Formal Fallacies

Formal fallacies are arguments that are false due to errors in their technical structure. These types of arguments are specific types of non sequiturs .

The first of these formal fallacies is the ad hominem attack. Ad hominem attacks are attacks on the integrity of the messenger. Rather than argue their point, they argue the messenger's character. One of the more common attacks against the Church consists of attacks on Joseph Smith. He was lazy, he was always digging for gold, he was dishonest, he was a liar, he was an adulterer, etc.... The argument then goes that since Joseph Smith was (fill in the blank with any disreputable trait) , he is not a prophet.

None of these "alleged facts" is relevant to whether he was a prophet of God. Rather than attack the message, they attack the messenger. He never claimed to be perfect. We don't claim he was perfect. What we claim is that he was and is a Prophet of God. That is the message.

The reason enemies of the Church don't attack Joseph's status as a prophet is because he meets all of the scriptural requirements. Although uttering prophecies isn't a pre-requisite for being a prophet (see John the Baptist) the thousands of prophecies of Brother Joseph that have already been fulfilled make challenging Joseph on these points rather fruitless. So it's easier to attack Brother Joseph's charcter since there is no one alive who can refute them from first-hand knowledge.

The other charges are not relevent. Besides, they aren't even true.