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DSE 5
Quote
I've been a "Mormon" for 22 years, I've served as a full-time missionary for 2 years, and I live by those principles. Funny, never once in my life have I heard of a "Magic Lizard" or anything remotely close to it. Could you clarify this up for us?
I first heard about the magic lizard about six months after moving to SLC, Utah. The story I was told, by a self-described "jack mormon," was that the magic lizard appeared to Joseph Smith and lead him to the cache of golden plates. It's been years since I heard this and the reason that story stuck was that not real long after I heard it, there was a con man who had sold various faked "original" documents to the church and others.
When the suspicions began, the guy started delivering bombs to people who might/would expose him. His scam came to an end when the bomb he meant to deliver near downtown SLC exploded as he got it out of his car. Don't remember the scam/bomber's name, but it shouldn't be hard to search for. Happened in the mid-80s. I was about two blocks away when the bomb blew and drove right past the damaged car just seconds after the explosion. He was badly injured.
Some of the faked documents this guy sold contained "expanded versions" of Mormon lore and legacy. The guy was well connected within the church hierarchy and had access to the church's most sacred documents and archives. His forgeries were based on authenticated documents held by the church and other scholars.
Hell ... a magic lizard is no less probable than an astronomic anomaly as a device for locating sacred relics or holy representatives.
Zing, the story to which you refer is the Salamander Letter. Mark Hoffman is the bomber; Kathleen Sheets and Steve Christiansen were the victims. Steve Christiansen was my exwife's next door neighbor, I knew him fairly well, as my wife tended his children while we were dating.
Had Gordon B. Hinckley had the balls to expose Hoffman at the time, rather than attempting to buy his silence, neither of those two people would be dead. Not just my opinion, but is the conclusion of several authors and researchers of the situation.
Hoffman had sold literally hundreds of forged documents to high ranking church leaders, and all of them were not only bought as "authentic" but also used to support prophetic claims of Joseph Smith and Breed em' Young. Hoffman was smart enough to use his knowledge as a Mormon missionary, to find/probe weaknesses in the Mormon story, and forge documents that supported previously unsupported Mormon doctrine. He then sold the forgeries at astronomical prices. I have a forged Jack London's "White Fang" that Hoffman forged and sold to various owners. I bought it from Weller's books, who later learned they'd sold several forgeries and offered to buy them all back. I kept mine for nostalgia, and who knows"? Hoffman was such a good forger that even the FBI had a hard time catching them.
Amazing, the Mormon church paid to hide negative forgeries of Hoffman's, but paid and published his positive forgeries, and used them as "evidence" of the truth of the Mormon faith.
Hoffman blog
jakee 1,596
QuoteSo instead of looking at this theoretical book with no evidence and judging the authors religion, you are missing the forest for the trees.
Actually I look at this book and laugh at the author.
The religion I judge because it is completely bloody mental!
Do you want to have an ideagasm?
rehmwa 2
QuoteQuotea magic lizard is no less probable than an astronomic anomaly as a device for locating sacred relics or holy representatives.
"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. " --Michael Palin (as "Dennis in "The Holy Grail").
just because some watery tart chucked a scimitar at you........
...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants
Zing 2
Zing, the story to which you refer is the Salamander Letter. Mark Hoffman is the bomber; Kathleen Sheets and Steve Christiansen were the victims. Steve Christiansen was my exwife's next door neighbor, I knew him fairly well, as my wife tended his children while we were dating.
Had Gordon B. Hinckley had the balls to expose Hoffman at the time, rather than attempting to buy his silence, neither of those two people would be dead. Not just my opinion, but is the conclusion of several authors and researchers of the situation.
Hoffman had sold literally hundreds of forged documents to high ranking church leaders, and all of them were not only bought as "authentic" but also used to support prophetic claims of Joseph Smith and Breed em' Young. Hoffman was smart enough to use his knowledge as a Mormon missionary, to find/probe weaknesses in the Mormon story, and forge documents that supported previously unsupported Mormon doctrine. He then sold the forgeries at astronomical prices. I have a forged Jack London's "White Fang" that Hoffman forged and sold to various owners. I bought it from Weller's books, who later learned they'd sold several forgeries and offered to buy them all back. I kept mine for nostalgia, and who knows"? Hoffman was such a good forger that even the FBI had a hard time catching them.
Amazing, the Mormon church paid to hide negative forgeries of Hoffman's, but paid and published his positive forgeries, and used them as "evidence" of the truth of the Mormon faith.
Hoffman blog
Had Gordon B. Hinckley had the balls to expose Hoffman at the time, rather than attempting to buy his silence, neither of those two people would be dead. Not just my opinion, but is the conclusion of several authors and researchers of the situation.
Hoffman had sold literally hundreds of forged documents to high ranking church leaders, and all of them were not only bought as "authentic" but also used to support prophetic claims of Joseph Smith and Breed em' Young. Hoffman was smart enough to use his knowledge as a Mormon missionary, to find/probe weaknesses in the Mormon story, and forge documents that supported previously unsupported Mormon doctrine. He then sold the forgeries at astronomical prices. I have a forged Jack London's "White Fang" that Hoffman forged and sold to various owners. I bought it from Weller's books, who later learned they'd sold several forgeries and offered to buy them all back. I kept mine for nostalgia, and who knows"? Hoffman was such a good forger that even the FBI had a hard time catching them.
Amazing, the Mormon church paid to hide negative forgeries of Hoffman's, but paid and published his positive forgeries, and used them as "evidence" of the truth of the Mormon faith.
Hoffman blog
Thanks Doug, the old brain cell is still a steel trap, but it seems to have gotten a bit rusty on me.
The company I worked for was owned by some high rollers who were practicing Mormons. It was hilarious watching the church's believers and leaders dance around the Hoffman scandal and a number of other events that transpired during my time in SLC.
Technically, a salamander is not a lizard ... sorry for the error.
Zing Lurks
4201 0
I love that episode.
"Listen, strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony. " --Michael Palin (as "Dennis in "The Holy Grail").
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