Why not leave the Church alone?

The following is written in response to my mother's recent query and counsel:

"Why do you write about the Mormon Church on Facebook, if you're no longer a Mormon? Let it go!! Move on with your life!!"

I will tell you below why I can't "let it go"...not just yet.

***

If every Latter-day Saint (or "Mormon") KNEW that Joseph Smith and his appointed successor and older brother, Hyrum Smith, were NOT polygamists -- but that they invariably preached AGAINST polygamy, denied ever being polygamists, and excommunicated (or otherwise disciplined) EVERY member of the LDS Church they found espousing or practicing polygamy -- then they would know...

... that Brigham Young (and those who followed him) embraced the doctrines of devils, taught lies, usurped authority, and, consequently, were false prophets;

... that among those lies (and liars) were the doctrines and practices of polygamy, the Adam-God theory, blood atonement, denial of priesthood to blacks, and the adoption of masonic temple rituals -- all of which early LDS "prophets, seers, and revelators" claimed were true, of God, everlasting, and "essentual" for eternal life and exaltation -- but ALL OF WHICH later LDS "prophets, seers, and revelators" abandoned, denounced, repudiated, disavowed, altered, eliminated or denied;

...consequently, that reliance upon said false prophets for one's salvation -- putting one's trust in "the arm of flesh," as it were -- is both damning and foolhearty;

... that Brigham Young (and his associates) MUST have lied while fabricating and altering numerous  "official" church histories, journals, diaries, affidavits, revelations and other documents, including D&C 132 -- that "revelation" purportedly received by Joseph, but discovered by Brigham in a desk eight years after Joseph and Hyrum's murder -- "authorizing" Brigham, et al., to institute the practice of polygamy, thereby securing ecclesiastical, political, economic, financial, social, and even sexual control of the Saints to themselves -- all of which (thanks to the internet) we now know;

...and, consequently, that the modern LDS claim to having unique, exclusive and (most importantly) divine "authority to preach the gospel and administer the ordinances thereof" is (not unlike the Catholic claim) false.

Any other conclusion is wishful thinking, contrary to the (ample) evidence available -- which evidence the LDS Church (not unsurprisingly) labors diligently to suppress.

Which presents a conundrum!

The Book of Mormon was procured, "translated" and put forth to the world by supernatural means -- Joseph Smith literally talking out of his hat!

The contents of that book are evidently prophetic and inspiring, presenting us with an otherwise implausibly rich narrative of purportedly true history and masterful exposition of the divine nature, eternal work, and true doctrine of Jesus Christ, unsurpassed even by the Bible!

By provenance of that book alone, Joseph Smith distinguished himself as a TRUE prophet, seer, and revelator of Jesus Christ, having authority from God!

Modern "believers" of that book now include members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (or "Mormons"), but also former members of that church, plus adherents of dozens of other "offshoots" and "sibling" organizations, some of whom still practice polygamy or claim authority to "preside" and "administer the gospel" by virtue of some "dispensation" allegedly received from Jesus, an angel, Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, or some other early "Mormon" church "authority."

The "fruits" of these offshoots has varied remarkably, running the gamut: from cultish, cloistered, murderous,  incestuous, sexually predatory and tyrannical...to benign, admirably accomplished, virtuous, prominent, inclusive, and ecumenical!

All of them profess belief in Jesus. But none now resembles that religion practiced by Joseph Smith -- "save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men." (2 Ne. 28:14.)

And that's the problem! The Book of Mormon has been most notably (and successfully) published and presented to the world by "Mormon" missionaries -- members of the LDS Church. That book is now associated with them!

But the doctrines, principles, practices, reputation, influence and impact of The Book of Mormon have been tarnished, tainted, perverted -- even obliterated! --  by the very and various organizations and people who have embraced, adopted, and promulgated it as their foundational text (they having then disregarded or misinterpretted it).

See D&C 84:54-58 below.

"54 And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—
55 Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.
56 And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all.
57 And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do according to that which I have written—
58 That they may bring forth fruit meet for their Father’s kingdom; otherwise there remaineth a scourge and judgment to be poured out upon the children of Zion."

That condemnation followed the Saints from Ohio to Missouri, from Missouri to Illinois, from Illinois to Nebraska, and from Nebraska to the mountains of Utah and (later) to Mexico, leaving behind two desecrated temples; countless disaffected, dispirited, and dead Mormons; and a trail of tears and bloody footprints in the snow.

As recently as 1986, Mormon "prophet" Ezra Taft Benson declared that this condemnation had never been lifted from the Church. Nary a Latter-day Saint now speaks of it...at least not since February, 1991. (See
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1991/02/i-have-a-question/what-is-the-condemnation-we-are-under-that-president-benson-speaks-of-regarding-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng) Rather, they sing "All Is Well!" -- with no small amount of irony. (See LDS hymn #30: "Come, Come, Ye Saints.")

But what saith the Book of Mormon about such self-satisfaction, self- confidence and self-delusion? (See 2 Nephi 28.)

"1 And now, behold, my brethren, I have spoken unto you, according as the Spirit hath constrained me; wherefore, I know that they must surely come to pass.
2 And the things which shall be written out of the book [of Mormon] shall be of great worth unto the children of men, and especially unto our seed, which is a remnant of the house of Israel.
3 For it shall come to pass in that day that the churches which are built up, and not unto the Lord, when the one shall say unto the other: Behold, I, I am the Lord’s; and the others shall say: I, I am the Lord’s; and thus shall every one say that hath built up churches, and not unto the Lord—
4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
5 And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men;
6 Behold, hearken ye unto my precept; if they shall say there is a miracle wrought by the hand of the Lord, believe it not; for this day he is not a God of miracles; he hath done his work.
7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.
8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.
9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark.
10 And the blood of the saints shall cry from the ground against them.

***

We pause from our regularly scheduled programming to mention that, on average, every year, about 900 Latter-day Saints -- baptized members of the LDS Church -- STARVE TO DEATH because -- in contrast to its chapels,  temples, and other buildings -- including MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR shopping malls! -- the abject poor in the LDS Church are considered "a poor investment" by Church leaders. They have determined that NONE of the billions of dollars of tithing collected from faithful members shall go to feed, house, or clothe the poor, lest the poor join the Church simply to keep from dying!

As former lawyer, state supreme court judge, university president, current LDS "apostle" and demon incarnate Dallin H. Oaks deftly explains it: the Lord now prioritizes the "spiritual" needs of the 1st-World wealthy (for chapels, temples, luxury condos and shopping malls) over the "temporal" needs of the 3rd-World poor (for non-essentials like food, clothing, shelter...and life).

Please rip from your Bibles any reference to our Lord's Sermon on the Mount -- including His injunction to give to the poor and to everyone who asks -- as well as His parable of Lazarus resting in Abraham's bosom...lest ye be smitten with guilt and cognitive dissonance from the Lord!

Consequently, the LDS Church now has, in its coffers and accounts, HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN ASSETS! -- including over $100 BILLION in stocks and bonds, farms and factories, lands and gold.

One is thus reminded of our Savior's teachings (see Matthew 25):

"31 ¶ When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
42 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming (see 2 Nephi 28):

***

11 Yea, they have all gone out of the way; they have become corrupted.
12 Because of pride, and because of false teachers, and false doctrine, their churches have become corrupted, and their churches are lifted up; because of pride they are puffed up.
13 They rob the poor because of their fine sanctuaries; they rob the poor because of their fine clothing; and they persecute the meek and the poor in heart, because in their pride they are puffed up.
14 They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.
15 O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!
16 Wo unto them that turn aside the just for a thing of naught and revile against that which is good, and say that it is of no worth! For the day shall come that the Lord God will speedily visit the inhabitants of the earth; and in that day that they are fully ripe in iniquity they shall perish.
17 But behold, if the inhabitants of the earth shall repent of their wickedness and abominations they shall not be destroyed, saith the Lord of Hosts.
18 But behold, that great and abominable church, the whore of all the earth, must tumble to the earth, and great must be the fall thereof.
19 For the kingdom of the devil must shake, and they which belong to it must needs be stirred up unto repentance, or the devil will grasp them with his everlasting chains, and they be stirred up to anger, and perish;
20 For behold, at that day shall he rage in the hearts of the children of men, and stir them up to anger against that which is good.
21 And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.
22 And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none—and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance.
23 Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell; and death, and hell, and the devil, and all that have been seized therewith must stand before the throne of God, and be judged according to their works, from whence they must go into the place prepared for them, even a lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment.
24 Therefore, wo be unto him that is at ease in Zion!
25 Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!
26 Yea, wo be unto him that hearkeneth unto the precepts of men, and denieth the power of God, and the gift of the Holy Ghost!
27 Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!
28 And in fine, wo unto all those who tremble, and are angry because of the truth of God! For behold, he that is built upon the rock receiveth it with gladness; and he that is built upon a sandy foundation trembleth lest he shall fall.
29 Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!
30 For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.
31 Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost.
32 Wo be unto the Gentiles, saith the Lord God of Hosts! For notwithstanding I shall lengthen out mine arm unto them from day to day, they will deny me; nevertheless, I will be merciful unto them, saith the Lord God, if they will repent and come unto me; for mine arm is lengthened out all the day long, saith the Lord God of Hosts."

Such were "the churches" at the time The Book of Mormon was ordained to come forth. Is the LDS Church not so, as well, today?

Consequently, the power, impact and influence of The Book of Mormon on the world has been almost entirely enervated, eviscerated, stifled and stymied. The "restoration of the fullness of the gospel" -- initiated in earnest by God through Joseph Smith, with "signs and wonders" attending -- has largely been abandoned and aborted. Together with its "mother tree," the "offshoots" thereof are (mostly) fit to be tied and burned, having failed to yield "acceptable" fruit.

One can only imagine how many previous, other, less "fruitful" attempts God has made to "recover" His people! (See Jacob 5.) How long have we been treading this "treadmill," perhaps "following a prophet," in vain? Centuries? Eons? Worlds without end?

Behold the status and destiny of those who do so!

1 Nephi 8:5-8:

"5 And it came to pass that I [Lehi] saw a man, and he was dressed in a white robe; and he came and stood before me.
6 And it came to pass that he spake unto me, and bade me follow him.
7 And it came to pass that as I followed him I beheld myself that I was in a dark and dreary waste.
8 And after I had traveled for the space of many hours in darkness, I began to pray unto the Lord that he would have mercy on me, according to the multitude of his tender mercies."

D&C 76:98-101:

"98 And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world;
99 For these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas.
100 These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of Isaiah, and some of Enoch;
101 But received not the gospel, neither the testimony of Jesus, neither the prophets, neither the everlasting covenant."

I imagine that -- to my dying day -- I will always be a firm "believer" in The Book of Mormon and,  consequently, a "Mormon" -- though I am not now nor will I ever be again a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or any of its siblings, or a "follower" of any of its beguiling false prophets, though there may be many otherwise "good," even "inspired" men and women among them -- God being merciful to the ignorant and unwillfully deceived, who seek His truth.

I have had to turn HARD against them -- and from the false religion they practice, proffer and espouse -- to see, hear, feel and worship the one true God, who is Jesus Christ, in a manner and form that would be pleasing to Him. This is extraordinarily simple -- but very difficult! -- to do! It requires worshipping God with every particle, synapse, and quantum of one's being, surrendering and rendering one's WHOLE soul unto Him, with FULL obedience to His will, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

That is all! (And ONLY that will do!)

The Book of Mormon is a competent and trustworthy "blueprint" on how -- and how not! -- to do that. Mere "belief" in any prophet or book, or membership in any church, is insufficient to save anyone! Christ's PRINCIPLES must be put into PRACTICE!

Even then, ONLY CHRIST ALONE can save us -- after all we can do (see 2 Nephi 25:23):

"23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."

ALL who fully believe and put into practice the principles put forth in The Book of Mormon -- which contains the fulness of the everlasting gospel -- will come unto Christ and be saved.