BigJulie;155610]James made the claims, the proof behind it lies with him. He has been told many times that these historical documents are just that, historical documents and are not considered our doctrine---as many of them are not full in content, out of context, may be opinions, may be the learning of the day, etc. He then takes these historical documents and extrapolates things that are not true, half truths, and flat out lies about our beliefs.

I have challenged him to show his claims using our scriptures the doctrines he claims.

To have to refute someone who, like Walter Martin, grabbed tidbits here and there to sensationalize is ridiculous. One could spend all day doing it. It is why the proof lies with the one who makes the claim. Because we have hundreds of pages of scriptures, he has ample to go through and show our doctrine using it. If he can do it, he surely will.
Are the statements made in general conference by members of the LDS general authorities merely historical documents? Smith taught in conference of the Church Meeting in the Grove, east of the Temple, June 16, 1844 that there are three Gods not one (History of the Church, Vol. 6, Chapter 23, p. 473).. It would seem to e that before she says that these things are half truths and out and out lies she would check the reference.. Here it is in full context:

I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the Elders for fifteen years. I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit, and these three cons***ute three distinct personages and three Gods. If this is in accordance with the New Testament, lo and behold! we have three Gods anyhow, and they are plural: and who can contradict it? Our text says "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father." The Apostles have discovered that there were Gods above. for Paul says God was the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. My object was to preach the scriptures, and preach the doctrine they contain, there being a God above, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I am bold to declare I have taught all the strong doctrines publicly. and always teach stronger doctrines in public than in private.

Here is the site I get this information from (http://www.boap.org/LDS/History/History_of_the_Church/). In the ***le we read "This history was produced by ***ignment from Church leaders at the beginning of the 20th century. The History editor was B. H. Roberts, a prominent LDS leader. Roberts' ***ignment was to take the m****cript history produced by Joseph Smith (1805-1844) and his clerks between 1838 and 1857 and publish it together with explanatory notes. The history was written as though dictated by Joseph Smith, however he dictated only a small portion of it. The bulk of the m****cript was based on Church records, Church newspaper excerpts and journals of Joseph Smith kept by various men who recorded his activities as well as the diary entries of men who were with Joseph Smith at various times and places or who performed Church missionary efforts, or other tasks of historical importance."

This History of the Church is owned and controlled by the LDS church. What is in it is their responsibility.. If it isn't true then it wasn't I that is the liar it is the leaders of mormonism that ***igned this work to be done.. Much of the first 6 volumes were the work of BH Roberts who Himself was a general authority being a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Still the statements made by Smith recorded in the History of the church came down in the records of his scribes.. These were the teaching of Joseph Smith.. These are today the teachings of the modern LDS church.. Most ever LDS believes that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three Gods not one.. Most LDS deny that Smith had more than one wife in agreement with what Smith said in History of the church Vol 6 chapter 19.. That was a lie as has been confirmed by the LDS church (Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2001, p. 327.)..

While many LDS doctrines are not contained in the LDS scriptures that doesn't stop the church from believing them. As an example in JSH the beings that addressed Smith never are referred to as the Father and the Son but that is just what mormonism teaches.. Pure conjecture is all that supports such an important doctrine.. To say that Smith taught there are three Gods or that he wasn't involved in polygamy is just as much conjecture as what is taught in JSH.. IHS jim