My case is that Old Judaism was Henotheistic and that early Christianity was Henotheistic as well. The major argument for the contemporary Jews that the early Christians were wrong was that they were promoting a Henotheistic theological worldview.
I am happy to belong in that camp of the true believers. You may disagree that I am, but I am fairly confident I am right. There is too much evidence in the scriptures and in history. Research your history better and look to God and your eyes will be opened.
The practice of Henotheism in both faiths are artifacts of earlier times when people brought their own ideas into their knowledge of God to augment that which they did not know or understand. Polytheism was rampant and a large part of most other faiths in the region hence there would be some influence from what was once believed brought into the new ways if there was no other teachings at the time.
As God's word was spread in its complete form and studied it become very apparent in both faiths that there was only one existence in the entity of the universe with godly powers and status.
Trying to resurrect old ideas in the face of clear fact is interesting at best, fool hardy at worst.
I question not that you are a true believer, for you appear to most certainly believe. What I also do not question is that what you believe is not the truth.
On that score the case has gone past weak and into non existence. The final flailing of Mormon "science" and "archeology" are evidence of that, whether it is with many except the most hard core reduced to having to admit the DNA isn't there to the antiquities theft that brings us what is so laughingly called BOM "artifacts"
The most facinstring thing I find in all of this is that history is replete with off shoot sects in the Christan world. Many of those have been dismissed rather handily thought even they have at least some “legitimacy” since it could be argued that their facts were correct just their understanding was wrong.
With the LDS it is a whole other ballgame.
If Smith had left the whole mythology of the BOM out of the mix and just stayed with what was in essence a faith in the lines of some early non trinitarian henotheistic offshoot there would be little issue with even referring to the LDS as “Christan” just a primitive form of it.
But Smith added the fantasy that is the peoples and lands that never existed, the story line of God being once a man to further feed and support the great selling point that one could become god as well as other ideas the were plainly made up whole cloth. When all that and more gets added in it's game over; There is no rational support for Mormonism. Reason and faith are two sides of the same coin, one does not function without the other.
So yes, you are a true believer, it just that what you believe isn't true.
You challenged me to read, and I have for many years, the deference is that I read things that are both on and off the LDS approved reading list. Given that the LDS is a business and a business is in the job of selling it's "wares" one would expect a less that objective POV to the publications and works. Fact is not something that is mutually exclusive from faith. As I said in an earlier post, a feeling does not create truth, reality does. Facts can be rationally explained and proven. Even if there is a lack of evidence, reason and deducing can prove or disprove certain things.
For example, you as well as others have pointed out the theory that the Central American Indians were the early BOM peoples. Does it make sense that Christ would come here and not do exactly the same thing here as he did in the Eurasian Continent, send disciples out to spread his word. There is no record, none, zero, zilch of anything of Christ much less Christian ideals in the stories of ANY North, Central or South American peoples. How could God through Christ do such a good job in the Middle East and Europe and screw it up here. At worst by LDS reckoning we went apostate in the old world, but the name and ideas of Christ thrived. Would they not have done the same here?
A quick related point, why would Christ's Great commission tell his apostles and other followers to go ye into ALL the world if he had the America's covered?
Reason is not the enemy of faith, it is its companion and friend.