View source for Countercult ministries/Watchman Fellowship/Section 3

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{{H1
|L=Countercult ministries/Watchman Fellowship/Section 3
|H=Response to claims in "Mormonism Overview"
|T=Watchman Fellowship
|A=Timothy Oliver, Rick Branch, and James Walker
|<=[[../Section 2|Claims made in "Hinckley Claims LDS Worship Different Christ"]]
|>=[[../Section 4|Claims made in "Basics of Mormonism: Falling Upward"]]
}}
{{ChartWatchmanSection3}}
<onlyinclude>
{{H2
|L=Countercult ministries/Watchman Fellowship/Section 3
|H=Response to claims in "Mormonism Overview" by Watchman Fellowship
|S=
|L1=Response to claim: The Book of Mormon claims that there is only "one God in the Godhead"
|L2=Response to claim: The Book of Mormon states that David and Solomon's polygamy "was an abomination to God"
|L3=Response to claim: The Church was originally founded with the name "Church of Christ"
|L4=Response to claim: The earliest account of the First Vision states that Joseph was "in the 16th year" of his age, and he does not mention seeing the Father
|L5=Response to claim: Joseph Smith gave a "false prophecy" that a temple would be built in Independence, Missouri
|L6=Response to claim: The name of the Church was later changed to "The Church of the Latter Day Saints"
|L7=Response to claim: Joseph gave a "false prophecy" that the Saints would prevail against their enemies in Independence, Missouri
|L8=Response to claim: Joseph Smith's age at the time of the First Vision was "the 15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr.'s age" and then corrects it to be "the 17th"
|L9=Response to claim: Joseph Smith receives revelation to send David Patten on a mission, but Patten is killed during a battle
|L10=Response to claim: The Lectures on Faith describe the Father as a "personage of spirit"
|L11=Response to claim: Orson Pratt is claimed to have been excommunicated for disagreeing with Joseph Smith regarding polygamy and "Smith's sexual advances to Sarah Pratt, Orson's wife"
|L12=Response to claim: The authors claim that "historical records show Joseph Smith was sexually involved with women other than his legal wife Emma" long before the 1843 revelation was written
|L13=Response to claim: Joseph Smith denies polygamy
|L14=Response to claim: The Nauvoo Expositor accused Joseph of "practicing polygamy and teaching polytheism"
|L15=Response to claim: The authors claim that Joseph killed two men at Carthage Jail, and that Joseph cannot be called a martyr because he fought for his life "with an illegally obtained weapon"
|L16=Response to claim: The "Oath of Vengeance" is added to the temple ceremony
|L17=Response to claim: The Book of Abraham is claimed to have become the scriptural basis for denying the priesthood to Blacks
|L18=Response to claim: Brigham Young teaches the "Adam-God doctrine"
|L19=Response to claim: Jedediah M. Grant quotes "with approval pagan philosopher Celsus" that Jesus was persecuted because he "had so many wives"
|L20=Response to claim: Orson Hyde preaches that Jesus Christ was married and had children
|L21=Response to claim: The authors claim that Brigham Young said that the Lord did not come during the First Vision
|L22=Response to claim: Brigham taught that "if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise you that you will be damned..."
|L23=Response to claim: Brigham Young taught "Blood Atonement"
|L24=Response to claim: The Mountain Meadows Massacre
|L25=Response to claim: Brigham Young states, "And when all the rest of the children have received their blessing in the Holy |L26=Priesthood, then that curse shall be removed from the seed of Cain..."
|L27=Response to claim: Brigham states, "The only men who become Gods, even the sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy"
|L28=Response to claim: Brigham states that "the God that I serve is progressing eternally..."
|L29=Response to claim: Brigham states that he believes that the Sun is inhabited
|L30=Response to claim: Orson Pratt states that the Independence Temple will be built within the current generation
|L31=Response to claim: John Taylor is claimed to have provided "New First Vision information," when he stated, "None of them was right, just as it was when the Prophet Joseph asked the angel which of the sects was right that he might join it"
|L32=Response to claim: Church leaders continued to practice polygamy after the Manifesto
|L33=Response to claim: The Lectures on Faith are removed from the Doctrine and Covenants
|L34=Response to claim: B.H. Roberts "finds several serious problems" with the archaeological and scientific content of the Book of Mormon
|L35=Response to claim: The "Oath of Vengeance" is removed from the temple ceremony
|L36=Response to claim: An article in The Improvement Era states: "When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done"
|L37=Response to claim: Joseph Fielding Smith, who the authors note "would become the tenth prophet," expresses his opinion on the "Curse of Cain" as it was applied to Blacks
|L38=Response to claim: Mark E. Petersen states that "our performance in the pre-existence" affected what race we were born into
|L39=Response to claim: Joseph Fielding Smith "admits Mormon doctrine that Jesus was married"
|L40=Response to claim: Book of Abraham "manuscripts" are discovered
|L41=Response to claim: Book of Abraham "papyrus manuscripts" are turned over the the Church, after which "noted Egyptologists translate them and declare that the text is from the Book of Breathings"
|L42=Response to claim: The Mark Hofmann forgeries
|L43=Response to claim: The Book of Mormon has over "4000" changes since its first publication, and the phrase "white and delightsome" is changed to "pure and delightsome"
|L44=Response to claim: The authors state that "drastic changes" were made in "secret Mormon temple rituals"
}}
</onlyinclude>

==Response to claim: The Book of Mormon claims that there is only "one God in the Godhead"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The Book of Mormon claims that there is only "one God in the Godhead."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s||Alma|11|22-35}}
}}
{{misinformation|}}
Note that the word "Godhead" does not appear in the Book of Mormon. Latter-day Saints believe in "one God."  They recognize three individuals who are properly termed "God"&mdash;the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.  They understand this unity differently than the creeds.
}}
{{:Question: Was Nicean Trinitarianism always a key part of Christian belief?}}

==Response to claim: The Book of Mormon states that David and Solomon's polygamy "was an abomination to God"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The Book of Mormon states that David and Solomon's polygamy "was an abomination to God."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s||Jacob|2|24-35}}
*{{s||D&C|132|38-39}}
}}
{{misinformation|The authors ignore the verse which states the conditions under which plural marriage is allowed.}}
}}
{{:Question: Does the Book of Mormon condemn polygamy?}}

==Response to claim: The Church was originally founded with the name "Church of Christ"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The Church was originally founded with the name "Church of Christ."
|authorsources=<br>
#David Whitmer, ''An Address to All Believers in Christ'', p. 73.
}}
{{information|This is correct. The original name was the "Church of Christ." The name of the Church was eventually changed through revelation to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint.
}}
{{:Question: How many times was the name of the Church changed through revelation?}}

==Response to claim: The earliest account of the First Vision states that Joseph was "in the 16th year" of his age, and he does not mention seeing the Father==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Response to claim: The earliest account of the First Vision states that Joseph was "in the 16th year" of his age, and he does not mention seeing the Father.
|authorsources=<br>
#Joseph Smith's 1832 Diary
}}
{{information|
}}
{{:Question: Why does Joseph Smith state in his 1832 First Vision account that he was in his "16th year" of age?}}
{{:Question: Why does Joseph Smith's 1832 account of the First Vision not mention two personages?}}

==Response to claim: Joseph Smith gave a "false prophecy" that a temple would be built in Independence, Missouri==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Joseph Smith gave a "false prophecy" that a temple would be built in Independence, Missouri.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s||D&C|84|1-5}}
}}
{{misinformation|This was not a prophecy, but a command from God to build the temple}}
}}
{{:Question: Was Joseph Smith's prophecy that the Independence, Missouri temple "shall be reared in this generation" a failed prophecy?}}

==Response to claim: The name of the Church was later changed to "The Church of the Latter Day Saints"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The name of the Church was later changed to "The Church of the Latter Day Saints."
|authorsources=<br>
#David Whitmer, ''An Address to All Believers in Christ'', p. 73.
}}
{{information|This is correct. The name of the Church was only changed through revelation one time.
}}

==Response to claim: Joseph gave a "false prophecy" that the Saints would prevail against their enemies in Independence, Missouri==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Joseph gave a "false prophecy" that the Saints would prevail against their enemies in Independence, Missouri.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s||D&C|103|5-7}}
}}
{{misinformation|}}
The scripture says that the saints would "begin to prevail"&mdash;but, only if they "hearken from this very hour unto the counsel" that God gives them.  The Saints' prosperity was conditionally linked to their faithfulness in heeding the word of God.
}}

==Response to claim: Joseph Smith's age at the time of the First Vision was "the 15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr.'s age" and then corrects it to be "the 17th"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Oliver Cowdery reports in the ''Messenger and Advocate'' that Joseph Smith's age at the time of the First Vision was "the 15th year of our brother J. Smith Jr.'s age" and then corrects it to be "the 17th."
|authorsources=<br>
*''Messenger and Advocate'', Dec. 1834, Vol. 1, p. 42.
*''Messenger and Advocate'', Feb. 1835, Vol. 1, p. 76.
}}
{{misinformation|Oliver's history covering this time period was printed in two parts several months apart. In the first part, Oliver described Joseph at age 14 during a time of religious excitement, and he was clearly leading up to the First Vision. However, when Oliver published his second part several months later, he abruptly skipped any mention of the vision and began describing the visit of Moroni instead. He "corrected" Joseph's age from 14 to 17. Clearly, Joseph asked him not to discuss the First Vision at this time.}}
{{:Question: Did Oliver Cowdery state that Joseph did not know if a "supreme being" existed in 1823?}}
{{:Question: What criticisms are related to Oliver Cowdery's 1834-1835 history of the Church?}}

==Response to claim: Joseph Smith receives revelation to send David Patten on a mission, but Patten is killed during a battle==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Joseph Smith receives revelation to send David Patten on a mission, but Patten is killed during a battle.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s||D&C|114|}}
}}
{{misinformation|This was not a prophecy. It was a mission call.}}
}}
{{:Question: Why did Joseph Smith say that David Patten would serve a mission when he was killed only six months later?}}

====Response to claim: The ''Lectures on Faith'' describe the Father as a "personage of spirit"===
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The ''Lectures on Faith'' describe the Father as a "personage of spirit."
|authorsources=<br>
#}}
{{information|}}
{{:Question: What are the Lectures on Faith?}}
{{:Question: What does Lecture 5 of the Lectures on Faith say about the nature of God?}}
{{:Question: How would a statement that "God is a spirit" be interpreted in ancient Judasism?}}

==Response to claim: Orson Pratt is claimed to have been excommunicated for disagreeing with Joseph Smith regarding polygamy and "Smith's sexual advances to Sarah Pratt, Orson's wife"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Orson Pratt is claimed to have been excommunicated for disagreeing with Joseph Smith regarding polygamy and "Smith's sexual advances to Sarah Pratt, Orson's wife."
|authorsources=<br>
#''Nauvoo: Kingdom on the Mississippi'', pp. 269-270.
}}
{{misinformation|}}
Orson Pratt was later to return to the Church, and indicated that he had been misled by a "wicked source" for the supposed information about Joseph and his wife.
}}
{{:Question: Did any woman suffer consequences for turning down Joseph's proposal?}}

==Response to claim: The authors claim that "historical records show Joseph Smith was sexually involved with women other than his legal wife Emma" long before the 1843 revelation was written==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The authors claim that "historical records show Joseph Smith was sexually involved with women other than his legal wife Emma" long before the 1843 revelation was written.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s||D&C|132|}}
}}
{{misinformation|}}
The D&C revelation was ''written down'' in 1843, but Joseph was aware of at least some of its contents by 1831 at the latest.
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith institute polygamy because he had a "voracious sexual appetite"?}}

==Response to claim: Joseph Smith denies polygamy==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Joseph Smith denies polygamy.
|authorsources=<br>
#''History of the Church'' 6:411
}}
{{information|
}}
{{:Question: Did Joseph Smith ever publicly attempt to teach the doctrine of plural marriage?}}
{{:Question: Why did Joseph keep the doctrine of plural marriage private?}}
{{:Question: Why did the 1835 Doctrine and Covenants include a statement of marriage that denied the practice of polygamy at a time when some were actually practicing it?}}

==Response to claim: The Nauvoo Expositor accused Joseph of "practicing polygamy and teaching polytheism"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The Nauvoo Expositor accused Joseph of "practicing polygamy and teaching polytheism."
|authorsources=<br>
#}}
{{information|It is unsurprising that a hostile paper attacked Joseph's teachings. This does not mean that the attack was accurate, complete, or fair. No informed historian or Latter-day Saint claims that Joseph did not teach or practice plural marriage in Nauvoo.
}}
{{:Question: How was the decision reached to destroy the ''Nauvoo Expositor''?}}
{{:Question: Why did the Nauvoo City Council feel it was necessary to destroy the ''Nauvoo Expositor''?}}

==Response to claim: The authors claim that Joseph killed two men at Carthage Jail, and that Joseph cannot be called a martyr because he fought for his life "with an illegally obtained weapon"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The authors claim that Joseph killed two men at Carthage Jail, and that Joseph cannot be called a martyr because he fought for his life "with an illegally obtained weapon."
|authorsources=<br>
#''History of the Church'' 7:103.
}}
{{disinformation|Joseph wounded two men, but they lived. It was erroneously believed for a period of time that they died. A martyr does not have to go to their death without defending themselves or their friends.}}
{{:Question: Is it true that Joseph killed two men by firing at the mob?}}
{{:Question: Is it possible that Joseph Smith is not a martyr because, while in jail, he had a gun and he had the temerity to defend himself?}}

==Response to claim: The "Oath of Vengeance" is added to the temple ceremony==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The "Oath of Vengeance" is added to the temple ceremony.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Diary Journal of Abraham H. Cannon'', quoted in Tanner, ''Mormonism: Shadow or Reality?'', p. 475
}}
{{information|
}}
{{:Question: Was there an oath in a former version of the temple endowment that required vengeance upon the government of the United States?}}

==Response to claim: The Book of Abraham is claimed to have become the scriptural basis for denying the priesthood to Blacks==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The [[Book of Abraham]] is claimed to have become the scriptural basis for denying the priesthood to Blacks.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{s||Moses|7|8}}
*{{s||Abraham|1|21-27}}
}}
{{misinformation|B.H Roberts was the first to use the Book of Abraham to attempt to explain the priesthood ban, however, there is no record of a revelation having ever been receive that resulted in the implementation of the policy. The use of the Book of Abraham was one of many attempts by Church members to find a reason for the ban.}}
}}
{{:Question: What did Church leaders after Brigham Young think of the priesthood ban?}}

==Response to claim: Brigham Young teaches the "Adam-God doctrine"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Brigham Young teaches the "Adam-God doctrine."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=1|disc=8|start=50}}
}}
{{information|
}}
{{:Question: What is the Adam-God Theory?}}

==Response to claim: Jedediah M. Grant quotes "with approval pagan philosopher Celsus" that Jesus was persecuted because he "had so many wives"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Jedediah M. Grant quotes "with approval pagan philosopher Celsus" that Jesus was persecuted because he "had so many wives."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Jedediah M. Grant|vol=1|disc=49|start=345|end=346}}
}}
{{misinformation|Just because Jedediah Grant believed that Jesus was a polygamist does not make it Church doctrine.}}
}}
{{:Question: Did early Mormon leaders believe that Jesus Christ was a polygamist?}}

==Response to claim: Orson Hyde preaches that Jesus Christ was married and had children==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Orson Hyde preaches that Jesus Christ was married and had children.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Orson Hyde|vol=2|disc=18|start=82}}
}}
{{misinformation|Just because Orson Hyde believed this does not make it Church doctrine.}}
}}
{{:Question: Do Mormons believe Jesus Christ was married?}}

==Response to claim: The authors claim that Brigham Young said that the Lord did not come during the First Vision==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The authors claim that Brigham Young said that the Lord did not come during the First Vision:
<blockquote>
The Lord did not come with the armies of heaven.... But he did send His angel to this same obscure person, Joseph Smith jun.,...and informed him that he should not join any of the religious sects of the day, for they were all wrong" 
</blockquote>
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=2|disc=31|start=171}}
}}
{{disinformation|This is a well-known heavily edited version of the quote by Brigham that originated with the Tanners. The quote has been edited in such a way as to alter its meaning.
}}
{{:Question: What is Brigham Young claimed to have said that leads one to doubt that he denied the First Vision?}}

==Response to claim: Brigham taught that "if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise you that you will be damned..."==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Brigham taught that "if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise you that you will be damned..."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=3|disc=39|start=266}}
}}
{{misinformation|}}
}}
{{:Question: Did early Mormon leaders teach the plural marriage was a requirement for exaltation?}}
{{:Question: Because Mormons do not currently practice plural marriage, does this mean that early leaders who taught that is was required were wrong?}}
{{:Question: If early Church leaders taught that plural marriage was required, does this mean that current members are not capable of achieving exaltation?}}

==Response to claim: Brigham Young taught "Blood Atonement"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Brigham Young taught "Blood Atonement."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=4|disc=10|start=53|end=54}}
}}
{{information|
}}
{{:Question: What is "blood atonement"?}}

==Response to claim: The Mountain Meadows Massacre==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The Mountain Meadows Massacre
|authorsources=<br>
#}}
{{information|
}}
{{:Source:Church News:15 Sept 2007:Henry B. Eyring:What was done here long ago by members of our Church represents a terrible and inexcusable departure from Christian teaching and conduct}}

==Response to claim: Brigham Young states, "And when all the rest of the children have received their blessing in the Holy Priesthood, then that curse shall be removed from the seed of Cain..."==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Brigham Young states, "And when all the rest of the children have received their blessing in the Holy Priesthood, then that curse shall be removed from the seed of Cain, and they will then come up and possess the priesthood, and receive all the blessings which we now are entitled to."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=11|disc=41|start=272}}
}}
{{propaganda|Brigham was wrong in his opinion. Prophets are not infallible, nor are they immune to their own opinions.
}}
{{:Source:Gospel Topics:Race and the Priesthood:2013:Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor}}
{{:Source:Gospel Topics:Race and the Priesthood:Even after 1852, at least two black Mormons continued to hold the priesthood}}
{{:Question: What are the "curse of Cain" and the "curse of Ham"}}
{{:Question: When did a biblical curse become associated with the "Hamites?"}}
{{:Question: When did the "mark of Cain" become associated with black skin?}}
{{:Question: How did the "curse of Ham" or "curse of Cain" become associated with Mormonism?}}

==Response to claim: Brigham states, "The only men who become Gods, even the sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Brigham states, "The only men who become Gods, even the sons of God, are those who enter into polygamy."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=11|disc=41|start=269}}
}}
{{misinformation|Brigham was speaking to those who practiced polygamy at that time. Brigham was stating that the command to practice plural marriage was from God, and it is wrong to seek to abolish a command from God, and he acknowledged that those who did not practice polygamy could also achieve exaltation. There is no requirement that one must practice polygamy in order to achieve exaltation.}}
{{:Question: Is plural marriage required in order to achieve exaltation?}}

==Response to claim: Brigham states that "the God that I serve is progressing eternally..."==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Brigham states that "the God that I serve is progressing eternally..."
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=11|disc=43|start=286}}
}}
{{misinformation|The Bible itself states that Jesus Christ changed as he grew. Jesus is referred to as "the same yesterday, today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8). Yet we learn from the scriptures that Jesus “increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”(Luke 2:52).}}
}}
{{:Question: Does the Book of Mormon refute Joseph Smith on the nature of God?}}

==Response to claim: Brigham states that he believes that the Sun is inhabited==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Brigham Young states that he believes that the Sun is inhabited.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Brigham Young|vol=13|disc=31|start=271}}
}}
{{information|
}}
{{:Question: Did Brigham Young actually teach that the sun and the moon were inhabited?}}

==Response to claim: Orson Pratt states that the Independence Temple will be built within the current generation==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Orson Pratt states that the Independence Temple will be built within the current generation.
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=Orson Pratt|vol=14|disc=38|start=275}}
}}
{{misinformation|}}
}}
{{:Question: Was Joseph Smith's prophecy that the Independence, Missouri temple "shall be reared in this generation" a failed prophecy?}}

==Response to claim: John Taylor is claimed to have provided "New First Vision information," when he stated, "None of them was right, just as it was when the Prophet Joseph asked the angel which of the sects was right that he might join it"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
John Taylor is claimed to have provided "New First Vision information," when he stated, "None of them was right, just as it was when the Prophet Joseph asked the angel which of the sects was right that he might join it. The answer was that none of them are right....the angel merely told him to join none of them that none of them were right"
|authorsources=<br>
#{{JDfairwiki|author=John Taylor|vol=20|disc=19|start=167}}
}}
{{misinformation|}}
This is an amazing claim, since John Taylor talked specifically of the visit of the Father and Son during the First Vision numerous other times, including another sermon delivered ''the very same day!'' It also seem rather silly to state the John Taylor didn't understand the nature of the First Vision, since the official account of the vision had been published in the Pearl of Great Price years before this discourse.
}}
{{:Source:John Taylor:2 March 1879:JD 20:167 and 257:First Vision Father and Son or angel}}

==Response to claim: Church leaders continued to practice polygamy after the Manifesto==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Church leaders continued to practice polygamy after the Manifesto.
|authorsources=<br>
#D&C Official Declaration-1
}}
{{information|The Church discusses this in a Gospel Topic essay found on LDS.org.
}}
{{:Source:Gospel Topics:The Manifesto and the End of Plural Marriage:The Second Manifesto}}
{{:Question: Why were some plural marriages performed after the Manifesto?}}

==Response to claim: The Lectures on Faith are removed from the Doctrine and Covenants==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The Lectures on Faith are removed from the Doctrine and Covenants.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'', vol. 20, No. 3, p. 71.
}}
{{information|A distinction had always been made between the Lectures and the canonized revelations.
}}
{{:Question: Why were the Lectures on Faith removed from the Doctrine and Covenants in 1921?}}

==Response to claim: B.H. Roberts "finds several serious problems" with the archaeological and scientific content of the Book of Mormon==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
B.H. Roberts "finds several serious problems" with the archaeological and scientific content of the Book of Mormon.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Studies of the Book of Mormon''
}}
{{misinformation|It should be noted that the Book of Mormon contains no "archaeological and scientific content." Roberts' study of the Book of Mormon was made from the perspective of a "devil's advocate," but he remained a believer his entire life.}}
}}
{{:Question: Why did B.H. Roberts write ''Studies of the Book of Mormon''?}}
{{:Question: Did B.H. Roberts state that it was possible for Joseph Smith to have come up with the Book of Mormon on his own?}}
{{:Question: Did B.H. Roberts lose his faith in the Church and the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: The "Oath of Vengeance" is removed from the temple ceremony==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The "Oath of Vengeance" is removed from the temple ceremony.
|authorsources=<br>
#''Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought'', vol. 20, no. 4, p. 55.
}}
{{information|The "Oath of Vengeance" was eventually removed from the temple ceremony.
}}
{{:Question: Was there an oath in a former version of the temple endowment that required vengeance upon the government of the United States?}}

==Response to claim: An article in ''The Improvement Era'' states: "When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
An article in ''The Improvement Era'' states: "When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done."
|authorsource=
''Improvement Era'', June 1945, p. 354.
}}
{{misinformation|President Grant indicated that this message printed in ''The Improvement Era'' was inaccurate, and disclaimed its contents soon after it was printed.}}
}}
{{:Question: In Mormonism, when our leaders speak, has the thinking been done?}}

==Response to claim: Joseph Fielding Smith, who the authors note "would become the tenth prophet," expresses his opinion on the "Curse of Cain" as it was applied to Blacks==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Joseph Fielding Smith, who the authors note "would become the tenth prophet," expresses his opinion on the "Curse of Cain" as it was applied to Blacks.
|authorsources=<br>
#''The Way to Perfection'', p. 101.
}}
{{misinformation|This was never Church doctrine. Only the current prophet may declare Church doctrine.}}
*{{Detail_old|Blacks and the priesthood/The "curse of Cain" and "curse of Ham"|l1=The "curse of Cain" and "curse of Ham"}}
}}
{{:Question: How did the "curse of Ham" or "curse of Cain" become associated with Mormonism?}}

==Response to claim: Mark E. Petersen states that "our performance in the pre-existence" affected what race we were born into==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Mark E. Petersen states that "our performance in the pre-existence" affected what race we were born into.
|authorsources=<br>
#"Race Problems - As They Affect the Church," Aug. 27, 1954, p. 4.
}}
{{propaganda|Mark E. Petersen expressed this opinion, along with others. He was wrong, and the Church has disavowed such theories. This belief is not Church doctrine. Only the current prophet may declare Church doctrine.
}}
{{:Source:Gospel Topics:Race and the Priesthood:2013:Today, the Church disavows the theories advanced in the past that black skin is a sign of divine disfavor}}
{{:Source:Joseph Fielding Smith:Improvement Era:April 1924:We know of no scripture, ancient or modern, that declares that at the time of the rebellion in heaven that one-third of the hosts of heaven remained neutral}}
{{:Question: Was the idea that Blacks were neutral in the "war in heaven" ever official doctrine?}}
{{:Question: Did Church leaders ever teach that Blacks were neutral in the "war in heaven?"}}
{{:Question: Did the Church repudiate the idea of neutrality in the "war in heaven?"}}

==Response to claim: Joseph Fielding Smith "admits Mormon doctrine that Jesus was married"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Joseph Fielding Smith "admits Mormon doctrine that Jesus was married."
|authorsource=
letter dated March 17, 1963.
}}
{{propaganda|There is no Church doctrine that claims that Jesus was married. Some Church leaders have expressed a belief that He was. Only the current prophet may declare Church doctrine.
}}
{{:Question: Do Mormons believe Jesus Christ was married?}}

==Response to claim: Book of Abraham "manuscripts" are discovered==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Book of Abraham "manuscripts" are discovered.
|authorsources=<br>
#Tanner, ''The Case Against Mormonism'', Vol. 3, Preface.
}}
{{misinformation|}}
Fragments from the papyri owned by Joseph Smith were discovered.  Aside from Facsimile #1, they do not contain the text of the Book of Abraham, and the Church has never claimed otherwise.

*{{Detail_old|Book of Abraham/Joseph Smith Papyri|l1=Joseph Smith Papyri}}
}}

==Response to claim: Book of Abraham "papyrus manuscripts" are turned over the the Church, after which "noted Egyptologists translate them and declare that the text is from the Book of Breathings"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
Book of Abraham "papyrus manuscripts" are turned over the the Church, after which "noted Egyptologists translate them and declare that the text is from the ''Book of Breathings.''" The authors state: "Despite this exposure as a fraud, the Book of Abraham continues to be published as scripture by the church."
|authorsources=<br>
#Tanner, ''The Case Against Mormonism'', Vol. 3, Preface.
}}
{{disinformation|The critics fail to note that the ''Church'' itself published this information in ''The Improvement Era'' first.
}}
{{:Question: Was the Church forthright in identifying the rediscovered papyrus prior to their examination by non-LDS Egyptologists?}}

==Response to claim: The Mark Hofmann forgeries==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The Mark Hofmann forgeries.
|authorsources=<br>
#}}
{{information|
}}
{{:Question: What are the Hofmann forgeries and the Salamander Letter?}}
{{:Question: If Gordon B. Hinckley were a true prophet, why did he not discern the nature of the Hofmann forgeries?}}
{{:Question: Was President Hinckley suspicious that the Salamander letter might not be authentic?}}

==Response to claim: The Book of Mormon has over "4000" changes since its first publication, and the phrase "white and delightsome" is changed to "pure and delightsome"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The Book of Mormon has over "4000" changes since its first publication, and the phrase "white and delightsome" is changed to "pure and delightsome."
|authorsources=<br>
#}}
{{information|It should be noted that the change from "white" to "pure" was originally made by Joseph Smith in 1840. Most of the 4,000 changes were punctuation and grammatical
}}
{{:Question: Why were textual changes made to the Book of Mormon over the years after it was first published?}}
{{:Question: Why was the phrase "white and delightsome" changed to "pure and delightsome" in the 1840 edition of the Book of Mormon?}}

==Response to claim: The authors state that "drastic changes" were made in "secret Mormon temple rituals"==
{{IndexClaimItemShort
|title=Watchman Fellowship
|claim=
The authors state that "drastic changes" were made in "secret Mormon temple rituals."
|authorsources=<br>
#}}
{{propaganda|Changes have been made many times over the years. To call them "drastic" is an overstatement.
}}
{{:Question: Why would the Church remove or alter elements of the temple ceremony if these ceremonies were revealed by God?}}


{{endnotes sources}}



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