If you ever wondered how easy it was for Joseph Smith to prey on his victims, watch the video below. It doesn't take much creativity to prey on people.

https://vimeo.com/46045821

This is a Darren Brown special from 2005. You can read about it on this wiki page before watching.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah_(Derren_Brown_special)

"Messiah is a Derren Brown special originally shown on Channel 4 on 7 January 2005 at 21:00. In the episode, Brown travels to the United States to try to convince five influential figures that he has special abilities in their particular field of expertise: psychic powers, Christian evangelism, New Age theories, alien abduction and contacting the dead, with the objective of getting them to endorse him as a practitioner in their field."

For more proof, check out Ernest Angley. This guy has been around for ever and he's a tool.

L Ron Hubbard. David Karesh. Jim Jones. Joseph Smith. Russel M Nelson. Jeffrey Holland. Dallin Hoax. Your bishop. Your stake president. Your boss...

Smith, LRH, Koresh, Jones had charisma ... it takes something special to get something started and off the ground. The successors (if any) are usually successively-diminishing-charisma bureaucrats and placeholders, though I'd say Brigham Young was an exception to that rule.

Nobody idolizes Joseph III, David Miscavige, and that ilk ... it's pathetic that anyone would idolize the current LDS leadership. No vision there whatsoever.

Not entirely true about Miscavige, as I have a former school friend who idolizes him, but I agree that this is more a comment on his sanity than on the charisma of the nasty little person in question.

Tom in Paris

Check out "Kumare" too...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXUzG6YKuvo

Oh. Wow. You choose your persona and then you become it. Just like JS.

One of the top guys on my list of charlatans is Peter Popoff. He promotes miracle spring water that will cure your debts, enrich your health, etc.
It now comes in a new larger size! It is a packet of water similar to a single serving of ketchup or mustard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGuawSq6zDA

This guy has a 4 million dollar home in California. When I have seen his commercials on late night TV they appear to be parodies, but they are real and people send him money. He was revealed as a faith healer using a hidden ear piece and having associates mingle in the crowds of folks wishing to be healed. He associates would feed him info and he would appear to be prophetic. He switched his con to miracle spring water after being exposed. His con continues.

Well, I'll have to add my aunt and her partner to the list as well, for their "cure-all" water.

http://www.hexahedron999.com/

It's a fundamental principle in televangelism, politics, and other fields:

"If you can get people scared, they will send you money."

Wasn't P. T. Barnum one!??