I'm now supposed to believe that Joseph has the credibility of translating ancient records

when the Book of Abraham and the Kinderhook Plates destroy this claim? That Joseph has

the character and integrity to take him at his word after seeing his deliberate deception in

hiding and denying polygamy and polyandry for at least 10 years of his adult life? How he

backdated and retrofitted the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood restoration events as

if they were in the Book of Commandments all along? And I’m supposed to believe with

a straight face that Joseph using a rock in a hat is legit? Despite this being the exact same

method he used to con people out of their money during his treasure hunting days? Despite

this ruining the official story of ancient prophets and Moroni investing all of that time and

effort into gold plates, which were not used because Joseph’s face was stuffed in a hat?

I’m supposed to sweep under the rug the inconsistent and contradictory first vision

accounts and just believe anyway? I’m supposed to believe that these men who have been

wrong about so many important things and who have not prophesied, “seered,” or revealed

much in the last 170 or so years are to be sustained as “prophets, seers, and revelators”?

I’m supposed to believe the scriptures have credibility after endorsing so much rampant

immorality, violence, and despicable behavior 5

? When it says that the earth is only 7,000

years old 6

and that there was no death before then? Or that Heavenly Father is sitting on a

throne with an erect penis when all evidence points to it being the pagan Egyptian god of

sex, Min? The “most correct book on earth” Book of Mormon going through over 100,000

changes 7

over the years? After going through so many revisions and still being incorrect?

Noah’s ark and the global flood are literal events? Tower of Babel is a literal event? The

Book of Mormon containing 1769 King James Version edition translation errors and 1611

King James Version translators’ italics while claiming to be an ancient record?

That there’s actually a polygamous god who revealed a Warren Jeffs style revelation on

polygamy that Joseph pointed to as a license to secretly marry other living men’s wives and

young girls and teenagers? That this god actually threatened Joseph’s life with one of his

angels with a sword if a newly married pregnant woman didn’t agree to Joseph’s marriage

proposal? I’m supposed to believe in a god who was against polygamy before He was for

polygamy but decided in 1890 that He was again against it?

I’m told to put these foundational problems on the shelf and wait until I die to get answers?

To stop looking at the Church intellectually even though the “glory of God is intelligence 8”?

Ignore and have faith anyway?

I’m sorry, but faith is believing and hoping when there is little evidence for or against

something. Delusion is believing when there is an abundance of evidence against

something. To me, it is absolute insanity to bet my life, my precious time, my money, my

heart, and my mind on an organization that has so many serious problematic challenges

to its foundational truth claims.

There are just way too many problems. We’re not just talking about one issue here. We’re

talking about dozens of serious issues that undermine the very foundation of the LDS

Church and its truth claims.