Comments on: Top 10 Famous Hoaxes

By: Sherry

Sherry — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:03:03 +0000

While I’m not a “Creationist,” I also do not believe in an Exo & Helo creation or in other words, creation out of nothing. Who’s to say that Jehovah of the Old Testament didn’t cause “the Big Bang?” Matter is neither created nor destroyed, it is merely changed. A day to God, is not the same as it is to us. In the original Hebrew text, it was “creative periods” and “In the beginning” has the meaning of “this is where we begin our record.” There are many Hebrew words and phrases that just don’t translate well into English. They did the best they could with the alteratiions that had been made by Monk scribes who couldn’t read and write that well, or didn’t always like the way something sounded. Then there were other forces at play too. I recommend a three part series on how the King James Bible came to be called “The Fires of Faith.” Though it can be found on BYUtv.com, it is not an LDS (Mormon) film. It is quite well researched and very well put together. Anyway, I once heard it said: those who seek to find fault or be offended, they will succeed. “It is impossible to convince someone of something who is suffienciently determined not to believe it.” Richard Dawkins, Rick Santorium, The Taliban, environment killers like BP Oil, repeat drunken drivers, and some idiots in Congress come to mind.

By: Sherry

Sherry — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 23:28:58 +0000

Let’s not forget our minor scales either, of which for each key signature there are three types. As a Music Major, I don’t deny that several scales have 2 names. We recognize the scales as 12, because of the key signature. Transitions in music based on certain scale degrees make it prudent that “enharmonic tones” or notes that have two names, be named as such because of the original key signature on in which the original tone occurs. Btw, I’m a Convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. If the Book of Abraham is such an “embarrasment” to the Church, why is it still part of our Standard works of Scripture? The Book of Mormon has NEVER been definitively proven as false. It never will be either, just as the Bible won’t, though we know from historical fact that “books” of the Bible were removed during the Council of Nicea.

By: Are skeptics justified when they hoax researchers and the public? - Parapsychology and alternative medicine forums of mind-energy.net

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 00:55:45 +0000

[...] People hoax one another all the time. Which ones are proving a skeptical point and which ones not? Top 10 Famous Hoaxes Top 10 Most Famous UFO Hoaxes Top 10 Scientific Frauds and Hoaxes List of hoaxes – Wikipedia, [...]

By: DrWho

DrWho — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:42:46 +0000

Having just discovered this site and spent the past few hours
reading though all five pages of commentary, I now feel fully armed
and amply prepared to complete my PhD dissertation on The Humanities. Thank you 0ne and all!!

By: Cryptomundo » Mitt Romney Loses Bigfoot Vote

Cryptomundo » Mitt Romney Loses Bigfoot Vote — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:18:14 +0000

[...] As some political blogs and observers have noted, Romney, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, needs to be careful about using the word “hoax,” as it leaves him open to the talk by the Christian Right stating that the number one hoax of all time allegedly is the Book of Mormon (see Top Ten Famous Hoaxes). [...]

By: Danimal

Danimal — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:57:58 +0000

Leave it to atheists to always try and prove their brilliant view on religion in every possible situation. Spineless bottom dwellers, the whole lot.

By: Sme0149

Sme0149 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:20:46 +0000

Somebody really ought to define “cult” at some point. In the reflexes of Latinate languages, the term often means only the outward forms of a given set of beliefs (see, e.g., the 1993 Mexican Ley de Associaciones Religiosas y Culto Publico). Calling someone’s religion a “cult” is obviously supposed to be insulting (and quite out of place in honest discourse, scientific or historical. As soon as someone begins attacking belief systems with mere opinion (no background, no factual *****ysis, and a freight of uncritically accepted premises), believing his own world-view (and then, somehow, he himself) to be more important than his neighbor—and uses this view to justify pointless taunting and useless vitriol—well, the whole discussion breaks down into a mindless (and wholly unilluminating) Us-vs-Them artillery barrages. Ridicule and anger are the refuge of ignorant prejudice, not honest humanity. Please, don’t do this to each other.

By: Sme0149

Sme0149 — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 00:05:11 +0000

Your facts about us “Mormons” are erroneous. Have you ever read the Book of Mormon? (Mormon was a war leader in the 4th-century Americas, and a redactor of his culture’s records.) He, as we, are followers of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And we have no doubts about the authenticity of the Book because our beliefs are not the results of inductive experimentation; instead, we read and study and pray. God, the owner of all the real estate we live on and see in the night sky, kindly answers the request of the humble, and he simply tells us He is there and that His Son, Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten, really did authorize the young Joseph Smith’s translation of Mormon’s redaction. Anyone can talk to God; why don’t you read the Book and ask Him? Simply denouncing something is neither unbiased nor, indeed, even scientific. You see, you can sit around trying to figure out from the evidence available to your fingers and your eyes and ears, and you can come up with some very clever inferences as to, for example, someone actually lives in a particular house. I simply think you might actually accomplish something if you simple go up and ring the doorbell. . . .

By: Biggest hoax | Dminsitedemo

Biggest hoax | Dminsitedemo — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:47:11 +0000

[...] Top 10 Famous HoaxesAug 30, 2007 … Probably one of the biggest hoaxes to be perpetrated upon holidaymakers is the idea that anyone is interested in what you did on your holiday, … [...]

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:32:47 +0000

Joseph Smith, the founder of the LDS (Mormon) Church, did die for his beliefs and the ideas he put forth. However, if you go back to the beginning of when he began “translating” the Book of Mormon, the future hardships to come for his church were not realized or expected at that time. He had a strong interest in early American Indians and the remains that were left behind by these early inhabitants in the form of burial mounds and artifacts. The origins of the Native Americans were still somewhat mysterious and unknown in 19th century American, as more accurate theories on their origins would emerge later. The popular belief in the early 1800s was that the Indians were a remnant of the lost ten tribes of Israel which disappeared from the biblical record after the Assyrian conquest in 720 BC. Joseph also had interests in other religious ideas, rituals, and customs that were outside the box of the common and rigid 19th century Christian point of view. Furthermore he also practiced folk magic and occult rituals as an aide in locating buried treasure since metal detectors would not be invented for another hundred years. With these interests combined, Joseph was not just a simpleton who wanted to be a farmer for the rest of his life. He was a very persuasive salesman in manipulating others to go along with his visions and supposed golden plates discovery. He genuinely had a curiosity in other uncommon religious ideas and a yearning for wisdom of all things ancient that seemed to be beyond his grasp. As a result the Book of Mormon filled that void in his mind and attempted to “explain” the origins of the modern Native Americans, as well as chronicle their exploits. When the book was published he instantly became famous and his early followers also gained prominence. In the days before radio, movies, television, and the internet, religion was the primary pastime and reading from the bible was the most common leisure activity among the average person. It was also big business. Joseph knew this and eventually became one of the biggest celebrities in the United States constantly appearing in newspaper articles all over the country from 1830-1844. His flock grew with time due to his claims and fame by others who also had a thirst for ideas of ancient spiritual wisdom that were outside the box of the standard 19th century Christian view. The initial hoax of the Book of Mormon now took on a life of its own and consumed him. Joseph’s power and influence swelled his ego causing him to desire for more. It also resulted in him having to continue to demonstrate his abilities in translating ancient texts. The translation of the Egyptian papyrus resulting in the Book of Abraham further demonstrated his abilities. Since no one knew how to read ancient Egyptian in the 1840′s and presumably never would, he could make up whatever he wanted and claim to have actually translated it. He also attempted to translate the Kinderhook plates that were a brought to him by individuals who had faked them to try to expose Joseph as a fraud, but the translation was never published. His interest in Freemasonry, the Prophet Muhammad (whom Joseph also strongly emulated), Islam and the Quran, Kabbalah principles in the Zohar, learning to read Hebrew all demonstrate his continued interest in ancient wisdom in the years leading up to his assassination. Polygamy was a greedy side effect of his power and influence over his followers as he learned early on that he could threaten them with eternal damnation or death if they disobeyed his “divinely” received commandments. Ultimately he thought he was untouchable and held absolute power over his followers. He was church president, prophet, seer, mayor, commander of the Nauvoo Legion, college dean, translator, revelator, and supreme Mormon archaeological authority. The enemies of the church only helped increase his notoriety but posed no serious threat to his movement at first. However, the threat did grow greater as the years passed on for him and his followers. Also the threat of him being exposed as a fraud was ever increasing. The only options were to either move further west and live with his followers in exile on the frontier or tackle their enemies head on and run for President of the United States. He chose the latter. By destroying the print shop in Nauvoo of an anti Mormon newspaper, it landed him in jail. He probably thought he would get out off like he had done so many times before, but unexpectedly a mob showed up at the Carthage Jail during the night and assassinated him. He died a victim of his own hoax, as well as the fame, power, ego, and greed that came along with it. The Mormon Church survives due to people’s gullibility and ignorance in pursuit of further ancient religious wisdom no matter how sensational.