[allplanets-hollow] Re: Secret Societies?

Hazel, I wouldn't be surprised if there were some truths in what he's
saying. The history is rich, I'm sure. I read Jim Marrs' Rule by Secrecy and
it was pretty good. He went into some detail about the Knights Templar and
how they are ultimately responsible for the current type of banking system
and how they turned temples into banks, being the first to issue a form of
credit. My contention is that the only real secret societies in existence
are driven by only one thing: money. The biggest, most immoral scam being
perpetuated on humanity that I've seen is Wall Street, the Fed, and their
banking system which literally puts people into slavery. Charging interest
money for loaning you nothing, while being able to print your own money.
Then there's taxes, energy, etc. Every time I hear about a national debt I
laugh. What a joke. It's all about wealth.

A bank could really be called Satan's temple. You go inside and there's all
this quiet reverence; everyone is dressed well; you often find the marble
pillars and architecture reminiscent of a temple. You have the holy sacred
vault of money, similar to the innermost holy room in a temple.

What a joy.

Blake

···

-----Original Message-----
From: Hazel [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 5:11 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [allplanets-hollow] Re: Secret Societies?

Blake, I think Branton's implying many religions have been infiltrated,
including my own, and Scottish Freemasonry is heavily implicated, probably
because when Knights Templars were persecuted, Scotland was exempt from the
Papal Bull, so they found a safe haven in the House of Stuart stronghold,
and regrouped. Allegedly one went to Canada and established Nova Scotia, and
there, hid their long lost treasure in a mysterious 'money-pit.' Branton is
fighting for his life for having the audacity to speak the truth, as he sees
it. Now is not the best time for a vitriolic retort. Save it till he can
rebutt it. Hazel

----- Original Message -----
From: "Frei, Blake" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 11:36 PM
Subject: RE: [allplanets-hollow] Re: Secret Societies?

Interesting, Hazel.

I guess that according to Branton, it's a more reliable bet to entertain
beliefs in a serpent race conspiring with the greys, rather in Jesus
Christ--regardless of one's denomination.

Hey, Norlan, can you send Branton one of your scathing emails?

:slight_smile: Blake

-----Original Message-----
From: Hazel [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 2:13 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [allplanets-hollow] Re: Secret Societies?

I can't offer an opinion on this subject, but I know a man who can;

Excerpt from Dreamland by Branton

Now, before relating the following account, let me say something about the
Mormon Church system, within which this writer was raised... This church

was

created by a man named Joseph Smith, however the REAL power behind its
growth was John C. Bennett, who was apparently one of many Scottish Rite
agents assigned to infiltrate the various religious movements of the

world.

If one does a thorough study of the Masonic connections to major
denominations they may discover some surprises (for instance Norman

Vincent

Peale was a 33rd degree mason, as were the founders of the Jehovah's
Witnesses, Theosophy, Scientology, Unitarianism, and so on). The Scottish
Rite, incidentally, was created by Jesuits and Masons at the Parisian
college of Clermont. Dr. John Coleman states that 13 Maltese Jesuits, 13
Wicca Masons and 13 Black Nobility members make up the 39 members of the
Bildeberger group, ultimately controlled by the BAVARIAN Illuminati

through

the Scottish Rite.

The Master Mason John C. Bennett convinced Smith to sell out to the

Masonic

lodge (Scottish Rite) and Bennett worked to establish an "Order of the
Illuminati" within Mormonism, according to Klaus Hansen's book "QUEST FOR
EMPIRE". Mormonism became a hybrid religion between Christianity (worship

of

the "Lamb") and gnostic Scottish Rite Masonry (worship of the "Serpent").
Even today the Mormon masses in Utah believe that they are "Christians",

and

even the majority of the "Council of 12" - unknown to the most of its
membership - are actually controlled by the Scottish Rite "Council of 50"
behind the scenes. These "Insiders" allow only the oldest members of the
outer "Council of 12" to become President of the Church. Apparently the
older these council members are the less likely they will be to discern

what

is going on behind the scenes, to make waves or make changes, or challenge
the hidden Scottish Rite infiltrators and controllers. One can see a

similar

power- play being carried out in the Vatican.

For instance Pope John Paul I sought to make some heavy-duty changes in

the

Catholic system, but the "powers that would be" had different ideas. After
this Pope was assassinated in true Scottish Rite fashion only 33 days into
his term, a former Nazi sympathizer who had earlier in life sold cyanide

gas

to the Nazis for their gas chambers, was elected Pontiff... this new

Emperor

of the "Holy Roman Empire" was the man who changed his name to "John Paul
II". The Scottish Rite has the power to control the media and therefore

the

influence to support or tear-down a religion through public opinion. In
their desire to be a "friend of the world" and escape criticism, many
main-line religions must sell- out to the Masons or risk "persecution".

Most

Mormons outwardly profess their hatred of "secret combinations", not
realizing that they - along with most other mainline denominations
throughout the world - have fallen victim to that very force. They do not
realize that they are one of the many "controlled" religions that the
Illuminati plans to keep in check so that they do not interfere with the
"New World Order". In recent years various fundamental Mormon factions

began

warning about the "New World Order", that is until those in the seat of
power in the Mormon Church were given instructions to rebuke these

Patriots

as being out of line with Church policy. If they kept up with their anti

New

World Order activities, they could be excommunicated and their salvation
would be on the line. Is there something wrong with this picture?

Ideologies cannot be controlled - this is why the Pentecostals who stress
ideological lifestyle over organizational structure are frustrating the

One

Worlders, because they are difficult to infiltrate and control. The more
STRUCTURED a religious SYSTEM is, the easier it is to infiltrate and
control... these controllers do not believe in Christianity nor even
Mormonism or any of the other religions, but are actually Serpent
Worshippers and collaborate with and worship the Serpent Race (Grays,

etc.).

They are also in it for personal profit, at the expense of the manipulated
masses. If you don't believe that the Scottish Rite is a gnostic (serpent)
cult, just take a look at the designs inside the HOUSE OF THE TEMPLE, the
Scottish Rite Headquarters in Washington D.C. that sits atop the
PENTAGRAM-LIKE street layout of the capitol city.

It should be stressed that the Mormon Church IS ONLY ONE OF MANY religious
organizations around the world that the Scottish Rite (Wicca Mason) branch
of the Illuminati has either created or infiltrated, or turned into a

hybrid

Christian-Masonic structure. I only single this denomination out because

of

my own personal involvement with this religious system. Many (so-called)
Protestant denominations such as the Methodists, Episcopalians, and

Southern

Baptists have fallen under the control of the Scottish Rite as well, in

that

a large percentage of their congregations have dual membership in the
Masonic Lodge and their denominational Church organizations.

Please note, these are not my opinions.

Hazel

----- Original Message -----
From: <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 8:20 PM
Subject: [allplanets-hollow] Re: New Guy: Secret Societies?

> --- In allplanets-hollow@y..., "Frei, Blake" <blake_frei@j...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> >
> > Mike,
> >
> > Joseph Smith was not a mason when he experienced what we
> call the First
> > Vision, in which he inquired of God as to which church to join.
> The Lord
> > appeared and told him to join none of them--all were wrong
> (an answer that
> > should give any inquisitive person a reason to pause and say,
> "Hmmmm.
> > Interesting answer.")
>
> This indicates to me that he was chosen to start a new group,
> but does not, to my mind, invalidate any other group. BTW,
> wasn't this actually the emissary "Moroni" or another angel, and
> not God Himself, that appeared initially?
>
>
> >Joseph was only 14 at the time, and he would not have
> > met Brigham Young until he was thirty-something. Nor was
> Joseph a mason when
> > he translated the Book of Mormon. So what, then, was
> motivating the
> > youngster? Throughout his life he allegedly met with Jesus,
> Peter, James,
> > and John, John the Baptist, Elias, Moroni, and a host of other
> resurrected
> > beings who took part in this restoration. Isn't it possible that
> one of them
> > clued him in on what the Masons were about, and of the secret
> societies?
> >
>
> Blake, he WAS a Mason--when he became one officially doesn't
> really matter. The similarities between LDS ritual and
> symbolism, and those of Freemasonry, EXIST. I believe that this
> is all that I said, also.
>
> As for his motivation, I would not even hazard a guess. I don't
> think he was being misleading or fallacious. I believe that he
> had a genuine paranormal or fortean experience. Was it from
> God? From my point of view, I can't endorse this, but that's my
> personal opinion based on careful examination of the facts and
> the accounts, and comparing them with MANY other, similar
> encounters between humans and "revelatory" non-human
> entities throughout the ages. If you want to believe that his
> encounter was divine, this is your right and I wholeheartedly
> welcome you to it.
>
> As for your question about resurrected saints or demigods
> "clueing him in" as to the Masonic rituals, this is just as purely
> speculative as anything else that you have found objectionable
> from others. Since the Masonic order itself claims lineage to the
> mystery religions of Egypt, I don't see how this could be the case
> as Judaic personalities are involved.
>
> >
> > My testimony of the Mormon church is purely spiritual and
> based on what I
> > see today. I study Joseph's history and church history simply
> for
> > entertainment and education. You must look to what Joseph
> wrought. You are
> > essentially saying that Joseph was a liar and a fraud.
>
> No, I never said this. I'm simply interpreting the available data
> from an objective perspective that is not influenced by
> hero-worship or "cult of personality." I'm outside looking in, and
> at evidence or information from a variety of sources. I actually
> have made no major value judgments at all.
>
>
> >Those kinds of people
> > are easily exposed because their empires fall apart, every
> time. Current LDS
> > leaders are as above reproach as men can be.
>
> I will have to take your word for this, but this is a pretty high level
> of human attainment, if true.
>
> >None are Masons.
>
> This does not negate an initial influence of Masonic tradition on
> the LDS when it first began.
>
> >None are
> > good-ol'-boys making a buck. The mere fact that they handle
> millions of
> > dollars in tithing every month, with ZERO corruption, is
> evidence alone that
> > the LDS church is being guided by the Lord and not by man.
> Whatever went on
> > in the church's past was probably appropriate for the existing
> climate of
> > the nation, society, and church at the time.
> >
>
> I'm not sure what you're referring to here, but you're probably
> right. Nor am I attacking your church. But I do have a right to do
> my own research, read the research of others, and form my own
> opinions. Right?
>
> > Joseph Smith is the only modern witness of existence of
> Jesus Christ that
> > the world has. He's the only person that could confidently say,
> "Christ
> > lives; I've seen him." This has not happened since Christ
> himself walked on
> > the earth. And no other man has shed more light on the nature
> of God, the
> > heavens, and mankind's divine potential, than Joseph Smith.
> >
>
> Actually, "christophanies" or appearances of Christ have
> happened throughout the centuries, to many different peoples of
> many different flavors of Christianity. Some quite recently,
> particularly in Protestant and Charismatic circles. The word of
> these people should be at least as valid as that of Smith, don't
> you think? Since they are all completely subjective, with no
> "hard" evidence (remember, the tablets and spectacle-stones
> disappeared, effectively removing the "proof" of Smith's story),
> they are all equal in terms of value as evidence.
>
> > The point I want to make is not, "We're right and you're wrong."
> I'm just
> > saying that I've discovered the keys to happiness and know
> where to find
> > them. If you want to base your opinions of the Mormon church
> on hearsay,
> > that's not my business. I've had private spiritual experiences
> that have
> > proven to me that it's true, and I cannot deny them, and that's
> all I can
> > offer.
> >
>
> Blake, I've told you before that I'm truly interested in the LDS point
> of view on many issues. I find it fascinating, as fascinating as
> the point of view of any other religious or esoteric group or
> philosophy.
>
> I'm not attacking you or your religion, but I should be able to
> make observations of fact without worrying about offending
> someone. I think that this is all that I've done so far. In fact, as a
> Christian, I believe what Christ said: "For whosoever believes in
> me shall not perish, but have life everlasting." In that case, we're
> in the same boat. When we meet The Man face to face, we can
> ask him ourselves, and I'm sure he'll set both of us straight on a
> few things.
>
> --Mike
>
>
> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> [email protected]
>
>
>
> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to

>
>

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RE: [allplanets-hollow] Re: Secret
Societies?

Hazel, I wouldn't be surprised if there
were some truths in what he's

saying. The history is rich, I'm sure. I read Jim Marrs' Rule by
Secrecy and

it was pretty good. He went into some detail about the Knights
Templar and

how they are ultimately responsible for the current type of banking
system

and how they turned temples into banks, being the first to issue a
form of

credit. My contention is that the only real secret societies in
existence

are driven by only one thing: money. The biggest, most immoral scam
being

perpetuated on humanity that I've seen is Wall Street, the Fed, and
their

banking system which literally puts people into slavery. Charging
interest

money for loaning you nothing, while being able to print your own
money.

Then there's taxes, energy, etc. Every time I hear about a national
debt I

laugh. What a joke. It's all about wealth.
Blake (from Dick Fojut)... Add to the
above the even BIGGER (American) national fraud going on, the
"CAFRs" (Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports). Most Americans
are unaware that since 1945, approximately 40 international firms
invest money for EVERY "governmental" unit in America, Federal
departments, States, Counties, Cities, Towns, School Districts,
Government unions, etc.

          **These world wide investments of Fed,

State and Local government funds currently exceed $60 TRILLION
dollars.** The investments are into EVERYTHING; real estate,
munitions, drug companies, you name it. No exceptions.

           **53% of the entire American Stock

Market is made up of these invested composite government funds**.
With much of the foreign stock markets also heavily invested. So when
you hear Washington politicians crying that it is too dangerous for
Americans to be allowed to invest 2% of their Social Security in the
"risky" stock market, you' re listening to LIARS.

           **These composite investments earn

TRILLIONS in profits each year.** Every governmental entity, since
1945, is required to give the Federal government a COMPREHENSIVE
ANNUAL FINANCIAL REPORT, a "CAFR,
" listing EVERY real
expense, asset and surplus. These reports are unpublicised but
available. And this is the usual... these HUGE SURPLUSES of CASH
EARNINGS are almost never included in figuring annual budgets.
Instead of USING the surpluses, governments RAISE TAXES! Only Gov.
Jesse Ventura in Minnesota crossed up the bankers. He refunded
millions from his City's (he was Mayor) CAFR surpluses to residents.
Then he campaigned for Governor promising to refund money from
Minnesota's State CAFR surplus
. He did. Refunded 1.3 billion to
Minnesota residents. (No national publicity to alert people in other
states). Now in office for awhile, Jesse has gone silent on the
subject. "They" got to him.

             **As one of

the 2 national whistle blowers has stated about this, Americans are
wealthy and don't know it**! If USED, these (outside normal annual
budgets) gigantic existing surplus funds in America - and their
continued annual earnings on investments - could make all
taxes unnecessary, finance the government, wipe out the national debt
and give each citizen a sizeable annual dividend. This continuing
national fraud makes the Federal Reserve Bank's printing of phoney
money swelling our national debt, look small in comparison

Who dips into these publicly UNUSED CAFR surpluses? Guess!
Every banking crook and financial "entrepreneur" needing billions
at low interest. I suspect George Soros, for one, has "borrowed"
many billions from those CAFR surpluses to finance his takeover of
Russia and Asian economies. For all we know Sorios and his buddies
may OWN some of the financial firms "managing" these American
government investments!

I'm not going to clog up the list with more on this off-the-subject
info, but if later someone wants more info, I'll list some URLs - and
send an email with specific details. - Dick Fojut

···

A bank could really be called Satan's temple. You go inside and
there's all

this quiet reverence; everyone is dressed well; you often find the
marble

pillars and architecture reminiscent of a temple. You have the holy
sacred

vault of money, similar to the innermost holy room in a temple.

What a joy.

Blake

-----Original Message-----

From: Hazel [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 5:11 PM

To: [email protected]

Subject: Re: [allplanets-hollow] Re: Secret Societies?

Blake, I think Branton's implying many religions have been
infiltrated,

including my own, and Scottish Freemasonry is heavily implicated,
probably

because when Knights Templars were persecuted, Scotland was exempt
from the

Papal Bull, so they found a safe haven in the House of Stuart
stronghold,

and regrouped. Allegedly one went to Canada and established Nova
Scotia, and

there, hid their long lost treasure in a mysterious 'money-pit.'
Branton is

fighting for his life for having the audacity to speak the truth, as
he sees

it. Now is not the best time for a vitriolic retort. Save it till he
can

rebutt it. Hazel

----- Original Message -----

From: "Frei, Blake" [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 11:36 PM

Subject: RE: [allplanets-hollow] Re: Secret Societies?

Interesting, Hazel.

I guess that according to Branton, it's a more reliable bet to
entertain

beliefs in a serpent race conspiring with the greys, rather in
Jesus

Christ--regardless of one's denomination.

Hey, Norlan, can you send Branton one of your scathing
emails?

:slight_smile: Blake

-----Original Message-----

From: Hazel [mailto:[email protected]]

Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 2:13 PM

To: [email protected]

Subject: Re: [allplanets-hollow] Re: Secret Societies?

I can't offer an opinion on this subject, but I know a man who
can;

Excerpt from Dreamland by Branton

Now, before relating the following account, let me say something
about the

Mormon Church system, within which this writer was raised...
This church

was

created by a man named Joseph Smith, however the REAL power
behind its

growth was John C. Bennett, who was apparently one of many
Scottish Rite

agents assigned to infiltrate the various religious movements of
the

world.

If one does a thorough study of the Masonic connections to
major

denominations they may discover some surprises (for instance
Norman

Vincent

Peale was a 33rd degree mason, as were the founders of the
Jehovah's
Witnesses, Theosophy, Scientology,
Unitarianism, and so on). The Scottish

Rite, incidentally, was created by Jesuits and Masons at the
Parisian

college of Clermont. Dr. John Coleman states that 13 Maltese
Jesuits, 13

Wicca Masons and 13 Black Nobility members make up the 39
members of the

Bildeberger group, ultimately controlled by the BAVARIAN
Illuminati

through

the Scottish Rite.

The Master Mason John C. Bennett convinced Smith to sell out to
the

Masonic

lodge (Scottish Rite) and Bennett worked to establish an
"Order of the

Illuminati" within Mormonism, according to Klaus Hansen's
book "QUEST FOR

EMPIRE". Mormonism became a hybrid religion between
Christianity (worship

of

the "Lamb") and gnostic Scottish Rite Masonry (worship
of the "Serpent").

Even today the Mormon masses in Utah believe that they are
"Christians",

and

even the majority of the "Council of 12" - unknown to
the most of its

membership - are actually controlled by the Scottish Rite
"Council of 50"

behind the scenes. These "Insiders" allow only the
oldest members of the

outer "Council of 12" to become President of the
Church. Apparently the

older these council members are the less likely they will be to
discern

what

is going on behind the scenes, to make waves or make changes, or
challenge

the hidden Scottish Rite infiltrators and controllers. One can
see a

similar

power- play being carried out in the Vatican.

For instance Pope John Paul I sought to make some heavy-duty
changes in
the

Catholic system, but the "powers that would be" had
different ideas. After

this Pope was assassinated in true Scottish Rite fashion only 33
days into

his term, a former Nazi sympathizer who had earlier in life sold
cyanide

gas

to the Nazis for their gas chambers, was elected Pontiff... this
new

Emperor

of the "Holy Roman Empire" was the man who changed his
name to "John Paul

II". The Scottish Rite has the power to control the media
and therefore

the

influence to support or tear-down a religion through public
opinion. In

their desire to be a "friend of the world" and escape
criticism, many

main-line religions must sell- out to the Masons or risk
"persecution".

Most

Mormons outwardly profess their hatred of "secret
combinations", not

realizing that they - along with most other mainline
denominations

throughout the world - have fallen victim to that very force.
They do not

realize that they are one of the many "controlled"
religions that the

Illuminati plans to keep in check so that they do not interfere
with the

"New World Order". In recent years various fundamental
Mormon factions

began

warning about the "New World Order", that is until
those in the seat of

power in the Mormon Church were given instructions to rebuke
these

Patriots

as being out of line with Church policy. If they kept up with
their anti

New

World Order activities, they could be excommunicated and their
salvation

would be on the line. Is there something wrong with this
picture?

Ideologies cannot be controlled - this is why the Pentecostals
who stress

ideological lifestyle over organizational structure are
frustrating the

One

Worlders, because they are difficult to infiltrate and control.
The more

STRUCTURED a religious SYSTEM is, the easier it is to infiltrate
and

control... these controllers do not believe in Christianity nor
even

Mormonism or any of the other religions, but are actually
Serpent

Worshippers and collaborate with and worship the Serpent Race
(Grays,

etc.).

They are also in it for personal profit, at the expense of the
manipulated

masses. If you don't believe that the Scottish Rite is a gnostic
(serpent)

cult, just take a look at the designs inside the HOUSE OF THE
TEMPLE, the

Scottish Rite Headquarters in Washington D.C. that sits atop
the

PENTAGRAM-LIKE street layout of the capitol city.

It should be stressed that the Mormon Church IS ONLY ONE OF MANY
religious

organizations around the world that the Scottish Rite (Wicca
Mason) branch

of the Illuminati has either created or infiltrated, or turned
into a
hybrid

Christian-Masonic structure. I only single this denomination out
because

of

my own personal involvement with this religious system. Many
(so-called)

Protestant denominations such as the Methodists, Episcopalians,
and

Southern

Baptists have fallen under the control of the Scottish Rite as
well, in

that

a large percentage of their congregations have dual membership
in the

Masonic Lodge and their denominational Church organizations.

Please note, these are not my opinions.

Hazel

----- Original Message -----

From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Sent: Tuesday, June 19, 2001 8:20 PM

Subject: [allplanets-hollow] Re: New Guy: Secret Societies?

--- In allplanets-hollow@y..., "Frei, Blake"
<blake_frei@j...> wrote:

Mike,

Joseph Smith was not a mason when he experienced what
we

call the First

Vision, in which he inquired of God as to which church
to join.

The Lord

appeared and told him to join none of them--all were
wrong

(an answer that

should give any inquisitive person a reason to pause
and say,

"Hmmmm.

Interesting answer.")

This indicates to me that he was chosen to start a new
group,

but does not, to my mind, invalidate any other group.
BTW,

wasn't this actually the emissary "Moroni" or
another angel, and

not God Himself, that appeared initially?

Joseph was only 14 at the time, and he would not
have
met Brigham Young until
he was thirty-something. Nor was

Joseph a mason when

he translated the Book of Mormon. So what, then,
was

motivating the

youngster? Throughout his life he allegedly met with
Jesus,

Peter, James,

and John, John the Baptist, Elias, Moroni, and a host
of other

resurrected

beings who took part in this restoration. Isn't it
possible that

one of them

clued him in on what the Masons were about, and of the
secret

societies?

Blake, he WAS a Mason--when he became one officially
doesn't

really matter. The similarities between LDS ritual
and

symbolism, and those of Freemasonry, EXIST. I believe
that this

is all that I said, also.

As for his motivation, I would not even hazard a
guess. I don't

think he was being misleading or fallacious. I
believe that he

had a genuine paranormal or fortean experience. Was
it from

God? From my point of view, I can't endorse this, but
that's my

personal opinion based on careful examination of the facts
and

the accounts, and comparing them with MANY other,
similar

encounters between humans and "revelatory"
non-human

entities throughout the ages. If you want to believe
that his

encounter was divine, this is your right and I
wholeheartedly

welcome you to it.

As for your question about resurrected saints or
demigods

"clueing him in" as to the Masonic rituals, this
is just as purely

speculative as anything else that you have found
objectionable

from others. Since the Masonic order itself claims
lineage to the

mystery religions of Egypt, I don't see how this could be
the case

as Judaic personalities are involved.

My testimony of the Mormon church is purely spiritual
and

based on what I

see today. I study Joseph's history and church history
simply

for

entertainment and education. You must look to what
Joseph

wrought. You are

essentially saying that Joseph was a liar and a
fraud.

No, I never said this. I'm simply interpreting the
available data

from an objective perspective that is not influenced by

hero-worship or "cult of personality." I'm
outside looking in, and

at evidence or information from a variety of sources.
I actually

have made no major value judgments at all.

Those kinds of people

are easily exposed because their empires fall apart,
every

time. Current LDS

leaders are as above reproach as men can be.

I will have to take your word for this, but this is a
pretty high level
of human attainment, if
true.

None are Masons.

This does not negate an initial influence of Masonic
tradition on

the LDS when it first began.

None are

good-ol'-boys making a buck. The mere fact that they
handle

millions of

dollars in tithing every month, with ZERO corruption,
is

evidence alone that

the LDS church is being guided by the Lord and not by
man.

Whatever went on

in the church's past was probably appropriate for the
existing

climate of

the nation, society, and church at the time.

I'm not sure what you're referring to here, but you're
probably

right. Nor am I attacking your church. But I do
have a right to do

my own research, read the research of others, and form my
own

opinions. Right?

Joseph Smith is the only modern witness of existence
of

Jesus Christ that

the world has. He's the only person that could
confidently say,

"Christ

lives; I've seen him." This has not happened
since Christ

himself walked on

the earth. And no other man has shed more light on the
nature

of God, the

heavens, and mankind's divine potential, than Joseph
Smith.

Actually, "christophanies" or appearances of
Christ have

happened throughout the centuries, to many different
peoples of

many different flavors of Christianity. Some quite
recently,

particularly in Protestant and Charismatic circles. The
word of
these people should be at
least as valid as that of Smith, don't

you think? Since they are all completely subjective,
with no

"hard" evidence (remember, the tablets and
spectacle-stones

disappeared, effectively removing the "proof" of
Smith's story),

they are all equal in terms of value as evidence.

The point I want to make is not, "We're right and
you're wrong."

I'm just

saying that I've discovered the keys to happiness and
know

where to find

them. If you want to base your opinions of the Mormon
church

on hearsay,

that's not my business. I've had private spiritual
experiences

that have

proven to me that it's true, and I cannot deny them,
and that's

all I can

offer.

Blake, I've told you before that I'm truly interested in
the LDS point

of view on many issues. I find it fascinating, as
fascinating as

the point of view of any other religious or esoteric group
or

philosophy.

I'm not attacking you or your religion, but I should be
able to

make observations of fact without worrying about
offending

someone. I think that this is all that I've done so
far. In fact, as a

Christian, I believe what Christ said: "For whosoever
believes in

me shall not perish, but have life everlasting."
In that case, we're

in the same boat. When we meet The Man face to face,
we can

ask him ourselves, and I'm sure he'll set both of us
straight on a

few things.

--Mike

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