Sermons and Writings of Bruce R. McConkie, p. 337; “You talk about teaching false doctrine and being damned. Here is a list of false doctrines that if anyone teaches he will be damned. And there is not one of these that I have ever known to be taught in the Church, but I am giving you the list for a perspective because of what will follow.
Teach that God is a Spirit, the sectarian trinity.
Teach that salvation comes by grace alone, without works.
Teach original guilt, or birth sin, as they express it.
Teach infant baptism.
Teach predestination.
Teach that revelation and gifts and miracles have ceased.
Teach the Adam-God theory (that does apply in the Church).
Teach that we should practice plural marriage today.
Now, any of those are doctrines that damn.” – Bruce R. McConkie
Ephesians 4:14; “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive.”
I don’t like pulling one verse seemingly out of context to prove a point so we need to remember what was going on in Ephesus and why Paul said this. He was reminding members to stop infighting and going off on tangents with fly-by-night doctrines that were unbiblical. Their situation reminds me a lot of the content in Mr. McConkie’s statement above.
He called these items ‘doctrines that damn’ and yet at least half of them are taught in the Church. Events like this should cause Mormons to be in sackcloth and ashes. How very sad they tolerate such things and nary a word is said.
The Church still teaches they should practice polygamy and proof is found in D&C 132. The only reason they don’t do this today is because it’s illegal, but make no mistake they still believe it’s a God sanctioned commandment.
The Church also teaches salvation by grace –
2 Nephi 10:24; “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will of God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved.”
The Church does in fact teach that God is a spirit –
Alma 31:15; “Holy, holy God; we believe that thou art God, and we believe that thou art holy, and that thou wast a spirit, and that thou art a spirit, and that thou wilt be a spirit forever.”
And lastly – it’s unclear to me what McConkie meant when he said ‘Teach the Adam-God theory (that does apply in the Church).’, but for the record, in 2014 the Adam-God doctrine is still couched in D&C 27:11; ‘And also with Michael, or Adam, the father of all, the prince of all, the ancient of days’.
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