10 of the Most Bizarre Mormon Beliefs - Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints - Thread

The below is from a anti-Mormon website but...do they really believe this? Joseph Smith certainly led an "interesting" life

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While most religious traditions have beliefs that are considered bizarre by those outside that faith, Mormons seem to have the most beliefs that are routinely rejected by non-Mormons because of their oddness or their ability to be disproved. Here is a countdown of 10 of the most unusual Mormon beliefs.

10. The earth is 7,000 years old. There is no official statement by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints about the age of the earth, but many Mormons (and many Christians of some sects) believe that the age of the earth is on the order of thousands of years rather than billions calculated by widely accepted scientific methods.

9. Mars and Venus have dry rivers. The dry rivers on Mars and Venus were the source of the flowing rivers on earth. The theory is that the dry rivers on Mars and Venus "match" the rivers on Earth and that proves that all three planets were organized from the same source.

8. Dinosaur bones come from other planets. LDS Church Institute instructors teach that fossilized dinosaur bones are from creatures that lived on other worlds that were destroyed in the creation of the earth.

7. Mormon scripture teaches that Cain, who killed his brother Abel, was so evil that God "cursed" him with black skin, thus creating the African race. In a related belief, though the LDS church has deemed any worthy male to be part of the priesthood, black males were not recognized in this capacity until 1978.

6. In cases of the sin of murder, the murder of the sinner and the mixing of his blood with the earth bring forgiveness. In 1977 after the U.S. Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty, Gary Gilmore chose to be executed by firing squad in Utah due to his belief in blood atonement.

5. In 1960, The Prophet Spencer W. Kimball taught that when Native Americans become Mormons their skin turns white. He said "The [Indian] children in the home placement program in Utah are often lighter than their brothers and sisters in the hogans on the reservation."

4. Also on the subject of Native Americans, the preface to the Book of Mormon from 1981 indicates that descendents of Lehi are a "remnant of the House of Israel" and were ancestors to American Indians. However, the DNA of Native Americans indicates an Asian origin.

3. When a marriage is sealed in the Temple, a husband can know his wife's celestial name, but she cannot know his. This is so that if he so chooses, he can resurrect her after her death by calling her celestial name.

2. Mormons believe that after the resurrection, Jesus visited America and there he performed miracles and taught.

1. Kolub is a star mentioned in the Book of Abraham as being closest to the throne of God. The Book of Abraham is canonized by the LDS church, Mormon fundamentalist organizations, and other LDS sects. Kolub inspired "Kobol" in Mormon Glen A. Larson's Battlestar Galactica universe.