Journal of Discourses 7:286 “It is written of the Savior that he descended below all things. If he did, he descended in capacity. I will merely tell you what I believe on this point. I believe that there never was a child born on this earth with any less capacity than dwelt in the child that was born in a manger of his mother Mary.
I believe, according to the natural ability which he received from his mother and from his supposed father Joseph, that there never was a child that descended lower in capacity, or that knew less.” — Brigham Young, Great Salt Lake City, October 9, 1859 (more…)
Journal of Discourses 5:71 “The sun, moon, and stars are the representatives of the final homes of the departed dead, if not their real homes. … Here are homes for all grades of spirits, from the faithful martyr to Christ’s kingdom and Gospel, whose glory is represented by the sun in the firmament, to the wicked tare, who will be sent away into outer darkness, upon some planet destined to roll in endless night.” — Orson Hyde, Great Salt Lake City, March 8, 1857 (more…)
The Best of Lowell L. Bennion, Selected Writings 1928-1988: p. 79; “Christ was as humane and man-centered as any humanist in his concern for persons, but he also loved God and shared with him his love for man. And so my loyalty to persons includes man, every man, I hope, but also Deity—the Father and the Son. They too are persons. I don’t know that they need my direct adoration and affection, but it is my simple faith that they suffer when men suffer and rejoice when men have cause to rejoice. So in a modest way, but with all my heart, I would diminish their suffering and enhance their joy.”
“But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” Romans 8:11
Today we’re looking at an excerpt in Wilford Woodruff’s Journal. The 4th president/prophet of the Church was a prolific author, and note keeper. His journals comprise events of the Church, and his private life over the course of almost six decades (1833 – 1898).
The reason we’re looking into the excerpt below is because of the numerous times it’s been used in church publications, LDS Seminary manuals, and publications of the LDS conferences. We found it in no less than four books written about Mormonism!
As we look at this today I want to be sure and reiterate the purpose of why we do this. We aren’t here to bash the Mormon people. We do this to inform the unknowing of the dangers Mormonism presents to those seeking a relationship with God. While reading over this my heart was sickened at the lies, and outright blasphemous theology these men propagated to the Mormon people. Mr. Woodruff’s meticulous notes of Brigham Young’s talk is a classic example of why they can’t be trusted.
Note: spelling is in original.
Journal of Wilford Woodruff 4:246-427 “Who will resurrect Josephs Body? It will be Peter, James, John, Moroni, or some one who has or will receive the keys of the resurrection. It will probably be one of those who hold the keys of this dispensation & has delivered them to Joseph and you will see Jesus and he will eat peaches & Apples with you. …
Times and Seasons 6:956, April 6, 1845 “God knew that old Abraham could not build a temple, therefore he said unto him, go to the mountain I shall tell thee of, and there offer up your sacrifice. He tells us to build an house here in this place [Nauvoo], according to our means. And when we get a little more strength, he will say, go now and execute you means upon the next house we have got to build, and it is just stretch our faith until it shall become exceeding great, that we can command the elements and they will obey. And when we get into Jackson county to walk in the courts of that house, we can say we built this temple for as the Lord lives we will build up Jackson countyin this generation, (cries of amen,) and we will be far better off with regard to temporal things, when we have done, than ever we were before.” — Brigham Young [emp. added] (more…)
Today we’re looking at an article from the February 2019 Liahona. What caught my attention was its title; ‘A personal relationship with heavenly father’. It didn’t take long to see the many falsehoods in what the author said, and how his words culminated in a host of lies. My heart breaks for those who will believe this guy because I know people like my mother will worry themselves and think they must not be good enough to experience what this guy told people they can achieve.
To start off with, if you’re new to Mormonism it’d be helpful to know the words used in the title of their article aren’t the standard Mormon way of phrasing things. Complicating things further, for years Mormons were told they could not have a personal relationship with Christ, and then they were told they could.
I was a 6th generation Utah Mormon, and in the 30 years I was a member I never heard the phrase ‘personal relationship’ unless it was referring to a loved one. Having a personal relationship with their heavenly father has been an on again, mostly off again event in the history of Mormonism.
Moreover, there’s a laundry list of rules they must observe when praying to their heavenly father. See Prayer Life of Mormons.
Doctrines of Salvation 1:74 “ADAM AND OTHERS HELPED IN CREATION. It is true that Adam helped to form this earth. He labored with our Savior Jesus Christ. I have a strong view or conviction that there were others also who assisted them. Perhaps Noah and Enoch; and why not Joseph Smith, and those who were appointed to be rulers before the earth was formed? We know that Jesus our Savior was a Spirit when this great work was done. He did all of these mighty works before he tabernacled in the flesh.” — Joseph Fielding Smith (more…)
Brigham Young’s Teachings on Adam, p. 9 “In my doctrinal teachings I have taught many things not written in any book, ancient or modern. And yet, notwithstanding the many things I have told the people, I have never looked into the Bible, the Book of Mormon, or the Doctrine and Covenants, or any of our Church works to see whether they agreed with them or not. When I have spoken by the power of God and the Holy Ghost it is truth, it is scripture, and I have no fears but that it will agree with all that has been revealed in every particular.” — Deseret News, vol. 26, no. 18, 6 June 1877, 274, column 5, paragraph 2, discourse given by President Brigham Young, 25 May 1877, Logan, Utah, location not specified.
Reference provided by Matthew B. Brown, Delivered at the 2009 FAIR Conference, Sandy, Utah. (more…)
We posted the following article in 2015, but they still haven’t denounced this idolatrous teaching!
If you’re LDS, is this what you expect from your leaders?
Daily Journal of Abraham H. Cannon, April 15, 1894, v. 18, p. 70; “Father [George Q. Cannon] now spoke of the unfortunate condition of the people at present in regard to marriage…. ‘I believe in concubinage, or some plan whereby men and women can live together under sacred ordinances and vows until they can be married…. such a condition would have to be kept secret, until the laws of our government change to permit the holy order of wedlock which God has revealed, which will undoubtedly occur at no distant day, in order to correct the social evil….’
– Pres. Snow. ‘I have no doubt but concubinage will yet be practiced in this church, but I had not thought of it in this connection. When the nations are troubled good women will come here for safety and blessing, and men will accept them as concubines.’
– Pres. Woodruff: ‘If men enter into some practice of this character to raise a righteous posterity, they will be justified in it…’” (more…)
Ensign, ‘In the Beginning,’ January 1998 “Modern revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith clarifies the events described in Genesis 1–3, putting them into perspective. … Because what is recorded in Genesis is very brief in nature—…—detail is lacking. But through the blessings of additional scriptures, including the Joseph Smith Translation, and through what we learn in the temple and in the teachings of living prophets, we have answers to many fundamental questions that come to mind as one studies the Bible. …
We therefore learn that periods of time for the Creation may have lasted 24 hours each, 1,000 years, or even millions of years. The periods of time are indeterminate in length; as one phase of the creation was finished, the next began. Therefore the age of the earth before Adam and Eve could have been great indeed.” — Robert J. Woodford (more…)
Doctrines of Salvation I:188 “If Joseph’s claims and declarations were built upon fraud and deceit, there would appear many errors and contradictions, which would be easy to detect. The doctrines of false teachers will not stand the test when tried by the accepted standards of measurement, the scriptures.” — Joseph Fielding Smith (more…)
Journal of Discourses 16:196 “…Christ, of whom we hear and read so much in the Scriptures of divine truth, was “the Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world.” He was believed in, long before he made his appearance, both on the Asiatic and American continent, and God gave unto his ancient Prophets many visions, manifestations and revelations of his coming to take away the sins of the world by the sacrifice of himself.” — John Taylor, Salt Lake City, September 7, 1873 (more…)
Journal of Discourses 7:298-299; “Jesus was anointed and preferred before others, from the simple fact that he loved righteousness better than others, and hated iniquity more. And hence it is written—”For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Hebrews 2:10.)…pg. 299… He not only recommended to the world obedience, but was himself a living pattern and example of that obedience which he taught, and through that obedience merited that which was conferred upon him. Hence we read that he was exalted above his brethren, simply because he loved righteousness and hated iniquity; and it is that same principle that saves you and me. We may talk of men being redeemed by the efficacy of his blood; but the truth is that that blood has no efficacy to wash away our sins. That must depend upon our own action.” – Elder Amasa Lyman, Salt Lake City, December 25, 1859
Journal of Discourses 16:135-136 “We read that he went to his own native country, where he was born, among his neighbors and acquaintances on a certain occasion, and that he could not do many mighty miracles there because of their unbelief.
What a great pity it was that Jesus had not some of the learned divines of the present day to instruct him!
They would no doubt have told Jesus that because of the greatness of the unbelief in his own neighborhood and among his acquaintances he must perform some greater miracles among them than he did anywhere else.
That would have been consistent with the present ideas of theologians. But in those days Jesus operated among the people according to their faith, and the greater the unbelief, the less the miracles.” — Orson Pratt, New Tabernacle, Salt Lake City, Sunday Morning, July, 13, 1873 (more…)
While perusing the LDS website earlier this week, we came across an interesting article. The Church reminded members their apostles have Instagram, and other social network platforms from which they send out quick messages.
Just to make it clear, our hearts hurt for Mr. Oaks. He’s either very deceived in believing there’s nothing wrong with the hypocritical behavior of the Church, or he’s complicit in spreading the lies and confusion on to members. Or both. (more…)
Journal of Discourses 19:64 “Now, little children, can you conceive what kind of a being this is? You say, “It’s nothing at all.” That is just what it is; it is a myth; it is nothing to look at, nothing to adore, nothing to worship, nothing to admire, nothing to appeal to for help. He has no arms to either handle us or our enemies; he has no legs, he can neither walk to them nor to us; he has no eyes to behold their follies or ours. And this is the god that the Christian world worship, and teach their children to worship. Now, children, remember this. We teach you that our Father in heaven is a personage of tabernacle, just as much as I am who stand before you today, and he has all the parts and passions of a perfect man, and his body is composed of flesh and bones, but not of blood.” – Brigham Young, Delivered to Sunday School Children, Salt Lake City, July 24, 1877 (more…)
Journal of Discourses 6:229 “…tell all the great men of the earth, that the Latter-day Saints are to be their redeemers—that they have to look to them for their redemption, or there is none for them; and they will have to acknowledge that salvation is of Israel, and nowhere else.
The Lord gave his oracles to Jacob and to Israel, but to nobody else, and he never will. They are those who hold the Priesthood, and they are the only ones who could give redemption to a world.” – Joseph Young, Salt Lake City, July 26, 1857 (more…)
Ensign, ‘True to the Faith,’ June 1996 “This work stands as an anchor of stability, an anchor of values, in a world whose values are shifting. We stand for something. Our values find their roots in the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These are unchanging. They are today as they were when Jesus walked the earth. They are as applicable now as they were then. They have been tested in the cauldron of human history, and they have not been found wanting.” – Gordon B. Hinckley (more…)
The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 101 “One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation. Along with all the other works necessary for man’s exaltation in the kingdom of God this could rule out the need for repentance. It could give license for sin and, since it does not require man to work out his salvation, could accept instead lip service, death-bed “repentance,” and shallow, meaningless confession of sin.” – Spencer W. Kimball, 1969 (more…)
Matthew 2:2 “Saying, where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”
Today we’re looking at a small portion of an important talk given by Orson Pratt, interspersed with a few questions. The reason this is important is because Mormons are still saying the same things today Mr. Pratt said 148 years ago. You can use this example when witnessing to Mormons as we approach the holidays!
Journal of Discourses 13:126-127 “It can be reasonably inferred, according to the revelations that we have in the Book of Mormon, that God organized His kingdom, precisely to a day, 1,800 years after the crucifixion. Of course we do not learn this directly from the Book of Mormon; but we learn enough there of data on which to found a calculation. (more…)
Journal of Discourses 7:286 “It is written of the Savior that he descended below all things. If he did, he descended in capacity. I will merely tell you what I believe on this point. I believe that there never was a child born on this earth with any less capacity than dwelt in the child that was born in a manger of his mother Mary.
