What do these images have in common?

[Hagoth]

FirePillar.jpg (197.89 KiB) Viewed 2423 times

Image on the left: Joseph Smith's family were extremely poor and struggling to pay their debts. They were in danger of losing their property because Joseph Sr. could not come up with the money to pay what he owed for the land. He was also unable to pay his debt for building materials for a house that his son Alvin was building on the property. A number of people in the region had experienced miraculous visitations from heavenly beings, which had helped launch them into preaching careers. Joseph Smith Jr. reported having such an experience, which led to him writing a book that he hoped would solve all of the family's financial problems. A few years later the Smith's owned land in Kirkland, and were running several businesses, including a store, a bank, a blessings-for-hire service and a mummy museum. They were living as a sort of royalty in Kirtland. By 2011 150 million copies of the Book of Mormon had been printed and many people still believe the narrative is literally true.

Image on the right: Travis Walton was a young logger who worked for his friend Mike Rogers on a contract to thin trees in the Sitgreaves National Forest in Arizona. Travis and his brother Dwayne supported their family with the money they earned from Rogers. In October of 1975 the logging team was far behind schedule, had asked for an extension and were just five days from the end of that extension. They would lose the contract and have to pay a large fine. A movie about the UFO abduction of Barney and Betty Hill had just made a huge splash on network TV. Just when things looked hopeless Travis was miraculously beamed up into an alien spacecraft. Travis and his friends got massive press coverage and won a cash prize from the National Enquirer. Before long Travis had published a book about his experience that he hoped would solve all of his financial problems. In 1993 the story was made into a movie called Fire in the Sky and many people still believe the narrative is literally true.

[slavereeno]

Wow, That's a little too close for comfort because I dedicated 40+ years of my life to one of those stories.

[Palerider]

So glad I finally got to see the light and didn't have to publish a book about it. My family is doing fine. My finances are in order.

You know that book thing might not be too bad of an idea....

How's this for a title:

Everything you always wanted to know about Joseph but were afraid to ask.

[moksha]

Big difference: Joseph Smith was not probed by any Heavenly Beings, as far as we know. Of course, in the 1820's few reported such probes due to the stigma involved. "What were you wearing when you were probed? Were your shoulders bare?"

[Hagoth]

Big difference: Joseph Smith was not probed by any Heavenly Beings, as far as we know. Of course, in the 1820's few reported such probes due to the stigma involved. "What were you wearing when you were probed? Were your shoulders bare?"

But he did get knocked down three times by a giant man-toad. That could be some kind of innuendo.