Windy Sydney

I have been doing a lot of thinking about revelation. What I had been taught in the past compared to what I believe now. Most people assume that they wouldn't receive revelation that came from anywhere except for God... especially when these people are members of the Mormon Church and they follow the revelation their leaders give them. How many times have these revelations been wrong? More than anyone will ever know... but you don't hear about those... do you? Many of the examples come from this source...

THE BUILDING OF THE NEW TEMPLE.

In D&C 84 (esp. vs.2-5, 31, 114-115), Smith prophesied in 1832 that a temple would be built by the generation then living in Independence, MO. during THAT generation. Allowing the widest possible latitude of 100 years for a generation, that still leaves the prophecy unfulfilled over 50 years late!

There still is no temple in Independence; although one is being commenced by the RLDS Church, a splinter off of Mormonism which the LDS church contends is a false cult! Not only that, the temple lot which Joseph Smith dedicated as the "only true site" has been owned for generations by a third Mormon splinter sect; and the Utah Mormons couldn't build a temple there if they wanted to!

THE NAUVOO HOUSE.

In D&C 124.56-60, Smith prophesied that the Nauvoo House in Nauvoo, IL. would be in his family forever (1841). It did not remain in his family, and is not owned by them today. This makes for a very false prophecy.

There are many more as you can see if you read through that page... but these get the point across that Joseph Smith was known to give revelation that "never came to pass."

As a final example of revelation, I wanted to share something he told Oliver Cowdery and Hiram Page about their mission in Toronto to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon. The entire mission took place due to a revelation to Joseph from God. When Mr. Cowdery and Mr. Page returned confused that they had failed, they asked Joseph Smith why his revelation was incorrect... this is what Joseph had to say:

"Some revelations are of God: some revelations are of man: and some revelations are of the devil…When a man enquires of the Lord concerning a matter, if he is deceived by his own carnal desires, and is in error, he will receive an answer according to his erring heart, but it will not be a revelation from the Lord." (David Whitmer, An Address to All Believers in Christ, p. 31)

If Joseph Smith can't tell if he is receiving revelation from God or the devil, how can we trust anything he has ever said or done? How do you tell?


The reason I ask is because I recently read "Under the Banner of Heaven," by John Krakauer. Here is a small passage from the book I hope Mr. Krakauer doesn't mind...

"Ron had received a revelation from God that these lives were to be taken. I was the one who was supposed to do it. And if God wants something to be done, it will be done. You don't want to offend Him by refusing to do His work." -Dan Lafferty

So, what was the revelation Ron received?

On July 24, 1984, shortly after noon, Ron Lafferty, Dan Lafferty and two drifters traveling with them drove to the apartment of their youngest brother Allen.

Inside the brick duplex he found his fifteen month old niece, Erica, standing in her crib, smiling up at him. "I spoke to her for a minute," Lafferty recalls. "I told her, 'I'm not sure what this is all about, but apparently it's God's will that you leave this world; perhaps we can talk about it later.'" And then he ended her life with a ten-inch boning knife.

After dispatching Erica, he calmly walked into the kitchen and used the same knife to kill the baby's mother. Now, seventeen years after committing these two murders, he insists, very convincingly, that he never felt any regret for the deed, or shame.

We all know that God would never command someone to kill a 15 month old, just like God would never want the mountain meadows massacre to happen or polygamy (with 14 year old girls). Yet the Lafferty's believe that they received revelation from God for this to happen.

Again, how do you trust anything you have revealed to you in this manner?

What if the entire word of wisdom thing was just Satan messing with you? Hahaha...

Andee