Donny on "anti-Mormon" stories

[_Themis]

I think the difference here is that Donny is deliberately utilising his celebrity in specifically setting up part of his website to act as an apologetic defence to the questions his 'fans' ask about his religion. Reviewing his apologetics against fairly widely known facts and evidence would indicate that he is misleading the people who read his website about these subjects. I do not know if that is deliberate or because he is uneducated about the facts.

The only difference is that Donny is a celebrity compared to most members.

And let's be honest here, Donny started it!

It still does not change the fact he is still ignorant of the facts like most TBM's.

[_Themis]

I judge the original post:

**Question:** I am a 13 year old LDS girl, recently baptized. This is all great but........ About a week and a half ago I stumbled onto an anti-mormon website. Some stuff they said was really confusing and scary. They said stuff like Joseph Smith was tried for money digging and that 8 years after his first vision, when GOD told him to join no church he joined the methodist church. I don't know if I want to be LDS anymore. I haven't told ANYONE not even the missionaries who taught me. I'm not sure what to do. I don't even feel like praying anymore

What is so scary about this information? Because of this, she doesn't know that she wants to be LDS anymore? Really? Don't feel like praying? Really? Sorry guys, I smell a fish here. Does she even know what the methodist church is?

How many 13 year olds know their church's details?

While this person may not be a 13 years old, nothing said suggests it. Everything said would suggest to me this is a 13 years old. She came across what she calls a anti-Mormon site. That is very likely to happen for a 13 year old girls who may be looking for some information regarding the church. That some information will be troubling and affect her is even more likely for a recent convert. 13 year old girls join for very emotional reasons. In the end it is still not relevant to Donny not knowing the information himself and spouting the same ignorant stuff we have been taught in SS. I don't blame him for being ignorant anymore then I do my self for so many years.

[_Themis]

http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/L ... king_trial

I am sure that Donny should have been much more specific and covered all the sides and hypotheticals for the 13 year old girl. And in the end, reach a conclusion that you would have disagreed with anyway.

Not really. I don't blame him for being ignorant of the facts, but it still doesn't change the fact that her concern was Joseph being a treasure hunter with his peep stone in a hat. This is well established. Joseph being in court is not even that important, except that is also supports other evidences that Joseph was putting a peep stone in a hat.

[_cinepro]

When I go to www.donny.com, I expect two things: the opportunity to buy "I Love Donny Osmond" license plate frames, and well-researched history and apologetics for the LDS Church.

Today, I find out that while I can get the license plate frame, I'll have to go elsewhere for the apologetics.

I'm really disappointed in Brother Osmond.

[_Darth J]

That's super. "The Church is true because folk magic is real."

http://en.fairmormon.org/Joseph_Smith/L ... king_trial

I am sure that Donny should have been much more specific and covered all the sides and hypotheticals for the 13 year old girl. And in the end, reach a conclusion that you would have disagreed with anyway.

Or, he could have just acknowledged the simple, undisputed fact (which you admit) that the entire episode with "looking for a vein of silver" happened because Joseph Smith claimed he could find buried treasure with his peep stone, and it is specifically for that reason that Josiah Stowell hired him. Maybe, I don't know, just give a straight answer about an undisputed fact, instead of creating the disingenuous impression that some third party had determined there was silver in the area, and Joseph Smith was just some guy with a shovel Stowell happened to hire.

And you dispute this was a real 13 year-old girl, remember? Don't you think Brother Osmond also thought there was something ratty here, or smelled a fish? Or did he swallow it lock, stock, and barrel?

[/snip]

http://winmillfamily.org/Josiah_Stowell_Letters.htm

What is the problem? I see no problem.

A problem with Josiah Stowell having faith in Joseph Smith's alleged prophetic abilities because Stowell first believed that Joseph Smith could really find buried treasure with his magic rock?

Yeah, I can't see how that implies anything about what Joseph Smith was doing.

But then I also see no connection between L. Ron Hubbard's career as a science fiction writer and the inception of Scientology.

[_Darth J]

YOU f*****g ADMITTED THAT JOSEPH SMITH WAS BROUGHT INTO COURT FOR CLAIMING TO USE HIS PEEP STONE TO FIND SILVER FOR JOSIAH STOWELL.

Well...okay...so?

So the facts are undisputed, notwithstanding your vacuous babbling about "we can only make assumptions."

[_lostindc]

I wonder if Donny Osmond writes those responses. He probably has an assistant that reads and responds on that site. The response sounds like something that was run by the correlation department before hitting the save button.

Guilty as charged. I get paid $4 per hour to answer questions on his site (I also volunteer at l1ve J@smine). We have been saving our money for a vacation to Branson Missouri to watch some cutting edge amusements.

[_why me]

A problem with Josiah Stowell having faith in Joseph Smith's alleged prophetic abilities because Stowell first believed that Joseph Smith could really find buried treasure with his magic rock?

Yeah, I can't see how that implies anything about what Joseph Smith was doing.

But then I also see no connection between L. Ron Hubbard's career as a science fiction writer and the inception of Scientology.

Except that both father and son found Joseph to be in good character. Now what does that tell you? If some idiot brought charges against him and he was acquitted of those charges, well....what more can be said? I would rather take the word of the people who were with him such as the Stowells. Why can't you except the positive statements?

[_Darth J]

A problem with Josiah Stowell having faith in Joseph Smith's alleged prophetic abilities because Stowell first believed that Joseph Smith could really find buried treasure with his magic rock?

Yeah, I can't see how that implies anything about what Joseph Smith was doing.

But then I also see no connection between L. Ron Hubbard's career as a science fiction writer and the inception of Scientology.

Except that both father and son found Joseph to be in good character. Now what does that tell you?

That they're gullible. You can also find plenty of people who say that L. Ron Hubbard, Reverend Moon, and Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh had good character.

If some idiot brought charges against him and he was acquitted of those charges, well....what more can be said?

What more can be said is that he WASN'T acquitted of those charges. He was never found not guilty. The magistrate in the 1826 proceeding found probable cause to charge Joseph Smith with being a glass-looker, and then Joseph Smith skipped town before a trial could happen---a course of action that is not suggestive of innocence. This has already been discussed on the board: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13183

I would rather take the word of the people who were with him such as the Stowells. Why can't you except the positive statements?

The positive statements confirm that Joseph Smith purported to be able to find buried treasure with the same magic rock he allegedly used to translate the Book of Mormon, which is disturbing for any person who can see the forest from a hole in the ground. ("Forest from a hole in the ground" is the correct saying, right?)

[_why me]

Yeah, I can't see how that implies anything about what Joseph Smith was doing.

But then I also see no connection between L. Ron Hubbard's career as a science fiction writer and the inception of Scientology.

The point is simple: The Stowells found him to be an upright guy. They did not see him as you assume he was. And they had business with him. Now of course, any idiot can then attempt a comparison with an individual with bad connotations as you did. This is something that critics often do.

Ho, he thought Joseph was a great guy? Well, many thought Koresh was a great guy too! mentality.

How about....well, many were attracted to Ronald Reagan....many were attracted to Hitler too.

It doesn't quite work.