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Posts Tagged ‘Triple Combination’

Interesting Facts about the 3 in 1, pt. 5      

 The reason for this work and ministry is threefold.

     3-in-1The first is to bring honor and glory to our Lord God Jesus Christ in all that we do.  The second is to provide information from the LDS Church to its members in a cohesive manner to help answer their questions.  And the third is to provide our Christian readers with truthful information about the LDS Church they can use as an effective tool for witnessing to those caught in the lies of the evil one.

     I cannot begin to tell you, the reader, how many times we’ve cried for the situation the Mormons find themselves in because we were once there ourselves and know how desperate it feels.

     Oh if I could find a way to articulate to them how much Jesus truly loves them!  And how I pray our Lord will continue to lift our heads in encouragement for those who are lost.

     The series of articles “Interesting Facts about the 3-in-1” (or triple combination) are a simple tool to get a quick glance of how the Mormon Church deliberately chooses to confuse its members.

     As I write this there is a picture of some of my family members on my laptop and my heart breaks they cannot see these simple truths.  My mother and grandmother look beyond tired.  The dark circles under their eyes speak silently to the decades of disappointments and fears.  A cousin of mine that is three years my junior looks twenty years older than me.

     Heavenly Father tells us that His word does not come back void in Isaiah 55:11.  I pray each day they will remember the glorious message of God’s love for them I was able to share when they allowed me to take their pictures just a year ago.  Twenty-eight of them gathered for a family picnic last summer…that picture sits next to my open document on the desktop of my computer screen.

     I pray you’ll be able to use these discrepancies in their own sacred works to ask them what they think.  While a few of the items provided do not come from the Triple Combination they are easy enough to find on the web.

     All materials used come directly from LDS Church writings.

 With Love in Christ;

Michelle

Jude 1:24-25  …

 Born into Sin or Born Perfect?

 1 Nephi 20:8;Yea, and thou heardest not; yea, thou knewest not; yea, from that time thine ear was not opened; for I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.

D&C 29:47;Wherefore, they cannot sin, for power is not given unto Satan to tempt little children, until they begin to become accountable before me.

Romans 3:23; For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

 Ephraim, does he or does he not have descendants?

 2 Nephi 17:8-9; “For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus, Rezin; and within three score and five years shall Ephraim be broken that it be not a people.    9 And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son. If ye will not believe surely ye shall not be established.” – BC 559 to 545

Answers to Gospel Questions 1:140; “Latter-day Saints pride themselves because they are of Israel; but they are also of the Gentiles. We are the descendants of those members of the house of Israel who were scattered among the Gentiles to be a blessing to the Gentile nations and make them of the blood of Israel through the gospel… The Book of Mormon came by way of the Prophet Joseph Smith, a descendant of Ephraim, yet it came “by way of the Gentile,” and in the time of the Gentiles.

Hosea 9:11-17;  As for Ephraim, their glory shall fly away like a bird, from the birth, and from the womb, and from the conception.12 Though they bring up their children, yet will I bereave them, that there shall not be a man left: yea, woe also to them when I depart from them! 13 Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, is planted in a pleasant place: but Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer. 14 Give them, O LORD: what wilt thou give? give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. 15 All their wickedness is in Gilgal: for there I hated them: for the wickedness of their doings I will drive them out of mine house, I will love them no more: all their princes are revolters. 16 Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up, they shall bear no fruit: yea, though they bring forth, yet will I slay even the beloved fruit of their womb. 17 My God will cast them away, because they did not hearken unto him: and they shall be wanderers among the nations.

 Who is King?

D&C 38:21-22; But, verily I say unto you that in time ye shall have no king nor ruler, for I will be your king and watch over you. 22 Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, and what can stay my hand?

Times & Seasons 5:618; “…to build up the kingdom upon the foundation that the prophet Joseph has laid, who still holds the keys of this last dispensation, and will hold them to all eternity, as a king and priest unto the most high God, ministering in heaven, on earth, or among the spirits of the departed dead, as seemeth good to him who sent him.

Improvement Era 1909, Vol Xiii, No. 1; Every man reigns a king over the kingdom of—self. He wears the crown of individuality that no hands but his own can ever remove. He should not only reign, but—rule. His individuality is his true self, his best self, his highest self, his self victorious…Man reigns over this miniature kingdom of self—alone. He is as much an autocrat as is God in ruling the universe. No one can make him good or evil but he, himself.

1 Timothy 1:17; Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

 Baptism for Dead not Necessary

 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—30 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.

Isaiah 64:6; But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

 Bible is Eternal

 2 Nephi 9:16; And assuredly, as the Lord liveth, for the Lord God hath spoken it, and it is his eternal word, which cannot pass away.

8th Article of Faith; “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.”

Matthew 5:18; For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matt. 24:35; “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.

Prov. 30:5-6; “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. 6 Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.”

 Mormon god cannot keep promise

Mosiah 27:13; “Nevertheless he cried again, saying: Alma, arise and stand forth, for why persecutest thou the church of God? For the Lord hath said: This is my church, and I will establish it; and nothing shall overthrow it, save it is the transgression of my people.”

Psalm 31:23; O love the LORD, all ye his saints: for the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

Psalm 37:28-29; For the LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever: but the seed of the wicked shall be cut off.  29 The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein for ever.

 Mormon Jesus Says No to Food Storage

3 Nephi 13:31; “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?”

D&C 109:8; Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing, and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.

Matthew 6:31-32; Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

 Biggest Lie (one of them anyway) in Mormonism

Ether 12:11-12; “Wherefore, by faith was the law of Moses given. But in the gift of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way; and it is by faith that it hath been fulfilled. 12 For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; wherefore, he showed not himself until after their faith.”

Matthew 5:45; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

Romans 3:3-4; For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?  4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

 Honestly, how is this “inspired”?

Moroni 10:1; “Now I, Moroni, write somewhat as seemeth me good…”

Jarom 1:1-2; “Now behold, I, Jarom, write a few words according to the commandment of my father, Enos, that our genealogy may be kept.  2 And as these plates are small, and as these things are written for the intent of the benefit of our brethren the Lamanites, wherefore, it must needs be that I write a little; but I shall not write the things of my prophesying, nor of my revelations. For what could I write more than my fathers have written? For have not they revealed the plan of salvation? I say unto you, Yea; and this sufficeth me.”

1 Nephi 6:3; “And it mattereth not to me that I am particular to give a full account of all the things of my father, for they cannot be written upon these plates, for I desire the room that I may write of the things of God.”

Jacob 1:1-2; “Nephi gave me, Jacob, a commandment concerning the small plates, upon which these things are engraven. 2 And he gave me, Jacob, a commandment that I should write upon these plates a few of the things which I considered to be most precious”

Omni 1:1; “Behold, it came to pass that I, Omni, being commanded by my father, Jarom, that I should write somewhat upon these plates, to preserve our genealogy.”

2 Peter 1:20-21; Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.  21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

 Who Visited Joseph that Night – Moroni or Nephi?

Introductory page of D&C 1976, 3rd paragraph; This took place in the early spring of 1820.  In September, 1823, and at later times, Joseph Smith received visitations from Moroni, an angel of light, who revealed the resting place of the ancient record from which The Book of Mormon was afterward translated.

Joseph Smith History 1:32-33; The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him, I was afraid; but the fear soon left me.  33 He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Moroni; that God had a work for me to do; and that my name should be had for good and evil…”

Times and Seasons, vol. 3 (November 1841 – October 1842): pg. 753; “The room was exceedingly light, but not so very bright as immediately around his person. When I first looked upon him I was afraid, but the fear soon left me. He called me by name, and said unto me that he was a messenger sent from the presence of God to me, and that his name was Nephi. That God had a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil…”

2 Cor. 11:13-15; For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.  14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

 

 

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Interesting Facts of the 3 – in – 1 Part 4

 Alpha and Omega – Jesus is God

     3-in-1One of the biggest shocks for me when I left the Church was finding out that Jesus is God.  I felt very small for a really long time afterwards, wondering how I had never known this big piece of theological information.

     Fifteen years later I’ve come to know how easy enough it is for all of us to become “immune” to the true meaning of every day vocabulary.  However, when you’re LDS this is compounded by not knowing that dictionaries can also be used for help when reading our Bibles to find out things like Jesus is God.

     Recently while doing research for another article I found that the use of Alpha and Omega was used so frequently in the D&C it’d be a good idea to stop and think about the meaning of this phrase. Here is how the Holman Bible Dictionary describes Alpha and Omega;

 “ALPHA – ALPHA AND OMEGA are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet and are used in Revelation to describe God or Christ (Rev. 1:8, 17; 21:6; 22:13.) “Alpha and omega” refers to God’s sovereignty and eternal nature. God and Christ are “the beginning and the end, the first and last.” (Rev. 22:13). Thus they control all history and all humans of all generations.

OMEGA  (oh mee’ guh) Last letter in the Greek alphabet. Together with the first letter, alpha, omega designates God and Christ as the all-encompassing Reality (Rev. 1:8; 21:6; 22:13).

      The idea that God and Christ control everything is simply mind boggling to me!  This God that we worship has created everything, yet knows me intimately and loves me too…there are no words to describe the comfort this brings.  Our prayer for the Mormon people is for them to know the inexpressible peace this God can bring to them as well.  I just can’t imagine Smith proclaiming this joy to the people when we read his works.  So the questions are as follows:

 Is Jesus God or not?

If He isn’t then why do several verses in D&C say that He is?

Was Joseph mistaken or was he purposefully trying to confuse members of the Church?

If God hates liars why would He allow only part of His word to be truth?

     The following list gives 22 examples of how the Mormon Church lies.  D&C 130:22 alone contradicts the examples below and does not support that Jesus is God.  There were verses in my little study I didn’t include on this list and I’m sure there are still others I’ve accidentally missed.

D&C 10:70; And now, remember the words of him who is the life and light of the world, your Redeemer, your Lord and your God. Amen.

D&C 17:9; And I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it unto you, that I might bring about my righteous purposes unto the children of men. Amen.

D&C 18:31; And I, Jesus Christ, your Lord and your God, have spoken it.

D&C 19:1; I am Alpha and Omega, Christ the Lord; yea, even I am he, the beginning and the end, the Redeemer of the world.

D&C 20:28; Which Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God, infinite and eternal, without end. Amen.

D&C 27:1; Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Lord, your God, and your Redeemer, whose word is quick and powerful.

D&C 29:1; Listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, the Great I AM, whose arm of mercy hath atoned for your sins.

D&C 34:1; My son Orson, hearken and hear and behold what I, the Lord God, shall say unto you, even Jesus Christ your Redeemer.

D&C 35:1-2; Listen to the voice of the Lord your God, even Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, whose course is one eternal round, the same today as yesterday, and forever.2 I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was crucified for the sins of the world…

D&C 36:1, 8; Thus saith the Lord God, the Mighty One of Israel: Behold, I say unto you, my servant Edward, that you are blessed, and your sins are forgiven you, and you are called to preach my gospel as with the voice of a trump. 8 I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God; wherefore, gird up your loins and I will suddenly come to my temple. Even so. Amen.

D&C 38:1; Thus saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, the Great I AM, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the same which looked upon the wide expanse of eternity, and all the seraphic hosts of heaven, before the world was made.

D&C 39:1; Hearken and listen to the voice of him who is from all eternity to all eternity, the Great I AM, even Jesus Christ

D&C 51:1, 20; Hearken unto me, saith the Lord your God, and I will speak unto my servant Edward Partridge… 20 Verily, I say unto you, I am Jesus Christ, who cometh quickly, in an hour you think not. Even so. Amen.

D&C 53:1-2; Behold, I say unto you, my servant Sidney Gilbert, that I have heard your prayers; and you have called upon me that it should be made known unto you, of the Lord your God, concerning your calling and election in the church, which I, the Lord, have raised up in these last days. 2 Behold, I, the Lord, who was crucified for the sins of the world

D&C 62:1; Behold, and hearken, O ye elders of my church, saith the Lord your God, even Jesus Christ, your advocate, who knoweth the weakness of man and how to succor them who are tempted.

D&C 63:59-60; Behold, I am from above, and my power lieth beneath. I am over all, and in all, and through all, and search all things, and the day cometh that all things shall be subject unto me.60 Behold, I am Alpha and Omega, even Jesus Christ.

D&C 66:13; Verily, thus saith the Lord your God, your Redeemer, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

D&C 76:1; Hear, O ye heavens, and give ear, O earth, and rejoice ye inhabitants thereof, for the Lord is God, and beside him there is no Savior.

D&C 81:7; Behold, and lo, these are the words of Alpha and Omega, even Jesus Christ. Amen.

D&C 130:22; The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us.

 Gal. 6:7; Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.

 Dead People Repent

      The following is interesting.

 D&C 138:58-59;The dead who repent will be redeemed, through obedience to the ordinances of the house of God,  59 And after they have paid the penalty of their transgressions, and are washed clean, shall receive a reward according to their works, for they are heirs of salvation.

 How can dead people repent?

How can dead people pay a penalty for their transgressions?

What about Jesus?

Didn’t the vicarious service of baptism for the dead settle their account?

Gnashing of Teeth

Alma 14:21; And many such things did they say unto them, gnashing their teeth upon them, and spitting upon them, and saying: How shall we look when we are damned?

 Questions:

 How exactly does one go about gnashing teeth upon someone?

Does this sound inspired of God?

 Strange Acts of God

     The indwelling of the Holy Spirit into the adopted children of God has to be one of the best miracles God has ever performed.  I sit in awe each time I dwell upon His love for me and for the way He is ever faithful.  Nothing about His works has ever been to demean or abuse us.  And knowing He is always there to provide for me will always be a comfort to me.  I wouldn’t pretend to know what lies ahead for me personally in this life, but I know I will always be humbled and safe.  That is why I find it offensive when I discovered this verse in the Doctrine and Covenants.

 D&C 95:4; For the preparation wherewith I design to prepare mine apostles to prune my vineyard for the last time, that I may bring to pass my strange act, that I may pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.

John 14:16-18; And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  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.  18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

 No Polygamy!

     Ugh, this is one of my most dreaded subjects that we deal with concerning Mormonism.  The demoralization of this vulgar practice knows no bounds. Those who are caught in its snares are affected in one way or another for life; men, women and children alike.  The warnings from Moses down to Paul weren’t meant solely for their day, but for ours as well.  It makes me think that maybe God knew what He was talking about!

 D&C 42:22, 26; Thou shalt love thy wife with all thy heart, and shalt cleave unto her and none else.  But if he doeth it again, he shall not be forgiven, but shall be cast out.

Deut. 17:17; Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

 8 Months Later…Another Prophecy on Polygamy and Temptation

D&C 66:10-11; Seek not to be cumbered. Forsake all unrighteousness. Commit not adultery—a temptation with which thou hast been troubled.  11 Keep these sayings, for they are true and faithful; and thou shalt magnify thine office, and push many people to Zion with songs of everlasting joy upon their heads.

Ex. 20:14; Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Save Yourselves

     Just about everyone I’ve met tells me the same thing; “If the Mormon really believes all this then why are they so nice?”

     I do admit on the outside they do seem amiable enough, but being friendly doesn’t get you into heaven any faster than saving yourself can.  And this is what breaks my heart for the Mormon people.  They are nice, but they also believe they are their own Saviors.  Try as I might I cannot convince my mother that being a doormat for the Relief Society doesn’t gain her Brownie points with God.  Yet this is the only message the Mormons ever preach.

 D&C 38:40-42; And again, I say unto you, I give unto you a commandment, that every man, both elder, priest, teacher, and also member, go to with his might, with the labor of his hands, to prepare and accomplish the things which I have commanded.  41 And let your preaching be the warning voice, every man to his neighbor, in mildness and in meekness.  42 And go ye out from among the wicked. Save yourselves. Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. Even so. Amen.

Gal. 2:16-17; Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.  17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.

 Odd Reactions

     Whenever I see things like this I have to wonder…

 Is this really inspired?

      The Holman Bible dictionary says this about the inspiration of scripture; “As indicated in the biblical explanation, inspiration is a divine-human encounter whereby God reveals truth. It is a message from God and of God, as well as through persons and for persons.”  From this understanding we can therefore ask ourselves if it is an inspired work of God.

 Is the “scripture” below a message from God and of God?

Is it for people like you, me or even my mother?

How is this “scripture” beneficial for your spiritual growth?

 Alma 14:8-11; And they brought their wives and children together, and whosoever believed or had been taught to believe in the word of God they caused that they should be cast into the fire; and they also brought forth their records which contained the holy scriptures, and cast them into the fire also, that they might be burned and destroyed by fire.  9 And it came to pass that they took Alma and Amulek, and carried them forth to the place of martyrdom, that they might witness the destruction of those who were consumed by fire.  10 And when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained; and he said unto Alma: How can we witness this awful scene? Therefore let us stretch forth our hands, and exercise the power of God which is in us, and save them from the flames.  11 But Alma said unto him: The Spirit constraineth me that I must not stretch forth mine hand; for behold the Lord receiveth them up unto himself, in glory; and he doth suffer that they may do this thing, or that the people may do this thing unto them, according to the hardness of their hearts, that the judgments which he shall exercise upon them in his wrath may be just; and the blood of the innocent shall stand as a witness against them, yea, and cry mightily against them at the last day.

      Questions:

 If these holy men had the opportunity to save righteous people from the fire why didn’t they do it? 

How was watching these people burn so that others would go to hell be the proper thing to do?

 From a Christian who wrote in asking the following question and providing the verses below: 

 “Would you say there is a correlation here?”

 3 Nephi 17:23-24;And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.  24 And as they looked to behold they cast their eyes towards heaven, and they saw the heavens open, and they saw angels descending out of heaven as it were in the midst of fire; and they came down and encircled those little ones about, and they were encircled about with fire; and the angels did minister unto them.

Lev. 18:21; And thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Molech, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD.

      As always we are praying the LDS will stop for just a moment and contemplate a few of these scenarios.  I personally know what it means to be overwhelmed with it all, but when that scenario was taking place for me fifteen years ago, the one thing I knew I had to do was listen to Jesus’ voice more above my family’s heritage.

 With Love in Christ;

Michelle Grim

1 Cor. 1:18

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Interesting Facts about the 3 – in – 1 – Part 3

      3-in-1We’re taking a deeper look at the claims of the Triple Combination for the sake of the Mormons as well as the Christians!  So here we go with the third installment of Interesting Facts about the Triple Combination.

 What’s in a Name – again!

 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.

False Promises

      I asked a few friends to help me count how many verses they could find containing Greek words in the Book of Mormon.  Thanks to everyone’s help we came up with the discovery of several Greek words which appeared in 752 verses throughout the BC era of the Book of Mormon!  The reason for pointing this out is twofold.  First of all why were Greek words being used in the BC era?

Secondly, Smith publicly proclaimed the Book of Mormon contained no such thing!  In Times & Seasons 4:194 it says;

 “There was no Greek or Latin upon the plates from which I, through the grace of God, translated the Book of Mormon Let the language of that book speak for itself.”

      Whenever I am reminded of this scenario I think of what the Apostle Paul told the Galatians in 1:6-9;

 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.  8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.  9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

      “Why or better yet how, could you not question these things?”  This is the question I receive from Christians all the time when writing in to ask why their loved one has fallen into the trap of Mormonism.  With all of the evidence of plagiarism, lies, and improbabilities, it is amazing that people do not question.  When I was LDS I remember seeing these things and then blaming myself for not understanding or for questioning the Church.  Remember though one of the other things the Apostle Paul warned us about in Ephesians 6:11-12;

 “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

 Eve Praises God for Their Sin

      The contradictions found in LDS theology run rampant in regards to the subject of sin.  The average Mormon truly believes two things that are diametrically opposed to what God declares.  1 – Man is inherently evil.  2 – They believe it was necessary that Adam & Eve sin.

     As you dig deeper into Mormon theology, you can easily see how they keep members confused.  The following two examples are found in the Pearl of Great Price.  As you can see in the first example they are lauding Eve’s choice and in another instance they are being taught that by sinning you are choosing to be separated from God.

 Moses 5:11; “And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.

 Moses 6:48-50; “And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence.  48 And he said unto them: Because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death; and we are made partakers of misery and woe.  49 Behold Satan hath come among the children of men, and tempteth them to worship him; and men have become carnal, sensual, and devilish, and are shut out from the presence of God.  50 But God hath made known unto our fathers that all men must repent.

      Compare this with what the Bible says in Romans 3:23;

 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

      Also see Rom. 5:12;

 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”

 The Making of Mankind

      Moses 2:27;

 “And I, God, created man in mine own image, in the image of mine Only Begotten created I him; male and female created I them.”

      If God created male and female after His own image and God is an exalted man as they claim in D&C 130:22, would this mean that God is also an exalted woman?

 Timeliness is of the Utmost Importance…

 Abraham 3:24 says;

 “And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell.

      Where exactly is “down there”?  Wouldn’t that mean there was already something down there that had been created and if so, wouldn’t that contradict Abraham 3:22 which says;

 “Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones.

 Packing Your Bags…Travel Itineraries for Nephites & Jaredites

      First Nephi tells us about the travels of the prophet Lehi and his sons, one of which is Nephi of course.

     Is it reasonable that Lehi and his family could have left Jerusalem and walked 210 miles in three days to get to the Red Sea?  See 1 Nephi 2:4-7.

     Also note 1 Nephi 2:6, 8 which tells us Nephi & company traveled 3 days in the wilderness to get to the Red Sea and then set up camp next to a river called Laman.

 1 – Most travelers in those days could travel roughly 15 miles on a really good day’s travel.  The distance between the northern tip of the Red Sea to Jerusalem is approximately 153 miles.  That’s roughly ten or so days and as you can see Nephi said he did it in three.  Is this really possible?

2 – There has never been a river that has emptied into the Red Sea; even to this day.  There are and have been canals built for shipping for the past 200-300 years, but no rivers.

      The story in Nephi would be considered a false prophecy.  I realize this is “tough language”; but we need to be honest here and call it what it is – a lie.  A good concise map and data can be found at www.encyclopedia.com for info on this subject.

     In the book of Ether we find Jared, his family and friends building and then packing their boat for the trip to the Promised Land.  There are several items of note within this text that we could spend a good amount of time in, however let’s just look at a few interesting “facts”.

 In Ether 2:2 it says;

 “And they did also lay snares and catch fowls of the air; and they did also prepare a vessel, in which they did carry with them the fish of the waters.

      If they’re going to be sailing for a bit of time, why would they need to pack fish?  Noah was out on the waters for about 370 days and the Bible doesn’t mention one thing about him packing fish of any kind to take with him.  See Gen. 7:11-13 & Gen. 8:14-15 for length of time Noah was on the Ark.

     Didn’t they (the Jaredites) have any food?  If they didn’t need to eat the fish, where were they kept – an aquarium?

 Ether 2:18-20 says;

 “And it came to pass that the brother of Jared cried unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.  19 And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.  20 And the Lord said unto the brother of Jared: Behold, thou shalt make a hole in the top, and also in the bottom; and when thou shalt suffer for air thou shalt unstop the hole and receive air. And if it be so that the water come in upon thee, behold, ye shall stop the hole, that ye may not perish in the flood.

      Why didn’t the Lord remember to put air holes in the “barges” so they could breathe and why was there a “plug” in the bottom of the boat?  How could air come into the boat if you’re using the plug in the bottom?  Wouldn’t only water be coming through?

 Why was there an Apostasy?

      3 Nephi 28:1-18 is the account of when Jesus told three of the Nephites they would never die.  (Also see “This is My Gospel, Book of Mormon Gospel Doctrine Teacher’s Manual”, pg. 185)*

     Here we have a few people wandering the earth with the “truth” and no one intervenes to warn the Christians they were falling into an apostasy?

     The history of Joseph Smith in 1:19 says that God told Joseph not to join any of the churches, for they were all wrong.

 Joseph Smith History 1:19; “I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong; and the Personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in his sight; that those professors were all corrupt; that: “they draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me, they teach for doctrines the commandments of men, having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.”

      For a concise explanation of what the Church considers to be “the Apostasy” see what the Apostle Bruce McConkie said in Mormon Doctrine, pg. 699;

 “Existence of the sects of Christendom is proof positive of the universal apostasy. Truth is one; Christ is not divided; those who enjoy the Spirit, all speak the same things; there are no divisions among them; but they are “perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.” (1 Cor. 1:10-13.) When Joseph Smith retired to the Sacred Grove, it was to ask the Lord which of all the sects was right and which he should join. The answer: “I must join none of them, for they were all wrong.” (Jos. Smith 2:14-20.)

      Of course we know this is nothing but lies.  Jesus promises us in Matthew 16:18 that His church will always stand the test of time!

 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

    Dietary Laws for the People of the Book of Mormon

      It is difficult at best to believe the Jewish people wouldn’t know or understand Torah.  The life of a typical Israelite is lived obeying and observing it.  The country they lived in or traveled through wouldn’t matter; they knew the Law just as much as you and I know the pledge of allegiance as it was ingrained in them from one generation to the next.

 About Wine:

      This first example puzzles me because here we have a direct example of how to take the Lord’s Supper using wine.  Apparently this wasn’t a sin, but now it is?  Also note how they prayed in the name of the Eternal Father.  The god of Mormonism isn’t eternal.

 Moroni 5:1-2;

 “The manner of administering the wine—Behold, they took the cup, and said:  2 O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

 About Raw Meat:

 1 Nephi 17:2;

 “And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.

 1 Nephi 17:12;

 “For the Lord had not hitherto suffered that we should make much fire, as we journeyed in the wilderness; for he said: I will make thy food become sweet, that ye cook it not.

 Lev. 7:26-27;

 “Moreover ye shall eat no manner of blood, whether it be of fowl or of beast, in any of your dwellings. 27 Whatsoever soul it be that eateth any manner of blood, even that soul shall be cut off from his people.

 Lev. 19:26;

 “Ye shall not eat any thing with the blood: neither shall ye use enchantment, nor observe times.

 About Swine:

 Ether 9:18;

 “And also all manner of cattle, of oxen, and cows, and of sheep, and of swine, and of goats, and also many other kinds of animals which were useful for the food of man.

 Leviticus 11:7-8; “And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.8 Of their flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcase shall ye not touch; they are unclean to you.

How Did Ammon Know to Quote Jesus in 90 BC?

Alma 19:10;

 “And Ammon said unto her: Blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites.

      It’s obvious that Smith is plagiarizing Jesus.  How would someone in Mesoamerica know to say something like this 120 years before it was said by Jesus Himself in Luke 7:9;

 “When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Personal Injuries

 1 N 4:19-21;

 “And after I had smitten off his head with his own sword, I took the garments of Laban and put them upon mine own body; yea, even every whit; and I did gird on his armor about my loins.  20 And after I had done this, I went forth unto the treasury of Laban. And as I went forth towards the treasury of Laban, behold, I saw the servant of Laban who had the keys of the treasury. And I commanded him in the voice of Laban, that he should go with me into the treasury.  21 And he supposed me to be his master, Laban, for he beheld the garments and also the sword girded about my loins.

      Notice there was no mention of any blood found upon the body of Nephi from the beheading of Laban…Alma 44:12-16;

 “And now when Moroni had said these words, Zerahemnah retained his sword, and he was angry with Moroni, and he rushed forward that he might slay Moroni; but as he raised his sword, behold, one of Moroni’s soldiers smote it even to the earth, and it broke by the hilt; and he also smote Zerahemnah that he took off his scalp and it fell to the earth…16 Now it came to pass that Zerahemnah was exceedingly wroth, and he did stir up the remainder of his soldiers to anger, to contend more powerfully against the Nephites.

      Zerhemnah gets scalped and all it says is that he’s “wroth”?  I would imagine that I’d be a little more than angry if I got scalped.

 Twelve years of war and not one person died… really?  Alma 56:56;

 “But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.

Living Under Law

    The following verse in the Doctrine and Covenants make me absolutely heart sick for the Mormon people and angry with the leadership that will not tell the truth about God.  Memories of my mother working herself almost to death for the sake of a false gospel has left me baffled on many an occasion.

     If we were to work under the Law then why pray tell even bother with the Jesus side of things?

 D&C 132:32;

 “Go ye, therefore, and do the works of Abraham; enter ye into my law and ye shall be saved.

      There are two passages of scripture that keep coming to mind whenever I read this in the Mormon “scripture”.  Romans 4:2-3 and Galatians 2:20-21;

 “For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.

3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

 “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

      Clearly we are living under grace now, if you’ve accepted the Messiah actually delivered on His promises that is.  The scripture is also very clear about living under the Law:

 Galatians 5:3-4; “For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.

 Romans 5:19; “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”

      Notice how Paul said that by one man’s obedience.  This demonstrates it isn’t by your works or my works, it is by one person’s obedience, that being Jesus Christ.

 Deacons

     The list of discrepancies, contradictions and outright lies are many in the teachings of the LDS Church, so when I’m going through my list of what to publish for these articles, I am trying to just pull out the most prevalent.  This particular subject matter caught my attention because of its levity.

     When we take communion it is a very serious event for those of us who participate in it.  In fact the Apostle Paul said this in 1 Cor. 11:26-27 regarding the Lord’s Supper;

 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 27Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.

      I could go on and on about the elements of bread & wine or juice in the Christian churches vs. the “Wonderbread” and water the LDS Church uses and the way they administer it with everyone just eating and drinking at their own will, but that’s for another time…

     The LDS Church ascribes to the teachings of Joseph Smith by observing the perfunctory ordinances at each and every event, but I am left to wonder why they haven’t changed their “scripture” for this one.

     D&C 20:58 says;

 “But neither teachers nor deacons have authority to baptize, administer the sacrament, or lay on hands.”

      This must have been a pretty important rule if Smith thought enough of it to make it “scripture”, so I have to ask the proverbial “why” on this one.  Mormon Doctrine pg. 361 says this about the deacons and sacrament;

 “Twelve-year-old LDS males usually receive the Aaronic Priesthood and are ordained deacons, continuing in that priesthood office until age fourteen. Deacons receive assignments from their bishops that may include distributing the Sacrament to the congregation, serving as messengers, collecting fast offerings, providing assistance to the elderly or disabled, and caring for the meetinghouse and grounds.

      Again, please know that we don’t publish our findings or write these articles to bash or demean the Mormon people.  We love the people dearly and our prayer is that they will come to know the real Jesus Christ of the Bible who died for them.

 With Love in Christ;

Michelle Grim

1 Cor. 1:18

 *The following “note” appears at the end of page 185 in Gospel Doctrines Teachers Manual.  It’s interesting how they teach their members to keep secret about things and to not discuss them amongst each other.  Could it be they might logically come to the conclusion this was a fabricated story?  “Note: Stories often circulate about the three Nephites who were translated. Members of the Church should be careful about accepting or retelling these stories. You should not discuss them in class.”

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