons never heard of him?

Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, page 219: Heber C. Kimball said on September 6, 1856, that, “The Church and kingdom to which we belong will become the kingdom of our God and his Christ, and brother Brigham Young will become President of the United States… and I am Vice-President, and brother Wells is the Secretary of the Interior — yes, and of all the armies in the flesh… You may think I am joking; but I am perfectly willing that brother Long should write every word of it; for I can see it just as naturally as I can see the earth and the productions thereof.”

History of the Church, Vol. 2, page 182: Joseph Smith said in 1835, “…it was the will of God that those who went to Zion, with a determination to lay down their lives, if necessary, should be ordained to the ministry, and go forth to prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh — even fifty-six years should wind up the scene.” Jesus did not come in 1891!

“IF THE THING FOLLOW NOT, NOR COME TO PASS, THAT IS THE THING WHICH THE LORD HATH NOT SPOKEN.” (Deut. 18:20-21).

Millions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints pray to receive a “testimony” of the truthfulness of the Church and believe that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God. They base this knowledge largely on a Book of Mormon passage, Moroni 10:4, that if you ask sincerely ask God “if these things are not true he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Mormons reason that the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, the LDS Church, and Joseph Smith can be “tested” according to Moroni 10:4. In fact, verse five indicates by this test, “ye may know the truth of all things.”The problem with a subjective test of this sort is that many religions have followers that are sincere and pray.The Moslems pray five times a day facing Mecca and they have a sincere testimony that Mohammed was a true prophet and the Koran the word of God. Likewise, Jehovah’s Witnesses believe in prayer and their “anointed” followers are convinced that they have the testimony of God’s Spirit that their organization is true.

The Bible makes it clear that there are other spirits besides the Holy Spirit who can be very “seducing” and even teach “doctrines” (1 Timothy 4:1). This is why 1 John 4:1 warns: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [Greek dokimazo "test"] the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Testing the spirits is necessary because of “many false prophets” in the world. What is the test for a prophet?

Biblical Test for a Prophet

The test for a prophet is found in Deuteronomy 18:20-22. This scripture teaches that a prophet must be tested by checking his prophecies. Also. Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”This is not telling us to examine a prophet’s good works. Many false prophets have led moral lives. The fruit of a fig tree is its figs. The fruit of a prophet is his prophecies. One false prophecy (even if some true prophecies are given) and that person is a false prophet. It does not matter how sincere he or his followers are. It does not matter how often his followers pray or what feelings they seem to receive in answer to their prayers. He is a false prophet.

This is one way a person can decide if Jeane Dixon is a true prophet not by praying about her, but checking her prophecies. Many of them have not come true. A false prophet never says to you, “I am a false prophet. Follow me!” He will appear to be a true prophet. This is part of the “sheep’s clothing.”

Does Joseph Smith Pass the Test?

The fruit of a prophet is his prophecy. Before testing some of Joseph Smith’s prophecies, it is important that we classify types of prophetic statements dealing with future events.

First, there are open-dated predictions. These are prophecies that are given no certain time frame in which to be fulfilled. An example is found in History of the Church, Vol. 2 p. 182. In this prophecy Joseph Smith predicts in 1835 that, “the coming of the Lord, which was nigh–even fifty-six years should wind up the scene.” Although the Lord did not return by 1891, it should be noted that Joseph Smith said fifty-six years should wind up the scene. Something could have happened to upset the original time schedule. Therefore this prophecy alone does not make Joseph Smith a false prophet.

A second type of prediction that is quite common is the self-fulfilling prophecy. One sample is located in Doctrine and Covenants 37:1. In this revelation, the Lord instructs Joseph not to translate any more until he goes to Ohio. To make this prophecy come true, Joseph Smith had only to cease translating for a few months.

A third type of prophecy Joseph Smith gave is the conditional prophecy. One such prediction is preserved in Doctrine and Covenants 40:16-18. Here it is foretold that if the people of Ohio repent, they will not be severely judged of the Lord. This is conditional upon their repentance. If Ohio is severely judged, they did not sufficiently repent. If they are not judged, they must have repented before God.

Although most of Joseph Smith’s prophecies are of the first three types, there is a fourth type of prediction that can be found. This is the close-dated unconditional prophecy. Although relatively few of Joseph Smith’s prophecies are of this type, they are extremely important because they make it possible to put Joseph Smith to the Biblical test of a prophet.

One such prophecy is found in Doctrine and Covenants Section 114. This two-verse prophecy, given April 17, 1838, is a set of instructions to David W. Patten, then one of the LDS twelve Apostles. He was to prepare to go on a mission with the other eleven (Apostles) into “all the world.” According to the revelation, the mission was to take place “next spring” which would give the prophecy a “closed-date” somewhere around April or May of 1839. Less than three months later, the “twelve” were given a specific date to leave (April 26, 1839) and one of the apostles, Thomas Marsh, was instructed to stay behind to “publish my word.” (Doctrine and Covenants SectionS 118).

The date of April 26, 1839 came and, as History of the Church records, “The Brethren arrived at Far West, and proceeded to transact the business of their mission.” (Vol. 3 p.336). However, David W. Patten was not part of that mission. David Patten was not present because he had died in October of 1838.

History of the Church reports: “Captain Patten was carried some of the way in a litter, but it caused so much distress that he begged to be left by the way side. he died that night” (Vol. 3, p. 171). Rather than going on a mission with the Twelve next spring, as Joseph Smith had prophesied in 1838, Patten died before the next year even came. This could not be a reference to a “mission” in the spirit world after death because Joseph Smith was specific that he was to go “unto all the world” (not the Spirit World) and he was to be with the “twelve.” (Doctrine and Covenants 114 emphasis added).

Some have suggested that David Patten could have apostatized from his calling. In other words, God called him to go on the mission but because of sin or faithlessness he fell from the calling. There are two problems with this explanation. The God of the Bible is all-knowing and He knew that Patten was going to die (Acts 1:18). Also, Patten did not fall away from the Church. After Patten’s death, Joseph Smith wrote, “Brother David Patten was a very worthy man, beloved by all good men who know him. He was one of the Twelve Apostles, and died as he had lived, a man of God, and strong in the faith of a glorious resurrection.” (History of the Church Vol. 3, p. 171).

Temple in Independence

A second example of a close-dated unconditional prophecy is preserved in Doctrine and Covenants Section 84. In this revelation given on September 22 and 23, 1832, Joseph Smith foretold of an LDS temple to be built in Independence, Missouri. The prophecy specifies that the city of “New Jerusalem” including the temple was to be constructed, “beginning at the temple lot which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri” (verse 3). Joseph Smith placed a time limit on the new temple saying, “which temple shall be reared in this generation. For verily this generation shall not all pass away.” (verses 4 and 5). The generation of 1832 has passed away. Obviously there is no one who was alive in 1832 which is still alive today. The temple was never built. At this time there are still no LDS temples in the entire State of Missouri, much less Independence. Shortly after Joseph Smith gave this prophecy while in Kirtland, Ohio, the Mormons in Independence were being driven out of the state (History of the Church Vol. 1, chapter 31). Later, a splinter group called The Church of Christ (or Hedrickites) claiming to be the “true” followers of Joseph Smith, came into possession of the actual site on which the temple was to be built.

In the prophecy this site was called the “temple lot.” Granville Hedrick, the first leader of this group, received a revelation to return to Independence where by 1869 they purchased the original “temple lot.” (see Divergent Paths of the Restoration, by Steven L. Shields). Both the Latter-day Saints and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS) have attempted unsuccessfully to obtain the property. Currently, the Hedrickites have about 3,000 members, but they have been unable to or unwilling to build the temple. The RLDS are in the process of completing a temple across the street from the temple lot within sight of the spot where the corner stone was laid. Nonetheless, even if Hedrickites or the LDS were to build the temple today, the prophecy would be false because the generation that was alive in 1832 has all died.

Some Mormons have attempted to stretch the meaning of “this generation” to include more than those that were alive in 1832 when the revelation was given. They try to make the word generation mean an era possibly centuries long. What Joseph Smith meant by “generation” was clearly explained by Apostle Orson Pratt. In a lecture given in Salt Lake City during General Conference, Apostle Pratt attempted to play down the claims of some that Doctrine and Covenants section 84 was a false prophecy. This sermon was delivered in 1871 just two years after the Hedrickites gained possession of the “temple lot.”

Apparently, there were some who already believed this was a false prophecy as early as 1871. After all, it had been thirty-nine years since the revelation was given and hopes were beginning to fade. To silence these “objectors,” Apostle Pratt delivered this sermon in which he specifically explained what Joseph Smith meant by the term “generation.” He first quotes the prophecy (Doctrine and Covenants 84) then he explains: “Here then we see a prediction, and we believe it. “Yes! The Latter-day Saints have as firm faith and rely upon this promise as much as they rely upon the promise of forgiveness of sins. a temple will be reared on the spot that has been selected, and the corner-stone of which has been laid, in the generation when this revelation was given.” Then Apostle Pratt rebukes the doubters saying, “But says the objector, `thirty-nine years have passed away.’ What of that? “The generation has not passed away; all the people that were living thirty-nine years ago have not passed away; but before they do pass away this will be fulfilled.” (Journal of Discourses Vol. 14 p. 275).

Orson Pratt had no idea that over 100 years after he was to make this bold claim that the “temple lot” would still stand empty. He said he and his hearers could be as sure of this as their own salvation. He was wrong.

His statements do, however, clarify what was meant by Joseph Smith when he said “generation.” Rather than guessing at what was meant, here is a definitive explanation by a General Authority who was alive when Joseph Smith made the prediction. Because this sermon was delivered from the Tabernacle in Salt Lake City in General Conference by an Apostle, it can be counted as trustworthy.

Latter-day Saints are sincere when they testify that Joseph Smith is a true prophet. Unfortunately, one can be sincerely wrong. Doctrine and Covenants 114 and 84 are false prophecies and, according to Deuteronomy 18, this makes Joseph Smith a false prophet.

Mormons love to say that they are not trying to convert others to their religion; that the Holy Ghost does that. One need not take their word for the truth of their religion; one can appeal directly to God Himself for His testimony.

They frequently refer people investigating their religion to a promise in the Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:4: “And when ye shall receive these things [the Book of Mormon], I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Christians refuting Mormonism sometimes point out that the verse directs one to ask “if these things are not true;” whereas most Mormons have asked, and urge Christians to ask, “if these things are true.” However, these are both wordings of the same question, one put negatively, the other positively. There is really no difference, and no ground is won by such trivial objections.

Still, it is appropriate to examine this “promise” to see if it is a valid means for testing the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. The Bible directs, “Prove [test, examine] all things; hold fast that which is good,” (1 Thess. 5:21). This does not mean that we should do as the Book of Mormon directs. Testing, or examining this promise is not the same as using it. Rather, one must examine it beforehand; one must actually use it only after it has been examined and found good. If the promise is to be examined and found good before it is actually used, there must be some standard external to itself by which it can be examined or evaluated. God has given just such a standard in the Scriptures.

However, the promise of Moroni 10:4 is given as a test by which one may know if the Book of Mormon is true. Since one cannot employ or apply the promise to find out about the Book of Mormon till one knows the promise itself is good, and a valid test, the Book of Mormon and the other “scriptures” brought forth by the Mormon church must be excluded from the standard by which one weighs this promise.

The Bible alone, then, is the standard to which this promise must be compared. It was for just such tasks as this that it was written, and faithfully preserved to our day.

First, is there anywhere in the Bible where God directs men to pray to find out if the scriptures are true or not? The answer is, “No.” Does the Bible record Jesus or any apostle or prophet directing any person to pray to find out if what he was saying or writing was true or not? The answer, again, is, “No.”

Mormons sometimes claim James 1:5 as an example of such a direction. Is it really? The question of whether something is true or not is a question of facts. Possession of, or acquaintance with, facts, is knowledge. (Thus one speaks of knowing something is true, not of having wisdom that something is true.) Wisdom is the ability to interpret rightly the facts one knows, and the disposition to employ or act upon one’s knowledge righteously. James 1:5 does not promise knowledge, but wisdom. Reading James 1 from the beginning one sees from the context that James was promising his readers that God would give them wisdom to understand why they were experiencing the trials and difficulties in which they found themselves. That they had such trials was a fact. It was “true” that they had difficulties. They “knew” that, and did not need God to tell them. But they needed wisdom to understand what they knew was true, and to respond to it righteously.

James 1:5, when seen in context, cannot be taken as authorization for questions like, “Which church is true?” or, “Is the Book of Mormon true?” Those are questions of fact, of knowledge, not wisdom. God has promised wisdom for the asking. But He has never said that He would give knowledge or facts, simply by prayer. Thus, Moroni 10:4 directs one to ascertain truth, to gain knowledge, by a method and a standard nowhere recommended in the Bible as the proper means to such an end. Already, then, the directive and promise of Moroni 10:4 is on shaky ground.

To the contrary, the Bible teaches both by precept and illustrative examples that the proper path to truth, the standard by which the truth of anything is to be known, is the scriptures (Luke 24:27; Acts 17:11; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:3). The person seeking wisdom as James directs does not ask for new revelations but for understanding of those already given.

Second, Moroni 10:4 is not so much of a promise as it is a manipulative device. It promises a particular result if certain terms are met. But the terms reflect on the seeker’s integrity as regards both his sincerity and resolve, and on his faith in Christ. To be willing to rely on the promise of this verse as a test for the Book of Mormon’s truthfulness one must already have concluded somehow that its instruction is valid and its promise reliable. That is, one must already believe in the “truthfulness” of this verse. If the verse is true, then the only possible explanation for failing to obtain the result promised is a failure to meet the terms. That is, one must lack a sincere heart, and/or real intent, and/or faith in Christ. If one believes the verse is true then one must obtain the answer promised, or face an embarrassing judgement of one’s sincerity, intent, or faith in Christ. he seeker is forced into convincing himself he has had some kind of manifestation from God, just to vindicate his own character. Or worse, he is moved to a frame of mind where he will gladly and indiscriminately embrace any supernatural manifestation as though it were from God. Plain reason, not to mention all the force of Scripture’s revelation of the character of God, testifies that God would not, does not, use such manipulative mind/ego games against the human family to bring them to believe the truth. God does not approve, and truth does not need, such machinations.

Third, as noted earlier, using this verse as a test for the Book of Mormon’s truthfulness would be pointless unless one had concluded already that its instruction is valid and its promise reliable. With no Biblical evidence for such a conclusion, its use is tacit admission that the Book of Mormon is true. Yet the terms on which the promise is offered forbid any such preconception.

To ask God sincerely whether the Book of Mormon is true or not, one cannot have made up one’s mind already that the book is either true or false. If one’s mind is already made up, either way, it would be hypocrisy to pray to God as if it were not, as if one still did not know. Either the Book of Mormon is true or it is false. One must be in a state of not knowing which it is, true or false, to meet the conditions of the test offered in Moroni 10:4. There being no Biblical warrant for proceeding as it directs, one cannot do so without invalidating the sincerity upon which the answer depends. Thus, it is impossible to use the instructions and promise of Moroni 10:4 as a test of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. One cannot both rely on it, and meet the conditions it requires, at the same time. Its promised results are predicated on sincerity; using it renders one insincere.

A Final Caution

There is not only no good reason to do as Moroni 10:4 directs, there is very good reason not to do so. Again, either the Book of Mormon is true or it is false. If it is true, certainly doing as it directs would produce the results it promises. If it is false, however, then Moroni 10:4, being part of the book, is likewise false and an invalid means of finding out whether or not the book is true. Relying on its promise and attempting to submit to its terms exerts tremendous pressure on the seeker to prove himself sincere by receiving the promised manifestation, even while it is forcing him to be insincere. He must rely on its promise while insincerely professing not to know yet whether it is reliable. The result is a self-perpetuating spiral of self-deceit. The need for relief from the resulting inner turmoil can easily drag one into still further self-deceit, finding a supernatural manifestation where there is none.

That is not to say no genuinely supernatural manifestations occur. Self-deception brings God’s wrath and judgement (Rom. 1:18-19). The person practicing it is abandoned not only to his own delusion but also to deception of another kind (2 Thess. 2:10-11). Asking for revelation from God, while refusing to take as his standard and live by what God had already revealed, is exactly what got King Ahab killed (1 Kings 22:1-40).

That people have actually received supernatural manifestations of one form or another upon following the directions of Moroni 10:4 should surprise no one (Eph. 6:12; 1 Tim. 4:1). To think otherwise is naive. If the Book of Mormon is false, one is just as likely to receive such a manifestation from a demonic source as one would be to receive it from a divine source if the Book of Mormon were true. It must be forcefully asserted then, such manifestations do not prove the Book of Mormon true any more than the miracles wrought by Jannes and Jambres before Moses and Pharaoh proved those magicians were from God.

To sum up, the Book of Mormon cannot be proven by any test of its own devising. It must be tested by the Bible. The teaching of Moroni 10:4 not only lacks any biblical foundation, it is contrary to the Bible’s teaching. Moreover, it is a manipulative device which forces insincerity and self-deception, thus opening the door to demonic influence. Far from proving the Book of Mormon true, Moroni 10:4, itself weighed in the balance and found wanting, is sufficient evidence to prove the Book of Mormon false.

1805 Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, is born in Sharon, Vermont.

1820 In response to his first uttered prayer, Joseph Smith purportedly has First Vision of God the Father and Jesus (Pearl of Great Price, “Joseph Smith – History” vv. 3, 17-19). (See 1832a, 1834d, 1835a, b, 1840b, 1842a, 1855a, 1879a.)

1827 Angel Moroni gives Smith the Golden Plates which will become the Book of Mormon (Ibid., v. 59).

1830 (a) Smith finishes translation of the Golden Plates and publishes Book of Mormon (BoM). This book contains two very interesting doctrines which would become pivotal in later years. First, only one God in the Godhead (Alma 11:22-35; cf. 1842a, 1844a, c, d.) Second, David’s and Solomon’s polygamy was an abomination to God (Jacob 2:24-35; cf. Doctrine &Covenants, 132:38-39). (See 1838c cross dates.)

(b) April 6, church founded – Name: The Church of Christ (David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, p. 73). (See 1834b, 1838d.)

1832 (a) First Vision account recorded for the first time. Joseph Smith says he was “in the 16th year of my age,” and “I saw the Lord … (who) was crucifyed for the world.” No mention of the Father (Joseph Smith’s 1832 Diary). (See 1820 cross-dates.)

(b) Joseph Smith gives prophecy of temple to be built at Independence, in Jackson County, Missouri. “A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith … to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem … in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri … beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation. For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord…” (D&C, 84:1-5) This proved to be a false prophecy (see 1833b, 1871, 1996b).

1833 (a) First 65 revelations printed in Book of Commandments. (See 1835c.)

(b) Mormons are driven out of Jackson County, Missouri. (See 1832b, 1871, 1996b).

1834 (a) Lectures on Faith first published for “School of the Elders” (Church News, 7 January, 1989, p. 4). (See 1835c, 1842a.)

(b) Name of church changed to “The Church of the Latter Day Saints” (Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, p. 73). (See 1830, 1838d.)

(c) February 24, Smith receives revelation explaining persecution of Mormons in Jackson County, Missouri, wherein Independence, and the appointed temple lot are located. They are promised, “I have decreed a decree which my people shall realize, inasmuch as they hearken from this very hour unto the counsel which I, the Lord their God, shall give unto them. Behold they shall, for I have decreed it, begin to prevail against mine enemies from this very hour. And by hearkening to observe all the words which I, the Lord their God, shall speak unto them, they shall never cease to prevail until the kingdoms of the world are subdued under my feet, and the earth is given to the saints, to possess it forever” (Doctrine and Covenants, 103:5-7). This, too, proved to be a false prophecy (see 1841). (See also 1838b, 1839b, 1840a.)

(d) New First Vision information on Joseph Smith’s age. “I shall, therefore, pass over that, till I come to the 15th year of his life” (Messenger and Advocate, Dec. 1834, Vol. 1, p. 42). (See 1820 cross-dates.)

1835 (a) New First Vision information on Smith’s age in Mormon newspaper, Messenger and Advocate. “You will recollect that I mentioned the time of a religious excitement, in Palmyra and vicinity to have been in the 15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr.’s, age – that was an error in type – it should have been in the 17th” (Ibid., Feb. 1835, Vol. 1, p. 76). (See 1820 cross dates.)

(b) New First Vision account. Joseph Smith writes in his diary, “…a personage appeared in the midst of this pillar of flame…another personage soon appeared like unto the first, he said unto me thy sins are forgiven thee, he testifyed unto me that Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and I saw many angels in this vision when I was about 14 years old when I received this first communication” (1835 Diary, Nov. 9). (See 1820 cross dates.)

(c) The Doctrine &Covenants, containing the Lectures on Faith (see 1842a) and the purported revelations of Joseph Smith up to this date, is published. This is a major revision of the Book of Commandments. Hundreds of words are changed from the original revelations (see 1833a). A new section on marriage (101), contains: “Inasmuch as this church of Christ has been reproached with the crime of fornication, and polygamy: we declare that we believe, that one man should have one wife; and one woman, but one husband, except in the case of death, when either is at liberty to marry again. (See 1838c cross-dates.)

(d) Church purchases Egyptian papyrus manuscripts from Michael H. Chandler. Joseph Smith claims to translate them by revelation, says they were actually written by Abraham of the Bible (making them thousands of years older than any extant manuscript of the Bible). Carbon-14 and most of the sophisticated dating methods known to modern science are still unknown. Study of ancient Egyptian language is an infant science and Joseph has no contemporaries who can disprove his translation. (See 1851, 1912b, 1966a, 1967.)

1836 First Mormon Temple is built in Kirtland, Ohio. Joseph Smith would later claim to see Jesus, Moses, Elijah and Elias in this temple (Deseret News Church Almanac, 1979, p. 47).

1838 (a) April 17, Joseph Smith receives revelation to send David W. Patton on a mission “next spring” (1839) “in company with” other Mormon Twelve Apostles (D&C,;sec. 114; see also sec. 118). However, in October David W. Patton is shot and killed in mob action (History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 171). (See 1839a.)

(b) April 26, Smith receives another revelation, wherein the people are commanded to “build a house” unto the Lord at Far West, Missouri. They were to “recommence laying the foundation of my house” one year later, 26 April, 1839, and were to “labor diligently” on it “from that time forth…until it shall be finished, from the cornerstone thereof unto the top thereof, until there shall not anything remain that is not finished” (D&C,115:8-12). (See 1839b, 1840a, 1841, 1996b.)

(c) Church publicly denies belief in polygamy. In questions and answers prepared for and printed in The Elder’s Journal, Joseph Smith writes: Q: “Do the Mormons believe in having more wives than one?” A: “No, not at the same time” (History of the Church, Vol. 3, p. 28). (See 1829, 1835c, 1838c, 1843b, 1844b, c, 1852b, 1853, 1854c, 1855b, 1856c, 1866b, c, 1876, 1879b, 1887a, 1890a, b, 1898b, 1906, 1963.)

(d) Name of the Church changes again. “For thus shall my church be called in the last days, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” (D&C,115:4). (See 1830, 1834b.)

(e) July 4, In a carefully prepared speech approved by Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon declares, “…that mob that comes on us to disturb us, it shall be between us and them a war of extermination; for we will follow them until the last drop of their blood is spilled; or else they will have to exterminate us,…one party or the other shall be utterly destroyed” (Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol. 1, p. 441). (See 1838f, 1840a.)

(f) October 27, Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs issues orders to militia Major-General John Clark, “…The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated, or driven from the state, if necessary for the public peace” (Document 61, LDS church Historical Department, quoted in Richard Van Wagoner, Sidney Rigdon, A Portrait of Religious Excess, p. 236). (See 1838e, 1840a).

1839 (a) Sometime between midnight and dawn of April 26, seven Mormon Apostles (two of them ordained on the spot) “officially” take their leave of “the saints” – eighteen of them present – for their mission to England. However, their vain attempt to fulfill Joseph Smith’s prophecies of the previous year fails. David W. Patton is dead and unable to go with them as called and prophesied. Neither is there a full Quorum of Twelve in existence at the time, able to depart “in company with” each other as prophesied. Two of those in the Quorum at this time are temporarily dropped from it just eight days later. And not even all of the seven present actually go on their mission “over the waters.” Of those who do, none leaves that spring as prophesied, but not until late August and September following. Frequently touted by Mormons as a “fulfilled prophecy,” this “event” is in fact a complete failure (History of the Church, Vol. 3, pp. 336-39; Comprehensive History of the Church, Vol. 1, pp. 531-32; Vol. 2, pp. 22-24; Deseret News 1993-1994 Church Almanac, pp. 44, 46, 47, 52-54). (See 1838a.)

(b) Another cornerstone of the “Lord’s House” in Far West is laid in an attempt to also fulfill Doctrine &Covenants section 115 (see 1838b). However, this also fails as the Mormons do not labor diligently from this time forward to complete the building until it is finished. They can not. The forced Mormon exodus from Missouri is in full progress. (See also 1841, 1996b.)

1840 (a)Fully routed from Missouri and settling in Commerce, Illinois, the Mormons rename it, Nauvoo.

(b) New First Vision information. “You will recollect that I informed you, in my letter published in the first No. of the Messenger and Advocate, that this history would necessarily embrace the life and character of our esteemed friend and brother J. Smith…I shall, therefore, pass over that, till I come to the thirteenth year of this life” (Times and Seasons, Dec. 1, 1840, p. 1). (See 1820 cross-dates.)

(c) Lorenzo Snow, who will become fifth prophet of the Mormon Church, receives the following “revelation” according to his own words. “As man now is, God once was: As God now is, man may be.” This is explicitly confirmed by Joseph Smith in 1843 (Ensign, Feb. 1982, pp. 39-40).

1841 January 19: in a revelation requiring the saints to build both a boarding house and a temple in Nauvoo, Smith finds it necessary to allay concerns over previous failed prophecies and commands to build temples (see 1832b, 1833b, 1838b, 1839b). “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that when I give a commandment to any of the sons of men to do a work unto my name, and those sons of men go with all their might and with all they have to perform that work, and cease not their diligence, and their enemies come upon them and hinder them from performing that work, behold, it behooveth me to require that work no more at the hands of those sons of men, but to accept their offering….Therefore, for this cause have I accepted the offerings of those whom I commanded to build up a city and a house unto my name, in Jackson county, Missouri, and were hindered by their enemies, saith the Lord your God” (D&C, 124:49, 51). By thus acknowledging both their diligence to obey and their failure to succeed due to their enemies, Smith inadvertantly contradicts promise of revelation given seven years previous (see 1834c), that if the saints diligently obeyed they would from that time forth always prevail over their enemies.

1842 (a) Section 130 is added to the Doctrine &Covenants, in which God the Father is declared to have “a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s,” and the Holy Spirit is said to be “a personage of Spirit.” Official First Vision account also finally published. This is the account found today in the Mormon Scripture, The Pearl of Great Price, in which God the Father and Jesus appear to Joseph Smith in separate physical bodies. (See 1820 cross-dates.) These two additions conflict with former teachings contained in the Lectures on Faith, which from 1835 have been the “Doctrine” part of the Mormon scripture, Doctrine &Covenants (see Preface, “Lecture First” and “Section 1,” D&C,;1835 ed.). The Lectures on Faith describe not the Holy Ghost, but God the Father as a “personage of spirit.” They call the Holy Ghost the Holy Spirit, and include the Holy Spirit in the Godhead. However there are only two personages in the Godhead, the Father and the Son (cf. 1829, 1844a, d). The Holy Spirit is described as merely the mind shared by the Father and the Son (N.B. Lundwall, comp., Lectures on Faith, Lec. 5, pp. 48-53). Publication of all these conflicting teachings together in the same volume of scripture for many years (see 1921) inevitably leads to unbiblical Momon distinction between Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost.

(b) August 20, Orson Pratt, one of the original Twelve Mormon Apostles, is excommunicated for apparent disagreements with Joseph Smith over polygamy and Smith’s sexual advances to Sarah Pratt, Orson’s wife (Nauvoo: Kingdom on the Mississippi, pp. 269-70).

1843 (a) Orson Pratt reinstated January 20 as member of the Twelve Apostles (Deseret News Church Almanac, 1979, p. 104) (See 1842b and 1875.)

(b) Revelation recorded July 12, 1843, authorizes eternal, plural marriage. As noted in current editions of the Doctrine &Covenants, “it is evident from the historical records that the doctrines and principles involved in this revelation had been known by the Prophet since 1831.” That is, historical records show Joseph Smith was sexually involved with women other than his legal wife Emma, long before this revelation is written, despite published denials. (See 1835c, 1838c, 1844b.) Revelation makes eternal and plural marriage essential to exaltation (see 1852b, 1855b, 1866b). It is also called an “everlasting covenant,” leading later Mormon prophets and apostles to frequently claim its practice was protected by God and could never be stopped (see 1856c, 1866c, 1879b). (See also 1829, 1844c, 1876, 1887a, 1890a, b, 1898b, 1906.)

1844 (a) In April, Joseph Smith preaches perhaps his most famous sermon. “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!…I am going to tell you how God came to be God. We have imagined and supposed that God was God from all eternity. I will refute that idea, and take away the veil so that you may see…He was once a man like us; yea that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt on an earth, the same as Jesus Christ himself did…Here, then is eternal life…you have got learn how to be Gods yourselves,…the same as all Gods have done before you” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 345-46). (See 1829, 1842a, 1844c, d.)

(b) May 26, Smith again denies polygamy: “What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one. I am the same man, and as innocent as I was fourteen years ago; and I can prove them all perjurers” (History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 411). (See 1838c cross-dates.)

(c) June 7, first and only copy of the Nauvoo Expositor published. Accuses Smith of practicing polygamy and teaching polytheism. (See 1838c cross-dates.)

(d) June 16, Joseph Smith preaches on the plurality of Gods: “I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods” (History of the Church, Vol. 6, p. 474) (See 1829, 1842a, 1844a.)

(e) June 27, mob attacks jail in Carthage, Illinois, where Joseph Smith and others are being held on charges of treason. Overwhelmed in an obviously unfairly matched gunfight, Joseph Smith nevertheless kills two men and wounds a third with a small pistol previously smuggled into the prison. Both Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum are killed (History of the Church, Vol. 7, p. 103). The mob’s action is inexcusable. But fighting for his life with an illegally obtained weapon, Joseph cannot legitimately be called a martyr in the sense with which that word has been applied down through the centuries to Christian martyrs who were willing to suffer death for their faith.

(f) Several splinter groups break off from main group in Nauvoo during the next few years (see Shields, Divergent Paths of the Restoration).

1845 Brigham Young, who will become the second Mormon prophet, seems to teach against Blood Atonement. “When men have come into our midst who were as corrupt as the devil himself, many have supposed it would have been better to have cut their throats with a feather and exposed their sins of corruption, and let them go to hell where they belonged, than to have borne with them as Brother Joseph Smith did; but this course would meet with a conflicting argument” (History of the Church, Vol. 7, p. 366). (See 1856a, 1977a.)

1846 (a) Nauvoo Temple dedicated.

(b) The Oath of Vengeance is implemented into the Temple ceremony. This is an oath against the killers of Joseph Smith (Diary Journal of Abraham H. Cannon; as quoted in Tanner, Mormonism: Shadow or Reality?, p. 475). (See 1926.)

(c) Brigham Young guides the majority of the people left in Nauvoo in move to Utah (Nauvoo: Kingdom on the Mississippi, p. 306).

1847 (a) Mormons reach the Salt Lake Valley.

(b) Brigham Young officially becomes the second Prophet of the Mormon church (Deseret News Almanac, 1079, p. 92).

1851 The first edition of the Pearl of Great Price, including the “Book of Moses” and the “Book of Abraham,” is printed (see 1835d cross-dates). Moses 7:8 and Abraham 1:21-27 become “scriptural basis” for denying priesthood to Blacks of African descent (see 1854b cross-dates).

1852 (a) Young teaches Adam-God doctrine. “When our father Adam came into the garden of Eden, he came into it with a celestial body, and brought Eve, one of his wives, with him. He helped to make and organize this world. He is Michael, the Archangel, the Ancient of Days! about whom holy men have written and spoken – He is our Father and our God, and the only God with whom we have to do” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 50). (See 1854a, 1856b, 1873, 1903, 1912a, 1976, 1981a.)

(b) Polygamy is openly taught in specially convened conference in Salt Lake City. Revelation dated July 12, 1843, which teaches, even commands, plural marriage to be practiced, is publicly read, then expounded on by Apostle Orson Pratt and President Brigham Young (Smith, Essentials in Church History, p. 394). The revelation is incorporated twenty-four years later (see 1876) into the Doctrine &Covenants. (See 1838c cross-dates.)

1853 Mormon apostle and later counselor to Brigham Young in Church’s First Presidency Jedediah M. Grant quotes with approval pagan philosopher Celsus, “The grand reason why the gentiles and philosophers of his school persecuted Jesus Christ, was because he had so many wives; there were Elizabeth, and Mary, and a host of others that followed him.” He goes on to say, “The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing crucifixion, was evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers who rose in that age. A belief in the plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think they were ‘Mormons’” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1, p. 345-46; see 1854c, 1963a). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

1854 (a) Orson Pratt vehemently disagrees with Brigham Young concerning the Adam God doctrine. “But behold ye, there were some that did not believe the sayings of the Prophet Brigham. Even our beloved brother Orson Pratt told me that he did not believe it. He said he could prove by the scriptures that it was not correct. I felt sorry to hear Professor Orson Pratt say that” (Diary of Joseph Lee Robinson, pp. 102-03 as quoted in Joseph Musser, Michael Our Father and Our God, p. 23 ftnt.). (See 1852a cross-dates.)

(b) Brigham Young speaks on those with a Black skin, the descendants of Cain, and the priesthood. “When all the other children of Adam have had the privilege of receiving the Priesthood…and have received their resurrection from the dead, then it will be time enough to remove the curse from Cain and his posterity” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 143). (See 1851, 1866a, 1945c, 1954b, 1958, 1978b, c, 1979a, b.)

(c) Orson Hyde, one of the LDS Twelve Apostles, explains the marriage at Cana found in the biblical account of John 2: “Jesus was the bridegroom at the marriage of Cana…. Now there was actually a marriage; and if Jesus was not the bridegroom on that occasion, please tell who was…. We say it was Jesus Christ who was married, to be brought into the relation whereby he could see his seed, before he was crucified….[B]efore the Savior died, he looked upon his own natural children, as we look upon ours;…” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 82; see 1853, 1963a). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

1855 (a) New First Vision information given by Brigham Young. “The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven…. But he did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith jun.,…and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 2, p. 171). (See 1820 cross-dates.)

(b) Brigham Young preaches a sermon on polygamy in which he explains, “Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned; and I will go still further and say, take this revelation, or any other revelation that the Lord has given, and deny it in your feelings, and I promise that you will be damned” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 3, p. 266). (See 1838c cross-dates.)

1856 (a) Brigham Young teaches doctrine of Blood Atonement. “There are sins that men commit for which they cannot receive forgiveness in this world, or in that which is to come, and if they had their eyes open to see their true condition, they would be perfectly willing to have their blood spilt upon the ground, that the smoke thereof might ascend to heaven as an offering for their sins; and the smoking incense would atone for their sins,…. It is true that the blood of the Son of God was shed for sins through the fall and those committed by men, yet man can commit sins which it can never remit” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 4, p. 53-54). (See 1845, 1977a.)

(b) Orson Pratt’s disagreement with Brigham Young on Adam-God continues. “A very serious conversation took place between President B. Young and Orson Pratt upon doctrine. O.P. was directly opposed to the President’s view and very freely expressed his entire disbelief in them after being told by the President that things were so and so in the name of the Lord. He was firm in the position that the President’s word in the name of the Lord, was not the word of the Lord to him” (History of Samuel W. Richards, p. 15; as quoted in Musser, Michael Our Father and Our God, p. 23 ftnt.). (See 1852a cross dates.)

(c) October 12, in a Sunday afternoon address in the Bowery on Temple Square, Mormon Apostle Heber C. Kimball declares, “You might as well deny ‘Mormonism,’ and turn away from it, as to oppose the plurality of wives. Let the Presidency of this Church, and the Twelve Apostles, and all the authorities unite and say with one voice that they will oppose that doctrine, and the whole of them would be damned” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 5, p. 203; see 1843b, 1866c, 1879b). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

1857 (a) Heber C. Kimball, First Counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency exclaims, “Wake Up, Ye Elders of Israel, and live to God and none else; and learn to do as you are told, both old and young: learn to do as you are told for the future. And when you are taking a position, if you do not know that you are right, do not take it – I mean independently. But if you are told by your leader to do a thing, do it. None of your business whether it is right or wrong” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 32). (See 1945b.)

(b) Mountain Meadows Massacre. Of the more than 100 people in the Fancher party passing through Utah, only a few of the children are not slaughtered. (See 1877a.)

1860 Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints officially organized in Amboy, Iowa. This is the largest of the many groups into which Joseph Smith’s church has splinterd. Joseph Smith III is called as their Prophet (Shields, Divergent Paths of the Restoration, p. 65).

1866 (a) Brigham Young reiterates his stance on the Blacks gaining the Priesthood. “And when all the rest of the children have received their blessing in the Holy Priesthood, then that curse shall be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will then come up and possess the priesthood, and receive all the blessings which we now are entitled to” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 272). (See 1854b cross-dates.)

(b) Brigham Young states, “The only men who become Gods, even the sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 269; see 1852b, 1855b). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

(c) Heber C. Kimball exclaims, “It would be as easy for the United States to build a tower to remove the sun, as to remove polygamy, or the church and kingdom of God” (Millenial Star, Vol. 28, p. 190; see 1843b, 1856c, 1879b). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

1867 Brigham Young publicly ridicules Orson Pratt’s concept of God. “They appear to be bound in their capacity for acquiring knowledge, as Brother Orson Pratt, has in theory, bound the capacity of God. According to his theory, God can progress no further in knowledge and power; but the God that I serve is progressing eternally, and so are his children” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 11, p. 286).

1870 Brigham Young explains one of the purposes of the sun. “So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is any life there? No question of it; it was not made in vain” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 271).

1871 Orson Pratt, in General Conference, discusses Joseph Smith’s Independence Temple revelation. “Here then we see a prediction, and we believe it. Yes! The Latter-day Saints have as firm faith and rely upon this promise as much as they rely upon the promise of forgiveness of sins…a temple will be reared on the spot that has been selected, and the corner-stone of which has been laid, in the generation when this revelation was given; we just as much expect this as we expect the sun to rise in the morning…But says the objector, ‘thirty nine years have passed away.’ What of that? The generation has not passed away; all the people that were living thirty-nine years ago have not passed away; but before they do pass away this will be fulfilled” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 14, p. 275). (See 1832b, 1996b.)

1873 Despite opposition, Brigham Young continues to teach the Adam-God doctrine. “How much unbelief exists in the minds of the Latter-day Saints in regard to one particular doctrine which I revealed to them, and which God revealed to me – namely that Adam is our Father and God -…. He was the first man on the earth and its framer and maker….he said, ‘I want my children who are in the spirit world to come and live here. I once dwelt upon an earth something like this, in a mortal state. I was faithful, I received my crown and exaltation….I want my children that were born to me in the spirit world to come here and take tabernacles of flesh…’” (Deseret News, June 14, 1873; see Mormonism: Shadow or Reality, p. 175, for photo-mechanical reproduction). (See 1852a cross-dates.)

1875 Orson Pratt’s seniority as one of the Twelve Apostles is stripped from him by Brigham Young. Pratt would have been third prophet had he retained his status (Deseret News Church Almanac, 1979, p. 104). (See 1842b, 1843a.)

1876 First edition of Doctrine & Covenants without revelation prescribing monogamous marriage is published. Section 132 (current editions) which authorizes polygamy is added (Temple Lot Case, p. 309). (See 1838c cross-dates.)

1877 (a) March 23, John D. Lee is executed for his part in the Mountain Meadows Massacre (Confessions of John D. Lee, p. 383) (See 1857b.)

(b) St. George, Utah, temple dedicated.

(c) Brigham Young dies.

1879 (a) New First Vision information given by John Taylor, who will become the third prophet. “None of them was right, just as it was when the Prophet Joseph asked the angel which of the sects was right that he might join it. The answer was that none of them are right….the angel merely told him to join none of them that none of them were right” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 20, p. 167; emphasis added). (See 1820 cross-dates.)

(b) Mormon Apostle George Q. Cannon declares, “If plural marriage be divine, as the Latter-day Saints say it is, no power on earth can suppress it, unless you crush and destroy the entire people.” At the October General Conference Apostle Franklin D. Richards declares, “…the government has determined that polygamy shall be abolished, but the government of heaven had previously determined that polygamy should be established…” (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 20, pp. 276, 314; see 1843b, 1856c, 1866c). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

1880 John Taylor becomes third Mormon prophet.

1884 Logan, Utah, temple is dedicated.

1887 (a) The Edmunds-Tucker Act is passed in Congress. This legislation “sought to facilitate conviction of polygamists by permitting exceptions to standard judicial and law enforcement procedures” (B.Y.U. Studies, Vol. 26, No. 4, p. 117; see 1890a). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

(b) Mormon prophet John Taylor dies.

1888 Manti, Utah, temple is dedicated.

1889 Wilford Woodruff becomes fourth Mormon prophet.

1890 (a) “The final blow for Mormon polygamy was the Supreme Court’s decision in The Late Corporation of the Church of Jesus Christ vs. United States which upheld the seizure of Church holdings by the federal government” (Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, Vol. 21, No. 1, p. 120; see 1887, 1890b). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

(b) Wilford Woodruff issues the Manifesto in which it is stated, “We are not teaching polygamy or plural marriage, nor permitting any person to enter into its practice … Inasmuch as laws have been enacted by Congress forbidding plural marriages … I hereby declare my intention to submit to those laws … And I now publicly declare that my advice to the Latter-day Saints is to refrain from contracting any marriage forbidden by the law of the land” (Doctrine &Covenants, “Official Declaration-1″, 1981 ed., p. 291-92). Following Joseph Smith’s earlier example (see 1835c, 1838c, 1844b), Church leaders continued to practice polygamy for many years after the manifesto, while lying about the subject to the government, the public and even church members (see 1898b, 1906). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

1893 Salt Lake City, Utah, temple dedicated.

1895 December 9, “At a special conference held at Colonia Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico, the settlement of the Saints in Mexico were organized as the Juarez Stake of Zion by Apostles Francis M. Lyman and George Teasdale; Anthony W. Ivins, president; Henry Eyring and Helaman Pratt, counselors” (Jenson, Andrew, Church Chronology, 1899 ed., p. 210). This community is known for its polygamist activity.

1898 (a) Wilford Woodruff dies. Lorenzo Snow becomes fifth Mormon prophet.

(b) October 17, “The Presbyterian synod of Utah, at its closing session in Ogden, passed resolutions declaring that polygamy was still practiced by the ‘Mormons’ in Utah” (Jenson, Church Chronology; see 1890b, 1906). (See also 1838c cross-dates.)

1901 Lorenzo Snow dies. Joseph F. Smith becomes sixth Mormon prophet.

1903 Mormon historian and member of the First Council of the Seventy, B.H. Roberts declares, “Some of the sectarian ministers are saying that we ‘Mormons’ are ashamed of the doctrine announced by President Brigham Young to the effect that Adam will thus be the God of this world. No, friends, it is not that we are ashamed of that doctrine” (The Mormon Doctrine of Deity, 1903 ed., p. 42). (See 1852a cross-dates.)

1906 The Congressional Committee on Privileges and Elections issues report on testimony taken in the Reed Smoot Case, stating, “A sufficient number of specific instances of the taking of plural wives since the Manifesto of 1890, so called, have been shown by the testimony as having taken place among Officials of the Mormon Church to demonstrate the fact that the leaders in this church, the first presidency and the twelve apostles, connive at the practice of taking plural wives, and have done so ever since the Manifesto was issued…” (Reed Smoot Case, Vol. 4, p. 476). There followed a long list of cases, including apostles of the church, of plural marriages contracted after the Manifesto. (See 1838c cross-dates, esp. 1890b, 1898b.)

1912 (a) In a letter to Central States Mission President Samuel O. Benion, dated February 20, 1912, the First Presidency officially renounces Brigham Young’s Adam-God doctrine. Restricting their response to only one of the many places where Young taught the doctrine, they attempt to explain the whole thing away as a misunderstanding or misinterpretation (Messages of the First Presidency, Vol. 4, pp. 266-67). (See 1852a cross-dates.)

(b) Headlines on the December 29 New York Times concerning Joseph Smith’s “Book of Abraham” (found in the Mormon scripture The Pearl of Great Price) reads, “Sacred Books Claimed to Have Been Given Divinely to the First Prophet Are Shown to be Taken from Old Egyptian Originals, Their Translation Being a Work of Imagination.” (See 1835d cross-dates.)

1916 The Father and the Son: A Doctrinal Exposition by the First Presidency and the Twelve, standardizes Mormon usage of terms Elohim and Jehovah, applying them to God the Father and God the Son, respectively. Previously, Jehovah had been used to refer to God the Father by Brigham Young, John Taylor and others. Bulk of the expositio