Dr Lynn, Can you respectfully explain to me how the Book of Mormon is a legitimate text? From my understanding of its origins it fails miserably when compared with the Christian Bible. I don't see any similiarities whatsoever between the God of the Mormons and my God. I don't think the Book of Mormon is at all based on Truth. Joseph Smith was the son of con man and became a con man himself. He and his father would trick folks into thinking they had buried treasure in their back yards. He would only tell them if they were willing to pay him. He then skipped town before they found their supposed treasure. He would take his famous seer stone, place it in his hat, and then claim to have a revelation of the location to dig. Problem was, nobody ever found and treasure and he developed quite a reputation. He then would skip town when the kitchen got too hot. He was actually arrested for doing this and there are court documents that can be found with his signature on them. I have seen this document and would suggest that you research Joseph Smith's past. My research has revealed to me that Joseph Smith was a professional huckster who created a religion to suit his own selfish pursuits of power. I honestly believe that if the Mormons themselves didn't eventually turn on him and kill him that he would have taken over the United States and set himself up as a king. The patterns of his life and his history destroy his credibility in my eyes. I cannot fathom how anyone could believe a word of what he said or wrote. There are very few if any eyewitness accounts of his encounters with Maroni and none of these accounts align up with one another. The eyewitnesses bear no similarity whatsoever when it comes to testimonies of Joseph Smith. I find it convenient that Matroni took the so called "golden plates" back to heaven and that nobody else was allowed to see these plates. Its also amazing to believe that Joseph Smith could transport these golden plates by himself. The dimensions he used to describe their size would require them to be very heavy and burdensome. You would think somebody would notice Joseph Smith having difficulty moving plates of that size around. Its all a sharade, and I don't see any truth. The Bible however has eyewitness accounts that are supportive of one another written from different perspectives on Christs Ministry. The New Testament was written by the actual eyewitness of Christ or a disciple of the eyewitnesses of Christ. Combine this with actual secular historical accounts of Jesus Christ and you have an overwhelming account of truth. The Doctrine & Convenants, and Book of Mormon do not share this depth of eyewitness accounts or historical significance and therefore fail to be considered legitimate texts in my eyes. I encourage you to research the New Testament to get a better comparison between Mormonism and Christianity. The Gospel is clear on what is requred of Christians. By God's free gift of Grace we are given salvation, not by works. Our good works are a result of our following of Christ. We will do good works in following after his example, but that is not required for salvation. Either Christ came and died for our sins or not. There is no fuzziness here. Its clear black and white. How could anyone add too the work of the Cross? What is the standard? What is good enough? Christians know that it is perfection. Nobody can achieve perfection. That is why Christ intercedes for us. Our giving money to the temple, helping the poor, feeding the hungry, healing the sick. None of this will get you to heaven. By God's Grace alone you reach heaven. I welcome open dialogue and would enjoy an opportunity to continue this discussion. I have to cut this short because I have some things I must do now. I do hope to hear back from you. Warmest Regards, Cobe
