I am sure you have seen the rash
of ads For the Mormon Church in Reader's Digest and in TV
Guide lately. Coupled with their very effective "Family"
Public Service spots on TV, the Mormons are blitzing the nation
with "name familiarity". A Mormon source indicated
a few years ago that between the free PSA TV ads, their paid regional
Newspaper inserts and National Magazine advertising, they utilized
over $100,000,000.00 in advertising costs to get multiple
messages of their faith into every American home in just 1990
alone.
This would be exciting, earth shaking
news if that message was one of true Christian substance, but
sadly, that is unfortunately not the case. In order to understand
Mormonism from the historic Christian perspective, we have to
step beyond the highly professional facade that is presented
to us in the LDS ads. They show us only what the Mormon church
wants us to see, a caring, sensitive church with Christ centered
families, all working together for the furthering of Christ's
work on earth.
Some of it is true! These are committed,
loving people and they are NOT the enemies of Christ. They think
they serve Him and his final message of end times instructions.
They are not our enemies either, but victims of a deception as
clever as anything thrown at the world since the days of Adam.
Yes, it all looks great, but, what
is behind that Madison Avenue image? What is really wrong with
Mormonism? Let me peel back the veneer and look at just a few
quick key issues.
The major heresy of Mormonism is
summed up in its central theological axiom, the doctrine of The
Law of Eternal Progression. It is stated as follows:
As Man is, God once was, and as God is, man may become."
Basically, it says that the god of
Mormonism was once a man who was born to human parents on another
planet, grew to manhood, lived out his life being obedient to
the laws and ordinances of the gospel presented by the god of
that world. Upon his death and resurrection, he was judged (by
his god) as being worthy for godhood.
The Mormon god was raised to his
godhood and sent with many goddess wives to a planet near the
great star, Kolob, somewhere in our present galaxy. There, this
god and his wives began ëprocreating' or physically
begetting "spirit" children. We here on this planet
are each the offspring of this god and one of his goddesses in
this pre-existent Mormon world.
Amazing? Yes,
it is! But even more disparate is the position of Christ in all
this. Mormonism teaches that when their god decided it was time
to populate this earth with his spirit children, the Head of All
The Gods called a great council meeting to decide the method.
The Mormon god asked his two eldest sons, Jesus and Lucifer,
to both prepare plans for presentation to the council. They chose
the plan of Jesus.
Lucifer rebelled and led one-third
of the "children" to revolt against god and in a
great battle, was defeated by Christ and the two-thirds who were
"valiant." Lucifer and those who fought with him
were cast to earth without bodies and became the devil and his
demons. Those others who were less than valiant became the black
race and the very valiant became the "white and delightsome"
race.
Mormonism teaches that if Mormons
are faithful, pay their tithing, obey all the laws and ordinances
of the (Mormon) gospel, do their genealogy and go to the temple
for secret, sacred rituals for both the living and their dead,
they too can become gods and goddesses as "all gods have
done before them."
To the Mormon, Jesus was our elder
brother, who pointed the way, but isn't The Way, as we
Christians understand. To the Mormon, Jesus was the god of the
Old Testament, but once he took his physical form, justified his
own spiritual salvation through his works while in the flesh,
just as each of us must.
Mormonism teaches that Jesus suffered
for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, providing personal salvation
(which may mean exaltation to godhood) conditional upon our obedience
to the laws and ordinances of the LDS gospel. His death on the
cross provided a general salvation, whereby all mankind is resurrected
to be judged for our works.
He is the LDS savior in the sense
that his death gives the Mormon the means of returning
to the god of this world, using the secret keys, hand grips and
passwords learned only in the Mormon temple, that will ensure
safe passage.
What I have just shared is just the
tip of a dark and dangerous iceberg, filled with death for its
unsuspecting victims. Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a
way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the
ways of death." Were the scriptures ever more direct in
such a matter?
The Mormon people are like those
of whom Paul spoke in Romans 10, "Brethren, my heart's
desire and prayer to God... is that they might be saved. For
I bear them record that they have a zeal for God, but not according
to Knowledge. For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness,
and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God."
There is a real zeal to serve God
manifest in the lives and actions of the Mormon people. It is
my prayer that you will have the opportunity to share that true
Joy of Christ's righteousness and love with your Mormon friends
and loved ones! Let them know that there is only one God and He
is not one born of man, One saviour and He took all the laws and
ordinances that were against us and moved them out of the way,
nailing them to His Cross (Col2:13-15).
The following is information that
is not available to the general public. We feel you deserve
to know the facts about the true doctrine of the Mormon Church,
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
We, as Ex-Mormons for Jesus, love
the Mormon people! They are our people. It is our only motive
for publishing this. We realize that many Mormons see this as
an "attack" on their church.
The Mormons will say, "Why
are you persecuting us?" We are not! We are only quoting
their own "divinely inspired" leaders from books
published by the church and sold in their book stores. We are
also quoting the Bible. We invite you to check out each quotation
in its full context. If these kinds of sources are "anti-Mormon,"
then "so be it."
We feel you deserve to know the truth...
Mormonism is far from Christian Orthodoxy. It is a dangerous counterfeit!
"In the beginning, the head
of the Gods called a council of the Gods; and they came together
and concocted a plan to create the world and people it....In all
congregations when I have preached on the subject of the Deity,
it has been the plurality of Gods." Joseph Smith, (Founder
and First Prophet), History of the Church, Vol 6, pp. 308,474.
THE BIBLE: There was and is and
always will be only ONE GOD! (Isaiah 43:10-11, 44:6-8, 45:5-6,18-22;
Deuteronomy 6:4, 32:39; James 2:19)
"God himself was one as we
are now, and is an exalted man...I say, if you were to see him
today, you would see him like a man in form...like yourselves
in all the person, image, and very form as a man...He was once
a man like us; yea, that God himself, the Father of us all, dwelt
on an earth." Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol.
6, p. 305.
THE BIBLE; God was never a man.
He created man! God has been God from all eternity to all eternity.
(Psalm 41:13, 90:2, 102:25-27; Romans 1:22-23)
"The universe is filled with
vast numbers of intelligences, and we further learn that Elohim
is God simply because all of these intelligences honor and sustain
him as such...if He should ever do anything to violate the confidence
or "sense of justice" of these intelligences, they
would promptly withdraw their support, and the "power"
of God would disintegrate; He would cease to be God."
W. Cleon Skousen (Former BYU Professor & founder of Mormon-based
National Center For Constitutional Studies), The First 2000 Years
, p. 355. "The Father has a body of flesh and bones as
tangible as mans," Doctrine and Covenants, 130:22. "If
God possesses a form, that form is of necessity of definite proportions,
and therefore of limited extension and space. It is impossible
for Him to occupy at one time more than one space of such limits."
James E. Talmage, Articles of Faith, page 43.
THE BIBLE: God is infinite! Any
other "god" is a false god. (2 Chronicles
6:18; Psalm 139:4-8; Jeremiah 23:24)
"Here then is eternal life...to
know the only wise and true God; and you have got to learn how
to be Gods yourselves, and to be kings and priests to God, the
same as all gods have done before you...To inherit the same power,
the same glory and the same exaltation, until you arrive at the
station of God." Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Vol
6, page 306.
THE BIBLE: The Great Lie of Satan
from the first was that man can become a god! (Genesis 3:1-5;
Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:1-10)
"In the heaven where our spirits
were born, there are many Gods, each of whom has his own wife
or wives, which were given to him ...while yet in his mortal state."
Orson Pratt (Apostle), The Seer, p. 37. "This doctrine
that there is a Mother in Heaven was affirmed in all plainness
by the First Presidency of the Church." Bruce R. McConkie
(Apostle), Mormon Doctrine, p. 516.
THE BIBLE: Absolutely no mention
of any "wives" of God! (Matthew 22:29,30)
"Christ was begotten by an Immortal Father in the same way that mortal men are begotten by mortal fathers...Christ was born into the world as the literal Son of this Holy Being; he was born in the same personal, real and literal sense that any mortal son is born to a mortal father." McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp. 547, 742.
THE BIBLE:Jesus was begotten by the
Holy Ghost. Mary was indeed a virgin right up to the Lord's
birth. (Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:35)
"The appointment of Jesus
to be the Savior of the world was contested by one of the other
sons of God. He was called Luciferóthis spirit-brother
of Jesus desperately tried to become the Savior of mankind."
Milton R. Hunter, The Gospel Through the Ages, p. 15.
THE BIBLE: The real JESUS is the
only begotten Son and is God the Son (John 1:1-14). Satan was
a created angel, not a son of God (Isaiah 14:12). Jesus created
all things and in Him the fullness of God dwells! (Colossians
1:15-20; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-13)
"Jesus was the bridegroom
at the marriage of Cana of Galilee. We say it was Jesus
Christ who was married...whereby he could see his seed."
Orson Hyde, Apostle, Journal of Discourses,Vol. 2, p. 82.
THE BIBLE: NO! Check out John 2:1-12!
This LDS doctrine is generally not taught openly today. However,
since marriage in a LDS temple is mandatory to progress to become
a god in Mormonism, to fit the theology of Mormonism the LDS "Jesus"
has to be married. Otherwise He would only be a ministering servant
to those in Mormonism's heaven who have "celestial
marriage."
"Ignorant translators, careless
transcribers, or designing and corrupt priests have committed
many errors; many plain and precious things were deleted,
in consequence of which error and falsehood poured into the churches.
One of the great heresies of modern Christendom is the unfounded
assumption that the Bible contains all of the inspired teachings
now extant among men." McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, pp. 82,83.
THE BIBLE: The Bible says of itself
that God's Word therein will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8;
I Peter 1:25). Ask the Mormon to show you exactly where the errors
exist. Most of these doctrines added by Mormonism are not in
the Book of Mormon either (said to contain the "fullness
of the everlasting gospel")!
"I was answered that I must
join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the personage
who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination
in his sight; and those professors were all corrupt." Pearl
of Great Price, Joseph Smith 2:19.
"This Church is the only true
and living church upon the face of the whole earth." Doctrine
and Covenants 1:30. "There is no salvation outside the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." McConkie,
Mormon Doctrine, p. 670. "All other churches are entirely
destitute of all authority from God; and any person who receives
Baptism or the Lord's Supper from their hands will highly
offend God; for He looks upon them as the most corrupt of all
people. Both Catholics and Protestants are nothing less than
the whore of Babylon." Orson Pratt, The Seer, p. 255.
THE BIBLE: The CHURCH is the spiritual
body of Christians with Jesus at its head. That is the true church--not
an organization! (Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:11-16; I Corinthians 1:2,
12:12; Matthew 16:18).
"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. A large
majority of the whole have stood by me. 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." Joseph Smith, History
of the Church, Vol 6, pp.408,409).
THE BIBLE: No prophet of God ever
spoke like that. Yet Mormons are trusting their eternal salvation
in a system set up by this man. In Daniel 4:28-33 King Nebuchadnezzar
had such pride and was driven out by God to live with the animals
. Just one month after delivering the above speech, Joseph Smith
was killed by a mob (but only after he had shot and killed two
of the mob) History of the Church, Vol. 7, pp. 102,103).
"When our leaders speak, the
thinking as been done. When they point the say, there is no other
which is safe. When they give direction, it should mark the end
of controversy." Improvement Era (Official LDS church magazine),
June 1945, p. 345.
"The living Prophet is more
vital to us than the Standard Works (Bible, Book of Mormon, etc.).
The living Prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet
(David, Moses, Isaiah, etc.). Those who would remove prophets
from politics would take God out of government." LDS prophet,
Ezra Taft Benson, address at Brigham Young University, Feb. 26,
1980.
THE BIBLE: In these last days God
speaks through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). The authority claimed
by the Mormon Church is through an "Aaronic Priesthood,"
which cannot be valid since Jesus abolished it, as He took its
place (Hebrews 7:11-19, 8:6-13); and a "Melchizedek Priesthood"
which never existed as any operative "priesthood."
Jesus is our only High Priest. He alone holds this permanently
and no one else! (Hebrews 7:15-28, 9:11-15).
"Not only was Cain called
upon to suffer, but because of his wickedness, he became the father
of an inferior race. A curse was placed upon him and that curse
has been continued through his lineage and must do so while time
endures. Millions of souls have come into this world cursed with
a black skin and have been denied the privilege of Priesthood
and the fulness of the blessings of the Gospel." Joseph
Fielding Smith (Prophet), The Way To Perfection, p. 102.
"You see some classes of the
human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and
low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all
the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon
mankind." Brigham Young (Prophet), Journal of Discourses,
Vol. 7, p. 290.
"Shall I tell you the law
of God in regard to the African race? If the white man...mixes
his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of
God, is death on the spot. This will always be so." B.
Young, Journal of Discourses, Vol. 10, p. 110.
While the LDS god "forgave"
blacks in June, 1978, their firm doctrine still is that this whole
race of people are "cursed with a black skin" for
sins committed by them before they were born.
The new revelation announced that
worthy blacks could now receive the privileges of the LDS priesthood
and secret temple rites like the whites. May all true Christians
flee from such hypocrisy!
"The head God called together
the Gods and sat in grand council to bring forth the world...In
the beginning, the head of the Gods called a council of the gods;
and they came together and concocted a plan to create the world
and people it." (Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet
Joseph Smith, pp. 348, 349)
"The contention in heaven
was...Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be
saved; and the Devil said he could save them all, and laid his
plans before the grand council, who gave their vote in favour
of Jesus Christ. So the Devil rose up in rebellion against God,
and was cast down, with all who put up their heads for him."
(Joseph Smith, Journal of Discourses,, Vol. 6, page 8.
The scene is a place called The Lone
and Dreary World. Adam is at an altar, wearing a Fig Leaf apron
and with his offering of fruits and vegetables. (See Genesis,
Chapter 4). He calls out:
"ADAM: Oh God, hear the words of my mouth!
LUCIFER: I hear you. What is it you want?
A: Who are you?
L: I am the God of this world.
A: You, the God of this world?
L: Yes! What do you want?
A: I am looking for messengers.
L: Oh, you want someone to preach to you? You want religion do you? I will have preachers here presently.
(Lucifer goes out and gets an "Orthodox" preacher, The "preacher" enters the scene)
LUCIFER: Good Morning, Sir.
PREACHER: Good morning. A fine congregation!
L: Yes, they are very good people. They are concerned about religion. Are you a preacher?
P: I am.
L: Have you been to college and received training for the ministry?
P: Certainly! A man cannot preach unless he has been trained for the ministry!
L: Do you preach the orthodox religion?
P: Yes, that is what I preach.
L: If you will preach your orthodox religion to these people and convert them, I will pay you well!
P: I will do my best."
(The above account was transcribed
from audio tapes made by a Mormon in the Provo LDS temple in
1984)
"No man or woman in this dispensation will ever enter into the celestial kingdom of God without the consent of Joseph Smith. From the day that the Priesthood was taken from the earth to the winding up scene of all things, every man and woman must have the certificate of Joseph Smith, junior, as a passport to their entrance into the mansion where God and Christ are." (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses,, Vol. 7, p. 289)
"If we get our salvation,
we shall have to pass by him; if we enter our glory, it will be
through the authority he has received. We cannot get around him."
President George Q. Cannon, quoted in 1988 Melchizedek Priesthood
Study Guide, p. 142.
"If we ask who will stand
at the head of the resurrection in this last dispensation, the
answer is--Joseph Smith, Junior, the Prophet of God. He
is the man who will be resurrected and receive the keys of the
resurrection, and he will seal this authority upon others, and
they will hunt up their friends and resurrect them." Discourses
of Brigham Young, p. 116.
"We are the only people that
know how to save our progenitors, how to save ourselves, and how
to save our posterity in the celestial kingdom of God; that we
are the people God has chosen by whom to establish his kingdom
and introduce correct principles into the world; and that we are
in fact the saviours of the world..." John Taylor (Prophet),
Journal of Discourses, Vol. 6, p. 163.
"Nearly all the great discoveries
of men in the last half century have, in one way or another...
contributed to prove Joseph Smith to be a prophet. As far back
as 1837, I know that he 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 a 1000 years, He described the men as averaging near six feet
in height, and dressing quite uniformly in something near the
Quaker style." (O. B. Huntington, Young Women's
Journal, Vol. 3, p. 264, 1892)
"Who can tell us of the inhabitants
of this little planet that shines of an evening, called the moon?...
So it is with regard to the inhabitants of the sun. Do you think
it is inhabited? I rather think it is. Do you think there is
any life there? No question of it" (B. Young, Journal
of Discourses, Vol. 13, p. 271)
"We also have to forsake the
sin and never repeat it, not even in our minds...In order to remain
forgiven, we must never commit the sin again." ( Uniform
System for Teaching Families, pp.35,36)
"In other words, If there
is one divine law that he does not keep he is barred from participating
in the Kingdom, and figuratively guilty of all, since he is denied
all." Joseph Fielding Smith (Prophet), Answers to Gospel
Questions, Vol.3, p. 26.
As unbelievable as it may seem,
the above information is actual LDS doctrine. The quotations
have not been taken out of context. We will send you a copy
of the original text of any quotation, upon request. LDS prophets
have taught such things and are believed speak for God.
As former Mormons who once sincerely
believed in and staked our lives on these doctrines, we assure
you that they are accurately stated. This is given to you because
you deserve to have the facts. Millions of dollars can create
any image through Readers' Digest ads and slick television
commercials, but the doctrines of Mormonism are NOT Christian,
Read what Paul said about different
"gospels", and those who brought them, in Galatians
1:6-9 and 2 Corinthians 11:3-15. Read what God has to say about
false prophets in Deuteronomy 13:1-11, 18:20-22; Jeremiah 23:16-22
and what Jesus said in Matthew 7:15-20; 24:3-26.
In 1977 the California Arcadia Mission
sent out a directive to the Mormon missionaries entitled: "THE
BAPTIZE NOW PLAN"...Teach to commit...Don't make
the people think too much--Baptism must be our prime goal!"
We know the missionary strategy well. Many of us are former missionaries for the LDS Church. When they come to your door, asking to help you start a "Family Home Evening" or to tell you about their Church, ask them to give you the real "meat of the gospel" as above; not just the "milk" that sounds appealing but is designed to make you doubt your current faith and lead you into their counterfeit system .
They will constantly repeat a "testimony
of the truthfulness of the Church" and ask you to read the
Book of Mormon and pray about it to receive your own "testimony."
What they want is a feeling, or a "Burning in the bosom."
If you ignore the facts, Satan can cause you to experience feelings
and sensations. Why not do as recorded in Acts 17:11 and check
the "meat" of Mormonism out with God's Word,
the Bible! Why pray about the Book of Mormon?
Ask them why this "holy Scripture"
doesn't even contain the most basic teachings of Mormonism!
Nowhere does it teach on the plurality of gods, that God was
once a man, that man can become a god, that Jesus and Satan are
brothers, that you must have celestial marriage and temple endowments,
that there are three heavenly kingdoms, a heavenly mother, eternal
progression, pre-existent spirits, baptism for the dead, etc.
....About their secret Temple Ceremonies.
....About secret names, signs, and grips you must know to go into Godhood.
....About their secret, magical underwear.
....About blood oaths you must swearódeath penalties for the disobedient (such as having your throat slit from ear to ear)
....They will not tell you how they use your tithing and offerings.
....How rich they are in the business world; how well their leaders are paid;
....How many businesses the church
owns or controls.
This information has been given to
you in love. We assure you that it is accurate and honest. The
programs, and certainly the people, of the Mormon Church are good.
However, you can have the greatest organization, and a sincere
faith, but if that organization directs your faith to a "god"
who is not the one and only true God of the Bible, but rather
a false god who cannot save, then after your own death, that organization
and that faith will amount to nothing.
Take up the challenge! Dare to question
and become a genuine seeker of the truth. Were you given the
information on the "meat" of Mormonism, which we
have outlined here, during the missionary lessons before you joined
the church? Were you asked to make an eternal decision, based
upon incomplete and inaccurate information? WE URGE YOU to call
out to the One True God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to reveal
Himself to you and to ask the One True Jesus to apply His sacrifice
on the cross to your sins personally! There is no other God and
no other say! Write to us! We will help you understand.
If you are an ex-Mormon who has never
requested that your name be removed from membership, we urge you
to do so! By leaving your membership in the church, you are directly
aiding Mormonism's missionary efforts. We want to help
you remove your name, and have a strong relationship with the
Lord Jesus. Write to us.
If you are a Christian with a burden
to reach Mormons, and inform the public on the real doctrines
of Mormonism, we need your help! Write us for materials that
you can share with your Mormon friends.
I encourage any one with specific questions on Mormonism to contact Ed Decker at Saints Alive in Jesus for further information.