The Church of Jesus Christ

Do you think that Monson will also announce that Mormonism has no historical basis and the temples are as empty as the high places of the Canaanites? I wonder how the Catholics are going to handle the Roman Temple? I might just be cheering the Pope on, on this one. Let’s pray for those that are lost under the spirit of Mormonism that they may come to stand on the firm foundation that is the Church.

via 5 new temples planned, LDS conference reveals - Los Angeles Times.

SALT LAKE CITY — Mormon church president Thomas S. Monson said today the church has plans to build five new temples worldwide, three abroad and two in the United States.

The temples are planned for Calgary, Canada; Cordoba, Argentina; Rome, Italy; Philadelphia and in the greater Kansas City, Mo. area.

Monson’s announcement came as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints opened its two-day semiannual General Conference. The event draws more than 100,000 to the faith’s downtown campus which includes the Salt Lake City Temple and the Salt Lake City Tabernacle, home of the renowned Tabernacle Choir.

The 13 million-member Utah-based church currently has 128 operating temples worldwide. Construction or plans for another 12 was already in the works before Saturday’s announcement.

Monson has dedicated three temples — in Curitiba, Brazil; Panama City, Panama; and Twin Falls, Idaho — since he was named the 16th church president in February.

Temples play an important role in the lives of Latter-day Saints. Only members in good standing may enter the towering white buildings, where members perform sacred religious ceremonies, including proxy baptisms and wedding ceremonies known as sealings.

Worldwide temple building is a legacy from 15th church president Gordon B. Hinckley, who began the effort so that members of the church outside the United States could more easily access the buildings to perform their religious rituals.

The locations selected for new temples reflect the growth of the church.

The Rome temple will be the church’s first in Italy and the twelfth in Europe. The Calgary temple will increase the number of temples in Canada to eight. The Cordoba temple will be the second Argentina and bring the total number of temples in Latin America to 34. There are 51 temples in the United States, according to a data on a church Web site.

Architecturally, temples are towering white buildings with tall steeples. Many are topped with a trumpet-blowing golden angel draped in flowing robes. The figure represents the angel Moroni, whom Mormons believe led church founder Joseph Smith to a set of buried golden plates that, when translated, became known as the Book of Mormon, the faith’s central text.

This is the last of the series of posts on Mormonism for this week. (It does not mean that I will not revisit the topic from time to time.) The Mormon religion was founded by a con man with very little on his mind but money, power, and control over women. He and his disciples essentially created ritualized adultery and corrupted the traditional view of marriage. If the roots are corrupt, how can the tree not be poisonous? I have not included all of the quotes, as some of them are more lewd that I would want on this blog. I advise you that although these sayings are the Truth of Mormonism, they are not easy to digest. They are filled with  allowances of incest, pedophilia, adultery, and polygamy.

From Rethinking Mormonism:

The Restoration Means God Leads the Mormon Church

“Through living prophets, Christ is leading this church today. The greatest security of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comes from learning to listen to and obey the words and commandments that the Lord has given through living prophets. I would hope that the world would understand the importance of having a living prophet on earth today… Their purpose is to bring us the will of the Lord for our times.“

” I give my testimony that the prophets of this day have the qualities of the prophets of old and the other prophets of this dispensation. Each of these prophets has humbly and prayerfully sought to know and follow God’s will in his personal ministry. We declare with soberness, and yet with the authority of God in us vested, we have a prophet today. The President of the Church, as a prophet, is God’s representative on earth and is appointed to lead His church. Christ is the head of his Church today, just as he was in ancient times. The Lord has said that this is ‘the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased‘ (D&C 1:30).”
-Apostle Robert D. Hales, “Hear the Prophet’s Voice and Obey,” Ensign, May 1995, Page 15

Now look what those leaders have done over the last 150 years…

The following historical events regarding sex and marriage in the church have been compiled from the extensive historical church chronology from D. Michael Quinn’s book “The Mormon Hierarchy : Extensions of Power” For references, refer to the book.

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By Bob McCue

My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, wash, and be clean?
2 Kings 5:10

Introduction

This essay is written as part of my ongoing attempt to understand my religious experience as a faithful member of the Mormon Church, and in the hope that it will shorten the learning curve of others who will come behind me along the same path.

The leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (the “Church”, the “Mormon Church” or the “LDS Church”) are aware of a great deal of persuasive evidence that is relevant to the evaluation of the Church’s foundational claims. The questions to which this evidence relates include things like whether Joseph Smith translated, as that term is ordinarily understood, physical golden plates into the Book of Mormon, or did he have some kind of mystic experience that gave rise to that book? And what was the nature of the experience Mormons know as the “First Vision”? Did Joseph see God the Father and the Jesus Christ and receive a certain clearly defined mandate from them, as he indicated in an account given near the end of his life, or did any of the other various conflicting things he said about that experience occur instead of, or in addition to, what is now contained in the official account?

And how about the chapters in Mormon history euphemistically labelled “Lying for the Lord”? These chronicle the fact that Joseph Smith lied for almost ten years over the pulpit, in private, in the news papers etc. by saying that he did not participate in polygamy and the fact that for close to 15 years between 1890 and 1905 many other Church leaders did the same thing while pretending to obey U.S. federal authority respecting the requirement that Mormons not practise polygamy while almost all of the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency were authorizing or participating in polygamous marriage sealings.

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From Rethinking Mormonsim:

“Jesus ’so loved the world that he gave his own life, that as many as would believe might become the sons of God.’ Indeed, the Father and the Son are one-in purpose and love.“

“Divine love is also conditional. While divine love can be called perfect, infinite, enduring, and universal, it cannot correctly be characterized as unconditional. The word does not appear in the scriptures. On the other hand, many verses affirm that the higher levels of love the Father and the Son feel for each of us-and certain divine blessings stemming from that love-are conditional.“

“Understanding that divine love and blessings are not truly ‘unconditional’ can defend us against common fallacies such as these: ‘Since God’s love is unconditional, He will love me regardless …’; or ‘Since ‘God is love,’ He will love me unconditionally, regardless …’ These arguments are used by anti-Christs to woo people with deception.“

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Tip to the hat to Jessica for posting this video first.

This might not be CSI, but if you have no DNA evidence, then you don’t have a case for Mormonism.

If Mormons Are Christians, Then Am I A Mormon? « i love mormons.

Love the quote…

“If we have the truth, it cannot be harmed by investigation. If we have not the truth, it ought to be harmed.” -J. Reuben Clark, D. Michael Quinn: The Church Years. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Press, 1983, p. 24.

INVESTIGATING MORMONISM.

If you are investigating Mormonism (the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” or “LDS Church”), you are probably studying it in private meetings in your home with missionaries from that church. Here are some of the key things that they are probably telling you:

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From Rethinking Mormonism:

“It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.“
(D&C 131:6)

How many Mormons are ignorant about their own faith?

How many Mormons know these critical truths about Mormonism:

• The official First Vision story was not written by Joseph Smith and was produced decades after the event supposedly occurred. Details

• Smith did not use the “Urim and Thumim” to dictate any part of the Book of Mormon text we have today. Details

• Mormon leaders, including Smith, described the Moroni visit as a “dream” until 1831, the year after the church was organized. Details

• Almost 20 years before Joseph Smith produced the Book of Mormon, his father coincidentally had a dream nearly identical to the narrative of “Lehi’s Dream” in the Book of Mormon. Details

• Smith practiced polygamy while he was alive, secretly marrying teenagers and women who were already married. Details

• Smith testified many times that he was coerced into secret polygamous marriages by an “angel with a sword.” Details

• Smith removed his garments before he went to Carthage Jail and told all of the other polygamists to do the same. Details

• There have been major alterations in the temple endowment and to the temple covenants. Death-oath covenants and whole doctrinal sections were changed as recently as 1990. Details

• The scrolls Joseph Smith “translated” into the Book of Abraham have been identified by Egyptologists — including LDS scholars — as common, pagan Egyptian burial documents, that do not mention Abraham and have no connection to the contents of the Book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price. Details

• Early Mormon African-Americans were ordained to the Priesthood until Brigham Young became prophet. Details

• Soon after the first printing, Joseph Smith tried to sell the copyright to the Book of Mormon. Details

• Mormon teachings regarding a “Celestial Kingdom” and “three degrees of glory” come from a 17th-century Christian author. Details

• The overwhelming DNA evidence shows that all pre-Columbian native Americans are descendants from Asia and have no connection to Jews or the middle east. Details

• The Mormon Church has a legacy of bashing Christians and Christianity. Details
• Joseph Smith did not give his life as an innocent martyr. A recent church film depicting Smith’s death leaves out the fact that he shot three men and used a Masonic distress call moments before he died. Details

Granted, none of these are “testimony killers” nor are they meant to be. There are some people, especially the Mormon apologists and historians, who know these facts. But the point is, the vast majority of Mormons do not learn these things from the church.

But aren’t these facts relevant to the truthfulness of the church’s other claims?

Is the average Mormon informed enough to make an intelligent decision about the church, or are they kept in ignorance?

Does the church really think “it is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance?”

Continuing our series on Mormonism, we examine some of their fundamental beliefs.

From here.

1. Is There More Than One True God?

The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that there is only one True and Living God and apart from Him there are no other Gods (Deuteronomy 6:4; Isaiah 43:10,11; 44:6,8; 45:21,22; 46:9; Mark 12:29-34).

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that there are many Gods (Book of Abraham 4:3ff), and that we can become gods and goddesses in the celestial kingdom (Doctrine and Covenants 132:19-20; Gospel Principles, p. 245; Achieving a Celestial Marriage, p. 130). It also teaches that those who achieve godhood will have spirit children who will worship and pray to them, just as we worship and pray to God the Father (Gospel Principles, p. 302).

2. Was God Once a Man Like Us?

The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that God is Spirit (John 4:24; 1 Timothy 6:15,16), He is not a man (Numbers 23:19; Hosea 11:9; Romans 1:22, 23), and has always (eternally) existed as God — all powerful, all knowing, and everywhere present (Psalm 90:2; 139:7-10; Isaiah 40:28; Luke 1:37).

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that God the Father was once a man like us who progressed to become a God and has a body of flesh and bone (Doctrine and Covenants 130:22; “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens!” from Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 345-347; Gospel Principles, p. 9; Articles of Faith, p. 430; Mormon Doctrine, p. 321). Indeed, the Mormon Church teaches that God himself has a father, and a grandfather, ad infinitum (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 373; Mormon Doctrine, p. 577).

3. Are Jesus and Satan Spirit Brothers?

The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that Jesus is the unique Son of God; he has always existed as God, and is co-eternal and co-equal with the Father (John 1:1, 14; 10:30; 14:9; Colossians 2:9). While never less than God, at the appointed time He laid aside the glory He shared with the Father (John 17:4, 5; Philippians 2:6-11) and was made flesh for our salvation; His incarnation was accomplished through being conceived supernaturally by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:34-35).

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that Jesus Christ is our elder brother who progressed to godhood, having first been procreated as a spirit child by Heavenly Father and a heavenly mother; He was later conceived physically through intercourse between Heavenly Father and the virgin Mary (Achieving a Celestial Marriage, p. 129; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 546-547; 742). Mormon doctrine affirms that Jesus and Lucifer are brothers (Gospel Principles, pp. 17-18; Mormon Doctrine, p. 192).

4. Is the Godhead a plurality?

The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost are not separate Gods or separate beings. Throughout the New Testament the Son and the Holy Spirit, as well as the Father are separately identified as and act as God (Son: Mark 2:5-12; John 20:28; Philippians 2:10,11; Holy Spirit: Acts 5:3,4; 2 Corinthians 3:17,18; 13:14).

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are three separate Gods (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 370; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 576-577), and that the Son and Holy Ghost are the literal offspring of Heavenly Father and a celestial wife (Joseph Fielding McConkie, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, vol. 2, p. 649).

5. Was The Sin Of Adam and Eve a Great Evil Or a Great Blessing?

The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the disobedience of our first parents Adam and Eve was a great evil. Through their fall sin entered the world, bringing all human beings under condemnation and death. Thus we are born with a sinful nature, and will be judged for the sins we commit as individuals. (Ezekiel 18:1-20; Romans 5:12-21).

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that Adam’s sin was “a necessary step in the plan of life and a great blessing to all of us” (Gospel Principles, p. 33; Book of Mormon — 2 Nephi 2:25; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, pp. 114-115).

6. Can We Make Ourselves Worthy Before God? The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that apart from the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross we are spiritually “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1,5) and are powerless to save ourselves. By grace alone, apart from self-righteous works, God forgives our sins and makes us worthy to live in His presence (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-6). Our part is only to cling to Christ in heartfelt faith. (However, it is certainly true that without the evidence of changed conduct, a person’s testimony of faith in Christ must be questioned; salvation by grace alone through faith, does not mean we can live as we please — Romans 6:1-4).

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that eternal life in the presence of God (which it terms “exaltation in the celestial kingdom”) must be earned through obedience to all the commands of the Mormon Church, including exclusive Mormon temple rituals. Works are a requirement for salvation (entrance into the “celestial kingdom”) — Gospel Principles, p. 303-304; Pearl of Great Price — Third Article of Faith; Mormon Doctrine, pp. 339, 671; Book of Mormon — 2 Nephi 25:23).

7. Does Christ’s Atoning Death Benefit Those Who Reject Him?

The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the purpose of the atoning work of Christ on the cross was to provide the complete solution for humankind’s sin problem. However, those who reject God’s grace in this life will have no part in this salvation but are under the judgment of God for eternity (John 3:36; Hebrews 9:27; 1 John 5:11-12).

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that the purpose of the atonement was to bring resurrection and immortality to all people, regardless of whether they receive Christ by faith. Christ’s atonement is only a partial basis for worthiness and eternal life, which also requires obedience to all the commands of the Mormon church, including exclusive Mormon temple rituals (Gospel Principles, pp. 74-75; Mormon Doctrine, p. 669).

8. Is The Bible The Unique and Final Word of God?

The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the Bible is the unique, final and infallible Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1,2; 2 Peter 1:21) and that it will stand forever (1 Peter 1:23-25). God’s providential preservation of the text of the Bible was marvelously illustrated in the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that the Bible has been corrupted, is missing many “plain and precious parts” and does not contain the fullness of the Gospel (Book of Mormon — 1 Nephi 13:26-29; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 3, pp. 190-191).

9. Did The Early Church Fall Into Total Apostasy?

The Bible teaches and orthodox Christians through the ages have believed that the true Church was divinely established by Jesus and could never and will never disappear from the earth (Matthew 16:18; John 15:16; 17:11). Christians acknowledge that there have been times of corruption and apostasy within the Church, but believe there has always been a remnant that held fast to the biblical essentials.

By contrast, the Mormon Church teaches that there was a great and total apostasy of the Church as established by Jesus Christ; this state of apostasy “still prevails except among those who have come to a knowledge of the restored gospel” of the Mormon Church (Gospel Principles, pp. 105-106; Mormon Doctrine, p. 44).

Bible and Book of Mormon Contradictions.

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Contradictions in LDS Scriptures

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First, the easy stuff that we can get anywhere off the world wide web.

The Book of Mormon contradicts ITSELF and the Bible.

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From, Rethinking Mormonism:

Question: “Is this the teaching of the church today, that God the Father was once a man like we are?”

Hinckley: “I don’t know that we teach it. I don’t know that we emphasize it. I haven’t heard it discussed for a long time in public discourse. I don’t know. I don’t know all the circumstances under which that statement was made. I understand the philosophical background behind it. But I don’t know a lot about it and I don’t know that others know a lot about it.“
- Interviewing Gordon B. Hinckley, Time Magazine, Aug 4, 1997
http://home.teleport.com/~packham/gbh-god.htm

Question: “Don’t Mormons believe that God was once a man?”

Hinckley: “I wouldn’t say that. There was a little couplet coined, “As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.” Now that’s more of a couplet than anything else.“
- Interviewing Gordon B. Hinckley, San Francisco Chronicle, April 13, 1997, p 3/Z1

Church apologists explain Hinckley’s public statements:

“The real question should be, is President Snow’s couplet an accurate reflection of LDS doctrine? Everything Latter-day Saints teach about God is in agreement with the rest of the Christian world, with the exception of His nature. Joseph Smith said God is in the same form as we are, because we were created in His image as the Bible plainly and clearly tells us… But again, we do not emphasize Heavenly Father’s past, but the possibility of our future.
- The Foundation for Apologetic Information & Research (FAIR)

From this Mormon apologist rhetoric, you’d think that fundamental Mormon doctrine does not include God once being a man.

What has the Mormon Church consistently taught as doctrine from 1844 to 2005?

“God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted Man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens. That is the great secret… It is the first principle of the Gospel to know for a certainty the character of God and to know…that he was once a man like us. Here, then, is eternal life–to know that only wise and true God, and you have got to learn how to become Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the same as all Gods have done before you. .. God himself, the father of us all dwelt on an earth the same as Jesus Christ.“
- The Prophet Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 342-345, also quoted heavily by the church, see Gospel Principles, Chapter 47.

“The idea that the Lord our God is not a personage of tabernacle is entirely a mistaken notion. He was once a man. Brother Kimball quoted a saying of Joseph the Prophet, that he would not worship a God who had not a Father; and I do not know that he would if be had not a mother; the one would be as absurd as the other. If he had a Father, he was made in his likeness. And if he is our Father we are made after his image and likeness. He once possessed a body, as we now do; and our bodies are as much to us, as his body to him. Every iota of this organization is necessary to secure for us an exaltation with the Gods.“
- Prophet Brigham Young, True Character of God, Salt Lake Tabernacle, February 23, 1862, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 9, p.286

“What, is it possible that the Father of Heights, the Father of our spirits, could reduce himself and come forth like a man? Yes, he was once a man like you and I are and was once on an earth like this, passed through the ordeal you and I pass through. He had his father and his mother and he has been exalted through his faithfulness, and he is become Lord of all. He is the God pertaining to this earth. He is our Father. He begot our spirits in the spirit world. They have come forth and our earthly parents have organized tabernacles for our spirits and here we are today. That is the way we came.
- Prophet Brigham Young, 14 July 1861, Recorded in “The Essential Brigham Young”, p.138

“On the other hand, the whole design of the gospel is to lead us onward and upward to greater achievement, even, eventually, to godhood. This great possibility was enunciated by the Prophet Joseph Smith in the King Follet sermon (see Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pp. 342-62); and emphasized by President Lorenzo Snow. It is this grand and incomparable concept: As God now is, man may become!
- Prophet Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference, October 1994

“Many religions teach that human beings are children of God, but often their conception of Him precludes any kind of bond resembling a parent-child relationship. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught of a much simpler and more sensible relationship: “God himself was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens! That is the great secret. If the veil were rent today, and the great God who holds this world in its orbit … was to make himself visible … , you would see him like a man in form—like yourselves in all the person, image, and very form as a man; for Adam was created in the very fashion, image and likeness of God, and received instruction from, and walked, talked and conversed with Him, as one man talks and communes with another.””
- “Strengthening the Family: Created in the Image of God, Male and Female,” Ensign, Jan. 2005, 48

“The doctrine that God was once a man and has progressed to become a God is unique to this church.“
- Official LDS Lesson Manual, 1997, page 34, “The Teachings of Brigham Young”

“God the Father and His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, are glorified, exalted, resurrected, beings, and from the moment of the appearance of the Father and the Son to Joseph Smith, we have known their true nature.”
- Offical LDS publication, Ensign, June 1998, Apostle Russell Ballard, “Building Bridges of Understanding”

“That exalted position was made manifest to me at a very early day. I had a direct revelation of this. It was most perfect and complete. If there ever was a thing revealed to man perfectly, clearly, so that there could be no doubt or dubiety, this was revealed to me, and it came in these words: “As man now is, God once was; as God now is, man may be.” This may appear to some minds as something very strange and remarkable, but it is in perfect harmony with the teachings of Jesus Christ and with His promises.”
- Prophet Lorenzo R. Snow, Unchangeable Love of God, Sunday, September 18, 1898.

“We all know that like begets like and that for the offspring to grow to the stature of his parent is a process infinitely repeated in nature. We can therefore understand that for a son of God to grow to the likeness of his Father in heaven is in harmony with natural law. We see this law demonstrated every few years in our own experience. Sons born to mortal fathers grow up to be like their fathers in the flesh. This is the way it will be with spirit sons of God. They will grow up to be like their Father in heaven. Joseph taught this obvious truth. As a matter of fact, he taught that through this process God himself attained perfection. From President Snow’s understanding of the teachings of the Prophet on this doctrinal point, he coined the familiar couplet: “As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.” This teaching is peculiar to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.“
- Elder Marion G. Romney, General Conference, October 1964

“We often say, and you have heard the expression as it has already been referred to in this conference, that “as man now is, God once was, and as God now is, man may become.” The only way man may become as God now is, is through fulfilling the laws of celestial marriage and the laws of the gospel, as I have just read to you the word of the Lord from the D&C. Can we afford to overlook such opportunities for exaltation? Temple marriage is not just another form of church wedding; it is a divine covenant with the Lord that if we are faithful to the end, we may become as God now is.”
- Elder Eldred G. Smith (Patriarch to the Church), General Conference, October 1948

“Mormonism be it true or false, holds out to men the greatest inducements that the human mind can grasp. And so it does… It teaches men that they can become divine, that man is God in embryo, that God was once man in mortality, and that the only difference between Gods, angels and men is a difference in education and development. Is such a religion to be sneered at? It teaches that the worlds on high, the stars that glitter in the blue vault of heaven, are kingdoms of God, that they were once earths like this, that they have been redeemed and glorified by the same laws, the same principles that are applied to this planet, and by which it will ascend to a perfected and glorified state. It teaches that these worlds are peopled with human beings, God’s sons and daughters, and that every husband and father, may become an Adam, and every wife and mother an Eve, to some future planet.”
- Orson F. Whitney, Divine Evidences of Truthfulness, Y.M.M.I.A. Annual Conference, June 9th, 1895.

“So the Prophet Joseph Smith, in this age, has added to this truth by the assertion that “As man is God once was, and that as He is man may became,” because He is our Father, and like begets like, and inherent within us are the attributes of divinity that shall lead us into perfection, which Christ intended His Saints to attain unto.”
- Elder Joseph E. Robinson, General Conference, April 1912

“God our Heavenly Father is still progressing. While He knows all that is, all that has been, and possibly all things that He designs for the future and what will be in the future, yet He is constantly adding to His dominion, constantly increasing His power, constantly developing in His resources and in His glorious aspirations. This, at least, is our understanding of the condition of our Father in heaven. The thought has been expressed and accepted as a truth, that as we are now, God has been, and as God is now we may be; and if we admit this to be a truth-and I have no disposition to dispute it-then I repeat that even God our Heavenly Father has not reached the ultimatum of His greatness, His power, or His capacity, but that He is continually increasing and expanding in power, in dominion, in glory and in greatness, if I may be permitted to use such terms as these which some people who know no better would call blasphemous, in connection with the Supreme Being, the Father of us all.
- Prophet Joseph F. Smith, Sustaining Each Other in the Gospel, Sunday, February 16, 1896.

“We are His children in Very deed, having been born of Him in the spirit, and we have inherited the very attributes which he possesses. They are in us, and they make us God’s embryo, We believe that as we are now God once was, and by the practice of virtue and righteousness, by obedience unto law and authority, He has become what He is, and as He is, man may become, on the same principle.”
- Elder Goege F. Richards, General Conference, April 1913

“The doctrine of the relationship between God and men, as made plain through the word of revelation, is today as it was of old, though in the light of later scripture we are enabled to read the meaning more clearly. It is provided that we, the sons and daughters of God, may advance until we become like unto our Eternal Father and our Eternal Mother, in that we may become perfect in our spheres as they are in theirs. That grand truth, taught by the Prophet Joseph and ridiculed for the time, has now gripped the minds of the thinkers and philosophers of the age… It was crystallized into what we may call an aphorism, by President Lorenzo Snow: ‘As man is God once was; as God is man may be’.”
- Elder James E. Talmage, General Conference, April 1915

“I don’t understand that the Mormon doctrine, announced by President Lorenzo Snow, and so often quoted by us: “As man is God once was, and as God is man may become” means that all men are going to become what God is, not by any manner of means. It is possible they may become; yes, when men keep and obey the fulness of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. I understand, my brethren and sisters, this great scheme of our Father contemplates that the privilege of gaining celestial glory has been extended to nearly all of his children. There are a very few in the world who are barred from all the privileges. Evidently according to the revelations of the Lord, those races and divisions existing among us now, existed before we came into this world, and some had failed to carry out the will of God and to conform to his plans in their former life to prove themselves worthy to receive the highest of privileges, namely, salvation in the celestial kingdom of our God.”
- Elder Melvin J. Ballard, General Conference, October 1917

“Mormon prophets have continuously taught the sublime truth that God the Eternal Father was once a mortal man who passed through a school of earth life similar that through which we are now passing. He became God - an exalted being - through obedience to the same eternal Gospel truths that we are given opportunity today to obey.”
- Elder Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, p 104

“It is a Mormon truism that is current among us and we all accept it, that as man is God once was and as God is man may become. That does not signify that man will become God. I am sorry to say, and yet it is a truth, that not many men will become what God is, simply because they will not pay the price, because they are not willing to live up to the requirements; and still all men may, if they will, become what God is, but only those who are heirs of the celestial glory shall ever be possible candidates, to become what God is.”
- Elder Melvin J. Ballard, General Conference, April 1921

“We believe that God is a personal being. By a personal being, we mean that he is a man–an exalted man. Approximately one hundred years ago, soon after Lorenzo Snow became a member of the true Church of Jesus Christ, he formulated a remarkable couplet which has since that time become famous. He said: “As man is, God once was; as God is, man may become.” (Lorenzo Snow, The Millennial Star 54:404.) Time and time again during the period of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Prophet Joseph Smith, various evidences were given to him sustaining, amplifying, and explaining the personality of God. If time would permit, many excellent quotations could be cited from the D&C which would help to describe the personality of our Eternal Father.”
- Elder Milton R. Hunter, General Conference, October 1948

“We remember the numerous scriptures which, concentrated in a single line, were said by a former prophet, Lorenzo Snow: “As man is, God once was; and as God is, man may become.” This is a power available to us as we reach perfection and receive the experience and power to create, to organize, to control native elements. How limited we are now! We have no power to force the grass to grow, the plants to emerge, the seeds to develop.”
- Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, General Conference, April 1977

What We Believe About God:

1. God is Our Heavenly Father
   “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?” (Hebrews 12:9)
   • Before we were born on earth we lived with him as spirits.
   • He is the father of our spirits and we are his children.
   • Our bodies were created in his image.
2. God is a Member of the Godhead
   (See D&C 130:22-23)
   • There are three separate beings that make up the Godhead: God (our Heavenly Father), Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost
   • The members of the Godhead are ONE in purpose
3. God Has a Body of Flesh and Bones
   “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s…” (D&C 130:22)
   • He has an eternal, perfect, physical body of flesh and bones.
   • He does not have blood like mankind.
4. God is Perfect and He Loves Us
   “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
   • He is a perfect being and we have been commanded to become like him.
   • He loves everyone of us.
5. God Created All Things
   “God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 3:9)
   • Through Jesus Christ, he created all things.
   • He is the ruler of the universe and all things in it.
6. God is Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent
   “Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.” (Psalms 147:5)
   • He is all powerful.
   • He knows all things, past, present and future.
   • Through the power of his Spirit he can be everywhere.
7. God Can Be Seen
   “But now mine own eyes have beheld God; but not my natural, but my spiritual eyes, for my natural eyes could not have beheld; for I should have withered and died in his presence; but his glory was upon me; and I beheld his face, for I was transfigured before him.” (Moses 1:11)
   • A person without sin can see God.
   • To see God a person must be transfigured: changed by the Spirit to a state of glory.
8. Other Names Of God:
   • Elohim/Eloheim
   • Creator
   • Supreme Governor
   • Supreme Being
   • Father of Mankind

Mormonism does not fall without the outlines of any form of Christianity. It’s ‘Trinity’ is three separate and distinct entities, who are united only in purpose. It’s God was once like Man, and still carries flesh and bones, is married, and is producing spirit children with the heavenly mother.

Most of Mormonism may be summed up in three different categories:

• American Exceptionalism
• Free-Masonry (do not read conspiracy here; the fact is, is that Smith plagiarized nearly everything that was within his reach )
• Over emphasis on the intimate relationship between a husband and his wife. (Note the emphasis on heavenly marriage, the heavenly marriage bed, and early polygamy.

Some of the viler Mormon beliefs concerning gender and gender roles is announced by Stephen Kimbell, one of the prophets of the Mormon Church. He has been quoted as saying

Also far-reaching is the effect of the loss of chastity. Once given or taken or stolen it can never be regained.Even in a forced contact such as rape or incest, the injured one is greatly outraged. If she has not cooperated and contributed to the foul deed, she is of course in a more favorable position. There is no condemnation where there is no voluntary participation. It is better to die in defending one’s virtue than to live having lost it without a struggle.”
- Prophet Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, page 196

Kimball says that in the case of a woman being raped, that “it is better to die in defending one’s virtue than to live having lost it without a struggle.” So, in other words, if a woman is raped and lived, she didn’t fight hard enough? She is actually better off dead?

The Thirteen Articles of Faith

Basic Mormon beliefs are expressed in the “Thirteen Articles of Faith,” which were listed by Joseph Smith when he was asked about the basic beliefs of the Church. [1]

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

American Exceptionalism, perhaps a hold over from the British-Israelite movement, was the scene in which not only the Book of Mormon developed, but the entire Mormon religion as well. Joseph Smith took the political theories of the day (Manifest Destiny) as termed them into religious practices, such as the idea that Missouri is Eden/Zion. The BoM paints a picture of ‘America’ as the Promised Land while seeing significant events in American History as preludes to Mormonism.

The Book of Mormon describes a vast pre-Columbian culture that supposedly existed for centuries in North and South America. It goes into amazingly specific detail describing the civilizations erected by the “Nephites” and “Lamanites,” who were Jews that fled Palestine in three installments, built massive cities in the New World, farmed the land, produced works of art, and fought large-scale wars which culminated in the utter destruction of the Nephites in A.D. 421. The Mormons revere the BoM as the divinely-inspired record of those people and of Christ’s appearance to them shortly after his crucifixion in Jerusalem, a belief itself that denies the angel’s decree as Christ ascended. There is also the total lack of historical and archaeological evidence to support the Book of Mormon, unlike the Bible (One may differ over the inerrancy of the Bible, but the historical peoples have been verified as well as many of the ancient battles. Megiddo’s history comes to mind, as well as Hezekiah’s seige). For example, when the cataclysmic last battle fought between the Nephites and Lamanites was over, it supposedly destroyed the entire civilization, leaving on Moroni to clean it up. Hundreds of thousands of men and beasts allegedly perished in that battle, and the ground was strewn with weapons and armor. 421 is just yesterday in archaeological terms. It should be easy to locate and retrieve copious evidence of such a battle, and there hasn’t been enough time for the weapons and armor to turn to dust. The Bible tells of similar battles which took place long before 421, and these battles have been well documented by archeological evidence. (Faith without reason is fantasy)

The BoM does have other errors as well:

• The lack of any correlation between locations described in the Book of Mormon and American archaeological sites.

• References to animals, plants and technologies in the Book or Mormon that did not exist in pre-Columbian America.

• The lack of any linguistic connection between any Native American language or language family and any Near Eastern language or language family.

• The absence of any DNA evidence linking Native Americans with descendants of Israel.

From Wikipedia,

The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the churches in the Latter Day Saint movement. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr. as The Book of Mormon: An Account Written by the Hand of Mormon upon Plates Taken from the Plates of Nephi.^[1] According to Smith, the book was originally written in an otherwise unknown language called Reformed Egyptian on what appeared to be golden plates that he discovered in 1823 and then translated. The plates, Smith said, had been buried in a hill near his home in Manchester, New York, where he found them by the guidance of an angel named Moroni.

Summary of theories on the origin of the Book of Mormon

There are differing views on the origin of the Book of Mormon.

1. Joseph Smith’s own account that he translated an ancient record compiled and abridged by Mormon, a pre-Columbian resident of the Western Hemisphere who recorded the spiritual history of generations of his people, and the teachings of their ancestors, the Hebrews.
2. Joseph Smith as the sole author, without external assistance. These theories assume that Smith was educated and intelligent enough to have produced the work on his own. One line of thinking proposed by several authors is that the Book of Mormon is a “primary source” reflecting events in Smith’s own life.^[1]
3. Joseph Smith as a plagiarist of contemporaries. There are two main theories representing this point-of-view: the View of the Hebrews theory,^[2] and the Spalding-Rigdon theory.^[3]
4. One of Smith’s associates as the author, who then allowed Smith to take the credit.
5. The work is a divinely inspired narrative regardless of its historicity (i.e. “inspired fiction”).^[4]
6. The work is not a divinely inspired narrative. This view has been held by many Christian churches since the appearance of the Book of Mormon.
7. The book was written by Joseph Smith through a process known as “automatic writing.”^[5]

I found this on an old PDF file that I have.

The Book of Mormon - Brief Overview

First wave of immigrants to America in 2,250 BC when a group of Jaredites left the area of the Tower of Babel. But great civil war ensued here in America, and all but one of them died. Second wave of immigrants: Lehi, a Jewish prophet and his son Nephi arrived in 600 BC in South America. Nephi and his brother Laman had family members that rebelled against God and God cursed them with black skin [II Nephi 5:21]. The Book of Mormon therefore claims that American natives were descended from the Jews. The other descendents of Nephi built large civilizations and were visited by Jesus in AD 34. A large battle in AD 385 killed everyone of these people except Moroni, the son of Mormon. This battle occurred near hill Cumorah where Joseph apparently found the golden plates.

“The Golden Plates”
Sept 21, 1823, Moroni visits 17 year old Joseph Smith and tells him where a set of Golden plates
delivered by Jesus during the three days between His death and resurrection, and shortly thereafter. He
apparently delivered them to the ancient inhabitants of America. Smith found the plates the next day, but was forbidden by Moroni for exactly 4 years from taking them.

Shortly after marrying Emma Hale, he began work on translating these large Golden plates with two
magic stones, The Urim and the Thummim. Also, very large spectacles were found with the plates. One lense was apparently about the size of his head. The plates were fashioned together, according to Smith, like a book with golden wires.

Smith undertook the translation in private, behind a curtain, and for some time apparently no one saw
the plates [Mormons now claim that 11 men saw the plates] A New York farmer named Martin Harris planned to pay for the publishing of the book. But he first took copies of some of Smith’s translations to Professor Charles Anthon of Columbia University. Smith claimed that Anthon give kudos to the translation of the “reformed Egyptian hieroglyphics”, Chaldaic, Assyriac, and Arabic letters. But Professor Anthon wrote a lengthy letter calling the entire thing a hoax. Upon hearing of the entire story, he deemed it a scheme by Smith to cheat the farmer of his money. The Professor gave his opinion in writing to the farmer. The farmer still supported Smith and mortgaged his farm to cover the expenses.

Mormons today claim that the Professor at first gave a certificate “authenticating” the characters, but
when he learned that they came from an angel, he took it back and destroyed it. The Reformed Church of Jesus Christ of LDS maintains that they own the paper that Smith copied the characters from the plates onto. Mormons today claim that Professor Anthon was not able to read the characters in fulfillment of Isaiah 29:11-12.

The “witnesses” to the plates

• Oliver Cowdery—left the Mormon church
• David Whitmer—left the Mormon church
• Martin Harris—admitted that he never saw the plates physically
• Mormons also claim an additional 8 witnesses.

Answers to the “Plates”:

1) It does not matter what the Professor said about the characters. The fact remains that the characters do not constitute any known language either past or present. Therefore the LDS church claims that God essentially gave an entire volume of Scripture to one man…Joseph Smith.

2) It also does not matter even if the plates existed at all. For their existence would not in and of itself prove that they came from God. If they did exist, it also does not matter if a million people saw the plates, because the “letters” are still unknown to everyone except Smith, and we are still left with an entire volume of Scripture given to one man in a totally “foreign to the entire world” tongue.

3) The giving of Scripture to man has always been through Inspiration and written in a commonly known
language. Before Christ these languages were Hebrew and Aramaic. After Christ, the language was Koine
Greek. Koine Greek was the common language of nearly the entire world of the time. For God to give
Scripture not through Inspiration, but rather through the excavation of ancient plates inscribed with foreign characters is totally out of step with how God gave Scripture in the past. Furthermore:

4) Hebrews 1:12 says, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and
in various ways, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” For God to speak through
prophets, and then through His Son, and then to go back to a prophet is also totally out of step, for this would not leave Christ as the final prophet, but just “a” prophet.

Starting off our week with Mormonism, I thought that I would post this article, rather, information piece, from Michael Paulson. He doesn’t really get around to answering the question, but I will, and by the end of this week, if you already do not have an opinion, you should be able to say as well, that Mormons are not Christians, nor do they fall without any branch of historical Christianity.

Articles of Faith Michael Paulson’s Articles of Faith Blog.

Found this somewhere…thought it might be helpful at later date… I would like to build a small apologetics ‘database’, but we will see.

The following facts represent teachings that are either openly taught in the Mormon Church today, or that have been taught by the highest authorities of the Mormon Church. All quotes given are from official LDS publications or the Bible.

FACT #1 The Mormon Church teaches ALL other Churches are WRONG; ALL their creeds are an ABOMINATION in the sight of God; and ALL their teachers are corrupt.

One of the Mormon Books of Scripture, The Pearl of Great Price, says this about non-LDS churches:

“… they were ALL WRONG; and the Personage who addressed me said that ALL their creeds were an ABOMINATION in his sight; that those professors were ALL CORRUPT;…” (Joseph Smith 2:19).

FACT #2. Mormonism teaches there is no salvation outside the Mormon Church and no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith.

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie makes this statement:

“If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation. There is no salvation outside The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670)

The Bible, on the other hand, teaches salvation is in Jesus alone:

“Neither is there salvation in any other [Jesus]: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

To be fair, Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, preached that there is no salvation outside the Church (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus), a statement ‘adopted’ by Rome and by other groups; however, Smith preached a restoration gospel that said that nothing of the Church existed after the Apostles.

FACT #3. Mormons are taught to doubt the reliability of the Bible and their leaders have consistently attacked its accuracy.

Joseph Smith claimed:

” … it was apparent that many important points touching the salvation of men, had been taken from the Bible, or lost before it was compiled.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.10)

The Bible answers this attack:

“The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

Although the Mormons use the KJV, they use it with the statement, ‘correct as translated’. Smith issued his own translation that ‘enhanced’ the KJV with false Mormon doctrines.

FACT #4. A basic tenant in Mormonism today is that Jesus Christ is the brother of Satan.

Milton R. Hunter explains it like this:

“The appointment of Jesus to be the Savior of the world was contested by one of the other sons of God. He was called Lucifer,… this spirit-brother of Jesus desperately tried to become the Savior of mankind.” (The Gospel Through The Ages, p.15)

Nowhere in the Bible does it indicate that Lucifer attempted to become the Savior: in fact, Jesus created all the angels including Lucifer, so they can’t be brothers. Colossians 1:16 indicates that Jesus created “all things,” whether “in heaven,” or “in earth, visible or invisible.”

FACT #5. Mormonism continues to teach that God the Father is a glorified, resurrected Man, and men and women may become Gods and Goddesses.

Apostle Bruce R. McConkie makes this claim:

“God himself, the Father of us all, is a glorified, exalted, immortal, resurrected Man!” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 643)

Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism, taught:

” …you have got to learn how to be Gods yourselves…the same as all Gods have done before you,…” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 346)

The Lord Himself answers this teaching by pronouncing:

“… I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44:6)

FACT #6. Mormons consider Polygamy a righteous principle which will be practiced in heaven.

Although there is nothing in the Bible that will support this thinking, current Mormon Scripture has this to say:

“. . .if any man espouse a virgin, and desire to espouse another, and the first give her consent, and if he espouse the second, and they are virgins, and have vowed to no other man, then is he justified; he cannot commit adultery . . . . And if he have TEN VIRGINS given unto him by this law, he cannot commit adultery.” (Doctrine and Covenants 132:61, 62)

FACT #7. Mormons today believe God the Father is married and past leaders have taught both God the Father and Jesus Christ are polygamists.

Apostle Orson Pratt makes these unbelievable statements:

“. . .the great Messiah who was the founder of the Christian religion, was a Polygamist,. . . the Messiah chose to take upon himself his seed; and by marrying many honorable wives himself, show to all future generations that he approbated the plurality of Wives under the Christian dispensation,. . .God the Father had a plurality of wives,. . . the Son followed the example of his Father,. . . both God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ inherit their wives in eternity as well as in time;. . .” (The Seer, p. 172)

Nowhere in the Bible does it indicate that God the Father and Jesus Christ are married or polygamists.

FACT #8. The majority of the activity in the Mormon Temples is work done in behalf of the DEAD.

Joseph Smith offers this explanation:

“The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our DEAD.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 356)

Although many Mormons are attempting to save their dead relatives, the Bible indicates:

“None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.” (Psalms 49:7)

FACT #9. To the Mormon, the ultimate test that Mormonism is true is an “inner feeling.”

Mormons often refer to this feeling as a “burning in the bosom.” They believe their scripture (Doctrine and Covenants 9:8) gives the best test for determining truth. This test reads:

” . . .study it out in your mind; then you must ask me [the Lord] if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall FEEL that it is right.”

The Bible, on the other hand, tells us:

“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (II Timothy 2:15)

FACT #10 Mormon leaders demand total obedience regardless whether they are right or wrong.

The ward teacher’s message for June, 1945, stated:

“When our leaders speak, the thinking has been done. When they propose a plan it is God’s plan.” (Improvement Era, June 1945, p. 354)

Herber C. Kimball, First Councilor to Brigham Young, clarifies further:

“But if you are told by your leader to do a thing, do it. None of your business whether it is right or wrong.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 32)

The Bible warns us in I John 4:l:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”

FACT #ll. Mormon leaders have consistently attacked the Biblical doctrine of Salvation by God’s Grace through Faith alone.

In Apostle James Talmage’s book, The Articles of Faith, twice he refers to justification by Faith alone as a “pernicious doctrine,” and further declares:

“The Sectarian Dogma of Justification by Faith alone has exercised an influence for evil.” (pp. 107, 480)

The Bible responds:

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5: 1)

FACT #12. Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie has warned his people against a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.

McConkie made these shocking statements at a speech given at BYU:

“… gaining a special, personal relationship with Christ that is both improper and perilous. . . . Now, I know that some may be offended at the counsel that they should not strive for a special and personal relationship with Christ. . . .But you have been warned, and you have heard the true doctrine taught.” (Church News, week ending March 20, 1982, p. 5)

In opposition to this, Jesus gives us a personal invitation:

“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

FACT #13. Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church, boasted of doing a greater “work” than the Lord Jesus.

Joseph Smith made this incredible boast:

“I have more to boast of than ever any man had. I am the only man that has ever been able to keep a whole church together since the days of Adam. . . . Neither Paul, John, Peter, nor JESUS ever did it. I boast that no man ever did such a work as I. The followers of JESUS ran away from Him; but the Latter-day Saints never ran away from me yet.” (History of the Church, vol. 6, pp. 408, 409)

No true Prophet of God ever spoke such words as these.

FACT #14. In 1835 Joseph Smith prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord.

At a meeting called by Joseph Smith he instructed the Latter-day Saints that it was “the will of God” to go forth and “prune the vineyard for the last time, or the coming of the Lord, which was nigh-even fifty-six years should wind up the scene.” (History of the Church, vol. 2, p. 182) Eight years later he reinforced this by stating:

“I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it be written - the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven till 1 am eighty-five years old.” (History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 336)

These are obvious False Prophesies which would make Joseph Smith a False Prophet.

FACT #15. Mormons are taught to “shake hands” with a messenger to determine if he is from God or if he is the devil.

The following information is found in Mormon scripture:

“When a messenger comes saying he has a message from God, offer him your hand and request him to shake hands with you. If he be an angel he will do so, and you will feel his hand. . . . If it were the devil as an angel of light, when you ask him to shake hands he will offer you his hand, and you will not feel anything; you may therefore detect him.” (Doctrine and Covenants 129:4, 5)

Rather than trusting in “feelings” the Bible commands us to:

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (I Thessalonians 5:21)

FACT #16. Brigham Young claimed that those who leave the Mormon Church would turn “wrinkled” and “black.”

The following curse was pronounced by Brigham Young:

“. . .but let them apostatize, and they will become gray-haired, wrinkled, and black, just like the Devil.” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p. 332)

There have been tens of thousands of people leave the Mormon Church - Where are the “black and wrinkled” ones?

FACT #17. Joseph Smith taught the moon was inhabited by people who dressed like Quakers and lived to be about 1000 years old.

In the Mormon publication, The Young Woman’s Journal, pp. 263 & 264, O.B. Huntington gives this interesting information:

“As far back as 1837, I know that he [Joseph Smith] said the moon was inhabited by men and women the same as this earth, and that they lived to a greater age than we do - that they live generally to near the age of 1000 years. He [Smith] described the men as averaging near six feet in height, and dressing quite uniformly in something near the Quaker style.”

Now that man has walked on the Moon, there can be no doubt that there aren’t any 6 foot tall Quakers roaming its surface.

Metro - Religulous director delivers ‘rollercoaster ride’.

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WorldWide Religious News-LDS historians: Brigham Young fueled hysteria, but didn’t order massacre.

“LDS historians: Brigham Young fueled hysteria, but didn’t order massacre”

Read the Article hear