~”Your own founders tell a very different ‘tale’ from your tortured explanation.”~
I’ve seen the ‘tale’ to which you refer; it’s nothing more than it’s own tortured rendering of a single quote by Brigham Young.
Let’s just toss out the dozens of other explanations that contradict that quote, including many by Young himself.
This is a recurring theme among those who would discredit the LDS Church. They use a single quote from a single leader from a century and a half ago, typically after stripping it of all context, and extrapolate it to mean that such is the doctrine of the LDS Church.
I, on the other hand, as a member of the LDS Church, have the benefit of the entire context of teachings of our leaders for a timespan approaching two centuries. Therefore, when I tell you that the Church doesn’t teach something, I typically know what I’m talking about, despite any isolated aberrant quote you could furnish.
Wow, you make whirling dervishes look like they’re standing still! I forget, was Brigham Young one of your religion’s ‘prophets’?
17 It no sooner appeared than I found myself adelivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I bsaw two cPersonages, whose brightness and dglory defy all description, estanding above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My fBeloved gSon. Hear Him!18 My object in going to ainquire of the Lord was to know which of all the sects was right, that I might know which to join. No sooner, therefore, did I get possession of myself, so as to be able to speak, than I asked the Personages who stood above me in the light, which of all the sects was right (for at this time it had never entered into my heart that all were wrong)—and which I should join.19 I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all awrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those bprofessors were all ccorrupt; that: “they ddraw near to me with their lips, but their ehearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the fcommandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the gpower thereof.”20 He again forbade me to join with any of them; and many other things did he say unto me, which I cannot write at this time. When I came to myself again, I found myself alying on my back, looking up into heaven. When the light had departed, I had no strength; but soon recovering in some degree, I went home. And as I leaned up to the fireplace, bmother inquired what the matter was. I replied, “Never mind, all is well—I am well enough off.” I then said to my mother, “I have learned for myself that Presbyterianism is not true.”