As usual, KSL aired their Sunday 10am espisode of, "History of the Saints." They related the story of how Martin Harris found a rock similar in appearance to the one Jos Smith would place in his hat in order to translate the Golden Plates. They told how Harris, unbeknowst to Smith, switched the stones to test Smith's credibility for translating. Supposedly, Smith didn't notice the switch and claimed all was black, he couldn't understand why he was unable to translate.
WOW, and this is supposed to sound credible. It sounds like something a couple second or third graders would come up with to impress and fool their juvenile classmates. It actually makes me feel embarassed for the members that TSCC would even put this story out for public consumption, as though it somehow added credibilty to Smith.
At this rate, I can see the day coming when only the most gullible, unintelligent and those bereft of critical thinking skills will still be Mormons. As people outside TSCC become more aware of things like this, and they will, they're going to think their Mormon acquaintences and friends must be absolute morons.
I guess they realize that members are dumb enough to buy this. Why else would they even mention this story? I would be insulted if I was a smarter member
Can totally relate to being embarrased big time by the cult:
I felt embarrased, the truth of the matter, very embarrased at myself, when the last board of my shelf hit me on the head and I knew that I had, for myself, put the last piece of the moron-fraud-puzzle in place. I wanted and got out.
Then, I jumped quickly to putting guilt and more guilt on myself. Why, because this is what I had learned to do in the church, plus at home. HOW HAD I BEEN SO STUPID to fall for such a load of bullshit? I had a brain. Why hadn't I used it? The whole mormon thing was so silly, and so dum dum dum dum dum (quoting Trey and ??? of Southpark). I INTERNALIZED THAT I EQUALED DUMB.
I kept this frame of mind until I learned that I actually had been IN A CULT. I had been indoctrinated, and my mind required time and work to unravel the mind control I had been under.
The rock was found digging a well and was noticed as being very unusual in both shape and markings. It was kept by Mr. Chase, the owner of the well. Joseph Smith borrowed it to use in his money digging. Chase asked for it back and Hyrum told him Joseph was going to keep it.
This was a very singular rock that Joseph had spent HOURS staring at. Joseph would have immediately recognized a substituted similar rock. The conclusion is obvious. He knew that Harris (Mr. Gullible/simple minded) was trying to "test" him. So he went along with it and pretended to not notice the obvious switch. This helped convince Harris to mortgage his farm to pay for the publication. Joseph behaved like a typical con-man in letting his "mark" think he was smarter. Once a con man has the mark thinking they are smarter than the con-man, they are putty in his hands. Almost all cons involve making the mark think they are putting one over on the con-man.
ALSO -- If we are to believe the story at face value then the rock itself was magic and a substitute rock would not have worked. This goes completely against all the apologetic arguments that the rock simply concentrated Joseph's mind and allowed revelation to flow. It adds the existence of magic rocks to the already overstuffed shelf of Mormon weirdness.
"At this rate, I can see the day coming when only the most gullible, unintelligent and those bereft of critical thinking skills will still be Mormons. As people outside TSCC become more aware of things like this, and they will, they're going to think their Mormon acquaintances and friends must be absolute morons." - that day is APRIL 13, 2014 - I do think ABSOLUTE MORONS describes them well. It is beyond me how they hold jobs etc. I thought you had to have an IQ to have a job.
What baura said simply lends credibility to what I just said about the date.
"I would be insulted if I was a smarter member" - the smarter members are on this board and have resigned!
That happened to me once. Someone switched my cell phone for a store display dummy. Unlike the brilliant carny-prophet Joseph Smith I was unable to discern the switch. I just kept calling people on the dummy phone and talking to them.