Ford Motor Company’s Interfaith Website
With updated information we’re reposting it for our blog. Below is my original response to their article with some updated information. The original posting was in 2004.
I was able to find a website that contained the original information about the Church so you can check it out!
http://www.ldsfacts.net/info3.htm
We found an article on the internet about facts of the LDS Church. Because of the claims of this paper we thought it might be interesting to really dig and find the truth about these and give you the reader, the truth behind the claims and the truth about why those things were enacted by the Church. Their claims are in black font and our response is posted after each in blue.
L.D.S Facts from Ford Motor Company
An interesting article written by Ford Motor Company for their employees.
It was written in February. From the ‘Ford Interfaith’ group as a message
about the Church. The Ford Interfaith group promotes unity by sharing
information from all faiths and features these types of articles about all
religions and faiths from time to time.
QUICK FACTS & INTERESTING TIDBITS About The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints
Fleeing continued mob attacks, 158 years ago today the first Mormon
pioneers desperately started their Westward trek from Illinois in the dead
of winter. Of the 70,000 who began this 1300-mile journey, 6,000 were
buried along the way, including many children. The following are quick
facts and interesting tidbits about this now flourishing church.
The Church’s first conference was held in Fayette, NY in January 1831. Smith moved to Kirtland, OH in early February 1831 and set up shop so to speak. It was there that he and the other Mormons (100 people) began to receive revelations and enact the ‘Laws of the Church’. (History of the Church, vol. 1:146-7). However their tenure in Kirtland was short-lived when Smith began receiving revelations in July of 1831 that Independence, MO was the new land of Zion. Smith actually left Ohio owing thousands of dollars to creditors and had warrants outstanding for his arrest while residing in Nauvoo. Their account of leaving Kirtland, Ohio can be found in History of the Church, vol. 3, pg. 1.
After getting to Independence, MO the Mormons claimed they would take over the town by force and rename it Zion. Understandably, the townsfolk of Independence didn’t take kindly to the intrusion. For Joseph’s revelations about Independence being given to the Mormons and the renaming of Independence to Zion, you can read D&C 52:42; D&C 57:2-3.
Then read D&C 64:35-6 to see what Smith had to say about the inhabitants of Independence. Keep in mind that these are considered to be false prophecies. If the land was given to them by the Lord, then why don’t they still own the land and why is it that it’s not named Zion? For an entire account of this false prophecy see History of the Church, vol. 1:186-190, it matches up with D&C 56 & 57.
In September of 1840 Smith and a handful of others became fugitives of the law as was stated by the governor of Missouri. (History of the Church, vol. 4:198). They were settled in at Nauvoo by early October 1840 and buying up blocks of land to establish themselves with their power in numbers.
It is because of their act of polygamy, threats of beginning a war and the violence they continued to commit against non-Mormons that they had problems in Nauvoo, not to mention that Joseph Smith being the mayor, judge, sheriff and banker made all the rules.
He also still had warrants outstanding for his arrest at this time. While acting as mayor, he passed a law that he would be the one to decide who got arrested (or not). When a concerned citizen decided to create a newspaper called the Nauvoo Expositor and expose Smith for making sexual advances towards his wife, Sheriff Smith saw to it that it was burned to the ground.
So much for the First Amendment and free speech.
Smith and his brother Hyrum, along with two other members of the Church were justly carted off to the Carthage jail to answer for the arson charge as well as other charges still pending against him.
A group of irate citizens called the “Carthage Grays” stormed the jail where they found Joseph and Hyrum along with the other two up on the second floor of the jail. An all out mini-war began right there with the citizens and the Smiths. Now the Church would have you believe they were martyred. This is NOT the case! The Smith brothers were supplied with guns of their own and they shot back at their assailants. Before they were shot and killed Joseph Smith took aim and killed two people, thus disqualifying him from martyrdom.
The Mormons continued to practice polygamy which was illegal at the time, still is actually, and they were forced to flee Nauvoo for a variety of reasons, none of which include “religious persecution” as the Mormon Church would have you believe. Their exodus began in February of 1846. They finally made it to Salt Lake City onJuly 24, 1847 which the Utah Mormons revere to this day. It is now called Pioneer Days, with the town halls, banks, and most businesses closing for the “holy-day”.
A great book to read with all the truth on this particular subject of early Church history was written by Dr. Michael Quinn, called the “Mormon Hierarchy”. Dr. Quinn is a former professor of American Social History at Brigham Young University with a PhD from Harvard. He was one of the top researchers for the Church and one of their top scholars until he did his research and told the truth.
Another great read is by the late biographer Fawn Brodie. She wrote a book entitled; “No Man Knows My History, The Life of Joseph Smith”.
* Named “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints”; informal
nicknames are “LDS” or “Mormon.”
The name of the Church has gone through four name changes since it was formed. A few questions come to my mind in light of this.
Why does God keep changing His mind?
Why are you worshipping a god who keeps changing his mind?
Wouldn’t God know the name he wanted for the church when he went to Joseph the first time?
And since the book of Nephi was supposedly written before 1838 then why didn’t the name of the Church indicate that Jesus’ name had to be in the title?
It looks like there was already backtracking going on by the time they ‘got it right’. The God of the Bible says He does not change. Malachi 3:6; ‘For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’
“The name The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was given by the Lord in revelation to Joseph Smith on April 26, 1838 (D&C 115:4). The Church had been known as The Church of Christ from 1830 to 1834 (D&C 20:1); The Church of the Latter Day Saints in 1834; and The Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints from 1836 to 1838.
The Church is commonly, but unofficially, referred to today as the Mormon Church and its members as Mormons because of their belief in the Book of Mormon. But the use of the term “Mormon” to refer to the Church is unsatisfactory from the point of view of Church members because it does not convey the conviction that Jesus Christ is the head of the Church and that members strive to live Christian lives. In the Book of Mormon, Christ’s disciples asked him, “Tell us the name whereby we shall call this church” (3 Ne. 27:3). He answered, “How be it my church save it be called in my name? For if a church be called in Moses’ name then it be Moses’ church, or if it be called in the name of a man then it be the church of a man; but if it be called in my name then it is my church, if it so be that they are built upon my gospel” (3 Ne. 27:8). By implication, calling the Church by the name Mormon would make it Mormon’s Church. While most Church members are not offended by the title Mormon, they prefer the name that properly underscores their relationship to Christ.”
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 979.
* Believes it’s the Lord’s restoration of original Christianity as
foretold to occur before Christ’s Second Coming.
Once again let’s look at the wording used in the above statement. The root word “restore” means to bring back to original condition. Where in the Bible does it say there will need to be a restoration of original Christianity? Now the Mormon will tell you they only “believe the Bible as far as it is translated correctly”, so then why are they using any of it at all? The Bible says in Matthew 16:18; “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” What does this verse mean in light of needing a restoration?
The Mormons say that on the day of Passover,April 3, 1836 the Lord God appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in the Kirtland, Ohio temple while they were praying behind a veil. They say it was at that time when the Lord appeared, blessed the new temple and then departed.
After the Lord’s appearance then Moses appeared unto them, then Elias and immediately afterwards the prophet Elijah returned to commence the last dispensation to Joseph Smith and bringing back baptisms for the dead, thus fulfilling Malachai’s prophecy in Malachai 4:5; “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD.” – Spirit of Elijah, BYU Studies, vol. 34, 1994, number 2. To see the account of the entire vision see D&C 110.
However, the doctrine of Baptism for the Dead wasn’t preached until August of 1840 and the apostles didn’t hear about it until two months later. This was two months before their expulsion from Missouri.
Why did it take more than four years to institute something that was so vital to salvation? And why did God ‘ordain’ a temple that would have to be vacated in as little as four years? Wouldn’t God have known this beforehand?
* Core focus is that Christ and His teachings bring happiness in this
life and exaltation in the next.
The core focus of Mormonism is that you have to work for your salvation. 2 Nephi 25:23 says; “For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.”
The true core focus of being a Christian is knowing that it isn’t by our works that we are saved, lest any man should boast (Eph. 2:8-9).
The statement “exaltation in the next” gives us a clue to the underbelly of the Mormon meaning of salvation. Salvation and exaltation are synonymous meanings for the Mormon. The only way to true salvation for a Mormon is to become a god. D&C 76:58; “Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God.” And D&C 132 says that true salvation comes through obedience to Christ and fulfilling the New and Everlasting Covenant, which is polygamy, and you must do this in order to become a god and if you don’t accept this then ‘ye are damned’.
HISTORY
* In 1820 14-yr-old Joseph Smith told of a vision of God and Christ
foretelling a church restoration.
The truth is that there are nine versions of the first vision. The vision evolved over time and finally came to rest on what most Mormons think of when they speak of the vision; that the father and the son appeared to him in the grove of trees. This was one of the most confusing things to me growing up in the Mormon Church. I could read of his vision in Joseph Smith’s Testimony located in the Pearl of Great Price, but that differs from the account of Moroni or Nephi appearing to him. Why would something that actually happened change over time?
When you have several witnesses to one event you will have different accounts of what took place. This doesn’t happen when you only have one witness.
* Organized in New York in 1830, the church moved to near Cleveland, then
near Kansas City, then Illinois.
Yes and one must ask themselves…why?
* Fleeing Illinois, Mormon pioneers founded Salt Lake City in Utah and
over 600 other Western communities.
Now if you were to read any history on the Church, you would find that Brigham Young was the founder of over 600 communities in the west. In the books by Susan Evans McCloud, Brigham Young, A Personal Portrait and Clarissa Young Spencer, Brigham Young at Home you will read how Brigham set these communities up. It is their way of deifying their prophet.
SALT LAKE CITY
* Temple Square in Salt Lake has over 5 million annual visitors, more
than the Grand Canyon.
* The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is the world’s most famous and has the
world’s oldest radio program.
Now this may seem petty to the novice reader on Mormonism, but this is where the Church thinks they can get away with comments like “world’s oldest radio program” and assuming people will just take it for granted. The truth is that the world’s first radio program took place in “1906, Lee De Forest invented his “Audion” tube – what we now call a “triode”. He used it as a detector/amplifier to help make possible the radio transmission of the human voice. In 1909, Mr. DeForest used his equipment to broadcast the voice of Enrico Caruso from the Metropolitan Opera.” This information was taken from the website of www.old-time.com
This is an informational site on old time radio which lists most radio programs that have ever aired. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir began their show in 1929. A comment like this is why I find myself living at askjeeves.com. And it is arguable that they are the world’s most famous choir.
* The Salt Lake Temple is the most famous, but there are 128 other
temples built or underway.
Unfortunately this is the truth.
* Home of the world’s largest genealogy database; visit it online or
through 3,700 free branch libraries.
Again, this is the truth, but the Christian ought to ask him/herself why they have so much information on dead people. Of course the answer to this is because they will have names to use when doing their works for the dead in their temples.
ACTIVE CONGREGATIONS
* Sunday services entail a three-hour block of three meetings; about
27,000 congregations exist worldwide.
What this stat doesn’t tell you is that the Church considers you active if you’ve attended just one service in a year’s time. Somewhere between 23-44 percent of their so-called membership of 11 million people are active. (As of December 2011 the Church is now claiming over 14 million.)
* Highly vibrant programs exist for youth, children, singles, men, and
women; very strong family focus.
Yes, there are programs for each age group in the church. Here is the weekly schedule given to each member:
Monday night is family home evening. You are discouraged from doing anything outside of the home on this night. It is to be spent indoors with your family studying the Book of Mormon or other Church teachings.
Tuesday, Wednesday and/or Thursday evenings are set aside for the youth meetings. Young Women and Men are required to achieve set goals and provide community service to earn their ‘awards’. This is called the Mutual Program. Tuesdays are also the days where the young people go into the temples to be baptized by proxy for their dead relatives.
Women and Men have similar groups/meetings they attend. Women who attend Relief Society each Sunday also attend a monthly Relief Society Meeting in the evening. Here they learn how to care for their homes, how to store food, etc.
The men attend to their duties by fulfilling their roles as home teachers, reporting to the bishop on the homes they visit, serving in the youth groups, etc. They will have a set of lessons to teach when they go to the homes they’ve been assigned to teach, pray for the families and know each member of that family.
They may also fulfill a church calling by serving in the bishopric. They attend Priesthood meetings on Sundays as well. The women also serve as visiting teachers; here they will have a set of lessons that they go into homes with to teach the other ‘sisters’ of their ward they’ve been assigned to. Both groups will focus on the teachings of the Church during their meetings.
Typically Tuesday and/or Wednesday nights are the times when married couples go into the temples to be married by proxy for their dead relatives or perform perfunctory ordinances to be sealed to their own family members for all time and eternity.
Friday nights are reserved for the youth and the ‘Firesides’. This is where as co-ed groups they meet for dances and fellowshipping.
The Mormons have a Primary song sung by the children called “Saturday is a special day”. This teaching of the Saturday work-at-home-day cannot be over-emphasized. The Mormon believes this is the day that you stay at home to take care of all your household chores to get ready for Sunday. As the song says “it’s the day we get ready for Sunday”.
Sundays are to be reserved for church and studying scripture. You are not to drive, you shouldn’t use your electricity, and you should only eat cold food that was prepared in advance on Saturday. When you return from church you are to sit and study, this day is to be served with total ‘reverence’ by using a soft voice and study. It wasn’t until I turned 20 before I realized I wasn’t sinning by turning on the lights in the house on a Sunday.
* Everyone has a calling; some surveys show LDS have the highest U.S.
attendance and service rates.
“Calls are issued through an orderly process. The first step involves the selection of those to be called. For example, the presiding authority (the stake president or bishop) is to thoughtfully and prayerfully evaluate possible candidates for each office or teaching responsibility. Other leaders who eventually will be working closely with the person may be asked to suggest the names of a few candidates they think could serve ably. The prime consideration for a leader in selecting a person for a calling is confirmation by the Holy Ghost of the correctness of the final selection. When leaders select members to fulfill callings in this manner, members understand that callings have divine approval.”
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 248.
What this doesn’t tell the casual observer is that God isn’t the one involved in this. Sure, it says that they are inspired by the Holy Ghost but wouldn’t He have put that in your heart to serve in that capacity? This is done by man’s whims, not the Lord’s “calling”.
* Families receive personal fellowship visits at home from other members
on a monthly basis.
This is a pseudonym for ‘big brother is looking in on you’.
FINANCES
* Members tithe 10 percent, plus donate generously to the needy the first
Sunday of each month.
“At the end of each year, ward members meet individually with their bishop in a tithing settlement interview to verify Church records of their individual contributions and to declare confidentially to the bishop whether or not the amount contributed is a “full tithe.” The first Sunday of each month is designated as a Fast Sunday, and Latter-day Saints are asked to fast for twenty-four hours and donate at least the value of the meals not eaten as fast offerings. Fast offerings are cash or in-kind donations given to the bishop to help the needy following a short period of fasting.”
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pgs. 1481 & 501
Can you just imagine your pastor demanding your W-2 for the previous year to make sure you’ve tithed your full ten percent?? Something else to keep in mind with this “revelation”…theIRSis located in Ogden, Utah. While not all employees of theIRSare Mormon, it is important to note that 70% of the state is Mormon. (As of December 2011 the LDS population residing in Utah is now 62.4%.)
The last time the LDS Church provided a financial disclosure to its members was in 1959.
* Clergy and all other congregational positions are unpaid (however, much
of the janitorial is paid).
Why should they accept pay when they’re told that their personal worthiness is dependant upon their serving in the Church? However, that is not to say anything about the hierarchy which does receive an annual salary. The members of the Seventy (one step below an apostle) received $40,000/year in 1983. (www.utlm.org).
* The church has no debt; all buildings are paid for in cash (average of
two new congregations a day).
The Church has more than an estimated $25 billion in assets with $5 billion in estimated annual income.
* The paid positions in Salt Lake are famously low-salaried; funds are
frugally used and tightly audited.
There’s no doubt they are tightly audited, but I would challenge the writer of this original paper at the Ford Motor Company to explore this statement. When was the last time you saw their financial reports? I don’t know of a Christian church in existence who doesn’t offer a financial report to its members.
HEALTH CODE
* With a health code from 1833, LDS avoid alcohol, tobacco, illegal
drugs, coffee, and tea (herbal tea is ok).
In Mormon lingo this is called the Word of Wisdom. “Word of Wisdom is the common title for a revelation that counsels Latter-day Saints on maintaining good health and is published as Doctrine and Covenants: section 89. The practice of abstaining from all forms of alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea, which may outwardly distinguish active Latter-day Saints more than any other practice, derives from this revelation.” – Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 1584.
The truth of this revelation actually stems from an incident which took place in Smith’s own household. It seems that his wife Emma was sick of cleaning up after the spit all over the room left by people visiting there. Read on for more of this revelation:
“Called “a Word of Wisdom” in the introduction, the revelation was given to Joseph Smith at Kirtland, Ohio, onFebruary 27, 1833, when the School of the Prophets was meeting at his home in the Whitney Store. It came in response to the Prophet’s inquiry about tobacco, which was being used by some of the men attending the school. The revelation states that it is specifically for the latter days because of “evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men” (D&C 89:4). The Word of Wisdom limited alcohol use to wine for the Sacrament and hard liquor for washing the body. It noted tobacco as useful only for treating bruises and sick cattle. Hot drinks (later defined as coffee and tea) were not for “the body or belly” (D&C 89:9). Additional advice was given permitting the use of meat, but suggesting that it be restricted to winter or times of famine (D&C 89:12-13). The revelation places strong emphasis on the use of grains, particularly wheat, as the staple of the human diet (D&C 89:14, 16-17), and upon fruits and vegetables (“herbs” verse 11; cf. 59:17-18) in season.”
This 1833 code also teaches grains (especially wheat), fresh fruits and
vegetables, and sparing use of meat.
* A UCLA study showed that active LDS live longer than most Americans,
men by 11 years, women by 8.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) the leading cause of death in America is heart disease, with suicide ranking eleventh. Compare that with what the Utah Department of Health says. They report the leading cause of death for males between the ages of 15-44 as suicide. The Utah External Injury Data System says that from 1992 to 1999 there were 7,713 suicides alone. Eleven of those were between the ages of 0-9 years of age.
The rate of suicide in Utah for females between the ages of 15-44 is four times the national average. With this being said, the CDC has been “unable to explain the regional variation of suicide”. About 20% of successful suicides have occurred in the 13-21 year old age bracket. The Utah Department of Health has declared it an “epidemic”. For the past four decades now, Utah has ranked in the top ten for numbers of suicides in the nation. What is equally disturbing is the other nine states are located in the intermountain west and Alaska.
Just think about this for a moment, you’ve got more than a handful of little people who have witnessed such horrific events in their short lives and have believed this is the only way out…
The preceding statistics are part of an article I wrote a few months ago. I update these stats every other year hoping against all hope that the numbers will change but they never do. The Mormons may not be drinking coffee or an occasional beer, but look at the real numbers to see what’s really going on and how long they live.
(For the latest data see our 2010 report here http://lifeafterministry.com/2011/03/25/suicide-in-utah-2010)
* Utah is 50th in smoking, alcohol consumption, drunk driving, heart
disease, cancer, and sick days.
Like I said…
EDUCATION
* With four colleges, Utah’s BYU with 30,000 students is the largest
single-campus private college.
* BYU Independent Study with 130,000 students is North America (340 web
courses, 530 via mail).
* Seminary, a daily class usually held around 6:00 A.M., serves 376,000
high school students.
* There are Institutes of Religion at 1,950 colleges worldwide that serve
367,000 college students.
* The church operates schools in parts of the Pacific Ocean and Mexico
for 10,000 students.
* Utah is 50th in spending per pupil, but first in adults that graduated
from high school and attended college.
They do boast good numbers, that’s for sure but where does it all lead them? The entire reason Paul wrote the book of Colossians was to exhort the Gnostics of their calamities in thinking that a superior intelligence would grant them salvation. I’m not saying a college education isn’t important, but why you get one is the focus here. It says in Doctrine and Covenants 93:36; “The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.”
People, this is a direct and outright lie! The glory of God is not intelligence! The glory of God is His Son Jesus Christ!
The only time that any type of ‘knowledge’ comes into play is when we lead people to the knowledge of Jesus Christ and Him crucified! The glory of God is indeed His Son Jesus Christ and what He did for us.
WOMEN
* In 1842 the “Relief Society” was organized; it’s the largest women’s
organization in the world.
* Wyoming was first to allow women to vote; Utah was second, two months
later, in 1870.
* Women preach from the pulpit and serve as organization presidents,
teachers, committee chairs, etc.
It is indeed amazing they were the first states to allow the women to vote. I’ll give them that. However, women don’t “preach from the pulpit” anywhere in the Mormon Church. First of all, that phrase is not Mormon lingo. I had never heard of the word pulpit until after I got saved. And the word “preach” was only used when derogatorily referring to “Bible thumpers”.
Secondly, they don’t exactly get to pick and choose what they speak on. There is a set agenda for each week and she is “asked” by the bishop to speak on a certain topic during a sacrament meeting. It’s not like she’s up there preaching on the crucifixion of Jesus. And I highly doubt anyone would refuse the bishop to go up and share that week’s lesson. To do so would jeopardize your temple recommend.
SHARING CHRIST’S GOOD NEWS
* 61,000 missionaries serve in 165 countries; 93 percent are college-age;
22 percent are female.
* Unpaid and paying their own way, most work 65 hours a week for two
years, often in a new language.
The Church calls young single men and women to serve as missionaries on a temporary basis. Males from the ages of 19-26 serve a two year term, and females from the ages of 21 and older serve 18 months. Missionaries or their families generally cover all costs of serving a mission. “No one is paid for missionary service.” This includes older missionary couples without dependent children as well. Encyclopedia of Mormonism, 910.
It is highly frowned upon not to serve your mission and the Church begins this thought process at an early age with the children singing “I hope they call me on a mission” while in Primary classes.
MEMBERSHIP DISTRIBUTION
* LDS are 70 percent of Utah, 30 percent of Idaho; after Catholics, LDS
are the largest sect in 10 states.
* The church has 5.5 million members in the U.S., making it the fourth
largest individual U.S. denomination.
* Some memberships: New Zealand 95k, Japan 115k, UK 175k, Philippines
500k, Brazil 900k, Mexico 925k.
* Worldwide 51 percent are female; about 55 percent are not Caucasian;
about 70 percent are converts.
MEMBERSHIP GROWTH
* For the last 15 years, every day an average of 800+ people worldwide
joined the LDS church.
This number has to be wrong in light of how many people the Church says they have as members. The real focus here though isn’t so much how many they convert as how many stay in the Church. They actually have conference speeches from their General Authorities on how to retain the converts. This is a huge problem within the Church, it always has been. If half the people who got out of the Church would have their names removed, their numbers wouldn’t be so hair-raising. Less than 25% stay active for more than a month after converting.
* Half of the growth is in Latin America, but the rate of growth is
highest in Africa and the former Soviet bloc.
This part is sad. If those former Catholics in Latin America knew the Church believes God had sex with the Virgin Mary, they’d run the other way.
Brigham Young said; “I have given you a few leading items upon this subject, but a great deal more remains to be told. Now remember from this time forth, and for ever, that Jesus Christ was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. I will repeat a little anecdote. I was in conversation with a certain learned professor upon this subject, when I replied, to this idea—”if the Son was begotten by the Holy Ghost, it would be very dangerous to baptize and confirm females, and give the Holy Ghost to them, lest he should beget children, to be palmed upon the Elders by the people, bringing the Elders into great difficulties.” Journal of Discourses, 1: 51.
* Worldwide membership just passed 12 million, a tenfold increase in 50
years.
* In 1984 a non-LDS professor estimated 265 million members by 2080; so
far growth has been faster.
* As this growth has been steady, he said it will be the “first ‘new’
major world religion since Islam.”
My, that’s not something I’d be bragging about. And Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-15; “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.”
Today the Church has shied away from the predicted growth rate. Their recruiting and retention numbers fall way short of Rodney Stark’s prediction in 1984.
CHARITY/SERVICE
* Members in need obtain welfare from the LDS Church (thus Utah
government welfare spending is very low).
* LDS donate time at 220 welfare storehouses or canneries and about 400
farms (a FL ranch is 312k acres).
* There are 210 employment centers placing over 175,000 people annually,
and 64 family service centers.
* The church operates 46 thrift stores, in part to provide employment for
the disadvantaged.
* The 61,000 missionaries spend half a day each week doing
non-proselytizing community service.
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
* Over 200 million pounds of food, clothing, and medicine were donated
in the last 20 years in 147 countries.
* Almost all of this help is to non-LDS; LDS charities also work with and
donate to many non-LDS charities.
* Very rapid disaster relief has been given in 144 major disasters since
1986.
* Almost 3,000 welfare “missionaries” work without pay in 55 countries
(farm instructors, doctors, teachers…).
* LDS charities fund a wide variety of projects like drilling water wells
or funding small business startup loans.
* New in 2001, members in poor areas can get low-rate college loans;
10,000 loans have been made to date.
They do indeed have a good work ethic, this isn’t to be disputed. What is sad about it though is that anyone can do good works. It doesn’t mean that you have true salvation.
And I don’t recall seeing any Christian church out there bragging they were on the scene of a major disaster to help with relief. This is done humbly and without the need of acknowledgment.
GRAB BAG
* Utah is first in: charitable giving, scientists, household computers,
children with two parents, and birth rate.
This is not a true statement. In fact, Utah falls below the median of scientists from Utah,
http://www.lds-mormon.com/scientistsborninutah.shtml
* Noted LDS included five senators, the Osmonds, Gladys Knight, Steve
Young, and the inventor of TV.
Fame and notoriety here on earth means nothing to God. He is more concerned about where your heart is at, not who you are. Do you really think in the end God will say, “Hey Steve Young because you surpassed all those throwing records in the NFL you can just throw yourself into the kingdom of heaven”?
The fellow who invented the television tube was Philo Farnsworth. He invented the electronic scanning tube and received a patent for it in 1930. At the time another Russian born American working for Westinghouse was trying to invent the same thing and received his patent for the part as well but not until 1938 even though he had publicly displayed his invention in 1923, some seven years before Farnsworth received his patent.
Ironically enough, I grew up with one of Farnsworth’s nieces, by the name of Linda Berlin. I sat through a few “show and tells” in elementary school learning of her claim to fame.
* LDS played a key role in the 2002 Winter Olympics; the chair is now the
governor of Massachusetts.
In other words they bought their way in. Why did the state of Utah have the money to redesign their main highways for the Olympics yet hold the dubious position of being in 50th place for spending on per student capita? The locals renamed Highway 15 during the construction phase to “the luge”.
* Hawaii’s #1 tourist site is the LDS Polynesian Cultural Center (Tonga
and the Samoas are one-third LDS).
Luke 17:1-2; “Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.”
Just think about this in relation to how many people the Church has deceived!
* LDS have sponsored Boy Scout troops since 1913; 23 percent of all Scout
troops are LDS.
This is why my own church refused to allow the local Boy Scout troops to meet in our building. They aren’t praying to the God of the Bible. I caution all Christians to make sure you know who your local Den leader is before you sign your sons up with them. The Boy Scouts of America is an awesome organization in and of itself, but it has become dangerous in the past 30 years or so, spiritually speaking, if you don’t know who’s in charge.
* The BYU Women’s Cross Country were national champions or in second
place each of the last seven years.
Knowing how to ski doesn’t grant you salvation. And remember, boasting can only be done within the earshot of others.
DETROIT AREA
* The Detroit metro area has 30 congregations; the Dearborn chapel is on
Rotunda by Ford’s Building #5.
* Detroit has a temple, storehouse, cannery, employment and family
service office, and family history libraries.
* LDS include former Governor Romney, three former Lions quarterbacks,
and hundreds of Ford employees.
We’re obviously praying for the Detroit area. Please know that if you are an employee of Ford Motor Company that you have been lifted up in prayer! You see people, the Church likes to brag and have become ‘name droppers’, if you will for the sake of getting your attention. As Christians we are called to be in the world, not of the world. There is a huge difference! The little ‘interesting facts of the Church’ is just that. It’s interesting that so many people have been led astray and don’t know the real Jesus!