Posted on 12/07/2011 9:51:54 AM PST by Colofornian
This concert features four works commissioned in celebration of the bicentennial of the Prophet Joseph Smith's birth by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at BYU. It includes pieces by Robert Cundick, Mack Wilberg, Murray Boren, and Stephen Jones.
...even if it may not His actual one; that, of course, is under dispute...
...before they launch into a concert praising Joseph Smith's birthdate three hours past midnight!
No, it's not "12 days of Christmas" celebration of Jesus' birth!
It's Joseph Smith's birthday celebration up through Dec. 23 -- the day of his birthday.
Then Jesus is allowed a curtain call Dec. 24-25.
Then, three hours past midnight and it's onward "Merry Smithmas!" again!
As FREEPER poster Reaganaut asked one Mormon poster, "So...do you bless the name of Joseph Smith? Song from BYU TV concert Joseph Smith: Blessed Be His Name. Those Christians here would know that 'Blessed be His Name' is the title of a CHRISTIAN praise and worship song (ie to Christ)."
Bottom-line: Jesus Christ gets worship competition from Joseph Smith here.
So this is how Provo, one of two "ground zero" locales for Mormonism (the other being HQ in Salt Lake City), celebrates Christmas! "Merry Smithmas!"
In the next post, we'll see how a third "Mormon central" point this time of year -- Logan, Utah, the campus of Utah State, celebrates "Merry Smithmas!"
Don’t believe me that this doesn’t practically carry itself out?
Then read these two posted articles:
* “Praise To The Man”: A Review Of The Annual Joseph Smith Memorial Sermons [Mormon Merry Smithmas]
* Tis the season for Smithmas; Whom do you worship? [Mormon Merry Smithmas]
In the first linked article above, instead of focusing on Jesus Christ's birthday the third week of December. In Mormonism, per this annual Christmas season celebration, Smith's "birthday is heralded around the world..." and "People of every land and of every race are coming to honor the birthday of the Prophet Joseph Smith...”
The article even had a Joseph Smith shepherd theme! From the article: “The Lord had shepherded the unveiling of this work,” stated Elder David B. Haight...
Of course, the entire overwhelming focus of that article is Joseph Smith! Smith is lauded, adored, venerated, glorified, honored, blessed every third week in December…especially, as that article focuses upon, the Utah State campus. Since 1944, the “Joseph Smith Memorial Sermons” in Logan, UT have “Smithmasized” Christmas.
Want sermon excerpts from over those years?
Here shows you how they’ve replaced Jesus Christ with Joseph Smith:
From that same linked article: Brother Chase...published a ...volume titled Joseph the Prophet, As He Lives in the Hearts of His People...Many...Smith memorial speakers emphasized the need for all those present to obtain this personal witness of Joseph Smith...."Joseph Smith lies at the heart of it all..." Elder Benson noted, “The greatest activity in this world or in the world to come is directly related to the work and mission of Joseph Smith..."
Why, that's "funny!" I would have thought from reading my Bible that Jesus Christ is the One who "lives in the hearts" of God's people...
...And that Jesus Christ "lies at the heart of it all"...
...And that Jesus Christ is the ONE for whom we are to "obtain" a "personal witness" to...
...And that Jesus Christ's "work and mission" is to be the True Source of "the greatest activity in this world or the world to come..."
I guess I was wrong. The Mormons say it's to be Joseph Smith!
From that same linked article: ...This being the case, appropriately we sing, “Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!...Praise to his memory...Honored and blest be his ever great name!” For the time is not far distant when “millions shall know Brother Joseph again...”
You might think the Mormon hymn in the Mormon hymnal, "Praise to the Man" is about Jesus Christ. But you would be wrong. It's praising Joseph Smith! Praising the memory of Joseph Smith. Honoring and blessing Joseph Smith. And in the hymn, is the "key" to know Jesus Christ?
No, per Mormonism.
Wrong again.
’Cause per the line from the Mormon hymn, ‘Praise to the Man,’ we see: ..."the time is not far distant when 'millions shall know Brother Joseph again...'"
Ping per mention of you in post #1
Honoring and respecting those regarded as faithful servants of the Lord is not the same as worshipping them. Worship is reserved for God.
Do you not think, for example, that faithful followers and worshippers of Jehovah in ancient Israel also respected and remembered Jehovah’s servant Moses, for long after Moses passed on?
Of course Israel, in particular, did not do such a thing.
They of all people would have been scrupulous in not having anyone commemorated like this since they were so mindful of any shade of idolatry.
In fact, no one even knows where Moses is buried so aware were they of how such idolatries could rise.
Oh, please. Joseph Smith, Jr. was a con-man, an adulterer, a bigamist (over 40 wives), a child predator, a fortune teller, a stone reader, wrong on hundreds of prophet predictions (shouldn’t be wrong on any), an embezzler, etc.
To give this grifter any credence is so sad. He’s leading people to hell long, long after he died, and the sheeple keep following this empty suit.
Smith was a delusional scam artist. How can anyone who has read his bio deny this.
BTW...what did Joseph Smith do that puts him even close to the same league as Moses?
One more reason to doubt the “sanity” of the few people in high places who claim to be followers of the Mormon “religion.”. No different from that other scam- The Church of Scientology and the Madam Blavatsky crowd.
Don't forget Jim Jones, Jonestown and the Kool-aid Katastrophe.
As a Catholic continually accused of worshiping idols and praying to dead people, I can say that they will never stop.
If you click on the second link in post #2, scroll down to #21 of that article...and you can see the lyrics to the Mormon hymn in the Mormon hymnal, "Praise to the Man." When you see lyrics like, "Kings shall extol him and nations revere. Hail to the Prophet...Great is his glory..." etc. that's quite a bit more than "honoring and respecting."
Just singing a hymn in the first place to Joseph Smith = worship! Add lyrics like that and it removes all doubt.
Mormons want to be recognized as “Christians.” One would think they would be trying to distance themselves from the peepstone seer. .... .I guess not.
It's likely that Moses himself did that. The tombs of most of the other Biblical luminaries (Abraham, Joshua, David, etc.) have traditional locations and are venerated by Jews and others to this day, "idolatry" notwithstanding.
Nobody sings words of praise for Moses. And yes, singing words of praise is the same thing as worship. You mormons worship a man, Joseph Smith, because you believe he as been exalted to godhood. And you believe that by worshiping him, you will acquire his "qualities" for yourselves. This kind of behavior is not Christian. It is pagan.
How is it that you can type with that spin?
To equate that liar, thief, bigamist, adulator, pedophile, flim flam man, con man Smith with Moses makes me want to vomit.
Re-posting just a few links to how lds celebrate Christ.
http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56330/Church-History-Museum-celebrates-Joseph-Smiths-birthday.html
PULL QUOTE: The festivities began on Joseph’s birthday, Dec. 23, and will run until Jan. 3.
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705379702/Remember-the-Prophet-Joseph-Smiths-birthday.html
PULL QUOTE: As the Doctrine and Covenants affirms, “Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it.”
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/600137230/Vermont-group-observing-Joseph-Smiths-birthday.html
OBSERVATION: not even a mention of Jesus Christ
place marker
Well, apart from the reality that the Bible tells us we have only ONE mediator between God and us (Jesus, 1 Tim. 2:5), at least the likelihood is there that the saints Catholics pray to aren't "dead" in the best sense of the word...being in the Lord's presence is a rather "alive" experience...I can't say the same thing for Smith, who relished heading off to a place he referenced multiple times as "everlasting burnings."
In context, Smith discussed spirits "blessed in their departure" to "the world of spirits."
Now what kind of environment do these "spirits" depart to? Well, let's look at Smith's quote here:
"The spirits...are blessed in their departure to the world of spirits. Enveloped in flaming fire, they are not far from us, and know and understand our thoughts, feelings, and motions, and are often pained therewith." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 326)
I think in the place opposite of heaven, where we won't need light 'cause God will be that light, you won't need "heaters" when people and demons are burning.
There's few...
...pains worse than the immediate and long-term aftermaths of horrific burns;
...sins that provoked God more than idolatry -- putting another god in in place of God, or alongside God. Even if Mormons say they don't do the former, well, there's a reason they are called "latter"-day 'ain'ts.
I would say of all the teachings that was most horrific about what Smith taught, the "everlasting burnings" breakout teaching late in his life...was the topper...1844:
"...you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves...going from one small degree to another, and from a small capacity to a great one...from exaltation to exaltation, until you...are able to dwell... (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 346-347)
Well, "until you...are able to dwell" where?
WHERE were the "ghost-lights" -- the demon-lights of Smith telling him where he & his followers would dwell???
The answer is right there on p. 347 of Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
"until you...are able to dwell in everlasting burnings."
"The spirits...are blessed in their departure to the world of spirits. Enveloped in flaming fire, they are not far from us...
Whoaaa.
Smith must have felt the guilt gnawing at him from no assurance of forgiveness of sins; but he wouldn't let go of his "everlasting burnings" teaching late in life: "Those who have done wrong always have that wrong gnawing them. Immortality dwells in everlasting burnings." (ToPJS, p. 367)
Bingo.
Can you imagine a Christian hymn entitled, "Praise to the Man, Moses"?????
Your response to JustTheTruth would make more sense on a post to discuss Catholicism and not responding to a person who equates Joseph Smith and Moses.
Brilliant
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