Mormons Tried to Hide Involvement in Campaign to Prevent Gay Marriage.

The Mormon church has long tried to give the impression that they don't want to get involved in political issues except that's not true. They wanted statehood for Utah but the federal government wouldn't allow it unless it ended polygamy. Well, wouldn't you know it then that not much longer after that the "prophet" of the church (who is also the leader) received a "revelation" from "God" that man isn't ready for polygamy. Convenient. Then they received another convenient revelation during the height of the civil rights movement to allow blacks to enter the priesthood. They didn't have a very good opinion of blacks up until that point and some, today, still are somewhat racist. Then comes Proposition 8 in California, which made gay marriage illegal in California but they tried to hide their involvement in that bigoted campaign:

The Mormon church worked to hide its involvement in the 2008 effort to ban gay marriage in California, telling the Proposition 8 campaign that it wanted "plausible deniability" in its connections with the movement, documents revealed in a California courtroom Wednesday show. One key email that got the attention of Julia Rosen at the Prop 8 Trial Tracker blog was one between officials of the Church of Latter-Day Saints and the Proposition 8 campaign, which read in part:

With respect to Prop. 8 campaign, key talking points will come from campaign, but cautious, strategic, not to take the lead so as to provide plausible deniability or respectable distance so as not to show that church is directly involved.

Green Man: Interesting that a church, which cautions against "secret combinations" as stated over and over in their Book of Mormon (in other words, secret groups dealing behind closed doors) would try to cover its tracks. As someone who was born and raised in that church and who spent 22 years of his life doing its bidding, I can tell you that their squeaky clean, polished, professional, open and innocent image is a carefully crafted lie. They are masters at manipulation, brain washing and other forms of indoctrination

One of their most effective tools in missionary work is deception and manipulation. I know this because I myself served a two-year mission for them. They present their church during missionary work as being a mainstream religion such a Methodism. However, once you get into the church deeper and deeper you begin to learn about some strange things that they never taught you about in the missionary lessons. These include their past on polygamy, (including that they'll practice it later in "heaven") race relations, secrets about Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. As well as what goes on in their bizarre temple rituals, which include secret handshakes, rituals and ceremonies. As well as veiling women and wearing weird ritual clothing such as aprons like the Masons and weird hats. They don't prepare you for it much, nor give you much of a true picture of what actually goes on in the temple. The missionaries often prey either willingly or unwillingly upon the poor and those going through a crisis in their life where their rational thinking might be weak. My own grandmother joined the church as a way to cope with a childhood of abuse.

They get you to believe that if you follow them and their programs and pay their mandatory 10% tithing that you'll have eternal life with your family and posterity forever. So, in some ways it's a pyramid scheme. They are one of the richest religious organizations out there. If you don't pay your dues (mandatory tithing) then you can't go to the temple. If you can't go to the temple then you can't get married in the official ceremony. If you can't get a "celestial marriage" then you can't make it into the highest category of "heaven." Yes, they even stratify "heaven." The deeper you go the more they promise and the more they expect from you.

They get you to devote your life to them by making each member play an active role in keeping the church going. Thus, keeping you under their watchful eye and away from anything and anyone that isn't Mormon. The longer you stay the more you're connected with them via your family and friends. So, they give you strong hints that if you leave you'll go to "Hell" and no longer see your friends and family. And if you question the leaders you're questioning "God" himself. This gives the leaders a lot of power of you. This is all classic cult-like behavior.

Joseph Smith and Book of Mormon Place Names.

As many of your know by know I was raised Mormon and spent 22 years of my 34 years loyally devoted to that religion. I left in large part due to my curious nature, thirst for knowledge and skill at researching, (thanks to my history degree). There are many questionable aspects of Mormonism, (otherwise known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints or LDS) but I'm only going to focus on one in this post. It involves place and personal names found in the Book of Mormon.

I have read the book 5 times (three in French and two in English) and practically have it memorized. My French copy of the book is highlighted everywhere with notes scribbled around the edges of the pages. In addition, I have done countless hours of research into both the Mormon church and the Book of Mormon. Having grown up LDS I'm practically an expert on Mormonism and Mormon culture.

So, one of the first names you come across when reading the BoM (Book of Mormon) is that of Lehi who is one of the main characters in the book. He a man who supposedly led his family and others out of Jerusalem to sail to the Americas. Well, it just so happens that not very far down the road from where Joseph Smith lived and "translated" the BoM is an area of Pennsylvania known as the, "Lehigh Valley." Strange coincidence don't you think? Smith spent a lot of time wandering around Pennsylvania working as a, "glass looker" which entailed him looking at "Seer stones" at the bottom of a hat to locate, "treasure." This is the method he used to "translate" the BoM. Then there is the town of Alma, New York and it sits on the border with Pennsylvania and New York. Alma is another main character in the BoM. New York is another state Smith knew well as he spent much of his growing up years in the upper west side of the state. This next part is quoted from one Vernal Holley who wrote a book called, "Book of Mormon Authorship: A Closer Look." Below is a map of BoM places names on them. Following that is a map showing the same map but with real places on them that are very similar if not identical to names in the BoM:Throughout the Book of Mormon we read of such features as "The Narrow Neck of Land" which was a days and a half's journey (roughly 30 miles) separating two great seas. We read much of the Hill Onidah, the Hill Ramah, and the city of the City of Angola—all place names in the land of Joseph Smith's youth. We read, in the Book of Mormon of the Land of Desolation named for a warrior named Teancum who helped General Moroni fight in the Land of Desolation. In Smith's era, an Indian Chief named Tecumseh fought and died near the narrow neck of land helping the British in the War of 1812. Today the Canadian city Techumseh (near the narrow neck of land) is named after him. We see the Book of Mormon city Kishkumen located near an area named, on modern maps, as Kiskiminetas. Canadian locations are marked with an asterisk and appear in the Book of Mormon as lying in "The Land Northward" I'm going to list the real location first and the BoM (Book of Mormon) location next to it in green and in parentheses. Each name entry will be separated with a dash mark "-". Study them carefully to see how similar they are:

-*Agathe, Saint [Canada] (BoM name, Ogath) - Alma, PA (BoM name, Alma) - Angola, New York (BoM name, Angola) - Antrim, PA near town where Smith "translated" the book (BoM name, Antum) - Antioch, OH [Located on the border between PA and OH] (BofM name, Anti-Anti-) - Boaz, Biblical name (BoM name, Boaz) - *Conner (BoM name, Comner) - *Ephrem, Saint, Canada (BoM name, Ephraim Hill) - Hellam (BoM name, Helam) - Jacobsburg (BoM name, Jacobugath) - Jerusalem (BoM name, Jerusalem) - Jordan (BoM name, Jordan) - Kishkiminetas (BoM name, Kishkumen) - Lehigh (BoM name, Lehi) - Mantua (BoM name, Manti) - Monroe, NY and PA (BoM name, Moroni) - Minoa, NY (BoM name, Minon) - *Moraviantown, Canada (BoM name, Morianton) - *Morin, Canada (BoM name, Moron) - Noah Lakes (BoM name, Noah, Land of) - Oneida, NY (BoM name, Onidah) - Oneida Castle, NY (BoM name, Onidah Hill) - Omer, MI (BoM, Omner) - *Rama, Canada (BoM name, Ramah) - *Ripple Lake, Canada (BoM name, Ripliancum, Waters of) - Sodom, NY (BoM name, Sidom) - Shiloh, PA (BoM name, Shilom) -Land of Midian, Middle East (BoM name, Land of Midian) - *Tecumseh/Tenecum, Canada (BoM name, Teancum).

Green Man: Some Mormons might say that the similarity just means that the ancient Mormon place names were kept by the white settlers to come later. However, many of the real location names are European in origin such as Conner, Jacobsburg, Monroe, etc. I also find it interesting that most of these locations were around places that Joseph Smith knew well, which were surely on any map available during that time. The Book of Mormon might have some good lessons in it for society and how to be a better person but it's not divinely inspired by some "God." Joseph Smith is just another in a long line of American charlatans. He started this religion in a time when there was much religious fervor in the area. There were countless preachers roaming the New England area preaching that they had the right answer and spoke of visions, newly reveled scriptures, etc. It seems to me that Smith, (being a simple person) wanted in on the high profile position of being a preacher and being the creator of an entire new religion is even better!! Why just be another preacher of the same old Christianity when you can attract a lot MORE attention by making up your own?!! You can probably start to see by now why I left that cult-like religion.

-Be Well-