"[There is] no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith... no man can reject that testimony without incurring the most dreadful of consequences, for he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God." (Doctrines of Salvation v1 189-90)Joseph Smith stated, "I combat the errors of ages; I meet the violence of mobs; I cope with illegal proceedings from executive authority... and I solve the mathematical problems of universities with truth--diamond truth; and God is my right hand man." (History of the Church v6 78) and "Neither Paul, John, Peter nor Jesus ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I." (Journal of Discourse v6 408-9)
Those are some very high praises! Joseph Smith, the founder and first prophet of the Mormon church, is held in great esteem by his followers. The question is, does he deserve it; is he a true prophet of God? Joseph Fielding Smith, former LDS President, said it best:
"He was either a prophet of God, divinely called, properly appointed and commissioned, or he was one of the biggest frauds this world has seen. There is no middle ground. If Joseph Smith was a deceiver, who willfully attempted to mislead the people, then he should be exposed; his claims should be refuted and his doctrines should be shown to be false." (Doctrines of Salvation v1 188).What needs to be pointed out here is this: the burden of proof is not upon me (or Christians, in general)-it's on Smith. I don't need to show that my belief that Joseph Smith was not a true prophet is correct. Joseph Smith must prove that he actually is a prophet, since he is the one making the claim.
"When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken presumptuously: thou shall not be afraid of him." (Deuteronomy 18:21-22)
Deuteronomy 13:1-5 states that even if a prophet arises who's prophecy comes true, if he leads the people unto other gods, away from the one, true God, then he is not a true prophet of god and is to be put to death!
Galatians 1:8 says "But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you then that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."So the test is: if a man who claims to be a prophet prophecies something and it does not occur, he is not a true prophet and is to be accursed--but even if it does come to pass, if he leads you unto any other god(s) he also is not a true prophet of God. We have already seen how Smith led his followers to "other gods", in claiming that there were many gods and that man could become a god. From that alone, it is shown that he is not a true prophet. But, to further prove the case, we shall also examine Smith's prophecies.
Ezra Taft Benson, in his 14 Fundamentals of Following the Prophet, given on Feb. 26, 1980, said that the prophet doesn't have to say "thus saith the Lord" to give scripture. But, to avoid controversy, I will only include here prophesies that do include "thus saith the Lord", along with the Civil War prophecy that is widely accepted by all as such. Even though it only takes one false prophecy to be disqualified as a prophet, I will give three.
1) One of Smith's greatest prophecies is the "Civil War prophecy", which is touted as proof of his calling from God. But take a closer look at what it actually says. Found in Doctrines and Covenants section 87, we shall now look at verses 3 and 4:
For behold, the Southern states shall be divided against the Northern states and the Southern states will call on other nations, even the nation of Great Britain, as it is called, and they shall call upon other nations, in order to defend themselves against other nations; and then war shall be poured out upon all nations. And it shall come to pass, after many days, slaves shall rise up against their masters, who shall be marshaled and disciplined for war.This is not a word from the Lord-it is a false prophecy. While Smith did "predict" a war between the north and the south, it is hardly an amazing feat. War had been predicted for many years preceding the Civil War (check a history book). But here's the kicker: war was never "poured out upon all nations"; the Civil War was strictly a domestic war. And even casual students of history know that there was never a serious uprising of slaves against their masters during the war (again, you can check a history book). This one false prophecy alone disqualifies Smith a prophet of God.
2) In May 1843 Smith prophesied: "and I prophecy in the name of the Lord God of Israel, unless the U.S. redress the wrongs committed upon the Saints in the streets of Missouri and punish the crimes committed by the officers, that in a few years the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted, and there shall not be so much as potsherd left." (History of the Church v5 394)
This is a very bold prophecy which also, obviously, never came to pass. Our government is quite intact and unwasted, and "a few years" was over a century ago.
3) Finally, in the 84th Section of D & C, verses 1-5 it states:
1. A revelation of Jesus Christ unto his servant Joseph Smith, Jun., and six elders, as they united their hearts and lifted their voices on high.Outlining the major points: 1)It is the "word of the Lord" (v.2 and 4) 2)"New Jerusalem" shall be built at this place (Missouri). 3)The temple would be built "in this generation". 4)"This generation" would not pass away until the temple is built and the glory of the Lord rests upon it.
2. Yea, the word of the Lord concerning his church, established in the last days for the restoration of his people, as he has spoken by the mouth of his prophets, and for the gathering of his saints to stand upon Mount Zion, which shall be the city of New Jerusalem.
3. Which city shall be built, beginning at the temple lot, which is appointed by the finger of the Lord, in the western boundaries of the State of Missouri, and dedicated by the hand of Joseph Smith, Jun., and others with whom the Lord was well pleased.
4. Verily this is the word of the Lord, that the city New Jerusalem shall be built by the gathering of the saints, beginning at this place, even the place of the temple, which temple shall be reared in this generation.
5. For verily this generation shall not all pass away until an house shall be built unto the Lord, and a cloud shall rest upon it, which cloud shall be even the glory of the Lord, which shall fill the house.
Well, as Mormons well know, no temple has been built on that sight-in fact, the property is owned by the Church of Christ (Temple Lot), a different sect of Mormonism. And the generation he was speaking of was the generation of 1832; there can be no mistaking that. Bruce R. McConkie said in Mormon Doctrine, on page 310, that a generation may be measured in terms of the life of the oldest person who lived in a particular period (D & C 84:4-5). So even if we are very liberal and give the generation 110 years after the prophecy, it still ran out of time decades ago! Smith said it was the word of the Lord; he defined the exact location and event; he defined the time parameters in which it would take place. It didn't. This is a classical example of a prophecy that can be tested-and it fails.
As difficult as in may be for some to admit, Joseph Smith fails the Biblical test of a true prophet of God. It then follows that his teachings are not to be believed and there is no salvation in his legacy: the LDS church. To hold onto a faith in him is futile, as no mere man can save you from your sins.
Much more could be written here on Joseph Smith: his character, his history, his words. But it is superfluous and unnecessary after reading the above. If you wish to read more on him, refer to the Resources and Keys section.
This discourse is concluded in the Conclusions section.