[Colofornian]

From the article: Givens, a Mormon, traced the faith’s difficulty getting its theology taken seriously through three periods of its history, beginning with the church’s early decades when founder Joseph Smith was denounced as a fraud and the Book of Mormon as a forgery.

Imagine that. Convicted 1820s "glasslooker" in a court of law [glasslookers would con others by pretending to unearth buried treasures; therefore, the culture of the times needed to make it illegal and take action].

You can see Smith's involvement in these kind of things here...and how his whole family was involved...be sure to click on the original articles for more detail:

JOSEPH SMITH, JR: Founder and first "Prophet, Seer, and Revelator" (1805-1844)

JOSEPH SMITH’S INVOLVEMENT WITH MAGIC, MASONRY, AND THE OCCULT

GOD-MEN AND SPIRITUAL VEGETABLES: The Occult Worldview of Mormonism

Early Mormonism and the Magic World View

[svcw]

“Mormons like everyone else,” wrote Robert Putnam and David Campbell in their new book

BbbWwwwwAaaahahahahahah

[delacoert]

… founder Joseph Smith was denounced as a fraud and the Book of Mormon as a forgery

ROTFLMBO

Truth is immutable.

Smith WAS a conman who perpetrated fraud leading to Mormonism. The book of Mormon is more despicable than a mere forgery. Mormon theology is the "doctrine of demons." Mormons are a collection of deceivers.