Although this argument might be applied to other religions, it is evident in the actions of Joe Smith and colleagues that Mormonism is a con. Joe was a convincing con artist that made use of props (boxes under clothes), appeals to people's emotions, sense of greed (eternal blessings beyond measure), and vanity (those who joined were God's chosen people). Joe was playing the religion game as a long con for his own benefit. He might have been surprised at his own success and it is a reflection on the gullibility of many that the con lives on.

Spot on.

He would have been incapable of imagining the year 2016, and if "2016" could have been shown to him in some way---by a REAL "seer stone"/laptop, or a video, or whatever---he could not have believed what he would have been seeing.

Add in the fact that the LDS church still exists, throw in some current financial statements, and some nice promotional photos of the temples around the world..and he would have been genuinely astounded that his con would not only survive into 2016, but that people would continue to actually BELIEVE it.

In many ways, 2016 vis-à-vis the LDS church is an awesome example of the power which can, at least potentially, be inherent in the seed of an awkward, not-so-smart con.

A truly inspiring, real life example to aspiring grifters everywhere.

From the perspective of a nevermo, it has taught me a great deal about a subject (cons in general) I really did need to pay attention to.

For real.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/25/2016 02:34PM by Tevai.

I wonder if the key was in moving out west and being isolated for so long, so they could establish their community without being disagreed with by non-believers. They could really control the message out their all by their lonesomes, all while having lots and lots of children to bump up the numbers.

Combine that with an oligarchy of a few "pioneer" families creating a mega-corporation and you've got it.

seekyr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wonder if the key was in moving out west and
> being isolated for so long, so they could
> establish their community without being disagreed
> with by non-believers. They could really control
> the message out their all by their lonesomes, all
> while having lots and lots of children to bump up
> the numbers.


I think this was the real key to the survival and growth of Mo-ism in the 1800s. If the church had remained east of the continental divide, the constant interaction with the surrounding community would have stunted growth. In effect, that is what we are seeing now brought to them courtesy of the internet.

The Ohio State Wrote:
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> ...appeals to people's
> emotions, sense of greed (eternal blessings beyond
> measure), and vanity (those who joined were God's
> chosen people).


People wonder how anyone could fall for Mormonism. Con men tell people what they want to hear. So does Mormonism. Even today there are people who want to be told this crap. Some get it from Mormonism, some get it from other sources. But they find it somewhere.

The religious con of Mormonism wasn't even Joseph Smith Jr's idea. It came from Joseph Smith Senior who taught his son Joseph Smith Jr how to search for buried treasures with a stone... It was the leadership of Joseph Smith Senior that made their family poor and criminal. Joseph Smith Jr was more successful than his father because Jr teamed up with intelligent people like Sidney Rigdon to give the con credibility and people like Martin Harris to fund its startup.