[amoni]

i was reading lots of books about the mormons, because i studied alot of religions lately and i think we have the rights to know every single religion outside the coptic community or the christian community as general

so i will type what i got so far from a very good article was in yesterday's paper but i did not find the link online so i typed it,
and i need ur opnions
since no body comes in our english section

To loyal mormons, Joseph Smith Jr. was an American prophet whose creed is preparing for christ's second coming. To skeptics, he was a reprobate impstor. if a remarkably successful one. Now as Smith's church of jesus christ of latter day saints prepares to celebrate the bicentennial year of his birth (dec. 23, 1805), the occasion will ceretainly renew debates over one of the America's most important, and woolinest, religious careers. The oft persecuted Smith was hounded out of New York, Ohio and Missouri, tarred and feathered, jailed and accused of serious crimes. He repeatedly alienated close associates

In Illionois, he ruled a theocratic city-state as prophet, mayor, chief judge and commander of a 5000 man militia.
in 1844, he was secretly anointed an earthly king while campaigning for the U.S presidency. When Smith had officers pillage an opposition newspaper, he was arrested, then murdered by a mob.
Smith's prophethood was founded upon his report that in 1827, an angel gave him golden plates inscribed in an unknown language and buried near palmyra, N.Y. Teh plates told the history of American Indian's ancient ancestors, who had migrated from Israel and were visited by jesus. Smith said God miraculously empowered him to understand the language and dictate the book of Mormon, after which the angel retrieved the plates.
empolying similar means, Smith revised and in his view corrected large sections of the Bible. He also produced writings attributed to biblical Abraham and 134 revelations of his own as latter day scriputre.

Both mormons and non mormons still argue over Smith's authenticity
Just las sunday , achurch tribunal in Utah disfellowshipped Grant Palmer, a retired teacher and executive for classes the church provides to high school and college sutdents, because his an insider's view of Mormon Origins, it is either nonnexitent or problematic

Palmer's publisher, signature Books, marked the bicentennial with Dan Vogel's equally skeptical "joseph smith the making of the prophet, which contends that smith wrote the book of mormons from his imagination and life experiences,
Church bicentennial doings include an authorized book of mormon pulbication by secular Doubleday, though last year's University of Illinois press reader's edition is more useful for non mormons
Other upcoming events, a Library of Congress symposium, volume one in the vast
joseph Smith Papers, series and anew Smith film for visitors to the church's salt Lake City headquarters

The landmark, however, will be richard Bushman's biography joseph Smith rough stone Rolling, due next october, Bushman an emeritus professor at Columbia University is the leading historian of America among devout Mormons
Bushman observed that the hostility Smith suffered in his lifetime is hardly surprising, given taht his theological views were alien, even abhrrent, to most Christians
For example, Smith's position on God the fahter is incredibly heretical, by orthodox christian standards,
Bushman said,
Smith said that matter is eternal so "God is the mster of the universe, not the crator, Bushman explained, and humans are all god's in embryo, Smith also taught that God was not always God but was once as we are now, and is an exalted man.
Mormons are just driven to continually exalt, Smith, what i say will run against this idealized version.

Another major controversy is Smith's practice of polygamy, which the church abandoned under federal government pressure in 1890. Bushman thinks Smith felt that God commanded polygamy but needed to hide his involvement in the practice because he knew it was illegal. But Bushman finds it unsetling that 10 of Smith's 28 or so wives were already married to other men.
The biography also treats the now-established fact that, before he reported unearthing the golden tablets, Smith was active in searches for buried treasure by gazing into so called magic peep stones. Jan shipps, a non Mormon historian, Said Smith's critics argue that he could't be a prophet because he was a moneydigger, but maybe there's no contradiction and he began somehow to search for treasure of muchgreater alue
Another perennial issue is whether Smith's unconventional creed is Christian, particularly since he said God regarded teachings of all other churches as"an abomination."
Shipps, emeritus professor at Indiana University, purdue University Indianapolis, terms Mormonism a new religous tradition that emerged from Christianity, like Christianity did from Judaism,
Though Mormons often stress Smith's singularity, Scholars increasingly recongnize that he was"connected in a savvy and uncanny way to the religious and cultural trends" of his era, said historian Grant Underwood of Brigham Young University.
"he was marvelously in tune with the temper of the times" and "striking a very popular chord" by seeking christianty's orginial form
With smith, underwood said "the grand dramas one reads about in the Bible were not a thing of the past and not just reserved for an elite, but the average American could lay hold on such miraculous experiences.