Posted on 06/30/2008 6:25:14 PM PDT by Utah Girl
Viewers of tonight's season premiere of "History Detectives" will learn that a book about the horrors of "Female Life Among the Mormons" is a work of fiction.
And the woman who owns the 1856 volume will be "disappointed" by that news.
"History Detectives" (8 p.m., Ch. 7) is a fascinating series in which historical objects are examined to determine if they're authentic. (Tonight's other two segments feature a World War II diary and a coin shot by Annie Oakley.)
In the case of the 1856 book about the horrors of Mormon polygamy, Marcie Waterman Murray of Stanfordville, N.Y., bought it at an auction and wants to know who wrote it. (There's no author listed.)
"I was very moved by this book. It really stayed with me a long time. I've become fascinated with it," Murray says.
What stayed with her is a barbaric account, written in the first person, of a young woman who married a Mormon elder in New York and traveled to Utah with Brigham Young. She suffered the "abominations" of polygamy and the "degradation it imposes on females."
That includes one account of a misbehaving wife who was stripped nude, tied to a tree and whipped until "blood ran to the ground."
Enter Tukufu Zuberi from "History Detectives."
"You don't know if this is a real book. You don't know if it's really from the 19th century. You don't know what it is," Zuberi said in a phone interview with the Deseret News. "But it is a document which definitely offers a skewed view toward marriage among Mormons.
"It puts (women) on the level of being slaves. You can take it as something that's either laughable, looking at it today, or something that really provided fuel for those who were anti-Mormon back in the 19th century."
Without detailing the entire episode, Zuberi quickly discovers that this is not a genuine history. Among other things, it purports to tell the story of Joseph Smith's death and gets it flat-out wrong.
And the show's conclusions are clear. "It seems that our book is little more than pulp fiction, and shot through with historical errors," Zuberi says in the show.
The segment briefly outlines 19th-century LDS history, including the effort to demonize Mormons.
"Someone could write it today in order to kind of speak badly of the Mormons," Zuberi said. "Someone could've written it then to speak badly of the Mormons. And that's our task — to find out."
He does his best to track down the author, including using "some high-tech stuff to determine who wrote the book and determine the authenticity or lack thereof."
"This one I was surprised by. The Mormon story has a lot of twists and turns."
In 21st-century Utah, "Female Life Among the Mormons" seems silly, even campy. But, obviously, the book's owner thought — perhaps hoped — it was genuine.
Upon learning that it's fiction, she gasps and says, "I'm actually a little disappointed. But I'm glad to know the truth."
But it certainly seemed as if she would've been more glad if Mormon women really had been tied to trees and whipped.
In all other faiths, the “god” takes, he makes demands, he has checklist, always taking from his followers, be it works, sacrifices or whatever the methodology, always leaving them guessing if they have done enough to earn his favor. Not exactly the acts of a loving father.
God gave us this world, gave us sunsets and mountains and things that were unnecessary for our existence or for the “operation” of this universe, things that just make it more beautiful and enjoyable. Those are the gift not of a task master, but a loving Father. The same is his gift of his son, one he gave to us freely. No check list, no tasks, no strings and no middle men. We just take the gift, as we do a sunset.
Ironically there is only one other powerful being out there who does battle against this loving father and his children, one who is a task master and does look to take, and take everything including our souls.
Like I said, ironic....
Indeed...
Once again, I have God’s promises to me, as presented in the Bible
++++++++++
no personal witness?
*** The imagery of a bulls eye is the best one can relate to. The bulls-eye represents the fundamental core doctrine that defines the body of Christ - the Person, Nature and Work of God, Christ and the Holy Spirit, Salvation.***
That is the same example I use.
Numbers don’t prove truth.
Furthermore, I don’t think the Holy Ghost teaches the Mormons anything.
I am an evangelical Christian.
The ghost of Joe Smith returned from hell and told me so.
you bigots vomit month after mont [sic]
your bigotry
Mormon-bashing bigot
Glad you aren't launching any personal attacks here......
I will ignore the rest of your posts on this thread until you learn to play by FR rules.
I would have stopped there, and maybe added...
"and all other threads..."
Sadly what you may be seeing here are those who have deeply rejected Christ. The gospel message is universal - For God so loved the world..... (Jhn 3:16) and But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:8) So the call of the Holy Spirit is universal. Because of God's Mercy and Justice, those on that final day will have no excuse for not accepting Christ - Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. (Rom 1:21)
Then there’s me. I needed God from day one. It took me 27 years to make my final decision but it was a done deal from way back. I find this to be true of most saved people. They were on that track from early on.
Many will come or be influenced by the Holy Spirit at a young age, but each is different.
It sure feels like somebody chose me before I chose Him.
You were (see Rom 5:8), but again, let scripture interpret scripture - Paul in the context of predestination does so in regards to foreknowledge. This is hard for humans with a linear and finite time view to comprehend, but for God who is outside of our time, He sees the end from the beginning. As such, He speaks of the future in the eternal now. Pretty heady for a monday morning, but then consider this - even knowing who would or would not accept Jesus' sacrifice, Jesus still came and died on the cross anyway.
Exactly right - in all other belief systems man must perform the right actions and follow a complex system of do's and don't in a delicate dance to appease the god(s) to become worthy. Christianity is different because God took the initiative to bridge the gap Himself providing the means.
Guess you cannot say that you done “all” you can do for salvation? Have you achieved perfection in this life that mormonism demands? The mormon testimony is incapable of answering those questions since you won't know until you die.
I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was about 8 years old at a summer camp. No big emotional blast, just the simple presentation of the gospel like that I've posted, but I still remember the details as clear as day. Since then God has continued to show me His grace and reality through the word and personal experiences. I've been healed of migraine conditions and have had my hearing restored - after doctors were unable to do anything further for me. Christ deals with each as individuals, as it is a personal relationship, and so those things that provide me my confidence and faith in my salvation are different in some degrees from those of my wife and others. However, the bottom line for us is that it has been by grace alone, for from my background no works would have sufficed to earn God's favor. And so I can say the words of Paul as easily as they would be my own -
Romans 5:
8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
11 And not only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
15 But not as the offense, so also [is] the free gift. For if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, [which is] by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
Beautiful
Incidentally, the tomb was not empty; the still wound burial clothes and the folded and placed separately face cloth were left behind as testimony of His leaving in a non-conventional way.
If you haven’t done so already, the free video linked at Gary’s site is most engaging, especially the one where he presents his case to a group of North Carolina College students! He has nailed the historicity.
I’ll try to view it when I get the time, thanks for the tip.
Thanks, it is the Readers Digest condensed version - not enough room to put is all down.
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