Greetings
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormon Church. Here are a couple of thoughts to factor in to your discussion.

First, we as Mormons are used to being ‘beaten-over-the-head’ by detractors over the items that are supposedly false or fraudulent about our religion. We don’t come back to argue with you, not because our position is untenable, but because it is a waste of our time. We are content to wait until time proves us right. For example, we suffered years of har***ment about how the Book of Mormon had to be false because there was no DNA evidence of Hebrew lineage in the Americas. Guess what! Now there is not only DNA evidence, but also evidence of Hebrew writing found on artifacts in North America. Defending against that kind of argument was a useless exercise.

Second, we prefer to base our lives on the many things that we know to be true than on one or two doubtful issues raised by detractors. Millions of Mormons have the sure witness of the Holy Spirit that the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored. This is a glad message that your “restorationist” Protestant religions are still seeking. That witness is confirmed time and time again. Why should we spend time buried in your polemic when we know that ultimately we will be vindicated.

Third, you approach this question with several wrong ***umptions. You ***ume from the start that Joseph Smith is a fraud and therefor the Book of Abraham must be fraudulent. You ***ume that Egyptology is now a closed science – knowing everything that there is to know about ancient Egypt and its language, and that there are no more ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’ to be found. You simply can’t know this. You also ***ume that all the names in the Book of Abraham are Egyptian. There was a great deal of trade among the ancient nations and many cross-boundary gods. In the process you miss wonderful aspects of the Book of Abraham, many of which agree with and add to both Jewish and Islamic traditions about this great patriarch.

I invite you to wipe your slate clean and come to the question of Joseph Smith with fresh eyes. Ask yourself, “What if Joseph Smith really was a prophet called by Christ himself?” We know that we are in the end times and that many momentous events will happen prior to the coming of Christ and His millennial reign. Does it make sense that all this will happen without prophetic leadership when God has said that he will do nothing without informing his appointed prophet leaders? (Amos 3:7) Christ even appointed a forerunner for His personal mission on earth. It will truly be a shame if you p*** beyond the veil only to find Joseph Smith standing with the likes of Adam, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Peter and yes, even the Savior himself.

I know by the witness of the Spirit that Joseph Smith was visited by the Father and the Son, and called by them to be the first prophet of this dispensation. He translated the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God. You can know this too but you will have to set aside your prejudice and ask with an open heart. As stated by the ancient prophet Moroni:
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. (Moroni 10:4)

God bless you to open your heart and find the truth.