Interesting Facts about the 3-IN-1 – Part 2
A few years ago I wrote an article pointing out a few discrepancies in the writings of LDS doctrines. My purpose in this is to lovingly point out some items that are indeed confusing. I had someone e-mail a few weeks ago that told me she is “Mormon doctrine” so it was always going to be insulting when I write things that are “anti”.
There are two things I have to say about that comment. 1 – People are not a rule written down on a piece of paper. You are a human being whom God loves and who He has created. 2 – The materials that I use for information on this website are not written out of maliciousness towards the Mormon people. The information gathered is taken directly from the writings of the LDS Church making it impossible to be “anti”.
FALSE PROPHECY ABOUT DARKNESS AT CRUCIFIXION
1 Nephi 19:10 says there would be three days of darkness on the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.
The Bible says there were three hours of darkness at the time of the crucifixion: Mark 15:33 says; “And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.”
NEPHI SAYS WOE TO THEM WHO DIE IN SINS; BIBLE ASKS WHY ARE YOU BAPTIZING DEAD PEOPLE; D&C SAYS IT IS GOD’S ORDINANCE TO BAPTIZE THE DEAD
2 Nephi 9:38; “And, in fine, wo unto all those who die in their sins; for they shall return to God, and behold his face, and remain in their sins.”
D&C 124:29-30; “For a baptismal font there is not upon the earth, that they, my saints, may be baptized for those who are dead— For this ordinance belongeth to my house, and cannot be acceptable to me, only in the days of your poverty, wherein ye are not able to build a house unto me.”
1 Cor. 15:29 says; “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?”
The question begs to be asked; what is going on here? The apostle Paul was asking the Corinthians why they were practicing a pagan cult ritual when they didn’t even believe in the resurrection. Nephi says there are no second chances in heaven; once you’re dead, that it folks, your time to obey and believe is done. And lastly we see how Joseph has said that God demands we baptize our dead relatives so they may be saved as well. This is a classic example of how the LDS doctrine confuses people.
THE COLOR ISSUE
2 Nephi 26:33 says; “… for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men… and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female…”
Answers to Gospel Questions, 2:188; “Kindly see chapters 15 and 16, in The Way to Perfection, for further light in relation to the reason why the Negro cannot receive the priesthood. In brief, it is as follows: Because of transgression in the first estate which deprives him in this second estate. Since Cain slew his brother… the children of Cain should not have the privilege of bearing the priesthood until Abel had posterity who could have the priesthood and that will have to be in the far distant future. When this is accomplished on some other world, then the restrictions will be removed from the children of Cain…”
The following passages of LDS “scripture” further explain why God turned people dark after they were here on earth and why they were not allowed to hold the priesthood until 1978: Abraham 1:21-7; Moses 7:7-8; 2 Nephi 5:21-4.
We’ve written articles on this topic before and will happily continue to do so in order for those in Mormonism to see the problems within their own doctrine and allow the Lord to speak to them through this. There is absolutely nothing in the Bible suggesting we are a certain color because of some supposed past behavior.
In addition, the Bible clearly proclaims that we were first created in the womb, not spiritually created first; 1 Cor. 15:46; “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.” Also see Jer. 1:5 which say God formed us in the belly.
Why do the doctrines of Mormonism vary?
If you’re a member of the LDS Church have you ever wondered why the writings of the Church haven’t changed in regards to this kind of thing? If the doctrines of God change, shouldn’t your published lesson books change as well to ensure that no one gets confused? And why did God change his mind anyway?
One more thing…if those who are dark sinned in the pre-existence, why was Jesus dark here on earth? He’s from the Middle East!
LANGUAGE OF THE JEWS?
There are many complex problems within the books of Ether and Mormon. First in the writings of the prophet Mormon, we see that God’s chosen people have changed their native tongue. By the time they got on a ship to sail for the Americas, they are speaking and writing in a language not spoken by anyone else on earth. They’ve called it “reformed Egyptian”.
If that wasn’t bad enough, when they begin to write their story down, the plates aren’t big enough to write out all the things God wanted them to write.
Then we move on to the next book, Ether, and it tells the readers that he is writing a synopsis of what it was like at the tower of Babel. Here is when God destroyed the tower and confounded everyone’s language, forcing people to scatter with their own languages. Now the Bible says everyone’s language was changed. Ether says that everyone’s language changed but Jared, Jared’s brother and just their friends.
So in Mormon it says they (the Nephites), changed the language before they got to the Americas and they were speaking the language of their fathers; that being reformed Egyptian.
Then in Ether we read how God answered their prayers and didn’t change a thing about their language. Way back in Mosiah 1:6 it says they were speaking the language of their fathers (reformed Egyptian) when they left Jerusalem.
So were all the Jews speaking reformed Egyptian in Israel?
Why did they alter their language after asking God not to confound or change it?
Mormon 9:32-4 says; “And now, behold, we have written this record according to our knowledge, in the characters which are called among us the reformed Egyptian, being handed down and altered by us, according to our manner of speech. And if our plates had been sufficiently large we should have written in Hebrew; but the Hebrew hath been altered by us also; and if we could have written in Hebrew, behold, ye would have had no imperfection in our record. But the Lord knoweth the things which we have written, and also that none other people knoweth our language….”
Ether 1:34-7; “And the brother of Jared being a large and mighty man, and a man highly favored of the Lord, Jared, his brother, said unto him: Cry unto the Lord, that he will not confound us that we may not understand our words. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did cry unto the Lord, and the Lord had compassion upon Jared; therefore he did not confound the language of Jared; and Jared and his brother were not confounded. Then Jared said unto his brother: Cry again unto the Lord, and it may be that he will turn away his anger from them who are our friends, that he confound not their language… and the Lord had compassion upon their friends and their families also, that they were not confounded.”
Gen. 11:7-9; “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”
NEPHITES BELIEVE IN CHRIST BUT KEEP LAW OF MOSES
Jacob 4:5; “Behold, they believed in Christ and worshiped the Father in his name, and also we worship the Father in his name. And for this intent we keep the law of Moses, it pointing our souls to him; and for this cause it is sanctified unto us for righteousness...”
Hebrews 9:14-5; “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
ALMA, ALMA, ALMA… JESUS BORN IN JERUSALEM; MEN WASHED WITH BLOOD OF LAMB IN 82 BC; PEOPLE BAPTIZED, WOMAN SAVED BY JESUS, CHURCH ESTABLISHED IN 90 BC.
Throughout the first 600 years of the story in the Book of Mormon there are countless examples of people and places named that qualify the Book of Mormon as a false prophecy. The last 421 years have their own set of problems, but for now we’ll just be listing a few examples of the BC era for our proof, taken from the book of Alma.
Alma 7:10; “And behold, he shall be born of Mary, at Jerusalem which is the land of our forefathers, she being a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel, who shall be overshadowed and conceive by the power of the Holy Ghost, and bring forth a son, yea, even the Son of God.”
Matthew 2:1; “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem.”
Alma 13:11; “Therefore they were called after this holy order, and were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb.”
Alma 19:29, 35; “And it came to pass that she went and took the queen by the hand, that perhaps she might raise her from the ground; and as soon as she touched her hand she arose and stood upon her feet, and cried with a loud voice, saying: O blessed Jesus, who has saved me from an awful hell! O blessed God, have mercy on this people!”
“And it came to pass that there were many that did believe in their words; and as many as did believe were baptized; and they became a righteous people, and they did establish a church among them.”
HOW TO BECOME SONS AND DAUGHTERS UNTO GOD
Moroni 7:48; “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.”
D&C 11:30; “But verily, verily, I say unto you, that as many as receive me, to them will I give power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on my name. Amen.”
Moses 3:5, 7; “…For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth… And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth….”
“And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually were they created and made according to my word.”
The last set of LDS “scripture” can be confusing to those who aren’t acquainted with Mormonism. The passage from Moses is located in the Pearl of Great Price and refers to the period of time the Mormons know as the “pre-existence”. They believe that all mankind was spiritually begotten by God (Heavenly Father) through a sexual union with a “Heavenly Mother”. When the time came for God to create mankind, He breathed “life” into Adam to live here on earth. Thus, man’s spirit is waiting for an earthly “tabernacle” to reside in so they can earn their way to godhood themselves.
Ask the Mormon how many times they really need to be born to be a son of God. Nicodemus asked Jesus in the gospel of John how many times he needed to be born and Jesus told him that he had to be born of the spirit. Mormons already did this in the pre-existence according to the book of Moses.
WHERE WERE MY SINS PAID FOR?
1 Nephi 11:33 says; “And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.”
D&C 19:18-9; “Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 542; “Modern LDS leaders have emphasized that Jesus’ most challenging experience came in Gethsemane. Speaking in a general conference of the Church in 1982, Marion G. Romney, a member of the First Presidency, observed that Jesus suffered “the pains of all men, which he did, principally, in Gethsemane, the scene of his great agony” (Ensign 12 [May 1982]:6). Church President Ezra Taft Benson wrote that “it was in Gethsemane that Jesus took on Himself the sins of the world….”
1 Corinthians 1:18-19; “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
BIBLE IS ETERNAL, BUT THEN AGAIN…
2 Nephi 9:16 says; “And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away, that they who are righteous shall be righteous still, and they who are filthy shall be filthy still; wherefore, they who are filthy are the devil and his angels; and they shall go away into everlasting fire, prepared for them; and their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever and has no end.”
Articles of Faith, pg. 214; “The historical and other data upon which is based the current Christian faith as to the genuineness of the Biblical record are accepted as unreservedly by the Latter-day Saints as by the members of any sect; and in literalness of interpretation this Church probably excels.”
Doctrines of Salvation 3:191; “We are all aware that there are errors in the Bible due to faulty translations and ignorance on the part of translators; but the hand of the Lord has been over this volume of scripture nevertheless, and it is remarkable that it has come down to us in the excellent condition in which we find it. Guided by the Books of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Spirit of the Lord, it is not difficult for one to discern the errors in the Bible…”
Isaiah 40:8 says; “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.”
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
2 Nephi 10:3; “Wherefore, as I said unto you, it must needs be expedient that Christ—for in the last night the angel spake unto me that this should be his name—should come among the Jews, among those who are the more wicked part of the world; and they shall crucify him—for thus it behooveth our God, and there is none other nation on earth that would crucify their God.”
Matthew 1:20-1 says; “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
While it may seem this isn’t all that important, let me expound a moment. Whenever a member of the LDS Church refers to the Lord they only refer to Him as Christ, never by His given name of Jesus. While that in itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, His name is not Christ. Christ is a Hebrew title for Messiah or anointed one. It’s as if they’ve stripped Jesus of His personal identity by calling Him by His title only.
For instance, my name is Michelle Grim. Now if everyone referred to me by Mrs. Grim all the time, including my family, friends, and business associates, etc. it places a wall or barrier between them and me. I’m Michelle to my husband, close friends, acquaintances and relatives. Of course I’m mom to my children and finally I’m Mrs. Grim to those whom I interact with at the bank, grocery store, or the schools that my children attend.
Our first name is what helps identify us and personalizes our relationships with other people. When I hear the name Kirk, I think of my husband; if I hear the names Jacqui or Axi, I immediately think of my daughters.
When the Mormons refer to any of the apostles in the Bible they refer to them by their first names, why not Jesus? Could it be they do not want members of the Church to be on a personal basis with Jesus?
Mormon Doctrine, pg. 392 says this about using the name “Jesus”;
“Though it was a common name anciently, its use by the Lord God Omnipotent as his personal name has given it a sacred connotation for all succeeding generations. (Acts 2:36.) Accordingly its profane and repetitious use is not in keeping with the true spirit of reverence and worship.”
FATHER, SON AND HOLY GHOST ARE ONE GOD
D&C 20:28 says; “Which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, infinite and eternal, without end. Amen.”
Encyclopedia of Mormonism, pg. 548; “Yet God the Father is not one in substance with the Son or the Holy Spirit, but is a separate being. The Father existed prior to the Son and the Holy Ghost and is the source of their divinity. In classical terms, LDS theology is subordinationist; that is, it views the Son and the Holy Ghost as subordinate to and dependent upon God the Eternal Father. They are his offspring. Thus Joseph Smith referred to the Father as “God the first” to emphasize his priority in the Godhead (TPJS, p. 190). The Son and the Holy Spirit were “in the beginning, with God,” but the Father alone existed before the beginning of the universe as it is known.”
Joseph Smith’s Testimony 1:17; “It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!”
Isaiah 9:6; “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
These are just a handful of examples you can read in the doctrines of the Church and compare them with the true scripture; that being the Bible. We pray the Mormon people will look for themselves and go to the Heavenly Father to ask Him if these things are true.
With Love in Christ;
Michelle Grim
1 Cor. 1:18
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We receive countless e-mails and phone calls on a daily basis asking us how to witness to a friend or loved one in Mormonism. While I’ve numbered the tips below for witnessing it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re in order of importance.
1 – Word studies. See if your Mormon friends would be interested in doing a word study with you! These are great for the new ex-Mormon as well as for the Mormon. Just pick your favorite word/topic from the Bible, find all the places in the Bible where this word is used to get the full context and share with each other what you’ve learned. Make sure you both use a reputable concordance and dictionary. Also let them know their opinion counts, that what they have to say matters to you personally. You don’t have to agree with their opinion, but their spiritual condition obviously matters to you or you wouldn’t bother trying.
