Today we’re looking at a speech given by Delbert L. Stapley from 1977. The underlying message of his talk screams cult behavior with the comments that Mormonism is the only true church. His speech is a classic sign of a cult.
Ensign, “What Constitutes the True Church,” May 1977, p. 21; “We know that all truth does emanate from God and is therefore unchangeable, consistent, and unified. Consequently, not all Christian churches with their dissimilar teachings can provide a fulness of truth. My intent is to assert with testimony and persuasion of scripture the reasons there can be only one Lord, one acceptable faith, one baptism, and one true church. Then if any of you are convinced you are mistaken in your present beliefs, you should have the courage to investigate and the faith to change and follow the true path Christ has outlined that assures one’s eternal happiness.” – Delbert L. Stapley
01
Ephesians 4:4-6; “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
There are a few issues in this LDS reference today we want to take a look at!
1.If there’s only ONE Lord, why does the Church believe they can be gods someday?
2.If there’s only ONE church, why has Mormonism disengaged itself from the body of Christ?
3.If there’s only ONE Spirit, why does the Church insist there are two?
Although Mr. Stapley didn’t use all of the biblical passage from Ephesians 4:4-6 above, he certainly used enough for us to know which Bible verses he used for his talk, thus our inclusion of questions #2-3.
4.Why did Mr. Stapley add his own words to Paul’s inspired words from God; i.e. ‘…one acceptable faith…’?
5.The biggest problem with what Mr. Stapely said is that when people do investigate and find the real Jesus, they’re labeled as heretics and apostates.
If/when word gets out they’ve been reading their Bibles, and LDS Church history, they’re subsequently shunned from the community in which they live and work. This, in turn, causes untold problems for them personally, and professionally. The Church is adamant everyone must ‘follow the prophet’, and teaches there’s only person on earth who can speak for, and receive true revelations from, God.
This in essence, has left members of the Mormon Church with no other choice but to be a minion for the system, and forsake Christ Jesus our Lord, or…. Lose everything to become a real Christian.
Matthew Henry provided valuable insight on the attitude and behavior of everyday Hebrews in the days of Jesus. The parallels between their lackadaisical attitude and the Mormons is quite remarkable. You can see both groups, by rote, parroting the small excerpts of scripture they learned from leaders, and yet are unable to defend why they had come to their conclusions.
John 7:40-44 speaks of the time when everyone was arguing for, or against Jesus as the Christ. In his commentary, he wrote –
“…[they had] A laudable knowledge of the scripture. … …even the common people knew by the traditional expositions which their scribes gave them.
Perhaps the people who had these scriptures so ready to object against Christ were not alike knowing in other parts of holy writ, but had had these put into their mouths by their leaders, to fortify their prejudices against Christ. Many that espouse some corrupt notions, and spend their zeal in defence of them, seem to be very ready in the scriptures, when indeed they know little more than those scriptures which they have been taught to pervert.”
And so it is with Mr. Stapley’s explanation on the body of Christ. As we’ve always said, one of the hallmarks of cult behavior is the use of 1-2 biblical verses to prove a point. You’ll notice how the verse used will always be out of context, and their apology is bereft of other passages in support of their argument. Matthew Henry also stated the people at that time had a culpable ignorance of our Lord Jesus. Meaning, they were going to be answering for their apathetic behavior towards God.
Lastly, we totally, and wholeheartedly, agree with Mr. Stapley’s comment and we’re praying daily all Mormons take heed to his words. When, not if, you discover the problems in your doctrine, find the courage to leave!
Leave a Reply