Joseph Smith and Turkmenbashy
Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2023 6:23 am
Have any of you ever wondered what would have happened if Joseph Smith didn't die in Carthage jail? Would he have eventually fled West with the Saints and become even more power hungry? I think there was a good chance of this happening once Joseph was geographically isolated and had absolute authority over the Saints with no meaningful opposition.
There is a podcast called Real Dictators that I've been listening to. Recently, I've listened to a two part series on the most insane dictator that I've heard about. His name was Turkmenbaşhy. After the fall of the Soviet Union he became the dictator of Turkmenistan until his death in 2006. Once given absolute power and no longer being under the control of the Soviet Union, Turkmenbashy started to slowly lose his grip on reality. Nobody dared oppose him and, as they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turkmenbashy started out as semi-normal, but gradually (as his authority increased) became an almost godlike megalomaniac. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t ... 0547559007
What struck me were the similarities between Turkmenbashy and Joseph Smith. All it would have taken for Joseph to become like Turkmenbashy is the opportunity. Moving West with the Saints would have geographically isolated him from the outside world and U.S. government influence. Joseph would have had absolute authority, unchecked.
Here are a few of the many things Turkmenbashy did under his rule (I wonder what Joseph would have come up with given the opportunity):
-- Gold teeth and fillings were banned in Turkmenistan after he said that the populace should chew on bones to strengthen their teeth and lessen the rate at which they fall out. He said, "I watched dogs when I was young. They were given bones to gnaw to strengthen their teeth. Those of you whose teeth have fallen out did not chew on bones. This is my advice..."
-- He banned the use of lip syncing in his country in 2005.
— He declared himself as Jesus retuned to Earth.
-- Every year on his birthday he would pardon everyone in prison, regardless of their crimes. If you were ever arrested for anything, all you had to do was wait until his next birthday and you would be pardoned and freed.
-- He banished dogs because of their unappealing odor.
-- He wrote the Ruhnama (meaning "the book of the spirit/soul"), and made it mandatory in all schools, in public offices and for obtaining a drivers license, and excerpts from the book were periodically read on Turkmen Television.
-- He made the second Sunday of August "Melon Day" in honor of melons, one of his favorite foods.
-- In August 2002, he ordered a renaming of months and days of the week to the names of members of his family.
-- In 2000, he also abolished the Turkmen word for bread and replaced it with Gurbansoltan, his mother's name.
-- He outlawed opera, ballet and circuses in 2001 for being decidedly unturkmen-like.
-- In February 2004, he decreed that men should no longer wear long hair or beards.
-- In March 2004, he fired doctors and gymnastics instructors and replaced them with military conscripts.
-- In March 2005, he ordered the closure of all hospitals outside Ashgabat, stating that the sick should go to the capital for treatment.
-- He also ordered the closure of all libraries outside the capital, stating that the reason was that ordinary Turkmens did not read anyway.
-- He banned the reporting and even mentioning of contagious diseases such as AIDS or cholera.
-- He banned news reporters and presenters from wearing makeup on television.
-- He banned car radios because he considered them to be useless.
-- He also renamed the airport, most mountains, over 40 buildings and 100 streets after himself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saparmyrat_Ny%C3%BDazow
There is a podcast called Real Dictators that I've been listening to. Recently, I've listened to a two part series on the most insane dictator that I've heard about. His name was Turkmenbaşhy. After the fall of the Soviet Union he became the dictator of Turkmenistan until his death in 2006. Once given absolute power and no longer being under the control of the Soviet Union, Turkmenbashy started to slowly lose his grip on reality. Nobody dared oppose him and, as they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Turkmenbashy started out as semi-normal, but gradually (as his authority increased) became an almost godlike megalomaniac. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t ... 0547559007
What struck me were the similarities between Turkmenbashy and Joseph Smith. All it would have taken for Joseph to become like Turkmenbashy is the opportunity. Moving West with the Saints would have geographically isolated him from the outside world and U.S. government influence. Joseph would have had absolute authority, unchecked.
Here are a few of the many things Turkmenbashy did under his rule (I wonder what Joseph would have come up with given the opportunity):
-- Gold teeth and fillings were banned in Turkmenistan after he said that the populace should chew on bones to strengthen their teeth and lessen the rate at which they fall out. He said, "I watched dogs when I was young. They were given bones to gnaw to strengthen their teeth. Those of you whose teeth have fallen out did not chew on bones. This is my advice..."
-- He banned the use of lip syncing in his country in 2005.
— He declared himself as Jesus retuned to Earth.
-- Every year on his birthday he would pardon everyone in prison, regardless of their crimes. If you were ever arrested for anything, all you had to do was wait until his next birthday and you would be pardoned and freed.
-- He banished dogs because of their unappealing odor.
-- He wrote the Ruhnama (meaning "the book of the spirit/soul"), and made it mandatory in all schools, in public offices and for obtaining a drivers license, and excerpts from the book were periodically read on Turkmen Television.
-- He made the second Sunday of August "Melon Day" in honor of melons, one of his favorite foods.
-- In August 2002, he ordered a renaming of months and days of the week to the names of members of his family.
-- In 2000, he also abolished the Turkmen word for bread and replaced it with Gurbansoltan, his mother's name.
-- He outlawed opera, ballet and circuses in 2001 for being decidedly unturkmen-like.
-- In February 2004, he decreed that men should no longer wear long hair or beards.
-- In March 2004, he fired doctors and gymnastics instructors and replaced them with military conscripts.
-- In March 2005, he ordered the closure of all hospitals outside Ashgabat, stating that the sick should go to the capital for treatment.
-- He also ordered the closure of all libraries outside the capital, stating that the reason was that ordinary Turkmens did not read anyway.
-- He banned the reporting and even mentioning of contagious diseases such as AIDS or cholera.
-- He banned news reporters and presenters from wearing makeup on television.
-- He banned car radios because he considered them to be useless.
-- He also renamed the airport, most mountains, over 40 buildings and 100 streets after himself.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saparmyrat_Ny%C3%BDazow