Joseph Smith claimed mankind now had the fullness of the gospel with the advent of the Book of Mormon being published. What he didn’t say is that his claim was nothing but a lie. The most important elements of salvation for the Mormon can’t be found between the covers of the Book of Mormon. To find those all important teachings you’ll have to look elsewhere starting in the Doctrine and Covenants, Ensign (aka Journal of Discourses), General Conferences, Pearl of Great Price, etc.
The Book of Mormon has proven itself to be a feel good story of a people group who supposedly lived in the Americas more than 1,600 years ago. This serves members the comfort of having great warriors like King David in the Bible, but has no other purpose to guide a Mormon in the steps he or she must take to ensure they’ll spend eternity with God.
As a Mormon I didn’t realize the travesty in this, nor did I spend too much time thinking about it, as I trusted in the words of my leaders who ensured me that if I looked hard enough I’d find what I was looking for.
Years later I began thinking about the instruction I received from my leaders and the song by U2 always came to mind “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for”. It seemed a befitting song for the times I’d start yet another search in my BoM to theologically line up with my Bible.
Once I gave up that elusive search I finally found it and it was all in the Bible. Not the BoM, not D&C, nor the Pearl of Great Price…sola scriptura.
While I’m certainly not the first to discover the errors of Joseph Smith’s ways, I can honestly say I most certainly haven’t been the last – thank you Jesus!
We thought we’d gather up a few essential items for a Mormon to receive salvation and list them here. We assure the reader none of these things are in the Book of Mormon. While the BoM may sound pretty to many people, the truth is that Smith “borrowed” verses from the Bible here and there and arbitrarily placed them into the text to make it sound holy.
Creation
God Created the Earth vs. Organized
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 350; “Meaning of the Word Create – You ask the learned doctors why they say the world was made out of nothing; and they will answer, “Doesn’t the Bible say He created the world?” And they infer, from the word create, that it must have been made out of nothing. Now, the word create came from the word baurau which does not mean to create out of nothing; it means to organize; the same as a man would organize materials and build a ship. fn Hence, we infer that God had materials to organize the world out of chaos—chaotic matter, which is element, and in which dwells all the glory. Element had an existence from the time he had. The pure principles of element are principles which can never be destroyed; they may be organized and re-organized, but not destroyed. They had no beginning, and can have no end.”
Abraham 4:1; “And then the Lord said: Let us go down. And they went down at the beginning, and they, that is the Gods, organized and formed the heavens and the earth.”
Families Essential to Salvation
www.lds.org; “We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.”
Liahona, January 2002, pg. 80; “Our family is the focus of our greatest work and joy in this life; so will it be throughout all eternity.
With the Lord, families are essential. He created the earth that we could gain physical bodies and form families (see D&C 2:1–3). He established His Church to exalt families. He provides temples so that families can be together forever (see D&C 138:47–48).”” – Russell Nelson
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg 487; “If a husband and wife are faithful to their temple marriage, they will continue as co-creators in God’s Celestial Kingdom through the eternities…PROCREATION IS A COMMANDMENT OF GOD. Through the sexual experience, husbands and wives enrich their marriage and create physical bodies for spirits to come to earth to achieve divine purposes. Latter-day Saints strive to create a home life dedicated to fulfilling these purposes. It is both a joy and a responsibility for parents to bring heavenly spirits into this world. Adam and Eve were commanded to “be fruitful, and multiply” (Gen. 1:22). Latter-day revelation has given the same instructions. Church members are taught not to postpone or refuse to have children for selfish or materialistic reasons.”
Polytheism
There’s not a single verse in all the Book of Mormon that conveys a belief in polytheism and this is what Mormonism is all about. You don’t have to believe in each god, just believing there’s more than one god qualifies as polytheism.
Many gods and councils of gods – Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 348; Abraham 4:25
Man may become a god – Discourses of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs. 136-137; Gospel through the Ages, pgs. 105-106; D&C 76:58, TPJS 342-345
Man is a god in embryo – Miracle/Forgiveness, pg. 3
Orson Pratt, The Seer, pg. 37; “Each God, through his wife or wives, raises up a numerous family of sons and daughters; indeed, there will be no end to the increase of his own children…”
Discourses of Brigham Young, pg 22; “How many Gods there are, I do not know. But there never was a time when there were not Gods and worlds, and when men were not passing through the same ordeals that we are now passing through. That course has been from all eternity, and it is and will be to all eternity. You cannot comprehend this, but when you can, it will be to you a matter of great consolation. 7:333.”
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 370; “I will preach on the plurality of Gods. I have selected this text for that express purpose. I wish to declare I have always and in all congregations when I have preach on the subject of the Deity, it has been the plurality of Gods. It has been preached by the Elders for fifteen years. I have always declared God to be a distinct personage, Jesus Christ a separate and distinct personage from God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost was a distinct personage and a Spirit: and these three constitute three distinct personages and three Gods.”
Godhood
Miracle/Forgiveness, pg. 3; “…Through him God has abundantly confirmed that man is the supreme creation, made in the image and similitude of God and his Son, Jesus Christ; that man is the offspring of God; that for man, and man alone, was the earth created, organized, planted and made ready for human habitation; and that, having within him the seeds of godhood and thus being a god in embryo, man has unlimited potential for progress and attainment.”
The Teachings of Lorenzo Snow, pg. 1; “As man now is, God once was; as God is now man may be.”
David O. McKay, Pathways to Happiness, pg. 240; “The great secret of human happiness lies in progression. Stagnation means death. With man’s attitude toward service to his fellow men, with his heart compassioned and free from selfish endeavor, he will march on to the goal that is his—to become master, creator, God…this is the mainspring of the actions of the people, embracing all the powers necessary in performing the duties of life. Discourses of Brigham Young – 133-34.”
D&C 132:20-21; “Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them. 21 Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.”
God
D&C 130:22; “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.”
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 345; “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, and who upholds all worlds and all things by his power, was to make himself visible,—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; 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.”
Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 181; “”That which is without body, parts and passions is nothing. There is no other God in heaven but that God who has flesh and bones. John 5:26. As the Father hath life in himself, even so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. God the Father took life unto himself precisely as Jesus did.””
God Had Sex with Mary & is a Polygamist
Doctrines of Salvation 1:102; “”When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten him in his own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who is the Father? He is the first of the human family; and when he [Christ] took a tabernacle, it was begotten by his Father in heaven, after the same manner as the tabernacles of Cain, Abel, and the rest of the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve….”
The Seer, pg. 158; “If none but Gods will be permitted to multiply immortal children, it follows that each God must have one or more wives.…The fleshly body of Jesus required a Mother as well as a Father. Therefore, the Father and Mother of Jesus, according to the flesh, must have been associated together in the capacity of Husband and Wife; hence the Virgin Mary must have been, for the time being, the lawful wife of God the Father.…He had a lawful right to overshadow the Virgin Mary in the capacity of a husband, and beget a Son, although she was espoused to another; for the law which He gave to govern men and women was not intended to govern Himself, or to prescribe rules for his own conduct.”— Orson Pratt
Jesus & Lucifer are Brothers
Jesus the Christ pg 8; “Thus it is shown that prior to the placing of man upon the earth, how long before we do not know, Christ and Satan, together with the hosts of the spirit-children of God, existed as intelligent individuals, possessing power and opportunity to choose the course they would pursue and the leaders whom they would follow and obey.” – Apostle James Talmage
Abraham 3:22-28; “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;23 And God saw these souls that they were good, and he stood in the midst of them, and he said: These I will make my rulers; for he stood among those that were spirits, and he saw that they were good; and he said unto me: Abraham, thou art one of them; thou wast chosen before thou wast born.24 And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;25 And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;26 And they who keep their first estate shall be added upon; and they who keep not their first estate shall not have glory in the same kingdom with those who keep their first estate; and they who keep their second estate shall have glory added upon their heads for ever and ever.27 And the Lord said: Whom shall I send? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And another answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will send the first.28 And the second was angry, and kept not his first estate; and, at that day, many followed after him.”
Jesus was Married
Journal of Discourses 2:210; “I discover that some of the Eastern papers represent me as a great blasphemer, because I said, in my lecture on Marriage, at our last Conference, that Jesus Christ was married at Cana of Galilee, that Mary, Martha, and others were his wives, and that he begat children…All that I have to say in reply to that charge is this—they worship a Savior that is too pure and holy to fulfil the commands of his Father. I worship one that is just pure and holy enough “to fulfil all righteousness;” not only the righteous law of baptism, but the still more righteous and important law “to multiply and replenish the earth.” Startle not at this! for even the Father himself honored that law by coming down to Mary, without a natural body, and begetting a son; and if Jesus begat children, he only “did that which he had seen his Father do.“” – Orson Hyde, Salt Lake City, March 18, 1855.
Journal of Discourses 2:82-83; “Jesus was the bridegroom at the marriage of Cana of Galilee, and he told them what to do. Now there was actually a marriage; and if Jesus was not the bridegroom on that occasion, please tell who was. If any man can show this, and prove that it was not the Savior of the world, then I will acknowledge I am in error.” – Orson Hyde, October 6, 1854
Journal of Discourses 13:309; “The Scripture says that He, the LORD, came walking in the Temple, with HIS TRAIN; I do not now [sic] who they were, unless HIS WIVES AND CHILDREN…” – Brigham Young
The Seer, pg. 172; “…the great Messiah who was the founder of the Christian religion, was a polygamist…marrying many honorable wives himself…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.” – Orson Pratt, 1857
Temple Marriage Mandatory for Salvation
Mormon Doctrine, pg 116; “An inheritance in this glorious kingdom is gained by complete obedience to gospel or celestial law. (D. & C. 88:16-32.) By entering the gate of repentance and baptism candidates find themselves on the strait and narrow path leading to the celestial kingdom. By devotion and faithfulness, by enduring to the end in righteousness and obedience, it is then possible to merit a celestial reward. (2 Ne. 31:17-21.)”
Mormon Doctrine, pg 117; “If the family unit continues, then by virtue of that fact the members of the family have gained eternal life (exaltation), the greatest of all the gifts of God, for by definition exaltation consists in the continuation of the family unit in eternity. Those so inheriting are the sons and daughters of God, the members of his family, those who have made their callings and elections sure, They are joint-heirs with Christ to all that the Father hath, and they receive the fulness of the glory of the Father, becoming gods in their own right. (D. & C. 132; Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, pp. 58-99.)”
Doctrines of Salvation 2:62; “CELESTIAL MARRIAGE MAKES GODS IN ETERNITY. But if we are married for time and for all eternity and it is sealed upon our heads by those who have the authority so to seal, and if we then keep our covenants and are faithful to the end, we shall come forth in the resurrection from the dead and receive the following promised blessings:
“Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them.””
Three Levels of Heaven
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg 260; “Within the celestial glory are three levels, and to obtain the highest requires a temple marriage or sealing.”
Mormon Doctrine pg. 670; “Salvation in its true and full meaning is synonymous with exaltation or eternal life and consists in gaining an inheritance in the highest of the three heavens within the celestial kingdom. With few exceptions this is the salvation of which the scriptures speak. It is the salvation which the saints seek. It is of this which the Lord says, “There is no gift greater than the gift of salvation.” (D. & C. 6:13.) This full salvation is obtained in and through the continuation of the family unit in eternity, and those who obtain it are gods. (D. & C. 131:1-4; 132.)”
Polygamy
The Book of Mormon actually denounces polygamy and refers to it as abominable yet Joseph Smith claimed you won’t go to heaven without practicing it!
Jacob 2:24; “Behold, David and Solomon truly had many wives and concubines, which thing was abominable before me, saith the Lord.”
D&C 132:4; “For behold, I reveal unto you a new and an everlasting covenant; and if ye abide not that covenant, then are ye damned; for no one can reject this covenant and be permitted to enter into my glory.”
Journal of Discourses 3:266; “Now if any of you will deny the plurality of wives, and continue to do so, I promise that you will be damned; and I will go still further and say, take this revelation, or any other revelation that the Lord has given, and deny it in your feelings, and I promise that you will be damned.” – Brigham Young, Provo, July 14, 1855
Word of Wisdom
Journal of Discourses 17:104; “Every man, whether he is or is not a Latter-day Saint, when he comes to study our written works, the written revelations which God has given, will acknowledge that the Latter-day Saints cannot be the people they profess to be, they cannot be consistent with the revelations they profess to believe in and live as they now live; they have got to come into the system which the Saints call the New Order, otherwise they cannot comply with the revelations of God.” – Orson Pratt, June 14, 1874
Doctrine and Covenants 89:5-9; “That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him. 6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make. 7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies. 8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill. 9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.”
Works for the Dead
Mormons are taught and subsequently believe they must perform genealogy work so they can submit names of their dead relatives to the temple and save their dead relatives. They’ll be baptized, confirmed as LDS members, and married by proxy for the deceased so they can have their own planets and become gods and goddesses as well.
Mormons do this to earn their way to heaven. The more works you do, the better chances there are you can go to heaven.
A dead person getting a second chance at salvation is completely contrary to what the Book of Mormon says! According to the prophet Nephi today is the day of salvation!
2 Nephi 9:38; “And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.”
Liahona and Ensign, November 2012; “The keys Elijah restored to Joseph Smith permit our hearts to be bound and each of us linked to those of our ancestors who are waiting for our help. Through our efforts in holy temples here on earth using the authority delegated by the Savior, our progenitors receive the saving ordinances that allow them to enjoy eternal happiness.” —Richard G. Scott, “The Joy of Redeeming the Dead”
Gospel Doctrine, pg 469; “Through our efforts in their behalf their chains of bondage will fall from them, and the darkness surrounding them will clear away, that light may shine upon them and they shall hear in the spirit world of the work that has been done for them by their children here, and will rejoice with you in your performance of these duties.—Oct. C. R., 1916, p. 6.” – Joseph F. Smith
Doctrine and Covenants 128:18; “…It is sufficient to know, in this case, that the earth will be smitten with a curse unless there is a welding link of some kind or other between the fathers and the children, upon some subject or other—and behold what is that subject? It is the baptism for the dead. For we without them cannot be made perfect; neither can they without us be made perfect. Neither can they nor we be made perfect without those who have died in the gospel also; for it is necessary in the ushering in of the dispensation of the fulness of times…”
Mormons need consent of Joseph Smith to enter heaven
Journal of Discourses 7:289-290; “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—I with you and you with me. I cannot go there without his consent. He holds the keys of that kingdom for the last dispensation.” – Brigham Young, Salt Lake City, October 9, 1859
Prophet Holds Keys to Salvation
D&C 132:7 & Mormon Doctrine 411; “The President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds the keys of salvation for all men…”
Literal sons and daughters of God
Mortal Messiah 1:21; “Christ and all men are spirit children of the Father… He begat us; we are the offspring of Heavenly Parents; we have an Eternal Father and an Eternal Mother. We were born as spirits, and we dwelt in the presence of our Eternal Parents; we lived before our mortal birth…Christ was the Firstborn of all the heavenly host; Lucifer was a son of the morning…and Christ is our Elder Brother.”
Discourses of Brigham Young, pg 26; He is our literal elder brother
Leave a Reply