Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged Alma, angel of light, bible, Book of Mormon, false prophet, false teachings, Jesus, Jesus born in Bethlehem, Jesus born in Jerusalem, joseph smith, Lamanites, lds church, mormonism, Moroni, Nephites, salvation, Savior, trustworthy, truth on 03/16/2011| Leave a Comment »
March 16 – Matt. 2:1; “Now Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea…”
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As of 2004, the Book of Mormon has had more than 4,000 changes made to it that are not considered typographical errors. Even today’s writings in the Book of Mormon contain a falsehood about Jesus’ birthplace. Ask your Mormon friend what they think about this and remind them that their personal opinion matters to you!
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Alma 7:10; “And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers…”
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged Book of Mormon, Christianity, Christians, Exodus, false apostle, false doctrine, false prophet, false teacher, Genesis, God, God incarnate, grace, I AM THAT I AM, Jesus Christ, Jesus is God, Jesus spirit brother of Lucifer, John, joseph smith, lds church, mormonism, mormons, polygamy, Redeemer, salvation, Savior, truth on 03/14/2011| Leave a Comment »
March 14 – Ex. 3:14, John 8:58; “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM”. “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am”.
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What an amazing set of scriptures to give to a Mormon! Ask them why they think the Pharisees were so angry with Jesus after reading these two verses to them. Then share their own scriptures with them and ask them what it means.
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Introductory page of the Book of Mormon, 2nd paragraph: “JESUS IS THE CHRIST, THE ETERNAL GOD”.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged Adam, angel of light, be like gods, bible, Bruce McConkie, Eve, fall of man, false doctrines, false gospel, false prophet, false teacher, freedom, Genesis, God, Jesus, joseph smith, lds church, lies, Mormon doctrine, mormonism, original sin, salvation, Savior, tree of knowledge, tree of life, truth on 03/13/2011| Leave a Comment »
March 13 – Gen. 3:24; “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim’s, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life”.
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Next to John 3:16, the Genesis scripture should be at the forefront of every believer’s mind. Man was separated from God, thus the need for John 3:16. It was not God’s intention for this to happen. He knew it would happen, but it doesn’t mean that He willed it to happen. The Mormon believes man had to sin in order to know joy, sadness and to even procreate. They believe this sin commandment came from God.
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“In conformity to the will of the Lord, Adam fell both spiritually and temporally.” Mormon Doctrine, pg. 268.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged assurance of salvation, believers temple of God, bible, body of Christ, Book of Mormon, Bruce McConkie, Comforter, Doctrine and Covenants, false apostles, false gospel, false prophet, false teachers, freedom, God, Holy Ghost, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit down payment, indwelling, Isaiah, Jesus, lds church, Mormon doctrine, mormonism, salvation, Savior, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, trustworthy, truth, Works for salvation on 03/12/2011| Leave a Comment »
March 12 – John 16:17; “Even the Spirit of Truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you”.
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Please show the Mormon the truth about the Holy Spirit. He actually dwells inside of the believer!
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“Now what is this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself…that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time…” Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 151.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged Bible truth, false doctrines, false gospel, false prophets, godhood, gods, idols, Jedidiah Grant, Jesus, Jesus a polygamist, Jesus the Great I AM, joseph smith, Journal of Discourses, lds church, Mormon history, Mormon prophets, mormonism, plural wives, polygamy, salvation, Savior on 02/28/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 28 – Matthew 16:13-16; “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptists: some, Elias; and other, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”.
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There have been and will continue to be many who call themselves “The Christ” or the only path to salvation. In today’s age, we see Mohammed, the Jehovah Witnesses, and here we have the Mormon Church. Make sure you know whom Jesus Christ is and watch out for the wolves in sheep’s clothing.
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Jedidiah M. Grant said in Journal of Discourses, Vol. 1. pp. 345-46; “The grand reason of the burst of public sentiment in anathemas upon Christ and his disciples, causing his crucifixion, was evidently based upon polygamy, according to the testimony of the philosophers who rose in that age. A belief in the doctrine of a plurality of wives caused the persecution of Jesus and his followers. We might almost think that they [Jesus and his followers] were Mormons.”
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged bible, Doctrine and Covenants, Emmanuel, false prophecies, false prophet, false teachings, forgiveness for sins, freedom, God incarnate, God with us, God's love for mankind, Jesus, Jesus is a god, Jesus is God, Jesus is God Incarnate, joseph smith, lds church, miracle, mormonism, Only Begotten Son, Redeemer, salvation, Savior, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, truth on 02/25/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 25 – “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God; And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even death of the cross.” Phil. 2:5-6, 8.
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There are actually two subjects to notice with this verse. Explain the word “robbery” to the Mormon. In the Greek, it means “grasped”. The other subject is the belief that Jesus had to perform, or work, to receive His salvation.
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“If a man gets a fullness of the priesthood of God he has to get it in the same way that Jesus Christ obtained it, and that was by keeping all the commandments and obeying all the ordinances of the house of the Lord.” Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 308
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged 8 years old, age of accountability, bible, Doctrine and Covenants, fall of man, false gospel, false prophet, false teacher, Garden, Genesis, God, Jesus, joseph smith, lds church, mormonism, nature of man, of Eden, original sin, Redeemer, salvation, Savior, truth on 02/24/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 24 – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. Romans 3:23.
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Not one Mormon believes that children can sin. They baptize at the age of eight to be cleansed from their sins because this is when they believe you become accountable for your actions. Have a Mormon try to explain away a two-year-old child’s behavior. Also ask them why they’d have to be baptized for a remission of sins if they were perfect up until they got baptized.
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D&C 29:47-8; “Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me; For it is given unto them even as I will, according to mine own pleasure, that great things may be required at the hands of their fathers”.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged angel of light, another Christ, another gospel, another Jesus, another testament, bible, Book of Mormon, false doctrine, false gospel, false prophet, false teacher, freedom, Galatians, grace, Jesus, joseph smith, lds church, Moroni, salvation, Savior, truth on 02/23/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 23 – Galatians 1:8 says; “But if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed”.
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Seems evident from this verse that there are no other gospels or testimonies from anyone no matter what they say! The front of the Book of Mormon now says that it is “Another Testament of Jesus Christ”. Ask your Mormon friend what his thoughts are about this predicament.
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Joseph Smith said; “Take away the Book of Mormon and the revelations, and where is our religion? We have none”. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 71. In other words, there is nothing inside of this religion that has anything to do with Jesus Christ.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged angel of light, bible, Deuteronomy, false doctrine, false prophet, false teachings, freedom, God, grace, history of the Mormon Church, Jesus, joseph smith, lds church, mormonism, Mosaic Law, Savior, Shepherd, truth on 02/21/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 21 – God warns us about false prophets in Deut. 13:6-9; “If thy brother, the son of they mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou has no known, thou, nor thy father; Namely, of the gods of the people which are round about you, nigh unto thee, or far off from thee, from the one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth; Thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye pity him, neither shalt thou spare, neither shalt thou conceal him: But thou shalt surely kill him…”
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It seems clear how serious God was in regards to false prophets. He wanted none of them to survive, and He certainly didn’t want us to pity them. We are told not to listen at all to them.
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Joseph Smith seemed to believe that he could slip out of his self-proclaimed prophet-hood anytime he chose to do so. Is this reasonable considering all we’ve learned just this year? He is quoted in Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith as follows; “…I told them that a prophet was a prophet only when he was acting as such”. History of the Church 5:265
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged assurance of salvation, faithful, false doctrine, false prophet, forgiven, forgiveness, forgiveness of sin, grace, Jesus, joseph smith, King David, lds church, Miracle of Forgiveness, no assurance in Mormonism, peace, ransom for sins, salvation, Savior, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Works for salvation on 02/20/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 20 – Col. 2:13; “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses”.
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In Mormonism, God does not forgive three sins. They are blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, apostasy and murder. With this in mind, isn’t it odd that God would choose Paul of all people to preach the gospel when he participated in Stephen’s martyrdom and then there’s David…
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“A murderer, for instance, one that sheds innocent blood, cannot have forgiveness. David sought repentance at the hand of God carefully with tears, for the murder of Uriah; but he could only get it through hell…Although David was a king, he never did obtain the spirit and power of Elijah and the fullness of the Priesthood…the throne and kingdom of David is to be taken from him and given to another by the name of David in the last days…” Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg 339.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged Adam, Adam baptized, Adam holds the priesthood, Adam spiritually begotten by God, Adam spread the gospel, bible, fall of man, false doctrine, false gospel, false prophecy, false prophet, Garden of Eden, God, Jesus, joseph smith, lds church, Michael the Archangel, mormonism, original sin, salvation, Savior, truth on 02/19/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 19 – The word or name Adam is translated in the Hebrew as meaning the first man, or ruddy, from the ground. Gen. 2:19.
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Joseph Smith taught that man’s spirit was sexually begotten by God before he came to earth. He also taught that Adam was actually Michael the angel, and Noah was Gabriel.
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D&C 107:54; “And the Lord appeared unto them, and they rose up and blessed Adam, and called him Michael, the prince, the archangel.”
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged bible, blood of Christ, body of believers, bride of Christ, clothes of righteousness, false doctrine, false gospel, freedom, Jesus, lds church, protection, Redeemer, salvation, Savior, secret oaths, Teachings of Joseph Smith, temple clothing, temple garments, temple rituals, truth on 02/18/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 18 – God dresses us through Christ Jesus in the garments of salvation as He spoke of in Isaiah 61:10; “I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels”.
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Under the Mormon’s street clothing” are their temple garments. These garments are to be worn at all times. They have markings on each breast and groin area for both male and female. Mormons see them as a sign of protection from God and to be set apart from the rest of the world. They use Rev. 16:15 as a reference to their need of being clothed with them.
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“The garment represents sacred covenants. It fosters modesty and becomes a shield and protection to the wearer.” Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple, pg. 21.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged angel of light, bible, Book of Abraham, Book of Moses, false doctrine, false prophet, false teachings, freedom, God incarnate, grace, Jesus, joseph smith, lds church, lies, Lucifer, mormonism, Pearl of Great Price, pre-existence, Reedemer, rest for your soul, salvation, Savior, Teachngs of the Prophet Joseph Smith, truth, works vs. grace on 02/17/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 17 – Hebrews 1:5 is clear about what God said in relation to angels and Jesus Christ. “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, THOU ART MY SON, THIS DAY HAVE I BEGOTTEN THEE? And again, I WILL BE TO HIM A FATHER, AND HE SHALL BE TO ME A SON?”
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Mormons believe that Jesus and Lucifer are literally spiritually begotten by God and the Heavenly Mother. Ask them what they think about this verse.
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“The contention in heaven was-Jesus said there would be certain souls that would not be saved; and the devil said he could save them all, and laid his plans before the grand council, who gave their vote in favor of Jesus Christ. So the devil rose up in rebellion against God, and was cast down, with all who put up their heads for him”. Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 357.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged bible, false gospel, false prophet, freedom, God incarnate, godhood, grace, Jesus, joseph smith, Joseph Smith Translation, Mormon doctrine, mormonism, polytheism, Redeemer, Savior, truth on 02/04/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 4 – John 1:1, 14; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth”.
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It’s always important to pay close attention to the wording of contracts, bosses, parents or anything else that is in authority in your life. You may miss a key element that could cost you millions of dollars, cost you your freedom or ultimately your own salvation.
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Joseph Smith’s ‘New Translation’ of the Bible says in John 1:1, 14; “In the beginning was the gospel preached through the Son. And the gospel was the word, and the word was with the Son, and the Son was with God, and the Son was of God. And the same word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth”.
Posted in Witnessing Tip of the Day, tagged body of Christ, Christianity, Doctrine and Covenants, false gospel, false prophet, freedom, gospel, grace, Jesus Christ, joseph smith, lie, Messiah, mormonism, Redeemer, salvation, salvation through LDS prophet, Savior, truth on 02/03/2011| Leave a Comment »
February 3 – We find salvation in no one else but through our Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says; “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved”.
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For the Mormon there is a list of people holding the keys of salvation. At the top of this list is their heavenly father, then Jesus, then Adam, Joseph Smith and next in line is the living prophet. If you happen to be a woman in the church you will also have your husband to answer to.
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“The President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds the keys of salvation for all men now living because he is the only one by whose authorization the sealing power of the priesthood can be used to seal men up to salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God. (D&C 132:7).”
Posted in Oaths and Loyalty, tagged bible, blind obedience, endowment ceremony, freedom, grace, Jesus, lds church, Mormon oaths, Mormon temple, Mormon testimony, Mosaic Law, oaths, salvation, Savior, secret not sacred, truth, works for the dead, works vs. grace on 01/25/2011| Leave a Comment »
Oaths & Loyalty
Loyalty can be a noble thing in life. There are a number of causes we can be loyal to and as Christians we all know that the loyalty of Jesus’ love for us knows no bounds. But what about mankind; where’s the line of being loyal and the line of blind obedience which can lead to destruction?
My family and I watched a movie this past week about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was a German pastor and theologian who helped secure freedom for Jews from 1939 to the time of his imprisonment in 1943.
The short film about Bonhoeffer, Agent of Grace, is just one of a handful of movies released about Hitler. Each begs the question of what the difference is between loyalty and blind obedience. How could something like the Holocaust happen and why didn’t anyone question their moral conscience when swearing allegiance to Hitler? Every member of the German armed forces swore an oath of allegiance to Hitler. Notice it wasn’t to the country or the constitution of Germany, but to Hitler. They oath each member took is as follows:
“The Wehrmacht Oath of Loyalty to Adolf Hitler, 2 August 1934
“I swear by God this sacred oath that I shall render unconditional obedience to Adolf Hitler, the Führer of the German Reich, supreme commander of the armed forces, and that I shall at all times be prepared, as a brave soldier, to give my life for this oath.”” (1)
Compare the above information with the oaths of personal allegiance to the constitution of the United States that is taken by each member of the American Armed Forces:
“I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.” (2)
As you can see, the evidence of where the loyalties of these two militaries lie is abundantly clear. The American military vows to protect our land and Hitler demanded unfettered loyalty to him. This is a classic example of how blind obedience leads to tragedy.
Now while loyalty to your family or friends is commendable, we still have to ask; how far is too far? Seeing the film on Bonhoeffer reminded me of the oaths Mormons will take each time they go to temple or even the oaths they take towards their own souls when “bearing their testimonies”. As you well know the testimony of a Mormon is eerily similar to each other. The same words and phrases are used to define their individual commitment and adoration towards the Church, Jesus, the Book of Mormon and lest we forget; Joseph Smith.
Let me make something very clear before I proceed any further. I do not believe that Mormons behave like Nazis. I do not equate Hitler to any past, present or future prophet of the LDS Church. The reason I use the analogy is to show how blind obedience to a person and/or system is a dangerous behavior.
While some of the words a Mormon will use in their testimonies are in a different order, the main theme runs throughout each. This is typically what you’ll hear;
“I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true Church on the face of the earth. I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and I know that the current president (right now it’s Monson) is a true prophet of God. I know that Christ is the Messiah who died for me and was resurrected on the 3rd day…”
On the LDS Church News website I found a section that gives instructions for members to teach their children how to “bear their testimonies”. (3) According to this site “testimony language is different from talking about God”. Huh?
The site tells the reader they should teach children what to bear testimony of; Christ, Joseph and the Book of Mormon. It then tells them to practice at home in informal settings.
First of all, why would there be such a thing as “testimony language”? Secondly, why should you be taught to “bear testimony of the Church, the prophet Joseph”, etc.? A testimony is a declaration of your faith, or a statement you give while under oath in a court setting to tell what you know of a certain situation. It’s a statement about something you know to be true in your personal experience.
Thirdly, it says to tell the children that their testimonies will grow. Isn’t this a given? I mean why would you tell somebody what to say about the personal things they already know? Why is it they have to be dictated to regarding how they share their own experiences? This is manipulative.
Kirk and I traveled extensively throughout Europe when we lived there in the mid eighties and I’ve often said the one place that reminded me most of Utah was East Berlin. The tones of the people’s voices and the emptiness in their eyes spoke volumes to me. It was obvious to all that the presence of communism had taken its toll.
Throughout all our travels Kirk and I met a lot of people and ironically the one thing that attracted me to the Christians was their testimonies. Each person had their unique story, but each fact they shared with me about Jesus was the same. He loves me, He died for me and He was God incarnate. Those were the only similarities existent in their “testimonies”. No one practiced it before they met me and then recited something by rote, yet the vocabulary they spontaneously used radiated their devotion for Christ Jesus.
The US military gathers their new recruits together and they pledge to obey so that the forces stay strong. Hitler did this to another extreme to ensure that everyone did just as they were told at all times so that he could someday rule the world much like the Romans did. What purpose does it serve for everyone to have similar testimonies, other than to control the masses?
Can you just imagine what the Apostle Paul would’ve said? How would he talk about Joseph Smith or the Book of Mormon? What do you think his testimony is like up in heaven? With the utter devotion he portrayed to Jesus in his writings, where would Joseph or Monson fit in? If we’re so busy talking about Smith, Hinckley and/or Monson then honestly, where in your testimony does Jesus fit?
To show what I mean about their devotion to Smith take a look at what it says in Joseph Smith: The Choice Seer, Part III, Chapter 25;
“The accumulation of all scholarly knowledge in the earth’s history of events past or the projection of things future will yet pale into embarrassed silence when compared with the knowledge granted us through the instrumentality of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Such things stand as a third great evidence of his prophetic calling.”
Just think…even Moses and Isaiah, not to mention Jesus’ knowledge, will “pale in embarrassed silence” when compared to the third grade education of good ol’ Joe. Now in light of this let’s see one of the reasons they say we should trust the prophet Joseph Smith. Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pg. 67;
“GREATNESS OF JOSEPH SMITH. I look upon Joseph Smith as the greatest prophet that ever breathed the breath of life, excepting Jesus Christ. Father Adam, as I have said, stands at the head; but Joseph Smith was reserved to lay the foundation of this great kingdom and dispensation of salvation to the whole human family in these last days, to build up Zion, to establish God’s kingdom, and to prepare it for the coming of the Son of Man.”
Again, unfettered loyalty to a man is a dangerous thing. It has the potential of great destruction either to one person or a whole society. Yet they have the examples listed above on where to direct their loyalty to and even receive other examples from the pulpits of their schools. At Brigham Young University, the apostle Dallin Oaks said this at the CES Doctrine and Covenants Symposium;
“Our individual, personal testimonies are based on the witness of the Spirit, not on any combination or accumulation of historical facts. If we are so grounded, no alteration of historical facts can shake our testimonies.” (“1985 CES Doctrine and Covenants Symposium,” Brigham Young University, Aug. 16, 1985, page 26)”
The point is this; on whom or what do you lay your devotion? Making public oaths is a serious business and shouldn’t be taken lightly, yet this is what each and every Mormon does when they bear their testimonies to what they falsely believe is truth. For the Mormon the oath is made to not only Joseph Smith, but to all prophets in the Church, the Book of Mormon and the Church itself. Jesus ends up being a mere sideline attribute. The pressure of believing all this is tremendous as they’re promised suffering for any incompliance.
For example, there is a list of protocols called “The Fourteen Fundamentals of Following Our Prophets”. The complete list will be posted at the end of this article but the last item is what caught my attention. It says;
“The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.”
Now tell me how this is inspired? Where in the Bible did Jesus ever tell us to follow mankind and manmade institutions in this manner?
Pray with us won’t you? Pray for each and every member of the LDS Church to indeed have a personal revelation and testimony as to the truth of this false church and the truth of the One True God, Christ Jesus.
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
Jude 1:24-25; “Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.”
1 – http://ddickerson.igc.org/oath-of-loyalty.html
2 – http://usmilitary.about.com/od/joiningthemilitary/a/oathofenlist.htm
Liahona June 1981, pg. 1, Ezra Taft Benson, “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet
(Address given Tuesday, February 26, 1980 at Brigham Young University); “In conclusion let us summarize this grand key, these “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet”, for our salvation depends on them.”
1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.
2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.
3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.
4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.
5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.
6. The prophet does not have to say “Thus Saith the Lord,” to give us scripture.
7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.
8. The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.
9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.
10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.
11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.
12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.
13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.
14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.
I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain—how close do our lives harmonize with the Lord’s anointed—the living Prophet—President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency.
May God bless us all to look to the Prophet and the Presidency in the critical and crucial days ahead is my prayer.”
Posted in Holidays Celebrated by Mormons, tagged bible, Christmas, false gospel, Good Friday, holidays, Jesus, lds church, Lent, mormonism, Pentecost, Redeemer, salvation, Savior, truth on 01/24/2011| Leave a Comment »
Holidays Celebrated by the Mormons
We receive a lot of requests asking if Mormons celebrate Easter, birthdays and other holidays that most Christians observe. When I was in the Mormon Church it didn’t occur to me that by not observing things like Good Friday would be looked upon as strange by those outside of our clan. Now that I’m a Christian I look with eager anticipation for Holy Week to come around every year. It’s hard to believe that I used to be so ignorant about such important items in life.
Mormons observe all holidays and birthdays that everyone else does in America. With the exception of Easter day they do not celebrate any days during Holy Week. They also don’t observe Ash Wednesday, Pentecost, Lent or Passover.
As my experience in the Christian lifestyle grew I came to realize just how empty my spiritual life was as a Mormon and how grateful I am now to the Lord for His awesome gift of salvation!
Please come alongside us to lift these dear people up in prayer for God to open their hearts and eyes to accept His free gift of love and salvation!
With Love in Christ
Michelle Grim
1 Cor. 1:18
Here’s the list of do’s and don’ts for major holidays and the Mormon Church.
Personal birthdays – yes
Christmas – yes
Easter – yes
Thanksgiving – yes
Memorial & Veteran’s Day – yes
President’s Day – yes
4th of July – yes
Mother’s Day – yes
Father’s Day – yes
Palm Sunday – no
Maundy Thursday – no
Good Friday – no
Passover – no
Holy Saturday – no
Pentecost – no
Lent – no
Epiphany – no
Ash Wednesday – no
Advent – not typically
Posted in Polygamy in Centennial Park, tagged Arizona, bible, blasphemy, Book of Mormon, Centennial Park, Doctrine and Covenants, everlasting covenant, false gospel, FLDS, Fundamental Mormons, Jesus, joseph smith, mormonism, polygamist, polygamy, salvation, Savior, truth, utah on 01/20/2011| 4 Comments »
Centennial Park
Here we are in the twenty first century and still talking about polygamy. On Tuesday, February 13, 2007, ABC aired a program called “The Outsiders”. The focus was of course the polygamous community of Centennial Park, AZ that lies just two miles south of Colorado City, home to the infamous group of the Fundamental Latter-day Saints.
This particular group of polygamists wanted to make it clear that they are not part of the group in Colorado City. They claim they don’t have the problems of child sexual abuse and forced marriages that seem to plague Warren Jeffs group; although they did admit to having bouts of jealousy towards each other.
The main subjects of the interview focused on one young family within the clan. ABC was invited into the 1,400 sq. ft. home of a husband with two wives and their nine children. The polygamists wanted the world to see how they take care of their own and they portrayed this community effort of building an addition onto the home of the young family.
The husband, Ariel Hammon met both of his wives at school. He was the math teacher for both when they were in school. His first wife is now 30 years old and mother to seven of the children with another one on the way. His second wife is 20 and mother to the remaining two children. Mr. Hammon is roughly 35 years old.
At one point during the interview the reporter, John Quinonez gathered a group of about 15 teenagers to ask them some questions. He asked the girls what their dreams were for their lives. One girl answered that she is praying to be just one of her future husband’s wives, yet she had no idea who it was that she’d want to marry. She said that it was “up to the priesthood”. When asked how she’d feel if he had a lot of wives, she answered by saying; “If he has six or seven wives, I’d accept that. The man is not ours. We are given to the man but we can’t claim him. So as many wives as he would want, he can have. As long as it’s what God wants.” The young men in the group all claimed they had no problem with obeying the elders by having two to fifteen wives. If that is what God wanted, then so be it.
As I was watching the show it was so hard for me to sit still and keep my mouth shut as I listened to the lies they told and witnessed the obvious brain washing that has taken control of these beautiful people. However, out of all the lies they told and keep telling to the next generation, I was also very grateful for the invention of television. I’m not a big advocate for television, but there are times when God will use it for His purpose and I truly believe this is one of those times! The news reporter gave a short blip about Joseph Smith’s teachings of polygamy, godhood and salvation.
I would imagine that it’s incredibly difficult for the modern-day member of the LDS Church to reconcile the truth about Joseph Smith and the persona they are trying to portray in this, the twenty-first century. Their latest push of wanting to be included into the “mainstream” body of Christ has to be a hard sale when the truth of their doctrine is a glaring reminder of why they don’t belong. In contrast, the polygamist groups don’t feel the added pressure of wanting to fit in – they have purposefully kept themselves separated from the “secular world”.
The husband that the show focused on, Ariel Hammon, admitted they do believe Jesus was a polygamist and that black people are the curse of Cain.
Moses 7:22; “And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them.”
I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it was reported on this show that Mr. Hammon is the first person to admit to the teachings of Jesus being a polygamist and the curse of Cain.
So for all those who write in to Life After Ministries and tell us we’re being sensationalistic, or that we’ve lied, you’ve now heard it from the “horse’s mouth” so to speak. We haven’t pulled some obscure teaching out of the annals of the LDS Church’s history to twist things around; these are the basic tenets of Mormonism.
The truth is Joseph Smith did teach that Jesus was a polygamist and Joseph Smith did in fact teach that black people are cursed. Let us pray for these people! Of course they also claimed that sex has absolutely nothing to do with polygamy, but we already know the truth to that story. We’ll have more on these topics in the near future on our website so stay tuned.
Mr. Hammon claimed the Bible commands polygamy to be practiced, but nowhere in the Bible have I ever seen such a commandment. I’m certain that if he truly believes in the teachings of Joseph Smith he’d also claim the Bible isn’t translated correctly either. How is it they can claim the Bible commands something if they don’t actually believe the Bible to be correct?
While trying to portray the wonderful attributes of polygamy, the women of this particular group have gathered together to fight what they call the “injustices” they face because of their religion. They said that by living in America they should be able to worship the way they see fit without being persecuted.
They’ve dubbed themselves the Centennial Park Action Committee and have begun pushing their agenda for “religious tolerance”. Following in their mother’s footsteps are the children of not only these multiple wives, but others as well who are speaking out, publicly demanding respect and tolerance from mainstream society in both Arizona and Utah.
Funny, the term “tolerance” sounds eerily familiar when you listen to the groups that want same-sex marriages to be legalized. Isn’t this also what the ACLU tries to impose upon the citizens of America today when they want the Ten Commandments ripped from all public buildings and when they fight to have Christmas trees taken down from airports like they did here in Seattle this past Christmas season?
The mainstream LDS Church can claim they don’t believe these doctrines any longer, but in reality they still do. The Doctrine and Covenants still contains section 132 which warns members they cannot be saved without having multiple wives and women will be damned if they reject it.
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.” Also see D&C 132:51-56.
They still teach that you must be married in order to gain exaltation and they still teach they will become gods and goddesses someday with their own earths. (D&C 132:19-20.)
When you witness to a Mormon whether it be a missionary or a close friend or relative, they may try and tell you that they don’t personally believe in the section of D&C that commands polygamy. If this is the case ask them if they’ve denounced Joseph Smith for their as well. After all, the teachings mentioned here originated with none other than Smith himself.
Deut. 18:20-22 says that we are to disregard any prophet who gives a false prophecy.
Because the “everlasting covenant” of having multiple wives was outlawed by the US government and subsequently abandoned by the mainstream LDS Church, it can’t possibly be qualified as everlasting, but qualifies as a false prophecy.
I have always maintained that Mormonism is based upon two principles. Sex and godhood; you can’t get one without the other. You can’t be truly saved (godhood status) if you’re not married; i.e. polygamy. You can’t be married without taking oaths in the temple to pledge loyalty to the Mormon god who is a polygamist. (In reality yes, you can be married outside of the temple. However if you’re a TBM (true blue Mormon) and truly love your Heavenly Father you’ll be needing that temple marriage.)
When the younger sister wife of the host family being interviewed was asked how she would get to heaven, her response made me cringe. She answered by stating that being married and following Jesus’ example to bring children here to earth, obeying the commandments (D&C 132) and having a happy family is the way she can go to heaven.
Where is the gospel in this? Where is there any hope provided by a Savior? Now whether or not she articulated the proper tenets of that particular sect is irrelevant. Her understanding of the gospel of Jesus Christ is totally warped! This is the “fruit” of true Mormonism. While I know she’s only twenty years old and still very young, this is what she will be passing on to her children.
Think about it, she’s twenty and has two kids.
As an example I was born and raised in mainstream Mormonism and lived with the average thought process of any average Mormon for thirty years. The young woman’s thought process mentioned here isn’t any different than mine was before I got saved and I wasn’t a polygamist. The last polygamist in my family was alive three generations ago. My parents were 16 and 18 when they got married and I was born a day before their first anniversary. My mother hadn’t finished 9th grade when she dropped out of school to be married. The similarities are striking and sadly enough my experience is typical of Mormon behavior patterns.
My parents weren’t married in the temple and while my mother did become active in her twenties, my father only on rare occasions would go to church. They did however pass down the “heritage and culture” of being active in the Church as a youngster, thus my brothers and I were summarily dropped off at the ward building when the schedule demanded we be there.
The residual effects of polygamy are far reaching and when the members of the LDS Church went into their temple one hundred years ago they took oaths upon themselves and the heads of the next third and fourth generations. Don’t think those oaths are just some silly rituals they go through that don’t carry a spiritual price to pay. Temple-worthy members of today are still taking those oaths. Although they have changed the ceremonies drastically since the days of the early church, the oaths and effects are the same.
The residual effects of polygamy can also be seen in the vital statistics of life in Utah today. Every 18 months or so I write an article on the statistics of various subjects for the state of Utah – you can read the latest one here: http://www.lifeafter.org/vitalstats2006.asp
The findings are remarkable to say the least. Suicide, rape, and incest are higher there than the national average and they can’t figure out why. The studies for trying to understand these phenomena have been ongoing since the mid-fifties. They have been quoted as saying they are positive that religion has absolutely nothing to do with it. One “expert” even said he felt the rates are that high because the Intermountain west has easy access to guns. Yeah, okay…
Here is what part of my article says about Utah stats: “Another comparison that I found to be very telling is from the Utah Department of Health. It says that in Utah 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually assaulted by the age of 18. Nationally the rates are 1 out of 6 women (17%) and 1 out of 33 men (3%) will be sexually assaulted at some point in their lives.”
In other words you’re twice as likely to be raped in Utah if you’re a female and if you’re a male it’s six times higher than the national average. Pretty scary if you ask me. Let’s face it; this is the residual effect of polygamy.
This is the legacy the early pioneers have left for the “Land of Zion”. Now I’m not stating that the rest of the nation or the world for that matter is any better. Goodness this world is filled with evil people who commit evil sins. However, when the “prophets of God” proclaim something to be a direct revelation from the Almighty you’d think that the fruit of such an act would produce godly legacies, not bad ones. Yet here is this “holy land” that is continually suffering a worse record of sexual crimes than the rest of the nation and I’m sure I’m not the only person who can figure this out.
The biggest impression I was left with after watching that show was the sadness I felt for those women and girls. I’m not a feminist mind you, but I cannot imagine living another day like that. I love my husband and I know how blessed I am that God gave me two daughters, but without Jesus and His spilled blood I am nothing and have nothing. It’s been almost 14 years since I accepted Jesus into my heart and working in this ministry reminds me of what He saved me from. This show is a great reminder of just how desperate the situation is for those caught in the trap of the evil one. Help us won’t you to reach out to them through prayer and witness? May God bless you for your willingness and love!
With Love in Christ;
Michelle Grim
1 Cor. 1:18
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