Our Platform for Outlining Colorado’s Future

Reasons to agree : +3 It is hard to produce a totally unique, consistent story with solid spiritual beliefs that inspire people. The Book of Mormon is very helpful to millions of people. The Book of Mormon is relevant today. -1 The fact that there are many similarities between modern gangs and the Gadianton Robbers contributes to the belief that the Book of Mormon is relevant today. Reasons to agree : -2 Most of the relevant parts in the BOM are copied from the Bible Most of the war stories in the BOM have very limited application to modern-day life. Score : # of reasons to agree: +4 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: -1 Total: 3 Reasons to disagree :  -2 Smith had lots of help on the BOM. First from his wife. Then Oliver Cowdry  The BOM is not a totally unique story +13 Reasons to agree : +1 There are many similarities between the BOM and View of the Hebrews by Ethan Smith: +13 Reasons to agree : +12 both have extensive quotations from the prophecies of Isaiah ...

Reasons to agree : +2 My mission president told us that Joseph Smith never consummated any of his marriages to any of his wives but Emma. However, I've heard that, when the re-organized church was saying he never practiced Polygamy, Brigham Young got sworn affidavits from women in Utah, that he consummated their relationship  That they were married in every sense of the word.  Not telling all the truth, and letting people make up their own minds is a form of lying. If the church really wanted to be 100% honest, like the 10 commandments teach, they should frankley admit Joseph Smiths mistakes. Reasons to disagree : -0   Score : # of reasons to agree: 2 # of reasons to disagree: -0 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to agree with reasons to disagree: -0 Total Idea Score: 0 Website that agree: +2 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Joseph_Smith's_wives . I grew up in the church in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. I...

Reasons to agree D&C 25 says: "Behold, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an elect lady, whom I have called". "Emma took that revelation (on polygamy).... she went to the fireplace, and put it in, and put the candle under it and burnt it , and the thought that was the end of it, and she will be damned as sure as she is a living woman." Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol 17, p 159 Reasons to disagree   Images That agree Images That disagree Scriptures that agree Scriptures that disagree   Interest of those who agree : + Interest of those who disagree : - Common Interest : Opposing Interest : Videos That agree   Videos That disagree   Website that agree Websites that disagree Score : # of reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree: -0 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree with reasons to agree: 0 Total Idea Score: 0 Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagre...

Reasons to agree Reasons to disagree  Contradictions are the fault of Joseph Smith's scribes Scriptures that agree Scriptures that disagree   Interest of those who agree Interest of those who disagree   Common Interest Opposing Interest   Videos That agree Images That agree Website that agree Websites that disagree http://www.mormonthink.com/nephiweb.htm Score : # of reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree: -0 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree with reasons to agree: 0 Total Idea Score: 0 Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change

Reasons to agree The fact that the different versions of the vision include different visitations indicates that the story is not true. The 1832 version of the story says that only   one   personage, Jesus Christ, appeared to him. The 1838 version of the story says that God and Jesus Christ appeared to him. Reasons to disagree   Scriptures that agree Scriptures that disagree   Interest of those who agree Interest of those who disagree   Common Interest Opposing Interest   Videos That agree Images That agree Images that disagree: Score : # of reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree: -0 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree with reasons to agree: 0 Total Idea Score: 0 Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change

Reasons to agree Joseph Smith written explanations of the 1st visions contain significant contradictions.  Reasons to disagree   Scriptures that agree Scriptures that disagree   Interest of those who agree Interest of those who disagree   Common Interest Opposing Interest   Videos That agree Images That agree Score : # of reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree: -0 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree with reasons to agree: 0 Total Idea Score: 0 Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change

Reasons to agree The official  Reasons to disagree   Scriptures that agree Scriptures that disagree   Interest of those who agree Interest of those who disagree   Common Interest Opposing Interest   Videos That agree Images That agree Score : # of reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree: -0 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree with reasons to agree: 0 Total Idea Score: 0 Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change

Reasons to agree Joseph Smith's contradicted stories of the 1st vision should lead us to question his accuracy .  If Joseph Smith really had seen God and Jesus Christ he would have written about it sooner than 1832, 11 years after its alleged occurrence. Reasons to disagree   Scriptures that agree Scriptures that disagree   Interest of those who agree Interest of those who disagree   Common Interest Opposing Interest   Videos That agree Images That agree Score : # of reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree: -0 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree with reasons to agree: 0 Total Idea Score: 0 Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change

Reasons to agree : +1 Joseph intentionally misled people about his "visit" by the angel Moroni. Reasons to disagree : -3 If you believe Joseph had a supernatural experience, he could have had a real vision from God, but it could have been while he slept. God has to modify you in order to be able to see spiritual things. LDS people people call this being translated. We cannot, under normal circumstances, perceive spiritual matter or things with normal vision. (D&C 131:7-8) Joseph had to be blessed to hear and see a divine messenger. Others were not so blessed, and so would hear and see nothing. If God can send an angel he can keep the audience to that which he wishes. You don't have to assume that God actively dulled his family member's senses in order to have an Angel speak to Joseph, only that Joseph's senses were enriched. Reasons to agree : +1 Reasons to disagree : -3 Score: -2

Reasons to agree : +1 Joseph said he was visited by an angel in his room, but he couldn't have, because he shared the room with his brothers, and they would have seeing it.  -3 Reasons to disagree Reasons to agree: +1 Reasons to disagree: -0 Reasons to disagree with reasons to agree: -3 Reasons to agree: +1 -3 = -2

Reasons to disagree Scholars don't believe that Paul really wrote all the books attributed to him. If lies about your church's founding mean that your church is wrong, then no Christian churches are true. 

Reasons to disagree Its a nice idea, but no one came forward and said, Joseph Smith's ideas about the pre-mortal existence, baptisms for the dead, the quorum of the 12 apostles, or anything else, really came from them, did they?

Reasons to agree : +4 Joseph was 38 when he married Helen Mar Kimball who was only 14. She continued to live with her parents, and never married lived with Joseph. When she grew up she married someone else, and never seemed to have had sex with Joseph. They were trying to just seal people to each other, but still it seems weird that Joseph would seal her to him as a wife. Why didn't he just adopt her as a daughter? Joseph Smith was 28 when he had an affair, or a plural marriage with Fanny Alger who was 16. Joseph Smith was 37 when he married Sarah Ann Whitney who was 17 years old. Statements by William Law and Eliza R. Snow indicate that the marriages included sexual intimacy.[121][122] "Joseph was very free in his talk about his women. He told me one day of a certain girl and remarked, that she had given him more pleasure than any girl he had ever enjoyed. I told him it was horrible to talk like this." - Joseph Smith's close confidant and LDS Church First Councilor, ...

Reasons to agree Many of the Popes did bad things .  Reasons to disagree According to the same logic you would condemn all the apostles for the greed of Judas and the cowardice of Peter Score : # of reasons to agree: + 13 # of reasons to disagree: -1 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: + 0 # of reasons to disagree with reasons to agree: - 0 Total Idea Score: +12 Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change.

Reasons to agree Moses, to the best of our knowledge, never used it position as a way to increase the number of his sexual partners. Reasons to disagree Moses killed an Egyptian. If you applied the same methods of judging Moses, that some want you to judge Joseph Smith then he would not come out looking to good.

Reasons to agree : Power does not always corrupt. People can have noble motives to lead. Reasons to disagree : There is more reason to say that Joseph Smith had bad motivation than Moses.

Reasons to agree : Joseph liked dressing in Military uniforms.  Joseph ran for president.  Reasons to disagree : Saying Joseph Smith was power hungry is like saying Moses is power hungry . +2 Score : # of reasons to agree: 2 # of reasons to disagree: -1 # of reasons to agree with reasons to agree: 0 # of reasons to disagree with reasons to agree: -2 Total Idea Score: -1 Don't like the score? It is easy to change the score. Just post a reason to agree or disagree with the overall idea, or any of the reasons and the score will change Images That agree   Images That disagree Scriptures that agree Scriptures that disagree   Interest of those who agree Interest of those who disagree   Common Interest Opposing Interest   Videos That agree   Videos That disagree   Website that agree Websites that disagree