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Posted by: steve benson ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 12:23AM

. . . trying to get her between the covers before she was even a teenager (and for several years thereafter) by:

(1) invoking along the way toward rolling in the hay images of Angels of Death,

(2) manipulating the young girl through guilt trips and

(3) offering her promises of salvation.

It took him over a decade to finally seduce her, proving that he possessed the Mormon version of sacred stamina necessary to get the job done. Anyone familiar with Mormonism's founding fraudster and pedophillic prophet knows that this was Smith's standard operating procedure for pulling in females with whom he wanted to frolic.

True to form, of course, the abjectly-apologetic site for all things moronically and perversely Mormon--otherwise known as FAIR--emphatically declares that "[t]here is no evidence that Joseph was a pedophile." (But there is directly observable evidence for the actual Book of Mormon gold plates? Wait. An angel--with or without a flaming sword--conveniently swiped them and took them up to heaven. Chuckle).


(“MormonFAIR Answers: The Circumstances of Helen Mar Kimball’s Marriage to Joseph Smith, Jr.,” at: http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/Polygamy/Plural_wives/Helen_Mar_Kimball/Circumstances_of_her_plural_marriage)

Wake up and smell the horse pucky, people.
_____


When it comes to the philandering facts on their "prpphet," the actual historical record differs dramatically from the Mormons' hysterical broken record player. Let's take one case, in particular--that of Smith's eventually plucked polygamous "bride," Mary Elizabeth Rollins, whom Smith had relentlessly tried to get in bed with him from the time she was 12 years old.

In a previous thread, RfM poster "atheist&happy:-)" asserted that Smith "attempted to seduce 12-year-old Mary Elizabeth Rollins in 1831":

"Section 132, of the 'Doctrine and Covenants,' is the retroactive 'official' 1843 'revelation' by Joseph Smith for the practice of polygamy. It was officially 'given' to him ten years after he had secretly taken his first plural wife, Fannie Alger, about 17 years of age, in 1833 ('Origins of Power,' p. 619, D. Michael Quinn), and 12 years after he attempted to seduce 12 year old Mary Elizabeth Rollins in 1831 ('Emma Hale Smith,' p. 65). Joseph did later marry Mary Elizabeth, in February 1842 (after he had made two more attempted persuasions towards a secret marriage), while she was still the wife of Adam Lightner, thus making bigamy part of the Law of Polygamy."

"('Marriage of Joseph Smith and Emma Hale,' http://www.exmormon.org/pattern/josemma.htm)

"I believe he was a pedophile, con man, thief, adulterer, etc."

("He attempted to seduce 12 year old Mary Elizabeth Rollins in 1831," posted by "atheist&happy:-)," on "Recovery from Mormonism" discussion board, 17 March 2012, at: http://exmormon.org/phorum/read.php?2,262342,446846#msg-446846)
_____


Indeed, below are the sordid details of Smith's pathological pursuit of Mary Elizabeth Rollins--an obsessive skirt chase that began when she was a 12-year-old girl and climaxed 11 years later when he finally snared her for his unholy harem.

--Smith Tells 12-Year-Old Mary Elizabeth that God Has Commanded Him in a Vision to Marry Her and that a Sword-Bearing Angel Threatened to Kill Him if She Didn't Obey (Sound Familiar?)--

Authors Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery report Smith's snag line as follows in "Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith--Prophet's Wife, 'Elect Lady,' Polygamy's Foe":

"Mary Elizabeth Rollins claimed that Joseph had a private conversation with her in 1831; she was 12 years old.

"She said Joseph 'told me about his great vision concerning me. He said I was the first woman God commanded him to take as a plural wife.' [letter from Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner to Emeline B. Wells, summer 1905, LDS Archives]

"Although she did not become a plural wife of Joseph's until a number of years later, that early conversation planted a seed that Mary Elizabeth long rememered."
_____


--Failing on His First Try to Bed a 12-Year-Old Girl, Smith Goes for a 16-Year-Old One--

Newell and Avery write that "[w]ithin six months of Joseph's [1831] conversation with Mary Elizabeth Rollins, he and Emma had moved into the John Johnson home. Orson Pratt later quoted Lyman Johnson as saying that 'Joseph had made known to him as early as 1831 that plural marriage was a correct principle,' but remarked that 'the time had not yet come to teach and practice it.'

"Perhaps Joseph was not discreet in his discussions about plural marriage, because rumor and insinuation fed the fury of the mob that tarred and feathered him [in Hiram, Ohio, in March 1832]. When the Johnson boys joined the mob that entered their own home, they clear suspected an improper association between Joseph and their 16-year-old sister Nancy Marinda."
_____


--Predator Smith Continues Hot on Mary Elizabeth's Trail 'n Tail, Using Every Sick Trick in His Hat to Snatch Her (Even When She Eventually Had Married Another Man and Was Pregnant by Her Husband at the Time She Married Smith)--

Newell and Avery describe Smith's persistent polygamous pursuit of Mary Elizabeth--a sick quest that persisted over a decade:

"Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lighnter indicated that Joseph had first commented in 1831 that she would one day become his wife.

"Joseph approached her again in 1834 but, afraid of the unusual arrangement, she married Adam Lightner on August 11, 1835. Early in 1842, Joseph again reminded her that he had been commanded to take her as a wife. By this time, Mary Elizabeth said she had been dreaming for a number of years that she was his wife. She commented to Joseph, however, 'Well, don't you think it was an angel of the Devil that told you these things?'

"'No, it was an angel of God,' Joseph reassured her. 'The angel came to me three times between the year 1834 and 1842 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me.' Mary Elizabeth said Joseph told her that the last time the angel had come with a drawn sword and threatened his life. 'Joseph said I was his before I came here and all the devils in hell should never get me from him.' This extraordinarily powerful psychological and theological argument placed her in a contest between good and evil.

"Joseph held out one final argument that carried much weight in the eyes of those people who intended to live their lives by the word of God in order to inherit His kingdom. He offered salvation to Mary Elizabeth if she would accept his proposal. 'All that [God] gives me I shall take with me for I have that authority and that power conferred upon me.'

"Mary Elizabeth said she would not be married to him until she too had a witness. 'If God told you that why does he not tell me?'

"'You shall have a witness,' Joseph promised. Then he asked Mary Elizabeth if she was going to be a 'traitor.'

"'I . . . shall never tell a mortal I had such a talk from a married man,' she replied.

"Mary Elizabeth, who had been in Emma [Smith's] home often and had taught painting to Julia [daughter of Joseph and Emma], was mindful of another complication. She asked if Emma knew about her. Joseph neatly sidestepped the issue with an incomplete answer, 'Emma thinks the world of you.'"
_____


--In an Effort to Seal the Steal, Smith Then Blames Mary Elizabeth for Offending an Angel of God--

Newell and Avery write:

"After making Joseph's proposal the subject of prayer, Mary Elizabeth said 'an angel' passed silently through her room and out the window one night. After telling Joseph of the experience, she asked him why, if it was 'an angel of light,' it did not speak to her.

"'You covered your face,' he told her, 'and for this reason the angel was insulted.'

"'Will it ever come again?'

"Joseph thought for a moment, the said, 'No. Not the same one, but if you are faithful you shall see greater things thatn that.'

"He then predicted three signs would take place in her family. 'Every word came true,' she wrote."
_____


--A Fellow Polygamist Predator Performs the Marriage--

"Brigham Young officiated at her marriage to Joseph. [" . . . Young [performed] the marriage between Joseph and Mary Elizabeth in the room over the red brick store [in Nauvoo] in February 1842. Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner's entire account is found in Mary Elizabeth Lighnter to Emmeline B. Wells, summer 1905; ''Remarks,' Mary Elizabeth Lightner, given at BYU, 14 April 1905, typescript, BYU; and 'The Life and Testimony of Mary E. Lightner,' 'Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine,' July 1926, pp. 1-44"]"
_____


--Mary Elizabeth Later Recounts that She Knew Smith Had Fathered Children Whose Biological Connection to Him Had Been Hidden Under Other Names--

Newell and Tippetts note how Mary Elizabeth was aware of children sired by Smith but raised under aliases:

"Persistent oral and family traditions insist that Joseph fathered children by at least four of his plural wives. Mary Elizabeth Rollins Lightner's comments illustrate the secrecy surrounding the birth of these children. As late as 1905 she commented, 'I knew he had three chidlren. They told me. I think two of them are living today but they are not known as his chidlren as they go by other names.'"

(Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, "Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith--Prophet's Wife, 'Elect Lady,' Polygamy's Foe," Chapter 4, "Seas of Tribulation: 1834-1838," Chapter 7, "A New Order of Marriage" (Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1984, pp. 65, 98-99, 100-01, 318fn3, 324fn23)
_____


--Trying to Put Lipstick on a Pedophilic Polygamous Pig--

Essentially backing the Newell/Avery account of events, Mormon historian Todd Compton, in his book, "In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith," writes the following, while adding some bizarre details (but not mentioning that Smith had first approached 12-year-old Mary Elizabeth on becoming his plural wife back in 1831):

"By Mary's own account, she had had spiritual pre-sentiments that she would become Joseph Smith's wife: 'I had been dreaming for a number of years I was his wife. I thought I was a great sinner. I prayed to God to take it from me.' However, the prophetic dreams were fulfilled--Smith proposed to her in early February 1842 at the home of Newel and Elizabeth Whitney.

"In her later life she retold the story a number of times, which allows us to construct a fascinating, detailed composite account showing how Smith approached his prospective wives.

"First, after he introduced the idea of plural marriage to Mary, he told her that God had instructed him to marry her in 1834 but that he had been in Kirtland and she in Missouri. He said that he had been frightened of the idea at first but, he said, as Mary remembered it, 'The angel came to me three times between the year of '34 and '42 and said I was to obey that principle or he would lay [destroy] me.'

"Then he made an important statement: 'Joseph said I was his before I came here and he said all the devils in hell should never get me from him.'

"In her autobiography Mary wrote that Smith told her, 'I was created for him before the foundation of the Earth was laid.' So we have the doctrine of spirits matched in the pre-existence, a concept that give important insight into Smith's practicew of polyandry. It fits into the context of the broader 'spiritual wife' doctrine of the Burned-over District, in which spiritual affinities between a man and a woman took precedence over legal but non-sacred marriage. Perhaps the Mormon doctrine of the pre-existence derived in part from this influence.

"Smith also told Mary, 'I know that I shall be saved in the Kingdom of God. I have the oath of God upon it and God cannot lie. All that he gives me I shall take with me, for I have that authority and that power conferred upon me.' In other words, Smith linked plural marriage with salvation, as he did in later marriages. If Mary accepted him as her husband, her place in heaven would be assured."

"She did not agree to the marriage at first--she was married to and presumably in love with another man, and was skeptical of Smith's doctrine. She asked why, if an angel came to him, it had not appeared to her? She asked pointedly, wasn't it possible that the angel was from the Devil? Smith assured her that it had come from God.

"She replied that she would never be sealed to him until she had a direct witness from God. He told her to pray earnestly, for the angel had told him that she whould have a witness.

"As the conversation ended, he asked her if she would turn traitor and speak of this to anyone. She replied, 'I shall never tell a mortal I had such a talk from a married man!'

"She was undestandably troubled by this proposal. Nevertheless, she prayed about it and discussed it with the only person Smith would allow her to confide in, Brigham Young. One day she knelt between three haystacks and, she wrote, 'If ever a poor mortal prayed, I did.' She even prayed with her hands upraised, following the pattern of Moses.

"A few nights after that she was in her bedroom where her mother and aunt slept also, when, she later recounted, '[A] Personage stood in front of the bed looking at me. Its clothes were whiter than anything I had ever seen. I could look at its Person but when I saw its face so bright and more beautiful than any earthly Being could be and those eyes piercing me through and through, I could not endure it; it seemed as if I must die with fear. I fell back in bed and covered my head.' As she hid under her covers, her aunt awoke and saw 'a figure in white robes pass from our bed to my mother's bed and pass out of the window.'

"Mary soon related this to Smith, who explained the sign to her and predicted events that would take place in her family. 'Every word came true. I went forward and was sealed to him. Brigham Young performed the sealing and Heber C. Kimball the blessing.'

"This happened toward the end of February 1842 in the upper room of Smith's Red Brick store, the makeshift Masonic Hall. The marriage was 'for time and all eternity.'

"The prophet's sixth wife, approximately, Mary was 23 years old and pregnant with her third child by Adam Lightner durng the ceremony. He was out of town, 'far away' at the time, so probably did not know about it.

"Mary later commented on the polyandrous aspect of her marriage:

"'I could tell you why I stayed with Mr. Lightner. Things the leaders of the Church do not know anything about. I did just as Joseph told me to do, as he knew what troubles I would have to contend with.'

"So, Smith instructed her to stay with her husband. One obvious advantage to such a modus operandi was that it would preserve the secrecy of their polyandrous union.

"About a month after the marriage, on March 23, George Algernon was born to Mary in Nauvoo. Miles Henry was now six. Caroline one-and-a-half. On April 14, Mary was accepted into the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo and on June 9 she contributed $1.00 to it.

"Adam Lightner was back in Nauvoo by July 1, when he boutht a hat at the Joseph Smith store."

(Todd Compton, "In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith," Chapter 8, "Miracle Tale: Mary Elizabeth Rollins (Lightner Smith Young)" [Salt Lake City, Utah: Signature Books,1997. pp. 211-213)

**********


Let's review the revolting record, along with a postscript on how the Mormon Cult tried to shut up the women authors who blew the whistle on Joe's sexcapades:

Inner-circle Mo man, Orson Pratt, indicated that Joseph Smith confided, in 1831, to a handful of early Mormons that polygamy was the will of God but that it wasn't yet time to implement it. Lyman Johnson confirmed the same thing--i.e., that he had heard Smith endorse polygamy as as godly doctrine in, yes, 1831.

That same year--during which Smith was floating his polygamous trial balloon--he, not coincidentally, was involved in what was essentially a protracted, obsessed and manipulative courtship of 12-year-old Mary Elizabeth Rollins. Smith's predatory pursuit ended when he multi-wife married her in 1842, at a time when she was the spouse of another man and carrying her first husband's child. (It is also hardly a coincidence that within a few months of first approaching Mary Elizabeth to marry him he was engaged in sexual improprieties with 16-year-old Nancy Marinda Johnson, which ended up getting him tarred and feathered).

Here's the Smith-Rollins timeline:

"Mary Rollins first met Joseph Smith in early 1831. She and her family were new converts and Joseph Smith had just arrived in Kirtland from New York state. 12-year-old Mary remembers, 'When he saw me, he looked at me so earnestly, I felt almost afraid [and I thought, ‘He can read my every thought,’ and I thought how blue his eyes were]. After a moment, or too he came and put his hands on my head and gave me a great blessing (the first I ever received).'

"Joseph also [at this time in 1831] prepared Mary for their eventually marriage: '[He] told me about his great vision concerning me. He said I was the first woman God commanded him to take as a plural wife.' In the fall of that year [1831], Mary and her family left Kirtland for 'Zion,' which was being established in Missouri.

"Three years later, Mary and Joseph would be reunited when Joseph led the Zion’s Camp expedition from Ohio to Missouri. Mary remembers, 'In 1834 he was commanded to take me for a Wife, I was a thousand miles from him, he got afraid.' At the close of Zion’s Camp, Joseph returned to Kirtland. Mary stayed in Missouri, living in Liberty and Far West. Perhaps thinking her marriage to Joseph was off, she married Adam Lightner in 1835. By 1840 they had settled in Nauvoo, and were raising two children.

"Early in 1842, Joseph approached Mary about becoming his wife. According to Mary, Joseph said, 'The angel came to me three times between the year of ’34 and ’42 and said I was to obey that principle or he would slay me.' Furthermore, Joseph told her, 'I was his before I came here and he said all the Devils in hell should never get me from him . . .' and 'I know that I shall be saved in the Kingdom of God. I have the oath of God upon it and God cannot lie. All that he gives me I shall take with me for I have that authority and that power conferred upon me.'

"Initially, Mary did not accept Joseph’s proposal. She wanted a witness from God. Mary recalls, 'If ever a poor mortal prayed I did.' By February 1842 Joseph had convinced her it was a correct principle and she, 'went forward and was sealed to him. Brigham Young performed the sealing . . . for time, and all Eternity.” Mary said her husband Adam was 'far away' out of town at the time of her marriage to Joseph.

"Mary continued to live with her first husband, Adam. Of this arrangement, she later wrote, 'I could tell you why I stayed with Mr. Lightner. Things the [current] leaders of the Church does not know anything about. I did just as Joseph told me to do . . .'

"After Joseph Smith was killed in 1844, Mary and her first husband Adam continued to live in Nauvoo and the Midwest. In 1863 they moved to Utah. In her elderly years, Mary wrote to an acquaintance, . '. . . I Love to talk about the Prophet and the Early days of the Church [I] will always remember how Joseph looked . . . at that first sealing . . .he was tall and of a commanding figure, full of Life . . . Yes; I could tell you many things that I cannot write – I remember every word he . . . ever said to me of importance . . .'"

("Mary Rollins Lightner," on "Remembering the Wives of Joseph Smith," at: http://www.wivesofjosephsmith.org/09-MaryRollinsLightner.htm)


So, Mary Elizabeth said that in 1831 Smith told her God had commanded him to take her as his plural wife. What followed were unfolding chapters over ensuing years where Smith kept up the pressure to snag her, using every trick in the book to plant his hook. Like the true, power-hungry narcissist that he was, Smith focused on that attempt with proposals and entreaties in which he used various pressure tactics to suck her in, all of which eventually led to Smith nabbing her, even though she was by that time the impregnated wife of another man.

**This P.S. on Mormonism's false and philandering "prophet" Joe Smith:

It pays to keep in mind that when Mormon authors Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery released their book, "Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith, " in which the details of Smith's sexual stalkings were detailed, the Mormon Cult--led by its frothing pit bull, Dallin H. Oaks--throttled them with a gag order, denying them permission to present firesides on their findings. That's a pretty persuasive sign that these two brave women were on to something that the Mormon Cult wanted to get them off of. Below is a little history of muzzling these two Mormon females who dared speak, in print, truth to LDS male-abused priesthood "power."

"Mormon Enigmas: Linda Newell and Valeen Avery":

"John Larson of 'Mormon Expression' did a book review of Mormon Enigma' by Linda Newell and Valeen Avery. I’m not going to/ quote the whole podcast, but John gives a very interesting introduction to the book. In light of my recent post Latter-day Dissent, I thought I would continue the theme of how the church deals with intellectuals"

"'This book was published in the fall of 1984. There sort of a back story to it. Both of the women who wrote the book were faithful, active members. One has passed away; the other is still alive today. They both still remain active members of the church. There was sort of a controversy around the book. A priesthood circular went all, I think all through Utah telling all priesthood leaders that they were not allowed to have either woman speak about the book in any setting.

"'At the time, during the 1980′s there was the 'Know Your Religion' series, and it was really common to have firesides about people who knew something about something or the other. They got stopped immediately. The two women actually requested and were granted a meeting with the top brass; they met with [Dallin] Oaks and [Neal A.] Maxwell [both were apostles]. This would be around the early summer of 1985.

"The meeting went back and forth. What was really confusing to the authors is that they remained members in good standing, although there were rumors going around that they would be excommunicated or whatever, but they were never told anything. That went out into that sort of secret circular letter and they only knew about it because they had friends who were stake presidents who shared it with them. When they met with the Brethren, they said ‘what’s going on?’

"'Oaks said something very informative. I pulled this out of "Dialogue" magazine:' 'If "Mormon Enigma: reveals any information that is detrimental to the reputation of Joseph Smith then it is necessary to try to . . . stop it’s influence and that of its authors.' They basically said, it doesn’t matter if what you are saying is true or not, if you’re going to say something that’s outside the normal line, we don’t want you talking about it.

"'Of course the authors were blacklisted. You can read about the blacklisting in Arrington’s book, 'Adventures of a Church Historian.' He talks about it quite extensively. The church maintains a blacklist of all the books and authors that are not allowed to be quoted. This effectively ruined the two women’s careers for speaking or engaging with the active Latter-day Saints, although you can still buy this book through Deseret Book. It remains sort of an enigma itself, so I guess that’s fitting for the book.'

"That’s the background of the book. Zilpha’s wagging something in my face. What’s this?

"Oh yeah, the book won several awards. In 1984 it won an award from the Mormon History Association for best book. It also won an award from BYU, which sort of put the church in a bind because they had recognized it as a great book and then they were stopping it at the same time.

"This sort of action really bothers me. As I mentioned in my previous post, I would like to start writing Mormon history articles and/or books. I’m looking to write good, honest history. This blacklisting just seems a bit sneaky and dishonest to me. I don’t think the rumors about these 2 women’s reputation is fair or Christlike. It’s as if the church is saying in a Jack Nicholson voice, 'You can’t handle the truth.'

"Why can’t we be honest with our history? Is it really a good idea to suppress unflattering information? None of us are perfect. Joseph and Emma weren’t either. Is it really good to believe in whitewashed myths about them? Can’t truth be inspiring as well?"

("Mormon Enigmas: Linda Newell and Valeen Avery," on "Mormon Heretic: Stuff They Don’t Talk Bbout in Sunday School," by "Mormon Heretic," 15 May 2011, at: http://www.mormonheretic.org/2011/05/15/mormon-enigmas-linda-newell-and-valeen-avery/)


Here's more on Oaks' vow to silence those uppity LDS female authors:

"When asked about an unflattering (though historically accurate) book about the life of Emma Smith called Mormon Enigma: The Life of Emma Hale Smith which sheds a very unfavorable light on Joseph's practice of polygamy Elder Oaks said this"[23]: "My duty as a member of the Council of the Twelve is to protect what is most unique about the LDS church, namely the authority of priesthood, testimony regarding the restoration of the gospel, and the divine mission of the Saviour. Everything may be sacrificed in order to maintain the integrity of those essential facts. Thus, if Mormon Enigma reveals information that is detrimental to the reputation of Joseph Smith, then it is necessary to try to limit its influence and that of its authors".

(Apostle Dallin Oaks, quoted in "Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith: Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon, Introduction,"footnote 28, p. xliii," on "Lying for the Lord," under "Notable Quotes," originally published on "mormonwiki")


And here's an updated account of the initial ban and Oaks' Evil Empire effort to enforce it:

"'Mormon Enigma"' by Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery:

"Avery and Newell's 1984 bio of Emma Smith was referenced quite favorably in the 'Ensign' pre-publication and they were both invited by church groups, particularly Relief Society groups, to give firesides and presentations on their work in church. Then some time after the book was actually published, all of the invitations stopped rather suddenly. Upon investigating, the authors learned that a letter was sent from church headquarters instructing wards and stakes not to allow the authors to address any church group. I believe the two authors were also not to be allowed to speak in their own wards' sacrament meetings.

"They were finally granted an audience with Dallin Oaks, who, according to them, gave as the reason for the ban this gem of a quote:

"'My duty as a member of the Council of the Twelve is to protect what is most unique about the LDS church, namely the authority of priesthood, testimony regarding the restoration of the gospel, and the divine mission of the Savior. Everything may be sacrificed in order to maintain the integrity of those essential facts. Thus, if Mormon Enigma reveals information that is detrimental to the reputation of Joseph Smith, then it is necessary to try to limit its influence and that of its authors.' (Linda King Newell, 1992 Sunstone Pacific Northwest Symposium, "The Biography of Emma Hale Smith').

"The ban was lifted a few years later after quiet and persistent efforts by concerned parties behind the scene.

"'MormonThink' review: 'Mormon Enigma' is one of the books that was allowed to be read for class assignment at BYU when I attended there. It’s not dedicated to polygamy but deals with it quite a bit - mostly from Emma’s perspective. It's available at Deseret Books. Although it if a faithful book, it accurately describes some of the disturbing details of polygamy and mentions the Book of Mormon translation details that most members are unaware of. It's a fairly tame book and probably the best LDS book for members that only want a slight introduction to some of the more colorful aspects of Mormon history.'"

("Mormon Books," at: http://mormonthink.com/books.htm)


No matter how hard Mopologists try to spray their dog for fleas, Joseph Smith was one pedophilic, prevaricating, perverted puppy--a fact that the Mormon Cult, try as it might, just can't hide.



Edited 13 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2014 04:54PM by steve benson.

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Posted by: Heretic 2 ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 12:50AM

I am having trouble finding a girlfriend. Do you think it would work if I told some young woman that an angel with a sword was going to slay me if she didn't go out with me?

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Posted by: anagrammy ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 04:54PM

No, but this one worked on me:

"It was revealed to me in the temple that you are to be my wife."



Kathleen Waters

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Posted by: Shummy ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 12:54AM

Check out the Wiccans Relief Society sometime.

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Posted by: my2cents (not logged in) ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 11:34AM

Steve,

"Mormon Enigma" was a landmark work, and remains so, even after 30 years. Perhaps I'm a bit biased, though, as Val Avery is my sister. She passed away in her sleep unexpectedly in 2006 from undetermined causes and there is not a day go by that I do not miss her.

Since you brought up Val and Linda's trials with Oaks (and Maxwell, btw) I thought it important to add some information to your narrative, and correct a few points of information along the way.

In 1974 I was attending NAU in Flagstaff, Arizona where Val and her family lived. At Thanksgiving of that year, I had dinner at Val's house along with several of their LDS friends, Linda and Jack Newell among them. The conversation at the dinner table turned to church subjects as it often does among staunch LDS folks. During the conversation, Emma Smith came up. It was noted how little was known of Emma, particularly after the Saints moved west. After some back and forth, Val and Linda announced that they would write the biography of Emma. Thus began a 10-year collaboration between Val and Linda to research and document the life of Emma Smith, culminating in the release of "Mormon Enigma" in 1984.

Both before and during that ten year period, both Val and Linda were very active LDS members. Val was Stake Relief Society President, as I recall. After graduating from NAU, I moved to the Salt Lake City area to work, and Val often stayed with me while she researched the LDS Church archives. During those trips Val and I would have many discussion about her research and how it was affecting her committment to Mormonism. By the time a rough draft of the book was complete, Val had lost most of her enthusiasm for the church, primarily due to her in-depth knowledge of Joseph Smith.

As you state above, shortly after the book was released, Oaks and Maxwell issued their now infamous "ban" on the authors from speaking in any church venue about the book or their research. Neither Oaks or Maxwell spoke directly to Val or Linda about it prior to sending out the letter. They didn't even have the common courtesy to inform them before announcing it to their church leaders and the public.

Since Linda lived in Salt Lake City, she requested a meeting with Oaks and Maxwell. I'm not clear on the timing, but I believe it took place within a few months of the blacklisting. Val never met with either of them. Even after the ban, Val continued to attend her local ward, despite much shunning and vilification for publishing the truth about Joseph Smith. She tried to quietly worship in the back row, but her contempt for Joseph eventually caused her to reject the whole enchilada. Within a year of the publising of "Mormon Enigma", Val had completely left the church, although she never formally resigned.

I believe it took a bit longer for Linda, but my understanding is that she and her family also left the church at some point later on. It is true that both authors were active LDS members when they started the research process for "Mormon Enigma", but both left the church as a result of their extensive research.

"Mormon Enigma" was awarded the Evans Biography Award shortly after its release, at the same time that Oaks and Maxwell were trashing their reputations. The Evans Award at that time was administered by the BYU History Department as I recall. It was later removed from BYU by the Evans family. Utah State now administers the award. Val went on to research and publish "From Mission to Madness, Last Son of the Mormon Prophet", a biography of David Smith, Joseph and Emma's son who was born after Joseph Smith's death. She won the Evans Biography Award again for this publication. She continued to be involved in Mormon history circles; the Mormon History Association, John Witmer Society, Western History Assoctiation and others.

Val and I had many discussions about the LDS church along the way, but she never pressured me in any way to leave it. She let me find my own way, in my own time, always reminding me that "truth can withstand scrutiny".

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Posted by: Elder Berry ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 12:48PM

Thank you for posting this.

"truth can withstand scrutiny"

It can because it is by its nature something inviolable. It is something that not going to change because it is kicked by pricks.

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Posted by: steve benson ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 04:45PM


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Posted by: randyj ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 04:57PM

"By the time a rough draft of the book was complete, Val had lost most of her enthusiasm for the church, primarily due to her in-depth knowledge of Joseph Smith."

Ya know, occasionally we hear some Mormon apologist say "I know all the dirt about Joseph Smith, and I still believe!" Thank goodness Val wasn't that gullible.

"Even after the ban, Val continued to attend her local ward, despite much shunning and vilification for publishing the truth about Joseph Smith. She tried to quietly worship in the back row, but her contempt for Joseph eventually caused her to reject the whole enchilada."

Well, you can't publish a tell-all book about the greatest man who ever lived second only to Jesus, and expect to still be welcomed amongst his disciples. When I was studying my way out of the church circa 1996, but still attending, I would occasionally make a true-but-unflattering comment about some aspect of church history in Sunday School class. From the looks on the class attendees' faces, you'd think I had just cut the biggest, loudest fart in history. After a few months of expressing some facts, the teacher would no longer let me talk when I raised my hand. My whole family stopped going shortly after that.

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Posted by: my2cents (not logged in) ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 05:30PM

Val spoke about how her expectations of church leaders and local members was shattered by their crass treatment of her for telling only truth, and only that truth which could be verified by source documents.

She was the primary target of that tactic "if you don't like the message, kill the messenger" both from the GA's and from her supposed friends and neighbors who were members, especially her bishop at the time. Years later, when he was terminally ill in the hospital, he asked for her to visit, and he apologized for his treatment towards her during that time.

I think most of us who have chosen to go through a period of intense research and introspection about Mormonism have the naive expectation that others won't react negatively to facts. I still have to hold my tongue in some circumstances for fear that I will offend a family member with some fact. Even if the fact is true, these people are not in the same place as I, and will view it as an attack, not a truth statement.

She, like many others, thought she could just quietly attend. For a time it was still her primary social outlet. She did change that quite quickly once she understood the dynamics of mormon social circles.

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Posted by: redpill ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 01:33PM

from the fairmormon link:

"Consummation would not have been inappropriate, since this was a marriage, but the critics are too anxious to find problems where no evidence for such exists."

This just kills me.

Church says, "Joseph did not have sex with that girl."

Church says, "But if he did, it was ok."

Church says, "It was just an eternal marriage, and, in death, he will take the sealed wife away from the "time only" husband and consumate her brains out for all eternity."

Church says, "Why can't people see the glory of God in all of this?"

Laughing seems to be my only therapy these days.

Thanks for the post.

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Posted by: randyj ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 05:14PM

"from the fairmormon link:

"Consummation would not have been inappropriate, since this was a marriage"

This is an example of how FAIR twists the facts or makes unfounded assertions or assumptions. None of Joseph Smith's sexual relationships with any women other than Emma was a "marriage." "Plural marriage" was against the law of the land and the church. That's the very reason Smith kept them secret. Thus, any of those sexual relationships would have been adultery.

This FAIR author might be able to fool some ignorant TBMs with assertions like these, but they can't fool anyone who has any common sense and has studied the issues.

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Posted by: steve benson ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 05:38PM

. . . one which, by the way, led (through Congressional legislation and Supreme Court ruling) to the assets of Mormon Inc. being seized and the voting franchise of all Mormons stripped--until, that is, the Mormon God suddenly came to Jesus (so to speak) and the Manifesto was issued (which, by the way, did not actually end polygamy, as the LDS Cult secretly and deceptively continued to practice and promote it into the early 20th century).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2014 05:40PM by steve benson.

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Posted by: Phazer ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 02:00PM

That story is as faith promoting as JS 1st vision when trying to get new recruits to join the church cult.

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Posted by: Facsimile 3 ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 02:03PM

As usual, thanks for the interesting and informative post. However, I would caution against the 12-year-old girl interpretation.

My reading of Mary Elizabeth Rollins' history, is that the "first woman God commanded him to take as a plural wife" comment did not come until 1842 when he sealed the deal. The same goes for the commandment received in 1834 during Zion's Camp while Mary was in Missouri a thousand miles away--this seems to be Mary retelling the lines Joseph gave her in 1842.

The basis for the 1831 beginnings of the command for plural marriage is the revelation that the married LDS men could take Lamanite women as plural wives. That year is only coincidental with his meeting of the Rollins family, and it is important to note that Mary herself dates the plural marriage commands from 1834-1842, based on the lines Joseph was feeding her in 1842.

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Posted by: steve benson ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 04:43PM

He kept up the pressure but didn't get her into bed until 11 years later. That was made clear in the OP.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2014 04:43PM by steve benson.

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Posted by: Robert Hall the Photo God ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 04:09PM

It could be Joseph didn't actually try to marry or bed them that young but it sure looks as if he was grooming them for future partnership.

The actions of a sexual predator, big time!

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Posted by: steve benson ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 04:55PM

. . . to reach a socially-acceptabe age of consent first. NOT.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2014 05:42PM by steve benson.

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Posted by: Shummy ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 05:50PM

Irony is of all the messengers that have been shot, so many of them are courageous women..

Fawn Brodie
Juanita Brooks
Linda Newell
Sonya Johnson
Valeen Avery
Martha Beck
and what the heck, I'd throw in Maxine Hanks for good measure.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 10/29/2014 06:22PM by Shummy.

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Posted by: Shummy ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 06:10PM

Yeah, but don't show what his hands are up to, willya please randy?

Attention: all you photoshopping forgers at Salamander Society!

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Posted by: seekyr ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 05:58PM

No, no, no!
She was a sweet happy girl who read the book of mormon while chastely wrapped up in country quilts. As seen here.

http://history.lds.org/media/28-mary-lightner-reads-the-book-of-mormon?lang=eng#1

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Posted by: randyj ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 06:06PM

If somebody could put Joseph Smith's face with goo-goo eyes and tongue hanging out, peering into young Mary's window.

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Posted by: Shummy ( )
Date: October 29, 2014 06:01PM

Wow that's pretty thick for a bom.

Obviously a double-spaced children's version with lotsa pictures an stuff.

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Posted by: LessEasilyConnedNow ( )
Date: October 30, 2014 03:08AM

Brian David Mitchell's tactics were so similar. Wondering if now that the essay is up on the church's site, does Elizabeth Smart have any second thoughts. (She served a mission for TSCC, etc)

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