THE EVIDENCE IS THERE - LDS Hymn Parody #113

Here is another LDS Hymn Parody - my 113th.  I'm not sure how many more I'm going to able to write since I've done so many of the familiar ones already.  But I'm going to keep going until I run out of steam. After all, they're just asking for it...

This hymn parody is entitled THE EVIDENCE IS THERE - and it truly is.  Mountains of evidence against the Mormon Church being true.  Facts galore supporting my hypothesis that Mormonism is completely bogus. Again, I'm sure I sound like a broken record, but so be it.  I have cited the evidence over and over in this blog - and it is available in many sources.  Google is a very good start. Accepting anything that you're told to believe without doing your own research is not wise. Critical thinking is tantamount to forming a person's own opinions and basing them on actual facts, not blind faith and a admonition to "just believe."  Really, THE EVIDENCE IS THERE - if Mormons would pay attention to it rather than simply buying the party line.

The original hymn (An Angel from on High) was written by Parley P. Pratt (1807-1857) who was, in my opinion, one of the biggest sleazes in the early days of the Mormon Church as well as one of the biggest perpetrators of the lies that encompass Mormonism.  He was also one of the men who participated in both Polygamy and Polyandry.  In fact, he was murdered in 1857 by Hector McLean, the estranged husband of his 12th wife (Eleanor McLean) (estranged meaning they weren't divorced, so it was a polyandrous marriage). 

There is a lot of information about Parley P. Pratt on the internet.  Some people call him a religious martyr, and Brigham Young apparently thought of him in that category along with Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith, both of whom died in Carthage Jail.  But in my opinion, calling him a religious martyr is ridiculous.  Having been murdered by the estranged husband of a woman he had married and had helped to keep her children from their father does not make him a martyr.  In fact, Hector McLean pressed criminal charges against Parley P. Pratt, saying that he had aided Eleanor in the kidnapping of his children. The result of the subsequent trial (in Arkansas) was an acquittal due to lack of evidence. Shortly after his release, Pratt was shot and stabbed by Hector (on May 13, 1957) on a farm northeast of Van Buren, Arkansas.  Some writings, though, say that Hector was aided in the killing by at least two other men.  They have been otherwise characterized as "a small Arkansas band antagonistic toward Pratt's teachings," which in my opinion is a total fabrication designed by the Mormon faction.

From what I've read, Pratt's death may have also played a part in events that lead up to the Mountain Meadows Massacre a few months later.  There were a number of people in the party who were from Arkansas, and it was rumored that some present had participated in Pratt's murder.  Apparently, in this way members of the Mormon Church rationalized out the horrendous circumstances of the Mountain Meadows Massacre.

Interestingly, Parley P. Pratt was the great-great-grandfather of Mitt Romney, and the great-great-great grandfather of Jon Huntsman.  As mentioned above, Pratt practiced plural marriage and had 12 wives, 30 children, and 266 grandchildren.  In 2011, Pratt's living descendants were estimated to number between 30,000 and 50,000.

So much for background.  Here's my 113th LDS Hymn Parody.  My advice to TBMs is that the evidence really is there, so at least look at it - and consider it.  Really, a little bit of critical thinking goes a long way...

THE EVIDENCE IS THERE

Sung to the tune of An Angel from on High - #13

The evidence is there,
The facts are clear to see,
And no amount of prayer
Can change its history.
No, Mormonism is not true,
It was made up by Joseph Smith.
No, Mormonism is not true,
It was made up by Joseph Smith.

When I began to doubt
And question what they say,
I had to check it out,
And all the details weigh.
So as I researched carefully,
The lies were very clear to me.
So as I researched carefully,
The lies were very clear to me.

The lies are laced throughout,
Deception to the core.
There really is no doubt,
That’s why I closed the door.
They say have faith and just believe,
But all the while they do deceive.
They say have faith and just believe,
But all the while they do deceive.

No matter what they say,
It is a stack of lies.
And so I walked away,
With truth no compromise.
On Mormonism closed the door,
Deception I cannot ignore.
On Mormonism closed the door,
Deception I cannot ignore.

© Diane Tingen, 5/6/2015

I WON'T BACK DOWN - Another Tom Petty Song

Every once in a while, I get comments on my blog from TBMs who are "shocked" that I am speaking out against the Mormon Church as I am.  More often than not, though, those comments are posted anonymously so I can't respond to them directly (which I consider to be cowardly - after all, I've got my name all over this blog).  When that happens, I always post a reply comment hoping that they will return to see my response. But I rarely hear from them again, at least not in reply to my response.  

About a year ago, I actually got an email from a TBM 18-year-old boy who begged me to take down my blog, saying that I am slandering the religion that he loves - the "One True Church of God."  He asked me to please stop speaking out against the church, saying that I should respect their right to believe as they wish.  In response, I told him that I can't do that, explaining that I spent 52 years in the church only to discover that it is built on a stack of lies, and that I feel a need to speak my mind, to possibly help others who are either questioning or investigating the Mormon Church.  Over the course of about two weeks, we exchanged a number of emails - with him trying to convince me that I was wrong - and me telling him how he has been duped his entire life, pointing out the bogus doctrine and sordid history of the Mormon Church.  But he just kept arguing with me, telling me that I have been misled.  Sadly, at the time we were exchanging emails, this boy was preparing to go on a mission so that's probably where he is now.  But perhaps one day he'll open his eyes and realize that the Mormon Church is not the "One True Church of God," but rather that it was made up from the get-go by Joseph Smith for his own purposes including wanting to practice polygamy and marry 33 women (which consisted of 10 teenage girls and 11 women who were already married to living husbands).  In fact, he basically invented scriptures to bolster his position on that topic.  Of course, that's only one aspect of the deception because Mormon Doctrine is rife with bogus doctrines and is stained by its sordid history.

When I get these types of messages, I always think of the Tom Petty song - I Won't Back Down. No, I won't back down from my convictions simply because I am "shocking" TBMs or making them uncomfortable. And yes, you could literally "stand me up at the gates of hell, but I won't back down." Of course, most Mormons would prefer it if everyone who leaves their midst would just keep their opinions to themselves.  But IMO, that doesn't help anyone. I need to speak out, to voice my opinions, and to point out the actual facts and evidence that support my position. That is the purpose of this blog, and if only one person is intrigued enough by anything I say on this blog to do research on their own and find the actual truth, then I will feel like all my trouble has been worth it.

I WON’T BACK DOWN

Well I won't back down,

No, I won't back down,
You can stand me up at the gates of hell
But I won't back down.

No I’ll stand my ground,
Won't be turned around,
And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down,
Gonna stand my ground, and I won't back down.

[Chorus:]
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out,
Hey, I will stand my ground
And I won't back down.

Well, I know what's right,
I got just one life,
In a world that keeps on pushin' me around,
But I'll stand my ground, and I won't back down.

[Chorus:]
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out,
Hey, I will stand my ground
And I won't back down.

[Instrumental Interlude]

[Chorus:]
Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out,
Hey, I will stand my ground
And I won't back down.

Hey baby, there ain't no easy way out,
Hey, I will stand my ground,
And I won’t back down,
No, I won’t back down.

Tom Petty