If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?
In this scripture we learn that in order to be a prophet, the Lord must speak to him, he must receive revelations. This is not the only scripture that makes this point. Exodus 24:10, Exodus 33:11, Genesis 17:1, Genesis 48:3, Isaiah 6:1, Acts 7:55-56, 2 Peter 1:16, 1 Corinthians 9:1, 1 Samuel 3, Matthew 7:1-16, and Ezekiel 40:2-3 all teach this same principle.
No seeker after truth can reject such evidence as found in the Bible that prophets have revelations. At least no one who claims to be a Christian can reject it. Does Joseph Smith meet this requirement of a prophet? The answer is unequivically yes.
It will not do to simply say "I don't believe Joseph Smith is a prophet! I don't believe he had those revelations he claimed." Such a claim is not rooted in truth seeking. It is what logicians call a cognitive bias, specifically a bias in probability and belief. The point is that the scriptures teach that prophets have revelations. Joseph Smith claimed to have revelations. Therefore he passes the test. Whether he truly had revelations is another question that we can examine at another time. Logical tests of this nature always require a willingness to concede that the other party is telling the truth. To do otherwise makes all arguments exercises in futility and therefore fruitless.
Joseph Smith passes the first test of being a prophet; he had revelations.
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