Post 3

Couple of cool notes to point out from the reading in this part III report. First , most non-Mormons think of Salt Lake City as the geographic heart of Mormonism, but in fact half the population of Salt Lake is Gentile, and many Mormons  regard that city as a sinful, iniquitous place that’s been corrupted by outsiders. Here is another scary element. The LDS Church forbids abortions, frowns on contraception, and teaches the Mormon couples have a sacred duty to give birth to as many children as they can support, and explains why Utah Couty has the highest birth rate in the United State and is higher than the birth rate in Bangladesh. You got to wonder how these people feel about the last unit we studied eh? LETS TALK ABOUT JOSEPH SMITH…..Smith was born in Vermont in 1805. Maybe if I go to school there, I can search for his birth place. Smith and his family were broke, so Joseph was reduced to scraping out a meager living from a plot of rocky, barely cultivable farmland. New England was in an extended economic depression and so the Smith’s moved more than five times during his first eleven years of life. During his youth, it is important to understand his parents role in the creation of the religion. His mother, Lucy was devoted to the mysticism so often found among those suddenly released from the domination and discipline of the church. She accepted a highly personalized God to whom she would talk as if he were a member of the family circle.” Here is the first alarm. His parents and his childhood surroundings were a catalyst to upstart this religious creation. It makes sense. All reports show that Joseph had an “astonishing imagination”. I mean come on people. This is the best… “he (Joseph Smith)  could sell a muzzle to a dog.” Smith devoted much time and energy to attempting to divine the location of buried treasure by means of black magic and crystal gazing. So he was a money digger.  That’s all I got for now…..let me come back for more. This is getting crazy.