One of the most classical examples of yellow journalism by anti-Mormons is the (false) claim Mormonism teaches God had sex with Mary. I have refuted this a number of times, including the following:
I also discuss this in “Appendix 2: The Virginal Conception in Latter-day Saint Theology” in my book, Behold the Mother of My Lord: Towards a Mormon Mariology (pp. 184-207).
To give an example of the quote-mining critics often engage in to “prove” this, consider the following:
Brigham Young, the second President of the Church, had this to say concerning the birth of Christ:
The man Joseph, the husband of Mary, did not, that we know of, have more than one wife, but Mary the wife of Joseph had another husband. (Deseret News, October 1866). (Jerald and Sandra Tanner, Mormonism: Shadow or Reality? [5th ed.; Salt Lake City: Utah Lighthouse Ministry, 1987, 2008], 260)
The impression the Tanners wish to leave a reader is that Brigham affirmed that God had coitus with Mary. However, if one reads the very next few lines(!) one will find that Brigham denies the “God had coitus with Mary” interpretation:
On this account infidels have called the Savior a bastard. This is merely a human opinion upon which one of the inscrutable doings of the Almighty. That very babe that was cradled in the manger was begotten, not by Joseph, the husband of Mary, but by another Being. Do you inquire by whom? He was begotten by God, our Heavenly Father. This answer may suffice you--you need never inquire more upon that point. Jesus Christ is the only begotten of the Father, and He is the Savior of the world, and full of grace and truth. (source)
Here is an image of the quoted text from the Deseret News:
Notice what Brigham does say and also what he does not say:
· Brigham denies, rather strongly, that Jesus was not a bastard and that his conception was not the result of an unlawful union.
· Brigham affirms that the Father of Jesus was a real person, namely, God the Father.
· Brigham denies knowledge of the mechanics of the conception of Jesus; instead, he states that this knowledge is sufficient for our needs and one should not speculate beyond such--that is very odd if Brigham did believe God the Father had coitus with Mary, as the Tanners and other critics (falsely) charge Brigham and other Latter-day Saints of believing.
That the Tanners are guilty, not of being sloppy, but being intentionally deceptive is easily proven, as they reproduce vol. 11, p. 268 of the Journal of Discourses which is a reproduction of the very portion of Brigham's sermon which appeared in the 10 October 1866 issue of the Deseret News on the very next page (p. 261)!
