John 2:24-25; “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, 25 And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.”
A few weeks ago I came across an article that sounded so much like Mormonism, I had to go back and read the URL to make sure I wasn’t on a link supported by the Church.
My original intent was to find info on Joseph Smith’s paternal grandfather, Asael Smith. While I knew at one point his family had been involved in the Unitarian church, I wanted specific info, with historical proof on who did what, and when.
The results of what I found? These two churches couldn’t look more similar if they tried! Yes, his family was involved with the Unitarians, and yes, his grandfather Asael was actually a minister for their local community of Topsfield, MA. You can read a short bio of his history with them at the Universalist Herald.
What I wasn’t expecting to see was a blueprint of Mormonism itself. However, that’s exactly what I saw in the article I said I found at another Unitarian site.
Now if that wasn’t quirky enough, a day later I came across a quote from a book written by the well known LDS Church educator, Lowell Bennion. He’s the ‘who’s who’ of educators from the mid 20th century. In a textbook he authored entitled, ‘An Introduction to the Gospel’, he provided his analysis and apology of why Joe Smith had to restore a nonexistent Christianity.
Comments in his analysis of Mormonism looked as if he had taken a page right out of the Unitarian handbook. Both are a stark reminder of how evil and demonic Satan is, and that he’s always ready to strike at a moment’s notice.
Both quotes are listed below with their respective URL’s.
From what looks like a mirror image of Mormonism is the article on the American Unitarian website entitled, ‘What is Unitarian Christianity?’ In part, it gives the following definitions of their beliefs.
Unitarian:
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the belief that human nature in its present condition is neither inherently corrupt nor depraved, but exactly as God created it and intended it to be from the beginning, capable of both good and evil;
- the conviction that no religion has a monopoly on holy spirit or theological truth;
- the belief that the Bible, while inspired of God, is written by humans and therefore subject to human error;
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the rejection of traditional doctrines that malign God’s character or veil the true nature and mission of Jesus, such as the doctrines of predestination, eternal damnation, the Trinity, and the vicarious sacrifice or satisfaction theory of the Atonement.
Mormonism:
Introduction to the Gospel, Chapter 42, p. 312; “Joseph Smith became a prophet and spokesman for God, a living witness of the principle of continuous revelation which characterized God’s relationship to man…In the restoration, man was raised to the dignity which he had formerly known both in the Hebrew and Christian scripture. Original sin and human depravity were done away with and in their place came again Jesus’ high regard for the dignity of man, the worth of every individual as a child of God, and great emphasis on man’s freedom and accompanying moral responsibility…in the Latter-day Saint teaching of salvation which reveals a fine balance between the grace of Deity and man’s individual merit.” – Lowell Bennion
To recap:
- ‘In the restoration, man was raised to the dignity which he had formerly known both in the Hebrew and Christian scripture’ – this means they don’t trust God’s written word, and they’ve rejected the Councils of early church fathers.
- ‘Original sin and human depravity were done away with’ – means man was too degraded being labeled a sinner.
- ‘In their place came again Jesus’ high regard for the dignity of man’ – means man is equal with Jesus, the Creator God.
- ‘The worth of every individual as a child of God’ – means men have the potential to become gods.
- ‘Great emphasis on man’s freedom and accompanying moral responsibility’ – means man doesn’t really face damnation when he takes responsibility for his own actions, and by the way, no crosses are required.
You can find an online text copy of this book at Cumorah.com/etexts. (Scroll all the way down to the bottom of this very long page!)
To reiterate what I said earlier, these two churches are the mirror image of each other! It makes it very obvious where Smith got his ideas from. As they say – the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
One has to wonder how they’d explain our scripture passage today. If they’re both right, Jesus wouldn’t be God, and of course, the Bible was translated incorrectly. Funny how that works…