Ecclesiastes 12:14; For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
Matthew 12:36-37; “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”
The Doctrines of Salvation is a three volume compilation of doctrines, teachings, and even prophecies meted out by the 10th prophet/president of Mormonism; Joseph Fielding Smith. As I was looking for a specific quote the other day, I came across a number of things this man said, so today we’re looking at a few of them.
As I was reading these, I couldn’t help but wonder what godly purpose these doctrines serve for the Mormon people. His writings, etc., are still used today in their everyday teachings, and so our purpose of posting these is threefold.
1.To educate the Christian, and Mormon communities at large.
2.To give Christians an idea of what to pray about for the Mormons in their lives.
3.To use as a witnessing tool when you have the opportunity.
My heart breaks whenever I come across such blatant lies about God. I remember all too well the confusion I lived in every day I was a Mormon, and it wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination!
When the Church gives directives to its members to study their bibles, and goes so far as to use them in their lessons, you can just imagine how caustic the internal warfare would be for the average person.
I spent a total of maybe 10 minutes looking over one small section of this vital Mormon work, and had to limit myself to just a few examples to share today. The totality of it is overwhelming!
One thing is certain, Mr. Smith’s teaching that every little word of mankind isn’t recorded is nothing but a lie…
Doctrines of Salvation 1:54; “The Holy Ghost is given to faithful members of the Church to guard and direct them: theirs is the privilege, through their faithfulness, to have such guidance and protection.
There is no angel following us about like a stenographer taking notes and making a record of our lives. The Lord has a more perfect way by which the acts of our lives are recorded.”
Mr. Smith was referring to the Holy Ghost keeping members from saying bad things, but his doctrine here contradicts what Jesus told us in Matthew’s gospel. As for a stenographer…I can’t imagine the Omniscient, Omnipresent, and Omnipotent God I worship needing a stenographer.
Doctrines of Salvation 1:55; “SECOND COMFORTER NOT HOLY SPIRIT OF PROMISE. The Holy Spirit of Promise is not the Second Comforter. The Holy Spirit of Promise is the Holy Ghost who places the stamp of approval upon every ordinance that is done righteously; and when covenants are broken he removes the seal.”
For the sake of brevity here, we’re only addressing the latter part of what he’s said.
When God makes a covenant with man it’s eternally valid. Man, with a sin nature, will never stop sinning. No matter how righteous you are as a human being, the internal struggle inside of you will always persist. Romans 7 is a good resource to learn how, and why this happens.
Because God already knows what He’s dealing with (meaning mankind), it wouldn’t make sense that a benevolent God would react in such a totalitarian manner.
The synopsis of what Mr. Smith said is –
Your sin = God’s departure
Doctrines of Salvation 1:146; “ANCIENT PROPHETS SAW OUR CIVILIZATION. I read in the scriptures, if I understand them correctly, that many of the prophets of old had opened to their vision scenes pertaining to the history of the children of men down to the end of time, and the Lord revealed unto them the conditions that would prevail in the earth in this generation.
They saw, if I understand the matter correctly, our automobiles, our railroad trains; they saw, very probably, the communication that was taking place upon the face of the earth so wonderfully by wireless communication, or by means of wires by which news is conveyed. They saw, I believe, the airplanes flying in the midst of the heavens, because we can read in the prophecies of these ancient scriptures many things that indicate that these things were revealed unto those ancient prophets.”
This last example is just downright silly! If Abraham saw what Mr. Smith claims he did, then why didn’t Abraham write up the plans for the internet? Good grief.
An example is seen in John 8:56; “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day”. Yes, Abraham rejoiced in thinking of the time the Messiah would arrive on earth. It doesn’t mean he saw ‘planes, trains, and automobiles’ zipping around! It’s much like us knowing the world will be more evil at the end than it is today.
We can’t imagine what evil lies ahead, but we know it’ll be there.
We’re praying Mormons understand and accept God does indeed take note of every idle word we’ve said, and that goes for what Mr. Smith falsely taught these dear people.
“The Lord has a more perfect way by which the acts of our lives are recorded.”
I think he’s saying the same thing you are saying. It’s just not “written down ” word for word but visible in our hearts.
As for airplanes and internet. Why wouldn’t prophets see those things? I suspect there are a lot of things early prophets saw that they didn’t write down ‘cuz it was not necessary for all. Chill dude!
Finally, I am sorry you are so bitter. If you did not know it in your previous life, please be aware that “Mormons” are taught not to put down people of other faiths (Article of Faith 11). I wish others would offer us the same courtesy. I cannot believe mockery, sarcasm and nit-picking are tools Jesus used. If we are really messed up, don’t mock us or knock us down, just show us a better way. THAT would be truly Christian.
To JDF –
First of all I wanted to thank you for taking the time to comment on our blog and to let you know we’re praying for you.
Secondly, it’s VERY important you know that neither I, nor anyone else who helps me at this ministry, would mock Mormons, or bash them in any way at all.
I was LDS for 30 yrs and I still remember vividly how I didn’t like it when people made fun of me for being Mormon. You can be assured, we don’t participate in such behavior here.
Next – I can also guarantee you I’m not bitter at all! I’m saddened my people won’t open their Bibles to compare what God has said to what LDS leaders have claimed. Bitter? No. Sad? Yes.
4 – I would be remiss if I didn’t point you to read what the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:44-47. There is no pre-existence beloved. We were first created physically, and then spiritually we are born.
5 – Mr. Joseph Fielding Smith wasn’t saying what you claim. The god of Mormonism is an exalted man, not the Omniscient, Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Everlasting God of the Bible.
The god of Mormonism was created. The God of the Bible was not.
6 – Man cannot know what God knows. He’s not God, nor has he the power to see what God sees. He can prophesy as they did in the OT but that doesn’t mean they knew what would happen in the future other than knowing God told us we’d be punished for violating His commandments.
7 – Did you know Mr. Smith prophesied no man would walk on the moon? That alone makes him a false prophet and God says we have to ignore false prophets in Deut 18:20-22. See our article about Mr Smith’s false prophecy LDS Prophet Joseph Fielding Smith: ‘No Man Will Visit The Moon’
Please know we’re praying for you, and would love to answer any questions you might have!
With Love in Christ’
Michelle
1 Cor 1:18