LDS LDS---YIKES!

[dzheremi]

You can lead a Mormon to water, but you can't make him drink. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[He is the way]

Again, you avoid answering a direct question. Here it is again:

By what means do you think he would personally speak to the billions of Christians in the world over the nearly 2,000 years since he left the earth?

He has not personally spoken to billions of Christians in the world.

Paul heard His voice on the road to Damascus. Have they heard His voice in a similar manner? No they haven't. That is one reason there is so much confusion in the Christian world. That is why it is so important to seek Him in prayer, deed, faith, and in scripture.

 

[BigDaddy4]

By what means do you think he would personally speak to the billions of Christians in the world over the nearly 2,000 years since he left the earth?

He has not personally spoken to billions of Christians in the world.

Paul heard His voice on the road to Damascus. Have they heard His voice in a similar manner? No they haven't. That is one reason there is so much confusion in the Christian world. That is why it is so important to seek Him in prayer, deed, faith, and in scripture.

So then, in your opinion and in relation to John 10, these "other sheep" (a figure of speech for gentiles/non-Jews) who have heard the shepherd's (a figure of speech for Jesus) voice personally (a literal interpretation by you) are only found in the Americas as described in the BOM?

 

[He is the way]

So then, in your opinion and in relation to John 10, these "other sheep" (a figure of speech for gentiles/non-Jews) who have heard the shepherd's (a figure of speech for Jesus) voice personally (a literal interpretation by you) are only found in the Americas as described in the BOM?

In my opinion the other sheep not of this fold (Jews) will hear His voice, and there will be one fold (Jews) and one Shepherd (Jesus Christ).

 

[dzheremi]

So people will become Jews, since that's the one fold there is/will be?

Then why do people of your religion waste so much time trying to say you are Christians? Why not try to glom on to the Jewish religion instead?

 

[BigDaddy4]

In my opinion the other sheep not of this fold (Jews) will hear His voice, and there will be one fold (Jews) and one Shepherd (Jesus Christ).

That doesn't even make sense - Jesus is speaking to Jews, but the "other fold" is also made up of Jews?? I have to echo dzheremi's question - why do you even bother trying to be Christian when you so clearly want to be a Jew?

At least you answered a direct question with a direct answer, so I have to give you props on that...

 

[He is the way]

So people will become Jews, since that's the one fold there is/will be?

Then why do people of your religion waste so much time trying to say you are Christians? Why not try to glom on to the Jewish religion instead?

We are grateful to the Jews for the New Testament. They are God's chosen people. I believe this scripture will answer your question:

(Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 21:1 - 6)

1 AND verily I say unto you, I give unto you a sign, that ye may know the time when these things shall be about to take place—that I shall gather in, from their long dispersion, my people, O house of Israel, and shall establish again among them my Zion;
2 And behold, this is the thing which I will give unto you for a sign—for verily I say unto you that when these things which I declare unto you, and which I shall declare unto you hereafter of myself, and by the power of the Holy Ghost which shall be given unto you of the Father, shall be made known unto the Gentiles that they may know concerning this people who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, and concerning this my people who shall be scattered by them;
3 Verily, verily, I say unto you, when these things shall be made known unto them of the Father, and shall come forth of the Father, from them unto you;
4 For it is wisdom in the Father that they should be established in this land, and be set up as a free people by the power of the Father, that these things might come forth from them unto a remnant of your seed, that the covenant of the Father may be fulfilled which he hath covenanted with his people, O house of Israel;
5 Therefore, when these works and the works which shall be wrought among you hereafter shall come forth from the Gentiles, unto your seed which shall dwindle in unbelief because of iniquity;
6 For thus it behooveth the Father that it should come forth from the Gentiles, that he may show forth his power unto the Gentiles, for this cause that the Gentiles, if they will not harden their hearts, that they may repent and come unto me and be baptized in my name and know of the true points of my doctrine, that they may be numbered among my people, O house of Israel;

 

[He is the way]

That doesn't even make sense - Jesus is speaking to Jews, but the "other fold" is also made up of Jews?? I have to echo dzheremi's question - why do you even bother trying to be Christian when you so clearly want to be a Jew?

At least you answered a direct question with a direct answer, so I have to give you props on that...

The other fold of His sheep are far away in the land He gave them. It is a land above all other lands. They also had the gospel and Jesus visited them too.

 

[BigDaddy4]

The other fold of His sheep are far away in the land He gave them. It is a land above all other lands. They also had the gospel and Jesus visited them too.

Far away? Only to fit the lds narrative. Paul explains his mission for the Gentiles in Romans 11 "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." (v 25b).

A land above all other lands, huh? Even above the lands that God promised Abraham in Genesis 12? Even above Jerusalem, - the holy city, the city of David, the place where major end times events will occur as described in the book of Revelation and other places in the Bible? North America is nowhere to be found in the end times events, despite the lds belief that Zion will be in Missouri. Only a false prophet would be foolish enough to say something contradictory to the Bible like that.

So these other sheep found far away in North America in a land God gave them, killed themselves off without a trace and the only record of them ever existing was written on golden plates that also have no evidence of existing? That's quite the tall tale and a lot of misguided faith.

 

[He is the way]

Far away? Only to fit the lds narrative. Paul explains his mission for the Gentiles in Romans 11 "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in." (v 25b).

A land above all other lands, huh? Even above the lands that God promised Abraham in Genesis 12? Even above Jerusalem, - the holy city, the city of David, the place where major end times events will occur as described in the book of Revelation and other places in the Bible? North America is nowhere to be found in the end times events, despite the lds belief that Zion will be in Missouri. Only a false prophet would be foolish enough to say something contradictory to the Bible like that.

So these other sheep found far away in North America in a land God gave them, killed themselves off without a trace and the only record of them ever existing was written on golden plates that also have no evidence of existing? That's quite the tall tale and a lot of misguided faith.

People who once proclaimed Joseph Smith to ignorant and stupid are now saying that he was a genius, because of the Book of Mormon. The more the Book of Mormon has been studied the more complex it has been deemed. The Book of Mormon is amazing:

(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 2:20)

20 And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands.
(Book of Mormon | 1 Nephi 13:30 - 37)

30 Nevertheless, thou beholdest that the Gentiles who have gone forth out of captivity, and have been lifted up by the power of God above all other nations, upon the face of the land which is choice above all other lands, which is the land that the Lord God hath covenanted with thy father that his seed should have for the land of their inheritance; wherefore, thou seest that the Lord God will not suffer that the Gentiles will utterly destroy the mixture of thy seed, which are among thy brethren.
31 Neither will he suffer that the Gentiles shall destroy the seed of thy brethren.
32 Neither will the Lord God suffer that the Gentiles shall forever remain in that awful state of blindness, which thou beholdest they are in, because of the plain and most precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, whose formation thou hast seen.
33 Wherefore saith the Lamb of God: I will be merciful unto the Gentiles, unto the visiting of the remnant of the house of Israel in great judgment.
34 And it came to pass that the angel of the Lord spake unto me, saying: Behold, saith the Lamb of God, after I have visited the remnant of the house of Israel—and this remnant of whom I speak is the seed of thy father—wherefore, after I have visited them in judgment, and smitten them by the hand of the Gentiles, and after the Gentiles do stumble exceedingly, because of the most plain and precious parts of the gospel of the Lamb which have been kept back by that abominable church, which is the mother of harlots, saith the Lamb—I will be merciful unto the Gentiles in that day, insomuch that I will bring forth unto them, in mine own power, much of my gospel, which shall be plain and precious, saith the Lamb.
35 For, behold, saith the Lamb: I will manifest myself unto thy seed, that they shall write many things which I shall minister unto them, which shall be plain and precious; and after thy seed shall be destroyed, and dwindle in unbelief, and also the seed of thy brethren, behold, these things shall be hid up, to come forth unto the Gentiles, by the gift and power of the Lamb.
36 And in them shall be written my gospel, saith the Lamb, and my rock and my salvation.
37 And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be.

 

[Peter1000]

LOL! God repopulated the earth first with 2 people, then with 8. He needed JS--under penalty of death---to take up a bunch of wives when neither Adam and Eve or the very first of their children had, until Lamech, and according to Jewish websites, polygamy was not practiced by the majority--just a few. You've been shown those before and will always ignore them. We know only too well that you do not care for facts---you will just keep on believing the lies instead.

But the facts are that plural marriage was practiced by prophets of God, kings, and common people. These are biblical facts. What the % was is not known. Lots of guesses I'm sure, but nobody knows. All I know is that there was enough that God included in the Law of Moses statutes that guided the people in regards to their plural marriages.

The fact is that if God wanted JS to practice plural marriage, JS was going to practice plural marriage, no matter if it is in the NT or not. That is the facts. God doesn't look at what was recorded in the bible and put himself in a box so that all he can do is what he did 2,000-3,500 years ago.

Your pictures portray exactly what the House of Israel did when they stuck to their bible instead of following a radical Jesus Christ that was going to allow gentiles into the church. So they stuck to their bible and put their heads in the sand and they have never recovered from that mistake. Good analogy.

 

[mmksparbud]

But the facts are that plural marriage was practiced by prophets of God, kings, and common people. These are biblical facts. What the % was is not known. Lots of guesses I'm sure, but nobody knows. All I know is that there was enough that God included in the Law of Moses statutes that guided the people in regards to their plural marriages.

The fact is that if God wanted JS to practice plural marriage, JS was going to practice plural marriage, no matter if it is in the NT or not. That is the facts. God doesn't look at what was recorded in the bible and put himself in a box so that all he can do is what he did 2,000-3,500 years ago.

Your pictures portray exactly what the House of Israel did when they stuck to their bible instead of following a radical Jesus Christ that was going to allow gentiles into the church. So they stuck to their bible and put their heads in the sand and they have never recovered from that mistake. Good analogy.

The fact that God allowed plural marriage once, means nothing when the NT says ONE WIFE. Again, the fact that God allowed brothers and sisters to marry once, means didley squat after He said no more. If some idiot comes along and says God has told him we are now to marry our brothers and sisters again---that is proof that he is not of God. Again, and again and again----God does not say yes---no---yes---no---maybe later.
No, the Jews did not stick to their bibles and reject Jesus---they did not stick to their bibles but listened to the Priests and Pharisees, if they had studied the scriptures as they should have---they would have seen Jesus as the Promised Messiah and, obviously, many did.

Mat_21:42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
Mat_22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
Mat_26:54 But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?
Mat_26:56 But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.
Mar_12:24 And Jesus answering said unto them, Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God?
Mar_14:49 I was daily with you in the temple teaching, and ye took me not: but the scriptures must be fulfilled.
Luk_24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.
Luk_24:32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
Luk_24:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
Joh_5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
Act_17:2 And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
Act_17:11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

No, they were not the ostrich, the ostrich is those who reject the truth.

 

[BigDaddy4]

People who once proclaimed Joseph Smith to ignorant and stupid are now saying that he was a genius, because of the Book of Mormon. The more the Book of Mormon has been studied the more complex it has been deemed.

If by "more complex" you mean more like a fairy tale, then sure. Please, show who these "people" are who think JS is a genius. Outside of mormonism, they likely don't exist.

 

[He is the way]

If by "more complex" you mean more like a fairy tale, then sure. Please, show who these "people" are who think JS is a genius. Outside of mormonism, they likely don't exist.

Bruce Charlton's Notions: Was Joseph Smith a "religious genius"?

BBC - Religions - Mormon: Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith, Jr.

 

[dzheremi]

Bruce Charlton's Notions: Was Joseph Smith a "religious genius"?

This Bruce Charlton guy is clearly a Mormon apologist. Looking at the list of blogs he maintains, you find among them Speculations of a Theoretical Mormon (where he states he's only a 'theoretical' Mormon...right, buddy, and I'm 'theoretically' the king of England ). The comment was that outside of Mormonism, no one finds JS to be a genius. A person who considers themselves in any sense a Mormon is not going to count against that supposition.

BBC - Religions - Mormon: Joseph Smith

Harold Bloom, the person who is quoted as calling Joseph Smith a "religious genius" on the BBC page (and the Mormon apologist's blog) is a literary critic, not some kind of historian of religion. He also predicted in his 1992 book American Religion that Mormonism would overtake Protestant and post-Protestant forms of Christianity in America in the coming decades, and singled out the Jehovah's Witnesses cult as the sole non-Gnostic form of Christianity practiced in the United States. (Proving that he doesn't know anything about Christianity.)

Well, we're several decades on from 1992, and how is Mormonism doing, vis-a-vis Christian churches in the United States? You're at about 2% of the population, according to a 2017 article published in the SLC Tribune. How is Protestantism doing? Admittedly not as good as it was in 1992, but still many times larger than 2%, at roughly 49% of American adults. But surely Protestantism is shrinking while Mormonism is growing, right? Not in the USA, where Mormon numbers remain essentially flat regardless of what Protestantism is doing.

Are you sure you want to put much faith in what this Bloom guy thinks about religion? Besides, being a 'religious genius' is hardly the same as being a genius. You could say that the jokester(s) who invented Pastafarianism is a religious genius, but that doesn't mean you'd come to them for any deep insight into the human condition, let alone count them alongside Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, etc.

Joseph Smith, Jr.

Hahaha. Did you not read the portion of the book you linked? It says "a comparison between the so-called genius of Einstein and that of Joseph Smith may be valid, if 'genius' is viewed as a generic quality rather than a quality associated with a specific discipline or talent." So, in other words, not a genius, because to call him that you have to think of "genius" in the most generic way possible, to the point that it is not tied to any particular talent. So JS is totally comparable to Einstein...so long as you ignore the part where Einstein proposed revolutionary theories in Physics that have inspired the field to scientific heights that were previously beyond its boundaries before he proposed them, while JS was really good at making up nonsense. Other than that, they're totally on the same level.

I'm sorry, I know Klaus J. Hansen is a respected historian of Mormonism (and as far as I can tell, not a Mormon himself), and it is wrong to speak ill of the dead (he passed in 2018), but there is such a thing as academic apologia for cults. It's actually quite common in modern times, given that most Western societies are built on a certain degree of religious freedom, and with time even the boldest of heresies gets reinvented in the minds of many academics and other 'forward thinking intellectual' types as a brilliant declaration of religious genius. Similar things have been written at length concerning Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, for instance, yet I doubt you would agree that he is or was a "religious genius", or any other type of genius for that matter.

Still, 1/3 is quite a bit better than the LDS here usually do. Bravo. JS was still a complete charlatan, but credit where credit's due.

 

[He is the way]

This Bruce Charlton guy is clearly a Mormon apologist. Looking at the list of blogs he maintains, you find among them Speculations of a Theoretical Mormon (where he states he's only a 'theoretical' Mormon...right, buddy, and I'm 'theoretically' the king of England ). The comment was that outside of Mormonism, no one finds JS to be a genius. A person who considers themselves in any sense a Mormon is not going to count against that supposition.



Harold Bloom, the person who is quoted as calling Joseph Smith a "religious genius" on the BBC page (and the Mormon apologist's blog) is a literary critic, not some kind of historian of religion. He also predicted in his 1992 book American Religion that Mormonism would overtake Protestant and post-Protestant forms of Christianity in America in the coming decades, and singled out the Jehovah's Witnesses cult as the sole non-Gnostic form of Christianity practiced in the United States. (Proving that he doesn't know anything about Christianity.)

Well, we're several decades on from 1992, and how is Mormonism doing, vis-a-vis Christian churches in the United States? You're at about 2% of the population, according to a 2017 article published in the SLC Tribune. How is Protestantism doing? Admittedly not as good as it was in 1992, but still many times larger than 2%, at roughly 49% of American adults. But surely Protestantism is shrinking while Mormonism is growing, right? Not in the USA, where Mormon numbers remain essentially flat regardless of what Protestantism is doing.

Are you sure you want to put much faith in what this Bloom guy thinks about religion? Besides, being a 'religious genius' is hardly the same as being a genius. You could say that the jokester(s) who invented Pastafarianism is a religious genius, but that doesn't mean you'd come to them for any deep insight into the human condition, let alone count them alongside Leonardo Da Vinci, Albert Einstein, Nikola Tesla, etc.



Hahaha. Did you not read the portion of the book you linked? It says "a comparison between the so-called genius of Einstein and that of Joseph Smith may be valid, if 'genius' is viewed as a generic quality rather than a quality associated with a specific discipline or talent." So, in other words, not a genius, because to call him that you have to think of "genius" in the most generic way possible, to the point that it is not tied to any particular talent. So JS is totally comparable to Einstein...so long as you ignore the part where Einstein proposed revolutionary theories in Physics that have inspired the field to scientific heights that were previously beyond its boundaries before he proposed them, while JS was really good at making up nonsense. Other than that, they're totally on the same level.

I'm sorry, I know Klaus J. Hansen is a respected historian of Mormonism (and as far as I can tell, not a Mormon himself), and it is wrong to speak ill of the dead (he passed in 2018), but there is such a thing as academic apologia for cults. It's actually quite common in modern times, given that most Western societies are built on a certain degree of religious freedom, and with time even the boldest of heresies gets reinvented in the minds of many academics and other 'forward thinking intellectual' types as a brilliant declaration of religious genius. Similar things have been written at length concerning Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, for instance, yet I doubt you would agree that he is or was a "religious genius", or any other type of genius for that matter.

Still, 1/3 is quite a bit better than the LDS here usually do. Bravo. JS was still a complete charlatan, but credit where credit's due.

Bruce Charlton Is not a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter day Saints. You can check it out for yourself.

"Regular reader will know that I regard Eastern Orthodox Christianity to be the Truth; but that does not block my admiration and sympathy for Mormons."

From: Bruce Charlton's Notions: Learning from Mormons

 

[dzheremi]

That's why I said he's a Mormon apologist, as in, he formulates apologetics for Mormonism. I don't care whether or not he is formally a member, because this just in: You can't be any kind of Christian and be even a 'theoretical' Mormon. What accord has Christ with Belial? He claims that Eastern Orthodoxy is the truth and yet says he finds Mormon theology "beautiful". If he really feels Eastern Orthodoxy is the truth, then he should probably take their counsel and stop messing about with Mormonism, which is as follows (from Orthodoxwiki, founded by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America, one of the canonical jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church):

Mormons have a very difficult time understanding why Orthodox and other Christians deny that they are Christian. The simplest answer to this question is that the Mormon god is simply not God--at least not the God worshiped by Orthodox Christians (and other Trinitarians). This does not mean that the Mormons are necessarily immoral or wicked people, simply that they worship a god different from the God worshiped in the Christian Trinity.
​

 

[He is the way]

That's why I said he's a Mormon apologist, as in, he formulates apologetics for Mormonism. I don't care whether or not he is formally a member, because this just in: You can't be any kind of Christian and be even a 'theoretical' Mormon. What accord has Christ with Belial? He claims that Eastern Orthodoxy is the truth and yet says he finds Mormon theology "beautiful". If he really feels Eastern Orthodoxy is the truth, then he should probably take their counsel and stop messing about with Mormonism, which is as follows (from Orthodoxwiki, founded by a priest of the Orthodox Church in America, one of the canonical jurisdictions of the Eastern Orthodox Church):

Mormons have a very difficult time understanding why Orthodox and other Christians deny that they are Christian. The simplest answer to this question is that the Mormon god is simply not God--at least not the God worshiped by Orthodox Christians (and other Trinitarians). This does not mean that the Mormons are necessarily immoral or wicked people, simply that they worship a god different from the God worshiped in the Christian Trinity.
​

You said: "A person who considers themselves in any sense a Mormon is not going to count against that supposition." No he does not consider himself in any sense a Mormon. He is definitely not a Mormon apologist whether you consider him to be one or not. Therefore I did indeed find someone other that a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints who considers Joseph Smith a genius.

 

[dzheremi]

You said: "A person who considers themselves in any sense a Mormon is not going to count against that supposition." No he does not consider himself in any sense a Mormon. He is definitely not a Mormon apologist whether you consider him to be one or not. Therefore I did indeed find someone other that a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints who considers Joseph Smith a genius.

A 'theoretical' Mormon who very much not-theoretically crafts apologetics for Mormonism over and against the stance on that religion of the Church that he claims to believe in is in actuality an apologist for Mormonism. I never said he was a Mormon; I essentially said that being a 'theoretical' Mormon makes about as much sense as being the 'theoretical' king of England: No you're not, we can all see that you're not, and things don't work that way just because you claim some new, novel space for yourself that no one else recognizes, where you can 'believe' in Eastern Ortodoxy, but 'theoretically believe' in Mormonism. That is a bunch of mixed up, pathetic waffling.

You can dress it up in any way you wish, but that's what it is. You haven't really found someone outside of Mormonism who thinks this (at least not in the person of this blogger guy; the literary critic is another matter, but he is also an idiot); you've found someone with a bizarre syncretic belief system that somehow attempts to embrace Eastern Orthodoxy and Mormonism at the same time, even though the two go together about as well as Joseph Smith and monogamy. That's probably why he's limited to being some loon who runs a dozen blogs or whatever, as there's no barrier to entry in that.

You'd do better to focus on the idiot literary critic or the academic cult apologist than some blockhead with a blog, as they're at least published by something more weighty than Wordpress, but whatever. Betting on the wrong horse and/or not understanding the difference between a legitimate reference and some dude somewhere who happens to be telling you what you want to believe, even though he's obviously theologically/religiously unstable. Shocking.

 

[He is the way]

A 'theoretical' Mormon who very much not-theoretically crafts apologetics for Mormonism over and against the stance on that religion of the Church that he claims to believe in is in actuality an apologist for Mormonism. I never said he was a Mormon; I essentially said that being a 'theoretical' Mormon makes about as much sense as being the 'theoretical' king of England: No you're not, we can all see that you're not, and things don't work that way just because you claim some new, novel space for yourself that no one else recognizes, where you can 'believe' in Eastern Ortodoxy, but 'theoretically believe' in Mormonism. That is a bunch of mixed up, pathetic waffling.

You can dress it up in any way you wish, but that's what it is. You haven't really found someone outside of Mormonism who thinks this (at least not in the person of this blogger guy; the literary critic is another matter, but he is also an idiot); you've found someone with a bizarre syncretic belief system that somehow attempts to embrace Eastern Orthodoxy and Mormonism at the same time, even though the two go together about as well as Joseph Smith and monogamy. That's probably why he's limited to being some loon who runs a dozen blogs or whatever, as there's no barrier to entry in that.

You'd do better to focus on the idiot literary critic or the academic cult apologist than some blockhead with a blog, as they're at least published by something more weighty than Wordpress, but whatever. Betting on the wrong horse and/or not understanding the difference between a legitimate reference and some dude somewhere who happens to be telling you what you want to believe, even though he's obviously theologically/religiously unstable. Shocking.

The original statement by BigDaddy4 was "Please, show who these "people" are who think JS is a genius. Outside of mormonism, they likely don't exist." However Bruce Charlton does exist and he is not a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints. About him:

"Charlton graduated with honours from the Newcastle Medical School in Newcastle upon Tyne, took a doctorate at the Medical Research Council Neuroendocrinology group, and did postgraduate training in psychiatry and public health. He has held university lectureshipsin physiology, anatomy, epidemiology, and psychology; and holds a master's degree in English Literature from Durham University in North East England.[3]

From 2003 to 2010, Charlton was the solo-editor of the journal Medical Hypotheses, published by Elsevier.[4] After HIV/AIDS denier Peter Duesberg published a paper in Medical Hypothesis arguing that “there is as yet no proof that HIV causes AIDS", the journal came under fire for its lack of peer review. The paper was withdrawn from the journal citing concerns over the paper's quality and “that [it] could potentially be damaging to global public health.” Elsevier consequently revamped the journal to introduce peer review, firing Charlton from his position as editor, due to his resistance of these changes.[5]

At October 2012, a worldwide campaign including 198 researchers published a critical paper defending Charlton and the idea of editorial review.[6]

From: Bruce Charlton - Wikipedia

It is obvious that he is no blockhead or loon. He did indeed state that Joseph Smith was a genius and therefore qualifies as an answer to the statement that BigDaddy4 made.