Posted some of this elsewhere. Thought I'd share it here:
What do TBM Mormons here do in honor of Smith's birthday tomorrow? Do they set out a little depiction of a log cabin with tiny caved figures - Lucy Mack, hubby Joe, Sr., and all their kids, including Joe, Jr., doing there "magic circles" thing? Why, Lucy wrote in her little book:
" Let not the reader suppose that because I shall pursue another topic for a season that we stopt our labor and went at trying to win the faculty of Abrac [,] drawing Magic circles or sooth saying [sic] to the neglect of all kinds of buisness [.W]e never during our lives suffered one important interest to swallow up every other obligation but whilst we worked with our hands we endeavored to remmember [sic] the service of & the welfare of our souls."
Umm, do any Mormons have a problem with Lucy's description of the Smith's nightly recreation?
So, what kind of "sooth saying" not to mention the magic circles stuff was Lucy talking about? The cl***ic Mormon answer is, "oh, everybody was doing it back then." Oh, really? That's a crock, because devout Christian believers have never participated in occult activities since that is forbidden by the Bible. So, don't believe the standard Mormon excuse. Back then Christian families were actually reading the Bible as their nightly ritual, not engaging in sooth saying or calling up demons.
But, hey, to get back to the celebration of Smithmas, how will our Mormon friends here celebrate this high holy day of Mormonism? Will this website give our Mormon friends some ideas of how to celebrate the baby Joe's birth - destined to be one of the most prominent false prophets to walk American soil:
http://www.salamandersociety.com/santa/ (note, some language might be offensive)