Joseph Smith Asked the Wrong Question in His First Vision

[Dr Exiled]

Why don't you enlighten me with how it is crap to ask what is the purpose of going on an easter egg hunt to find names when temple work could easily be done a la how the atonement was performed? There are seniors who have wasted hours upon hours searching records when they could have been spending time with grandchildren or doing something beneficial for society. Yet, they are told that for some reason (just trust the leaders here) that finding the hidden names will somehow be of some benefit to those who had the misfortune to die prior to the age of accurate records.

Why do you think it is important to learn secret signs and tokens? Seems rather silly to have your eternal future dependent on knowing how to shake the Mormon god's hand when you meet him.

But, please explain where I am wrong and try not to use any logical fallacies in doing so.

Silver platter syndrome. Why doesn’t God just do it all?

It looks like you would have been on board with Satan’s plan. No work. No requirements. Free salvation.

No growth.

Regards,
MG

How about God taking it out of the fraud realm? As things stand now, we are invited to trust Pres. Nelson and his midnight impressions that yield scheduling changes and cover-ups for the disastrous Nov 2015 policy. I don't trust the guy, especially when he claimed tithing was a way to get poor africans out of poverty. That was almost criminal, but surely civil fraud. He should know better.

How about having God stop by and chat with the human race for a few minutes and answer a few questions for us. We can still live our day to day lives, have experiences and grow from them. Didn't you grow from the time you were small until now even though you knew that your parents existed and even though you spoke to them periodically?

[Dr Exiled]

MG: How do you explain the need for fallible prophets when God could easily appear and speak to the children he supposedly loves? This way, there wouldn't be any cause to throw his chosen ones under the bus in the future when another chosen one deems it necessary. There would be better control of the message, too, with less mistakes in interpretation, because God, himself would be the one giving it to a wide audience.

Silver platter again. Bring it to me. No work on my part. No need to study it out. No need to experiment upon the word. Easy peasy.

You’re in favor of a puppet master pulling your strings?

Regards,
MG

No, we don't have to be puppets if God shows up from time to time and gives advice or at least shows us that he is. It'll kill the religion industry as their magic would be ruined thereby, but, I think the world would manage just fine without religious guy making things up and claiming that we owe the church religious guy created in order to get into the heaven religious guy made up. Again, are you your parents' puppet because you talk to them and know that they are alive?

What would you say if I claimed that I just had a revelation and that the whole entire world needs to follow me, Dr. Exiled, because I am now God's prophet? Also, you need to start to pay the church I will restore 15% (inflation) of your gross income every month because God wants real estate and a lot of it. He wants the finest materials to adorn his real estate and we will learn secret numbers and secret ceremonies therein. But you can only enter if you are paying 15%. What do you say?

I even have a first revelation, not to be confused with Joseph Smith's ever changing first vision account. Ready? God came swooping down from the sky as if in a whirlwind and appeared to me, your humble servant, Dr. Exiled. He said that I was to restore the real church and call it "The One and Only Church that God Loves." He also said that I was to be the leader and start a holy hedge fund, requiring that the members pay 15% each and every month without fail. He said that we were to be a church of the finest real estate and that in due time, little ole me was to receive holy commandments and go to the California and there I would receive the secret numbers and ceremonies that enable the human race to escape being burned in the final day to come.

[Philo Sofee]

Silver platter again. Bring it to me. No work on my part. No need to study it out. No need to experiment upon the word. Easy peasy.

You’re in favor of a puppet master pulling your strings?

Regards,
MG

No, we don't have to be puppets if God shows up from time to time and gives advice or at least shows us that he is. It'll kill the religion industry as their magic would be ruined thereby, but, I think the world would manage just fine without religious guy making things up and claiming that we owe the church religious guy created in order to get into the heaven religious guy made up. Again, are you your parents' puppet because you talk to them and know that they are alive?

What would you say if I claimed that I just had a revelation and that the whole entire world needs to follow me, Dr. Exiled, because I am now God's prophet? Also, you need to start to pay the church I will restore 15% (inflation) of your gross income every month because God wants real estate and a lot of it. He wants the finest materials to adorn his real estate and we will learn secret numbers and secret ceremonies therein. But you can only enter if you are paying 15%. What do you say?

I even have a first revelation, not to be confused with Joseph Smith's ever changing first vision account. Ready? God came swooping down from the sky as if in a whirlwind and appeared to me, your humble servant, Dr. Exiled. He said that I was to restore the real church and call it "The One and Only Church that God Loves." He also said that I was to be the leader and start a holy hedge fund, requiring that the members pay 15% each and every month without fail. He said that we were to be a church of the finest real estate and that in due time, little ole me was to receive holy commandments and go to the California and there I would receive the secret numbers and ceremonies that enable the human race to escape being burned in the final day to come.

I would say fine so long as your God provides me with my own seer stone that works and its batteries won't run down, so I can get my own revelations.....

[Dr Exiled]

No, we don't have to be puppets if God shows up from time to time and gives advice or at least shows us that he is. It'll kill the religion industry as their magic would be ruined thereby, but, I think the world would manage just fine without religious guy making things up and claiming that we owe the church religious guy created in order to get into the heaven religious guy made up. Again, are you your parents' puppet because you talk to them and know that they are alive?

What would you say if I claimed that I just had a revelation and that the whole entire world needs to follow me, Dr. Exiled, because I am now God's prophet? Also, you need to start to pay the church I will restore 15% (inflation) of your gross income every month because God wants real estate and a lot of it. He wants the finest materials to adorn his real estate and we will learn secret numbers and secret ceremonies therein. But you can only enter if you are paying 15%. What do you say?

I even have a first revelation, not to be confused with Joseph Smith's ever changing first vision account. Ready? God came swooping down from the sky as if in a whirlwind and appeared to me, your humble servant, Dr. Exiled. He said that I was to restore the real church and call it "The One and Only Church that God Loves." He also said that I was to be the leader and start a holy hedge fund, requiring that the members pay 15% each and every month without fail. He said that we were to be a church of the finest real estate and that in due time, little ole me was to receive holy commandments and go to the California and there I would receive the secret numbers and ceremonies that enable the human race to escape being burned in the final day to come.

I would say fine so long as your God provides me with my own seer stone that works and its batteries won't run down, so I can get my own revelations.....

All things are possible with Dr. Exiled. I see it and therefore it is. If you want seer stones, you got it, and the Exiled God will answer and give you revelations a plenty.

[mentalgymnast]

No, we don't have to be puppets if God shows up from time to time and gives advice or at least shows us that he is.

But He does. And you’re missing it all through your unbelief. Crazy stuff, here He’s doing exactly what you want Him to do and you’re turning your back.

Regards,
MG

[Dr Exiled]

No, we don't have to be puppets if God shows up from time to time and gives advice or at least shows us that he is.

But He does. And you’re missing it all through your unbelief. Crazy stuff, here He’s doing exactly what you want Him to do and you’re turning your back.

Regards,
MG

How so? Obviously we don't see him and faith doesn't equate to real life. So how is he supposedly doing exactly what I want him to do and why shouldn't we view you as trying to make God your own puppet?

[Dr Exiled]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rlwhv7m3CSI

I think the above clip shows precisely what our religious magicians are doing. They are like the con artist portrayed in the clip. The religious magician pretends to hear or see what he/she (mostly he) believes to be God. However, it is just an empty room like in the clip and there aren't any computers that are tracking the stock information from Tokyo. There isn't a God speaking to the religious magician either.

Now, let's assume God is there and chooses to only speak to a selected few "prophets" from time to time. Why would he do this? It opens up the flood gates for anyone to make up whatever they want and lead people astray. It allows fraud to be built into the system. God not showing himself allows this. It allows confusion to reign in that it allows for the creation of many religions. Would a just and kind God parent want to do such a thing? I don't think so. Also, appearing to a boy in back woods N.Y.? That is highly irresponsible. It leads to the subject of this OP:

Immature Joseph Smith asked the wrong question because he was only ______ (I was going to put in his age but we are confused by even this tiny detail in his many, many varying accounts).

Nevertheless, God appearing to Joseph Smith, uneducated farm boy did a disservice to the world if it actually happened. Important issues needed to be discussed, not what location people need to go to worship. Who really cares what church is God's favorite when there are bigger issues like poverty, war, etc.? How about appearing to Emerson or some other humble intellectual at the time or to everyone so as to avoid confusion in the message?

[Philo Sofee]

No, we don't have to be puppets if God shows up from time to time and gives advice or at least shows us that he is.

But He does. And you’re missing it all through your unbelief. Crazy stuff, here He’s doing exactly what you want Him to do and you’re turning your back.

Regards,
MG

This is ENTIRELY disingenuous of what he means, and you know it. I realize you can only think within your paradigm of religion, but that is truly dishonest of the actually inquiry being made, and you know this. Your pretending is blatant. The way you slyly try to sneak the Mormon view into it is one of the chiefest of reasons why I have come to see Mormonism as far too narrow for any actual use when getting in touch with the Divine. It is a shallow way to get in touch with the Divine.