From Polygamy to Mormonism to the Arms of Jesus.

I'll take my story from my Blog. The condensed version and copy it here. I'll place the links to the entire Blog at the bottom.

My name is Andrea. I am the second oldest child of 5 and was born into Polygamy into the AUB (Apostolic United Brethren) group. My birth mother was my father's 9th wife. Before my family fell apart, my Father had 12 wives total. Not long after my father left and our polygamist family fell apart, my Mother then remarried a polygamist man when I was 3 years old. She was his 3rd wife.

After moving into his house with 2 of his other wives and children, abuse started. We were abused in every way. Some more in one area and others in other areas. My mother had been trying to find a way out of the situation for years but wasn't sure how she would be able to support her, then, 5 children. She wasn't aware of all the abuses her children were enduring till she was able to leave 13 years later. It took a few months knowing we were finally safe before we could start to voice what happened to us. Violent abuse by my Step fathers own hands as well as his own sons to my brothers. Sexual abuse to the girls by his sons. Spiritual abuse. emotional abuse and of course, verbal by the other mothers and him. My own Mother suffered verbal and physical abuse by him. One vivid memory. I heard this big crash and then my mother screamed! I jumped up and ran to her bedroom and tried to open the door but it was blocked. Mom was laying on the floor screaming in pain and Step Father was standing over here. I started screaming to let me in! Mom was unable to move and I saw she was hurt and Step Father did it!! I started to step backward with my fists up and yelling at him to get away from my mother! BASTARD! GET AWAY FROM HER! My two youngest siblings came running and stood behind me. I just remember shaking and screaming at him to leave her alone! He started walking towards me saying it was a mistake and I just screamed at him to not come near me! He took off and we didn't see him for a few weeks.
The sexual abuse I endured, from the age of 3 till 10, left it's own marks. When I finally got up the courage to say something to someone about it, I was told it would be taken care of and not to tell anyone. My Step father would handle things. He never did. I spent the next few years believing my own mother knew what happened to me yet didn't love me enough to say anything. I was lead to believe his mother knew what happened to me but never bothered to talk to me about it. I was lead to believe everyone in the family knew, but I wasn't worth the effort to talk to about it. It made me feel like I wasn't worth much. I ended up getting into a relationship with a young man at the age of 12, who took advantage of me in ways I should never have allowed. Having already endured the same treatments at a young age, I'm not sure I knew how to say no.

  The rest of my life I dealt with anger, hatred, fear, anxiety, panic attacks, depression and suicidal thoughts on a daily basis. Went to therapy for some time, years later, to try and resolve some of it but it didn't help.

 I met my husband at the tender age of 14. We got to know one another for around 4 years and he then asked me to marry him on my 18th birthday. Our long courtship was really good for me. Over that time I was able to tell him of my past and give him the option to continue the relationship. I needed to know where I stood if he knew everything.

We never entered into the practice of Polygamy. I left the AUB with my husband and 2 children at the age of 22 and joined the mainstream LDS Church. After studying into the AUB's roots and realizing Polygamy wasn't supposed to be lived, I ended up searching for a heart felt answer and I gained a strong emotional testimony that had a burning of the bosom and a name planted into my mind when I prayed about, without an agenda, who held the "Keys of the Priesthood." We were taught to pray and wait for a "feeling" about the prayer. We are told that if it "feels" good, it's right, and if it "feels" bad or has no feeling at all, it's wrong or you're not ready for the answer yet. I had no idea who the person was who's name was planted into my mind so I called my Sister in Law and asked if she knew who "Hinckley" was? She told me that the name, Gordon Hinckley, was the President of the LDS church. All because of that "feeling" I joined the Mainstream LDS church and put total commitment and time toward it for 14 more years. I now know that is NOT how God works. The Bible warns of things like this. We are to gain knowledge and test that knowledge with Gods word, the Bible.

 I still had questions about some things after joining the LDS church. I asking these questions to a Bishop, multiple times, who sent me to our Stake President, because he couldn't answer them. When my Stake President couldn't answer them (to my satisfaction) I asked more, he then threatened me saying "If you purse this course, you will be filled with the spirit of the Devil and fall away from the Restoration." Was told to "Leave it alone", and "Don't go there." It put enough fear in me, thinking that we wouldn't be able to be a "Forever family" if I left the LDS church, that I stuck everything on the "shelf" and didn't bring it up anymore. For 10 more years they sat, collecting dust, on my "shelf".

I loved being a Mormon. Loved the structures. Loved the programs and loved knowing I was part of something most everyone in my community was part of. I didn't have that growing up as a Polygamist child. I loved the feeling of acceptance. The callings we were asked to do to help us grow...and yet...I still had unanswered questions.

Just to name a few:

Why did Joseph Smith marry a 14-year-old girl as well as many other young under age girls?

Why did Joseph Smith marry women who's husbands Joseph, himself, sent on missions, while they were on missions?

Why were many of Joseph Smiths' prophesies never fulfilled?

Why do Egyptologists and Mormons view the translations of the Book of Abraham Papyri differently?

Why, after Joseph passed the "Word of Wisdom", did he still drink and smoke?

Why were things removed and changed from the original Mormon Temple ceremony?

Why did Brigham young preach that Adam is the god of this world and the only god with whom we have anything to do?

What parts exactly in the bible have been changed? We have the Dead Sea Scrolls to compare them to now so why isn't someone trying to rewrite the bible so it's no longer "corrupt"?


After 14 years in the LDS church, Jeremiah 17:9 entered our lives and caused us to reexamine our beliefs "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" and 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Helped us to Test everything according to the bible. "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." Before that though, I had to take the 8th Article of Faith glasses off. "We Believe the bible to be true as far as it is translated correctly." I needed to find out if the bible had been corrupt and how.

After studying up on the origins of the Bible and realizing it is, in fact, true and whole, as God promised he would keep it, I was finally able to test everything. Through those tests, we realized Mormonism was not Biblical and we could not be part of something that wasn't truth. I picked up each and every item that had fallen off with the shelf and examined each one individually, with the Bible, and then each and every one of my questions above got an answer.

The year 2012 we had our dream home up for sale because we could no longer afford to keep it. It finally sold in June. One week before we moved, we were asked to talk in Sacrament meeting. That week we read over the materials they gave us for the topics we were asked to give and the next Sunday we gave our talks. That Sunday morning we were fully Mormon. We held to our Mormon Testimonies that all had a strong emotional burning of the bosom. We faithfully paid our tithing even when we couldn't afford it. (God blessed us tremendously in the AUB and LDS church because we gave with a glad heart. He always saw to it that we were always able to meet the bills even when the numbers didn't add up.) We held current temple recommends, fulfilled our callings to the best of our abilities, had Family Home Evening, went to church and other meetings and were as Mormon as a Mormon can be.

That Sunday night, August 19th 2012, Jeremiah 17:9 caused us both to stop and examine the scripture. What exactly was it saying? Can it be taken at face value? Was it "Translated Correctly"? We were packing to move the very next Wednesday. So much was going on.. Every time I had a moment to sit down I was on the computer researching things about the bible.. every hour things started falling into place and before I new it, my "Shelf" and everything I have ever put on it came tumbling down off the wall. The beautiful Mormon building I had spent so many years building, crumbled to the ground into a heap of rubble, like a house of cards.

We moved into our Rental home before telling our children. We had sweet Mormon neighbors help unload the truck and interact with our children. Telling them when Young Women's was, when Scouts was and all the things that were going to be going on. It ripped my heart out knowing what I knew and the deception of it all. Brian and I talked about letting the kids find their own way but we couldn't allow them to get sucked back into the Local ward without showing them what we found. God Had his own plan. There is a reason he sold our home when he did, because we would have never considered the church to be false had we still been living in that neighborhood. We were to ingrained into it's society. We KNEW we had to tell our children before they started attending the local Ward.

2 days later, we got one room unpacked and comfortable enough to enjoy a video, then sat the 3 oldest down to watch "Jesus Christ Verses Joseph Smith". When the video started, our oldest was about to bolt, not wanting to watch any of it. Another older child started sobbing thinking of all of her friends in the neighborhood and the third oldest was like a deer in the headlights, banging his head into a pillow now and then. We then explained what had happened. We told them that we would support them in whatever they chose to do but we would also show them the truth we found if they asked. They all started looking into things themselves, asking us questions in the process. Searching the answers out as a family. To our surprise, our 3 oldest saw the discrepancies and knew Mormonism wasn't right.

The very next Sunday, August 26th, 2012, we all attended Calvary Mountain View Chapel in American Fork, Utah with my Sister in Law and her husband and Brian's Sister. Going from Hymns in the LDS church and the reverent, quiet, subdued almost depressed form of their "worship" of Singing to Jesus... and ONLY Jesus with all your heart was quite a culture shock. Listening and reading the words with each song lifted my heart with so much joy. Another thing I noticed, The pastors message was ONLY about the Bible. Not someone else opinion on the passage from the Bible or some other non-Biblical topic and opinion of theirs. It was so refreshing.

That evening we attended "Harvest America". A nation wide live broadcast at the Calvary Chapel. After the broadcast, they had an "Alter Call" where those who have not accepted the Biblical Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer come up, in front of everyone in attendance and proclaim, publicly, that they are sinners, they want to change, they acknowledge what the Savior did for them and they want the Biblical Jesus in their lives. After listening to the Message from the Pastor, I couldn't sit still. I got up and went to the front to proclaim it all! I NEEDED Jesus and it's all I wanted!

For years, I would plead with Jesus of my childhood, my brother, and Satan's brother, to remove the anger, hate, fear, anxiety, daily panic attacks, depression and suicidal thoughts only to have it flung right back at me... sometimes doubled in intensity and mixed with some unknown guilt. Surely I hadn't done enough. I hadn't attended the Temple enough, I should have gone to church and endured through the panic attacks and renewed my covenants by partaking of the Sacrament. I should have filled out that sheet about taking a family in need a meal, even though I had my family of 9 to take care of and my husband out of town. I could make more and be blessed by blessing them. There was always this looming "You've not done enough yet. Keep working and as soon as you've done enough, I'll then do my part." When was it ever going to be enough? Brian would say "Give it to Jesus. He's the Grand Physician. He will heal you." I would get so mad at him and say "I'M TRYING! Does it look like I'm not trying?" Little did I know, the Mormon Jesus is a false, Non-Biblical Jesus Christ. He couldn't do anything for me.

That evening that I accepted the Biblical Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at Calvary mountain View Chapel, I didn't notice a change right away. I wasn't looking. I was just thankful to know I loved Jesus more then I ever had! One entire week went buy and I knew something was different, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I realized I hadn't reached for the essential oils or herbal supplements I would use to ward off or diminish the panic attacks and anxiety. The Fear, Hate, Anger, Anxiety, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts were GONE! All praise and Glory be to Jesus!! I am FREE! The chains that held me bound, You removed! Thank you Lord!! It's now been 6 months, as of today, that Jesus Christ freed me from the burdens that held me bound for so long.. and they have not returned! Praise God!
 
All 3 of our oldest children have now accepted the Biblical Jesus Christ and become "New Creatures in Christ". They have all changed so much. The chains that each one was bound to, Jesus removed. Our oldest even went one step further then any of us and was Baptized to publicly proclaim and symbolize his love for Jesus.

My heart is full of gratitude for all that Jesus Christ has done for me and my family. I only wish to share with my Friends and Family what he's done for me. You can also have this same gift. I want to share it with you. Will you let me tell you how you to can be Free in Christ, Become a "New Creation" and experience the Grace he has to offer you? It's not about anything you do. It's fully and completely about Jesus and what HE has done for YOU! Are you ready to have the scales removed from your eyes to see clearly? Your ears unplugged to be able to hear and comprehend fully the things of God? What have you got to loose?

 Mathew 11:28
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

John 3:16
 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

 Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

John 6:28-29 "28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."..... Spoken by Jesus to his disciples when they asked about the "Works" God requires. Not baptism, Not temple work, Not work for the dead, Not tithing, Not church attendance, Not church callings, Not prayer, Not fasting, Not fast offerings, Not your eagle scout, Not your young women's medallion, Not the sacrament. etc... Simply Believe and confess Him before Men.


Mathew 10:32-39
"32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

New Creatures in Christ.

Where to begin? 

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

What does this mean? I had never read this scripture and took it for it's full meaning. A heart is good, right? What does it mean, "who can know it?" Can I not trust my feelings? After all.. feelings are a firm rooted grasp on Testimony! Without feelings from the heart how can we gain a spiritual testimony with the warm feeling that comes with it? Nothing bad can come from basing truth on feelings....right? But "The heart is deceitful above all things,..." Does that mean it can be deceived? 

Bible scripture was always so hard for me to understand because of the 8th article of faith "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God." Which parts are translated "correctly" and which parts are we to cast off? Joseph Smith re-translated the Bible so what he has written in his "Inspired Version" will be okay to take for face value. My mother gave an Inspired Version Bible to my  Husband back in 1993.  I will check and make sure it's the same as the King James Version then will know It's okay scripture to use. So, what else does the bible say about Hearts (Feelings) 

Proverbs 28:26 - "He who trusts in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered." 
...... umm.. Okaaaay. So If I trust what my heart tells me I'm a fool but if I seek wisdom I will be delivered.

Proverbs 14:12 - "There is a way that seems right to man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."
.....It may seem right to myself and my mortal mind, but contradicts scripture? That's not good.

Jeremiah 10:23 -"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps"
 ..... So I need to seek the Lord to direct my steps and not men or myself.

What about Saul of Tarsus? He thought he was doing what was right in Acts 26:9 "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth."

What does the Book Of Mormon say about feelings? 

Moroni 10:4-5 "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.."
 
What's the Holy Ghost (Spirit) Defined as?
Dictionary.com  noun: 
the third person of the Trinity.

Theopedia.com: 
The Holy Spirit is the name of the third person in the Trinity, sometimes called the Holy Ghost. Jesus promised the Apostles that he would send the Holy Spirit after his crucifixion and resurrection:
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (John 14:26, ESV) In Christian theology the study of the Holy Spirit is called pneumatology, from two Greek words, pneuma meaning "wind," "breath," or "spirit" and logos meaning "word," or "logic." Generally this includes such topics as the personality of the Spirit, the deity of the Spirit, and the work of the Spirit as presented in the Bible.

LDS.org:  
The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. He is a personage of spirit, without a body of flesh and bones. He is often referred to as the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, or the Comforter.

 How do you know the Holy Ghost/Spirit has answered your Prayers?: 

LDS view:
"A person may feel the Holy Ghost in many different ways, called the fruits of the spirit and the still small voice. The Holy Ghost enters our mind and heart, which anyone can hear, but one must receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost for it to linger with them always. "Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground" (D&C 8:2-3.)"


 Biblical View:
I had more trouble finding a biblical reference to the Holy Ghost/Spirit answering our prayers. The nearest thing I could find was where he "Guides in truth". John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." The Holy Spirit can't testify of things that the Bible has warned of. Namely, trusting your heart/feelings when it comes to truth.

The Bible is warning about following your feelings but the Book of Mormon and D&C are encouraging it? Which do I follow? Which do I hold fast to? What can I trust? 

God rebukes religious division and contradictions. Yet division is inevitable if we follow our feelings, because feelings vary so much from person to person and from time to time.
Following feelings to guide us in religion results in division, but God condemns division. Therefore, God does not want us to follow our feelings in religion!

 Paul States in 1 Corinthians 1:10-13 
10 "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. 
12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?"


1 Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." 
........Who is the author of confusion then? Who would want to create division? Satan.

John 17:20-21
20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 

Ephesians 4:3-6
3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Galatians 5:19-21

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

How easy it is to lead a people a stray after convincing them Gods Word (Bible) is not reliable. What better way to cause division, confusion and contention. After convincing a people Gods Word is not reliable he can then get them to believe anything he wants.

Gods Word has been preserved and is whole as he promised! Jesus, himself stated in Mathew 24:35 "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away." 
Isaiah 40:8 "The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."  
Isaiah 30:8 "Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:" 
 2 John 2 " For the truth's sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever."

..........

My entire religious testimony on Mormonism has been a "Burning of the bosom". A Manifestation of a  Holy Ghost (Familiar Spirit?) in fervent prayer wanting truth. I NEEDED to know the answer and was given that answer through a strong overwhelming emotional feeling. According to the Bible (Gods Word) we are warned of such "testimonies". There must be wisdom in our learning or we can be lead astray by Satan. But Satan can't bring a feeling of peace.. can he?... (What is a Familiar Spirit??)  

Brian also received a "Burning of the Bosom" in the polygamy Church concerning polygamy and himself living it. He looked for another wife. I looked for a sister wife. We wanted it to be blessed from God. We both grew up in families that fell apart, ending in divorce, because of polygamy, and wanted our family to stay together, forever, and be blessed of God. We never found the other Women, for good reason. This is the same feeling he received while needing to find out who the True Prophet is that had all the "Keys" of the Priesthood.  If the Holy Spirit/Ghost can only testify of truth, how can it manifest as an answer for something that is wrong? Was it the "Holy Spirit" or a "Familiar Spirit"? What does the Bible say about Familiar Spirits?

Leviticus 19:31
31 "Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God."

Isaiah 19:3
3 "And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards." 
........So, familiar spirits are in the same category as Idols, Charmers and Wizards..... Not good.
Look up "Familiar Spirits" in the bible. None of them are good. The one sighting I was familiar with was Isaiah 29:1-4 that is sighted as a prophecy of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. After deeper study I found it has been taken out of context for this interpretation.

We all know Satan is a deceiver, liar, and counterfeiter. Everyone knows that Satan and evil may inspire feelings like anger, hate, etc. So why can't they inspire us to feel sure certain doctrines are true, when really they are not true?

2 Corinthians 11:13-15
"13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."
  
2 Corinthians 11:3  "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."

Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

.............

Which now brings us to question something I dare not question before. You don't speak evil against the "Lords Anointed". I'm not going to speak against him. I'm going to question. How would we know who the Lords anointed is without testing them?  Knowing I can trust certain things in the Bible, I can now take many things as truth and apply them . I had many questions in Polygamy and brought them with me even after joining the LDS Faith but couldn't ask them because of certain things we were told never to question or seek after. We didn't want to brake the "rules", so we faithfully followed. Growing up in Polygamy, I knew many things about Church history that many LDS members, including Bishops and Stake Presidents, had no idea about or would have rather not been bothered with. Having asked some questions when we were first members and kind of being brushed off or given answers that made no sense, we just put the questions back on the shelf where they sat for a very long time, knowing they would be answered, in time. Occasionally, we would look over at what had accumulated on our "shelf" and study up here and there, N.E.V.E.R touching anything that wasn't Official Church Doctrine. Over time,"Official" Church Doctrine started to change and we could no longer use what was considered earlier, "official". To say we got frustrated was an understatement, so much so that we left it all alone. Until recently when we read Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?"

It's time to embrace Thessalonians. 

1 Thessalonians 5:21 "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good."

We are told to Prove or Test everything. Since most of my Questions had to deal with Joseph Smith and things he did or taught we will put him to the Biblical Test. (What I am going to mention is a very small fraction of the questions Brian and I had. I will compile our full list of questions at a later time.)  

Deuteronomy 13:1-4
1 If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
2 And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
3 Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4 Ye shall walk after the Lord your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.

Deuteronomy 18:22 "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him"

What were the things that Joseph Smith spoke through prophesy, in the name of the LORD. Did they all come to pass as the Bible Prophets Prophecies have? There are may "Prophecies" where he spoke in the name of the LORD and it did not come to pass but I will only mention 3. Remember, it clearly states, Deuteronomy 18:22 "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him"

MORMON DEBTS WILL BE PAID: April 23, 1834. D&C 104: 78-83. God's promise to deliver the Saints from their debts. "It is my will that you shall pay all your debts." The Lord will soften the hearts of their creditors.

 Joseph Smith and others had to flee Kirtland to avoid their creditors, leaving debts of thousands of dollars unpaid. Joseph Smith ended up having to file bankruptcy.

US GOVERNMENT WILL BE DESTROYED: May 18, 1843. HC 5:394, also Mill Star 22:455. Joseph Smith prophesies "by virtue of the holy priesthood... and in the name of the Lord" that if Congress or the United States will not redress the wrongs which the Mormons suffered in Missouri, and grant them protection, "the government will be utterly overthrown and wasted," they shall be "broken up as a government" and there will be nothing left of them. (A similar prophecy was made Dec 16, 1843. See Quinn p 641, Chron JS 189)

The United States rejected the Mormons' petitions; their wrongs were not redressed; they were not protected from their enemies. The United States government was never overthrown and is still in existence. 

CITY OF ZARAHEMLA, IOWA: March 1841. D&C 125:1-4. Revelation directing the Mormons to build a city called Zarahemla in Iowa, across the river from Nauvoo.

No such city was ever built. 

Which ones of these, that were spoken in the name if the LORD, are okay to not come to pass according to Deuteronomy 18:20-22

20 But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
21 And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken?
22 When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him.

It doesn't state that he's mortal and will make mistakes. It's very clear in it states "If the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath NOT spoken, but the Prophet hath spoken it presumptuously..." . It even states in Verse 20, "..even that prophet shall die." I would be so careful if I was a prophet to make sure what I was saying was from the LORD. I would NOT want that responsibility on my shoulders knowing if it didn't come to pass I would be in such trouble. Joseph, on the other hand, had a new "revelation" every time someone had a question. The "Word of Wisdom" came about because of Emma. She got tired of cleaning up tobacco juice after meetings because the men would miss the spittoon. We knew this while we were members of the polygamy group.

Brigham Young, the second President of the Church, made the following statements concerning the conditions that led to the giving of the Word of Wisdom:  

"I think I am as well acquainted with the circumstances which led to the giving of the Word of Wisdom as any man in the Church, although I was not present at the time to witness them. The first school of the prophets was held in a small room situated over the Prophet Joseph's kitchen,... When they assembled together in this room after breakfast, the first they did was to light their pipes, and, while smoking, talk about the great things of the kingdom, and spit all over the room, and as soon as the pipe was out of their mouths a large chew of tobacco would then be taken. Often when the Prophet entered the room to give the school instructions he would find himself in a cloud of tobacco smoke. This, and the complaints of his wife at having to clean so filthy a floor, made the Prophet think upon the matter, and he inquired of the Lord relating to the conduct of the Elders in using tobacco, and the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom was the result of his inquiry." (Journal of Discourses, Vol. 12,p. 158)

The "Shelf" that had all of our unanswered questions on, for 20 years, came toppling down. Everything we questioned or had problems with had an answer. The very thing we thought was the foundation of our "religion" came crashing down. Joseph Smith was NOT a prophet. 

..........................................

August 19th 2012 we were asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting before we moved the very next Wednesday. Brian, Myself and Our oldest son, Corey. We were a typical Mormon Family. Paying our tithing and fast offerings faithfully. Fulfilling our callings to the best of our ability. Making it to all of our church meetings. Teaching our children, having FHE (Family Home evening) as regularly as we could with Brian working out of town. Attending the Temple when it was possible. Keeping the word of Wisdom. Holding current Temple Recommends and going when we could. Reading the Scriptures, continually learning and everything else good Mormons do to be good LDS people. That same evening, August 19th 2012,  Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" jumped into our lives.  We knew, without any doubts, of the deception of Satan by Tuesday evening the 21st of August 2012. I didn't have a whole lot of time to read and study as I was also packing up our family of 9 to move that Wednesday afternoon. Every time I had a moment to stop packing and attend to the needs of my other children I would just sob so I did my best to stay busy. 

After moving and unpacking some, we pulled our 3 oldest children aside. We sat them down and explained what had happened. Talked with them about the facts and our findings and answered their questions. We told them our stance and asked them if they still wanted to attend the LDS church we would understand and support them. All 3 didn't want to have anything to do with it. Our Oldest, to the surprise of myself and my husband came to an intimate relationship with his Savior and came to know him that very next Sunday. (What can I say about my Precious Son. He loves Truth and gobbles up scripture. Once he knew he could take what the bible says for face value, he basked in it!) He's not the same child I knew back in August! He is literally a New Creature in Christ. It shows in his actions, his attitude and his countenance. Praise Jesus for taking away the burdens that have weighed him down for years. Our Oldest Daughter had a harder time. She kept thinking about all her wonderful friends in our old neighborhood. How she loves them all wishes she could testify to them of the truth. She is also a new Creature in Christ. Jesus has taken away her burdens as well.  

Mathew 11:28 has changed our entire family. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." 

Before finding my Savior I was burdened down with anxiety, depression, anger, frustration and grief. My dear sweet husband came to a knowledge of Jesus, the Savior of the Bible, and accepted him when he was 18 while in the Polygamous group. Donna Bonnie and Alice, Sunday school teachers, were teaching from the New Testament. He will tell you of his experience if you want to hear it but he's not been the same person since then. He will be the first to tell you any good through him is because of Jesus and God. He would tell me, when I was at the point of ending it all to "Give it to Jesus.. He is the grand physician and will remove it all." I was so frustrated. I would pray and plead every day. I would attend the temple and sit in the celestial room to find peace. I would immerse myself in scripture and study the Book Of Mormon and other LDS scriptures. I would get angry at my husband when he told me I needed to pray harder and give it to Jesus.. I WAS TRYING! I wanted him to take it all! I was burdened down every day and wanted to cast it off! The only reason I am still here on this Earth right now, is my children. I couldn't imagine them growing up without their Mother. I was so distraught and started thinking how I would be justified in talking my own life being how mentally unstable I was. God knew my heart and knew how much I was going through. The days I knew I might do something, I would not get in the car alone. Images of  pulling in front of an oncoming semi heading to or from the gravel pits near our home would run over and over in my mind. I would play church music and sing along with Hymns to try and remove them. I would keep busy and not allow myself what I so desperately wanted to do, to make it all stop. The constant knot in my throat and anxiety attacks were just part of my normal life. Diet changes and Essential oils helped some days, but parts of it were still there. Not a day went by where I didn't think about the abuse I went through as a child. Not a day went by where I didn't think about justice. Not a day went by where I didn't think about my rotten childhood. 

The day I accepted Jesus and my Savior was just another day, so I thought. I learned who the Biblical Jesus was. Realized how I didn't know Jesus at all and the LDS version of Jesus is a watered down version of him. 


This is NOT my Jesus!
LDS: "He is literally our elder brother, born to Heavenly Parents in the Pre-existence. Jesus, Lucifer, angels and humans are all the same species and are brothers and sisters.
Gospel Principles, p. 11, 17, 18 

Every person who was ever born on earth was our spirit brother or sister in heaven. The first spirit born to our heavenly parents was Jesus Christ...so he is literally our elder brother.... We needed a Savior to pay for our sins and teach us how to return to our Heavenly Father. Our Father said, "Whom shall I send?" ... Two of our brothers offered to help. Our oldest brother, Jesus Christ, who was then called Jehovah, said "Here am I, send me".... Satan, who was called Lucifer, also came, saying, "Behold, here am I, send me." ... After hearing both sons speak, Heavenly Father said, "I will send the first." ... Because our Heavenly Father chose Jesus Christ to be our Savior, Satan became angry and rebelled."

 THIS is my Jesus!!
BIBLE: "Jesus is fully God, not a subordinate deity. He eternally exists as God and is our creator."

Isaiah 9:6 
 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
John 8:58 
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
1 Timothy 3:16 
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Hebrews 13:8 
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
John 1:1-4, 14 
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. ... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Colossians 1:16-17 
For by him [Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

My Jesus saves by GRACE!  Not By works. Good Works follow the believer. Not working to be saved.
Salvation is not limited to universal resurrection but is a gift from God to those who believe.

Romans 1:16 
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Hebrews 9:28 
So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Ephesians 2:8-9 
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.

One week after accepting the real Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I had to stop and reflect. Something was different. Brian noticed it. My kids noticed it and now I did. It had been a full week since I had to use my Essential oils to ward off anxiety. Depression was no where to be found. This was HUGE! I never did well with change and we just went through some HUGE change with the move. Not to mention our entire life had been turned upside down.. Or better yet, turned right side UP. 

The only change in my life was I knew who my Savior was and accepted him. I didn't ask him to take all my burdens and set me free, but that's what happened. He took it all and lifted the burdens that had been weighting me down for a very long time and made me a new Creature in Christ! I was Born again! Praise Jesus! Thank you God! To this day, I don't have the right words to express my gratitude! 

I am a sinner. I am not perfect and will never be perfect by my own doing. The Biblical Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior made me perfect through him. I Love him because he loved me first, even though I was flawed, broken and a sinner. He loved me first. I came to him as a broken, unworthy sinner and he accepted me. He didn't turn me away and tell me to come back when I made myself as perfect as I possibly could so he could fill in the missing parts. He accepted me as I was and made me whole. I repeat, He didn't turn me away and withhold his Glory from me, the sinner, because I wasn't perfect. He took me as I was. I am a follower of the Biblical Jesus. A member of the Body of Christ. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation. When Jesus was on the cross and said "It is finished" it was finished. He gave us the gift of Grace. It is a gift, not to be purchased, but accepted.

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  Believe in him! 

1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God."

Brian and I didn't leave the LDS church because we were offended in any way. We didn't leave because we made some grievous sin.We didn't leave because we were pressured by anyone. We left because we love our God, Savior, Jesus Christ and want to follow him in all of his truths. God is so wonderful. His timing is perfect! I do know had he brought that scripture to us any sooner we would have over looked it, or any later we may have rejected it. As it is, he is at the helm and knows Brian and I more then I had ever thought he did. 

We have such a deep love for everyone in our previous neighborhood and Wards that we shared the last 9 years. We love our dear sweet Stake President Ronald Edwards and his precious Wife, Julie. As well as Bishop Cecil Tuley and his sweet wife Judy. Not to mention all of our wonderful Neighbors. We wanted to tell you all in our own due time, but my sweet Sister, Misty, called our Stake President to tell him what had happened and, no doubt, ask him for advice and help to try and stop us from making any rash decisions. She also told a friend she made while living with us in her Spanish ward who in turn told Holly S. (My long Visiting Teaching companion, Visiting Teacher and dear sweet friend) who called to ask Sheryl R, since she knew we were close, who called me to get it straight from the source. (Love that you dislike gossip and always goes to the source. Thank you for the phone call) Holly did call me and we had a nice chat but didn't mention anything of what I now know she already knew. (Love you, Holly) I don't know how far it's gone from there, but knowing these 2 women so well, it's not gone far through them. 

Brian and I want you all to know how much we love you all. Friends and Family alike We have not turned our back on God. Quite the contrary, have found him as well as our Savior, Jesus Christ and accepted him as the one and only way to Saving Grace. We would urge you to find the Savior. No one can tell you, you are "Saved". You will know. No one can stand between you and your Savior. You don't have to go through your Bishop, Stake President or even Joseph Smith. There is no "middle man" when it comes to Salvation. Come as you are. Accept his precious Gift of Grace. It's not by "Works" we are saved. It's is Grace, and Grace alone. 

Ephesians 2:8-9 
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.

John 6:28-29
"28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent."..... Spoken by Jesus to his disciples when they asked about the "Works" God requires.


Isaiah 64:6 
"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags;and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away."

Love you all and hope to hear from anyone that may have questions to ask us. We hope to keep what friendships we had and keep in contact with you. We hold no ill will toward anyone but we are prepared to be persecuted for Jesus and what we hold dear. 

Mathew 10:32-39

"32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it."

We plead with you to find Jesus Christ. Don't find yourself being cast out like in Matthew 7:21-23
 "21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." 

God Bless you all! 
To all Friends and Family. If you feel to tell someone our Family is no longer LDS or we left the church, please don't leave them with that information alone. The question of "Why?" will undoubtedly enter their mind. Please link them to this blog or tell them to search out "Daley Journey to truth" on BlogSpot. We all have our own story and they have the right to have their Why question answered even if they feel they can't talk with us.