The WARPED Personality of Joseph Smith

[John T]

The history of the many actions of Joseph Smith are known by both Mormon and Christian alike, but what is not known by some is that according to the APA (American Psychiatric ***ociation) has created a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM ) whereby by observing the behaviors of people, and stating in an unequivocal manner that this person shows six of the nine behaviors of the universally accepted criteria for the diagnosis of a certain personality disorder, it is relatively easy to diagnose a person with this or that sort of personality disorder.

DSM-IV-TR

The APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV-TR), defines antisocial personality disorder (in Axis II Cluster B):[7]

A) There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three or more of the following::




[*=1]failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest;
[*=1]deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure;
[*=1]impulsivity or failure to plan ahead;
[*=1]irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or ***aults;
[*=1]reckless disregard for safety of self or others;
[*=1]consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations;
[*=1]lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another;



B) The individual is at least age 18 years.
C) There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years.
D) The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode.

ASPD falls under the dramatic/erratic cluster of personality disorders.[8] In the DSM-5, the diagnosis antisocial personality disorder is kept, but it is no longer on another axis as the other mental disorders.[9]

FOOTNOTES:




1. David P. Farrington, Jeremy Coid (2003-06-16). Early Prevention of Adult Antisocial Behavior. Cambridge University Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-521-65194-3. Retrieved 2008-01-12.

2. a b c d Patrick, Christopher (2005). Handbook of Psychopathy. Guilford Press. ISBN 9781606238042. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
3. a b c d e "Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder: A Case of Diagnostic Confusion". Robert D. Hare, Ph.D. Psychiatric Times. Vol. 13 No. 2. February 1, 1996.
4. : a b c d Hare, R.D., Hart, S.D., Harpur, T.J. Psychopathy and the DSM—IV Criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (PDF).
5. a b Semple, David (2005). The Oxford Handbook of Psychiatry. USA: Oxford University Press. pp. 448–449. ISBN 0-19-852783-7.
6. a b c d Skeem, J. L.; Polaschek, D. L. L., Patrick, C. J., Lilienfeld, S. O. (15 December 2011). "Psychopathic Personality: Bridging the Gap Between Scientific Evidence and Public Policy". Psychological Science in the Public Interest 12 (3): 95–162. doi:10.1177/1529100611426706.
7. a b American Psychiatric ***ociation (2000). "Diagnostic criteria for 301.7 Antisocial Personality Disorder". BehaveNet. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
8. Schacter, Daniel L., Daniel T. Gilbert, and Daniel M. Wegner. Psychology. Worth Publishers, 2010. Print.
9. "Personality Disorders". American Psychiatric ***ociation. 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2


from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisoc...ality_disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder)

Now it is relatively easy to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and come up with an accurate portrait of the sort of man that Joseph Smith was, and how utter imbecilic and sycophantic mormons are when they joyfully sing THE FOLLOWING SONG


Praise to the Sociopath

1. Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation,
Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.

(Chorus]
Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
Death cannot conquer the hero again.


2. Praise to his mem’ry, he died as a martyr;
Honored and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by ******ins,
Plead unto heav’n while the earth lauds his fame.


3. Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.
Ever and ever the keys he will hold.
Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom,
Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.


4. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven;
Earth must atone for the blood of that man.
Wake up the world for the conflict of justice.
Millions shall know “Brother Joseph” again.

from http://www.ldshymns.com/lds-hymns-26...ise-to-the-man (http://www.ldshymns.com/lds-hymns-26-50/27-praise-to-the-man)


From Dictionary.com


so·ci·o·path

noun Psychiatry. a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

BTW a dead person cannot be slandered or insulted, and to look at the recorded actions of a person to see if they fit into a specific grid is called forensic ****ysis, so no, it is NOT doing psycho babble.



Now watch all the derails insults and name calling by those who refuse to take the bull by the tail and face the facts of the DOCUMENTED history of their hero. Also how often the adage shows true: it is better to let others believe one's religion is foolishness, than to keyboard a stupid reply, and remove all doubt.

[RealFakeHair]

Oh, man, I think I suffer from some of this. I will now start a new religoin, and for all who wish to join you only need to ***he 9 1/2 % of your income. Amen!

[John T]

Oh, man, I think I suffer from some of this. I will now start a new religoin, and for all who wish to join you only need to ***he 9 1/2 % of your income. Amen!

How many wives do you plan on having? :p

[RealFakeHair]

How many wives do you plan on having? :p

It you give me Kate Upson, one is enough, for now.

[James Banta]

How many wives do you plan on having? :p

Back in the days I respected Smith and Young as prophets of God, when I was asked how many wives I had I always answered "6, but I'm still young" :) IHS jim

[Apologette]

Oh, man, I think I suffer from some of this. I will now start a new religoin, and for all who wish to join you only need to ***he 9 1/2 % of your income. Amen!

Hey, what a deal. Do we get to be gods and goddesses?

[RealFakeHair]

Hey, what a deal. Do we get to be gods and goddesses?

I aint no god but she sure is a goddess!

[theway]

The history of the many actions of Joseph Smith are known by both Mormon and Christian alike, but what is not known by some is that according to the APA (American Psychiatric ***ociation) has created a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM ) whereby by observing the behaviors of people, and stating in an unequivocal manner that this person shows six of the nine behaviors of the universally accepted criteria for the diagnosis of a certain personality disorder, it is relatively easy to diagnose a person with this or that sort of personality disorder.

DSM-IV-TR

The APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV-TR), defines antisocial personality disorder (in Axis II Cluster B):[7]

A) There is a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three or more of the following::




[*=1]failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest;
[*=1]deception, as indicated by repeatedly lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure;
[*=1]impulsivity or failure to plan ahead;
[*=1]irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or ***aults;
[*=1]reckless disregard for safety of self or others;
[*=1]consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations;
[*=1]lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent to or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated, or stolen from another;



B) The individual is at least age 18 years.
C) There is evidence of conduct disorder with onset before age 15 years.
D) The occurrence of antisocial behavior is not exclusively during the course of schizophrenia or a manic episode.

ASPD falls under the dramatic/erratic cluster of personality disorders.[8] In the DSM-5, the diagnosis antisocial personality disorder is kept, but it is no longer on another axis as the other mental disorders.[9]

FOOTNOTES:




1. David P. Farrington, Jeremy Coid (2003-06-16). Early Prevention of Adult Antisocial Behavior. Cambridge University Press. p. 82. ISBN 978-0-521-65194-3. Retrieved 2008-01-12.

2. a b c d Patrick, Christopher (2005). Handbook of Psychopathy. Guilford Press. ISBN 9781606238042. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
3. a b c d e "Psychopathy and Antisocial Personality Disorder: A Case of Diagnostic Confusion". Robert D. Hare, Ph.D. Psychiatric Times. Vol. 13 No. 2. February 1, 1996.
4. : a b c d Hare, R.D., Hart, S.D., Harpur, T.J. Psychopathy and the DSM—IV Criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (PDF).
5. a b Semple, David (2005). The Oxford Handbook of Psychiatry. USA: Oxford University Press. pp. 448–449. ISBN 0-19-852783-7.
6. a b c d Skeem, J. L.; Polaschek, D. L. L., Patrick, C. J., Lilienfeld, S. O. (15 December 2011). "Psychopathic Personality: Bridging the Gap Between Scientific Evidence and Public Policy". Psychological Science in the Public Interest 12 (3): 95–162. doi:10.1177/1529100611426706.
7. a b American Psychiatric ***ociation (2000). "Diagnostic criteria for 301.7 Antisocial Personality Disorder". BehaveNet. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Retrieved 8 July 2013.
8. Schacter, Daniel L., Daniel T. Gilbert, and Daniel M. Wegner. Psychology. Worth Publishers, 2010. Print.
9. "Personality Disorders". American Psychiatric ***ociation. 2013. Retrieved 25 October 2


from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisoc...ality_disorder (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antisocial_personality_disorder)

Now it is relatively easy to put the pieces of the puzzle together, and come up with an accurate portrait of the sort of man that Joseph Smith was, and how utter imbecilic and sycophantic mormons are when they joyfully sing THE FOLLOWING SONG


Praise to the Sociopath

1. Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Jesus anointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation,
Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.

(Chorus]
Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
Death cannot conquer the hero again.


2. Praise to his mem’ry, he died as a martyr;
Honored and blest be his ever great name!
Long shall his blood, which was shed by ******ins,
Plead unto heav’n while the earth lauds his fame.


3. Great is his glory and endless his priesthood.
Ever and ever the keys he will hold.
Faithful and true, he will enter his kingdom,
Crowned in the midst of the prophets of old.


4. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven;
Earth must atone for the blood of that man.
Wake up the world for the conflict of justice.
Millions shall know “Brother Joseph” again.

from http://www.ldshymns.com/lds-hymns-26...ise-to-the-man (http://www.ldshymns.com/lds-hymns-26-50/27-praise-to-the-man)


From Dictionary.com


so·ci·o·path

noun Psychiatry. a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

BTW a dead person cannot be slandered or insulted, and to look at the recorded actions of a person to see if they fit into a specific grid is called forensic ****ysis, so no, it is NOT doing psycho babble.



Now watch all the derails insults and name calling by those who refuse to take the bull by the tail and face the facts of the DOCUMENTED history of their hero. Also how often the adage shows true: it is better to let others believe one's religion is foolishness, than to keyboard a stupid reply, and remove all doubt.
What a complete load of useless psychobabble!

Either you plan on digging up Joseph Smith, then placing him on a couch to talk about his daddy issues, (I hope they're not charging him from the time he died) Or this is just more silly wishful thinking from an AntiMormon with time to waste.

And save your obvious reply, I'm not the only one who thinks your modern humanist Bible is worthless.....


Psychology Today. May 4, 2013

Just two weeks before DSM-5 is due to appear, the National Ins***ute of Mental Health, the world's largest funding agency for research into mental health, has indicated that it is withdrawing support for the manual.
In a humiliating **** to the American Psychiatric ***ociation, Thomas R. Insel, M.D., Director of the NIMH, made clear the agency would no longer fund research projects that rely exclusively on DSM criteria. Henceforth, the NIMH, which had thrown its weight and funding behind earlier editions of the manual, would be “re-orienting its research away from DSM categories.” "The weakness” of the manual, he explained in a sharply worded statement, “is its lack of validity.” “Unlike our definitions of ischemic heart disease, lymphoma, or AIDS, the DSM diagnoses are based on a consensus about clusters of clinical symptoms, not any objective laboratory measure.".......

That consensus is now clearly missing. Whether it ever really existed remains in doubt. As one consultant for DSM-III conceded to the New Yorker magazine about the amount of horsetrading that drove that supposedly "evidenced-based" edition from 1980: “There was very little systematic research, and much of the research that existed was really a hodgepodge—scattered, inconsistent, ambiguous.”

Sorry JohnT, maybe you can lay down and tell me how this makes you feel?

[John T]

What a complete load of useless psychobabble!

Either you plan on digging up Joseph Smith, then placing him on a couch to talk about his daddy issues, (I hope they're not charging him from the time he died) Or this is just more silly wishful thinking from an AntiMormon with time to waste.


Psychology Today. May 4, 2013

Just two weeks before DSM-5 is due to appear, the National Ins***ute of Mental Health, the world's largest funding agency for research into mental health, has indicated that it is withdrawing support for the manual.
And save your obvious reply, I'm not the only one who thinks your modern humanist Bible is worthless.....


Sorry JohnT, maybe you can lay down and tell me how this makes you feel?

I did not cite DSM V.

I did cite DSM-IV-TR. That is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was originally published during the year 2000, and the TR designation means "Text Revision".

Tell me how it feels to attack someone, but the table turns, the truth wins out, and you look foolish?

[theway]

I did not cite DSM V.

I did cite DSM-IV-TR. That is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders was originally published during the year 2000, and the TR designation means "Text Revision".

Tell me how it feels to attack someone, but the table turns, the truth wins out, and you look foolish?

Psychology Today. May 4, 2013

Just two weeks before DSM-5 is due to appear, the National Ins***ute of Mental Health, the world's largest funding agency for research into mental health, has indicated that it is withdrawing support for the manual.
In a humiliating **** to the American Psychiatric ***ociation, Thomas R. Insel, M.D., Director of the NIMH, made clear the agency would no longer fund research projects that rely exclusively on DSM criteria. Henceforth, the NIMH, which had thrown its weight and funding behind earlier editions of the manual, would be “re-orienting its research away from DSM categories.” "The weakness” of the manual, he explained in a sharply worded statement, “is its lack of validity.” “Unlike our definitions of ischemic heart disease, lymphoma, or AIDS, the DSM diagnoses are based on a consensus about clusters of clinical symptoms, not any objective laboratory measure.".......

That consensus is now clearly missing. Whether it ever really existed remains in doubt. As one consultant for DSM-III conceded to the New Yorker magazine about the amount of horsetrading that drove that supposedly "evidenced-based" edition from 1980: “There was very little systematic research, and much of the research that existed was really a hodgepodge—scattered, inconsistent, ambiguous.”Perhaps you need to reread.

It states it was junk science starting from version 3 and earlier, until they finally had enough and pulled the plug on it at version 5.

Now don't you look foolish....

[alanmolstad]

From what i can see , Joe Smith was a typical con-man.

I dont really see him as being all that much different than others running around at the time doing cons on people who didnt know any better.

Smith seems to have acted more or less in a typical manner as you would expect a con man to behave like.

Now as time went on and he got a bit of a following we do see the addition of sexual pervert added to his behaviors.
But this too is in a very real way typical for people that start to ***ume a controlling influence over people that don't know any better.

Lots of CULT leaders also start to chase after younger and younger skirts once they get a chance...


So i dont really see the need to try to diagnose Smith with some sort of mental problem at this stage.
The truth is, I see him as a normal action con man, with the normal personality aspects one would expect to find in a person who made his living off of telling lies to people.

[alanmolstad]

From what I can see , Joe Smith was a typical con-man.

I don't really see him as being all that much different than others running around at that time running con-games on people who didn't know any better.

Smith seems to have acted more or less in a typical manner as you would expect a con man to behave like.

Now as time went on and he got a bit of a following we do see the addition of sexual pervert added to his behaviors.
But this too is in a very real way typical for people that start to ***ume a controlling influence over people that don't know any better.

Lots of CULT leaders also start to chase after younger and younger skirts once they get a chance...


So i dont really see the need to try to diagnose Smith with some sort of mental problem at this stage.
The truth is, I see him as a normal action con man, with the normal personality aspects one would expect to find in a person who made his living off of telling lies to people.

[John T]

Perhaps you need to reread.

It states it was junk science starting from version 3 and earlier, until they finally had enough and pulled the plug on it at version 5.

Now don't you look foolish....

In case you did not noticer, this is the MORMON FORUM, and my post about the personality of Smith, based upon his known antisocial behaviors is germane to the scope of the forum.

When you DERAIL the thread and bring up the DSM-V that is not germane to the issue of Mormonism, nor does it cast doubts on the many well-documented activities of Smith's. antisocial behavior.

Just so you know, there are is a list of 8 pages of 20 professional articles per page in the Psychology Today web site. HERE (http://www.psychologytoday.com/search/query?keys=dsm%20v&x=7&y=10) Some of the articles are pro, and some of them are anti. However none of the articles I read have anything to say about "antisocial personality disorder". Therefore due to the lack of evidence of a negative article on that antisocial personality disorder on that front there then is a consensus about the validity of that diagnosis.

Of course, I did not read ALL of the articles mentioned, but even if there is one, that does not nullify the validity of the diagnosis.

Nice try at the derail, but remember that this forum is about MORMONISM, and not about any version of the DSM

[theway]

In case you did not noticer, this is the MORMON FORUM, and my post about the personality of Smith, based upon his known antisocial behaviors is germane to the scope of the forum.hummm... Your typing and aggressive style indicate a frustration in the failure of your OP.
I feel your pain....


IWhen you DERAIL the thread and bring up the DSM-V that is not germane to the issue of Mormonism, nor does it cast doubts on the many well-documented activities of Smith's. antisocial behavior.
You are the one who based your whole diagnosis on a debunked volume of junk science not me.
But then this is nothing new for you.... You post longwinded posts which bore even your fellow AntiMormons.
I credit you with dealing the final **** to CC by running off anyone who remained. You're our best weapon.

[alanmolstad]

was Joe Smith guilty of antisocial behavior?........it's likely.

But then again most all con men will have to have some antisocial behavior in their make-up as they are doing things that are against the standards of good behavior......(cheating people is never nice)

[Apologette]

was Joe Smith guilty of antisocial behavior?........it's likely.

But then again most all con men will have to have some antisocial behavior in their make-up as they are doing things that are against the standards of good behavior......(cheating people is never nice)
Smith was a malignant narcissistic sociopath. Other than that, he was heaps of fun!

[RealFakeHair]

Smith was a malignant narcissistic sociopath. Other than that, he was heaps of fun!

This kinda reminds me of the song Willy Nelson wrote ***led. (Moma's don't let your daughters grown up to be around Joseph Smith jr.)

[James Banta]

This kinda reminds me of the song Willy Nelson wrote ***led. (Moma's don't let your daughters grown up to be around Joseph Smith jr.)

Yeah, I heard that was the original ***le but is was too x-rated for he had to settle for cowboys.. IHS jim

[Apologette]

I aint no god but she sure is a goddess!

But Joe Smith is a magician - he can make you into a god - for a price.

[Phoenix]

Yeah, I heard that was the original ***le but is was too x-rated for he had to settle for cowboys.. IHS jim

Where did you hear that?

[James Banta]

Where did you hear that?

It was a joke.. It didn't even say anything negative about the church.. It was meant to lighten things up around here. IHS jim

[Phoenix]

It was a joke.. It didn't even say anything negative about the church.. It was meant to lighten things up around here. IHS jim

Do you think it succeeded?

[alanmolstad]

Do you think it succeeded?

I think the joke is about equal to the standard level of funny that internet forums reach.

But finding things funny is kinda a personal thing that is a bit different with each person.

[Phoenix]

I think the joke is about equal to the standard level of funny that internet forums reach.

But finding things funny is kinda a personal thing that is a bit different with each person.

But with people who are religious, I think they are not that different. I think a lot of religious people don't find jokes about their religion, made by people who hate their religion, to be funny.

[Zeus]

But with people who are religious, I think they are not that different. I think a lot of religious people don't find jokes about their religion, made by people who hate their religion, to be funny.

Phoenix,

You reminded me of this one:

A Mormon guy in line to get lunch leans over to the guy next to him and says, "Wanna hear a Mormon joke?"

The guy next to him replies, "Well before you tell that joke, you should know something. I'm 6' tall, 200 lbs., and I am an anti-Mormon. The guy sitting next to me is 6'2 tall, weighs 225, and he's an anti-Mormon. The fella next to him is 6'5 tall, weighs 250, and he's an anti-Mormon. Now, you still wanna tell that joke?"

The first guy says, "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it 3 times."

:)

[James Banta]

Phoenix,

You reminded me of this one:

A Mormon guy in line to get lunch leans over to the guy next to him and says, "Wanna hear a Mormon joke?"

The guy next to him replies, "Well before you tell that joke, you should know something. I'm 6' tall, 200 lbs., and I am an anti-Mormon. The guy sitting next to me is 6'2 tall, weighs 225, and he's an anti-Mormon. The fella next to him is 6'5 tall, weighs 250, and he's an anti-Mormon. Now, you still wanna tell that joke?"

The first guy says, "Nah, not if I'm gonna have to explain it 3 times."

:)

I am not too smart, so were these suppose to be dumb because they are big and strong or was it because they were anti? IHS jim

[alanmolstad]

But with people who are religious, I think they are not that different. I think a lot of religious people don't find jokes about their religion, made by people who hate their religion, to be funny.

It depends....

I got to tell you, I have heard some mighty funny jokes told my guys who clearly hate the whole Christian faith.

[Zeus]

I am not too smart, so were these suppose to be dumb because they are big and strong or was it because they were anti? IHS jim

Explaining a joke loses its impact, so I'll let you decide which way you think will make it funnier. And if you don't find it funny either way, that's okay too.

[James Banta]

Explaining a joke loses its impact, so I'll let you decide which way you think will make it funnier. And if you don't find it funny either way, that's okay too.

Then having mormonism involved is unnecessary.. They were dumb because of their size making it hard for them to understand.. I have a funny one I will tell sometime about a eastern dude minister coming to Wyoming to pastor his first church.. IHS jim

[Zeus]

Then having mormonism involved is unnecessary.. They were dumb because of their size making it hard for them to understand..

Might be a little over-****yzation of a joke, but glad you worked it out to your satisfaction.

[James Banta]

It depends....

I got to tell you, I have heard some mighty funny jokes told my guys who clearly hate the whole Christian faith.

Ok here is the joke I promised:

A newly graduated minister from an eastern Bible school was called by a small church in Wyoming. All the members laughed at his eastern ways but his attempts to fit in made the member fall in love with him. Because of their affection they gave him a horse. That moved him so much he started using the horse to make all his calls on the church members. He even taught the horse a few tricks. He taught it to run as fast as he could when the pastor called out "Praise the Lord" and to come to a complete stop when he called out "AMEN"..

One day as he was out calling and the horse started to run and wouldn't slow down.. Soon the pastor saw that they were approaching the edge of a mesa and a sheer cliff that dropped down a few hundred feet. He pull the horse in and shouted Wo WO.. But he wouldn't slow. Then he remembered and shouted "Amen, AMEN". The horse skidded to a stop just two or three steps from the edge.. In relief the Pastor said "Praise the Lord"..

Now that is a funny joke.. IHS jim

[RealFakeHair]

Ok here is the joke I promised:

A newly graduated minister from an eastern Bible school was called by a small church in Wyoming. All the members laughed at his eastern ways but his attempts to fit in made the member fall in love with him. Because of their affection they gave him a horse. That moved him so much he started using the horse to make all his calls on the church members. He even taught the horse a few tricks. He taught it to run as fast as he could when the pastor called out "Praise the Lord" and to come to a complete stop when he called out "AMEN"..

One day as he was out calling and the horse started to run and wouldn't slow down.. Soon the pastor saw that they were approaching the edge of a mesa and a sheer cliff that dropped down a few hundred feet. He pull the horse in and shouted Wo WO.. But he wouldn't slow. Then he remembered and shouted "Amen, AMEN". The horse skidded to a stop just two or three steps from the edge.. In relief the Pastor said "Praise the Lord"..

Now that is a funny joke.. IHS jim
Here is one of my favorite. an Evangelist was on a week long revival and on each night the offering plate was p***ed there would be only a few coins. So to set an example on the last night of the revival the evangelist put in a ten dollar bill in plate before it was p***ed around hoping the congregation might take the hint.
On his way home from the last night of the revival he turn to his son and say he was so disappointed that the members didn't respond to his juster because the nights tally was only 10 dollars and 34 cent. To that his son replied. "Dad if you had put more in you would have gotten more back."